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Margret Snow has a secret: She collects dead birds. That little private quirk is nestled in a larger quandary -- her grief over the plane-crash death of her husband, with whom she shared a passion for bird-watching. It is consuming her rather than dissipating in the way her way-too-brisk friends believe it should. Somehow, arising before dawn to collect the limp carcasses of birds that have smashed into shiny skyscrapers, then eviscerating and stuffing them, then making them characters in strangely arresting shadow-boxes, gives her comfort. Sounds pretty weird, but Margret's grieving and morbid artistry make for a captivating story about the way the rough, lonely road back from loss often sets a bereaved person apart from others. "The Bird Catcher" is also an ode to Manhattan, whose every corner we explore on Margret's odyssey. This otherwise lovely book is structurally flawed -- throughout its first half, scenes are presented with no apparent linkage, and there are way too many characters who seem important, then disappear with little fanfare. Once the reader gets used to all that and settles down to focus on Margret's strange journey, it's a sweet, sad, odd, fine little novel.

PAMELA MILLER, NIGHT NEWS EDITOR

If it's summer, it's time for a new Stephanie Plum adventure, and this one surely won't disappoint fans of Steph and the bounty-hunting gang. Lula, our heroine's loud-mouthed, plus-sized sidekick, grabs a hilarious starring role after witnessing a murder by decapitation. The victim is a well-known chef about to compete in a barbecued rib cookoff. Lula is next on the hit list, getting chased by crazy men carrying a meat cleaver. She decides that to find the killers, she will enter the cookoff and enlists Stephanie's Grandma Mazur as her partner in cooking. You can imagine the results: Barbecue sauce exploded everywhere in Stephanie's kitchen and several ill people are just the start. Meanwhile, Stephanie is on the outs with longtime lover Joe Morelli, and hottie Ranger hires her to help find the person who is sabotaging his security business. (Am I the only one who wants her to dump Morelli permanently and give Ranger a whirl?) Along the way, Stephanie manages to wreck two cars, get covered in flour and doused with red paint. It's just plain fun reading. I can't wait for 16!