THE BOOK FAIR

Berne’s well written, fast-paced novel delves into the mischief of a precocious child and the consequences for those effected by her actions.

After a young boy is murdered in a Washington D.C. suburb, in 1972, a peaceful, middleclass neighborhood must come to grips with the terrible crime.  But this was an especially horrific crime because the twelve-year old was not only murdered, he was also molested.

Nine-year old Marsha, who vaguely knew the murdered boy, begins to keep a journal of comings and goings in the neighborhood.  After she decides who is possibly guilty of crimes, she begins to point fingers.

The author’s writing style, though concise, is descriptive, and believable, sympathetic characters play out in an interesting, well-developed plot.