Bob Cohen, a professor and vice chairman of the psychiatry department at Virginia Commonwealth University, has written a second Marty Fenton mystery that draws extensively on the author's background.

Cohen, who also is director of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children at VCU, grounds the plot of Hammond's Choice (272 pages, Brandylane Publishers, $16) in the nation's mental-health system for children.

The novel focuses on Ruth and Larry Hammond, who have been forced to give up custody of son Tommy so that he can receive services for emotional and behavioral problems. The Hammonds enlist Fenton's help when Tommy is accused in the stabbing death of another resident at Possum Ridge School.

. . .

Adored by many, reviled by many, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University in Lynchburg, was one of the founders of the religious right in the United States. But when he died last year, few would have disagreed that he was a major figure in the nation's life in the final third of the 20th century.

Now, his widow, Macel Falwell, writes of him in Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy (254 pages, Howard Books, $23.99), a remembrance by his partner of 49 years. "He was the greatest husband that I could have ever asked for, and he proved that each and every day," she writes in her dedication.

The book's foreword is written by Sean Hannity, co-host of Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" show.

. . .

Lesbian and Gay Richmond (128 pages, Arcadia Publishing, $19.99) is the latest in the publisher's "Images of America Series." Written by Richmonders Beth Marschak and Alex Lorch, the book, like its predecessors, contains a wealth of information, much of it told through archival photos.

Divided into three sections -- "Hiding Out," "Speaking Out" and "Living Out" -- the book chronicles the history of gay life in Richmond and the evolution of the gay community into a vibrant and visible part of the capital's culture. -- Jay Strafford