From Publishers Weekly
Stark images propel this powerful tale about English photojournalist Alexandra Bridgman, on assignment in a remote French village where a recent landslide has claimed 15 lives. She meets Neville Johnson, an English boy living in the town who tried valiantly to save a deformed boy; now confined to a wheelchair, Neville is bound by a guilt that bewilders Alex. She observes a silent man digging each day through the rubble, long after his wife's lifeless body has been pulled from the mud and rocks. Her investigations continually lead to a mysterious fire that occurred before the disaster, in which two others were killed. Jordan ( The Toy Cupboard ), who is really prolific author Alan Scholefield, delivers sharp snapshots of evil, exploring the cruelty of a group of youngsters who are fixated on nationalism and romanticized history. Alex herself is threatened as she investigates deaths caused by acts of nature and those precipitated by human hands; the solution is withheld until the final pages.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA-A massive rock slide in a small French resort town causes death and destruction, and a devastating house fire kills two more people. Add to this a trio of brash young men used to getting what they want, an inquisitive English reporter, and a wealthy landowner who longs for the glorious days of France in the Middle Ages, and you have a satisfying mystery. When the reporter, Alexandra Bridgman, begins to investigate the tragedies of Carriac, she is not prepared for the hostility of the townspeople or for the sinister atmosphere in the country manor where she is a guest. Her hosts are an English author, her dilettante husband, and their teenaged son Neville, who became a local hero when trying to rescue another young person caught in the rock slide. As Alex interviews Neville's friends and family, she begins to suspect that there is a "story within the story." And as she uncovers its inner layers, her own safety is threatened, triggering a chain reaction. The suspense and intrigue of this novel will appeal to YAs who are not put off by the Briticisms.
Lyn Knapp, Annandale High School, Fairfax County, VACopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
