Readalikes for that combination of history, intriguing characters, and suspense:

Matthew Pearl’s The Dante Club
In 1865, the preparations of the Dante Club–led by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes–to release the first translation of Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” are threatened by a series of murders that re-create episodes from “Inferno.”
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Stories for a Safer Wakefield is a month-long community inquiry during May 2010, intended to provoke thought and discussion about violence and its deterrence. Beebe Library invites you to read from a selection of stories that draw awareness to the effects of violence in a community. Stories for a Safer Wakefield features forums and activities to better understand and mitigate violence in our lives. For more information on Stories for a Safer Wakefield: Brochure or Wakefield Alliance Against Violence.

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Throughout the month of May 2010 Wakefield residents of all ages will be invited to learn more about what forms of violence are present in our community, and how all of us are affected by violent behavior. Beebe Library, in collaboration with the Wakefield Alliance Against Violence will make available multiple copies of books that examine themes of youth bullying, teen dating violence and domestic violence. This shared reading experience will be the basis for our community to take a hard look at the scope and impact of violence in our midst.
Please take a look at the Stories for a Safer Wakefield Brochure for a complete overview of this community-wide effort.

Spring is a difficult time to get anything done. Putting a check mark beside an item on your “To-Do” list is a rare and luxurious event. So dive into some short stories, because you can actually finish one or two in one sitting. Here are a few suggestions for those of you who would rather pick and choose the stories you feel like reading.
For sheer variety, pick up any edition of the The Best American Short Stories. The 2009 edition presents a collection of stories selected from magazines in the United States and Canada and edited by Alice Sebold and Heidi Pitlor and include stories by Annie Proulx, Joseph Epstein, Ron Rash, and Jill McCorkle.
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Beebe Library’s “Wakefield Then & Now” photo contest asked entrants to select a historic photo of Wakefield and go out and take a matching photo of the same location today. The library received some great entries in three separate categories: adult, teen and kids. Presented here are the winners in each age category.

Cole Kraus took first place in the Kids Category for his photo matching an original 1945 Joseph Payro image of Water Street at the corner of Wakefield Avenue. Ten year-old Cole said that he was surprised that the scene had not changed much since the original photo was taken.
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Murder, I Wrote:  Crime stories in the First Person

Adams, Harold (Carl Wilcox)

• Lead so I can follow (1999)

Hard to find or buy. Not recommended by SS readers.

Burke, Alafair (Samantha Kincaid)
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The Massachusetts Center for the Book has come up with its short list for the 10th Mass. Book Award. Books were published in 2009. To view the list for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, click here.