It's in the cards

Alanis McLachlan is flabbergasted when her mother, a crafty con-woman, leaves her an inheritance. She is even more surprised to find out it is a tiny shop in Berdache, Arizona called The White Magic Five and Dime. What has her mother been up to and who has she wronged? Alanis finds herself intrigued by the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. She begins to learn to read tarot cards in an attempt to solve the mystery.  The cast of characters include a strange teenage girl, a handsome cop and a threatening bail bondsman. TheWhite Magic Five and Dime by Steve Hockensmith and Lisa Falco is amusing, fast-paced, and definitely entertaining. DB

A flock of secrets

Sheep are Mathieu Etcheberri’s life. What he wants most is to leave the family ranch in Arizona and go to the university. When his father dies in an accident, secrets are revealed.  Mathieu finds out he is not heir to the ranch and is forced to travel to France to meet a family he doesn’t know to claim his land. He is thrown into another culture where he learns about his ancestors and the traditions of his childhood. The French Pyrenees are stuck in time and Mathieu has to make sense out of decisions made by his grandfather years ago. He manages to find his place in the world and the answers he was seeking. The Last Shepherd by Martin Etchart is an interesting tale about growing up in a Basque-American family. The story is current and unpredictable.  DB