Characters Books

Bram Stoker's Dracula is a classic among classics. Put into print in 1897, it has never been out of print. Why? Because, it is simply that good. Dracula was written for a Victorian audience with subtle nuances of sex, violence and immorality and not surprisingly what shocked audiences then still appeals to audiences now. All one has to do is look at the proliferation of vampire novels on the shelves to know that. Bram Stoker created a creature so hideous,unnatural and undead, yet so alluring that young beautiful women were unable to resist his call. His very bite is sensual yet deadly. Well done is Stoker's use of journals and diary's from his main characters to build tension and suspense as the novel moves along. The story begins with Jonathan Harker's visit to Castle Dracula and his unfortunate experience with the Count. Through his journal we learn of the Count's plans for the future. His fiance Mina who embodies in this novel, all that is good, waits patiently for him to return home. A mysterious boat lands ashore in England and the Count's plans are set into motion. His unholy meeting with Lucy Westerna, at once sensuous as it is hideous propels the story from grimness to horror as the characters slowly realize what is happening to her. Unbelievably but with the help of Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, they realize that poor Lucy is being victimized by a vampire and is herself at risk of becoming one of the undead. It is Van Helsing who guides the group who is bound together by their knowledge of who Dracula really is and ultimately propels the main characters into the exciting climax between good and evil. Readers may find the stilted language and role of women somewhat off putting until they remember what era it was intended for. As stated before, there is a reason, Dracula is still in print, it still has the capacity to make your heart beat just a little more rapidly and sleep come a little more slowly as you make sure you shut your window tightly against any breeze or whatever will blow in.

While this novel, is, of course, about the Count, it is the ghost busters in the novel that tell the story, even if that is not what they are to start with. Except in the case of the important character in the history and tradition of ghost busting and monster hunting, in Van Helsing.

Dracula is an important enough novel to include from that point of view, here, as he educates and motivates the group of poms and a yank to get down and stakey.

After getting into some The Undead and Philosophy: Chicken Soup for the Soulless (Popular Culture and Philosophy), I decided that I had been greatly remiss in not reading Bram Stoker's classic "Dracula".

Surprisingly, this was only one of many novels written by Stoker, though by far the most popular. It has not once been out of print since it was published. Not a bad achievement, really.

The book is written through documents, and covers a large range of changing viewpoints. Those documents include journals of the main characters, (such as Jonathan Harker), letters, telegrams, newspaper reports, and so on. I thought it strange, but this style of writing works exceptionally well and is a mark of Stoker's ability. It gives a greater air of authenticity to the plot, which is creepy enough, in itself.

The basic plot is a creepy tale of Count Dracula who decides to move to England and start a new "life" there. Buying up properties, Jonathan Harker has to travel to the Count with the papers. What follows is a series of strange and mysterious events that leave people puzzled and wondering. Dracula is hatching his own vile plans for the land of England.

The narrative flows along very well, and keeps the right level of tension. In some places, things just get freaky, but it all adds up to a very eerie and tense tale. This is among the best books of the type I have read.

Set in later Victorian England, the heavy duty sexuality that exudes from the book was something of a surprise. Never crossing the line into crass obscenity, Stoker weaves a sexuality throughout the vampire encounters that is almost palpable and would have been shocking in his day. One can see where the inspiration for Lestat and more modern vampires comes from, (if one had missed the obvious, that is!).

There was one thing that made the book a little tough to get through in places: the dated and very 19th century English. Of course, to change it into a more modern dialect would be verging on sacrilege, but a potential reader would need to be aware of it. Some parts I found a little tough and I had to really think about the meaning. However, in some ways, this added to the charm of the book as the language is actually quite nice for the most part.

"Dracula" is truly a classic, and definitely comes with this reviewer's unreserved recommendation. It is simply a great read and it is a pivotal book for all the immitations that it spawned.

A wonderfully written, original, and wholly different novel. 100 plus years later it is still a great read. Scary as hell too!!

