Maine Books

Although I am a committed hard-boiled mystery reader, Thomas Cook writes mysteries which are well beyond most in character development and psychological drama, i.e., very well-written novels which happen to be mysteries. Places In The Dark is no exception.

It is the story of two brothers with contrasting outlooks on life, each reflecting one of their parents. The younger, William / Billy, identifies strongly with his Mother in his zest for experiencing life with all of its messy emotions and becomes the newspaper editor. The older, Cal, identifies strongly with his Father in applying logic and reason to everything to the point of robbing it of its joy and becomes, what else, a lawyer [ :>) ].

A young woman with a mysterious past and an enigmatic presence, Dora March, moves to their small town and captures William's heart; William is murdered; the woman leaves town, and Cal is obsessed with guilt, the desire to avenge his death by solving the mystery, and the desire to find Dora. No need to spoil it for you. Very highly recommended!

Many of Thomas Cooks novels are beautifully written and include captivating and fully drawn characters. Unfortunately, Cook seems capable of writing only one kind of book--a story told in flashbacks. His books never proceed in a linear fashion. Read one or two of his books and you've basically read them all.
It's a shame that Cook doesn't deviate from his flashback formula because he is truly an excellent writer.

In addition to the formulaic plot device, *Places in the Dark* also suffers from cardboard characters whose motives and lives are never fully examined.

This author is superb. I would call his books melodramas, as opposed to thrillers. They are passionate love/hate stories, with, yes, murder and mayhem, but they read like soap opera/potboilers. The thing is, there are so many soap opera/potboilers that are as boring as...well...soap, and his aren't. I loved this particular tortured tale except for one thing: the character of Billy seemed a bit lacking. He was too much "one-way," too "good" and actually a little dim, not just as a character but in personality as well. It's obviously a Cain and Able story (read: Cal and Bill). And Dora, the mystery woman, is well fleshed-out (for a mystery woman). But I couldn't care that much about Billy. He just - well - bored me. Also, the ending, while it came as something of a surprise, was something of a let-down. My thought was, "And so the point of all this was.....?????" Still, Cook is a masterful writer; vivid. For all the flaws, he's among our best popular novelists.

This was my first introduction to Thomas Cook and it will definitely not be my last. The book is centered around a mysterious woman, Dora March, who appears out of nowhere in a small town in New England, and dramatically affects the lives of two brothers that fall under her spell. One brother, the editor of the local newspaper, falls in love with her and hires her on at the paper after her rich, elderly employer dies. The older brother, a lawyer and the local prosecutor, is wary of the woman and his brothers relationship with her, and seeks to uncover the mysteries of her past. Before he can do so, the woman skips town in the wake of the apparent murder of the younger brother. The story is presented as a series of flashbacks that flesh out the interrelationships between the brothers and the young woman and casts light on the mysterious events that lead to the expiration ot the younger brother and a cast of other characters. Eventually the loose ends dovetail as the author masterfully, and cleverly, unveils the shocking denouement that had me in awe of his expert abilities. I'm not one that easily surprised and am usually quite wary of anytime I have to suspend disbelief, especially when the tables are turned in a thriller. Not so this book - it was so refreshing to have the rug masterfully, and expertly, pulled from beneath with nary a glass falling from the table. Excellent!

Reading books is a wonderful and, at times, a boring process. It seems that one must read so many books that fail to move, that are well thought out, excellently written but at the last page you are left with perhaps a smile, ocassionaly a mild comment, "oh, that was a good book". But, just every so often one happens upon a book that reaches deep down beyond the surface of the maundane and leaves you with the feeling that the few hours you have just spent were some of the more meaningful hours of your life. That's what "Places in the Dark" has done for me.

Maybe I'm becoming too PC, but having listened to this book, I found the idea that McKnight was better at surviving in the woods then his friend Vinny who is a full blooded Ojibwe (and professional guide) to be just a little hard to swallow. At a couple of points in the story when they are lost up in the Canadian wilderness, Vinny is about to give up the ghost but Alex keeps pluggin' along. Boy, I wouldn't want to be stuck on a hunting trip with Vinny if things went wrong.

