Product Description

Jack St. Bride was once a beloved teacher and soccer coach at a girls' private school - until a student's crush sparked a powder keg of accusation and robbed him of his career and reputation. Now, after a devastatingly public ordeal that left him with an eight-month jail sentence and no job, Jack resolves to pick up the pieces of his life.

He takes a job washing dishes at Addie Peabody's diner and slowly starts to form a relationship with her in the quiet New England village of Salem Falls. But just when Jack thinks he has outrun his past, a quartet of teenage girls with a secret turn his world upside down once again, triggering a modern-day witch hunt in a town haunted by its own history . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4134 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-20
• Original language: German
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

Glamour
'Gripping - you'll be riveted by this multilayered tale of small-town intrigue.'

Review
'Jodi Picoult is not one to shy away from fictional controversy; in fact, the more tangled and messy a moral dilemma appears, the better she likes it. (Daily Mail )

'Picoult has been incredibly successful in dissecting the pain that family members go through when faced with sensitive and emotive issues' ( Daily Express )

'Picoult, once again, grabs a razor-sharp issue and uses her brilliantly intricate pen to expose all the shades of grey with PERFECTION.'

Publishers' Weekly
'Genuinely suspenseful . . . remarkably original'

Customer Reviews

Another Great Courtroom Drama...
Jack St Bride ends up in Salem Falls following eight months spent in prison for a rape (against a minor) that he didn't commit. He tries to keep his head down and keep out of trouble, but finds himself falling for Addie Peabody, the owner of the local diner. He also begins to get unwanted attention from a group of young girls, who all think of themselves as Wiccan.

As soon as news is out that Jack was accused of sexual assault and rape, the town's folk go out of their way to make him unwelcome. Then he gets accused of rape by the daughter of one of most influential men in town...the inevitable courtroom drama follows...

This was a really enjoyable book. The characters were well drawn, even if they weren't particularly likeable! The drama moves on at a good pace and there's a bit of a twist at the end.

Gripping
I've only recently discovered Jodi Picoult, and really enjoyed the first couple of books, but then realised that it was getting rather samey - easy to guess where the story was going and knowing what would happen in the inevitable court case.

This one started out, for me, in a way where I could just guess who was going to do what ... but suddenly I was completely gripped and couldn't put the book down.

I got a few of my guesses right, but I won't spoil things by saying what these were! Now I'm quite sad that I read the book so fast - it was definitely one of Picoult's best.

Best by far
I have read 4 Jodi Picoult books, starting with My Sisters Keeper (which I would recommend as a starting point to those who have yet to read Picoult books) and Salem Falls is clearly the best. I was a little disheartend by some choices Picoult made in The Pact and was unconvinced that she would grip me again with Salem Falls, but I'm so glad I tried it. If you never read another Jodi Picoult book again, stick with Salem Falls. Picoult makes her wisest character and plot choices in this book and the resolve makes sense (something she doesn't always pull off!)
I wont give it away, but the plot is terrific so bloody well.