Louisiana Books

Brennan's is a famous New Orleans restaurant started up in the 1940s. The family opened up a sister restaurant in Houston in 1967. The cuisine served in the Houston branch has become well known in its own right, and is affectionately known as "Texas Creole"

When a cookbook comes from a restaurant, its important to know if the restaurant is any good. Brennan's is one of the best restaurants in Houston. The food, ambience, service and live music are all excellent and although there is a dress code and the waiters wear suits, it isn't pretentious or snobby. I liked the food there so much that I bought this cookbook so that I could make some of the dishes at home! By the way, it is not diet cuisine - most of the dishes are rich and well seasoned, with lots of nuts, butter, cream and oil. Totally fattening, extremely filling and very satisfying.

The book has a good number of color photos, mostly of the food but also some of the interior. It also includes some information about the history of the restaurant. Some restaurants keep their signature dishes secret, but not Brennan's - in this cookbook you will find the recipes for many well-known specialities such as Creole Bread Pudding Souffle and Bananas Foster. There are chef's tips included with the recipes, and overall the book is very user friendly.

This book is highly recommended, both for its faithful recreation of the restaurant's dishes, and for the overall excellence and originality of its recipes.

LIST OF CHAPTERS:

Introductions
Best of Beginnings - Lagniappes, Drinks& Appetizers
From the Garden and Beyond - Salads & Soups
Breakfast at Brennan's - Creole Jazz Brunch
Chef Carl Recommends - Meats & Poultry
Brennan's Favorites - Seafood
Accompaniments - Sides, Sauces & Seasonings
Grand FInales - Fantastic Desserts
Our Texas Creole Story
Source Guide & Index

SAMPLE RECIPES to tempt your palate and give you an idea of the style of cuisine:

Salmon & Smoked Corn Salsa
Grilled Yellowfin Tuna with Crabmeant Mango-Papaya Relish
Gulf Seafood Pontchartrain
Texas Bobwhite Quail
Jicama Slaw
Southern Pecan Crusted Catfish
Smoked Salmon Cheesecake
Texas Cornbread Pudding
Cajun Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Ancho Pepper and Cumin Sweet Potato Smashers
Spiced Pumpkin Seed Chicken
Bayou Gumbo
Roasted Peanut Soup with Honey-Cajun Shrimp
Risotta Jambalaya
Creole Bread Pudding Souffle (this is to die for!)

Also available in a hardcover edition (0970472986, $24.95), culinary author and chef Carl Walker draws upon his Creole and Texas styles of cooking that made Brennan's of Houston a very successful restaurant. Capitalizing on fresh ingredients, all of the recipes comprising this mouth-watering collection are kitchen-compatible and "user friendly". Enhanced with color photography, the recipes range from Chili-Fried Gulf Oysters; Creole Barbecued Shrimp; and Braised Red Cabbage; to Champagne Fennel Cream; New Orleans-Style Pralines; and Creole Bread Pudding Souffle. A master-piece of its kind, Brennan's Of Houston In Your Kitchen will prove to be an invaluable and popular resource for even the most novice of kitchen cooks seeking to replicate gourmet quality dishes for their family dining table!

Absolutely wonderful southern and creole recipes. I haven't cooked anything from this book that hasn't received rave reviews. You can't go wrong!

This is one of the greatest cookbooks ever produced. Chef Walker's preparation techniques as well as the "Chef's Tip's" throughout the book allow you to make these dishes exactly as they do in the restaurant. Even the recipies that are common in alot of other cookbooks take on a uniqueness in this book that makes it a "must have" book for anyone interest in creating good food. I was fortunate to be able to take a cooking class with Chef Walker called "Breakfast at Brennan's". One of the dishes he prepared was "Eggs Hussard", from page 72 in this book. Wow!The best egg dish I have ever tasted. It even makes the popular Eggs Benedict seem bland with comparison. Using the recipe from this book, I have prepared "Eggs Hussard" for family and friends with the same results and taste as that prepared by Chef Walker. I have also prepared several other recipies from this book with equal success. Chef Carl is truely a gifted chef and he fully shares his recipes, techniques, and tips in this great cookbook.

This beautiful 192-page book is a triumph for Chef Carl Walker. This eclectic and inventive collection of recipes has been carefully accented with full-color photographs and personal anecdotes. It is a wonderful gift for fans of Brennan's, and even for home cooks who have never made their way to Houston.

The book is organized by course: Beginnings (Lagniappes, Drinks, and Appetizers), Garden and Beyond (Salads and Soups), Breakfast, Meats and Poulty, Seafood, Accompaniments (Sides, Sauces and Seasonings), and Fantastic Desserts.

Each recipe features an expected yield, list of ingredients, paragraph-style instructions on how to prepare the ingredients, and a Chef's Tip. The Chef's Tips include technique suggestions, ingredient substitutions, and reminders on how to prepare the raw ingredients.

The desserts section is especially decadent. For example, the Chocolate Praline Cheesecake is a masterpiece by Pastry Chef Melissa Piper Reilly. This luscious dessert uses a chocolate crumb crust filled with caramels, pecans, and chocolate-laced cheesecake filling.

