New Jersey Books

Frank Daignault has set out the great spaces for striped bass fishing without the angles that usually go with giving up a spot. This is great encyclopaedic stuff from the master who earned his cloth as a great teacher and father and author of Twenty Years on the Cape! Get that book and read it!

I recently started fishing quite a bit of the cape and found this book to be an excellent resource. There are some parts where directions are somewhat vague, but it basically gets you in the area. I have also fished a little bit of Ct and NJ, and found most of the information accurate and insightful. Cross reference with other resources and you should find fish and parking.

This book is a good basic book for any one who wants to know where the are places to fish from the surf, but some of the directions to get to the places are a little fuzzy.

I found the written information here extremely helpful and informative but I dont think I'm being overly critical when I say the "maps" were simply embarrassing. It's a book about finidng locations to fish and the maps literally look as if they were traced off other maps with a magic marker by a child. Of course you'd use detailed maps of your own getting to a spot you might not know but I only wish the caliber of the maps were of the same caliber as the information in the rest of the book.

Peter G

Duing the day I have caught the most fish ever at thislocation. Mostly blues but some bass. 20-25 fish in an afternoon.FUN

The key to successful surfcasting here is getting the most distance possible out of your cast. I use a 12ft rod, new 20lb test, and a 40 lb mono shock leader (tied correctly) with 4oz. metal during the day; sometimes white painted metal with a white rubber tail help with the bass during the day.

I have seen a distance of 20-30 feet on a cast make the difference between an instant hook-up and casting again.

The cost related to getting to wasque is getting more and more expensive every year. During the Summer months fishermen are evan charged to walk on the property. If you have a four wheel drive, and plan fishing the spot with four or more people, for a couple days or more, opt for the 4-wheel oversand permit, (not cheap and more $$ every year) but worth it...

McLeod Dulaney is a Florida journalist who has twice spent a semester teaching writing at Princeton University. This time, she's come north merely to do research: on abolitionist Elijah P. Lovejoy, and using the resources of the library at Princeton Theological Seminary. But of course, every time she's in New Jersey, she gets involved in a murder investigation. Inquisitive by nature, McLeod makes every attempt to solve the murder (or murders). She gets close to the truth but often comes to a slightly incorrect conclusion.

You'd think such a prestigious seminary like the one at Princeton would above petty academic politics and quite above violent acts. But McLeod learns that's far from the case. This third installment in the series opens with her discovery of a dead body that turns out to be a seminary student -- one whose recent inflamatory sermon seemed directed at revealing a number of secrets among his colleagues and faculty members. Not long afterward, one of those faculty members is found dead in his office. McLeod finds herself in the stickiest of situations. The Princeton township police consider her a suspect in the student's murder. Nick Perry, her police contact in the Princeton Borough, cannot help her because the site doesn't fall within his jurisdiction. Her academic friend (and more?), George Bridges, has left the Ivy League school and is working for the moment in Europe. After McLeod is ordered by the dean of the seminary to leave the campus, she turns to her old friends from Atlanta, Angus and Fiona McKay, for housing and for assistance. Fiona is eager to play George to McLeod's Nancy Drew. And even though she's been warned by every potential suspect and by Nick Perry (who gets involved after the second murder) to drop her lines of questioning, McLeod is a born interviewer and cannot help herself. But can she put two and two together before the killer (or one of them, at least) decides to eliminate her from the equation?

The episodes in this series are like bags of potato chips: you can't stop at just one. Though the general writing style and the unraveling of each mystery won't set the world on fire, the books are entertaining enough -- especially for folks who are connected to Princeton or to any academic atmosphere where similar circumstances could certainly arise

This is Ann Waldron's best McLeod Dulaney mystery yet. The characters are so lively and well-drawn they literally walk right off the page (and, in some cases, right into your heart). The setting--the Princeton Theological Seminary--is perfect (a perfect place for a murder, that is), and the plot is downright diabolical. Are you in the mood for some humorous, mysterious and sinfully well-written fun? Then do yourself a favor and read this delightful book.

This was a disappointment compared to her first two mysteries. Unholy death is repetitious and monotonous to the point where I used it to fall asleep at night. Most of the characters are as three-dimensional as cardboard. One character is mocked by the author because she (the character) is reluctant to drink beer like everyone else - as if beer-drinking-for-the-sake-of-conformity on campus were not the serious problem that it is! On the positive side, however, the Theological Seminary setting is interesting. Some good ideas, not artistically developed. Hopefully, if she writes another one, it will be an improvement over this.

This is such an amazingly complex yet very entertaining book; I'm amazed no one else has yet written a review! Maybe it's because all the hot buttons in today's religious environment are brought right out in front of everyone, and figuring out which one or ones you do or don't want make it too difficult to choose. Goodness knows, there are enough for everyone!

As in the two previous `Death is Academic' books, set at Princeton University, the area is as much a character as the people. This one is slightly different, however, as the setting is the famed Princeton Theological Seminary, rather than the University. Prizewinning journalist McLeod Dulaney is back in the north (from her home in Florida) investigating the life of an abolitionist newspaperman who died in 1837.

