California Books

This was my first experience with a Jack Liffey novel and it won't be the last. Rather than start with his later work, I ordered "The Concrete River" as this is the first in the series and I wanted to be in on the beginning. John Shannon is clearly an underated talent and I am pleased to see that there will be reissues of more of his earlier work. Shannon's writing is Chandleresque and Liffey is a great world-weary private eye. The descriptions of the underbelly of Los Angeles are spot on and remind me of Hammett, Mosely and Michael Connelly. Avid mystery readers owe it to themselves to check out Shannon. You won't be disappointed. My next Liffey novel is on pre-order!

Captures Los Angeles perfectly. Protagonist is believable, story is absorbing - I couldn't wait for the second of this series and bought it immediately when it came out (this is the first). Looking forward to the author's next book. If you like Michael Connelly, Abigail Padgett, and find Andrew Vacchs compelling (if not always palatable), give this author a try. You won't be disappointed.

This book begins John Shannon's Jack Liffey series about a character who becomes an unintended and unlicensed detective tracing lost children. Liffey fits right into the tradition of other Los Angeles offbeat detective-protagonists. The random comments about the weirdness of L.A. are especially amusing. Recommend reading the series in order to appreciate the development of the characters.

There are writers in various genres (mystery, romance, westerns, etc.) and then there are Writers; they're the gifted people whose genre is scarcely relevant because their work always rises above the territory upon which they've staked their claim. John Shannon is a Writer.

This first of Shannon's Jack Liffey series is a work of lean, effective prose, spiced with startling dashes of outrageous humor (as was The Orange Curtain, my introduction to Shannon's work). Los Angeles, as portrayed through Liffey's eyes, is a series on ongoing atrocities and carnage that are so everyday as to be normal. Add to this mix a character with a tired, yet invincible, spirit who observes and accepts (but doesn't like) what he sees, and you have a hero unlike any other.

Liffy is the essential American of a certain age, (and a Viet Nam vet) possessed of heart and conscience, trying very hard to be honorable while he searches for missing children (in itself a profound metaphor for the lost innocence not only of the city, but of our entire society.)

It is a sad fact that talent is not its own reward; it does not guarantee success. But if anyone writing today deserves recognition on a large scale, it is John Shannon. His work is both insightful social commentary and an unflinching, wrenching look at the human heart. If you want to be entertained and informed, get this book! Go to out-of-print booksites if you must, or search your local library, but this is a writer who very much deserves to be widely read.

I would highly recommend this book for the diverstiy of interests covered. The internet addresses and contact people have changed, so that is a bit annoying, but I realize the book was written a while ago now. I can't wait to connect!

This is not a guide book, rather is is a life-style guide on how to expand your interests and meet new people of similar interests. The authors help give you a way to balance your harried work life and find other things to do (and hopefully meet cool people with similar interests). The research is very thorough (groups and places many San Franciscans have not heard about) -- where can you experience the flying trapeeze?, where do beekeepers meet?, you like model railroads?, whale watching?. I didn't count them, but there seem to be at least 693 entries. Great book -- well worth the price.

For me going out and meeting people can be uncomfortable. I bought CISF and went to several of the organizations listed in the book. I couldn't believe how easy it was for me to fit in and have a great time. I'm going to at least one new place a week now.

Like everyone else I know who has purchased "Connecting in San Francisco," my copy is book marked throughout with "stickies". Sure, as a San Franciscan for six years, I knew of a number of groups and activities. For me, the most fun was learning about the ones I didn't know existed and new groups I wanted to join. I have tried many new pursuits, which have become part of my weekly routine and have vastly enriched my life. Along with recruiting friends to join me in these activities, I have acquired new friends. Most of what I have done required a minimum investment of time and money and the rewards are enormous. It's also interesting to note that this book is of great value to visitors and those who are just in the city on a temporary basis. Many listings are "drop-in" activities like two of my favorites: The San Francisco Art Association's First Thursday Gallery Nights and the free rollerblading lesson and rentals offered by Marina Skate and Snowboard. No matter how obscure you might think your interests are, you will find something in this book. And the joy in trying some new things is in discovering another side of yourself. The authors have done their research. The activities have been great fun and the environments very welcoming!