This beautiful cookbook will be a delight for chefs and bakers alike. Enjoy!

Always a fascinating read, the Benjamin January series opens a window to New Orleans in the 1830s.

Every time I have the opportunity to recommend a book, I recommend the entire Benjamin January series. I've done a lot of research into the period in which the series is set and Hambly's facts are dead-on. January is one of the more interesting characters in series literature and Hambly deftly brings the period to life. Her use of actual historical persons such as Marie LeVo makes it even more interesting and fun. The whole series is really worth the time and money. I hate to get to the end of each book, then find myself waiting impatiently for the next one.
Do yourself a huge favor and read the whole series.

What a wonderful series!! Lots of history and plenty of intrigue. If you've ever been to New Orleans you'll be able to imagine yourself there. Do yourself a favor and read the whole series.

The Benjamin January is an enjoyable read for any lover of New Orleans and historical fiction

I have to start out by saying that I really enjoy this series. Oddly enough, I read the first one while on a trip to New Orleans years ago. This story gets away from N.O. a bit and out into the Gulf. Very enjoyable, very memorable!

To those uninitiated in the writings of Mary Lou Cheatham, (aka Jane Riley) I would say "beware." If you're single minded about supper, go to the index, stay focused and find the delectable recipe of your choice. If you choose to browse, you will find that the authoress has planted a mine field, numerous sand traps, speed bumps and other diversions so that when you have finally made your choice, you will discover that the family has gone to bed without supper while you were busy reading documented health hints, and all manner of sad and funny family history, and every kind of edifying, clarifying post script to the recipes in question. Just getting involved in the family tree could result in missing lunch. But it's all great fun and the recipes are by-and-large to die for - particularly stress relievers (positively sinful) and comfort foods. When the world has turned its back on you and all else fails - eat! and eat well with Flavored with Love.

It's the stories that Southerners tell on themselves and others--good-natured stories, laugh-at-yourself stories, grin-and shake-your head kind of stories--one of the many cultural aspects that set Southerners apart. Jane Riley captures that essence of stories and places them right alongside tried-and-true Southern style recipes. It is truly a unique cookbook, "flavored with love" by the many stories, recipes, oh yes, recipes galore, and tidbits of information related to the recipe or its ingredients.

This recipe book reminds me of the days I sat on the porch with my grandparents and we waved to people passing by in their vehicles. Sometimes they purposed to our house and joined us in swings and gliders for iced tea and "visits" just like the ones told by Mary Lou's family and friends.

I found myself really drawn into this work of love. Because the book is more like a compilation of stories, I did not realize there are no pictures until right now writing this. Wow, and I'm a stickler for those photographs of final products in a cookbook.

Adding to the flavor of the book are the many side notes about ingredients, special techniques, and other helpful information tied in with the recipe. For example, the recipe for Boiled Shrimp, p. 197, includes this cute lil note: "Mississippi people have traditionally eaten shrimp ice cold, but the Louisiana custom of eating warm shrimp has invaded God's Country." I'm skipping comment about Mississippi being God's Country and commenting on warm shrimp eating. It is true!! On the same page is information about Gumbo File as a seasoning and a thickening agent. Either that or okra!

One of my favorite recipes is Mirliton Casserole. I didn't know what a mirliton is until I was fortunate to live next door to a Chinese couple who converted their backyard into a garden wonderland. Their way of gardening took in half their yard, including overhead where they built a trellis covering one half of their garden (yes, it was magically strange). On this they planted several kinds of squash, including mirliton, which they so kindly shared with me (and I with them with tomatoes). Right here in Mary Lou's cookbook is a wonderful recipe for Mirliton Casserole or as a stuffing for mirlitons. Yummy!

Did I mention the arrangement of recipes? The only logical arrangement is by contributor so all those related stories are together. For example, "Mr. Bobby's Cats" is a three-page poem about saving Possum the cat, then a short section on Dieting, then a note About Cumin, and a follow-up about the two cats. Next a therapeutic recipe about making Tuna Salad with a follow-up shower to remove the tuna smell and a different recipe for Tuna Spread for Sandwiches, a favorite at my mother's house. Oh? That tuna water that came of the can? Give it to your cats. See what I mean? Stories!

Since the recipes are arranged by contributor, the cook must consult the index for specific types of recipes. Pecan Pie? Page 24. Gumbo? Three kinds: Red Bean Gumbo, p. 305; Mississippi Gumbo, p. 58; and Turkey/Texianna (Texas/Louisiana) Gumbo, p. 223. Or Chicken Enchilada Casserole, p. 249. On the next page is Marge's Apple Dumplings.

No matter the arrangement, the recipes are great, the conversation is both entertaining and poignant, the notes helpful. However you dice it, this book is worth your time and money. Make a cup of coffee and sit down with this book to pick out your next meal. Don't forget to visit!