In the process, she runs into bigger-than-life examples of all the `interesting situations' facing modern churches. Gays in the ministry. Women in the ministry! Inclusive language. Snake handlers. Conservative fundamentalists who believe absolutely 100% in the Bible, with no possible allowance for unknown books or foibles of the various translators throughout history.

There's also an biblical archeologist who may or may not be dealing in artifacts while working on the Dead Sea Scrolls, endowments that may not be all they're supposed to be, and of course - a dead body. Actually, two of them, but McLeod only stumbles-literally-over the first of them. In a variation on the town-and-gown theme, there are Township and Borough police forces, who usually do not work together willingly, or peaceably.

The Dean takes exception to McLeod's constant questions and wants her to leave town, but the Township detective has ordered her to stay put. So she moves in with a couple she's known for many years, and resumes her detecting. The characters are all wonderfully well drawn, including all the animals, especially Beelzebub and Gabriel, and the story-line hangs together extremely well, considering all the diverse threads employed in it. In all, I found this to be a very enjoyable and informative book. There are even a couple of recipes included.

The plot involves a woman -- a journalist -- who is doing research at Princeton Seminary on a book she's writing about an abolitionist who was killed by a lynch mob. In the first pages, while on a walk this woman discovers a body and (unbelievably), the Keystone Cops in charge of the jurisdiction decide she must be the killer because she found the body. She is still defending herself from those accusations when another killing takes place. Because she has little confidence in the police to discover the killer, she and an old friend she's staying with decide to play detective and figure out (through asking questions) who is the killer at the seminary. There are a number of characters associated with the seminary (faculty, staff, and students) on the list of suspects, and they all end up being invited over for lunch or dinner.

I realize that mysteries are a fictional genre and don't have to be TOO lifelike, but they do (I think) have to be credible at some level. As one who has been to a divinity school, I found the portrayal of Princeton Theological Seminary a bit hard to believe. Does the author really think that students from snake-handling backgrounds a) would attend seminary and b) be allowed to bring their rattlesnakes with them and keep them in seminary housing? (By the way, that's not a spoiler -- we learn this very early in the story). Then there's the book that this journalist is writing -- a biography of a 19th century figure that the journalist doesn't seem particularly qualified to write about -- one of those "huh?" details. Does she have a contract to write this book? How did she get the idea -- not to mention the time off work -- to write such a biography? And for someone who is supposed to be employed as a journalist, the "detective" character seems to have an open-ended vacation from work, with no clear date set for her to get back to her regular job.

And those are just the start of the credibility problems -- there are other details that make me think it would be extremely unlikely that such a thing could happen -- I can't say more without risking revealing too much. But suffice it to say that the world of academics in any field is quite cozy, and in a field studied at seminary, very cozy. There are some secrets that would be very difficult to pull off given how everyone knows everyone.

And I had a pretty good idea about half-way through the book who the killer was.

That having been said, I nevertheless enjoyed reading the book This is definitely a cozy mystery, with lots of scenes taking place over meals, where the menu is discussed (there's even a couple of recipes in the back.)

Jon Katz's suburban detective series featuring Christopher "Kit" DeLeeuw are notable for his perceptive vision of life in suburbia, and how crimes affect the day to day living of the inhabitants of Rochambeau, NJ. This time Kit finds himself looking into the murder of a feminist-driven high school principal who has apparently been murdered by a stay at home Mom who has been dubbed "The Last Housewife." Seems that the principal was going to suspend the housewife's son for sexual harassment at the school. As Kit takes on the case, he finds himself confronted by some really despicable teenage boys and has to take a look at his own family values.
This series is well done, and although Katz at times spends a little too much time in his discussion of suburban life, the novels he writes are involving and the procedurals well thought out. This is one of the better of the series, and I recommend it for discretionary readers.

Kit Deleeuw is a husband, father, and detective, aptly described by his occasional nemesis as "a Volvo type of guy." In marked contrast to the better known Philip Marlowe, a loner who once inventoried his possessions as "a coat, a hat, and a gun," Kit confronts suburban depravity wielding a family, a mortgage, and a payroll. He votes Democrat, subscribes to "Private Investigator" magazine, and can talk intelligently about feminism. Most of his clients are tougher than he is. If Kit keeps an office bottle, you can be sure it's stocked with ibuprofen or antacid, rather than whiskey.

In other words, Kit is a gumshoe up to his dishpan hands in a homicide case, but seems more like the mild-mannered captain of a neighborhood watch program. By his own admission, he loves Raymond Chandler talk, and seldom uses it. He can't sell his wife on his client's innocence or remember the difference between a rifle and a shotgun. Fortunately, "The Last Housewife," an entertaining yarn and a meditation on the state of the American family, also offers clues to the mystery of how such a sensitive man avoids milquetoast passivity to become the scourge of criminals in Rochambeau, New Jersey. Kit is loyal and smart, with a keen sense of his own limitations and a knack for making friends in the right places. Reading about him and the other characters in in this smoothly plotted story won't pull any muscles in your head, but does bestow the honest pleasure of cheering for good people while they wrestle with human and systemic failure.

