Publishers Books

Judged from a man's point of view, Mistress of Mellyn succeeds on a number of levels, most of them tied in with the "whodunnit" factor of the book.

It is almost as though Victoria Holt gave REBECCA a good read and then thought to herself, "Gee, I could take that same plot and make it much, much better." So some elements of the famous Daphne Du Maurier story repeat themselves here--the forbidding mansion, the sexy master of the house, the elderly servant mumbling gloomy, doleful advice like a Cornish version of Maria Ouspenskaya. You'd think that she (Holt) would have changed the setting a wee bit though, I mean move it away from the cliffs of Cornwall, for heaven's sake, you're just asking for comparisons!

And yet think of how different REBECCA would have been had Rebecca and Max de Winter had a little daughter! Which is pretty much what happens here. Little Alvean is sort of like Miles and Flora in Henry James' THE TURN OF THE SCREW, and Martha Leigh is a bit like the governess who worried about her charges so in James' 1890 novelette. When "Marty" first meets her and tries to find out what her lessons should be, the little girl is rude, disrespectful, and totally spoiled by having been allowed to run free. Plus her father's aristocratic snobbery towards the middle class has infected young Alvean so she feels no compunction about telling Martha that she doesn't have to listen to her.

The whodunnit aspect comes towards the end of a long and suspenseful story. The very last person in the world who you would suspect, turns out to be the killer, a mad monster whose actions seem incalculably cruel. Only later do you begin to piece it together and to feel even a little sympathy for the murderer, who was coming from a very tough place which Victoria Holt sketches out pretty well. Anyhow, I liked it, but I can see how if you read 50 of these books they would all start to seem the same.

Martha Leigh is the central female character of this delightful story. The tale is told, mainly in the first person, with added dialogue.
After the death of their father, 20 year old Martha and her 18 year old sister Phillida, are taken to London by their aunt Adelaide, for 'a season'. At the end of that season Phillida had married, but after four years of living with her aunt, Martha still had not found a husband.
"There are two courses open to a gentlewoman when she finds herself in penurious circumstances ...." aunt Adelaide had said. "One is to marry, and the other to find a post in keeping with her gentility."
Thus, one of aunt Adelaide's friends suggests that Martha should become governess to Connan TreMellyn's daughter, Alvean.
Martha arrives at the house, Mount Mellyn, to find her employer is a cold imposing man, and his daughter is resentful towards her. The house itself is a 'cold brooding house on the Cornish cliffs'.
It was only Martha's growing love for Alvean and an unwilling attraction to Alvean's father that made her stay on and try to solve the mysteries which shrouded their lives.
What eventuates between Martha and Connan TreMellyn is a little predictable, however the journey towards the outcome is a delightful read; and, there is a wickedly surprising 'twist' at the end of the book (which I'm not going to spoil for you).
The book is very well written, and I found the characters very interesting.
The author of my copy of this title was Victoria Holt. This was one of the pseudonyms of Eleanor Alice Burford. After marrying she became Eleanor Alice Hibbert. Others she wrote under included Jean Plaidy, Ellalice Tate, Kathleen Kellow, Elbur Ford, Philippa Carr. She wrote almost 200 books under these names!

Her books are VERY addictive!

Sadly, most of her books are out of print at the date of this review. Some can be purchased on the Internet or from second-hand bookshops.

This is the first Victoria Holt book that I read, and I think it was where I should have started. I have always liked the stories of Jane Eyre and Rebecca, so this one sounded interesting. It lived up to expectations. It is about a governess that finds out she is in much more than she bargained for. The house she is living in is filled with history and mystery. Her employer, with whom she falls in love, is very much the same. With twists and turns, and a huge surprize ending, this book is one you will remember for years to come.

Don't listen the O'Brien review above, this book is far from "campy" (a pretentious term pretentious people use to justify reading romance and popular novels)...yes, this book does owe a lot to Jane Eyre I suppose but the vivid characters, chilling suspense and romance make this a treat you won't forget. Miss Holt proves herself to be a writer of enduring power and imagination. Nothing "campy" about that!

