Characters Books

A beautiful story, wonderfully written and a pleasure to read. You won't be able to put it down!

At first I wasn't sure what to expect from a "historical Christian fiction" book, but once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down! I can't wait to pick up the next one. This book really does have it all.

I enjoyed this novel. The main character was someone you knew well after a few chapters, and I found myself rooting for her, her friends and her love interests. Her adventures were exciting enough, and her love story was affecting. Once I began to care about the characters, I could easily ignore the problems with this book. I spent several late evenings reading this.

The problems are not too terrible. The author often tells the reader details that should be revealed through the story. The prose is slightly awkward throughout. There is a lot of coincidence in the plot. Some of the coincidences are so improbable that they began to annoy me.

There is also a good deal of historical detail in the story, which I enjoyed. The action unfolds in Berlin, Vienna, and Prague- in real places which are well described. Now I feel like seeing those places for myself. I feel as if I know them intimately.

This is the first book in a series: The Zion Covenant. I will read the next book in the series, because I am hooked. I want to know what happens to everyone!

This book is a real eye opener if you are interested in WWII, but don't want to watch boring documentaries or read boring text books about it. It brings it to life. Charlotte Mason would have called this a "living book". Historically acurate history written in story format. There are 9 in the series, and all are worth the read.

Elisa Lindheim is young, beautiful, and gifted. The oldest child of retired Luftwaffe officer Theo Lindheim has grown up in Berlin, enjoying the privileges of her father's heroic World War I reputation and of his financial success as owner of Lindheim's Department Store. The shadows cast by Hitler's rise to power are darkening her life, though, in 1936. Estranged from her lifelong love and former fiance who's chosen to give her up on orders from his military superiors, Elisa lives in her Gentile mother's native Vienna and calls herself Elisa Linder. She plays in the opera house's first violin section, and - like so many other Jewish or part-Jewish Germans and Austrians - refuses to believe that things will continue to get worse. Any day now, the German military will have had enough of the mad paper hanger; and after that, life will be normal again.

Of course that's not what happens during the year that follows. As Theo Lindheim moves to get his family to safety, but fails to get himself out of Germany successfully, history in the making catches up with Elisa and forces her to make choices she never imagined anyone might have to face.

This is that rare book, a "faith based" novel that's worth any reader's attention. Well researched and well written, VIENNA PRELUDE moves along at a steady clip and then races to a suitably tense climax. The authors understand what far too many writers (especially of faith based fiction) don't "get" at all: that characters' actions must flow from who they are, not from what the book's chosen theme requires them to do. While the coincidences that keep parting and reuniting Elisa and American journalist John Murphy become strained from overuse, somewhere in the tale's second half, and a few of the characters' lines of dialog sound more like a sermon than an individual's words in conversation, the overall effect is just what it should be. The reader quickly becomes invested in knowing what will happen to Elisa and the others, and the triumph of their faith is all the more real because of the struggles that living it costs them. I expect to read more in this series, and that's the best compliment one can pay to any author.

Wodehouse is perhaps the best antidote I know for depression. His novels are literally unreal, for Bertie inhabits a world of leisure, servants, and privilege, an Edenic world where even the threat of pain, suffering, and mortality have no place, and Jeeves is always there as a deus ex machina. But ultimately we return to Wodehouse (again and again!) because of the language--quite simply, the man cannot write a bad sentence.

I am a big P.G. Wodehouse fan. This series of books is especially fun as each book is easily read and enjoyed. The print size is perfect. Great nighttime reading to relieve the stresses of the modern world.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about the inimitable P.G. Wodehouse???

Carry On, Jeeves is a great starter book for those who are intimidated with the amount of J&W books available (or rather, don't know where to begin). The first story in this book is about the first day Bertie Wooster met his personal gentleman (or valet, if you prefer), Jeeves. The stories easily stand on their own; with the exception of characters being mentioned or being part of the plot, the book is not a novel you have to read front to back. Consider it a literary sitcom, where new scenarios and conflicts arise with each story you read.

My favourite bit about reading Carry On, Jeeves was the last story of the book, where it takes a refreshing twist and is narrated by Mr. Jeeves rather than Bertie Wooster. It was great reading from Jeeves's perspective.

Lots of chuckles throughout and a few hardy laughs. Overall a perfect read.

