Book reviews for The Christian Science Monitor, of:

The Forger’s Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century, by Edward Dolnick

Apples Are From Kazakhstan: The Land That Disappeared, by Christopher Robbins

McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, by Misha Glenny

The Nuclear Jihadist, by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins

Miracle at Sing Sing, by Ralph Blumenthal

The State Boys Rebellion, by Michael D’Antonio

Amazing Grace: The Story of America’s Most Beloved Song, by Steve Turner

Monitor articles about books, reporting, and writing:

Of prison, publishing, and profit
Connecticut is suing a group of inmates, who wrote a book of essays in a prison workshop, for the cost of their imprisonment.

Rhymes with “no”
Antiwar poets across the country are working to make their voices and verses of protest heard in Washington.

Reporters in Peril
Proportionately more journalists have been killed in Iraq than in any previous war.

Into Harm’s Way
As war looms in Iraq, reporters take sides about the best way to cover the story.

Long Live the Radish Thief
Like many classic children’s books, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which turns 100 this year, began as a story told to a single child.

Family Histories
These days, many amateur genealogists are digging for their roots – and publishing the results.