What happened to Alice, mistress of Mellyn? Was she just a high-class skank who ran off with philandering neighbor Geoffrey? And what is the mystery of the leper's squint?

This is a fine combination of "Jane Eyre" crossed with a dash of Du Maurier's "Rebecca." For a romance novel, a genre that I normally despise, this is quite a fine read. Victoria Holt (aka Jean Plaidy) knows how to keep her plots moving swiftly and her surprises juicy.

If anyone has a copy of this book that they would like to sell please contact me. Thank you, joycem@motion.net

I read this book many years ago and was spellbound by the brothers behaviors. It is one of the books I have recommended to many, many people over the years. I truly believe this book had such an impact on me that I chose my profession, clinical social work, to learn more about human behavior and the causes the behavior. I want to reread this book, 47 years after I first read it, because it had such a profound impact on my life.

My mother told me years ago that this book was based on real brothers. She told me who they were but I probably shouldn't say that here. I have read the book several times over the years. It is my number one favorite novel. I would love to give a copy to my daughter.

Two elderly brothers, Seymour and Randall Holt, are found dead in their rundown, squalid brownstone in the neighborhood of Chelsea in New York City. This book reconstructs their lives and explains how it came about that they met such an ignominious end.

Raised in that very brownstone in a turn of the century household run by their wealthy, twisted, and domineering grandmother, who eventually drove their mother to madness, they grew up in an environment that was not conducive to happiness. It was an upbringing that was to have great repercussions on their lives.

Both of the brothers were very handsome and intelligent. Seymour was the older and more aggressive and resourceful of the two, while Randall was sensitive and artistic, being a gifted pianist. Both looked forward to the death of their grandmother, whom they hated. They looked forward to departing from that house and living elsewhere, leaving behind very painful memories. When their grandmother finally died at a very ripe old age, however, she tied up her estate in such a way that she would still control them from the grave. Their leaving the now hated brownstone was not an option.

For a while after her death, it seemed that these young men would end up leading normal lives. The life that they had lived with their grandmother, however, had, unfortunately, left its mark. This would be made remarkably clear in the way in which they interacted with others. Yet, they each went on their way, trying to fit in the best way they knew how. For a while, it seemed that they would almost succeed. Their own natures, coupled with their upbringing and the general vicissitudes of life, however, would conspire to ensure that they would not.

If one ever wondered how people could live such bizarre lives that they would end up with their homes filled with trash, refuse, filth, and disorder, this book will give one a birds-eye view as to how this could happen. This lyrically written novel is a spellbinding account of how two promising lives could meet such a tragic end. It is sure to keep the reader riveted and turning the pages. It is simply a terrific book!

My father was not a reader of fiction; however when I was thirteen, he told me about a book he once read that he had never been able to shake from his memory--that book was MY BROTHER'S KEEPER. My library had the book, and although I may have been perplexed by some of the adult themes, I fell headlong into the story and years later, like my father, ended up telling one of my own children about the book. My son, who at the time was fiercely practical and not a great fan of fiction, also read this thick book with great fascination. In mentioning the book in casual conversation over the years, I've found that quite a few people have this book emblazened into their memories. Usually they gasp, "I remember that book!" and they have held onto their memory as though it were a strange and precious secret. When meeting someone else who has read it, I feel as though I'm part of a secret society that has been initiated into a special kind of knowing. I think there is a certain lurid fascination with the strange tale to be sure; however in my mind the writer's craft cannot be disputed. She creates a strong story of almost biblical porportions, drawing on archetypal characters and struggles that anyone can identify with. I was able to find a copy of this book at my university library book sale and it has a special place in my book collection. Once read, this book is impossible to forget.

