California Books

This is a truly fasinating account of what really took place on Alcatraz. It not only told about the inmates but about the families of the guards that actually lived on the island. Having grown up in San Francisco during the time that the author writes about, I remember the "rock" as always being this quasi mysterious island that seemed to be so close to the mainland and yet held some of the worst criminals. I thouroughly enjoyed getting an inside look at Alcatraz from the eyes of someone who actually lived there.

Barbara Birchim, author of Is Anybody Listening? A True Story About POW/MIAs In The Vietnam War

I think it was a great book. I would reccomend it to everyone. People of all ages would love this book and could probably get more into knowing about Alcatraz.

I got this book from Mrs. Babyak herself while visiting Alcatraz. I always believed or had hoped (based on "Escape from Alcatraz") that Frank Morris and company made it. The facts show they did not.

One thing is for sure is that they got off the island. After that it is pretty certain that they drowned. Mrs. Babyak pointed out to me that some folks still commit suicide of the Golden Gate Bridge quite frequently yet their bodies are never discovered. This is the result of certain factors, such as the cold water will make a lifeless body not so buoyant.

Also, because of the confining of the prisoners to small cells in which they only had one hour a day to get out of them, you can imagine how sore they must have been doing all they did just to get out. Mrs. Babyak makes a strong case of this and other reasons convincingly that in all probability they drowned in the Bay that night.

The attempt reminds me of what people are willing to do when any chance of hope dissipates in one's life. Men will pay any price. I still kinda wished that they made it but the odds are against it.

i think that this is a good book i would reccomend it to all.

While I do think this is a good read with plenty of information, I can name two faults. First, the author uses italics to guess what the people are saying. They are not quotes, but her thoughts of what could have been said. This is a flaw in accuracy because you have to remind yourself that, while it could have been said, it also could not have been said. Secondly, the book was sloppily written. I found numerous spelling mistakes and typos. Overlooking those, it was a good read.

I read this book when it first came out. Then with our Iraqi fiasco in mind I read it again and was overwhelmed by the fact that the same hubris laden micalculated assumptions of a cearly incompetent cabal of idiots in power once again has sent Americans to early graves for nothing. Choosing War is never a good choice!!

In Choosing War, Mr. Logevall presents a very cogent and deeply reasoned assessment of America's entry into the futile and eventually tragic landscape of an Americanized war in Vietnam. There are so many commonly held beliefs about the necessity of America's involvement there was to prevent the spread of Communism, that it is refreshing, but painful, to read about how and why America went so wrong - and how many chances we had to change direction. It is most infuriating to see the steady drumbeat of the military generals and like-minded advisors twisting and subverting the information coming out of Vietnam that was shifted to show that American military might was making a positive and meaningful difference in pursuit of our goals for a non-communist South, knowing full well this was not the case. As in JFK and Vietnam [by John Newman], it paints a frightening picture of how at the mercy of others are the president's choices.
A most interesting and prescient comment occurs in the final chapter and paragraph of the book that equates lessons unlearned from Vietnam allowing similar mindsets to erupt, engaging America in a similarly foolish military incursion in a foreign country whose population and conditions we also don't understand.
A very well written, well researched and easily readable book.

This book is well written, well argued, and fascinating. It's especially timely now as we try to understand the forces that led us into the Iraq war. My students liked it too.

As the war in Vietnam escalated in 1994 and 95, I was a young naïve supporter of the war simply because I believed that whatever it took to stop and fight communism was justified. My first doubts about the justification of this war came when I would hear the causality figures at the end of each week on the nightly news. I can remember these figures e.g. 946 VC killed in the fighting this week; 94 Americans died. I simply did not believe that anyone knew how many VC were killed, and questioned the figures reported including those of American causalities. As things developed, I began to reassess my thoughts about the American involvement in this war. I read McNamara's "In Retrospect," Neil Sheehan's "A Bright Shining Lie," Stanley Karnow's "Vietnam: A History," But it was Fredrik Logevall's "Choosing War," that really gave me the insight to this conflict. It's the most enlightening account of the American involvement in Vietnam I've read to date. Last year I visted Ho Chi Minh City (formally Saigon). This is in itself was more of education than any of the books. It's my recommendation to all who are interested in the American involvement in Vietnam, to read this detailed and comprehensive account.

Not only is Professor Logevall an excellent historian...he is an excellent teacher as well! I have taken one of his classes at UC Santa Barbara; they are the best and most popular classes on campus.

If somebody wrote the true story of William Haines as fiction it would be universally panned as stereotyping - a gay man comes to Hollywood in the silent era, becomes the heart-throb of millions and a top box office draw, faces being outed and is ordered by his studio (MGM) to either enter into a fake marriage or lose his contract, picks love over career, and then goes on to have a sucessful 40 year career in interior decorating. However, sometimes fact is stranger than fiction and this is one of those times.

