Reviews of three new books. Blue Ridge by T.R. Pearson (Viking, 243 pages, $24.95) T.R. Pearson reads: Powell's Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm Monday, Oct. 9. Free. With each novel, T.R. Pearson's sentences get a little shorter. His acclaimed 1985 debut, A Short History of a Small Place, had sentences that went on for days. That story, about a fictional North Carolina town, set the tone for future novels, exploring quirky regional characters in a long-winded narrative style that marries dead-pan humor with 15 secret herbs and spices. Pearson has the ability to write smart in a folksy Southern accent, sort of like Charles Kuralt imitating Gomer Pyle. This tale of two cousins (Gomer and Goober?) is set in hillbillyland and the Big Apple. Ray Tatum takes the job as deputy in a small Virginia town, where he soon finds a dead body. Meanwhile, cousin Paul Tatum, an insurance drone, must leave his safe Roanoke home for Manhattan, where he's called to identify the body of a murdered young man who may be his son. He falls into the company of some unsavory but fascinating city people, while Ray investigates his own case with the help of an intrepid female park ranger named Kit Carson. The two stories compare and contrast communities on the edge of the mainstream. The result is an extra-crispy story full of humor, suspense and the larger issues that make fiction so damn juicy. Blue Ridge is probably Pearson's most accessible novel to date. His characters are more human and fully drawn--not as over-the-top eccentric as in his previous tomes--yet he preserves his trademark biting wit. And the sentences are regular length. Susan Wickstrom The Running Press Pocket Guide To Beer by Michael Jackson (Running Press, 208 pages, $12.95)   In Victorian times, English gentlemen went on safari around the globe in search of exotic game. In much the same manner, Englishman Michael Jackson travels the world hunting down exotic beers, and his Pocket Guide to Beer--just published in its seventh edition--is a travelogue of the most notable brews he's encountered on his expeditions. Unlike the lengthy descriptions found in Jackson's coffee- (or if you will, beer-) table books, the 2,000 reviews in the Pocket Guide are often defined by a short string of adjectives. Nonetheless, the scope of this book is much more comprehensive than those of his larger works. The Guide is a perfect traveling companion, instructing the beer aficionado of local, national and international beer havens. The much-celebrated brewers of Germany warrant a quarter of the book, with explanations on regional styles and their histories. But our own slice of the map is also explored. "No city in the U.S. or the world can quite match Portland in its number of breweries," Jackson remarks, confirming our status as a global beer capital. He doesn't dwell too long on any one brewery, but favorably covers most of the established players, giving Hair of the Dog's Adam the highest score among Oregon brews. The expanded number of brewery reviews from countries such as Japan and Ireland reflect the worldwide success of the craft-brewing revolution. Just reading descriptions of these beers makes the mouth water for a malty dopplebock or a snappily hopped IPA. Beer-hunting season, anyone? Abram Goldman-Armstrong How to Be Invisible: A Step-by-Step Guide to Protecting Your Assets, Your Identity, and Your Life by J.J. Luna (Thomas Dunne Books, 272 pages, $23.95) Attacks on personal privacy are increasing. Street cameras proliferate, thieves steal identities and one's life is freely accessed on the Internet. How do you protect yourself? According to J.J. Luna, go underground. "Governments keep a lot of secrets from their people. Why aren't the people in return allowed to keep secrets from the government?," he asks. The only autobiographical information Luna offers is that he has long eluded Spain's secret police and works as a security consultant. Despite all the cloak-and-dagger, Luna is careful to stress that his book helps you keep your private life private and doesn't promote illegal activity. But there are problems: "If someone with unlimited funds is after you, you will eventually be found," he cautions. What you can do is make it more difficult--and therefore more costly--to find you. But such security is difficult. You need an alternate address to receive mail; shred all trash and have license plates under other names; have all property in the name of a limited-liability company and travel under assumed names; and finally, cut off contact with friends and family. Following his advice is not cheap, but then Luna drops mention of his several residences, his yacht, and a lifestyle for which money isn't an issue. For the rest of us, making frequent trips across country to mail drops may not be feasible. But if you've been receiving psychotic phone calls from ex-lovers, or have had your credit rating ruined by theft, Luna's plan may seem a small price to pay. Kathleen Hildenbrand