Wow! What an awesome book. My 10-yr-old son had to pick a book of Historical Fiction for a book report for school. We chose this one because it seemed familiar to me, then came to realize that I read it when I was a kid under the title "I am David". We took turns reading the book aloud, my son was so into it. Every boy, actually every kid, should read this book, if only to appreciate freedom and opportunity and the love of family.

a very poignant story of a boy who 'escaped' from a concentration camp. His trip to where, he doesn't know, gives so much insight to what would be going through a child during this era of time. He doesn't know anything about the outside world. This is often times humorous and then sad at others. It is a powerful story that should be read by all. There aren't really any EXCITING parts but plenty of in depth story. Mrs. Holm brings a story to paper that will not be quickly forgotten.

When freedom is near,all, young David has to think about is how to get away without being caught. I will encourage the young people to read this book because it is a really good and easy book. In this book you will find out what David had to go through in order to get his freedom, and what dangers he had to confront on the way.

This book is about a twelve-year old boy named David. For all his life he was in prison and did not know what the outside world looked like. When David finds a great opportunity to escape many problems occur and needs to find a way to be free and safe from his old life.The title of my book was North to Freedom by Anne Holm. This book will catch your attention and will end you up with a thought of children all over the world,
and how they are being abused and kept in prison.

Some good facts about this book were, how David had help
from the guards. " You must get away tonight", the man had told
him" (Holm 1). I liked the fact that David wasn't alone in prison that there were people that cared for him, this shows that not all men that keep children in prison are bad. In David's way to freedom, he found many honorable men that helped him reach his goal. " ...I'll give you a lifebelt, and you must try to drift ashore.." (Holm 25). Here David was found by and Italian man that was headin to Italy, but the kind man left
him on board and gave him a lifebelt were he could reach Italy without being caught.

There were also many bad sides to this book. Some facts I did not like were that it ended to fast and not to much detail was given. The end of the book was kind of "weird", I would have not expect it to end the way it did. There were some points of the book that I did not like, for example, when David was suffering on his way and the fact that he was scared of people. Also that David was a chicken in some parts of the book, he was scared to help other and was a little selfish.

In conclusion, the book was interesting to read. It had many ideas that shows the world about how little kids like David suffer because of mothers errors. I would give this book an eight, form a scale of 10. It is a really good book, I liked the way it was explained even though details were needed it was very good explained and there were a lot of interesting parts. I liked this book because it caught my attention and wasn't hard to read. I learned that David fought for his freedom and this story makes me think about the American dream, freedom.

This is an engaging historical fiction novel. Set in post World War II Europe, it is also published under the titles David, and I Am David. With the help of one of the prison gaurds, 12 year old David escapes from a communist labor camp in Bulgaria with no idea what to do other than go to Denmark. The story weaves in many important themes, such as freedom, beauty, truth, and love. There are many intriguing characters, like Johannes his fellow prisoner, the family of Maria, a Danish lady in Switzerland, and a dog named King. As David crosses countries and borders, his understanding of life, God, and the aforementioned themes grows as his journey progresses. Through it all he is determined to remain true to himself. Truly an engaging read, and a good study on physical and cultural geography for kids.

I have a copy of this book from the UK that is called I Am David. It starts with a man telling David, "You must get away tonight. Stay awake so that you're ready just before the guard is changed. When you see me strike a match, the current will be cut off and you can climb over -- you'll have half a minute, no more." This starts David's journey not just to freedom and home, but also to learning how to live as a regular kid after only living in a concentration camp. It's a serious book but one that should be read.

What I loved about this book is that even though I'm not getting ready to celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary -- yet -- I could relate to the desire to add a little sizzle to my marriage. I think we all hit those times where we'd like to make a good thing even better. And who hasn't seen their efforts backfire before watching God take care of it in a way that's far better than anything you could have planned?

And Linda's life is full of challenges just as she gets her plan in action. The struggles are real. And the triumphs are all the sweeter for living through the valleys. With this book I'd laugh, and then ten pages later be convicted that maybe I tended to act like Linda when confronted with troubles. I love it when a book makes me think even as I enjoy and savor it.

While this isn't the normal book I would pick up, I can tell you that I can't wait to read Megan's next book!