This is a beautiful book full of the decorating work of William Haines. I haven't found another book like it anywhere, and I highly recommend it if you've only heard of his reputation and are curious about what the man's design work actually looked like. It's a shame that his movie work isn't as well remembered as his design work. Haines made a successful transition to talkies, and probably would have continued to do well in the movies if L.B. Mayer hadn't forced him to choose between the love of his life - Jimmy Shields - and his MGM contract. Haines chose Shields, and that was the end of his film career. However, he and Shields worked together successfully for the next forty years decorating the homes of Hollywood's elite, with a little help and some recommendations from friends such as Joan Crawford, a lifetime friend of Haines and costar in several of his films. Besides photographs of Haines' work, this book includes quotes by Haines on his design philosophy, quotes by members of his firm's design team, and a pretty good biography of Haines including his Hollywood years.

Haines and Shields stayed together from 1926 until 1973, their relationship severed only by Haines' death. Their joint legacy lives on in their design work of which this book is an excellent record.

This is a very visual account of the life of one of the greatest decorators of our time. Billy Haines started out as a silent movie actor and when he refused to keep his sexuality in the closet he was fired, forcing him to change careers - and thank goodness. Schifando & Mathison take us on a journey, via photos, sketches, and other images, through the life of Haines and the evolution of his personal style. His classic interiors, which often included a touch of chinoiserie, a unique custom lamp, low chairs, quilted fabric upholstery, and other unique pieces will never go out of style.

Being an admirer of nearly all things vintage Hollywood, I was most eager to read a book on this almost forgotten silent screen legend. I was most impressed by the great detail on the man, his loves and hates and his metamorphosis into a highly successful interior designer in later years. The thoroughly entertaining anecdotes throughout also kept me interested until the very end. It gives the reader an insight into a period in Hollywood that has long since been buried by time and our bizarre fascinations with the likes of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton et all.

A must read for any reader of the good old days of Hollywood.

Having purchased most of the major design books in the past 4yrs...this one is right up there with the best...5lbs of old hollywood chic mixed with todays blue-blood..must have for any coffee table

I am so thrilled to have found this book. I have tried for years to find pictures of William Haines work. This is such a magnificent book. I just wished there were more of what there was. This book is an amazine find and a delightful addition to my collection.

It startd out as just another run-away investigation. A pretty Paiute girl, sick of her life on the reservation, heads to Hollywood hoping to make it rich in the sex trade. Private detective Jack Lifey won't make her go home to the abuse she faced there, but he does want to talk to her, make sure she's following her own plans.

The invetigation is only one of Jack's problems. His daughter is shot in a drive-by shooting, his girlfriend police detective Gloria Ramirez is havin problems with their relationship and Jack can't seem to get away with his impossible wish to save everyone, even if they don't want to be saved.

Author John Shannon writes a moving tale that goes far beyond a simple mystery. Jack Lifey is a perfect everyman, but also a man who maintains his hope no matter what. The Los Angeles setting comes to life, whether Jack is patrolling the lowest sewers of the porn business or visiting the homes of the elite in Malibu or nearby Rancho Mirage. Fans of Jack Lifey will want to grab DANGEROUS GAME fast. If you're new to John Shannon, you're in for a treat

Whether you're someone who has followed Jack Liffey from his first appearance in print, or a lucky reader who just found this mystery series, you are sure to become a lasting fan. John Shannon brings this character to life with creative writing excellence. Readers are not only caught up in the life and loves of Jack Liffey and his daughter, Maeve, but are colorfully transported in each John Shannon novel through the historic streets of the greater Los Angeles area. This latest John Shannon thriller, "Dangerous Games," keeps the reader emotionally involved from the first chapter through to the exciting end of the read. Don't miss this book. It is John Shannon's best, so far.

First and foremost, Shannon's "Dangerous Games" is a good story well told. The relationships among the ongoing cast of characters continue to unfold around a plot that accelerates to a satisfying conclusion.

Equally importantly, Shannon captures the complexity and contradictions of Los Angeles in a way few writers have. He sees what an ugly and shallow place it can be, and yet still clearly loves it. He recognizes what a magnet it is to the rootless, yet is grounded in its history. He understands what a sprawling megalopolis this place is, yet knows that most of us live in neighborhoods, each with its own character. And, he understands the effects the climate and topography have on our lives. The final scenes, for example, are set in the middle of a Santa Ana condition, so that the edgy danger of the winds and even the color and light in the sky almost become characters themselves.

A good story with a strong sense of place. If you're in L.A. read it before October, when the Santa Anas kick in.

John Shannon's books just keep getting better and better. He's a writer who is not afraid to walk around on the wild side of the brain.

Some books are like candy: you read them, find them delicious, and then hope they didn't leave you too fat or too lame.

Other books are like haggis: they're interesting and intriguing. You like to read about them and you would have liked to have experienced them yourself so you could tell people about them, but when you actually get one in front of you, you don't really want to taste it. Get this thing away from me!