Dear Mr Katz;

I think, Mr Katz, that you're the kind of writer who's quite likely to read customer reviews of his books, so I hope you'll take some of this to heart.

I will start by congratulating you for displaying some real gifts for plotting and characterization. Those two strengths kept me reading your book. Your sensitive sleuth Kit Deleeuw is a relatively convincing protagonist, and his network of assistants and family members come alive quite well. You've also done a nice job setting up a tense story here; there's nothing like a mix of murder and sex for fail-safe combustibility. For these accomplishments, The Last Housewife earns a least one star above the minimum.

But seriously: don't you think your stories and characters would work a lot better if they weren't suffocated -- and I mean slathered, soaked and submerged -- in your relentless and banal politicizing? You see, even dim readers like me can pick up your political leanings from a few well-placed incidents, or from remarks made by a sympathetic character, or simply from the way in which only Rochambeau's 'nontraditional' families are allowed to rise above the therapy-fodder comprising all the old-fashioned mom-and-pop outfits. You don't need to encumber your story with paragraph after paragraph, indeed often page after page, of your first-person narrator's internal monologues regarding the state of sex roles and childrearing in contemporary American suburbia. Have you heard of showing rather than telling? As it happens, I think the moral and ethical world you create is ultimately hollow, and a lame and timid political correctness skews your judgement regarding the true sources of the crises facing American families, but that's a topic we can debate in other venues. You're entitled to your give voice to your politics -- just don't let them ruin your storytelling.

Next, I do wish you'd give us, your humble and sometimes moderately literate readers, a chance to remember things on our own. Yes, we have these marvelous tools called 'memories' at our disposal, every day of the week! You needn't remind us, slavishly, like a workman stacking up the same pile of cinder blocks, over and over and over, what has happened so far. We can do much of this 'heavy lifting' on our own -- and some of us even enjoy it!

Finally, and I do admit this is just a bit presumptuous of me, I would ask that you get those niggling little details right, please? Let me give you one example. Now, I know you hate guns! Kit told me, several times, how he gets the heebie-jeebies just *thinking* about that nasty 'ol piece he keeps locked up in his office safe. Nevertheless, could I just let you in on a little secret: a rifle isn't the same as a shotgun! A rifle shoots bullets -- just one at a time! A shotgun shoots a whole mess of little pellets. You seem to think they're the same: Kit, and your supposedly brilliant policewoman, both refer to the murder weapon as a rifle and as a shotgun in the same paragraphs. Perhaps Kit could be expected to be so ignorant, but do you think you could find me a policewoman (or man) anywhere who doesn't know the difference?

Well, Mr Katz, I could say much more, but then I'd be worshipping the muse of longwindedness right by your side.

Ever yours,

A Concerned Reader

I truly enjoyed this good natured detective who takes care of the house, kids, wife, and dog and still finds time to save a woman from certain conviction for a crime she did not commit. All of the characters introduced in the book are charming and I took to them immediately. The local dog walkers, the former attorney turned hamburger shop owner, the police chief and jaded police detective, all make great foils and helpers to the book's hero. My only complaint was that I did not get to know Kit Deleeuw's wife very well. She's of course very busy earning the real money in the family, but I would like to see more interaction with her in future books. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books like "The Cat Who...." series since I feel some of the same wonderful energy here. ENJOY

Some years ago an"expert",a respected college professor,put out a revisionist history of the notorious political corruptor William M.Tweed,in which his"research"alledgedly "proved"that the old crooked boss was,of all things,a victim of the new york times and the good-government forces of that time period..Not many people bought that novel theory,and even fewer will buy the notion that Lewis Carroll,writer,oxford don,photographer,was not also a closet pedophile..One need only look at the man's work,wherein he poses little girls in naked and half-naked situations designed to appeal to the more lurid aspects of one's imagination..Sure,other photographers of the victorian period also took naked pictures of little children,but this neither excuses them nor does it excuse Lewis Carroll..pornography is pornography,and this stance is not mitigated by the fact that a lot of people are involved in it...The fact that this is the same fellow who also wrote"Alice in Wonderland" also does not excuse him...One need only take a long,hard look at this man's private life,and then consider that,out of all of the subjects he chose to photograph,little girls in half naked poses were his favorite,to dismiss the one or two current,revisionist voices who insist that Carroll was not a pedophile..
There is also the incident which ended the long-standing relationship between Carroll and Oxford dean Liddell,father of several small children,one of which,Alice Liddell,happened to be Carroll's model for his own"alice"of "wonderland"fame(in point of fact Carroll did not use the term"wonderland"but instead called his book"Alice through the looking glass)to further be convinced of Carroll's misdeeds..Although no definitive evidence exists which can say exactly what the incident that destroyed thier relationship was,Alice Liddell herself hinted,in later life,that it involved something Carroll did with her sister..Given that both Carroll and Dean Liddell were upper class,and therefore horrified of any hint of scandal,especially scandal involving a subject that might in any way involve pedophilia,it is no wonder that today,more than 100 years after the fact,there is so very little "evidence"to pin down exactly what happened..Alice Liddell was not the only little girl that Carroll like to photograph,and some few of the others were not so reluctant to hint rather broadly at Carroll's peculiarities,and these hints tend to over-shadow all of the revisionist twaddle that today not only passes for scholarship,but is used to "redeem"Carroll..
This volume shows off Carroll's pictures,including the many that he took of naked and half-naked little girls..Taylor's text is definitive in a way that no revisionist balderdash could ever be.

