The word "family" these days is almost invariably preceded by "dysfunctional." So it takes courage to write a novel about decent people who love each other. Rings, by Todd Fischer, is such a book. The overused "heartwarming" has to give way here to the more accurate "heartfelt." Author Ben Desmond is bent on solving one of those small mysteries that loom large in family lore. In this case, he wants to find out why his grandfather gave his grandmother a gold watch instead of a gold wedding ring. On a deeper level, he wants to connect with his dead father and his all-but-estranged brother Eric. Solving the mystery sends Ben, his wife Beth and Eric on a journey through space and time to winkle clues out of graveyard inscriptions, old photographs, yellowing letters and the fragile reminiscences of aging witnesses. Though an Author's Note reveals the story's roots in reality, it would not be a Todd Fischer book without a generous helping of gothic: a ghost who appears caked in the dirt of his grave and a barrier between past and present that proves more permeable than a lace curtain. Written in the tradition of Ray Bradbury, Rings warms and chills its reader in equal measure, then gets them safely home. K. D. MILLER, author of ALL SAINTS