Shannon's books are like a good pastrami sandwich on rye: complex, fun to read, delicious. They fill your brain with wonderful flavors, and--when you are done--you can argue endlessly with your friends about whether this one was as good as the last one and about whether there is a better one out there somewhere or not.

This is a great book. All the books in this series are excellent. They'll keep you pasted to your couch for sure. And they will engage your brain, not just vaguely pass through it as so many mysteries do. All I can say is order one, let the mailman bring it to your table, and sit back and enjoy. I don't recommend you put mustard on it...but to each her own.

This has to be the best book I have read in years. the dialogue is so real you would think you were standing on the corner of Soto and Brooklyn talking to the people that hang out there. I started this and could not put it down until I finished. Shannon is getting better and better.

I found this collection of short stories to be amazingly gripping and enjoyable. Each of the stories were well written and kept my attention from start to finish. I've not been a fan of locked room mysteries, however, I must admit that Phil Mann's "Touch Of A Vanish'd Hand" not only kept my attention but spurred me to purchase more books in this specific genre. Joan Myers' "Copycat" was another personal favorite. I tip my hat to each of these authors as well as the three editors. Thank you for such a wonderful piece of modern literature.

Although I'm a voracious mystery fan, I tend to shy away from short stories as they never seem well developed enough. This anthology, however, has changed my mind. Each story is exceptionally well crafted with well defined characters, clever plot lines and lots of twists along the way. There is a mystery here to satisfy every taste and type. And there isn't a red herring in the bunch. Plaudits to the members of SinCLA - keep 'em coming!

The Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime has released a captivating short story collection centering on what else: murder and mayhem. The twelve stories are fun to read as they vary in methods, means, and motives, but share a common background: the LA area and a common theme: of entertaining the reader. Characters run the gamut from the underbelly of society to the elite, but act as culprits dispensing murder. Though this is the "sisterhood", two of the collaborators are males, but the audience would not know gender if the stories were contributed anonymously because they are all strong entries.

Fans of murder and mystery anthologies will fully relish this collection. For the most part, the authors are just starting to become known, but in some cases, this reviewer has never previously read a work by a particular contributor. That error will be corrected as each writer holds up his or her end of the book, making for a wonderful reading experience.

Harriet Klausner

A Deadly Dozen is a compilation of short stories, naturally involving murders, written by the Sisters in Crime in Los Angeles, California. Featuring a deadly dozen stories from such authors as: Kris Neri, Cynthia Lawrence, Cory Newman, Lisa Seidman, and others, these stories provide a platform for these writers to dip their pens into stories with a twist. This group, which formed in 1986, led by Sara Paretsky, Sisters in Crime is now a respected national organization. The Los Angeles Chapter was formed by Phyllis Miller in 1989. In recent years, male writers have been welcomed into the organization. A Deadly Dozen is the second anthology published by this group.

The problem...and the thrill...of short stories is that the characters have to introduce themselves to the reader early and completely. The reader has to immediately descend into the world that the author has created, and be ready for a real jolt at the end. Kris Neri's chilling "Sentence Imposed" does just that:

"Call it fate, call it chance--either way, it'll change your life. Sometimes you just find yourself staring into a crowd, your gaze floating aimlessly over a sea of faces you won't remember the instant you look away--until one person's eyes seem to grab hold of yours and you make a connection. You can't explain it, but somehow your life and that stranger's become bound together. When I made that link, it was with a little girl."

Whatever the subject, these writers know how to pull no punches. "Wifely Duties" is a Hitchcockian tale of a wife who plots to kill her husband, and ends up as a victim herself. "Push Comes to Shove" is a wrestler's nightmare. "Fatal Tears" is a classic sibling rivalry piece. A Deadly Dozen exposure is like taking in several episodes of "Night Gallery," with cataloging students catching a murderer in "Miss Parker and the Cutter-Sanborn Tables."

Shelley Glodowski, Reviewer

A DEADLY DOZEN (TALES OF MURDER FROM LOS ANGELES ) is the third anthology following the 1997 DESSERTICIDE (DESSERTS TO DIE FOR ) and 1998 MURDER BY THIRTEEN.

The Los Angles chapter of Sisters in Crime has released a book of twelve short stories, based on murder and mayhem. I usually do not like to read short stories, but these stories were fully contained with well-crafted plots and well defined characters. My favorites were Wifely Duties, because every woman can identify with Lucy and her discontent with her marriage, but I would like to think that we would not go to the lengths that she did, and with such a startling conclusion. Cats and Jammer was another favorite, it's about a teen-age detective that finds a body and the suspects are many.

Stories included are: Sentience Imposed by Kris Neri Wifely Duties by Cory Newman Push Comes To Shove by Nathan Walpow Fatal Tears by Ekaterine Nikas Miss Parker and the Cutter Sanborn Tablets by Gay Tolti Kinman Driven To Kill by Jamie Wallace Touch Of A Vanish'd Hand by Phil Mann Ai Witness by Kate Tornton Over My Shoulder by Lisa Seidman The Cats And Jammer, by Gayle McGary Copy Cat by Joan Myers Midnight by Dorothy Rellas

This book is well worth the read.