The photos of the kids are remarkable, All are lovely, and some show faces filled with determination, as the one of Alice as begger girl or another child as little Red Riding Hood. There is a single, dignified semi-nude of a 20 plus year old girl by another phoographer.

Children who read or have read to them the story of Alice (God forbid the
horror by Disney) may look upon the face of the real Alice as child. The book is quite suitable for children. There is not the slightest hint of
the lurid.

When children have the stories explained as logical absurdities, in an unacademical way, they remember. Dodgson was at least highly talented, perhaps a genius; his genius or talent shows up in his photographs. I only wish I had such an eye and ear for creating (writing) and catching (photos) beauty and wonder.
To me Lewis Carroll always seemed much like Dante. I used to read my little sister both when she was small to show her that Dante was just stories, not to be taken seriously (as having any truth)and that Carroll was reason turned upside down and fun. Dante had his Beatricci, and Lewis Carroll had his Alice. Both men were much older than the beloved; both men gave apotheosis to the beloved; both had imagination hard to equal.

This book provides a link to the mind of Lewis Carroll, and it is beautiful in places. Most of the most beautiful photos are to be found free on the www.

The trouble with this book is that in trying to address Carroll's
photography of children it uses perspectives and arguments that were already defunct and discredited before the book went into print.

The best defence pf Carroll's relationship with the nude child has been offered by Hugues Lebailly and Karoline Leach, who both have shown that we have misunderstood Carroll by failing to set him in the correct social background of his time.
Basically, during the Victorian age EVERYONE as making nude studies of children, and Carroll was merely being trendy when he did the same. The mistake as been to forget this and see his actions in isolation.

This revelation of the 'Victorian Cult of the Child' has revolutionised our understanding of Carroll, but Taylor in this book makes almost no use of it at all.

Instead he revives very weak and illogical arguments to 'defend' Dodgson, claiming, for example, that Dodgson didn't take many nude pictures, as if this in itself precludes the suspicion of paedophilia.

It doesn't. In fact it's a pale and dishonest argument. The only thing that defends Dodgson against paedophilia is the research of Leach and Lebailly which Taylor so oddly refuses to use to any extent. The result is muddled, dishonest and already out of date.

For the only serious analysis of Lewis Carroll's relationship with the nude child see Leach 'In the Shadow of the Dreamchild'. But if you just want to look at nice pics, then enjoy this book.

I've been waiting for this very book for quite some time now. Carroll's photography has never been collected in a full form like many other photographers. Previous books have been light on material and all too heavy on the photographs of young child-friends. This book gives a more even account of Carroll's photography---even going so far as presenting the photographs as he did so in his own albums. Rather than classify his photographs, his albums show a wondrous variety of images---a skeleton of a fish, a landscape, a child-friend, a famous painter, a sculpture, etc.... Though it concentrates on Carroll's one hobby, Roger Taylor's essay is as good as any biography, being a hundred or so pages long. Edward Wakeling contributes insightful captions to each photograph in the Princeton Collection---for all are included! What more could one ask for? Wakeling, one of the leading experts on Carroll with a database of information, even offers his list of all photographs taken by Carroll, a list that will be continually updated. He even gives his email address for those who may have lost photographs.
An indispensable book for the researcher and a delight for the casual photography fan.

Hal Friedman's "Over the Edge" features two really likeable leadsin Dan Jarrett, an LA cop in trouble for killing a creep on a television talk show, and Molly Foley, a new teacher replacing a veteran educator who fell to her death while on a class outing, and who also happens to be the daughter of Jarrett's partner, killed by a drug lord. The way their relationship develops from the protective friend of his dead partner's daughter to a possible romantic interest is well done and you really like them and hope things work out.
Which is difficult, considering the mess the two find themselves in. The dead teacher's mysterious death is cited as an accident, but there's every indication that it could have been murder. But who did it? The darling little children, three of whom are like miniature Freddy Kreugers, or is there someone else lurking in the background? And what about this strange nephew, Wesley Gomes, who is not only embezzling money from the bank he works in, but is also doing some other strange things, too. And what about poor Paul, a local cop who looks like Jarrett, and is killed by a mysterious stranger?
The plot gets a little convoluted, and there are some strange twists and turns that are too conveniently constructed and left dangling. For instance, once you find out who the murderer of the teacher is, there's no explanation as to how this person got there. Also, the revenge of the drug lord's brother is so predictable that when it happens, you wonder why it didn't happen sooner.
However, in spite of the flaws, I did enjoy the book, mainly because of the characters of Jarrett and Molly. It left an opening for a sequel, which hasn't happened yet.