There have been many books that have made impressions on me, especially when I was a young reader - I think this is the 1st horror story I read, and I periodically read it just to be reminded how really cool Stoker's story is. As a matter of fact, I used to keep a journal, in homage to the characters in the book. The movies about Dracula had never done Stoker's book proud - with deference to Bela Lugosi - until Coppolla's Bram Stoker's Dracula - this book is mesmerizing, taut, frightening. And if you are like me, will bring it out every so often and enjoy the experience all over again.
Kostova's Dracula is worthy of Stoker - still keep looking around for a notebook with a dragon burned into the cover...
Read Dracula - it is the classic of classics.

My 5 year old went from scribbling and frustration to drawing a discernible hen in 5 minutes! It has already done wonders for her self-esteem. She now says, "I can draw! This is easy!" She wants to draw everything in the book. I wish I had known about these months ago! I just ordered the whole set.

This book has given my 5 yr old son confidence by helping him to draw simple animals that he thought were too difficult to draw. He has not been as interested in the writing part. It would have been nice if it was like a workbook with blank pages across from each page so he could practice right in there.

I homeschool my kids and I bought this book for our art lessons. This is such an easy to follow drawing book. My kids are ages 5,7 & 10. All 3 are finding it easy to follow and their drawings are so good. I like to do the pictures myself. I like how the next step of the drawing is in a different color, it makes it so much easier. My 7 yr old even sat down with the book by herself and drew a picture without any help, and it turned out really nice. Hope this helps.

My girls, 8 and 4, love this book. I am amazed at how well their drawings come out. Not only are their drawings fantastic but the older girl utilizes the writing exercises and thinks they are fun - unlike other writing exercises.

I am a homeschooling mother and would recommend this book to anyone with children, homeschool or not. They will love it.

Bought this for my 5 YO daughter - it gave her incentive to practice her printing - she wasn't allowed to attemp the drawing part until the writing part was finished.
Basically, each page has three-four sentences for them to copy with a full picture already done above it on the same page. On the next page, the main object of the picture (a pig for example) is drawn with basic shapes in a step-by-step manner - even my older girls love to try to draw them.
I can't wait to get the next book in the series - great idea!!!!

This is a book that you can read over and over and over again, and God will minister something new to you every time. This book took me into the throne room of God, where we had an awesome talk.
Kathy, your annointing and giftings shine brightly in this book. God is all in this book. I can not wait for the next book of this series to be released.

Cathy Heiliger has put into print a revelation of God that shares the heart of the Master and those that encountered Him. I am so pleased that she has done such a great job in writing this pictograph of Jesus and His deciples and the ones that He touches and heals.

What a blessing!

In the more than seven decades of my life, I keep re-learning what poor communicators and relaters men are compared to women. I found that this book was an incredible facilitator in this (for me) most difficult area of life. When communicating with and understanding our fellow human beings is so difficult, how much more so with God.

This book is a real blessing in perceiving the true heart of God and how deeply He cares for His creation. You are a virtual bystander in His relating to the most humble of His people in settings that ring with the authenticity of the age. Although many have been touched with "the issue" in the opening chapter, I felt more involved and uplifted with each ensuing story, culminating with "The Anointing". We are eye-witnesses to what a great God we have.

This book moved me in ways that others haven't, because I was impressed with the people in scripture as fellow human beings. It was my automatic reaction to empathize as it filled in many gaps in my understanding of the featured people. Smooth reading, a natural imagery, historically founded, inspiring and deep, it answered my spiritual quest for "more" . . . Since the ladies I work with have varying beliefs, yet are each in their own way searching for "more" from life and/or God, I think this book will gently enable the experience (and be a perfect Christmas gift). I believe we are desperate for the 'out-of-this-world' God, whom we acknowledge is caring and personal, to enter into our own individual worlds and make them entirely meaningful. This book is a resource God used in my life to do that for me.

Cathy Heiliger is true to her promise and takes us straight to the heart of things. Here are stories simple and profound. As she retells those not-so-incidental encounters people had with Jesus in the gospels, she "fills in the blanks" by allowing us to become those people and feel, experience those aspects of their lives that brought them face to face with the Master.