Jane Riley is a pen name for Mary Lou Cheatham. "Jane" has garnered recipes from her lifetime of cooking, mostly from family members and friends, to compile this omnibus cookbook. "Flavored with Love" is additionally punctuated with a nostalgic overview of the Louisiana and Mississippi regions, and its people, in particular. One will even come across the occasional poem which much lightens the text. While the author clearly has a religious cultural background, given certain Biblical quotations found throughout the work, she hasn't hedged on the occasional and moderate use of alcohol-based ingredients where they are appropriate and where they ultimately benefit the quality of particular recipes such as fruitcake and tailgater watermelons.

One of my first observations is that this volume can be one of your top ten cookbooks; however, I'm also compelled to say that it's much more than a "recipe book". Here, we have a cookbook which can be read like a good novel. In addition to the recipes, this work is bulging with fun and interesting stories originally conveyed by friends and associates of the author, including culinary tips and territorial folklore of the culturally-notable Mississippi-Louisiana region.

As to my own culinary qualifications to evaluate this work, you can read about them at my profile site, but I can tell you that, at present, I cook from scratch every day and I'm eternally in search of high-quality recipes which I can serve up to my spoiled family, friends, and neighbors. They are spoiled because I feed them only the finest of dishes, generated from the best recipes, all concocted from the freshest (except for my balsamic vinegar!) and the best ingredients available.

"Flavored with Love" includes 320 pages of easy-to-read, large-print text and the reader can expect one or more recipes on about every other page. These recipes are generally each tenoned with a brief story either from or about its respective originator. Here are some reasons why I particularly like this cookbook:

1. The print is large and easy to read while you're cooking. There are over 300 recipes herein. The exterior dimensions are 8 ½" x 11," and it's three-quarters of an inch thick.

2. The binding is soft cover and the book lies open nicely. The cover is shiny and slick and can be wiped free of stains and spills with a damp cloth.

3. The ingredients are mostly common fare, easy to obtain and many are already present in any well-stocked refrigerator, cabinet, and/or pantry.

4. A few recipe ingredients are specific in that the name brand is listed, ergo "Rudy's Farm(tm) Sausage," (page 69), a key component for "Rice Rushing". While I do not have local access to this particular product, I recognize that the author was desirous to convey that a high-quality sausage is called for, so I can simply go out and buy our best local brand, Bob Evans(tm), for this recipe and enjoy full confidence that the end result will meet the standard of the original dish.

5. The short stories and biographies of the recipe authors break up the monotony which comes of reading one recipe after another and also provide some great cooking tips and some occasional levity.

6. I particularly savor this book for what it is NOT... that would be a compendium of "made-up" supposedly old-time recipes which purport to be from "the [Appalachian] mountain people," or "the Cajuns," or from any other group of an ethnically significant culture. Yes, many of these recipes do in fact come from such folks but these people either are or were (many have passed on) real people and these are undoubtedly some of their top recipes. When one runs across cooking activity described utilizing action verbs such as "sopping," "scrunch," "daub," and "whop," you know that you're reading The Real McCoy! This work is clearly not some slick publishing device where the recipes have been gleaned and assembled from the internet, ultimately to be marketed as some manner of culturally historic dishes.

7. While "Flavored with Love" is a sort of regional cookbook, the recipes are still diverse enough to keep this volume ready at hand as a general cookbook as well, which one can use on a daily basis.

8. The ultimate test of any cookbook goes directly to the quality of the recipes. Having received my copy quite recently, the first recipe I tried was the meatloaf, (page 29). Having tested and reviewed many cookbooks in the past, I have discovered that "the meatloaf recipe" in any culinary guide is typically a great measuring device by which one can gauge the appurtenant dishes found in that same cookbook. And this one is a simple, but superb, meatloaf. I also made up a batch of the "Come Back Sauce," (page 112), a unique and delicious approach to salad dressing, just terrific. I've read every recipe in here and I'm confident that they're all as solid as the two which I have tried so far.

While there are no photographs of the dishes, I didn't find that this diminished the book in any sense because the instructions are very detailed and clear. There is also no table of contents but the well-organized, detailed, and lengthy index will guide readers quickly to any recipe which he or she is seeking.

The reader will find a great variety of dishes for all tastes. Some recipes are unique, ("Mustard Fried Venison," page 49; "Mirliton Casserole," page 190); some are hard-to-find recipes, ("Pimento Cheese Spread," page 148; "King Cake," page 244); and, a number of these recipes are simply tons of fun in which your children can be involved in helping you to prepare them, ("Orange Sherbet," page 63; Popcorn Balls," page 37).

There are certain people who would particularly benefit from having a copy of "Flavored with Love". I would especially recommend this cookbook to you if...

...you have children and not a lot of money to feed them.

...you're in a "cooking rut" and everything seems to taste the same lately.

...you have a farming family.

...you are new to cooking (newlyweds) and wish to learn both good and essential culinary techniques.

...you have an angler or hunter in your family who shows up with his or her fish and game, expecting you to prepare it.

...you have a garden which includes tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, and/or okra growing in it.

...you or your family savor Cajun, Creole, or Tex-Mex dishes.

...you collect useful and interesting cookbooks.

...you are a fiend for desserts!

In summary, "Flavored with Love" is an intelligently-written, utilitarian cookbook for busy people who enjoy great-tasting food. In my effort to evaluate this work as a general cookbook, one which the average cook can use everyday to turn out meals for a family, I simply asked myself, "If you had to live on only the recipes found in this book, could you do it?" The answer is a resounding, "Yes"... and you could live well!

