In good condition American teenager. The book begins with his mother's death at the hands of muggers and continues with Eliot's relocation to England to stay with cousins. His upheaval is as much for his father's need to escape the ghosts of his past as for his son's need to get over some highly erratic behaviour caused by the death of his mother.However, from the moment Eliot arrives at his new home in the rolling English countryside, he is struck by a ghostly visitation of his own--a presence that he is unable to define. The house holds many secrets and Eliot is powerless to resist his spiralling involvement in local feuds that date back to the Great War. He finds himself the target of violent visitations from a spectre he believes to be Mary Ellen Flowers--a young woman who went mad through grief after her fiancé's death in battle. Eliot becomes obsessed with finding out the truth about Mary's reputation. Meanwhile, his obsession for a ring that he thinks holds the answer to all his questions leads him into more trouble--and reveals more about his own family's involvement in the affair.The Rinaldi Ring is a book with many layers. Part-love story, part-historical insight, part-family drama, Jenny Nimmo's novel of war deserved its place on the 1999 Carnegie Medal shortlist for its amazingly lyrical prose alone. Told in an outstanding style that is easy to read and absorb--despite the deeply emotional and tragic situations tackled--the book is truly compelling and feels like the kind of modern classic that will be around on bookshelves for many years to come. (Age 12 and over) --John McLay