T. Greenwood, This Glittering World

This Glittering World

T. Greenwood

Kensington, Jan 1 2011, $15.00

ISBN: 9780758250919

Although engaged to optimistic strong willed Sara, adjunct history professor Ben Bailey has doubts that he wants to marry the sometimes termagant. When she is nice, which is most of the time, he knows he wants her; but when she is over the top he wants her out of his life. He muses while also tending bar over whether to marry or not to marry.

Ben finds a severely battered young Native American male nearly dead on his lawn in Flagstaff, Arizona. Not one to become passionate about anything, Ben feels an urge to know what happened to the lad. When Ricky Begay dies, Ben obsesses over the truth of what happened to him, especially when what seems an obvious murder appears to be ignored. His inquiry leads Ben to Ricky's sister Shadi. As they team up on the investigation into her sibling's homicide, he falls in love with Shadi, but Sara is carrying his child.

Ben's doubts about what he wants in life make for an engaging contemporary, but require a key acceptance by readers of the lead male's obsession with the beating death of Ricky leading him to a third choice. His revised musing is to marry pregnant Sara or to marry grieving Shadi. Readers will want to know whether Ben chooses responsibility (Sara) or adventure (Shadi) as he perceives his dueling relationships; he assumes both will want to wed him.

Harriet Klausner