This volume of ten stories originally hails from 1925. I read them in the 1999- 2000 Penguin paperback edition. While many readers like the covers by Ionicus on earlier Penguin paperbacks, these recent editions with covers by David Hitch are my favorites. They are very well done, reasonably priced and just the right size, which is to say, perfect for the novice or seasoned Wodehouse reader. The stories are also among the absolute tops in the Wooster/ Jeeves canon, and give the back stories that Bertie meditatively refers to in so many of the later books.

As Richard Usborne notes in his invaluable guide, Plum Sauce, five of these stories appeared earlier in My Man Jeeves (1919). Two of the stories there told by Reggie Pepper are here transformed into Bertie's ruminations. Carry On Jeeves was the next collection following the ten stories in The Inimitable Jeeves (1923), and Wodehouse was on a roll. Here's Bertie's first engagement to Florence Craye, and his first encounter with her younger brother, Edwin, the Boy Scout, who rapidly renders unsafe house and home. Enter Biffy and Bingo Little, later fixtures in the Wooster ouvre. Here also Bertie pens his oft- mentioned "piece" for his "good aunt" Dahlia Travers, and her struggling paper, Milady's Boudoir. The last story in this collection is somewhat questionably narrated by Jeeves, but Wodehouse fortunately reverted to telling tales in first person Bertie in the later shorts. Some of these tales also found their way into the Jeeves and Wooster TV shows with even more riotous results. All in all, a capital collection.

Carry On, Jeeves is another classic from P.G. Wodehouse. It follows in the same kind of humorous hiliarious vein of his other books that involve Berty Wooster and his Man Servant Jeeves. This is a book that should not be missed. In fact,
all of P.G. Wodehouse's books involving Jeeves and Berty Wooster
should be thoroughly enjoyed by every one.

Rings a bell, lights a bulb and deep down inside heart of hearts you know what colson shares is the truth. The spins stops here. I am devouring all of the bibliographic books and movies. The stories and the incidents is a good look at the reality and how the world is supposed to be. Start your search beyond Google and you will come to the cross. He is the truth and the life.

I so appreciate Colson's deep analysis of how we view our lives in relation to each other and God. He is an articulate and passionate storyteller and sage.

This turns out the best audio book I've ever bought. I am looking for the unabridged edition and this is it. I feel immersed in the book through the oratory skills of the narrator.

A terrific book and one to use as a manual to integrate God into your daily life

This was for my church library since I am the librarian. I trusted it would be good for others I've read by him have been. He's a solid Christian whose life reflects his belief.

The Journey is an easily readable, comfortable and understandable book. It is filled with a very special man's understanding, appreciation, and love for God and his fellowman. I contains a lot of common sense wisdom gained over a lifetime of serving God. I enjoyed it's insights. Reading it has made me a better person. I have a greater feeling of being loved by God despite all my faults. I also bought the book as gifts for other family members.

In the late autumn of his life, evangelist Billy Graham has given us a wonderful gift.

In clear and compassionate terms, he shares the accumulated wisdom and anecdotes of an extraordinary lifetime, providing guidance and encouragement to make our own lives meaningful and extraordinary. The book is carefully structured in four parts. In "The Journey Begins", he explores the primary questions of life. In "Strength for the Journey", he discusses practical measures to find peace and joy with God, others, and ourselves. "Challenges Along the Way" covers external, internal, and spiritual difficulties; and "Staying the Course" provides guidance and hope in facing issues arising in middle age and beyond.

This, like "Mere Christianity" and other works by C.S. Lewis, is a must-read for anyone seeking truthful answers to life's painful and confusing questions, as well as for Christians looking to deepen their faith. I didn't find a single false word in it and will likely re-read it more than once in the years to come.

And even if there are no years to come, even if my journey should end tonight, I know it ends well. For anyone seeking peace in life's journey, the truths in this book could be invaluable assets. Five shining stars.

I was very happy with my selection of the "Journey" and very pleased with the good service I received on the delivery. We are using the book as a guide in a Women's Bible Study at our church and are currently in the 4th Chapter, as we discontinued our study for the Christmas holiday and will resume on Jan. 8, 2008.

Fight The Good FightProbably the last book written by the greatest Preacher of our day. Life truly is a journey and not the destination as Dr. Graham has so aptly declared in his teachings throughout the years.