One family's fight to reform the medical system is documented in this excellent, but gut-wrenching book. The author, Dorothy Cancilla, a bright and feisty woman, who learned the hard way how callous and incompetent some medical providers can be. Death by HMO documents her daughter Jennifer's eight years of painful illness that eventually led to a premature and avoidable death. Jennifer died four days before her 30th birthday.

I'm amazed at how much information and detail is compiled into this 132-page book. The reader gets an education on the human body, and the tragic errors made by doctors at every turn become very clear.

Jennifer's problems began with frequent abdominal pain and vomiting. While doctors debated about the cause of her suffering, she trusted her doctor who literally butchered her by removing her pancreas, instead of her gallbladder. Jennifer, who was somebody's mother, wife, daughter and sister, tried to live a normal life around many hospital stays and surgeries. Cancilla portrays her youngest daughter as heroic. Anyone reading this book will fall in love with Jennifer, but what pulls at my heart is Cancilla's loss--a mother's loss--that never goes away. She honors her daughter and family by writing this book.

People need to know what can happen to any of us once we put ourselves in someone else's hands. We must advocate for ourselves and our loved ones. We cannot assume that the doctor is always right. We have to keep in mind that the only body we have has to last us a lifetime. We are the ones who are affected by wrong decisions. Ultimately we must consider the medical professionals as part of our team. They are expert consultants and sometimes gifted surgeons. But even the most dedicated doctors are imperfect, not God-like. Even decent medical people may be cajoled into betraying their patients by the HMO who pays their salary.

Death by HMO will surprise and dismay you. But you will be inspired by the courage of Dorothy Cancilla and her family. This story has all the elements for a great movie.

> This is a very well written and documented story of a family trying to get professional medical care for their daughter (Jenny) at Kaiser Hospital...

> Jenny's family took it for granted that all Hospitals were "100% Dedicated at Maintaining a Very High Standard and keeping all of their patients in Excellent Health"...

> Without going into detail their daughter who was in her early 20's had a medical condition that seemed to be getting worse...

> This family was in for a Rude Awakening when they took Jenny to Kaiser Hospital to be diagnosed and treated...

> What they found out is that Kaiser Hospital did not want acknowledge or admit anything was wrong with "Jenny" and Refused to provide the Correct Diagnostic Tests that "would or would not" verify that she had medical condition that needed treated ASAP...

> Jenny's family spent the next "8" years trying to have their daughter Correctly Diagnosed and Treated at Kaiser Hospital with the end result being that the only thing "this hospital" had to offer them were Lies, Deception and Denial by repeatedly telling them that their daughter "did not" have any medical problems at all...

> What was found out later in Court by Professional Medical Experts and Doctors was that Jenny was provided with "100% Extreme Sub-Standard Medical Care" at "this HMO" starting with her very first visit...

> To put it simply: This young lady could have been Diagnosed - Treated and Cured by the Lowest 10% of the Graduates fresh out of Medical School because as it turned out Jenny had an Elementary Medical Condition that could have been Easily Diagnosed and Cured with Proper Professional Treatment...

> After Eight Years of "Extreme Sub-Standard Medical Care" at Kaiser Hospital and combined with Six Un-Needed Operations: Jenny Died a Horrible Death at the young age of "29 Years Old"...

***** THE FOLLOWING IS WHAT "YOU WILL LEARN FROM THIS EXCELLENT BOOK":

#1 The Red Flags that will tell You to change Doctors or Staff and get an Outside Second Opinion...

#2 To be able to Locate the "Many Great Doctors" that are available at Kaiser Hospital...

#3 To Understand the Fact that you have Zero-Support from some HMO's...

#4 I know that it is a "Known Fact" that there are some "Doctors and Staff" at "This Hospital" who Do Not care at all if you Die or Severely Damaged by their Major or Minor Medical Malpractice Mistakes and they will do nothing at all to save you - Rather than admit they made a Serious
Mistake and Save You - They will keep this a Complete Secret...

#5 Also Keep in Mind that there are "Many Great Doctors and Staff" at Kaiser who have Perfomed Miracles and saved patients who had almost no chance at all of Surviving and / or perfomed Incredibly Complicated Operations or Treatments with Fantastic Results...

#6 It is a "Known Fact" that some very "Unqualified Doctors or Staff" at Kaiser who will: Lie, Destroy and / or Lose Critical Medical Records, XRAYS, Radiology Reports, Dr's & Nurse's Notes, and any Info. that would Show or Prove they Commited a Major or Minor Malpractice Mistake that Killed or Severely Injured You...

#7 You may think so but you WILL NOT get any Support from "Some" Outside Medical "Watchdog" groups that you are told watches out for Sub-Standard Medical Care - This gives some people a Job to get Paid to Do Nothing and they are paid by you the tax-payer...