La constitución de la sociedad, de Anthony Giddens, constituye junto a La Distinción de Pierre Bourdieu y Teoría de la Acción Comunicativa de J. Habermas, una de las tres principales obras de la sociología contemporánea.
Más allá de que Giddens terminó en el polo opuesto político de Bourdieu, sus teorías lograron romper con la falsa dicotomía entre estructura y construcción o agencia social.
Es una de las obras que ningún estudioso de sociología o teoría social puede dejar de considerar, desgraciadamente la traducción en castellano es pésima y es necesario recurrir a su lectura en inglés para poder comprender la obra.
Roberto von Sprecher
Prof. Sociología Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Argentina.

Dr. Giddens' work is grand on many accounts: it attempts to synthesize the insights of "macro" and "micro" sociology, and in doing so claims to explain the full range of human action using the disciplines of developmental psychology, philosophy, sociology, and human geography. "The Constitution of Society" (CoS) is simply fantastic in comparison with an earlier Giddens piece like "Central Problems in Social Theory" (CPST). While CoS does not give equal space to the myriad of social concepts it discusses, I found the book well organized and quite thorough on several important points.

I will not provide a restatement of Giddens' "structuration" theory in this review, although doing so might be of use to many amazon.com readers. Instead I'd like to discuss Giddens' primary motivation for developing structuration theory: an attempt to clarify the relationship between both material and social situations and human action. Giddens is an action theorist who, particularly like Marx and Weber, has tried to explain this quintessential sociological relationship.

Like CPST, CoS is organized around select elements of Marx's sociology. While this may be more readily apparent in the case of the former monograph, one need only read page xxi of CoS's introduction to get the picture: "This book, indeed, might be accurately described as an extended reflection upon a celebrated and oft-quoted phrase to be found in Marx. Marx comments that 'Men [let us immediately say human beings] make history, but not in circumstances of their own choosing.' Well, so they do. But what a diversity of complex problems of social analysis this apparently innocuous pronouncement turns out to disclose!"

Neither Marx, Durkheim, nor Weber posited a one-way relationship between environment and acting subject, but none of their theories described the relationship with enough clarity to satisfy Giddens. Reading CPST after CoS, one can see how the earlier work presents what would later become many of Giddens' mature views as the most important contributions of the classical authors.

In my opinion, structuration theory is so successful at explaining the environment/subject relationship because of its use of developmental psychology. Openly borrowing from Erik Erikson, Giddens considers the need to minimize anxiety as the primary motivation of human action. He argues that we engage in the type of regular social behavior observed by Garfinkel and Goffman because doing so lessens the anxiety that we first develop as infants. As if wedding the work of "interactionist" and "structuralist" sociologists were not impressive enough, Giddens enhances microsociology by providing a psychological basis for its observations. Furthermore, this combination facilitates the incorporation of arguments and observations from human geography. The spatial notions of presence and absense that form the basis of individual anxiety also define societies at large. Thus the "problem of order" in structuration theory is how it's possible that actors who are not co-present can coordinate their actions and reproduce anxiety-minimizing social norms across space and time.

As Giddens' critics have stated at length, the empirical utility of structuration theory is debatable. Even so, I consider "The Constitution of Society" an underutilized resource for guiding sociological investigation, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all those interested in social theory.

In this book Giddens gives us The answers, not only to why societys are like they are - the structural parts as well as the cultural - but allso the reason why we, the actors, let them be like they are. By doing this Giddens puts a final end to the micro-macro disussion of whether society constitutes actors or actors constitutes society, where he through his concept of "duality of structure" implodes the debate by not only defining the action of social reproduction as the constitution of society, but allso explaining the psychological reasons, the need for "ontological security", behind. While avoiding the temptation to reduce either actors to be a function of society or to reduce society to be an aggregate of individuals, makes it possible to discuss the links between as well as within the two analytical parts. Unfortunately his theory still lacks one essential aspect - the social dynamic. As a consequence the reader interested in social change will be mighty dissapointed. In the prospect of explainging social order Giddens develops a theory that lacks any other explanation to social change than the orthodox dogmas of unexpected consequences. My suggestion is that Giddens would do well to adapt the time perspective used by Piotr Sztompka, Margaret Archer and other critical realists. In doing so he would undisputably undermine any concurrence to the title as the one who closed the mest vigouros debate of social sciences in the 20th century.

I think Giddens' structuration theory is the most promising theory since collapse of Parsons' framework.I read this book at undergraduate for the first time. while I studied Husserl and Heidegger at the same time. this help me understand Giddens with ease. I recommend to read Heidegger's Sein und Zeit to see the motive under Giddens' theory. this is not hidden fact. Giddens himself noted it several times. without philosopical background knowledge, it's impossible to access him properly. u will see my point if u read the first page of his 'Central Problem of Social Theory'. I agree to Turner's point that Giddens' theoretical framework is vague at best sencitising for actual research. concepts are clearly defined but how those concepts are related to each other is not that clear. reader himself should fill the gaps. one should make up for this difficulty with grasping Giddens' deep motive under framework. to do so, u should know well the tradition of Sociology and modern philosophy.

