Only occasionally does a piece of fiction leap out and demand immediate cult status. Alison Wonderland is one . . . Smith is at the very least a mir phemen. Times (UK) After Alison Temple discovers that her husband is cheating on her, she does what any jilted woman would do she spray paints a nasty message for him on her wedding dress and takes a job with the detective firm that found him out. Being a researcher at the all-female Fitzgerald s Bureau of Investigation in London is certainly a change of pace from her previous life, especially considering the characters Alison meets in the line of duty. There is her boss, the estimable Mrs. Fitzgerald; Taron, Alison s eccentric best friend, who claims her mother is a witch; Jeff, her love-struck, poetry-writing neighbor; and last, but t least, her psychic postman. Clever, quirky, and infused with just a hint of magic, Alison Wonderland is a literary vel about a memorable heroine coping with the everyday complexities of modern life. A fantastical Thelma and Louise meets Agatha Christie adventure story. The dialogue is smart and the deadpan humor is perfectly judged. The List (UK)