I am a mystery and suspense fan who found this book a little on the manipulative side. Structure was all right but the book suffers from a contrived set of events and caused me to yawn a little bit too much.

I thought the book was great, especially when Ritchie gets shot by Doberman.

I loved it! I couldn't put it down

Tony Campolo had a name that carried a lot of good will with me. I came to this book having long heard of Campolo. I had heard his sound bite wisdom flashed across my television over the years. I was excited to pick up this book and read it. It promised to be something interesting - and very likely useful to my ministry.

Sadly, the book was more than a disappointment. Campolo used this book as a printed infomercial for his own ministry. Over and over again he crows about his successes and shamelessly promotes his ministry as exemplary - while doing nothing to take seriously HOW one translates a model of ministry from one place and situation to another. He says so many things that, on the surface, sound appealing. Like a politician, he is skilled at ladling out catch phrases that are like candy to the ear. But...which fall apart when you really look at them.

Some of his most offensive suggestions include the inference that the poor should essentially be satisfied and thankful with what they get economically. Having a future that dead-ends at McDonalds is the hand God dealt, so stop bellyaching. He heaps blame on people who suffer, and readily gets their oppressors off the hook by saying it's a good thing to be rich and enjoy it (with no responsibility attached??).

As a scholar of Wesleyanism and Methodism, i take particular offence at his intentional misquoting of John Wesley. He notes that Wesley said that one should 'earn all you can and save all you can' (note that Wesley meant be frugal with what you have when he said 'save' - not store up, as we think of its meaning) - while omitting that the purpose of this was to GIVE all you can! Here, Campolo is caught in a gross misrepresentation of Wesley, essentially editing his words to make him say what Campolo wishes he had said! Shame!!

I also was shocked by the suggestion that entrepreneurial Christians should look into the possibility of getting on the privatization bandwagon and contract with the government to run Christian prisons!

The whole book is a gross accommodation to much that is the WORST about our society. It may read sweetly for those who see ministry to the poor of the inner city as a ministry of condescension. But, i see nothing of Mr. Campolo's upper middle class values in the genuine ministry of compassion of Jesus Christ.

Sadly, this book made me lose respect for Mr. Campolo. I wish i could say otherwise.

For those who really want to do something, or need to be encouraged to do something to help the Kingdom of God be manifest in the city, this book is for you. It is practical, and most importantly, hopeful. Campolo uses his own ministry and experiences, as well as other unrelated ministries (for example, Minneapolis; Ripon, New York; Costa Mesa, CA; and the Dominican Republic) as prototypes for what can be done in inner cities. He is honest in not promising that every ministry he mentions can be replicated; but since Campolo gives so many specific, practical suggestions on how to carry out the ideas and programs presented, people will hopefully catch a vision and be encouraged to give some of them a try.

Campolo's love and care for those in the inner city is contagious. He believes that one of God's main concerns is for the poor and oppressed, as evidenced in Jesus' first public words in Luke 4:18-19. Campolo challenges all of us to champion the needs of those who lack the basic necessities of life. He challenges the churches who have much, to partner with those who have little. And he challenges all of us to love Jesus through loving others, especially the poor and oppressed. But his ideas are not only about others helping the poor. He also believes in empowering people to help themselves (for example, see Ch. 7 on neighborhood meetings). If you want to do something to help God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, read this helpful and hopeful book.

Revolution and Renewal: How Churches are Saving Our Cities

This book shows the depths of Campolo's and Main's love for the city, even if it is for cities like Camden, NJ, a place that American's consider extremely dirty and violent. The stories by Main tell you of those that have stood the odds and learnt. It teaches you the importance of faith. It was a nice book, I enjoyed all the little stories by Bruce Main. I recommend it.

As someone who has heard Tony Campolo speak many times, and as someone who doesn't enjoy reading, this book opened my eyes. It only took me 2 days to read this book. I couldn't put it down. Tony Campolo obviously cares for the inner city missions of Camden and Philadelphia. This book is a great example of how Christians need to respond to the poor and the inner city people. This book will touch your heart with the stories by Bruce Main of his experiences in Camden adn so forth. This is a must have book for any person entering the mission field. Eastern College is very lucky to have a man like Tony Campolo to teach there. As a student at Eastern, I am blessed to have heard this man encourage the students and faculty to reach out to the people of Camden and Philadelphia. This book makes you look in depth at your life and walk with Jesus Christ.

If you think that Robin Hathaway's Dr. Fenimore series books seem like they're written by an 8th grader, wait until you read this one...and the "plot"--a doctor who lives in a motel in exchange for taking care of guests' illnesses??????? Give me a break--and give yourself one by not reading this book!

   Robin Hathaway is the author of three Doctor Andrew Fenimore novels: The Doctor Digs a Grave (1999), which won her an Agatha Award for Best First Novel); The Doctor Makes a Dollhouse Call (2001); and The Doctor and the Dead Man's Chest (2001).