This beautiful book aptly titled is flavored with fun, family and friends and above all else love. It is not only a recipe book, but much, much more in one jacket.
A few of my personal favorite pieces of the book is the most precious and adorable tale of the author when she was a tiny four year old on a fishing trip with her Mama and Pa. An entertaining piece on her dance lessons and a poem "Ah,Love" about onions.
"Mary Lou thought the world was a wonderful place", her books certainly make the world a more wonderful place. It's really like being embraced and a part of her world, family and friends.
The recipes are from the author, her mother Myrtle and family and friends. There are charming histories of each person who has contributed recipes.
There are beautiful sunny afternoon stories with almost every recipe ! This is just cause for celebration !
This book presents not as a fling, but as a true courtship, romance and love affair for those of us that love to cook.
I just could not put the book down, reading from cover to cover and becoming absorbed in each and every story and recipe.
Some of the recipes I've tried and have gotten my taste buds spoiled by are Myrtles Chocolate Fudge, delightful and delectable. Pamelas Blueberry Cobbler is another of the desert recipes I've tried. I'm very curious about the Watermelon Rind Preserves. I'm planning on making The Cinnamon Bread recipe this weekend.
It's full of smart suggestions and tips. Making it even more endearing to the reader are quotes and inspirational phrases at the bottom of every page !
Until you are ready to cook some of these absolutely mouth watering recipes, I suggest having some snacks on hand. My appetite found this book extremely stimulating.
She generously shares so much of her life, thoughts and memories, One gets the feeling that you really have come to know this charming, delightful and beautiful person.
Hers are books I treasure and though I haven't much space, I'll always keep them on the top shelf of my book case.
For those who love cooking, humor, memoirs, bright stories and some nostalgia, I recommend this book highly.

Louisiana offers a cornucopia of regional dishes that would grace any dining occasion, satisfy any appetite, and please even the most discerning gourmet expectations. Now in a newly expanded third edition, "Flavored With Love" by Jane Riley showcases more than 300 of her favorite Louisiana recipes enhanced with new stories of family and friends, food-and-cooking 'infobits', and presenting a new style of cooking called 'La Cuisine Texianne'. Of special note is the choice of using a large print, full letter-sized page format for each of these 'kitchen cook friendly', step-by-step recipes. From Myrtle's Chocolate Fudge; Stir Fried Shrimp and Vegetables with Angel Hair Pasta; and Bourbon Chicken; to Sour Cream Enchiladas; Butterbeans with Dumplings; and JR's Crawfish Etouffee, "Flavored With Love" lives up to its title and is enthusiastically recommended for personal and community library cookbook collections.

The book, The Smuggler's Treasure is a very good book. I love the characters, Elisabet Holder and Marie. Marie and Elisabet meet each other in the story and become good friends. They both go to New Orleans together because Marie works at a bakery store and Elisabet's Aunt wanted Elisabet to help Marie. Elisabet has no family but her Aunt and Uncle. This book is a really good book. What I really liked about this book was that the character Elisabet was very bright and intelligent. What I don't like about the story was when her uncle died.

This is one of the best mysteries I have ever read!! It never had a dull moment. And it's great because you learn about some of the history of our country while getting an entertaining read. I HIGHLY reccomend this book and other books in the American Girl series (especially the Addy books)!!

The Smuggler's Treasure, Sarah Masters Buckey

Elisabet Holder, is the main character in the novel, The Smuggler's Treasure. She is sent from Boston to New Orleans to live with Aunt, because her dad was captured by the British. This takes place in 1814, when America was fightening against the British. Elisabet forces herself to find the smuggled treasure to earn her dad's freedom. In my attention was grabbed right from the beginning. As the book progresses Elisabet realizes the treasure has been hidden in her own house. This book is a great book for people who like mysteries. I liked this book because every chapter has a mystery to it. I would recommend this book to girls.

An archetypal prince-to-pauper story, The Smuggler's Treasure acquaints the 10-years-and-older reader with a child protagonist whose financial and emotional security change drastically upon the British capture of her father. Opening with Elisabet voyaging toward New Orleans from New England, the book details not only geographical and historical elements of America in 1814, but throws the protagonist into the discomfort of working as a commoner in her aunt's bakery after living the life of a high-society Northerner. Strangely, the novel rushes Elisabet into quick acceptance of her new financial status after a few token days of refusing to give up wearing her thick, hot, woolen dresses of the North. Soon, the heat takes its toll and Elisabet symbolically attires herself in the thin cottons of the South, and immediately the culture shock and grief disappear-just in time for the author to highlight the adventure of pirates, clues, and treasure. Although unrealistic in its character portrayal, and in its speed in tidying away the parental crisis, the book does effectively engage the reader (juvenile or adult) due to the fast plot movement, tantalizing swamp adventure, and the hovering danger.
As the first in Pleasant Company's History Mystery Series, The Smuggler's Treasure serves to entice young readers thriving on excitement. The publishers picked well when selecting it as the heralding book of the series since The Smuggler's Treasure far excels over the rest in the series due to the provocative excitement of Elisabet's struggle against Pirates and her independent ransoming for the freedom of her father.
Sure to be a positive factor with parents, teachers, and librarians, the book's historical "Looking Back" end-section provides accurate photographs, drawings, and facts about Louisiana, the War of 1812, and Pirate Smugglers. Historical documentation provides a framework for the interested child to weigh the difference between fact and fiction and allows teachers an accessible way to frame discussions on history.
The black ink engravings heading each chapter complement the historical nature of the book while the painterly, color illustrations on the cover, frontispiece, and map attract the eyes due to the atmospheric, dramatic, diagonal compositions. It is, however, unfortunate that cover illustrator, Troy Howell, conveys the frightened, scrambling Elisabet with a zombie-like gaping mouth and staring, vacant eyes. If the reader can successfully look past the first cover-expression, and dive right into the intrigue, mystery, and fast-paced adventure of The Smuggler's Treasure, the boy or girl reader is guaranteed to close the book with renewed curiosity about the real-life drama of pirates and the contented satisfaction of an adventure well written.

