God Bless This Child

Ellen Feldman's latest thriller is like a good bed--strong, comfortable, warm, with all the corners neatly tucked in. Former television news producer Bailey Bender now works in a bookstore, dates a recovering alcoholic, and yearns for the baby boy she gave up for adoption 20 years ago. An old friendship gets Bailey involved in a murder case involving a rich Long Island family, which turns out to be as interestingly dysfunctional as Bailey's own. The situation gives Feldman the chance to show off her ease at creating characters with depth. --Dick Adler