Alyson Richman gets ghostly with 'The Missing Pages'

It seems fitting that Alyson Richman has dedicated her latest book to her daughter, Charlotte. After all, if her daughter hadn't taken a tour of Harvard University while scouting colleges a few years ago, the ghostly protagonist of Richman's latest novel, "The Missing Pages" (Union Square & Co., $18.99), might never have materialized.

During a stop at Harvard's Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, the guide explained that the building was the brainchild of Widener's mother, who had it created to honor her son, an avid book lover who had perished on the Titanic at 27. Charlotte then told the story to Richman, who grew up in St. James. "His mother, who was also on the Titanic, had room in her lifeboat for him to join her, but he told her that he had to go back to his cabin to retrieve