#8 The Exception to #7 is MEDICARE - "They do an EXCEPTIONAL JOB" at making sure you are OK... >>> BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR THE RED FLAGS
YOURSELF BEFORE IT IS TO LATE...

#9 Before it is to late this HMO will have to Re-Evaluate their Game-Plan and put their Members & Patients in Priority Position #1... Income and Profits should be Priority Position #2... And #3 Should be to Weed-Out Any and All Unqualified Employees and Staff and hire Only Qualified and Professional Employee's who Desire to be the "Best of th Best" in the Kaiser Hospital System...

#10 If I had to make an Evaluation of the Kaiser Hospital HMO at this time after reading this excellent book and also being a past member of this this HMO - The Words that Clearly come to Mind Are:
***** THIS HAS TO BE THE MEDICAL SCAM of the CENTURY *****...

If Denzel Washington Touched Your Heart in The New Movie "John Q" Than read.....Jennifer's Story...DEATH BY HMO...A Real Life Tragedy.

This book is much much more than one which relays the horrible medical treatment that Jennifer received "While In The Hands of Kaiser" which resulted in her death.

This book is also about an organization that is more concerned about profit and image than the lives of any of it's patients. They will lie, they will trick, they will deny care in any manner possible until it is too late to save the patient if a patient is no longer profitable to them in the long run.

President Nixon when he was considering allowing the creation of the HMO Act was advised by Mr. John D. Ehrlichman who had received information on how Kaiser is run from the then CEO of Kaiser - Edgar Kaiser. Mr. Erlichman stated "...the less care they give them, the more money they make" and that just about sums up everything about this company.

Jennifer was tortured and abused by this corporation and like countless others she and her family found the inconceivable taking place right before their eyes. Medical personnel were not performing their prescribed duties in a professional nor competent manner. The medical staff with their conduct appeared to be a bunch of bumbling fools.

The Kaiser system is intentionally set up so that the patient and their family will choose to believe that a series of errors or incomptent events is taking place. These are really premeditated actions by a corporation that has put in place a system intentionlly fraught with systemic problems to delay treatment until the patient goes away one way or another.

For anyone that would question that statement how else can you explain how a doctor that goes to school for a decade to learn to be a physician and then passes a test to get a license could be so clueless over and over again.

It simply costs Kaiser less to settle an arbitration than it would to provide proper medical care in the long run.

Jennifer's family should be praised. They had the courage, the fortitude and the belief in themselves to put aside their pain and to focus their thoughts so that the public would have the opportunity to learn and avoid the never ending nightmare that they were all forced to endure by Kaiser and the for profit Permanente Medical Group.

This book is must reading for all people. If you must do business with Kaiser then at least be aware of what their business practices are so you can avoid the eternal suffering that Jennifers family must go through.

Jennifer's death was not in vain. She has lived on in this book to tell the story of what happened and to light the way for those that will listen.

This is a very disturbing indictment of modern health care. Dorothy Cancilla exhibits an extraordinary amount of restraint in recalling the preventable death of her daughter at the hands of inept doctors and an unforgiving system.

It's ironic that a organization whose charter is to maintain people's health can actually compromise their lives when the bottom line might be in jeopardy.

Kudos to Mrs. Cancilla for having the courage to face her demons by sharing them with others.

No two ways about it--I just loved this book. Every story is a gem, but best of all was the last and longest tale, Sing Fat and the Imperial Duchess of Woo. While the previous several stories all enchanted me, Sing Fat was really a tour de force of writing, with exotic characters and language specific to a time period. The words are evocative of powerful emotions and the characters just come right off the page into your reading room.

Steinbeck has mastered the literary genre of the short story, just as have two of his contemporaries, Annie Proulx and Jhumpa Lahiri. With the right screenwriter, the story of Sing Fat could be as successful a movie as Brokeback Mountain, adapted from Proulx's short story, or The Namesake, the movie adapted from Lahiri's brief novel by the same name. It's remarkable how easy it is to visualize Steinbeck's characters as his words and writing are that good. For anyone who likes short stories, or for anyone else for that matter, this is a great selection.

Ballantine isn't a small publishing house, but few would have bothered with a book of short stories.

Down To A Soundless Sea by Thomas Steinbeck, son of the California literary legend, John. A collection of seven (which must be a magic number) short stories, all of which takes place in Big Sur. A limited geography with unlimited stories to tell. Steinbeck is every bit the writer that his father was, and it was better that the son waited until he was absolutely ready before he tossed his fate upon the fickle tastes of the reading public. This book is a gem and like all good things, was worth the wait.

