Zoë Szabo and her family have traded a rock and roll lifestyle in LA for life in a quiet college town in western Massachusetts. Zoë's managed to preserve a bit of her old "wild" self, despite the fact that she and her husband, Billy, are now parents to two young children. That means covering stories as a rookie reporter for the Greymont Evening Eagle sporting platinum hair with a pink streak, not to mention wearing clothing that's more appropriate for a wild night at CBGBs. Though Greymont's a far cry from the glamour of LA, Zoë and her family are beginning to fit into the community of New England Yankees, college intellectuals, and a growing number of Cambodian immigrants.

While covering a "Hallelujah Sing" at a local mall, Zoë stumbles on the story of her career. The body of a young Cambodian woman is discovered in a car in the mall's parking lot; Zoë, the first reporter on the scene, sees that the woman has been savagely attacked and begins to gather information. Unfortunately, there's not much to go on, but the resourceful reporter goes through her notes and photos of a Cambodian wedding ceremony she recently covered and figures out that the woman in the car, whose face looks vaguely familiar, was at this event. The woman is named Chram Touch.

As Zoë's gathers more information about the last days of Chram, her loyalties, ethics, friendships, and marriage are tested. While sympathetic to the plight of Cambodian refugees in Greymont, as a reporter she must be truthful about what she sees. This stand threatens her friendship with Cletha, an older Quaker woman who has worked hard to help the Cambodians fit in to small-town life in America. This story also comes at one of the most difficult times in Zoë's marriage, when she and her husband are working hard to trust each other again after Billy's rock and roll lifestyle nearly cost him his life.

One of the qualities that I liked best about Exiles on Main Street was that the characters were multi-dimensional and unique. Zoë is delightful -- an ex-punk girl who still wears sparkly pink sweaters, but longs for quiet family life. Mark, her annoying Miata-driving co-worker, and Zoë’s husband, Billy, are also interesting. There were also many layers to this novel that gave the Zoë depth -- there's a troubled relationship with her now-deceased mother that haunts her, her family's close relationship with a lonely professor that was intriguing, and the difficulties that she faces juggling family with work.

But this is a mystery, and on that level, it does not disappoint. Kleinholz did an excellent job at resolving the mystery plot, leaving this reader quite satisfied. However, when I closed the book, I already missed Zoë and her co-workers, her cozy little family, and the small New England town. I hope Kleinholz decides to return to Greymont with another mystery for Zoë to solve.

--Diana Burrell