Nathan Lane Books

Absolutely hilarious play, with great acting by a terrific cast. The plot is funny, and the dialogue is funnier. What made this very special for me was the format -- a "live" audio theater performance. It was like being on Broadway. A great experience.

The superb cast bringing Jon Baitz' dark comedy of sleazy Hollywood producer Davis Mizlansky and his problems with ex-spouses, colleagues, customers, and the IRS to life includes Nathan Lane, Paul Sand, Julie Kavner, Samantha, Harry Shearer, Richard Masur; Rob Morrow, Grant Shaud, Kurtwood Smith, and Robert Walden. Ably directed by Ron West, this superbly produced, 106 minute, two cassette unabridged comedy was recorded before a live audience and offers a terrific listening experience enhanced with a full course of sound effects. Mizlansky/Zilinsky will prove a popular and entertaining addition to any personal, drama school, or community library audiobook/audioplay collection.

I've read the first 4 books in the McNally's series in sequence. They're all highly formulaic but still enjoyable.

In the first 3 books the main character is a lovable rogue, mostly amoral but still with certain personal limits, so it is not surprising that he sleeps with various available women in the first 3 books.

But -- SPOILER ALERT -- in the 4th book he sleeps with a woman who is married, living with her husband and planning to continue that way. And -- lest you think that he was momentarily carried away by passion -- he sleeps with her two more times.

Suddenly, to this reviewer at least, McNally becomes a less lovable and much more unattractive figure.

to me any McNally book is a good one. You should look for the whole series.

I really love the entire series of McNally books by Lawrence Sanders, however the later one's written by Vincent Lardo are not up to par, so make sure you insist on reading a Lawrence Sanders McNally story or you might be put off. I also loved the audio books.

Lawrence Sanders' first Archibald McNally novel is much like Arhcy's mother, pleasingly plump and full of delight! Archy is part of McNally & Son Attorney-At-Law, notice the word 'attorney' is singular, not plural. That's because Archy is not a lawyer, though he did go to law school. But he got kicked out. We won't go into that unpleastantness, however.
Dear, dear Archy heads a department of his father's firm called "Discreet Inquiries", he heads it because he's the only person in that particular department. Archy is asked to make some "discreet inquiries" into the disappearance in rich-and-randy Lady Cynthia Horowitz's valuable Inverted Jenny stamps. They could be worth upwards of a cool half a mil. Archy has several suspects, including but not limited to, the Smythes (whom are Lady C's son and wife), Lacy C's daughter Gina Stanescu, including Lady C's other son and wife. And her dear friend the very much gay Angus Wolfson, Lady C's chaffeur and and his girlfriend. But more and more questions arise, like: why is Lady C costantly leaving in her bronze-colored Jag and not telling her social secretary where she's going? Is Wolfson and Lady C's chaffeur having an affair? And what about Archy's personal life? Will the beautiful and astute Jennifer Towley go back to her husband or stick with Archy? One never knows, does one?

This book didn't merely capture my reading interest. It became a book of my heart...

In McNally's SECRET, the pilot to this series, we're informed that the pater McNally is not an "old-money" man. Okay. I get that and I like it. (That's not the secret.)

Having reviewed 4 of the original 7 McNally books by Lawrence Sanders, I had accepted the face value (not realizing the facade) of the Palm Beach mansion and the genteel lifestyle of pater Prescott McNally, Yale graduate, leather-bound-Dickens-reading, attorney-at-law. Upon reading (in McNally's Secret) the illuminating passages of Archy's grandparent's ways into money, I began to wonder what other Secrets this novel might expose.

Usually, if possible, I prefer to read a series in order, pilot first. I can't explain why, but, in this case I'm glad I read 4 of the original 7 McNally's prior to reading SECRET (though I believe this series can be satisfyingly read in any order).

The opening of this novel was classic, and felt to be the initiation of what Sanders was born and itching to write, beyond the sagas of his other fine works. The introductory remarks were exquisite in mapping the reasons for, "Can't you ever be serious, Archy?" I'd love to quote that paragraph, but maybe I should allow you to read it with the book in hand. I will quote a few other passages, however, which might serve as appropriate appetizers to this banquet of a book.

Comparing himself to S. Holmes, Archy says:

"I can't glance at a man and immediately know he's left-handed, constipated, has a red-headed wife, and slices lox for a living. I do investigations a fact at a time. Eventually they add up - I hope. I'm very big on hope."