For example in the story "A Woman and Her Issue" we experience how her "issue" is a beautiful metaphor for the heart "issues" of our lives. Particularly impressive is Jesus' insistence that the woman realize He not only healed her physically, but He continues healing (progressive tense) her emotionally, in her soul. The short studies that follow each story take us deeper and provide us an opportunity to encounter the Great Physician in our own, personal way.

Encounters of the Heart takes us beyond "clever writing," beyond mastery of technique and convention, and allows us the opportunity to enter into the mysterious beauty and healing of God, Himself.

Every Woman in the Bible is an excellent companion reference to any Bible study. The authors not only discuss each specific woman, but also delve into the culture and religious practices of the times in which these women lived. Everyone in my Bible study joins me in recommending this book!

condition geat
recommended if you are interested in the subject
highly recommend

Every Woman in the Bible is an eye opening book on the use of women's stories in the bible. Richards does an excellent job of explaining and guiding the reader. I would highly reccommend this book for anyone interested in studying women in the bible and how their stories apply to us today.

I received this book as a Christmas gift from my sister-in law and fell in love with it so much that I bought several copies for several of my close friends. All of my friends feel the same way about it as I. It goes into excellent details of each woman's life and is backed up by scripture. The author really does lots of research on each of these women's lives and presents the information in such a way that is neither boring nor documentary-like. I recommend it for all women, not just Christian women.

This has alot of women that are in the Bible. It does not have alot of information about them. I was expecting more information on the women.

A workbook that gets you thinking about all the "giants" in your life. Helps you to see that you can work past anything with faith in the Lord.

Very encouraging book for Christians struggling with overcoming issues in their lives. Found it very enlightening.

I'm reading this book (and study guide) with a group of friends from church. We do a chapter a week and then trade emails about it. We're not very far into it yet, but Lucado has a way of challenging reader to look at things more broadly. Seems to be greater room for spiritual growth his way. But then I've been a fan of his since I bought the Bible he put out with stories from our times on every page. It's called the Life Lessons Bible, I think. Anyway, he's good. Very good.

Once again Max has given us the information we need to face the battles of life. An outstanding book,

We are currently using this in our Sunday School class. Everyone seems to be very receptive of it. Who doesn't have a giant they are facing??? I highly suggest this for personal or group use! We are using the Study Guide as well.

Great book! Full of suspense and humor. If you like Laurell Hamilton or Kim Harrison, you will like this book.

Private detective Chase Dagger finds an Indianapolis cop and auniversity professor on his doorstep revealing their theory behind arecent series of homicides. The professor beliefs there is an evilthat has been passed down from generation to generation and is at itsworst during a full moon on Friday the 13th. Dagger feels theprofessor knows far to much about the murders and the killer. FullMoon-Bloody Moon is an X-Files style mystery that brings back ChaseDagger for another tautly written, reader-gripping, mysterythriller. Also highly recommended is Lee Driver's debut novelintroducing Chase Dagger and an unusual blend of horror and mystery inThe Good Die Twice (5-3,...). END

FULL MOON-BLOODY MOON is the second in the Chase Dagger series. This one combines mystery and horror in a story about a little known phenomena -- the combination of a full moon and a Friday the 13th. Dagger is confronted by an Indianapolis cop and a university professor who have a theory behind a series of murders. They believe a man has inherited an evil passed on through generations that is at its worst during a full moon on a Friday the 13th. This book pits an evil shapeshifter against Sara, Dagger's shapeshifting partner. As in THE GOOD DIE TWICE, Sara's shapeshifting is the catalyst in this series. And the existence of this evil shapeshifter becomes real when it starts communicating telepathically with Sara. This is a tightly written thriller that will have you looking at a full moon quite differently. To show you how rare the combination is, October 13, 2000, was only the thirteenth time since 1800 that it has occurred.

Author Lee Driver returns with the second in her series starring mysterious private investigstor Chase Dagger and his Native American shapeshifter associate Sara Morningsky and scarlet macaw Einstein--Full Moon Bloody Moon. This entry finds them with a more gruesome case as the bodies keep piling up, but no logical suspect can be found.