This book provided me with information and details about programs at Edwards Air Force Base which were not available to me when I service as an Air Force Sargent at Edwards AFB during the 1960s.

George Marrett vividly recounts his memoirs of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in "Contrails Over the Mojave". Marrett and his fellow test pilots constantly pushed the performance envelope in the mid-1960s to advance American military aviation.

Marrett's interest in aviation began at an early age during the height of World War II. He and his friend Bob used to run around the backyard pretending to be fighter pilots, or sometimes a bomber crew on a mission over Germany. He was always the co-pilot, because Bob said that you had to have a silver whistle to be the pilot. Marrett continues "I envied Bob and his whistle and promised myself that someday I would get a whistle and advance into the lofty ranks of the pilots. I never asked Bob why a whistle was required. It was just a requirement - that was enough for a young boy." After graduating flight school, he earned silver wings, but he was always trying to earn his next `silver whistle'.

The book does an outstanding job of focusing on the major events in Marrett's 12-year Air Force career. After his flight training at Bainbridge AFB, Georgia, he traveled to San Francisco, California to stand fighter alert in the nuclear-missile armed F-101B Voodoo. It was here that he learned many of the important lessons for young fighter pilots, and he also set himself up for success as a future test pilot.
After graduating from Col Chuck Yeager's `Charm School', Marrett finally became a test pilot. In this section, the book's scope expands to cover the contributions of the entire fighter branch, not only the achievements of Capt Marrett. To name a few of the bigger testing programs, the book offers recollections for the X-15; the century series fighters; the XB-70 Valkyrie; the SR-71/YF-12/A-12; the F-4 Phantom; and the F-5 Freedom Fighter.

Along with his engaging recollections of the aerial achievements, Marrett also captures the subtle entrenchment of bureaucracy at Edwards AFB. Along with the rapid expansion of the base, the Air Force Flight Test Center had to deal with increased oversight from the Air Force. As aircraft design knowledge (and aircraft prices) increased, there was an increase in the safety requirements at the installation. Tragically, Marrett recants the stories of far too many pilots who gave their lives chasing the next whistle.

Marrett is an extremely talented author. "Contrails Over the Mojave" is an insider's look at the flight testing of America's greatest fighter planes of the 1960s. Every aviation enthusiast needs to set aside a space on the bookshelf alongside Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff".

George Marrett has written an accurate, detailed and concise book about the flight test activities at Edwards Air Force Base during the 1960's. His ability to lend a personal touch to the people involved was remarkable.

An excellent tretise on flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My congratulations to the author for a well written piece.

Professor Walker's book is a solidly researched, comprehensive history of the environmental movement in the Bay Area. Written in a clear, accessible style, the book covers a century of landsaving, from the early days of the Sierra Club to the exciting years from 1965-75 when most of our environmental protection laws were passed, to the recent use of land trusts , conservation easements, and urban growth boundaries to safeguard the Bay Area's precious green heritage. This book will stand, along with John Hart's "Legacy" and Amy Meyer's "New Guardians for the Golden Gate" as the canonical texts in the environmental history of California for years to come.

THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY: THE GREENING OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA should be a 'most' for any San Francisco Bay Area or comprehensive California library, whether it be a college-level or public lending collection. Students of California history and geography alike will appreciate this story of how the Bay Area's greenbelt was planned into an urban environment - and how each piece of it was fought for. From environmental battles which spread out to affect urban policies across the country to the involvement of businesses and individuals like, THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY is packed with insights on how early conservation affects today's urban environment, making it a fine pick for any collection interested in urban planning, ecology, or Bay Area history alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book really helped me understand the world I was born into--Berkeley in the late 1950s. As Richard Walker points out, that world reflected the work of countless Bay Area activists reaching back to John Muir. Many were civic-minded and dedicated women, and some started or built environmental organizations with national impact. This book describes it all: the people, the organizations, the issues, the victories (always temporary), the challenges, and the movement's shortcomings and unintended consequences.