Also, at times when Vinny is speaking, he's like a cross between Mr.Miyagi and the Great Manitu (give me a break). Specific to the tape, all the Indians speak with this spacey (East) indian guru voice, like they are filling in for Deprak Chopra. All the Indians immediately take a backseat to anything that McKnight says, like whatever he says is the most intelligent thing going.

Anyway to the story, it's actually very engaging, except that 'da too guys from Detroit' sound like they stepped out of a "Sopranos" episode. Know whatimean you jamocke. The Canadians must all be drinking water with something in it because they are as mellow as a bunch of 1960s anti-war demonstrators, ey.

Lastly, did anybody NOT guess that at sometime in the story, Alex would find a way to soften Natalie's heart (key the violins and cellos) so that she would see him in a 'better light' (tear, tear,tear!). Ugh. If you are going to find him a love interest, just do it, don't get all "Wisteria Lane" about it. Ok, I'm done. Hopefully the next book (gee do ya think Natalie will be in it) will be better.

I've read all of Steve Hamilton's books right when they've been published and I've loved them all. I'm now re-reading them, and just finished "Blood is the Sky" for the second time. I love Hamilton's relaxed, easy-reading style and I think Alex is a great protagonist. I also love the northern Michigan setting of his series; although I've never been to the UP, I live in Maine and have spent a large part of my life in northern Ontario (where most of this book is set), so I can relate to his descriptions of life in the North. I do have two quibbles with this book. First, a couple times Hamilton has Alex saying road signs mention someplace is X number of miles away--in Canada, road signs are in kilometers, not miles. Second, there are lots of references to "Canadian" beer, such as when Alex gets a cold "Canadian" or asks a bartender for a Molson. In the first instance, does Hamilton mean a generic cold Canadian beer, or does he mean a Molson Canadian (a specific brand, and the best-selling beer in Canada), and in the second, you don't go into a drinking establishment in Canada and ask for a Molson; you ask for an Ex or a Canadian or another specific Molson product. As I said, these are quibbles. Steve Hamilton is a great author!

My wife kept raving on how good the books were. She was up to four read and kept talking about them. I finished another novel and decided it was time. What a interesting story. Especially living in Michigan all my life I found so much research had been done on all of Michigan and Canada also. We in Michigan always have a close relationship with Canada. Many of us have one side of the family from Canada as the auto industry had once brought them here. The book certainly was interesting and the plot gave you great cause to wonder almost to the last pages. I would recommend it highly.

In this Alex McKnight mystery, Hamilton pairs Alex and Vinnie LeBlanc to search for Vinnie's missing brother in the forests of Northern Ontario. Tom, Vinnie's brother, led a hunting expedition for four Detroit businessmen and then disappeared. Together Alex and Vinnie must find out what happened to him and why. This is Hamilton's best McKnight adventure since A Cold Day in Paradise. Alex's dogged nature shines through, as he remains fiercely loyal to Vinnie and is willing to sacrifice everything for the truth. Get ready for a great outdoors expedition in Canada. Hamilton is an excellent writer, and there's nothing better than reading an Alex McKnight mystery. It is my favorite mystery series.

This is my first reading of Hamilton. He writes well, offering strong descriptions and throwing in some fun Native American lore for legitimacy. His writing style is fairly sparse, favoring lots of short declaratory sentences--James Lee Burke he ain't--but that style of writing is often popular with the mainstream public.

I was less impressed with his protagonist, Alex McKnight, who, in this novel at least, is a reactionary far more than an instigator. It often takes his sidekick, Vinnie, to get things happening. He is definitely not a series character I would remember or long to read more of.

And then there is the mystery, which goes like this: mystery->280 pages having little to do with the mystery->resolution. And when the mystery is part of the story, convenience plays a big part. Don't read this novel thinking you have any chance of figuring a piece out, because I don't think the author knew how he would resolve it until page 280 or so. Mysteries don't have to reveal themselves to you but they owe you enough tantalization that you feel close to some part of it. No so, here.

I would like to read more Hamilton, but if I am to believe the jacket blurbs by several prominent authors, this is his best. Other reviewers here at Amazon, however, suggest Hamilton has done better work, so maybe I'll try one more.