If a marriage is really sound, shouldn't it be as passionate as it was in the beginning? Linda Revere believes so. She also believes the spice has gone out of hers. Her husband isn't the demonstrative type, she knows that, but is it asking too much for him to at least make an effort. And where does it say in the license that she has to do everything. Even their two kids have slipped into the "let Mom do it" routine. Her boss is difficult, some of her fellow workers are a pain, and she is wondering what happened to her marriage. So, she sets out to revive the passion, if it isn't too late.

Sometimes it's easy to get fed up with everything, to want more, do more, be more. But God has a plan for our lives, and what we think we want may not be as good as what we already have. Searching for Spice is a great debut novel. A down-to-earth realistic story of a woman who doesn't realize how lucky she is until she comes close to losing it all. Don't miss this one.

Can Christian marriage in mid-life have (gasp!) passion? In SEARCHING FOR SPICE, Megan DiMaria's debut novel, a middle-aged mother longs for a hot romance with...her husband. As the story unfolds, readers are invited to think deeply about what a true "passionate" relationship might be. Hint: It's not just candles, lingerie and public smooches.

It's a cute premise. Linda Revere juggles her roles as wife, mom to teens Nick and Emma, and salesperson at the local portrait studio, Dream Photography. Amid the chaos of working full time and keeping family life organized, she discovers something is missing: spice. After almost 25 years, she and Jerry, her nerdy but dependable husband, just seem to be going through the motions. Forget romance. "I remember when Jerry used to kiss me good night. Now all I get is mumbles," reflects Linda. "What has happened to our marriage?"

Determined to put a little zing into her life, Linda takes a pop magazine quiz ("Do You Have a Passionate Marriage?") and finds that her marriage falls far short of the mark by quiz standards. But how do you infuse your relationship with passion when you're both pushing 50?

DiMaria injects plenty of humor into her story, from Linda's musing over piercing her belly button (rejected: "Wouldn't that be a little like putting a new spoiler on my old Taurus?") to lighting a candle before Jerry comes home from his work as a community college science teacher (he blows the candle out immediately, seeing it as a fire hazard).

Readers may feel a jolt when the lighthearted first half of the novel takes a darker turn in the second --- a surprise for readers who presumed it was lightweight mom-lit. When teen daughter Emma makes a tragic mistake, it impacts Linda and Jerry's relationship --- and threatens to change the family's lives forever. How will their marriage fare under this kind of stress? DiMaria shows the tension that occurs between spouses trying to keep it all together under difficult circumstances. Jerry, who looked a little clueless in the first half, becomes the strong support spouse in the second.

As their lives take a turn for the worse, Linda learns that what she has envied in other couples --- a demonstrative, exciting marriage on the outside --- might be deceptive. Emma's budding romances with various boys and the upcoming marriage of a close friend's son also invite comparisons to her marriage, and a realization of what commitment and steady love can offer when romance seems to have taken a vacation. "Pretty words and extravagant gestures can't compare to being pursued by love and romanced with prayer," decides Linda.

This is mostly smooth reading, with plenty of faith themes. Occasionally, a little too much extraneous information creeps in (meal and shopping details), but it doesn't slow the pace. The snappy dialogue, solid portrayal of marital and family dynamics, and engaging and sometimes volatile scenes at Dream Photography keep the story moving along. You'll think twice the next time you pick up your portrait package after reading some of these scenes!

I appreciated some of the plot twists, especially the diabolical Carol's role in Linda's life in the closing pages. Any parent of a teen will identify with the chaos one bad decision can bring and sympathize with Linda's family's plight. The ending is satisfying and redemptive.

