God in Concord — Jane Langton

Thoreau's Walden Pond is coveted by greedy real estate developers--and the local retirement community is dangerously close to the line of fire.

Homer Kelly is trying to cope with the changes in Concord: the influx of tourists, a boom in flashy boutiques, a sudden convergence of homeless people fleeing Boston, even a pro-posed mall on the banks of Walden Pond! But when the retirees at the local trailer park begin to meet untimely deaths, Kelly draws the line.

As town planners, environmentalists, and real estate moguls clash over this choice property, Walden Pond's residents must rely on Homer Kelly and some young, spirited Thoreau devotees for their lives, in a mystery that is quintessential Langton--suspenseful and humane, with a sure feel for the woods and commons of New England.