Shadow The Books

In the course of the last month, I've become a big fan of Elmore Leonard's Westerns. I'm new to the Western, late in the game. After a few L'Amour's, a friend put me on to Leonard. He's the very top of the genre, in my view. The dialogue and the action tell the story and make the points about toughness and character, not the sentimental interior thought process of the hero, so common in this genre; at least what I've seen thus far.
In The Law at Randado (one of the titles in this collection), Kirby Frye is young and green (as a deputy), but he stands up to the townsmen and Phil Sundeen, the bad cattle baron, much to their surprise. He reminds me a lot of the implacable Roberto Valdez in "Valdez is Coming" (I think Leonard's greatest Western), and there are similar qualities to the story. But this is early Leonard (1954), and he only gets better as time goes on.
We again meet the scoundrel Sundeen and see his fate in Gunsights, a much later book (1979).
It's going to be hard to go back to other Western authors having been introduced to Elmore Leonard this early on!

Although the author has tended to underrate his earliest work in the Western genre, later Elmore Leonard crime novels like CITY PRIMEVAL, KILLSHOT (a corker, by the way) and OUT OF SIGHT are certainly influenced by earlier books such as VALDEZ IS COMING. He will often include references to the movie Westerns that were made from his stories in the novels. The famous restaurant confrontation between Chili Palmer and a stuntman-bodyguard in GET SHORTY imitates a similiar scene in the Leonard-written Clint Eastwood movie JOE KIDD (which Chili, a true movie buff, remembers vividly). The very funny novel PRONTO gets even funnier when you realize that Leonard is, to a great degree, satirizing traditional Western heroics and the conventions of a genre that he truly understands and loves. I can't imagine any fan of Elmore Leonard's - or the American Western - being disappointed in THE LAW AT RANDADO (my personal favorite), HOMBRE (which won the Golden Spur Award for the 100 best Western novels of all time) or VALDEZ IS COMING. It's great to have these books back in print in any form (as well as the new set of Western shorts THE TONTO WOMAN) and collectors should move fast - these tend to be taken out of print very quickly. Don't buy one - buy all three!!

I just finished reading both of Brown's books on the New York Times best seller list, and Richard Crabbe's book is every bit as worthy of making the list. Richard combines a descriptive, sometimes violent but thoughtful style of writing that puts you in the hunt for Jim Tupper in what must be a breathtaking part of the country- It's fast, sometimes furious and a quality mystery/thriller... Dan Brown, you have company!

In August 1889, Mohawk Indian Jim Tupper kills a Manhattan construction site foreman. Although the police catch him, he breaks free when the Black Maria he?s transported in has an accident. He buys a bayonet before making his way by boat to his home in the Adirondack Mountains where he signs on at the logging camp owned and run by industrialist William West Durant.

At the same time Tupper is making his way home, New York Detective Bureau Chief Tom Braddock and his family vacation at the Prospect House resort hotel. Tom?s son Mike has taken up with the housemaid Lellie and when she is murdered, the local doctor thinks he is the killer. When Tom learns that via telegraph that Tupper is in the area and the maid was murdered by a bayonet, he believes Tupper is the killer. Tom sets out to bring this killer back so that his son?s name will be cleared, but the savvy Indian leads Tom and the authorities on a difficult chase that leads to a greater tragedy for all concerned.

THE EMPIRE OF SHADOWS is an action-packed historical thriller that gives the audience chills, thrills and a sense of adventure. Throughout the whole story line, readers will feel as if they don?t see the full picture because the audience senses there is more than just a killer on a rampage yet everything points to one killer in plain sight. That magic and the ability of Richard E. Crabbe to bring to life a bygone golden age that will never be seen again turns this work into a breathtaking tale.

Harriet Klausner

Escaping the Shadows captivated my attention and expanded my understanding, and it will do the same for you.

This book illustrates the amazing tale of one woman's personal quest for peace and solidarity in her life. Lisa J. Peck does an outstanding job giving the reader a glimpse into the life of Charlene, an LDS middle-aged woman with several kids, blazing a trail of hope and courage through an abusive marriage, subsequent divorce, single motherhood and reentry into the 'dating world.'

It should be noted that though this book deals with mature issues of domestic violence, divorce, health issues and internet dating, it is surprisingly upbeat and will leave you with a positive feeling of accomplishment for the main character. It may not be suitable for younger readers.

As an adult male and husband, I was not sure what to expect when I began reading it, but I am glad that I did. It opened my eyes to serious topics generally not mentioned in LDS circles, though they apply to us as much as they do to the nation. My wife and I both were amazed at the accuracy with which the book describes the physical as well as mental and emotional trauma one can suffer in abusive relationships. Someone close to us recently went through a similar trial in her life, and it was uncanny to see the similarities between her experience and the book.

Escaping the Shadows is a must-read for singles and married couples alike. It was both enlightening as to serious matters, yet fun and uplifting so as to enjoy.

Ms.Peck has done a fantastic job of helping the reader to not only understand the mind of the abused . . . but what friends and family can do to help and what the abused can do to escape the situation. It is marvelous in helping single women to watch for the signs that will lead to an abusive relationship. Domestic violence is prevalent in our society, and Ms. Peck takes us through a fictional journey of a woman emerging from the shadows, into the terrifying world of dating and finding true love once again. This is a must read by every man, woman and child in the world if one hopes to prevent from being sucked into a relationship like or hopes to fight free of one.