I previously ordered 7 copies of "The Journey" by Billy Graham. Our men's group is in the midst of studying the book for the next 30 weeks at a weekly breakfast devotional. It is packed with wonderful guidance on how we are to live our lives. The book is perfectly divided into manageable sections that are just right for from a 30 to 50 minute devotion. It also is great in that it is written in such a way as to encourage participation. It is easily understood while at the same time elegant in its delivery of ideas. It is suitable for both those new to the faith as well as for "old" Christian soldiers.

In this follow up to Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1), Katie Chandler, a young twenty-something living in New York City, is once again in the thick of things over at MSI (Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc.), the epicenter of New York City's magical community. As an executive assistant to the CEO of MSI Katie has seen more than her share of fantastical occurrences. A mere Manhattan mortal, Katie has no magical powers of her own, but is rather "magically immune" which means she is the perfect person to expose all the crazy hocus pocus, cloaked lies, and deceptive enchantments going on behind the scenes at MSI.

But all this takes a place on the back burner when Owen Palmer, the sexy wizard Katie's been secretly swooning over, reports that a spy has been in his office. Katie's boss puts her on the case to discover the identity of the spy. It's no small task, and Katie is further distracted by the arrival of her parents, who have flown up from Texas to see how their daughter is faring in the big city. Now, Katie has to juggle finding the spy while keeping her parents in the dark about about what she really does at "work." To make matters worse, Katie is shocked to find that she's losing her own magical immunity. As she becomes susceptible to charms, enchantments, and spells, Katie fears her position at MSI might be in jeopardy.

Katie must now conjure up her own form of "magic", utilizing her natural instincts to find the spy, regain her magical immunity, and win the heart of the hunky wizard!

Once again, author Shanna Swendson has done a terrific job combining fantasy and chick-lit. This engaging, humorous novel will delight fans that loved the first installment, and win over new readers too! A truly fun, easy read, Once Upon Stilettos is a great book with a fantastic plot filled with truths, heartaches, and joys that anyone can relate to. I highly recommend this book!

Reviewer's Note: Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1) laid the groundwork for this novel, and Stilettos continues where the last book left off. I highly recommend reading Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1) first for maximum reading enjoyability, but if you don't/can't, do not worry, as you will not be lost in any way with this second installment of the adventures of Katie Chandler.

I love this series! It is the ONLY series I have ever given 5 stars! Highly recommended!

This is an excellent series full of suspense, humor, and creative plots.
The characters are memorable and entertaining. It's a feel good read. Want more!

The second installment in this series continues to keep me reading at breakneck speed, ignoring my children, burning the mac n' cheese, and letting the phone answering machine pick up all the calls. Let me just say, I think I've bought a pair of those shoes ;) Keep up the good work! Luckily I'm late to this series so I can just go directly to #3!

After reading 'ENCHANTED INC.' I was very excited to read the next book in this series by Shanna Swendson, 'ONCE UPON STILETTOS' and I am happy to say that the second cast it's spell on me just as the first did.

In this book Katie Chandler is back, only this time the trials and tribulations of working for MSI, Magic, Spells & Illusions are starting to take a toll on her personal life. Katie and her boyfriend don't seem to be on the same page, the evil Phelan Idris seems to be out to, if not ruin her life, at least make it considerably more annoying and when her parents come to NYC for a visit she has to be on double duty as a tour guide and protecting her mother from magic. Because as Katie soon finds out her small town Texas mother is an immune too!

To make matters worse it seems that there is a spy at MSI and the spy's target seems to be none other than Katie herself! But all of this couldn't come at a worse time because in the midst of it all Katie begins to lose her most valuable resource, her immunity.

I am really enjoying this series. It is everything that you would hope for in this type of series. It has charm to spare, lots of whimsy and just a dash of romance to top it all off. I think anyone would be sure to enjoy these Katie Chandler books just as much as I have.

Every book has to end, I know that, but I felt cheated when I closed "Red Square". How dare Cruz Smith actually finish this thriller? How could he not have added a few more pages of his delicious and irresistible writing? Arkady Renko, the incorruptible and love-lorn Soviet detective, is on the trail of the people who killed one of his informants. He is also pining for the love of his life, who is now broadcasting pro-western propaganda to the fast-collapsing Communist empire from Munich (the action takes place in August 1991). As luck would have it, Renko ends up in Munich as he tracks the killers. The plotting in this novel isn't great -- there are too many coincidences and Renko does remarkably well in Germany, given it's his first time in the West and he speaks little German. The writing is addictive as ever and reaches new heights when Ranko is reunited with the object of his desires, who has a new man in her life. If you want to while away an absorbing few hours, I highly recommend this book.

