Quiet Neighbors

In this outstanding standalone from Edgar-finalist McPherson (The Child Garden), Lowell Glen’s house cum bookstore, Lowland Glen Books, in Wigtown, Scotland, becomes a haven first for Jude, a librarian who has run away from her personal problems in London; and then for pregnant 19-year-old Eddy Preston, who shows up from Ireland and claims that Lowell is her dad from a casual affair. Nosy, dotty Marion Hewston, who lives in the bungalow at the bottom of Lowell’s garden, tells of the period 20 years earlier when Lowell kept an open house for frequent visitors, as background to her version of Eddy’s birth. Meanwhile, Jude moves into the cottage of the late Todd Jolly, whose library contains books with insightful jottings hinting at a darker mystery and suspicious deaths in Wigtown’s past. Jude’s probing questions lead to threats, then actions that will change all their lives. McPherson’s literary observations are delightful, her quirky collection of characters intriguing, and the unfolding mystery highly satisfying. Agent: Lisa Moylett, Coombs Moylett Literary Agency. (Apr.)