Martha Woodroof

Novelist Louise Erdrich returns to the Ojibwe world in her latest work, but The Painted Drum also explores human relationships. The central character steals the title object in order to give it back to its rightful owners.

The Da Vinci Code has been out for more that two years, and it still remains on bestseller lists. The popularity of Dan Brown's novel that combines science, religion, history and suspense has publishers jumping at the opportunity to spot the next literary sensation.