I read this book twice. Still was confused, but as in his other novels, the author grabs you and puts you inside the protagonist's (Arkady Renko) head.
I think I will read this a third time. Even if I still don't understand it, I will greatly enjoy the ride.

Red Square blew my mind. What a great book. I find there is a lot of junk out there for the two genres I prefer: fantasy and crime drama. I was floored by Red Square - and had actually read it first. Kind of shows how great it is that I loved every moment and I had not even read Gorky Park or Polar Star yet (both darn good, too). Havana Bay followed and was good, but not as full and gripping as Red Square. wow. Truly a gift.

First published in 1992, _Red Square_ illustrates the complexities which have emerged as the Russians allow some private enterprise but have not yet become a democracy. Hardliners want to perpetuate their own way of life, while young people and the hungry proletariat want reform and their own piece of the pie. Arkady Renko, who has appeared in two previous Cruz Smith novels (Gorky Park and Polar Star), has returned to Moscow from exile and has resumed his job as a detective, this time investigating corruption and criminal fraud in the city as private enterprise takes illegal turns.

Rudy Rosen, who engages in money-changing, gambling, and other felonies, some of them involving citizens of foreign countries, is cooperating with Renko by allowing him to record conversations. Immediately after Renko leaves Rudy in his car, however, Rudy's car explodes, incinerating Rudy and a suitcase full of cash. As Renko investigates who might have killed Rudy, the complexity of this mystery parallels the complexities of a Russian society in which it's every man for himself in terms of financial transactions.

All the characters are at loose ends, wondering who they are and how they are perceived. Renko is just back from exile, the love of his life having defected to Germany years ago, and she believes that he has abandoned her. Rudy Rosen wants to have it both ways--to cooperate with Renko and to continue his shady dealings. The Chechens who appear in the story are blamed for everything that is violent or illegal, but they remember the horrors of mass relocation and the killings through which the Russians annihilated their villages and left them homeless. As the investigation of Rudy's death leads Renko from Moscow to Munich and Berlin (and to a meeting with Irina, his long lost love), Renko meets with other Russians who live abroad but still regard themselves as Russian.

Renko is a sad case--morose, love-starved, and without any reason for living--and as he tries to do what is right, his essential goodness comes through. As the case becomes an investigation of stolen paintings, many of them owned by Jews at the outbreak of World War II (and earlier), Renko's own superiors and the Russian Mafia abroad threaten his life. The body count rises and who-did-what-to-whom becomes confusing, but many readers will be focused on the character of Renko. As he tries to navigate the minefield of his own life, he resembles a modern version of some of the great Russian tragic heroes. This is not the most unified of the Renko mysteries, but it is fascinating, nevertheless. n Mary Whipple

Martin Cruz Smith is a former journalist and magazine editor. "Red Square" is his third novel - after " Gorky Park " and "Polar Star" - to feature Arkady Renko and was first published in 1992.

Renko, the hero, works as an Investigator with Moscow's militia - more or less the standard police force - and has something of a chequered career. Never a truly 'practising' member of the Party, Renko hasn't always been thought highly of by those in authority. He has always wanted to catch the people responsible for the crimes he's investigating, regardless of the 'political' consequences - as a result of this, he was once dismissed from the Party for a lack of 'political reliability' and sentenced to a life in Siberia. He also appears to be something of a disappointment to his father, a very famous ex-General. (Arkady's opinion of his father - who is very ill as the book opens - isn't too high, either). However, after the events outlined in "Polar Star", he was reinstated to his former position - but is now working in a new Moscow that he barely recognises. "Red Square" is largely set in Moscow, Munich and Berlin in 1991 and is set in turbulent times : Germany has been re-unified and the breakup of the USSR is closing in.

The book opens in August 1991, with Renko and his partner - an Estonian called Jaak Kuusnets - on their way to a meeting with Rudy Rosen. Although Rosen operates as a banker for the various factions of the Russian Mafia, he has agreed to Renko planting a transmitter in his car for the duration of a Mafia-sponsored illegal market. (This is largely due to the fact that the militia have enough to put Rosen away for a very long time). Despite turning informer, Rosen appears to feel relatively safe. The Chechen faction, headed up by Makhmud, constitutes his only real enemy, but - since all the factions require his services - he doesn't think he's under any real threat. His sense of security is reinforced by Mikhail Kim, his fearsome-looking Korean bodyguard, and his business partnership with Borya Gubenko - the head of the Long Pond Mafia. Unfortunately, shortly after a quiet conversation with Arkady at the market, Rudy is killed when his car goes up in flames - changing Renko's case from surveillance to a murder inquiry. One of the witnesses points the finger at Kim - and it seems clear the Korean was responsible for at least one of the two explosions.