Archy's description of the start up of the Pelican Club were the best type of soul food. This is how and why such a club should be started (then survive through a near hit of Chapter 7). Of course you really should read the book to get the whole of that brief history, but here's a prime paring:

"We were facing Chapter 7 when we had the great good fortune to hire the Pettibones, an African-American family who had been living in one of the gamier neighborhoods of West Palm Beach and wanted out."

They "wanted out" and they deserved a chance where their skills could and would save not only themselves, but those who hired them. Isn't that the type of win/win the world needs now?

I almost sobbed at the below passage, I felt such a deep surge of "right on" (definitely did a breath-catch hiccup and heart moan):

"... we formed a six-piece jazz combo (I played tenor kazoo), and we were delighted to perform, without fee, at public functions and nursing homes. A Palm Beach critic wrote of one of our recitals, `Words fail me.' You couldn't ask for a better review than that."

Yep. This is a book of my heart. Words don't often fail me in reviews; too much the contrary. But I'm getting better at refraining from using my critic hat with a steel-studded-bat accessory, which is what Archy was getting at.

Some might wonder why a person in my position, with my un-hidden agendas, would take so much time to write raves on a series by a deceased author. Mostly, I love Archy. But, possibly the live spirits of the dead are sometimes more able to be helpful than dead souls of the living? Keeping my tongue in cheek, I might add that freed spirits probably have better connections for helping an author into the right publishing contacts for a character series with ironic assonance with this one.

Moving quickly onward and upward, though not with wings attached yet...

In contrast to the other 4 I've read, I noticed that this Archy is less bubbly-buffoonish (though the buffoon is always endearing) and slightly more serious, sensitive, and quietly contemplative. I like both versions of Archy, though I prefer the slight edge of peaceful acquiescence in the pilot, and I can't help but wonder, as I do with all series, how much reader feedback, and editor/agents' interpretation of it, directed the progression of balance of certain appealing or potentially irritating qualities. I wonder how each series would have progressed if the feedback had been balanced and pure (as a species, we're not there yet, but forward motion is perceptible), rather than inevitably polluted by the "life happens" part of the sometimes perverted, capricious tastes of us squeaky wheels, and the healthy ego needs of professionals in positions of swallow and sway.

I'm still trying to understand why honesty is the most appealing human quality to me, yet honest criticism does not speak to my heart, nor to my soul, not even to my head. Often, though, it does speak in perfect pitch to my funny bone. And, of course true Honesty (with the capital "H") leaps beyond speaking the "truth" as one happens to "see" it on a good or bad day. Cultural honesty, of the type dramatized by Stephen King, Lawrence Sanders, Tamar Myers, Barbara Workinger, Joanne Pence, Sue Grafton, (and others) is what most often pushes me to stand up and cheer.

Somewhere.

One of the best spots I've found is on the edge of the clear cliff of ozone found in Amazon's sacred forum of Customer Reviewers.

Of course the first lines in SECRET, the sipping of champagne from a belly button would snag the attention of even the most sexually skittish reader of the nose-raised, neck-cricked, personality persuasion. But, truly and honestly, what sunk me with every hook were the few lines exposing why Archy could never be serious. I know I said I wouldn't, but I have to quote this passage, beginning on page 1 chapter 1. For me, it's one of the main selling points of the series:

"I had lived through dire warnings of nuclear catastrophe, global warming, ozone depletion, universal extinction via cholesterol, and the invasion of killer bees. After a while my juices stopped their panicky surge and I realized I was bored with all these screeched predictions of Armageddon due next Tuesday. It hadn't happened yet, had it? The old world tottered along, and I was content to totter along with it."

I'd bet my fortune (which is based on a skill of "make do"; there are no bananas in it) that the above passage is what captured a collection of readers so absolutely in a "right on" agreement that this series spanned the grave of the author and is still spewing pages and stretching shelves. And, of course, this attitude of "if you can't lick `em; flick `em" which Archy aimed toward "kvetch-ers" as he terms them, continues from the above, with relish accumulating, throughout the book.

Archy is a rare sane person swimming along nicely within the insanity of a last-gasp-culture (which is "drowning in The Be Careful Sea" as I described and termed that syndrome in one of my sci fi manuscripts titled MORNING COMES).

To Jennifer, of the champagne sea in her belly button, Archy answered why he wasn't an attorney:

"Because I was expelled from Yale Law for not being serious enough. During a concert by the New York Philharmonic I streaked across the stage, naked except for a Richard M. Nixon mask."

That answer brought to mind the bright side of Howard Roark (from Ayn Rand's FOUNTAINHEAD, see my review posted 10/14/05) who was arrogantly unconcerned about his and the Dean's reasons for Roark's being expelled from architectural school. You'd be right to wonder where I got that comparison, since Roark could never be accused of being anything but serious. Syncopated irony? Assonance?