Always attuned to class issues, Walker acknowledges that these movements were mostly led by upper-class folks and ultimately turned parts of the Bay Area (e.g., Marin) into lightly populated enclaves for the well off. Working families in the Bay Area have had great access to public parks and the coast, but activists so far have done little to impede the siting of toxic nastiness in low-income neighborhoods. Walker questions the link between efforts to slow or stop growth and the Bay Area's high housing prices, but he notes that the growth that has occurred--in the eastern part of Contra Costa County and the San Joaquin Valley, for example--isn't very smart and may be linked to the inner Bay Area's aversion to virtually any growth at all. At the end of the day, though, it's hard to resist Walker's conclusion that Bay Area residents have plenty to be thankful for. Highly recommended.

While this book was a bit academic and long on details, I found it a pleasant and easy read. I am a Bay Area resident and a NYC transplant and have marveled at the accessibility of the Bay Area's natural beauty and recreation.

I love the SF Bay Area for its beauty and outdoors and I wanted to know how it happened and who to thank. Now I know.

Another book worth considering, which is much more specific to the creation of one area is New Guardians for the Golden Gate: How America Got a Great National Park

Courage and Cancer was one of my all-time favorite books. The author is telling her breast cancer story in a way that everyone will enjoy reading, whether it is you that has cancer or a loved one. I recommend it very highly. You won't be disappointed.

Courage and Cancer was one of my all-time favorite books. The author is telling her breast cancer story in a way that everyone will enjoy reading, whether it is you that has cancer or a loved one. I recommend it very highly. You won't be disappointed.

Reading Courage & Cancer was almost like hearing my own thoughts, fears, battles, and victories echo from the pages of the book. Through the course of my own breast cancer treatment, I found that the two most helpful strategies were talking about it, and doing things to make me feel in control. Marilyn's way of doing those things was to write about it. And then she was generous enough to share the result with all of us. Thanks

Ok, so I'm biased....I already had done all these things before reading the book. I "met" Marilyn over 2 years ago when I joined the AOL (America On Line) cancer chat group and was sure that I couldn't know her any better by reading her book, but I was so wrong. Everyone who reads "Courage and Cancer" will know what an amazing, warm and wonderful woman she is. I am very honored and grateful to have shared my cancer recovery with Marilyn and I want to invite you all to be a part of this journey too. This is a must read for anyone who's life has been touched in some way with this devastating disease!!

How difficult it is to write honestly about one's own family, yet on this level--and several others--Sheila Weller triumphs. Her neurosurgeon father, her show-biz-journalist mother, and her uncle Herman, owner of a once-famous nightclub all had careers that had a profound influence on Sheila and her sister Liz.

The author's careful, meticulous documentation of those three livelihoods, plus a "you are there" look at her childhood in Beverly Hills (a decade before my childhood fifteen miles away) paint a many-faceted portrait of her family and the times, with joy and pain and glamour. The untimely deaths, the splits in the family bonds, all are described unflinchingly. Weller even gives a less-than-flattering description of her own girlhood, and how hard she tried to please a reserved father who reluctantly gave her a pet name, Brooksie. She was delighted until he added, "Because you babble."

An admirable effort from Sheila Weller. And bless her and her sister, for coming out whole!

this book was so interesting because it took you back in time to a whole different era, very glamorous, even if superficial. her gossip on the stars was really nothing compared to the drama her family played out. she's a strong person and rather than feeling disgusted and sorry for her you really cheer her on for her good sense and survival instinct.

When I ordered this book I thought I was buying an exposé about life at Ciro's in it's heyday, with emphasis on celebrities. Light summer reading, you know.. But this book is not about that and I could not have been more surprised or pleased. Sheila Weller's experiences as an adolescent trying to fit in with the Popular Girls rings so true that I felt like I was in Junior High again, only with her. The painful stories she relates about her family, especially about her father, made me think she must be a wonderfully strong woman to be able to write with such honesty. And with a wry sense of humor threaded throughout, even in the painful parts of her story. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.

Sheila Weller has told the story of her family lovingly and without self-pity. Although she describes many supremely painful moments - her rejection by her father is foremost - I never had the feeling she was wallowing in the past. She did her homework and the history of her parents and grandparents was more interesting than descriptions of the celebrities who visited Ciro's. We hear enough about celebrities these days. Weller maintains good tension throughout the book. Once I began reading I didn't want to put it down.

This book has affected my way of thinking and living more than any other book I have ever read. While I feel a few things in this book are outdated and can not be realistically applied to todays world the majority of what is written has made me a more accepting person and by changing my expectations I have found that I lead a more fullfilled life.