Although Arkady works most closely with Jaak, there are a couple of other members on the team he has assembled. Polina deals with the forensic work and is nearly as dedicated to her job as Arkady Renko is to his. Minin, on the other hand, is practically the anti-Renko : he remains devoted to the Party and is, in fact, the only Party member on the team. Renko's boss is a man called Rodionov - the City Prosecutor and an elected member of the People's Congress. When Renko meets with Rodionov to inform him of the investigation's progress, he's also introduced to General Penyagin - the recently appointed head of CID. Unlike his predecessor, Penyagin is a bureaucrat - not a detective risen from the ranks. Renko is stunned to discover that the third person attending the meeting, Max Albov, is a journalist. As the investigation unfolds, developments take Renko far and wide - even to the recently reunited Germany. However, Albov proves to be someone Renko just can't avoid.

This is a hugely enjoyable book - in fact, the Renko series is just getting better and better as it goes along. The book is set in the USSR's dying days, a difficult time for all those used to playing the political game. As such, it's probably even more dangerous that it had been - especially for someone like Renko who only cared about catching the villain, rather than doing what was politically 'correct'. Highly recommended.

The saga continues starring Damali and Carlos and some bad-beyond-the-bone characters. The Dark side and the Light side show what they are made of in spades. Loved it!

Book is Awesome! The entire L.A. Banks series of the vampire huntress is awesome! I really recommend any of her books.

I have read all of LA Banks books in the VHL series and have loved each and every one of them, but this book was off the hook. I got goosebumps reading this book when she started talking about scenes in Revelation. Just AWESOME. A very good read.

As usual, L.A. Banks does not let me down with The Wicked. I've read all 7 VHL books. She hits all the high marks in this one. It's explosive, otherworldly, dark, and filled with words and geographic regions that will send you running to your BIG dictionary searching for meanings. Never mind, read on and you'll understand. Gripped by this book, it was a constant companion to my purse--I couldn't leave home without it. Her cast of interracial characters is typical L.A. Banks writing style. And the war scenes will--to borrow her phase--knock your head back. I'm obsessed and ready for the next one, Ms. Banks. This book deserves 5-plus stars.
Minnie E Miller
Author

Okay so I am definitely a huge fan of L.A. Banks and this book is no exception. In this selection she brings Cain into the mix and it makes for an interesting plot twist. He is in love with Damali and from the first page of the book you see just how twisted his love for her can be. But Damali and Carlos are finally getting their honeymoon but inevitably something happens that brings their mood down and the book begins. That is all I am going to delve into but trust me I am a faithful reader of the series and this is a book,series that you want to get into. So for first time readers you will be lost if you start up now but for faithful readers get ready for a great sit down read.

This book has changed my heart. This book has made me a better parent - as I live God's way. I am thankful to the authors for their wisdom.

Good and Angry is such a good book! I feel like I've experienced a shift in my thinking. I used to think that righteous indignation over being disobeyed gave me license to solve the problem full force with that anger. That had been the parenting model for me. Now it makes so much more sense to view that anger simply as a flag to identify the child's problem,  rather than the weapon, trusting God to move in the child's heart as I seek to direct them with kindness. It could almost be considered a theological shift as well as an emotional one. It has me moving in the direction of trusting God, and away from trusting myself as a parent.

Households get busy. And kids will misbehave.

After a while,a parent's patience can run a bit thin. Especially when children do the same thing time and time again. "Will they never learn?".

The authors provide the reader with a list of tools to get through these times. The goal is to build family relationships while helping kids learn better ways of responding to life's situations.

Kids learn from us. If you ever find your patience being tested in those difficult moments, then you will want to read this book. You might be surprised how it can bring a little peace to the household while building closer family relationships.