   Dr. Fenimore, a thirtysomething bachelor, is an old-fashioned Philadelphia physician who still makes house calls and, often accompanied by Nurse Doyle, his assistant sleuth, dabbles in criminal investigation.

   With Scarecrow, Hathaway launches a new murder mystery series featuring Dr. Jo Banks, a female version of Doctor Fenimore. An almost-thirty-year-old woman, Jo is running away from the flotsam and jetsam of a botched career and a tired love affair. She abandons her practice in New York City when she misdiagnoses Sophie Miller, a young girl who dies of spinal meningitis.

   Numbed and anesthesized, Jo flees to Bayfield, a small town in the boondocks of southern New Jersey, about fifty miles from Philadelphia and in near the marshlands of the Cohansey River.

   Jo checks in at the Oakview Motor Lodge, a two-star motel owned and operated by Paul and Maggie Nelson. She soon meets a teenage girl named Becca Borovy; Ema, Becca's eccentric aunt; and (the plot thickens) a tall, dark, and handsome "Robin Hood" named Tom Canby.

   You know you're in the boonies when the nearest Wal-Mart is no closer than twenty miles away. South Jersey abounds in names such as Polecat Corner, Snakeskin Road, Crab's Neck Road, Possum Hollow Road, the Blue Arrow Diner, and the Lenape Trailer Park.

   Bayfield's one claim to fame is a nuclear power plant. Black against the sky, its cooling tower is a giant chimney spewing clouds of steam. Flashing lights circle its gaping mouth, warning airplanes to keep away.

   Immediately on her arrival in Bayfield, Jo treats a woman who becomes suddenly ill, and is offered a deal to become a "motel doctor," a person on call to serve the medical needs of various motels in the area.

   Having fallen in love with small-town life and the people of Bayfield, Jo accepts the offer. Breathing a sigh of relief to have escaped the urban rat race. Zooming around Bayfield on her newly purchased motorcyle, Jo is happy to have found a place so peaceful and serene, far from the violence of big-city life.

   But when a dead man is found disguised as a scarecrow in found in a local farmer's field, Jo discovers a serpent in the pastoral Eden. And, one can see it coming, she places her own life in jeopardy by playing the dubious role of "lone woman who courageously, but foolhardily, investigates a dark and deserted house." Like the scarecrow in her favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz, Jo desperately needs a brain.

   Scarecrow is an easy and enjoyable read. The chapters are short and the plot moves quickly. The dialogue is snappy, and the heroine, Dr. Jo Banks, is an engaging and likeable character. Above all, the author writes with a delectable sense of humor that will cause you to smile, chuckle, and laugh out loud.

A charming work of escapist fiction.

When Dr. Jo Banks, a family practitioner with an office in a ritzy medical building, loses a patient due to a misdiagnosis, she can't handle the guilt. The fact that her patient was a child makes the pain all the more excruciating for Jo. She heads out of New York with no destination in mind, winding up in a dinky motel where she ends up treating one of the guests. The owner of the Oakview Motor Lodge, Paul Nelson, is so grateful that he asks her to serve as the region's on call motel doctor.

It doesn't her take to long to realize that she no longer wants to practice anymore in New York. She returns to break up with her boyfriend and sublet her apartment before going back to the Oakview Motor Lodge where she's given her own room and a cabin to make into a private office. She likes her work as a hotel doctor and is slowly building up her practice, making a place for herself in the community. When she is kidnapped, everyone from miles around gets involved in the search to find her.

The heroine is a truly fine doctor because she sees behind the business of medicine to its basic calling and the patients sense this and accept her. SCARECROW is a smooth and bloodless amateur sleuth tale where the doctor comes to the attention of some pretty shady people due to a believable set of circumstances. Robin Hathaway has created a winning series that will appeal to anyone who likes the author's delightful Doctor Fenimore cozies.

Harriet Klausner

Dr. Jo Banks takes off leaving her Manhattan practice after she misdiagnoses a young girl and she dies. She has no destination in mind. She stops at a motel in remote New Jersey for the night. That night she is called up to treat a woman at the motel. The next morning she finds out they left the hotel in the dark of night without paying their bill.

The next morning Paul Nelson, the motel owner, offers Jo a job as a motel doctor. The motels have to have a doctor on call for emergencies, much like the previous night. She immediately turns down his offer.

After driving around, picking up a young girl who was hitchhiking - Becca, and finding herself back at the motel that evening, she finally decides to accept his offer. It takes her a little over a week to find someone to take over her office and get her ex-boyfriend to find someone to sublet her apartment.

Jo and Becca have become good friends, but her family is quite different. Jo believes their boarders are none other than the Milacs, the couple from her first night at the motel, and sets about trying to find out more about them.

She has run into Tom Canby, and keeps running into him. He even assists her in her investigation as she doesn't know the area as well.

When Becca mysteriously leaves town with her aunt, Jo is concerned something more sinister is going on. She steps up her investigation and ends up in danger.