I am a fan of true crime and pretty much won't read anything but. This book was one of the best I've ever read. And I have read tons by some of the best authors. Extremely well written and very easy to follow. You can feel the sincerity, passion and pain of the police, prosecutors, friends and family. Great insite into how police really do their job.

I work in law enforcment in a western state. I read a lot of true crime and am always intrigued by a book written about a case by its investigators. I was quite impressed with Finding Amy. Not only was the book well-written, but the case was truly an investigative miracle. I wish more investigations were run like this one was. It is so obvious that a higher authority had a hand in things and I found it refreshing that those involved recognized that. Where I am, we don't have a big problem with territorial agencies, thankfully. But, it is great that where it would it normally was a problem, those involved with the investigation were able to overcome that.

One question I was left with was what happened to Amy's stepfather? He stops being mentioned toward the end of the book and wasn't listed as one of the relatives at the trial or sentencing.

FINDING AMY, written by Deputy Chief Joseph Laughlin and mystery writer Kate Clark Flora, is the absorbing true-life story of the disappearance of Amy St. Laurent, a 25-year-old Pratt and Whitney employee who vanished while at a bar, The Pavilion, in the Old Port area of Portland. She accepted a ride home from another customer at the bar, and then disappeared, never to be seen again, until she was found buried in a shallow grave in the woods over six weeks later.

The book tells the story of the investigation, and it is especially effective because it intersperses journal entries by Chief Loughlin (then Lieutenant), in which he describes police procedure and how the detectives are focusing their search and why. The character development of these hard-working law-enforcement personnel is absorbing, because it shows how seriously they do take their work, and how personally it affects them.

This book should be read by all young women who think they "know it all". Frequently, they don't, and take chances which can be deadly. This was certainly the case for Amy St. Laurent. The book is a cautionary tale about how someone who looks perfectly innocent and seems to want to be helpful can have very deadly hidden qualities that emerge later on. It is well written and the organization is excellent as well.

You will definitely enjoy FINDING AMY if you are interested in the effects of true crime on both the family members and friends and the law-enforcement personnel who work these cases.

This book has no depth, no characters , and is poorly written. I was so tired of reading about the "whinning" police officers. We are tired, we have not slept, our families miss us, ect. We know that, we appreciate you and this book is about Amy St. Laurent. When writing a true crime novel stick with the facts it makes a much better read.

Amy St. Laurent had everything including a loving family, friends, a job that she loved, and a community behind her. One night while entertaining a male friend, Rubright, from Florida which she tried to explain that she wasn't interested in him as more than a friend at a bar where it all when went wrong. She chose the Jeffrey Russell Gorman, a ticking time bomb who was known to drug and rape his female victims. While the people concluded that Rubright's story that night was a bit preposterous but true, they came across Gorman who was truly the threat to poor sweet Amy. Her death was brutal and horrifying enough and she fought back. While I admire the police's detective work including driving down to Alabama from Maine when they could have flown and got there quicker, Amy's disappearance and murder occurred only weeks after the events of September 11, 2001 where flying airplanes became a common fear even for veteran police officers here. I recall the events of September 11, 2001 like everybody else and how that might have overshadowed the horrible crimes that occurred elsewhere than ground zero and pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I had trouble with this book because I felt that two people writing about the same thing at the same time made me rush through it. I felt a lot of stuff was rehashed repeatedly. In the end, I read that a portion of the book's proceeds benefits a foundation in Amy's memory and if you ever travel to Cape Elizabeth, Maine, check out the lighthouse and the granite bench with her name on it.

This is one of the best fiction books I've ever read.

Unsual in the sense of the lack of connection with emotions by the main character. From the first page, you know there is something unusual, but you are not told, you get to experience the life of a boy who is just 'different'. It will keep you hooked from start to end.

As the story unfolds the reader starts to create the story, only to change it few pages later, only to change it again. It is definitely a unique book. So interesting!

As a person who works with people with autism, I found this book sensitive, touching, and extremely accurate (from an external point of view). I can only surmise that the people who find it "boring" or "poorly written" haven't spent much time in the company of people like Christopher. Otherwise they may see the simple brilliance.