Mid-life mom-lit fans will enjoy DiMaria's spunky debut, even as married readers ponder the state of passion --- or lack of it --- in their own marriages. DiMaria drives home her point in an enjoyable way: the value of a spouse who stands by his family during the rocky times as well as the easy moments, and whose steady faith and solid parenting mean more than glittering jewelry or lavish gestures. Food for thought the next time you finish a Harlequin romance and wonder what might have been.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

"Searching For Spice" by Megan DiMaria is a wonderful look at marriage and how it can grow a bit stale through the years. The cover drew me to the book. Then, the author grabbed my attention with the quote from Song of Solomon 8:14 that seemed to perfectly fit with the title. The story of Linda and Jerry captured my heart as I sympathized with their humdrum plight of day-to-day marital bliss. The situations and dialogue made me laugh out loud and sigh and tear up.

Not only does this book entertain, it also gives some solid ideas on how to spice up your own marriage. This was an absolutely wonderful way to spend several hours. I highly recommend this novel.

Searching for Spice by Megan DiMaria is a delightful entry in the Christian chick lit genre. Linda Revere loves her life. She loves her husband and her kids, but doesn't always love her job. She does her best to live her life in a Christian manner, but something is missing. After talking to a girlfriend, she realizes that her marriage is lacking some zing; the spark is gone. So Linda pursues her husband with all of the zeal of a new lover, and while he stumbles at first, does his best to keep up with her. The book is refreshing in that for the first two hundred pages, Linda doesn't want to cheat and isn't facing a cheating husband. She recognizes a lack in her marriage and is determined to fix it. But just when things start going smoothly, a health crisis and emergency involving her teenage daughter hit making her doubt everything she's learned about her husband and their love for each other. It's a terrific testimony about how every marriage has peaks and valleys, and it's important to cling to each other though both. I love how DiMaria manages to portray Linda's deep sense of being 100% right (even when she's wrong) with compassion and sympathy. It's a stand out book in a crowded genre.

This book is great and perfect for someone like me who gets bogged down in the negative self talk. Jennifer Rothschild does a great job of identifying the problems and offering scriptural solutions. Great book that speaks to my soul and is a perfect small group study!

Great book. Jennifer is excellent at taking a woman's thoughts and relaying them in such a way that you can understand what God wants for you. Women need positive affirmations and what better way than to apply God's own words to help us become the woman he desires.

I received this book as a Christmas gift and read it once. I am now reading it a second time. Not only is Jennifer's writing easy to follow, but it is so interesting, real and applicable to every aspect of our lives. I have most of the pages marked with notes. I plan to read it over and over until I am living and breathing it!!!! I have given several copies out and recommended it to several people as well.

This book exceeding even what I was expecting. I have already purchased three additional copies for others. It is a definite must for every woman. Jennifer teaches the importance of what we allow into our "thought closet" and making sure that only TRUTH resides there! It is an easy read but a powerful one. As soon as I finished, I started reading back over my "highlights" to allow the truths to sink in. This book is a must have!

I have truly enjoyed this book and been uplifted by the message. I love how Jennifer takes the truth of Gods word and shows us how it applies today to our daily walk and to our thought process. Women can be hard on themselves almost daily, and I love how Jennifer reminds us of how important it is to see ourselves the way God sees us and to speak the words that have already been laid out for us in His word- words of life! I am so encouraged to begin applying what I've learned and so excited to share it with others. I have already bought this book for 3 girlfriends and I think it is such a great book, I plan to buy more as gifts for each girlfriend in my life.

Seven Sisters is quite an enjoyable read. This book introduces some new characters to the Benni Harper series and makes for an mildly suspenseful read.

"Seven Sisters" is the seventh novel in the Benni Harper series. Benni Harper, a lifelong resident of the mythical Central california Coast town of San Celina, is a former cowgirl, a quilter, and now has a job as the curator of San Celina's folk art museum. Benni, who was widowed when her first husband died in a car accident, has been married to San Celina's cheif of police Gabe Ortiz for several years at the time of this story.