I really enjoyed this book. I also enjoyed reading the entire series. It is really nice to see how everyday people can reconnect, become better friends, get closer to God and help each other.

Book five in a series of six. Another of the group finds love. Each book in the series has featured one of the group from the six college friends. Though each story stands alone there are common threads to link the books into a series. In this one a boy in the class with the girls has become rich and famous writing comic books. He has become reclusive as his riches grow. A secret crush from one of the group of six women leads to love and yet another clue to the identity of the person who killed a fellow student during their college days.

I very much enjoyed this book. Ilo looks at all levels of the issues affecting Africa today. His research and knowledge on Africa, African history, and the current climate is extremely thorough. It is clear he has a passion for the subject and his total approach model is not only practical, it is feasible. I found myself reading this slowly so I could absorb the points in each layer presented. Highly recommended.

This work is timely. At a time when many Westerners are reading Africa as masters and lords, Stan Chu Ilo, gives a new paradigm. He argues against the bifurcated vision of Africa that has been projected by many international organizations and agencies. His call for a total picture approach model for interpreting the movement of history in Africa is very insightful and well-taken; his call for Africans to take up again the task of nation-building is timely; his critique of globalization and neo-liberal orthodoxies is rooted in deep social scientific research and a keen sense of the bases for social evolution in Africa. The Afro-Christian vision that he projects based on signs of hope in Africa filled me with new sense of hope for Africa. His development of the structural injustice in Africa and the lack of African sense of identity which he interprets as the homelessness of Africans raises the concerns of Africa today beyond mere sentimentalism or romanticism to the concrete nithy grithy of deep engagment with history, politics, religion etc in a integral way to change the face of Africa. This book bears re-reading and needs to be put on the table of everyone who is interested in seeing the true face of Africa and wants to better the condition of African through the path of cultural and human development.

Spencer W. Kimball wrote an eloquent and comforting work that details what the Christian must do before the miracle of Christ arrives. Kimball emphasizes that faith in Christ, a deep and abiding faith, not a shallow one, must come to one's heart before Christ can work a miracle in your life. Christ says, "Knock and the door will be opened to you." Kimball's work tells us how to knock.

I have read this book, and thoroughtly enjoyed it. If any of you are wondering what the LDS religion is about, this will answer a lot of questions. For those of you that are LDS, it is a great reminder of what we already know. Beautifully written.

A very good book about a twin who finds out she is adopted and searches for her birth parents after her twin sister's death. I liked the journey the girl takes to find her birth parents, the great characters she meets, the different situations she encounters, and the final meeting with her birth parent. Very good book, I would definetely recommend it.

This book is about loss of a twin, and finding out after, that they were both adopted, and never knew it. The story tells of a trip the surviving twin takes to find her birthmom, come to terms with her loss, and stories of the people she meets along the way. A very good read. I will be watching for future books by Evelyn Cooper.

You really get a sense the author was trying to write something that would stand the test of time -- a classic. I could spend years trying to interpret the dreams in this book in light of their connections with the lives of the characters (if the author's web site is accurate in claiming the dreams were "ripped from the diary"). I think the last chapter was written as a "hold on for the ride of your life" type chapter. It is much different from the others. It is not meaningless action by any stretch of imagination. The events in this chapter, like dreams in other chapters, seems to have a symbolism that really makes you stop and think. Problem is: that last chapter is best read quickly. You won't want to put it down and it moves at a pace, like a raging river, where you don't have much of a choice.

This book has it all. I expected harsh criticism of psychologists but I did not expect it to come from experiences that seem so real and that seem to have no end. I also didn't expect the suspense and action and the all the coincidences and dreams, which strike me as very real. And all this is tied together into a book which, though longer than any book I ever read before, is really very riveting. I couldn't put this thing down. I don't know if it will go anywhere because the book is not a household name and the publisher is not a household name, but I can't think of a book this one is second to.

This is a fantastic adoption book. It has very touching thoughts and feelings as well as the lyrics to the songs. The pictures are beautiful scenery pictures or pictures of people. The messages will truly touch the hearts of those you listen and read this book. We are about to adopt our second child and are giving this book to both our children's birth parents.

This is a beautiful book and would make a wonderful gift for anyone who has been touched by adoption. The pictures are gorgeous and the text is
songs that Mr. McLean has written about adoption. The story of how he first came to write "From God's Arm's," is touching. He includes songs from almost every perspective, the birth mother, the adoptive couple, and the adopted child.

Great book. Awesome read. Deep insights. Anyone can read and understand this. Essential for your library.

This book is one of my favorites of all time. It is a perfect read for those who are curious as to why certain things happened and were ordained in both OT and NT. This book shows that these mysteries were fulfilled in Christ and the church, with MANY examples. The part I was least familiar with was probably the feasts of the Jews. After reading the chapter on them, I feel like it all makes perfect sense now. Get this for bible study class or for personal interest, you will not forget this book and you will better understand and be able to teach the OT/NT relationships more thouroughly.