Lisa was a really good cop, a quick and accurate shooter. So, it was a real surprise when she was found dead along her regular jogging path with her gun still holstered and with the safety still on. The other surprise was that she was found twenty feet up, stuck in the V of a tree branch. Of great import to this case is the rarity of the combined occurrence of a full moon on a Friday the 13th. The story takes place during the five days leading up to Friday, October 13, 2000, when it is believed that the killer will attain his greatest level of power during the upcoming full moon.

Meanwhile, Chase and Skizzy are also working on a case involving weapons thefts from a local police station. Skizzy's invention of the "Mick," a mechanical spider-shaped surveillance camera, provides much of the intrigue in this subplot, which otherwise feels much like another day on the job.

Things really take a turn in Full Moon Bloody Moon when it is discovered that the killer can communicate with Sara through the telepathy that, until then, the reader had thought that only she and Chase could share. Is the killer a shapeshifter, too? Chase's ability to overhear their conversations causes his pragmatic worldview to begin to crumble. Able to accept Sara as a shapeshifter, because that was how he discovered her, the idea that there are more is almost too much for him. And the closer he comes to a solution, the more it seems that the killer is something that Chase is not entirely prepared to deal with.

The sexual tension between Sara and Chase continues building, with their friends invariably making comments to Chase about questionable situations. These are still some of the most intriguing characters in fiction, and any male reader is undoubtedly going to want to be Chase and want to be with Sara. Their relationship is an engaging combination of sibling and romance that succeeds because of not engendering any untoward feelings whatsoever. I'm becoming as comfortable with these people in just two books as I did Ed McBain's 87th Precinct crowd. I can only hope that Lee Driver exhibits McBain's longevity. Add to that her skill at writing epilogues that make me want to begin the next book immediately (in this case, The Unseen), and what we have is a terrific fantasy mystery series that deserves bestseller status.

FULL MOON BLOODY MOON is the second Chase Dagger mystery; the first was THE GOOD DIE TWICE.

Chase Dagger is back, but this time he will need more than luck to catch a killer that has been around for more than 200 years.... Knowing that Oct. 13th a Friday was not even here yet, the worse was yet to happen.

FULL MOON BLOODY MOON has the same unconventional and fetching characters as THE GOOD DIE TWICE. Einstein the bright red macaw that has a big mouth, Chase's right hand woman, Sara, Simon the mailman who knows everybody's business. Padre and Skizzy are also back as well as some new characters. FULL MOON BLOODY MOON is a ferocious horror-filled ride that will stick with you well after you have finished reading the book. Mixed with sex, violence and plenty of fast paced action. I hung onto every word.

Lee Driver (aka S.D. Tooley ) you have done it again, keep up the good work.

A man is poisoned during a chess match, and Wolfe gets called by the daughter of the arrested suspect to clear her dad and find the real killer. Naturally, Wolfe must do this while staying firmly ensconsed in his Manhatten brownstone, while Archie Goodwin does his legwork. The story quickly develops a natural suspect after an initial series of interviews of all the people surrounding the death. But it also takes an interesting twist when another dead body is found. I enjoyed that just enough clues were left in the story to allow me to figure out who the killer was just before Wolfe announced it. Here's a hint ... the method of murder was a little different than you may originally think it is. Enjoy!

For some reason the Amazon listings don't include the audio CD version of this outstanding book.

Michael Prichard's reading style is ideally suited to this great story about chess players and the "perfect murder." The variations in personalities at the Gambit Club prefigure the chess stars of the 70s.

From a view of character study, this one is really, really good (and great to listen to also).

My 5th Nero Wolfe book, and I loved it. I caution new readers that the Nero Wolfe books are an acquired taste. For women the Wolfe character is edgy. But, this puzzle of who poisoned what, etc. really grabbed my attention, and I dreamed about it for days (a good sign for me). I can tell that I'm finally getting into these books because I envy Wolfe's life. He's a recluse, and that's my big goal in life -- a recluse with lots of help to do my chores. It'll never happen, and that's why reading these books is satisfying a longing in me.

For anyone unfamiliar with Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries I'd highly recommend this novel. While it is not my favorite of Stout's Nero Wolfe stories, it is a nice introduction to to Nero Wolfe and his confidential assistant Archie Goodwin. Wolfe is a 285 pound orchid collecting genius of a detective who almost never leaves his office for work. he can be cranky and avoids work whenever possible. Archie is a sarcastic ladies-man who's job is to do the leg work for Wolfe as well as keep him focused.