You be the judge. Get the SECRET of the McNally collection.

As I relished the final chapters and pages of SECRET, I had a thought about the beauty, warmth, lovely literary melancholy, and subtly complex richness radiating from those concluding textual treasures:

In retrospect, this novel doesn't feel like a planned pilot to a mystery series. It feels to be a singular novel, like but not like, the ones Sanders had written prior to it. What it feels like to me is that Lawrence hit upon a "soul speak" story which couldn't halt the cultural conversation it had initiated, however serendipitous that initiation may have been.

Yes, I do recall that in some of my other reviews ("reveries" according to my Amazon Friend, L.E. Cantrell) I speculated on something which could seem contradictory to the above mentioned "thought." I had wondered if Parker's Senser series might have been somehow a spark for this McNally series. I continued to see references to Boston in this book (as in other McNally's I've reviewed), which, of course, is the city for which Spenser did the Walkabout. So possibly SECRET was somewhat an antithetical homage to Spenser, possibly even a hat "doff" with a friendly, competitive "one-better" attempt, meant only to be a single novel rather than a never-die series.

Based on Agatha Christie's official web site, Miss Marple was not originally intended to be another Poirot, and look what happened there (see my Listmania of the Miss Marple series).

To me, Archy appears to be a gatekeeper for pure and primal, hidden wishes and dreams. Living home comfortably, guiltlessly at 37, on the top floor of his parent's mansion in Palm Beach; eating drool-food from a house chef; having established a club like The Pelican as a side atmosphere to partake in daily; working at a cushy, just challenging enough, engaging career for discreet inquiries ... If an author's (or reader's) going to retire that would be da place (or at least an entertaining option).

It'll be interesting to see if/how I'm able to bridge the gap from Lawrence Sanders's Archy to Vincent Lardo's. I'd love to know how that bridge was built and continues to be maintained.

Though a perfectly acceptable, gorgeous reprint in a mass market paperback was (probably still is) available on Amazon's Super Saver Special, I felt lucky to find a vender on Amazon (a-bookworm2) holding a used G. P. Putnam's Sons hardcover of this novel, a first printing of the 1992 copyright. What an honor it will be to have this version of the pilot of such an auspicious series from such a life-perceptive author, Lawrence Sanders. The glossy-black jacket provides a luscious background for the name and title printed in thick, gleaming, copper ink, with the artwork of an antique magnifying glass and fancy-brass scissors weighing down the million-dollar-valued, 1918 US Stamp of the Inverted Jenny.

This pilot is a rare find in a rare series.

Linda G. Shelnutt

Easy to read and also captured lots of interesting facts of the historical events.

Once upon a time in "Baghdad by the Bay" -- the now wildly inappropriate nickname for San Francisco coined by Herb Caen -- Nathan "Nate" Cohn was a prominent criminal lawyer and Man-to-go-to. I'm not sure whether we are better or worse off for having left behind the era when a couple of phone calls could "take care of things," but Cohn's memoirs of his days as a crackerjack defense lawyer are so entertaining that they almost make that issue beside the point.

Here's a guy who grew up in an environment of Carnivals and show biz, got into law, founded cigar-smoking luncheon clubs and criminal lawyer societies, and advanced to juggling politicians, lobbyists, and clients amidst the Democratic machines of days past. Chapters on Nate's interaction with the fledgling Castro regime in revolutionary Cuba and the Chicago Democratic convention in 1968 provide a unique angle on those history-changing moments. And then there's the time he went to court for Tempest Storm.

The bottom line: this is a riveting (and chuckle-laden) glimpse into a San Francisco (and USA) that is no more. I happened upon the book unexpectedly and wasn't sure how it would read, but was pleased to discover that it was a diamond in the rough. Californians of a certain era - Jesse Unruh, Pat Brown, Melvin Belli - are prominent in Cohn's anecdotes, but whether you have heard of them or not, this book pays off.

One caveat: Murder He Liked is apparently self-published, although the production values (binding, paper, typesetting, dust jacket design) are all top notch. Where things get a little shaky is in the proofing. Co-author Rory McGahan has taken Cohn's memories and crafted them into straight forward, conversational prose. But the text is peppered with the sort of typos that elude spell-checkers: doubled or dropped words, and the occasional misplaced word. My advice is to put up with these for the sake of the greater story. You may not approve of everything that Nate Cohn brags about, but I don't think you'll regret letting him share his tales. This is invaluable first-person history, direct from the source.