The story starts off with a bang when Gabe's nineteen-year-old son Sam tells Benni and Gabe that his girlfriend is pregnant, and they plan to marry. The story rapidly becomes very complicated when the identity of Sam's girlfriend is revealed. She is Bliss Girard, one of Gabe' rookie policewomen and, more importantly, a grand-daughter of the Brown family, one of the town's oldest and most powerful families. When one of the extended members of the Brown family is murdered at the engagement party for Sam and Bliss, the family struggles with the realization that there is most likely a murderer among them. As the police search for the murderer, the Brown family tries to keep all their secrets hidden. And Benni Harper struggles with trying to maintain a balance between her natural sleuthing capabilities and her role as the police chief's wife and future mother-in-law to one of the Brown family grand-daughters. Benni also experiences more than a touch of jealousy when Gabe's gorgeous ex-wife Lydia comes to San Celina to meet her son's fiancee.

The California setting is richly described with the conflicts between cattle ranching, horse racing, and grape growing.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. As I mentioned above, "Seven Sisters" is the seventh book in this series but it was the first one that I've read. What a happy discovery to find a whole new series with a wonderful setting and a richly developed cast of characters. I'm looking forward to reading all the other books in this series!

I started reading the Benni Harper mysteries "in the middle" of the series. I was hooked and immediately bought the whole series so I could follow the storyline thread. Her stories are very different from other mysteries with "predictable" plots but if I were to expand on that, I'd give away the unfolding of the Seven Sisters story. Actually, Earlene Fowler has a marvelous gift for drawing one into the lives of her characters. She makes me laugh, and provokes a "being there" frustration (empathic with Benni's frustration)with the events. Her stories are not all nice and neat - hey, life isn't nice and neat. But they aren't what I would call icky, gruesome and gory either. If she has written a series of "chick-lit" mysteries, it's chick-lit at it most fun. Her subject matter is also fascinating as a learning experience. That's from a fan who is nearly as old as Dove! Don't pull just one book (such as Seven Sisters) from the series - start at the beginning and become part of the community - flawed tho it may be. It's laugh-out-loud funny, snuggle-up-under a quilt comfort, confusing and unnerving chaos - and an absolutely marvelous read (even if, but please don't, read out of the series order). I'm so glad I discovered Benni Harper and her family and friends!

I love this series -- I am an unabashed fan. Even though I figured out the mystery very early on, I still enjoyed it very much.

This book is the rare mystery where the murderer never gets a legal comeuppance.

This is the seventh book in the Benni Harper mystery series and takes place in San Celina, California.

Benni Harper the curator of the local folk art museum and her husband Police Chief Gabe Ortiz seem to have worked out a lot of their earlier marital problems when Sam, Gabe's son tells them that his girlfriend Bliss is pregnant. Bliss, happens to be a member of the very wealthy and influential Brown family.

Both families seem to rally around the young couple and even Gabe's beautiful ex-wife appears for the first time in this series. At a party celebrating Bliss and Sam's engagement, a Brown relative is found murdered. Benni tries not to become involved in the case, but is forced into helping by Ford Hudson the officer in charge of the homicide investigation.

This interesting story is a little darker than the other mysteries that Benni had been involved with and takes us into the tangled web of old family secrets and the truth about the seven sisters.

This book is very usefull even for forign bird watcher as my self, it contents almost every family that exist in south america with mthe exception of pinguins.
Very nice writen.

Have not found this book to be interesting. It jumps around and covers many birds at once. You have to spend time looking to find a bird and then it is not comprehensive enough. Would not buy this book again. Disappointing as I do use his bird guide.

Like all the Sibley books, this is comprehensive and well-written. A necessary and welcomed addition to any birder's library.

This is a useful book about bird behavior written by a true expert. It's a bit like a textbook the way it approaches broad topics and discusses various aspects.

Like any textbook, I suppose, if you go into this book with a specific question and hope for a specific answer, you may not find it. However, if you were trying to write a school report or something you would certainly find lots of useful tidbits of information in the general area of your topic.

I'd say that rather than thinking of this as a reference book, you should think of it as background reading, to be taken in small doses, for the above-and-beyond birding enthusiast.