The opening sections of the book illustrate the quirks of the main characters and as I said make a good introduction for new readers.

The mystery itself is interesting and full of the twists and turns that I have come to expect from a Nero Wolfe novel. It is written in Stout's signiature sytle and kept me guessing for much of the book. In the end, Stout does a good job of tying everything up and showing the logic behind the solution and how Wolfe and Archie got from point A to Point B to the solution.

A Review by Alex

Jerin is playing the usual twelve players with messengers running in a room with Jerin alone telling the layouts of each board. A man had come in with some hot chocolate for Jerin. The man's name was Blount. Later that night, Jerin dies and Blount is thrown in jail because they all think he did it. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin have to solve the mystery and see to it that Blount is innocent. The only way they can solve it is the use of his daughter, Sally.

I really love and enjoy the fact that this book makes me think and makes it so I use my brain a little. It is a mystery, so therefore I have to be smarter than Archie. I was always trying to figure out if it is someone or not and when I read to find out it's not one person I try to guess who it could be. This book also gave me suspense, I got so excited when they were about to do questioning with someone like Sally or the mother. I always find out something new and clues of the killer. This book was also a perfect read when it came to pages, only 137 pages and the text was a bit on the small side but still made it a perfect size. Not too quick and not too long. This book always gave me a surprise.

This is a great mystery for those who love to use their brain figuring things out. Gambit is a really exciting book to discover new suspects and an unexpected murderer. You will dive into the book and not want to put in down caused by the eagerness to read about who did it and why.

This is the fourth book in the Earlene Fowler quilting mystery series.

Benni Harper and her husband Gabe Ortiz become involved in a police investigation after Benni discovers a woman's body floating in a lake next to their jogging path. The dead woman is dressed in a Mother Goose costume and Benni immediately recognizes her as Nora Cooper, a local storyteller.

Because of Benni's job as curator of the San Celina Folk Art Museum, she was well acquainted with Nora Cooper and they were both working on an upcoming Storytelling and Story Quilt Festival. Benni tries to stay out of the police investigation, but she keeps getting pulled in because she knew the victim and most of the suspects.

Benni and Gabe are newlyweds and still getting adjusted to living together which is difficult because they are both set in their ways. The situation is not helped by the arrival of three different relatives who all come to visit at the same time causing commotion in their small home.

Though Earlene Fowler gives us a patchwork of personalities and several different plots, she still manages to keep the reader interested and entertained.

I've read the entire series. Loved them all.

The Goose in the Pond is my favorite of the Benni Harper series. I love Earlene Fowler's characters they are so interesting, fun and real. When Benni discovers a storyteller in the water who is dressed up as Mother Goose, this starts a marvelous mystery. I am so happy that I rediscovered this mystery series. I have also have enjoyed reading Kansas Troubles, Dove in the Window and Mariner's Compass. I love quilts and mysteries so this series have been so wonderful!

In this book, Benni Harper, who is recently married to the Chief of Police, Gabe Ortiz, finds the dead body of one of the storytellers from the museum. Since she knows the victim and the suspects she tries to stay out of the investigation, but everyone thinks she knows more than she does.
I found the ending quite unsatisfying -- not because of who is revealed as the murderer, but the way in which this is discovered.
I also found Gabe's self-righteous macho posturing too much to take. He is at least as much to blame for the problems between him and his son, Sam, as Sam is. How could Sam not be troubled with a father who can't find anything good about him?

I have read 5 of the 8 Benni Harper mysteries. Being a serious quilter, and an avid reader I find books fairly predictable. Ms. Fowler keeps you guessing until the very end!! Ofter the title of the book which relates to a specific quilt block is not revealed until late in the book. She has so captured me that when I was telling my small quilt group about the books they thought I was talking about a real family!! I have ordered all of the remaining books that I have not read, and wish Ms. Fowler could produce one a week to keep me entertained when I am not quilting. Books are ment to help you be part of the story and these do an excellent job at that! It is nice that the characters in the books remain the same and it doesn't seem to matter if you read them out of sequence as she renews the past in a way to refamilirize you and not make you lost, guessing where who all of the people in San Celina or how they are related. Keep up the good work Ms. Fowler and HURRY with another book!