Being a life-long John Steinbeck fan, I began reading this book with the clear objective of "being gracious" and trying not to expect too much, since it might fall short of his father's talents. I was so pleasantly proven wrong! Thomas Steinbeck has NOT had to fall back on his family name to be successful. His writing can stand alone on its own merit. I love this book, and while I have already recommended it to friends and associates, I will not be getting rid of it by passing it on, as I often do. It's a "keeper" and I will read it again. Thomas Steinbeck can clearly turn a phrase, and it appears that he can do so naturally. He clearly possesses acute observational skills, and knows human personalities. His characters are full of life and are fully three-dimensional. One does not walk away from this book wondering "Why was this guy or that girl in the plot?" They all hold intrinsic and valuable places in the whole. Not only are these stories interesting and often entertaining, they hold social redeeming values. Thomas Steinbeck, with one book, has shown serious readers that a new kid is on the block, and is a force to be reckoned with. This book is a must read.

Just finished Thomas Steinbeck's book and did enjoy it very much. The characters are odd and varied and all seem perfectly real....I expect most are based on real people. Most of these stories, for this is a collection of (not too) short stories, are stories that were repeated around the Steinbeck dinner table when Thomas's dad, John, was still alive.
The writing style of some of these stories is quite formal, stiff almost at times, and yet they still seem to work. Although the writing is formalized it does have a beauty to it often, a lyrical quality, great selection of words.
In many ways this writing of the son of Steinbeck does remind me of the writing of the father, and certainly that's a good thing. I live on the Central Coast of California where most of these stories take place, and the history in these episodes is right on the money.
If I had one complaint, it would be the same one I've always had for John Steinbeck's writing too: both authors are perhaps overly fond of the tragic ending...which I find odd. I myself am a writer (Birthday Boy, Happy Hour, Safe Sex in the Garden, Allergy-Free Gardening, etc.) and I don't prentend to been even in the same league as John Steinbeck, but still: Every writer I ever met was first of all, dying to get published; then they were dying to make some good sales, to get good reviews, to make some money, to savor some fame. Few writers quite pull this off, but John Steinbeck did so and then some. He was a smash success at an early age and sold books like mad for most of his adult life. I would think his view of the world would be strongly positive, but the opposite seems to be the case. The red pony dies, the huge pearl ruins everything, the big guy accidentally kills the girl, the funny guy trips on a board and breaks his neck. Thomas Steinbeck gets into this tragedy groove too, certainly in the last story in the book, which is the best one too, the strongest,,,,but not to give away the ending.
I think, bottom line is this: it is a really good book, very interesting and well worth reading. The son writes darn well. Must be in his blood.

I thoroughly enjoyed Thomas Steinbeck's storytelling. Vivid images, superb words, lots of nice surprises. I plan to read several of these stories to my 12 year old son -- who I know will also enjoy. Should be recommended high school reading.

A really fun book. I loved the relationship between T. Lawrence and Madison. Well written and enjoyable. The who stalker stuff was kinda dumb, but a fun, quick read.

This has to be Jennifer Sully's best book to date. It is funny, sexy and the heroine has a thing for her boss who is balding and an accountant. But it doesn't stop there. Madison has a stalker who cleans her apartment and along with the fact that she needs to fall in love before she turns 28 because she thinks she will die because her father did at that age. She has two weeks to find the right man. And when T. Larry, her boss finds out what she has planned, her makes it his goal to watch her like a guard dog as she dates who she thinks may be her perfect man.
T. (We don't find out what the "T" stands for till the very end) calls himself Laurence, but Madison nicknames him Larry. Larry wears glasses and is a no nonsense type of guy. Madison is the complete opposite. She is a bit naïve in her thinking and a tad like "Little Mary Sunshine".
So you can just imagine what happens when Larry starts to fall for his Madison, who happens to also be is secretary.
This is one cute and zany story. Madison is an incredible woman who is genuinely kind and sweet. T. Larry is also a good guy, but just a little too stiff. Hey, he likes numbers! And when these two start to heat up the sheets- WOW very hot!
A much recommended read for anyone who likes sexy comedies with wonderful characters.

Katiebabs

This quirky, off-beam, and very funny romance bears no resemblance whatsoever to the film of the same name.

The heroine is Madison O'Donnell, a feisty, kind-hearted, and mouthwateringly beautiful girl with a strong sense of fun who lives life to the full and is always willing to take the most insane risks. This is partly because she is convinced that she will die soon after her 28th birthday, which as of the start of the book is two weeks away.

Madison could have been the inspiration for the energiser bunny, and an example of her sense of humour is that she usually answers the office phone in the accountancy partnership where she works as a secretary with "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" instead of Carp, Alta, and Hobbs.

The reason Madison is convinced that she is headed for an early grave in the near future is that her father had an initial stroke in his teens and a fatal one at 28, and having had an initial stroke at age fifteen herself, she is convinced that she is heading down the same path. There is not a shred of medical evidence to support this view.

Madison is determined to experience true love before she dies. Her boss, T Laurence Hobbs, overhears her making a date with a "wrong number" caller and is horrified that she may be risking at best getting hurt and at worst her safety. His fears for Madison's safety are based on rather more than overprotective paternalism; someone is playing very nasty tricks on her, which start with slashing her car tyres and work downhill from there.