This book is excellent. I gave a copy to everyone in my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group because I really feel this book is a must read book.
Why?
This book helps you as a parent to recognize the five basic causes of anger and gives you practical ways to help reduce your anger and use it wisely. In my experience as a parent, I was suprised by what my kids brought out in me- especially anger!
"Emotions need to be interpreted wisely...Anger, for instance, is a flag that says,"Something's wrong here, and`I need to do something about it." The anger does not define what is wrong. You need to take time to think and interpret anger's signal appropriately before you take action...We believe that the key to using anger in a productive way is to separate the trigger from the response. If you can use anger to identify problems but not react to them, your perspective on anger will change." pp. 25-26
This book is written by Christians so they do quote the Bible and talk about God in the book. However, anyone can benefit from the very practical ideas in the book.
Some of my favorites are "The Lie Detector Test" p. 174-175 and the five steps for giving instructions in chapter 3. This is where a lot of parents get frustrated because kids won't do what you ask them to do.
One book is not going to cover all parenting issues(that's why I am continually reading parenting books because I need all the help I can get!) but this book covers what many books do not- how to use anger wisely. Other books often say don't get angry or seem to assume that you won't get angry and don't tell you how to break the anger cycle. That's why I like this book so much and feel it should be a part of your parenting library because anger is a basic emotion felt by every parent.

very well written, insightful and revealing for both your childs behavior and yours as a parent

Beautifully written. Historical depiction of medieval life is colorful, gritty and real. The characters are multi-layered and fascinating. The plot twists and turns are edge-of-the-seat exciting, and the stories of these people are deeply emotionally moving. Historical fiction doesn't get any better than this.

I have read other historical fiction based in this time and place (most notably Sharon Kay Penman's trilogy of Here be Dragons, Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning). This book was written long before Penman's books, but compares very well. I was very touched by this trilogy.

You have to really WANT to finish these three books. Otherwise there are plenty of paragraphs where you might put the volume down. But the relationship between Isambard and the younger Harry, and the final payoff are well worth that effort.

These do not read as smoothly as the Cadfael series: there are a couple of sentences employing subjunctive, one early on that may leave you scratching your head, you might have to grab a good dictionary the first time you encounter "liefer", and "doubt" is often used to mean certainty. The sort of descriptive passages that Peters makes sing in the Cadfael series sound an occasional sour note here.

The core story is quite a good one, though, and the characters well-developed. Isambard is a great "honorable villain".

I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, but I will say that the circumstance that placed 3 of the characters in an important location near the end of the final book felt contrived. Also, a bit more conflict in book one would have helped add some suspense and realism. Simple setbacks like running low on the supply of a certain color stone, or having a wall collapse would have balanced things a bit. As it stands it's nearly one big happy journey until the one big conflict.

The first book in the trilogy, The Heaven Tree, tells the story of master stonemason Harry Talvace as he is hired by Ralf Isambard to build him a great cathedral at Parfois along the Welsh Marches. Isambard also brings courtesan Benedetta along with him as mistress, although he is unaware that Benedetta bears a lifelong unrequited love for Harry. Harry makes a desperate choice to save a child from hanging that has dire consequences for himself, his wife and Benedetta, although Harry returns to his commitment to complete the cathedral despite the sentence of a traitor's death hanging over him.

The Green Branch, the second book in the trilogy takes up the story of Master Harry's son (also called Harry) who has been raised in Wales as a foster son to Prince Llewellyn. Harry is unknowingly drawn into the adulterous affair between Llewellyn's wife Joan (also known as Joanna) and William de Braose, and as a result of the scandal Harry flees Llewellyn's court and heads to Parfois to enact his revenge against Isambard for his father's death, but fifteen year old Harry is no match for Isambard and is taken prisoner. Ralph refuses to ransom Harry back to his family, and eventually the hatred that first existed between the two sworn enemies develops into something very different and unexpected to both men.

In the final book, The Scarlet Seed, Harry continues to learn the masonry craft of his father whilst still being held prisoner by Isambard. Desperate to free Harry, Benedetta offers Isambard another hostage, one he cannot refuse, but a choice unacceptable to Benedetta's servant John the Fletcher. John makes an attempt on Ralph's life that takes a tragic turn, and as a consequence the jailer now becomes the prisoner in his own home. As the Marches explode into civil war, the Welsh storm the unassailable Parfois and the fates of Isambard, Madonna Benedetta and Master Harry are forever entwined through eternity.

While the start of The Heaven Tree may be a bit too slow paced for some readers, Pargeter's beautiful prose and lyrical writing is one to sit back and slowly savor like a fine red wine or chocolate (or both!!) and I highly recommend this for any lover of medieval fiction. It's not quite as perfect a read for me as Penman's Here Be Dragons, but pretty darn close, and that final scene in the cathedral between Isambard, Benedetta and Master Harry (I'm not telling!) was nothing short of perfection. Five stars.