This is another in the History Mystery series from American Girl, in which a young American girl is confronted by a mystery that will tax her resolve and her ability. This is the story of eleven-year-old Elisabet Holder, an eleven-year-old girl living in New Orleans in 1814. Her father had been impressed into the British Navy, stolen off his own ship, and when Elisabet learns that her uncle had died leaving behind a hidden treasure map, she begins looking for it, so that she can sell it and buy her father's freedom. But, there's someone else looking for the map, and Elisabet is walking into more trouble than she can imagine!

The final chapter is a bit of a bonus, a look at life in America in 1814. This is an exciting story with everything that you could want - pirates, mystery, ghosts, and friendship. My fourteen-year-old daughter has been a fan of the American Girls stories for years, and both she and I greatly enjoyed this story. If you are looking for a great story for your American girl (or for any reader!), then this is the book for you. My daughter and I both highly recommend this book to you.

I have read both of Ms. Blacks books. WoW! I can't wait to read her next book! They were worth every penny!! A nice unexpected extra...she autographs every book!! Thanks Ms. Black and keep'um coming! :)

Read this book in a day. Couldn't put it down it was so hot! When I started reading it and it started out being in a swamp, I was like what is this? Then OMG!!!!!! My heart was racing and I was quite aroused (not sure if that is the proper word to use or not?). Incredible story, well written with imaginative erotica events that would just.......

Make sure to read this book when you are in bed next to your lover. Enjoy, deserves more then five stars for sure!

You won't want to put this book down once you start. This is a great read!! It's very stimulating, there are parts in this book that you'll want to read over and over agin.

CAJUN HOT is a tremendously entertaining comedy of a romance. I was enthralled from page one right on through to the end. The story is hot and sexy as well and I was either fanning myself from the heat or chuckling over the antics of the characters. The general plot is pretty straightforward, but the route to get to the happy ending has some outrageous moments. The story keeps your interest and I was very disgruntled anytime I had to put the book away and do something else. Ms. Black's characters are rich and well-rounded. Sahara has some serious career goals and is not in the mood to take a detour for love; she is fun, likeable and amusing. Jacque presents himself as a laid-back, sexy Cajun, which he certainly is, but there is a lot more to him as well. The secondary characters really add to this story, both in humor and outrageousness. The sex scenes are explicit, extremely hot and contain elements of ménage, bondage and exhibitionism. I truly enjoyed CAJUN HOT and highly recommend it if you are looking for a fun, amusing and extremely sexy read!

This book left me breathing hot and feeling an insatiable wetness. I WOULD NOT recommend reading this in public... and make sure you have easy access to your lover!!! Cajun is HOT HOT HOT

This is probably one of the best lesbian characters ever written. The problem is we haven't had a Micky Knight fix in years. Where oh where are you JM??....Please give us more Micky Knight and Cordelia!!!

I have all of the Mickey Knight series and i am hungry for more. As an avid reader of true crime, authors like Ann Rule, Roy Hazelwood etc, i was surprised at how well written these books were. I couldnt put them down.
Come on Ms Redman when is the next one coming out ???
Mickey Knight is brilliant. The storyline typical of the deep south and its age old mystery and the book seems to drag you willingly into the depths of its darkened corridors. The women appear real, not wishy washy like most lesbian heroines. The plot seems to easily weave its way through the book yet it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see just what is about to happen next. I have spent many a sleepless night reading these books. I just couldnt put them down once i started reading them. Oh for the tardis to take me to New orleans.

I only recently discovered Micky and have devoured all 4 novels over a span of 3 weeks. I adore hard-nosed Micky with all her foibles and weaknesses. Add to that an amazing cast of characters and you can't go wrong with this book or any of the previously published in the series. I recommend them all! I only pray that Ms Redmann keeps churning out more Micky Knight adventures. I, for one, am hooked! Bravo!