Just a note to other reviewers. Autistic is not a noun. It is an adjective. Referring to a person with Asperger's or another form of ASD as an "autistic" is extremely offensive.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time is fictionally authored by Christopher, a 15 year old boy with Asperger's Disorder - a pervasive developmental disorder. Opening with a curious and dark incident, the story develops into a sometimes humorous, heartwarming and even disturbing narrative following Christopher on his journey. I enjoyed this light and easy-to-read novel. It allows insight into the supposed world of a boy with a form of Autism. This quick and light book would be perfect reading for an airplane flight!

In a murder, there is usually one mystery to solve, even though plots are far-fetched and convoluted. This murder (of the dog mentioned in the title) has the actual killing, the highly involved world of the detective, and the question of whether "they all live happily ever after" to unravel.

I read this book on recommendation after hearing a very inspiring talk by a Danish gentleman at a software testing conference. His story concerned a company that employed predominantly autistic people. Whilst autism and the less severe Asperger's Syndrome are not the same, there are many similarities. Mark Haddon`s tale does not describe life as a sufferer of AS (Asberger's Syndrome), but more lets the reader experience it. For the story is told in the first person by a 15-year old.

Most people will have come across autistic or AS people, possibly at school, but the condition is only more common today because it is better understood. However, never has society been so excluding of people who do not conform. The 15 year-old Christopher lives in his own world. His world is conveyed very powerfully though the chain of events that begins with him finding a neighbour's dead dog. I had already worked out the unusual chapter numbering by the time this is described, and the narrative is also about writing a book, with a very understanding teacher at the special school giving advice and encouragement.

The killing of the dog is solved in the middle of the book, not by sleuthing, but by confession, and this leads to a paradigm-change for Christopher. Notwithstanding that, the book is a story, a mystery, a parable and a warning for all readers. It may make you feel guilty about how you treated others in the past, but I hope it inspires you to act differently, to consider that the vast majority of individuals have a useful contribution to make to society, and to understand the massive pressures that having a disadvantaged child bring to a once-loving, stable relationship.

Most of all, seeing an AS person, with obsessive behaviour and a compartmentalised world, may help us all realise that autism is not a disease. It is a spectrum. Most of us are on that spectrum, somewhere. Many are further to the autism end than they would have realised hitherto.

Read it. It will do you good.

Peter Morgan, Bath, UK (morganp@supanet.com)

As a novel from the point of view of an autistic child, "Curious Incident" is an ambitious attempt, but in the end, it left me curiously unsatisfied. The autistic point of view didn't "feel" completely true to me (though I don't pretend to have any special knowledge of its effects; I'm just speaking literarily). It seemed a bit consciously gimmicky. But overall, it was good. Just not quite a top-tier effort. Worth reading, but probably not worth re-reading.

This book moved me to write a review here, my first. I can hardly express how touching this book was for me. Sad in nature but told with such exquisite elegance it took me months to finish because though I enjoyed it throughly, reading it was an intense emotional experience, not unlike grieving. There are single lines and sections in this book that when thinking of them later, tears snap to my eyes. I am a true dog lover who can relate to the deep devotion and attachment to our dogs as expressed in this book. Mark has used language beautifully to tell his story.

Mark Doty has penned an absolute gem of a memoir that touches not only on our umbreakable bonds with our animals, but also with our mates and the many places that we will call "home" throughout our lives - and the grief that we all must embrace and learn from in the loss of all of these. His story of Wally, Arden and Beau is a masterpiece of the heartfelt thoughts and feelings that all dog owners will experience if they are lucky enough to be loved unconditionally by one, or more, beloved human beings and furry angels.
In Chapter 15, after the recent death of his mate, Wally, and one of his dogs, Beau, Doty tells us of an abandoned dog that he befriends on Calle Canal in San Miquel de Allende, a hill town north of Mexico City.
He tries to rescue her and is heartbroken to have to leave her behind, writing, "I am grateful to have felt even this sharp sadness. The dog on Calle Canal awakens me; she shows me that I have come through something now. I write to bless her delicate head, the paw raised in hope. How should we know ourselves, except in the clarifying mirror of some other gaze?"
I finished the book in one day. And if you aren't into full throttle tears by Chapter 16 & 17 (the final chapters), then you have never known the joy and anticipation of there being "someone at home, waiting to go for a walk."