This is the autobiography of John Bunyon and his life. It is about his life before and after Christ and the grace of God upon his life. John wrote this classic while in prison. He went to prison for preaching the gospel.

I've been looking forward to reading this book for years ever since I read Bunyan's classis Pilgrim's Progress, I've wanted to read Grace Abounding to learn more about his incredible man of faith. I also recently read The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper who introduces the reader to three incredible men of God including Bunyan. So actually reading the journey of Bunyan himself in his own words was thrilled...but difficult at the same time. Bunyan struggled greatly with the concept of grace; he wrestled with understanding how God's grace could be sufficient to save a sinner as great as he. Grace Abounding is a peering into the soul of Bunyan as he goes through this deep personal battle wanting to believe that God was able to cleanse him of all unrighteousness, but constantly confronted with the holiness of the divine.

Just over half way through the book, Bunyan surrenders to the will of God in his life. He finally and fully grasp that the grace of God was truly sufficient. Then his heart is set aflame to share this grace with others and he becomes one of the great preachers and writers of all time, even though he goes on to spend a dozen years confined to prison for preaching contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Personally, it was interesting to see the cultural battle Bunyan faced at the time looking back from my vantage 500 years later to see that America is the beneficiary of his great struggles with the prevailing church of the day. As Bunyan sat in prison, he wrote about the great journey from a metal worker to a pastor of the gospel of Christ - in allegory form for the Pilgrim's Progress and in autobiographical form in Grace Abounding.

I can understand why many believe this book is a classic - the thoughts and insights that Bunyan has into the Word of God were profound and significant. It was amazing to read how Scripture flowed through his mind irrigating every thought so that his life bore much fruit. I wouldn't recommend the book to a younger reader, it is a difficult read, but well worth the effort.

Grace Abounding....is an excellent autobiography of John Bunyan and his spiritual struggle to obtain assurance of his salvation in light if his belief that he had committed the unpardonable sin. Recommended to anyone who may be facing the same struggle with this question. Each paragraph of the text is numbered and, thus, it is easy to put the book down at any point and pick it back up later without losing train of thought. Since the book was written over 300 years ago, it is interesting to have insight into the thoughts of a Christian who lived during that time and to compare with current Christian thinking.

A lot of us are familiar with John Bunyan as the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, whose influence in Christendom is second to the Bible. Bunyan was a preacher, a prolific writer and a shining saint for God. However when we read this book we find out that he was an atheist and infidel in his youth, enjoying sin and rebellious towards God. Inwardly he suffered from tormented nightmares of demons and judgment, but outwardly he went on pretty much as any other sinner, taking delight in sin and being the ringleader of mischief. Several times he nearly lost his life, and even though there were several close calls, still he did not turn to God. After his marriage, he participated in religious activities, went through the motions of attending church and generally lived as he pleased, each time successfully shrugging off pangs of guilt. One day, after church, while playing a sport, a voice seemed to call out to him from heaven to his soul, which said, "Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell?" Bunyan was convinced it was the Lord Jesus looking down on him in displeasure. What follows details his sinking into despair, his desparate attempts at working his way into God's good graces, and his struggles with temptation and doubt. In a strange sort of way, it is comforting to read about Bunyan's struggles and identify with them because you can see how he turned out so greatly used by God. He rationalized, made excuses and tried every way to justify himself. Bunyan did not try to gloss over his motivations but gave an honest account of his struggles from avowed sinner, to religious hypocrite before he was finally converted. He describes in great detail his doubts and despair, his yearning to be converted to Jesus Christ, and then being assured of his salvation by reading the Bible and praying. Reading this book will help you realize how God's grace can abound and save even the most wretched of sinners and gives us abounding hope.

I could scarcely imagine why this book turned up first on my page of recommendations from amazon. I checked the reasoning, using the convenient little clicker, and found that Bunyan was expected to appeal to me because I had reviewed "Gosta Berling's Saga." That, my friends, is firm evidence that computers are still short on intuition.