Finally this book is back in print. I read a friend's hardback copy, thinking the paperback would be out in a year or two. That was over five years ago. I was introduced to Micky Knight when
I picked up a mass market copy of THE INTERSECTION OF LAW AND DESIRE about ten years ago and looked for more books. Since the first two books were out of print, I waited for the next book in the series.
This excellent book about mothers and daughters kept me reading until my eyes wouldn't stay open. I finished it the following morning. Micky Knight has been described as "hard-boiled" by some reviewers, but I think that tough-veneered is a better description. In fact, she is extremely vulnerable. what I like most about Micky is that she doesn't just tackle ordinary crimes and shoot people and kick butt. Yes she does shoot a time or two, but it is usually not an easy thing for her and is almost always in self-defense and when she kicks butt, she doesn't bother to take names. Without giving away the plot, let me say this book is about daughters looking for their mothers -- including Micky.
Redmann writes complex plots and well-developed characters. There is a cast of friends beginning with Micky's lover Cordelia, and her ex-lover assistant DA Danielle Clayton (and her life-partner, Elly) Police Sargent Joanne Ranson and her life-partner Alex, Micky's cousin drag-queen Torbin and his life-mate Andy. We were introduced to them in the first of four mysteries and we learn a little more about them as the series progresses. There are some less likeable recurring characters, especially Micky's Aunt Greta and her despised cousin Bayard.
Micky Knight is a complex, usually likeable woman who cares deeply about others. If you haven't already read this book,do so. And read the three other Micky Knight books.

and it's a crying shame that they are not kept affordably in print--for one thing, it deprives Redmann of some very well earned revenue. In many ways, this 4th installment of Micky's adventures reads like the natural conclusion to the cycle of investigations opened by the first volume in the series, when we were introduced to a tough and beautiful lesbian babe-magnet with a smart mouth and endless compassion for those in trouble. She's physical (and even promiscuous--but the series is about how she gets tamed), she's achingly vulnerable, she's noble, she's got demons. Only in Lost Daughters do we meet her settled into a proper relationship, so the angst quotient is considerably lower than in the other books. Still, the conclusion to her search for her mother is unbelievably touching, and handled with just the right measure of reserve. Much as I'd love to see more of her, I wonder whether Redmann (whose website, ominously, appears to have vanished from cyberspace) is finished with her adventures. If she is, I just pray that she has another heroine in reserve for us to cheer on. Like the Meg Darcy books, with their lovingly depicted St. Louis locales, the Mickey Knight stories set us in a believable New Orleans, with its social strata, its weather, its flavors and smells.

We purchased the books to donate to a local hospital's childrens department. This book shares the hardships of a brave little pony who worked with her doctors and owner to overcome a monumental medical problem. It goes on to show that even after the loss of her leg the other ponies still accepted her and and shows that she is still able to live a happy life. It's an inspiration for children facing major medical problems.

This book is wonderful. It is had to find books with prostetic limbs, my son was so happy to see Molly wearing one. This book was well put, with beautiful photos.

Great little book about Molly, the pony rescued after Hurricane Katrina, and fitted with a prosthesis after losing her leg from a dog attack. Inspiring and uplifting. Although written for children, this simple story complete with great pictures, will be an inspiration for anyone. Molly is the pony who would not quit and neither would those who came to her rescue. Not just for horse lovers, recommended for anyone in need of a lift.

I was a bit disappointed in this book, after reading news reports about the good work Molly is now doing with injured humans. As a whole this is a well written story about a mature pony with great pluck and stamina. However, in my opinion, not enough was said about the encouragement she gives to children and adults, civilians and military, in her visits.

Still, my 4 year old granddaughter insisted on having me read it to her three times in succession, when it arrived.

I bought this book for my 13 year old granddaughter who's passion is horses. She also lives in the southern part of Louisiana and experienced some affects of Katrina.
She would not put the book down until she finished it!!
Great learning tool also!!!

I recently had the privilege to attended a workshop with Robert. The experience left me with a desire to know more about him and his work. I purchased his book and could not put it down. Robert's personal journey to follow his calling and heartfelt relationships are inspiring. This book allowed me to look deep inside myself, explore my biases and feelings about humanity in general. This book is a must read and will change the way you view our prison system.

When I first participated in one of Bob's community building workshops I left wondering what potential the process held in other situations. It all makes sense after reading this book. A simple idea -- be vulnerable and take ownership of your opinions and your past, don't judge, listen intensely, and don't be afraid to grieve for your past failures, sufferings and pain ... and those of others. This process has changed the lives of so many individuals that the rest of society has given up on too easily. You won't look at innmates and former convicts the same. You hopefully won't look at yourself the same either. Read it and it will open your eyes and heart. Thank you Bob!

I found this book by accident when i was searching for more infos about life in Americas prisons. I got this book with the intention to read sometimes a few pages because my time is very limited . it turned out that I had to run to work for to be not too late because always when I spent my time with this book I forgot everything else around me.
That's just how interesting this book is. Fascinating to me was the fact that with each page I read, I found my own thoughts or a proof of the things I already knew .
I spent the last 6 years with communicating with prisoners in America. Often it is hard to believe what's going on in these places. Some people may find it hard to believe what Mr Roberts has to tell within this book but I can assure everybody that everything you read is true and based on real life .
Mr Roberts changed his whole life for to bring some changes to a few people .I hope everyone who reads this book gets an idea of how serious the criminal and justice problem in America really is and starts to help to make a change
PS: For everyone from Germany , you can order the book by amazon.de.