However, the novel keeps you guessing almost to the end about who is doing this. Is it Harriet the office harridan, who is threatening to sue Carp, Alta, and Hobbs over alleged sex discrimination? Is it someone connected with a potential client who the senior partner wants to take on and T Laurence Hobbs suspects may be less than squeaky clean? Or is it possible that Richard, the charming and handsome "wrong number" caller who Madison has started to date, may not be what he seems.

T Laurence, whose feelings for Madison are initially paternal, tries to protect her both from herself and from whoever is doing horrible things to her - and finds his feelings are much more complex than he had realised ...

Very funny and quirky - I thoroughly enjoyed this and can strongly recommend it.

Drop Dead Gorgeous
by Jennifer Skully was great find! Madison has been living her life to the fullest - thinking she would die at the age of 28. Her boss T. Larry has been her fantasy and her his but either did anything to push it to the next level until.... some mad man starts slashing her tires, cleaning her apartment and other weird things. Great book - off to read more by this author.

Even with the other great reviews on the book, I was a little skeptical because it seemed too long at 370+ pages. However, the book is so well written, the characters so fun, it was a fast read. The lead characters are quirky, lovable, and sexy. The dialog was great, the minor characters were well drawn and the story lines easy to follow. It had a good balance of sexual heat and humor, and although you'll figure out who is stalking the lead character immediately, you're still interested in trying to figure out the "why". It's hard to find a book that is funny AND sexy AND romantic, but this one succeeds. It is definitely a keeper.

There is no such thing as a bad Ross MacDonald novel, but while this is good, it isn't typical of his best work. MacDonald's Lew Archer novels are correctly judged to be the great successor works to the great stories and novels of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Together the three writers constitute the Great Triumvirate of the American hardboiled school. While MacDonald doesn't write prose quite as brilliant or memorable as his two predecessors, he created characters of greater depth and complexity. He also wrote a larger quantity of great novels than either Hammett or Chandler.

Despite all this, THE DROWNING POOL does not stand out very far from what Hammett and Chandler had achieved and it did not really put on display MacDonald's later innovations. If there is a theme running through MacDonald's best books like THE CHILL or THE INSTANT ENEMY or THE MOVING TARGET is it this: "The sins of the fathers will be visited unto the second and third generations." In almost all of his mature novels Lew Archer starts off investigating some incident in the present that ends up having roots 20 or 30 or 40 years earlier. His novels always puts me in mind of Yeats's "Leda and the Swan," where the rape of Leda by Zeus in the form of a swan inevitably leads to the tragedy of the Trojan war: "A shudder in the loins engenders there/The broken wall, the burning roof and tower/And Agamemnon dead." There is an intricate causality in the Archer novels. Things happen not because of anything happening right here and now, but in almost foreordained fashion because of actions in a previous generation. THE DROWNING POOL has a smidgen of this, but not much. The causality developed here is the later view of causality in embryonic form.

The amazing thing is that even though this is not quite as breathtaking as later MacDonald novels, it is still absolutely first rate. Ironically, this is one of his best-known novels, even if it isn't one of his very best. The reason is easy to identify: it was made into a movie starring Paul Newman. In fact, though MacDonald is clearly one of the Big Three hardboiled writers, unlike Hammett and Chandler -- both of whose novels have been turned into several great films -- MacDonald's books simply do not lend themselves to conversion to movies. Paul Newman did play Lew Archer as Harper in two movies, but they were not of the same quality as the best films based on Hammett and Chandler books. HARPER was a film version of THE MOVING TARGET, so both the title and the main character underwent a name change. Unbelievably, MacDonald's best book -- and one of the two or three greatest hardboiled novels ever written -- THE CHILL has never been made into a movie. The film that is closest to the world of Lew Archer has no connection to any novel by MacDonald, Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN, which is much closer to MacDonald in spirit than to either Hammett or Chandler.

Still, this is must read MacDonald. His books would get better, but that isn't to say that this isn't a good, even a great, novel.

Of all the classic heroes in hard-boiled fiction (Spade, Marlowe, etc.) I've always found Lew Archer to be my favorite. Maybe it's because MacDonald does such a superlative job illustrating Archer's flaws, doubts and shortcomings. Rather than some iron-jawed superhero, he's a compellingly complex person whose battered conscience ultimately makes him more heroic. Many readers consider The Drowning Pool to be the best Archer book and it's hard to argue that contention. If pressed, I might rank The Way Some People Die just a little bit higher, but both books are so good it's stupid to quibble. I haven't read The Barbarous Coast yet, but look forward to diving in soon.. and afterward I might have to revise my opinion regarding Archer's best case once again.

A different Lew Archer here than THE BLUE HAMMER Lew Archer. The tone is in TDP is more gritty and hardboiled. Lew is less the romantic toward the ladies he meets. I like Macdonalds' writing in TDP. A less polished and more direct style has its appeal. There's less psychological development of the characters, more emphasis on plot.

I hesitate to call this a classic because some people consider "classics" as dull and out-dated. And there's nothing dull or out-dated here (well, maybe that paying $10 to be driven from Las Vegas to L. A. is a bit out of date).