The Dao is perhaps on of the best philosophical books that I have ever read and it is something that everyone should read at least once.

Contains extensive introductory information, including discussion of recent archeoligical discoveries, and interesting endnotes (although I prefer footnotes - less fumbling with pages).

However, I found this translation to be a bit difficult. One of the reviewers on the back of the book refers to it as "poetic" - well, maybe; mostly I found it a bit of a struggle to make sense of it, and had to read through it with several parallel translations to figure out what Roberts was translating. However, in that situation, read with several parallel translations, this translation provides an worthwhile "spin". I find Mair's translation much cleaner, simpler, and more comprehensible. The two together are nice.

Moss Roberts' fine translation of TAO TE CHING is one of several recent translations based upon the Ma-wang-tui texts of Lao-tzu's reflective book of wisdom. Those texts were discovered in 1973, preserved in the tomb of an official's son. That tomb has been dated to 168 B.C. (p. 4). Professor Roberts' translation also draws from the Guodian LAOZI, discovered in 1993 in a royal tutor's tomb. As such, Roberts' translation could be considered the most definitive translation of the TAO TE CHING presently available.

Roberts is a Professor of Chinese at New York University, and the goal of his work is to assist his reader in understanding Lao-tzu's difficult poem. His book includes a twenty-three page Introduction that offers the historical background of the TAO TE CHING. He then annotates his literal translation of the two-part, eighty-one stanza poem with his insightful commentary. His translation is just as scholarly as Robert Henricks' translation, more literal than Stephen Harrison's poetic rendering of Lao-tzu's TAO, and more challenging than Red Pine's excellent translation.

G. Merritt

"Dear Alice" is a must read for anyone headed for China. It's a collection of hundreds of letters by English teachers from America, who arrived to discover China was a bit too different. Often in desperation, but usually with great wit and insight, they sought a shoulder to cry on. So they wrote barrel-fulls of letters to the person who sent them there; hence, Dear Alice .... Alice Renouf, the author, began sending teachers to China years ago and now runs a full-fledged human resources firm helping people who want to teach English in a truly different, challenging environment. Even the locals will tell you China is a crazy place -- a soviet-style bureaucracy trying to run a 3,000 year old society on a marathon of change. Some of the 1.2 runners are at 'start' and some in the 20th centruy. The route changes hourly, and the finishline is definitely "mei you." But if you want to know people who suffer awful frustration with courage, you're in the right place. The best part of the book is learning how many Americans overcome their initial shock, and why they don't flee to the nearest airport. The common strategy seems to be (1) Talk about it (2) Make friends with fellow suffers first, i.e. other Americans. This sounds a bit stand-offish considering you've gone all the way to China to meet Chinese, but it isn't, (3) Learn Chinese if you can, but failing that develop a busy schedule. China is truly ugly, but always interesting, so don't allow yourself an idle minute to examine your (usually) wretched physical surroundings, (4) Take enough money, or make enough. China isn't cheap, and a "mental holiday" in a place like China (dinner at a joint venture hotel) is many times costlier than in the US, (5) Travel and see the country. Make the experience count, and (6) Be prepared for the ultimate culture shock -- ending up where you may have started -- wiser and more tolerant perhaps, but believing your own culture makes considerably more sense.

First of all, I would like to mention that I had the opportunity to teach for one year in Xi'an, the ancient capital of China, and now the capital of Shaanxi province. I am thankful to Alice Renouf, the "Alice" of the title "Dear Alice", for making this dream come true. I went in 1992, if I remember correctly. Since I began reading this wonderful book, I have been unable to put it down. So many forgotten memories and subtle emotions came pouring into my consciousness. From the shock of the first weeks in China to standing in front of the classroom to the everday rush of life which I was part of, to eating in the nightmarket. Reading this book is a vivid and emotional experience. Second only to going to China oneself. Though, I feel it is a must read for anyone planning to go; either as teacher, student, tourist, businessman, politician. In fact, I feel it is not only important for those going to China, but also for anyone who intends to immerse themself in another culture. But even if you just want to read a good book, either while sitting on a warm and glistening sandy beach, with the waves lapping against the shore; or while sitting in your living room sipping a cup of coffee or tea; this is certainly a worthwhile, entertaining, and educational book. After all, it is about becoming sensitive to another culture, and discovering one's own, in the process. I highly recommend "Dear Alice". You will certainly enjoy it.

