The Lola Quartet

In her riveting third novel (following The Singer's Gun), Mandel evokes murky Florida suburbs and smoky New York jazz clubs. A loosely gathered high school jazz quartet unravels after graduation as the musicians go their separate ways. Ten years later, their uncertain paths may cross once again after youthful hopes and dreams are pushed aside by harsh, dangerous realities. The economic downturn, coupled with a host of erratic decisions, leads to lives of quiet desperation. The story is anchored by Gavin, who imagines himself to be a gumshoe detective while wilting in the Florida heat; his obsessive search for a former love propels the story forward. One of Mandel's gifts is her ability to drop nearly invisible clues as to how these four disparate lives might intersect once more. Her conclusion turns on a dime.