A powerful, haunting story set in Mozambique by a world-renowned author.Readers met Sofia previously in Secrets in the Fire, when, at the age of 9, she lost her legs in a land mine explosion in Mozambique.Now Sofia is almost 20 and pregnant with her third child. Armando, the father of her children, travels to the city for work, coming home on weekends.One Saturday Armando is very late, and as he stands in the shadows beyond the firelight, Sofia knows he is hiding something from her. She makes her way to town to find out what he is doing... and is devastated to discover that he is involved with another woman.Sofia ends their relationship but suffers terribly in the face of Armando's rage. In a heart-rending conclusion Armando's life unravels, and Sofia must return to her village to raise her children without him.Shadow of the Leopard is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal told with clear-eyed compassion and humane and strongly atmospheric insight. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 9 Up-Mankell's third novel about Sofia picks up where Secrets in the Fire (Annick, 2003) left off. At the age of nine, Sofia lost her legs and one of her sisters to a land mine. After struggling to recover from her injuries, she lost another sister to the AIDS virus. Now 19 and pregnant with her third child, Sofia lives in a Mozambique village with her mother, brothers, and her two older children. Her husband, Armando, works in the city as a car mechanic and visits his family every weekend. After years of tragedy and death, Sofia's life finally seems to be stable and happy. However, after the birth of their child, Armando becomes distant and secretive. When she sets out to the city to see him, she learns that he is having an affair. Enraged and hurt, she confronts Armando, who becomes hostile and verbally abusive. He attempts to reconcile with her, but when she refuses, he abandons her to the wild animals in a distant field. Oddly enough, Sofia suddenly feels compelled to defend him when the police are looking for him. Readers do not need to be familiar with the previous two novels to follow the plot or characters in this story. The writing style is spare and detached from emotion, which might make the book a tough sell. Still, this novel moves along quickly to a realistic yet hopeful ending.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

*Starred Review* Mankell, the acclaimed mystery writer for both youth and adults, once again draws on true events in Mozambique in this haunting, contemporary story of violence and courage. In Secrets in the Fire (2003), Sofia, 9, lost both of her legs in a land-mine explosion that killed her sister. Now, 10 years later, she has three children with her husband, Armando, who works in a nearby town and can only visit Sofia in their village on the weekends. After Sofia discovers that Armando is involved with another woman, she throws him out, and he breaks down, leaves his job, and, in desperation, becomes a thief, a choice that leads to a horrifying, violent climax. Mankell writes without sentimentality in a clear, matter-of-fact style, and it is the frank, vivid details of Sofia's struggle that will stay with readers: how she dreams of having electricity in her home; walks miles on her crutches; cares for her children, including the baby on her back; takes off her legs every night before bed; and confronts her husband about his infidelity. Is she responsible for what happens to him? This isn't a detective story, like many of the author's best-known works, but the drama of betrayal is riveting and will draw many of Mankell's high-school and adult fans.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2009 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.