I just finished reading Dear Alice. I found it extremely helpful in preparing myself mentally for an upcoming trip to China. The letters were quite authentic and honest, often revealing small details about the enigma of life in China. While I can't assume that I'll have a similar experience to that of the writers, I feel comforted to know that others have dealt with China and survived. A great book if you're curious about this foreign culture and an especially illuminating book for those of you from the United States and who are interested in the ways Americans might react to "The land on the other side of the looking glass."

After buying _Dear Alice_ at the recent meeting of the Association for Asian Studies annual meeting in Washington, D.C., I read it with laughter and tears on the train back home. As someone who runs an exchange program for high school teachers between the U.S. and China, I found the letters, and the sentiments they expressed, extremely familiar.

The book will be a wonderful service for those planning to go to China to teach, and for those whose dreams take them only as far as the living room couch.

A must read.

Margot E. Landman
Director, U.S.-China Teachers
Exchange Program
American Council of Learned Societies

Set in 1931's L.A., this detective novel is narrated from the assistant's (Katherine Pangborn) point-of-view. L.A.'s press boasts that the Depression hasn't hit their city, but Katherine goes up against some unsavory charaters from the city's gangsterdom. Katherine (she hates the nickname "Kitty") makes for an engaging protagonist and her boss, P.I. Dex Theroux, is lucky to have her as his sidekick. She's observant, curious, and when the situation calls for it, tough as nails. The violence quota is kept to a minimum just as the detective books written in 1931 did. Terrific retro front cover art adds a dash of color. I also liked the cityscape described with the buildings, streets, and architecture not only in L.A., but on the sidetrip to San Francisco. Good backstory on Katherine gives her character depth. Enjoyable read on a rainy afternoon.

Linda L. Richards' DEATH WAS THE OTHER WOMAN provides veteran narrator Joyce Bean's smooth and compelling style as it tells of one Kitty, who needs a job and finds her hands full as a secretary to a tough PI in a challenging world. Kitty's efforts to keep her boss - and her salary - safe result in some dangerous action perfect for fans of the gritty hard-boiled detective listen.

In 1931 Los Angeles cynical private investigator Dex Theroux runs a two person office. Whereas he does the leg work and takes the beatings, Kitty Pangborn runs the office and occasionally does safe field work. Dex is unsure why Kitty remains with him, as paying jobs are infrequent and he knows he is an alcoholic though with good cause.

Wealthy Rita Heppelwaite hires Dex to report on what her married boyfriend, Harrison Dempsey is doing. Thinking this is an easy case and needing help on surveillance, Dex brings Kitty with him. However, their prey proves to be someone else's prey as the sleuth and his assistant finds the murdered corpse of Harrison. Dex wants to make money from his affluent client so he tells Kitty to say nothing about the dead body for now. Kitty is appalled by her boss' disregard of the deceased so she defies Dex and calls the cops. However, to her shock she soon learns that Harrison is alive making her wonder what is going on.

With Madeline Carter on temporary hiatus, Linda L. Richards introduces readers to a new fascinating detective team in a fine historical mystery. The story line is fun, but not so much due to the mystery of Harrison and the corpse or depression Era L.A., but instead because of the bickering relationship between unethical Dex and the moralistic Kitty. They make the tale entertaining.

Harriet Klausner

Kitty Pangborn was raised to be a prim and proper lady of the house, meant to marry well and plan the perfect party. When the stock market crashed in 1929, and her father leaped from a window leaving her broke and without real-world skills, she had to make her own way. She may now only be Girl Friday to Los Angeles private investigator Dex, but when his bungling of the job puts her salary in jeopardy, Kitty will step up to solve the case on her own. Someone has to.

I loved the voice of this book. You can almost hear one of the old silver screen actresses talking right off the page. Her wonderful first-person narrative was so true to voice as to lose those of us who aren't familiar with words like "mook" and "spondulix." But she helps us out with enough description that we can figure it out, if not exactly, in general.

This was an especially fun read. I enjoyed the strong heroine and that her boss, though bumbling, was not entirely an idiot. And I really enjoyed learning more about LA during prohibition, too. The cast of shady characters was so great as to leave me completely in the dark about whodunit until it was time to know. There are so many twists and turns in this book that I even started suspecting the good guys. Whose side was everyone on, anyway? I couldn't help but to just keep turning pages.

Even if you aren't typically into the mystery genre, I encourage you to pick up this book. Though there are many dead bodies, the book was not at all gruesome and considering all the two- and three-timing that was going on, and talk of melting lipstick, it was also surprisingly clean.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.