Heartbreaking in its simplicity and insight, Dr. Robert's journey is one every tax-paying American should take. From his personal committment, establishment of Project Return which pushed his career in radically different directions, to his work with indiginous populations, Dr Roberts casts himself as very much the student. This is a position very few 'civilians' have experienced. I know. I'm just finishing my 30th year in law enforcement.. This is must reading for professionals and citizens alike. You will finish this book as a changed person.

A moving account of one man's search for a path to truth, a path by the following of which society as a whole can benefit. While this book is subtitled: An Unlikely Journey Behind the Walls of Justice, it is so much wider in its applicability than to the insitutions wherein it was born. In his exploration of 'community building', Mr. Roberts has written a remarkable prescription for society as a whole to adopt and apply to heal the profound wounds caused by the segregation of its members into disparate islands of fear, hurt, and hate. As for the application of this process to both the incarcerated and returned prison population itself, truly remarkable results have resulted from so doing. Mr. Roberts has addressed a core concern: "Without proper support, however, transformation is a long hard road. Because most of (the incarerated) are unprepared, most of them fail [become recidivists upon being paroled or pardoned]." Robert's combination of community building and techniques developed from his insights into the human social condition garnered while studying prisoners directly should be seriously examined by all states concernd with reformation of those who offend its rules. The results from so doing offer a path to real freedom, the transformation of a person rather than the brutalizing perpetuation of antisocial behavior consequent from incarceration as it is currently administered. Finally, this is a remarkable and inspiring read.

So often today we find the victim and family of an horrific crime victimized the second time. When I read an excerpt of "Dead Man Walking" and then saw who was directing and starring in the movie version I realized that this cruelty was being visited upon the family of Faith Hathaway. I have always had my doubt about the death penalty however the writers have a very valid point about the alternative punishment: life without parole. As long as the murderer is alive there is a chance of commutation of sentence (the removal of a mandatory sentence makes an inmate eligible to be considered for parole) or an outright pardon. After researching the number of commutations allowed in the past I now realize that, with great deliberation, there still is a place for the death penalty.

This book is valuable for anyone interested in the debates about justice, but particularly for readers of Helen Prejean's Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty In The United States. I also advise reading Debbie Morris' Forgiving the Dead Man Walking: Only One Woman Can Tell the Entire Story, and the Bourgue family's Dead Family Walking: The Bourque Family Story of Dead Man Walking, both written by victims of the murderers for whom Helen Prejean was such an eloquent advocate. This is not as appealing as Dead Man Walking, not as warm and fuzzy, but it is an unflinching, indeed horrific, look at the reality of murder and vicious cruelty.

I believe that if we, as a society, release someone whom we have good reason to believe is dangerous, we are responsible for future acts of violence. Not as a responsible as we are for executing an innocent person, but still bearing a burden of guilt. What I like best about the book is that he talks about the reasons that keep me from accepting the abolition of the death penalty. Varnado points out that the arguments that are advanced against the death penalty could, with slight editing, be advanced against any punishment; at 53, I can remember when they were. Executing the murderer doesn't bring back the victim, but neither does anything else. Many of the leaders of the abolition movement, currently begging us to be content with life-without-parole (LWoP), are the same people who have been opponents of any long-term imprisonment. I don't think that we would have LWoP if we didn't have a death penalty. Given the arguments against three-time loser laws, will people who don't accept LWoP for three felonies, even if they are all violent, continue to support LWoP for a murder, however heinous? I think they'd revert to their earlier and more sincere opinions.

It's not an easy question. The legal system is simultaneously too harsh and too soft. Innocent people have been convicted. Chills go down my spine when mayors, governors, etc., announce that heads will roll if someone isn't accused within 48 hours. "Testilying", i.e., false information by the police, is apparently all too common, but the defense is no better. Obviously our legal system is not too concerned about public safety: convicts are given probation, violate it, and are simply given probation again. I hear horrifying tales of the carelessness of parole boards.

I have also come to think less of Helen Prejean, the more I know about her. I finished Dead Man Walking not convinced, but with great respect for her. As she has become more famous, and more information is available, it has become clear that she feels her cause justified lying and general carelessness with the truth. As Varnado and Debbie Morris point out, she simply accepted what Willie told her without any investigation. It was fine as his spiritual advisor to deal with the world as he saw it, but when she crossed the line into legal advocate and author, such sloppiness became irresponsible. Further, she apparently was knowingly telling a lie when she claimed Willie was remorseful. Not only did he contradict her in his own interview, but Debbie Morris told us that she admitted that she didn't think he was capable of remorse. She has now written a book about people who were supposedly innocent of the crimes for which they were executed; I suppose that I will read it, but at this point, I wouldn't take her word for it. She has co-founded a program for victims, but as Varnado points out, she remains extremely insensitive to them as individuals. Her prayer condemning the participants in an execution, including the victim's parents, is a case in point. She topped this off by not considering how they would feel about appearing in her book, let alone the movie! She's great at touching apologies, but they only mean something if one tries to do better.

