Out of Danger

In this affecting and timely novel, Lipsett depicts three resilient women, each of whom is beset by calamities. Divorcee Elinor Landau works hard to support herself and her 12-year-old daughter, Laurel, in Berkeley, Calif. Despite difficulties, they bask in an easy camaraderie until one day Laurel vanishes. Elinor must deal with her own overwhelming fear, a gruff police detective and her mother, Vera, a geriatric social worker who behaves with characteristic flintiness. During her ordeal, Elinor receives consolation from a new companion, Jack Shapiro, whose patient understanding buoys her spirits. After five interminable months, the police find Laurel, now gaunt and ominously silent. Elinor learns that she was abducted and sexually abused, a revelation that horrifies her and Vera, whose increasing memory lapses compel her to move in with Elinor and Laurel. As Vera battles physical and mental infirmities while trying to save her granddaughter, Elinor struggles to aid them both while nurturing her relationship with Jack. In crisp, unsentimental prose, Lipsett captures this female trio's heroism, and she resolves their story in strong, convincing fashion. (November)