The book was fine, but I was completely dissatisfied with the shipping. I paid for expedited shipping and it took 9 days to arrive! I finally resorted to a hard search (with the help of a very kind librarian) of every library in Dallas, Richardson and Plano to find a copy of the book. One day after finding it at a library almost 30 minutes away, your book arrived. I expected that "expedited shipping" would be considerably faster. I will not purchase from this seller again.

Being a huge fan of "The Odd Couple" television series, I finally decided to read the play on which the TV show is based. THE ODD COUPLE, which premiered in 1965, was Neil Simon's first big success. His writing is consistently amusing and often flat-out hilarious; I laughed especially hard during the first scene, in which Oscar Madison and his poker-playing friends are trying to prevent Felix Unger, just thrown out of his home by his wife, from committing suicide! This "episode" was, of course, the starting point for the TV series, but unlike the show, the play has a single plot: Felix and Oscar get together, quarrel, date the Pigeon sisters, quarrel again, and ultimately "break up." Though the play is a comedy, there are interesting parallels to A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE in Oscar's poker games, particularly the one in the last scene during which Felix leaves. THE ODD COUPLE is an excellent example of Simon's wit. Next, I would love to see it onstage!

Before the movie, before the television series, before all the spin offs, there was just the play. The story is a classic spin on the buddy plot. Oscar Madison is a successful sports writer who happens to be best friends with Felix Unger, a newswriter for CBS. Each week Oscar has five of his buddies over for a Friday night game of poker. However, on one fateful night Felix fails to appear in time for the game. It turns out Felix has just been thrown out by his wife and has no place to go. Feeling sorry for his old friend, Oscar invites Felix to stay with him and be his roommate. What ensues is a classic Neil Simon look at friendship that will endure for ages.

When you pair David Paymer and Nathan Lane as Felix and Oscar in the Odd Couple, you are in for a comic tour de force that over stretches its material. With a supporting cast which includes Dan Castellaneta and Yeardley Smith (both from The Simpsons) and Linda Purl, the cast is almost perfect. This production is a little too visual in a few of its jokes. However, on the whole, it unscrupulously grabs the audio listener by his ears and shakes him with laughter.

Nathan Lane is delightful as Oscar Madison. I also enjoyed hearing Dan Castellanata ("Homer Simpson") as Murray, and Yeardley Smith ("Lisa Simpson") as Cecily Pigeon.

I found this book to be riveting because it was written with the full cooperation of Terri Buford, who was not only one of Jim Jones Mistresses but also very high ranking in the Peoples Temple. Terri had enormous power and prestige in the group. She cleverly decieved Jim Jones and made her escape from Jonestown 3 weeks before the massacre. This book gives you access to her life story and intimate knowledge of Jonestown and Jim Jones.
A lot of revelations are made in this including that for most unlucky residents it wasn't mass suicide , it was mass murder. And it was planned thay way by Jones and his inner circle, Jones didn't plan to die in Jonestown, his escape plan with his favorites ect.
In the other 3 Jonestown books I've read so far, Buford has been treated as an valuable,but somewhat minor player. This book rips that myth.
Its a must for Jonestown buffs or anyone that wishes to get a fuller, more truthful picture of Peoples Temple and its end.

worth reading offers another insight into the murder

While this book is interesting in that the author purports to have interviewed Terri Buford, his constant mistakes throughtout the book throw doubt on much of what he says. While some of his errors are clearly nothing more than typographical problems (ie incorrect footnoting that sends you to the wrong reference), other problems are factual in nature and greatly problomatic. He bases part of his assumption that Jim Jones was killed by the inner circle, on his statement that JJ was shot from a great distance. This is incorrect. While it is certainly true Jones may have been killed by someone else, if he was, it was done up-close and personal. He was shot at point-blank range. Other "facts" that Landau presents are equally false or, at best, misrepresented.

If you want a conspiracy-laden theory of Jonestown that indicts Mark Lane, this book is for you. If you want a well-researched, factual account, try instead "Raven" by Tim Rieterman, far and away the seminal work on the subject.

I would have given this book only one star, but frankly it was nice seeing someone sticking it to Mark Lane whose book "Strongest Poison" is some of the most self-aggrandizing claptrap it has ever been my misfortune to come across.

This book has a lot of interesting information in it, but the author obviously has an axe to grind that gets in the way of what he is trying to say. That doesn't make his information any less interesting or credible, at least some of it. In fact, I found a lot of what he had to say actually made the case he was trying to dismiss. Confusing? If I hadn't already done a lot of reading about Jonestown prior to this book, I would be too. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it, and would recommend it as an adjunct to any other research on the subject.