Jo is a terrific character. I can just see her tooling around New Jersey on her motorbike. She is great with Becca and has fit right into life in remote New Jersey, but still misses Manhattan at times. I like the relationship with Tom as well. She is constantly putting him off but isn't quite sure why.

As Jo is finding herself and getting her self-confidence back, she is getting to know everyone and even has Thanksgiving dinner at the Nelson's. Their son took off some time ago. The not knowing is taking its toll on them.

This remote location in New Jersey is a terrific setting for a mystery.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next one! I got to meet Robin Hathaway last night. I gained additional insight into both of her series. Please read my review of her other new book "The Doctor Dines in Prague."

The Unknown City by Michelle Fine and Lois Weis did a fantastic job of telling the story of homelessness and poverty from the perspective of the poor and working class. The book is based on interviews from different racial perspectives in the New York/New Jersey area. The book claims to represent the Generation Xers between the ages of 23 and 35. However, readers of the Unknown City do not get this perspective. The voices and points of view seem to come from an older generation. The youthful perspecitve is lost in the authors' main concerns and discussions.
All this aside, the authors do a good job in contrasting the racial perspectives on the causes of and dealings with poverty. The viewpoints of Whites, African Americans, and Latinos all seemed to be different. We understand the authors' intentions in writing this book--to uncover the different perspecitves on poverty from voices not usually heard. In the end, readers are hoping for possible solutions to the problems introduced.

The Unknown City by Michelle Fine and Lois Weis did a fantastic job of telling the story of homelessness and poverty from the perspective of the poor and working class. The book is based on interviews from different racial perspectives in the New York/New Jersey area. The book claims to represent the Generation Xers between the ages of 23 and 35. However, readers of the Unknown City do not get this perspective. The voices and points of view seem to come from an older generation. The youthful perspecitve is lost in the authors' main concerns and discussions.
All this aside, the authors do a good job in contrasting the racial perspectives on the causes of and dealings with poverty. The viewpoints of Whites, African Americans, and Latinos all seemed to be different. We understand the authors' intentions in writing this book--to uncover the different perspecitves on poverty from voices not usually heard. In the end, readers are hoping for possible solutions to the problems introduced.

Though I felt this book was boring in places, I think that Fine and Weis do a terrific job in giving poor and working-class Gen X'ers a voice in crying out against the public policy that is perpetuating their families inability to move out of the inner-city and become "productive members of society". I am from a white, upper-middle class family and have never been exposed to issues such as these. Fine and Weis interview various ethnic and racial groups in Buffalo, NY and Jersey City, NJ and then generalize their findings to the experience of all such racial/gender groups living in inner cities around the country. From other research, they prove that this extrapolation is not unfounded.

What I loved so much about this book is that they interviewed (and extensively quote throughout the book) over 150 people of various backgrounds in these cities. To hear of the plight that these people go through was truly saddening to me. This book made me ask the question: to what extent do I allow the media to form my opinion on issues such as these? All I am used to seeing on the news is stories about moms who cheat welfare and deadbeat dads who only care for themselves. It is extraordinary to hear of the situations and circumstances BEHIND these stories however.

While I cannot evaluate this book solely on the basis of its sociological merits (I've only taken two classes in college in sociology), I can tell you that this book has the ability to change your stereotypes...as I mentioned, especially if they have been formed by the media! The struggle for survival in the inner city is shown in a way that can only make the reader wonder: what would I do if I lived there? What could I do to help these people? A great book. It gets 4 stars because it is boring in a few sections.

The Unknown City is an addition to the volumes of manipulative writing found in Sociology. Fine and Wise produce a skillfully constructed argument that exploits the critiques of white working and lower class men to benefit the writers' social positions and further their agenda. That agenda is characterized by their adherence to racially based social critiques instead of class based critiques. This substitution makes it easier to gloss over the fault of middle and upper classes in perpetuating racism and patriarchy, while using white working and lower class men as an acceptable scapegoat. The Unknown City is a tedious and bloated read because of the authors' over use of narration extracted from interviews. The authors' goal, to give a voice to those Generation - Xers located on the political periphery (2), is undermined by their prejudicial use of interviewee's comments. Despite shared discourse among racial groups, Fine and Wise feel justified in pointing a racially and patriarchally charged finger at white working and lower class men. They do so while elevating the African American and Latino participants to intellectuals (82) and politicians (107). To Fine and Weis, The Unknown City is an opportunity to implement "narrative affirmative action" (281). Some white male bashing is justified. Certainly white men within any class have enjoyed the benefits of their race, and Fine and Wise are precise in their explanation of white male dominance within the United States. Moreover, African Americans are undoubtedly the victims of an unfair cultural representation (59). Nevertheless, the forces that are used to explain the African American plight are the same ones used to explain the perpetuation of racism within the white lower class community. Why is it that white men are not victims as well? Why do Fine and Wise pay only minimal attention to the elitist influence of media and politics in the construction of reality for all races? Because the authors' are attempting to flip flop class based explanations, which have been established by writers such as William Julius Wilson (who they site as support for their argument), for racial solidarity explanations (46). What Fine and Wise fail to see, is the limited and elitist nature of their argument. By giving little attention to the magnitude of middle and upper class influence in racism and patriarchy they are excusing themselves. The Unknown City is little more than an overzealous attempt by two white affluent women to relate to the plight of the young urban poor. It will serve its middle to upper class audience well. The Unknown City will allow the reader to remain in their glass tower, while pointing the blame at those bad white working class racist and sexist males. Fine and Weis would not think to single out white upper class men as the creators and perpetuators of racial and gender hierarchy in this country. They simply engage in a form of racially acceptable male bashing at the expense of white working and lower class men who have little ammunition with which to fight back.