The poet shares the relationship he had between his dogs and himself in "Dog Years: A Memoir". Mark Doty (born 1953 in Maryville, Tennessee) is the only American poet to have received the T.S. Eliot Prize in the U.K. He received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Goddard College in Vermont. Doty, who is gay, has written about his struggle with coming to terms with his sexual identity, and with the impact on AIDS on the gay community. In 1989, his partner Wally Roberts tested positive for HIV, which drastically changed his writing. Wally died in 1994. Doty is currently the John and Rebecca Moores Professor in the graduate program at the University of Houston.
Mark Doty relates his experiences of his time with his two dogs, Arden the black retriever, and Beau the gold one. Mark also shares the passing of his long time partner Wally who was diagnosed and died of AIDS. Arden kept Mark alive, uplifted his soul and gave him will to live by its comforting gestures and by giving joy in his little ways. Arden and Beau became his true friends, became part of the household, and played a big part in Mark Doty's life. The dogs were his companions during his lowest moments, shared his grievances, and happiness as well.

Mark starts a happy new life with his dogs and Paul, also a writer. But a time came when his dogs starts to decline because of illness. Beau developed a kidney disease, while Arden is having a high fever and showing unusual signs. Along with this is the devastating 9/11 where Mark continues to differentiate despair and depression. According to Mark: "Depression is always the consequence of despair, a despair one cannot feel one's way through in order to emerge from the other side, a despair will not be moved".

The dogs' everyday struggle reminds Mark of how hard Wally's gradual passing was. In Mark's recollection of the years he spent with the dogs, Arden and Beau gave him unconditional love and companionship throughout their lives.
Dog Years is one beautiful way of giving tribute to all dogs in the world, who are loyal and ready to accompany their masters until their dying day. The book depicts an unforgettable experience between a man and a pet. At first, I got confused between his dogs and his boyfriend, because he describes his dogs like human beings. I love the poems he puts after every chapter, it makes the book more interesting although I don't really understand some of them. I'll admit some of the chapters in the book were boring and depressing, but I was moved when his dogs became really ill and helpless. They really are like humans. I have a Shih-Tzu named Bruno, and I can't imagine losing him too when the time comes.

On a scale of 1-10, I would give it an eight. The book failed to get my attention in the first few chapters, but the book helped me a lot in understanding my dog's feelings, and the last chapter was very moving that I almost cry. I would definitely read another book by Mark Doty, I'm planning to get the Firebird when I'm not busy. I'm recommending this book not only to dog lovers or owners, but also to anyone who has experienced attachment and loss.

(I read this book and was touched by it enough to write an email to my Dog Loving Friends) Here is what I wrote:

Dear Dog Loving Friends,

Over the past few days I read a book that I checked out of the library called Dog Years written by Mark Doty.

The book moved me so much that I intend to buy a copy for me to keep as my own. (And I never ever buy books to own.)

I recommend it to you (if you will endure the more poetic parts of it and seemingly random diversionary discussions), and I recommend it to Connie's hairdresser given that he owns 14 dogs. Susanne, if you can pass this on to Connie or make mention, I would be grateful.

The book is told in the first person. It is a memoir of sorts - reminds me of a scrapbook in a way - with lots of "photos" (the photos being stories) of dogs, but other "momentoes" stuck in the book such as random musings on poetry and sidebar discussions on such non-dog related topics as Judy Garland, the difference between dispair and depression....and boy does he nail it when he decribes depression. I am not quoting directly but something like: "Depression moves in heavily and sits in the sink as the dirty dishes from yesterday" ....

As strange as all the pieces were, it comes together quite lovely. Like a meal or a recipe in which I would have NEVER thought to combine all those ingredients, but it worked beautifully.

This book all made sense to me (except for some of the poetry..ok, ok, so I admidt I am missing the Emily Dickenson gene along with the cooking gene, but I will go back and carefully re-read some of the poetry.) I especially liked the poem on the wind. See that is the great thing about this book. I just finished it and already I am eager to read it again.