It took me several attempts to actually read this book. It's over 900 pages and the opening chapter is rather verbose. However once I got fifty pages into The Heaven Tree, I was hooked! I love this book!

Silent Suspicion is an awesome action packed mistery that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, non-stop. Dr. Lee Meadows is a gifted writer with the ability to bring characters to life. Once you start reading, you can't stop! I found this mistery to be exciting, entertaining and relexing. I feel lost and empty without Linc and his brothers after completing the book. I can't wait for "Silent Rage" to hit the bookstores, the preview of chapter one is greatly appreciated and gives me something to anticipate in the near future. Dr. Meadows, I'm proud of you and your on going excellence!

Silent Suspicion is an awesome action packed mistery that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, non-stop. Dr. Lee Meadows is a gifted writer with the ability to bring characters to life. Once you start reading, you can't stop! I found this mistery to be exciting, entertaining and relexing. I feel lost and empty without Linc and his brothers after completing the book. I can't wait for "Silent Rage" to hit the bookstores, the preview of chapter one is greatly appreciated and gives me something to anticipate in the near future. Dr. Meadows, I'm proud of you and your on going excellence!

Silent Suspicion was one the best murder mystery books that I have ever read. The mystery of the story had me so involved and anxious that I really wanted to cheat and go to the back of the book. However, I refrained and weathered the storm of intrigue and let "MR. LINC" do his thang and investigate and eventually solve the eight year old murder of Deborah Norris. I found all the characters entertaining in their role as the plot thickened. With the finger of suspicion pointing at so many I couldn't figure out whodunit...I LOVED THE INTRIGUE. Mr. Meadows, the "EPILOGUE" was da BOMB. Totally unexpected, very real, touching and a GREAT ending....LOVED IT. MAY YOU BE BLESSED CONTINUALLY IN YOUR WRITING CAREER! I look forward to reading "Silent Rage"

Silent Suspicion was one the best murder mystery books that I have ever read. The mystery of the story had me so involved and anxious that I really wanted to cheat and go to the back of the book. However, I refrained and weathered the storm of intrigue and let "MR. LINC" do his thang and investigate and eventually solve the eight year old murder of Deborah Norris. I found all the characters entertaining in their role as the plot thickened. With the finger of suspicion pointing at so many I couldn't figure out whodunit...I LOVED THE INTRIGUE. Mr. Meadows, the "EPILOGUE" was da BOMB. Totally unexpected, very real, touching and a GREAT ending....LOVED IT. MAY YOU BE BLESSED CONTINUALLY IN YOUR WRITING CAREER! I look forward to reading "Silent Rage"

Ex-Raider, Ex-Cop turned Private Investigator, Lincoln Keller is back in Silent Suspicion overturning plots and notorious deeds of deceit. This time around Linc is hired by high profile Judge Warren "War Zone" Henderson and his wife, Sylvia to investigate the eight year old unsolved murder of Deborah Norris (Sylvia's sister). Deborah was a freelance journalist who was murdered during what appeared to be a robbery, but the Hendersons do not accept that explanation. Since the case is unsolved, it is still considered an open case by the Detroit Police Department and this causes Linc some apprehension because the presiding detective is Lieutenant Nick Knackton. Knackton and Linc have a long standing beef which is fueled by his jealously over Linc's involvement with Detective Candy Malone. All of these factors combine to make an engrossing mystery.

When Linc first took the case, he thought that it was pretty clear that Deborah's death was a robbery turned bad and expected that he'd do a little investigation and bring it to a close in two days with the same conclusion that the police had made. However, after spending little more than 24 hours on the case, Linc felt there was more to the story then just a robbery gone bad. As Linc gets deeper into the investigation, he encounters past friends and acquaintances of Deborah Norris who seem to have something to hide. A myriad of characters enter the story who are far from girl and boy scouts.

Political cover-ups, adultery, blackmail, and crime rings are just a few of the obstacles that Linc encounters as he digs into the past. Along the way, readers are reintroduced to some of the characters from Meadows' previous book, Silent Conspiracy, namely, The Keller Brothers, Julie, Night Life, and Tank among others. Silent Suspicion is as compelling as Meadows' earlier book and it will leave readers thirsty for another Lincoln Keller mystery. Silent Suspicion is a 4 on the RAW Scale.

...