Archer's hired to discover who sent his client's husband a letter accusing her of infidelity. Introduced to the family and friends at a party as a Hollywood agent, he is sensitive to the growing tension and explosive atmosphere. The reader knows of course that somebody's going to be murdered, but these early chapters are among the most skillfully written to build suspense that I've ever read.

Written in 1950, the inclusion of a homosexual couple was quite daring although there is not graphic description, and isn't significant enough a factor of the plot to either offend or attract a reader.

Read this and I'm sure you'll find it on your own list of crime classics.

In this skillfully written tale of murder and intrigue, Ross MacDonald manages to "out Chandler" Raymond Chandler. It's Southern California, circa 1950, and hardboiled detective Lew Archer finds himself traversing the same landscapes Chandler's Philip Marlowe does in The Big Sleep, High Window and The Long Goodbye.
The plot of The Drowning Pool is complex enough to be interesting without being convoluted or forced. Greed, blackmail, homosexuality and family dysfunction all play roles in advancing the nicely paced narrative. Thrown in for good measure are seductive women, a number of action scenes and a Lolita like teenager named Cathy.
MacDonald's very descriptive prose is quite effective. And there's plenty of memorable dialogue. My personal favorite: "Your reminiscences fascinate me. May I take notes?"
You'd be hard pressed to find a more satisfying example of noir crime writing. An enthusiastic 5 stars.

This book was great from the very beginning. It is a story about a young photographer , Edith Ivrine, and her assistant, Daisy Valentine, traveling the world to take pitures an show Ediths prints of yosemite at a convention. Their first stop is in San Fransisco where they were planning to leave straight away to sail to Australia. But isntead they found themselves enduring the overwhemliing tragedy of the San Fransisco earthquake and fire. Edith uses this disaster to record the events happening, with her camera against the will of the police officers. This novel has you feel like you are walking the streets covered in crumbled buildings alongs side these two girls.

This book was exellent. Earthquake at dawn, while maintaining the readers interest through highly interesting events, is quite informative, giving information about the earthquake and a firsthand view of what it was like through the eyes of Daisy Valentine, Edith Irvine(a famous photographer)'s assistant. Daisy and Edith arrive in San Francisco hoping to catch a boat to Australia and travel around the world. Unfortunately, disaster strikes right before they dock, and the women find themselves in the middle of one of the biggest earthquakes in history. With the help of the McGregor and Somers families and their friend, Mary Exa, the women are forced to survive in the city by any means possible. Edith does her best to capture the ruins by photograph, but the mayor threatens to shoot anybody who dares to take pictures. An exciting, informative story, Earthquake at Dawn is the perfect book for anyone who wants to learn about the earthquake, or somebody who just wants something to read.

Earthquake at Dawn is a great book. It is about Edith Irvine, a dedicated photographer, and her 15-year-old assistant Daisy. On their way to Europe, the earthquake hits and they have to stop in San Francisco, which is mostly destroyed and collapsing. After the quake, a great fire erupts and several of the city's houses and buildings they had not already fallen burn to the ground. The two are separated from Edith's father, who was traveling with them, and they become friends with a few other survivors. Meanwhile, the mayor is creating even more trouble. Men and women are threatened to being shot for using toilets or electricity, and dynamite, in an attempt to stop the fire, is being set off. But, Edith documents the trip with her photographs, even though that could mean death if she was caught by the mayor, who doesn't want the rest of the country to know the real disaster that is happening in San Francisco. In this incredibly realistic novel, Kristiana Gregory tells the exciting story, based on a letter written by survivor Mary Exa Atkin Campbell and the real photographs taken by Edith Irvine. I would highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed the book Earthquake at Dawn. It's about the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake/fire that happened at dawn (hence the name Earthquake at Dawn). Even though it is historical fiction, it had a lot of true things that made it incredibly believable. Kristina Gregory definitely made the story good by adding some subplots that kept your interest. The subplots were real things too, like Edith and Daisy getting separated from their father, and Molly dying of lack of healthcare. This was a really good, captivating book which I think many people will cherish for years to come.

Kristiana Gregory really brings out Edith Irvine as a devoted photographer. Even in the midst of all the turmoil, she snaps 60 photos, possibly more! In this true-to-life novel, the famous San Francisco earthquake takes place, however, the quake is not the worst that happens! The fire that the quake created was. It lasted three days and killed an estimated five to ten thousand people. The mayor exploded dynamite to try to get rid of the fire, but the dynamite only created more. This novel also illustrates the annoying floor length dresses that the ladies of 1906 had to wear and the automobiles of Daisy's time. In some books earthquakes are made up just for entertainment. Not this one! This earthquake was real. The first shock was on April 18, 1906 and was recorded at 5:12:05 a.m. and it lasted for 45 seconds. There were 27 earthquakes that were actually recorded that day. Mary Exa Atkins Campbell told the earthquake's story.