THE BLACK DEATH-- A PERSONAL HISTORY

By John Hatcher (De Capo, 318 pages, $27.50)

"'The Black Death' -- nice bedtime read," my wife noted with a chuckle as she glanced at the dust jacket. The book is a fascinating and novel approach to history, whether you read it on a beach, in a bed -- or, perhaps more appropriately, in a cemetery. Hatcher, a scholar of medieval history and professor of economic and social history at the University of Cambridge in England, notes in his preface that the book "is an experiment in combining history and fiction." Despite my initial skepticism, the approach works. Hatcher is very upfront about what he is doing and why, given the lack of personal documentation in an age of wide illiteracy. Each chapter opens with a section of purely historical information to set the scene, and then flows into a historically accurate fictional narrative. The story focuses on Walsham, Suffolk, a real village populated with both real and fictional characters. Endnotes testify to the historical documentation and veracity of his created portions. Hatcher's structure and style afford the reader a visceral experience as the bubonic plague sweeps across Europe, across the channel and into the homes of Walsham. We experience not only the horror and details of death by plague, but also the effects on families, orphaned children, the church, the economy, and people's faith in their God. The book is a powerful and grim journey through the years 1345 to 1350, and the fundamental changes in the societal structure and economy by the death of a third of Europe's population. This included more than half the souls of Walsham.

BRIAN LEEHAN, FEATURES CALENDAR/STAFF WRITER


A JOB TO KILL FOR: A Lacy Fields mystery

By Janice Kaplan. (Touchstone, 294 pages, $24.)

Here's a heroine to make you feel inadequate: Lacy Fields is mother to three children, wife to a surgeon, an interior designer to the rich and famous. Plus she can kick her way out of a locked closet and smash her way out of a closed casket. All while wearing the finest designer duds. Lacy becomes a suspect in the murder of wealthy client Cassie Crawford, who dies while Lacy is showing her newly decorated penthouse. In trying to clear her own name, she discovers that her best friend, Molly, has been cozying up to Cassie's husband and has a motive in the killing. Lacy launches an investigation to restore her faith in Molly and find the real killer. Her adventure is a fun read with many interesting characters and twists. This is Kaplan's second book featuring Lacy, but you don't need to read the first to enjoy it.

JUDY ROMANOWICH SMITH, NEWS DESIGNER