I'm not a birder, though it seems like an interesting hobby. But I just look at the birds at the feeders and birdbath in the back yard and think, "I wonder what that one is?" So, I bought "The Sibley Guide to Birds" (which is outstanding) on the recommendation of a birder friend, and that led me to this book.

On the one hand, it's a long, dense, scientific work. The years of effort and study that went into it is astounding.

On the other hand, it's an extremely entertaining set of answers to all of those "Why do they do that?" questions that come up when you're watching birds. For example, why do bird knees seem to bend backward? Well, they don't; the knee is close to the bird's body, and what seems to be a backward knee is actually the bird's ankle. The birds are in effect walking around on their tip toes.

If hundreds of pages of information like that, coupled with beautiful illustrations and great maps, all wrapped in an easy-to-use organizational scheme sounds interesting and useful, then get this book.

For a non-birder like me, it's probably more information than I really need, but I found it fascinating.

This is a cracking good Agatha Christie Miss Marple mystery. The plot of Miss Marple's helping to solve a mystery that is many years old and hinges on a young women's long-suppressed childhood memories is different and surprisingly believable. It kept me guessing right up til the end. Vocal characterizations are good, this is one mystery that will not disappoint fans of Dame Agatha.

The plot of Sleeping Murder revolves around New Zealander Gwenda and Englishman Giles, a young, newly-married couple. While Giles is traveling on business, Gwenda is charged with finding a house in the English countryside for the pair. She jaunts through the country on the errand, enjoying being a tourist as well as a house hunter. (She has never visited England before.) Gwenda finds a charming Victorian villa where she immediately feels at home, purchases it, and begins to decorate and renovate it in preparation for Giles' arrival.

Then the odd things start to happen. She asks the gardener to move some steps from one place to another. Upon beginning the work, the gardener discovers that the new location for the steps was actually original to the house. She requests that a door be cut from one room to another. The workmen begin to carry out her wishes, and they find that, once upon a time, there WAS a door there, exactly where Gwenda pointed out. As these types of "coincidences" accrue, Gwenda feels sure that something is amiss. Is the house haunted, perhaps? Then, she has a frightening vision of the body of a young woman at the foot of the steps in her new home, strangled.

As the mystery begins to unravel, who should happen upon the scene but our dear Miss Marple? Naturally, she lends clarity and caution to the proceedings, and before long, our young couple is in the thick of a decades-old murder investigation.

I love reading Agatha Christie mysteries! They are such fun, and I never see the RIGHT ending coming. (Red herrings everywhere, which is what makes them so tricky to figure out.) Plus, they give me a hankering for scones (Miss Marple and her compatriots are always talking things out over tea.) which I am only to happy to satisfy.

Amazingly, I actually liked Miss Marple in this story. She's the likeable, feisty woman I remember from my childhood, not the snooty, condescending know-it-all from the last few books I've read. Still, I think the plot of this one is a little over-reaching, but it a faster paced mystery than most of the Marples - especially the ending. And even though it's on the short side, you still get a good sense of the characters and setting, and nearly enough details to solve the mystery yourself, if you're so inclined.

A must-read for any old-school mystery enthusiast, and one of the better Marples I've read of late (though Poirot is still better in my book!).

What improvements have been made for the "Miss Marple's Last Case" edition? There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket. There are further additions still in the Signet, Berkley, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions. For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice. What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them. Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.

It was a nice mystery, but it didn't stick in my head long after I was finished with it. In fact, I had to review the plot again to write this review! That says something, because I have a good memory for books that really draw me in. However, I would recommend this book for any Christie fan.

This book really is a great foundation for any teenage student or young adult. Esp. for the teens, this book will help the through college and through many questions they may have. For $18 bucks, its well worth the price!

-Taylor U.

'stand your ground' was a awesome book that answered many of my questions on logic and philosophy. It provides support for those going to college and those who have unanswered questions.Mr. Hardy is a amazing person and a amazing writer. I would recommend this book to anybody with unanswered questions.'Stand your ground' teaches struggling Christians to stand their ground. I would read this book twice.