Like Mr. Nadin's former job, this book is fast paced, and harrowing. While it suffers a bit in terms of continuity, it more than makes up for it in details and facts. His story is nothing new, just one more 'regular' Joe who has had to suffer the injustices heaped upon the common, working family by a corrupt system. His story is another fine example of the misinformation and inappropriate use of power that is used by our police and politicians alike to exercise their control over the masses. Buy this book.

This book was an eye-opener for me. If you have any interest in the criminal justice system, this book is for you. The author portrays the fierce loyalty that law enforcement officials have for each other, from local police to the national government. It describes what can and does happen when this loyalty is misguided and is used to protect those within the law enforcement community rather than those they've vowed to protect - the American people, and what happens when one of their own decides to stand up and protect the rights and freedoms of the citizens, you and me. Read this book and let it open your eyes.

Like Mr. Nadin's former profession this book is fast paced and to the point. The author doesn't pull any punches or sugar coat a thing. What he talks about is an everyday reality that no one wants to recognize. It will only stay with us and fester and grow as long as people turn a blind eye to the issues, and do not exercise their right to vote. I give this book three and a half stars. It's enjoyable and entertaining. It's just too short.

This book was Great !! I could not put it down, the wording was very well written.. by reading this book this makes me think that there are other beings out there and that we are not alone.. I cant wait to read the next book that comes out..

originally when i bought this book i thought maybe it was based on some truth about the real event of lights that were seen over nj but it wasnt. it was a bit strange and went back and forth alot. way too much never ending discription about things . i wished he would just get to the point sometimes. alot of the descriptive sentences were repeated over and over again . it drove me crazy

My name is John Predovan and I am the author of CURVED MEMORIES: THE CHRONICLES OF THE LIGHTS OVER NEW JERSEY. I want to take this moment to thank everyone who supports me and my encounter. Many of you have helped me in ways unimaginable, and I thank each and everyone of you. I would like to take this moment as well to send a few special "thank yous" to the following:

Thank you UFO HUNTERS (NY-SPI UFO investigative group) for helping me deal with my alien abduction, and for our new found friendship. Without all of you, I would have never been able to have the courage to come forward to talk about my encounter on my own two feet. Thank you for your continued support!

Thank you SCI-FI CHANNEL (PILGRIM PRODUCTIONS) for taking the time to come out to New Jersey to listen, film, and for the chance to tell my encounter to the world on the new tv series UFO HUNTERS (NY-SPI). All of you were very caring, kind and sincere and I greatly appreciate all that you are doing!

Thank you THE NEW YORKERS SHOW with host JIM CHLADEK. I thank you for having me as a guest on your show so that I may tell the whole country about my alien abduction encounter. Thank you!

Thank you to all the radio stations nationwide for helping me get my encounter out for all the people to hear and ask questions about my alien abduction story. Thank you!

Thank you to all my friends on MYSPACE for all your messages, comments and posts. Most of all, thank you for your friendship!

As July 14, 2007 approaches marking my 6th year anniversary of my alien abduction, I look back and remember much to what has happened to me. Yet there are several questions that remained unanswered. I continue to write what I remember, but for those of you who are a little confused and skeptical about my encounter, here's what basically what happened to me...

About the story:

In a nutshell, there was a mass UFO sighting on the late night/early morning of July 14th-15th of 2001. Throughout the NY/NJ areas over 100 people including myself as well as law enforcement personnel witnessed this mass V-shaped/Diamond shaped object cruise effortlessly across the clear midnight sky. It bore between 15-30 orange glowing lights all around it. It wasn't flares, shooting stars, planes or anything of that nature.

Now, I've experienced "Missing Time" that night, I was on my way home from the shore. I remembered parking my car a few blocks from my apartment building. I remember getting out of my car and locking it. From that point on, all I remember is waking up the next morning, not knowing how I got home. I don't remember walking home, going inside or going to bed.

Some months later, I've had eerie visions and dreams. When I learned of the incident of the lights over New Jersey a few months later, more and more visions appeared before me. Also, it explains why I didn't remember how I made it back to my house that night.

As long as I remember, I continue to write. If not, I don't. Simple as that...

I hope to one day to find all the answers to what has happened to me, but in the meantime, I will do what I can to find the answers.

Thank you all for your support...

Respectfully,

John Predovan