Fascinated, however, I read the eight reviews of this fairly obscure title, and found that they were all written by sincere believers in the strict Calvinist theology preached by John Bunyan in his lifetime, according to which we are all "sinners in the hands of an angry God" whose judgment passes our apprehension. According the Calvin and Bunyan, our 'works' and even our eagerness to be 'saved' is of no fundamnetal importance; as one reviewer writes, "we do not choose God; God chooses us." That's not a system of belief I find appealing, though I ought to be consoled by the idea that God might 'choose' me whether I like it or not.

Bunyan was a cogent writer, though his style takes acclimatization. This biography is a major document of English history, as sure a way to get a feel for bookish English Puritanism as the masques of Henry Purcell are for the other side, the party of the theater-loving Cavaliers. As such, it belongs on the shelf with other profound self-exposures - Augustine's, Cellini's, Rousseau's - but don't expect the man to be any more attractive than his fanatical faith. He was truly "an angry sinner in hands he thought were God's."

This one is well worth the price and will stand a quick holiday-at-the-beach read or a more careful, detailed approach. The illustrations are an unexpected treat.

This book may not be as well known among mystery fans as it deserves to be. Wonderful plotting, touches of humor, a memorable detective, and a fascinating setting - what more can one ask for? I think one mark of a great mystery is that it can be re-read with pleasure, and this one qualifies - read it twice to catch all the red herrings you fell for the first time!

I am an absolute nut over Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, and I've read a number of their contemporaries as well such as Marjory Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. I thought I'd mined the entire Golden Age Detective story authors, and then I discovered Christianna Brand! Her Inspector Cockrill is a marvel, and this book definitely deserves to be rated as her masterpiece. It has a complex and intriguing plot, with a delicious sense of humour woven in between the pages. The novel takes place in England during the Blitz, and the setting is a country military hospital. You'd think they'd have enough natural deaths in such a setting, but it appears that a murderer is loose in Heron's Park hospital. Brand works with a small group of suspects (6 only), but even with that it's not easy to figure out. And small chain-smoking, dishevelled Inspector Cockrill is a gem. Need to read more of these!

For anyone who likes a good old-fashioned mystery; this book even has illustrations. The focus is on Whodunit and not the detective's dysfunctional life or menangerie. The descriptions of a World War II military hospital are detailed and even shocking to modern notions of good medical practice. We've come a long way. The characterization is thin but believable. Unfortunately, the rest of her mystery novels seem to be out of print.

Born in 1907 in Malaya, Mary Christianna Milne Lewis worked as everything from a governess to a nightclub dancer before discovering her niche as an author with the novel DEATH IN HIGH HEELS. Although she is now best known as the creator of the "Nurse Matilda" stories for children, by the time of her 1988 death she had written seventeen mystery novels; while not as well known in the United States as the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Nygio Marsh, they have remained popular in England and Europe and are often considered classics of their kind.

Published in 1944, GREEN FOR DANGER is generally regarded as Brand's best work. Set in an somewhat impromptu English hospital at the height of the Blitz, the story opens with the unexpected death of a patient during what should be a routine surgery--a death which draws the unwilling attention of Brand's re-occuring detective Inspector Cockrill, who is more than willing to dismiss the idea of foul play until one of the nurses involved in the surgery is found stabbed to death on the same operating table. As the investigation evolves, it becomes clear that the killer must be one of six involved with the unexpectedly dead patient, a situation which allows for considerable tension as the story progresses.

Although the plot is remarkably clever and the characters extremely well drawn, GREEN FOR DANGER is particularly famous for its medical setting. Brand presents the surgical proceedures of the era with tremendous clarity and readability; few have equalled her presentation, much less bested it. The novel's war-time period also adds considerable interest to the story and is equally central to the work. These two elements interlock for a fascinating read from start to finish.

As already noted, Brand's novels are not particularly well-known outside of England and Europe. This is a pity: she is a witty, surprisingly ironic writer who knows how to spin a classic English mystery. Fans of the genre who come to her works for the first time are sure to be delighted.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer