Life after death? & scorching mysteries for summer

Evidence of the Afterlife

By Jeffrey Long, M.D., with Paul Perry Harper, $25.99

What happens to you when you die? If you’re like the people studied in this book, you come back to life with amazing descriptions of a Near Death Experience (NDE).

The majority of the more than 1,600 accounts of NDE’s recorded here describe a place of peace and serenity and meeting friends and relatives, some of whom they never knew in life. Many beg to stay but are sent back because it’s not their time.

Dr. Long, a radiation oncologist at Terrebonne General Hospital in Houma, has made the most extensive study of NDE’s to date, which he said provides convincing evidence of life after death. Asked why there are no reports of people going to hell and returning, Long said there were some, and they will be included in his forthcoming sequel.

Innocent

By Scott Turow Grand Central Publishing, $27.99

Judge Rusty Sabich awakens one morning to find his wife dead in bed beside him. Instead of calling 911 or police, he sits by her body for nearly a day before calling his son, Nat. The coroner’s verdict is she died of natural causes but Acting Prosecutor Tommy Molto, who tried and failed to convict Rusty for killing his mistress 20 years before, (Presumed Innocent), thinks otherwise.

Learning that Rusty had recently ended another affair, Molto finds that sufficient motive to once again try him for murder. As expected, Turow’s many plot twists and exciting courtroom scenes will keep you reading well past your bedtime.

This Body of Death

By Elizabeth George Harper, $28.99

Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Thomas Lynley, returns after a long absence following the death of his wife. His successor, Acting Superintendent Isabelle Ardery, hopes his presence will help her gain the respect of her team.

Unlike most police mysteries where new murders keep popping up every few pages, Ms. George concentrates on the single case of an unidentified woman whose body was found stabbed to death in a London cemetery. Unfortunately the story is too far along before Lynley makes his appearance and then his role is more as an onlooker than investigator.

The plot, interrupted frequently by details of an old homicide committed by young teens years before, adds to the length of the book, which at nearly 700 pages is, as the British might say, a bit much.

212

By Alafair Burke Harper, $24.99

Ms. Burke’s third novel featuring Detective Ellie Hatcher comes right out of the front pages.

New York City can be a dangerous place for young girls away from home. One NYU student who receives frightening messages on “Campusjuice.com,” an Internet site devoted to campus scandals and occasionally for stalking vulnerable students. No one takes her complaints seriously until she is found dead.

Now Ellie goes to work to find the girl’s roommate before she becomes the next victim.

Burke, the daughter of James Lee, gives her dad a run for his money with her clever plots and characters. Like father, like daughter, for sure.

Mayo Clinic Essential Guide to Prostate Health

By Lance A. Mynderse, M.D. Mayo Clinic Health Solutions, $29.95

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death in men, but when diagnosed early, can usually be cured. That’s the main reason men should get regular check-ups from their family physician who, if necessary can refer them to a specialist.

Diagnosing and treating an enlarged prostate and recommendations for preventing prostate disease are clearly explained by Mayo Clinic doctors, as are current medical options for treating advanced prostate cancer. Alternative therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are offered as well but there is no substitute for education and regular check-ups.

A Southern Child’s Garden of Verses

By David Davis Pelican Publishing, $16.99

Time to put away Mary and her little lamb and send Little Jack Horner back to his corner to make room for 50 new delightful and whimsical verses, sure to please children and parents alike.

Take for example, the first lines of “ICE CREAM”: “When I want some ice cream, I’m never in the middle. I want a little of a lot, and not a lot of little.”

The Illustrations by Herb Leonhard add vivid color and imagination to the verses in this must-have addition to a child’s library.