Stand Your Ground is thoroughly enjoyable. This book provides you with the basic tools needed to defend your faith, and will also help to make you grow stronger as a christian. I recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about how to defend ones faith. It also provides information on how to lead more people to Christ. You will not regret if if you buy this book!

Stand Your Ground is a must read for any students or adults interested in learning the foundations of apologetics. It is not too hard to read and will "wet your interest" in a subject that is simply too interesting to pass up! If you purchase the book and stick with it, not only will you become a smarter/stronger Christian, but you will rest assured that when tested, you can defend your faith. So go ahead, grab a copy and be prepared for an all nighter, because once you start this baby you wont be able to put it down. You wont regret it, I know i dont!

I just finished the book and still dont have the words to describe how helpful it has been. It walks you through the basics of how to defend your faith. It is really easy to read and well broken down so if you just need help in a certain area you can skip around. The chapters have nice reviews and it builds well so that you can be without fault in your theology. I have learned a lot thanks to this book and it has helped me on a number of occasions. I highly recommend this book as an intro to apologetics or as a deep thought provoking piece. It is well written and fulfills both tasks completely. Hope you enjoy

I purchased this book when I began to explore Buddhism and mindfulness practices three few months ago. It was difficult reading, one chapter at a sitting, but it has taught me so much and inspired me to practice meditation almost every day since. This weekend I attended a stage-one Shambhala training on mindfulness. I credit this book for much of that. If you're looking to learn more about the application of Buddhist principles to life through meditation practice, this is excellent. If you want to learn about mindfulness/meditation but not as it relates to Buddhism, check out one of John Kabat Zinn's books.

I loved this book. A friend recommended it to me when I said i was interested in meditation. Pema Chodron has a wonderfully practical down-to-Earth way of putting things, and she has a delightful sense of humor. If interested in Buddhism, meditation, or simply learning to live more fully in the present, with all of life's trials and beauty, you will find much to inspire you in this lovely book.

My girlfriend bought me this book over the holidays, and I blew it off but finally had a chance read it from start to finish in a matter of 2 days. Pema Chodron wrote this book with clarity for everyone to understand her beliefs. I've read numerous other books pertaining to Buddhism and this one is by the far the easiest one to understand and comprehend. This book is based around the idea of being compassionate to yourself which in turn will penetrate others around you to develop some level of compassion. Chodron does an excellent job of motivating oneself to clear their mind and avoid unnecessary feelings of anger, aggression, pleasure, etc. Not only does Chodron explain the necessary steps to clear your mind, but she compliments this explanation with examples from her personal experience with students and teachers. The verbage outlined in this book is very easy to comprehend versus other Buddhist books I picked up and read. I've noticed in the past I've had to re-read certain passages quite a few times to fully understand it's meaning, but not with this book. This book motivates me to "start" working on myself, and in doing so it will encourage me to open my eyes to everyone and everything in this world.

I truly enjoyed this book as it awakened a sense of compassion for myself and others, with insight and humor Pema Chodron guided me to a state of joy, and well being. I also discovered the 59 traditional Tibetan Buddhist maxims and was able to relate them to every day life. This book reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Ariel and Shya Kane and their book Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment their short stories are inspiring and fun, and I felt a sense of ease and grace that lasted well after reading their book.

Compassion is born of the heart and served by a disciplined mind. What heals our dense energies and emotions is the capacity to embrace in our cells a sense of the seven virtues ... such as compassion. Now compassion is not allowing someone to hurt us constantly but rather it is seeing the pain in the other that provokes them to act out. And by that one can see and perceive beyond our ego's filter and into what really is going on. Often when someone hurts us it is because of their own hurt and corresponding vindictiveness to extend the pain. The Buddha once said that hate never begets hate ...only love begets hate. Detached love is still love in the agape sense ... and compassion is the key to opening the heart once more to allow this remedy to flow. It is a gift to yourself ... when you release yourself from the attachment of what you want a situation to result in. Self-love is your birthright and it is in self-love that you can experience compassion along side strong boundaries.