The venerable theme of the stranger who comes to a community and acts as a catalyst for change and redemption receives an entertaining treatment in this new novel by the author of Lovers and Strangers. Years of drought and devastating brush fires have whittled away at the morale of the inhabitants of Valle Rosa. The fortunes of this quaint Southern California town take a turn for the better, however, when a dark-haired man of mystery who calls himself Jeff Cabrio rides into town in his black Saab, promising that he can make it rain. Along with the much-needed precipitation, the rainmaker brings a regenerative force of healing into the lives of the three townspeople he learns to know best. Thanks to Cabrio's benign influence, Chris Garrett, Villa Rosa's acting mayor, comes to terms with the demise of his career as a professional baseball pitcher. However, Chris's ex-wife, newscaster Carmen Perez, is mistakenly convinced that by unraveling the truth about the new local miracle man she can rehabilitate her foundering career. It is Mia Tanner, a sculptress recovering from a failed love affair and a bout with cancer, who gains the most from Cabrio's brief stay. Though rather breathlessly depicted (``There was exhaustion in his eyes, and something else. Some sadness.''), these characters are easy enough to root for. In fact, as the story progresses, their interlocking plights become engrossing enough to make the momentum-inducing plot elements--the rain-making operation, and Cabrio's mysterious past--seem rather flimsy and peripheral in comparison. A patchwork of flashbacks is smoothly incorporated into the narrative; and nearly every chapter finishes with the sort of emotional jolt that keeps the pages turning. (Apr.)

As the southern California town of Valle Rosa suffers through a drought, four of its residents confront their painful pasts. Carmen Perez has recently recovered from the breakdown she had after her child became severely handicapped and her marriage to Padres pitcher Chris Garrett ended abruptly; she is struggling to retain her status in TV journalism. Her best bet is to reveal the secret past of newcomer Jeff Cabrio, hired to bring rain to Valle Rosa by Acting Mayor Garrett, now a high school teacher and coach drafted into politics. Cabrio also intrigues Mia Tanner, a sculptor working in Garrett's office, who has lost a breast to cancer and a fiance to her sister. The cumulative pain suffered by these relatively young characters strains credulity, which leads to their keeping a certain distance and gives this story less warmth than Chamberlain's Keeper of the Light ( LJ 2/1/92). Still, this author plays out plot lines skillfully, revealing all in good time, and she has another page-turner here.-- Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.

"A patchwork of flashbacks is smoothly incorporated into the narrative; and nearly every chapter finishes with the sort of emotional jolt that keeps the pages turning." ---Publishers Weekly

"A patchwork of flashbacks is smoothly incorporated into the narrative; and nearly every chapter finishes with the sort of emotional jolt that keeps the pages turning." —Publishers Weekly