Readers concerned about valuing the murderer over the victims may also be interested in reading The Victim's Song by Alice Kaminsky; Yale Murder by Peter Meyer; and The Killing of Bonnie Garland: A Question of Justice by Willard Gaylin.

Victims of Dead Man Walking has been the most difficult, tear-jerking, enraging, must read I have come across. Ever. This brutal rape and murder happened not far from my home, and Faith's memory is still well within the minds and hearts of people all over our area. She was a beautiful, smart, 18 year old young lady who had the world within her reach on graduation day. But a cruel, unrelenting Robert Willie and Joseph Vaccaro, both of them boasting about a life of crime without remorse, stole Faith Hathaway away from this earth. They raped her repeatedly, stabbed her until the gaping wounds nearly severed her head, and left her to die alone in Fricke's Cave, only to be discovered 8 days later by a then 25 year old whip detective Mike Varnado. Hollywood doesn't want you to know these things. They would rather you believe that a then 24 year old "Matthew Poncelet" (a dead ringer for Robert Willie if there ever was one), who received the death penalty by electric chair, became a remorseful repentant man when he met his fate. Nothing of the sort ever occured. His partner in crime, Joseph Vaccaro, sits this day in a federal penitentiary still serving out his sentence for yet another crime, the rape and kidnapping of a "16 year old from Madisonville".

This book is so very well written it feels as though Detective Mike is speaking to you personally. He makes it easy, while terrifying, to put yourself in his shoes, countless sleepless nights after discovering Faiths swollen, nude, decomposing body in the once family oriented Fricke's Cave. You can feel the anger rise up from the pages from a very cruel young man who boasted of his murders, who never showed remorse, but loved the attention he gained from the spectacle of a nun and the television news. After the book DMW and movie of the same name, the real story of Faith Hathaway was nearly forgotten until Detective Mike brought forth the true details of the crime. One need not be pro nor con death penalty to learn valuable lessons and true facts of Faith Hathaway. After speaking with Faith's mother personally, I learned that Mrs. Harvey (Faith's mother) asked Tim Robbins (DMW director) to at least visit the area of Fricke's Cave where her daughter was left to die. Mr. Robbins response was "I don't have the time". Please - make the time for this book, the REAL story of the Victims of Dead Man Walking. These words by Detective Mike will make you a litttle wiser to the facts of this young girl, the trial that followed, and could very well give you the knowledge to save your own life one day.

I lived in the area when this tragic, senseless, and incredibly brutal rape & murder took place near my hometown. Friends and relatives worked the case, and the entire area mourned the loss of Faith Hathaway as the peaceful innocence and sense of safety in our rural area was forever shattered.
The wounds were re-opened when Dead Man Walking came out. It was a slap in the face of everything good and true. It was an incredibly cruel blow to Faith's family, who deserved so much better after the tragic loss of their daughter.
Thank you Mike for setting the record straight, for honoring Faith's memory.

I read the book "Forgiving The Dead Man Walking" by Debbie Morris, who was also kidnapped and raped by Robert Lee Willie and Joe Vaccaro. Debbie lived to tell the story in her own words... I highly recommend it for those of you who care about this topic.

Love it, love it, love it. Despres does it again. She captures the south and sets the reader right down in Gentry, Louisiana to experience the story set in post WWI south firsthand.

Lucy Adams, author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny

I loved Loraine's first novel, "The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc", and this book did not disappoint. Set in the south, two generations prior to Sissy, Loraine's female characters present strength, perserverance, and mettle. Belle teaches us to follow our dreams and what we feel is right in our hearts. A entertaining book for both men and women.

I was assigned this book for my company's book club and I really enjoyed it. Not only does this book give us an entertaining read but it also gives us a lession of society during the 1920's. After reading about how the KKK terrorized people over a reason they had no control over, all I can imagine is how terrifying it must have been to live during that time and be of a non white non Christian "race". I also found myself truly engaged in the life of the characters, and the so called relationship between Belle and Brouee - at one point during the book I wanted to scream "kick him in the nuts!" during an altercation between those two. (I'm not a violent person - really!)
And don't think of this book as a chick book - I think men would also get a kick out of the humor of the story.

This is an excellent novel written by a cleaver woman who obviously grew up in New Orleans. I enjoyed it emensely and highly recommend it.

Stayed up late last night and finished Bad Behavior which I really liked. A very unconventional love story with the KKK, anti-semitism, Chicago race riots, Southern social history and a lot of Southern proper behavior thrown in. Rules for women that we didn't know existed. We have the cutting of the hair, the cutting of the ties to the 19th century and yet, the infinite human need for love and/or sex. Our heroine is badly behaved but in a way that one can't help liking. And the Jewish man she falls in love with, unlike the 20th century Jewish male model celebrated by Seinfeld, Woody Allen and Saul Bellow--whiny, desperately in need of a mother and good cooking, narcissistic and pathetic, is more like the second generation Jewish male one pictures in the early twentieth century--self reliant, hard working, intellectual and urbane. Altogether a great read. Bravo.