The book starts slowly and gets much better after a few chapters. I was momentarily confused between a dog named Wally and a man named Wally, and I was mildly irritated that the author used the word "fierce" or a very similar word 3 times on the same page. jeeze, picky, picky.

But then on the other hand, I rather LIKED this "flaw" because I felt like he was not a honed pretentious writer following all those rules we learn in English and writing classes, but instead he was really writing from the heart. And I myself, of course, cannot even write one smidgen as well as Doty.

Doty, an artistic insightful angst ridden gay man, recollects his past and how important his dogs were to him. He brilliantly perceptively and precisely captures what I think we see and love in our dogs. I was constantly saying "YES, YES, YES!" outloud to myself while reading. I wept copiously at the end.

The manner in which he desribes his dogs "resonates" with me (I hate to use that overused word, but it really fits here).

Because Doty is a poet, he sees his dogs through poetic artistic eyes.

The book will make you laugh and cry. I hope you take time to read it. See the reader reviews in the link below. (and I copied in the link to Amazon for my friends to click to).

- later -

I was really looking forward to Doty's so-called memoir, Dog Years, but it just didn't deliver. While there are some fine and moving passages here and there about loss and loving an animal, this book doesn't really qualify as a true "memoir," and it's not much of a "dog book" either. If you want to read a good dog book/memoir, try Hal Borland's classic, The Dog Who Came to Stay. It's great. Doty's effort simply strays too far afield from either genre to suit my apparently plebian tastes. There are sections here, littered with quotes from Emily Dickinson and Doty's ruminations on same, or references to Cezanne or Heraclitus, which could have been lifted from his Freshman poetry lectures, which is not what I expected - or wanted. Maybe there is so little about Doty because he's already written two memoirs. Well, okay; but don't call this a memoir, because it's not. I'm tempted to read his first memoir; maybe that would be a real one, but this book is sub-titled under false pretenses. The narrative meanders here and there and sometimes I wondered where the hell he was going with it. It was a struggle just to finish it. Sorry, Mark. Write a memoir or write poetry, but don't try to do both at once. - Tim Bazzett, author of Pinhead: A Love Story

This book was pretty predictable - so much that the cover shows a puppy, yet the character has an old dog. Geez, it's not looking good for the old dog is it? But it was still a quick and enjoyable read.

After reading Fools Rush In and loving it, I couldn't wait to read this one. It's really good and fun to read. I look forward to reading Just One of the Guys. I hope it delivers.

I can now list Kristan Higgins as one of my favorite authors and I cannot WAIT to read more of her work. I have not had the pleasure of discovering an author who makes me laugh until tears of hysteria pour down my cheeks since Vickie Lewis Thompson. Higgins style of humor is so raw, so refreshing and so LOL dramatic that she is what literary entertainment is all about. Maggie was an absolute snort out loud of a character. I've had some horrific blind dates in my life, but I could never have handled the Herniated Homeboy quite as skillfully :D Higgins creates such multi layered characters that makes you feel as if you can see inside of them. Maggie didn't just make me cry with laughter. She made me cry with emotion. I felt her heartbreak when she had to say goodbye to her best friend Colonel. I gritted my teeth in unison when she held back from shrieking in anger and frustration at her whiny, obnoxious, disapproving, insensitive and overbearing Mother. And I felt her heart soar when the two consistently clashing women finally came to peace. And Malone? What woman HASN'T met her own man of 2.5 words max at some point in her life? lol Onto the next....by that time I'll be on my way to Higgins withdrawl; and waiting for a fresh, new novel.

I read this book in two days...couldn't put it down.the ending left me wanting more of Maggie & Malone. Please, another book (or a mini-series) about them...I'd pre-order when I knew it would be available. Thank you !

This book is Maggie's story of a young women from a small town who owns her a diner and his having Man problems. Her one big problem is that she has a crush on a Priest and the other is pool of men is very small. Maggie goes down some very funny road to find a man - it was a fun book - great for the plane, Enjoy! Off to read her other book Fools Rush In....

I would also recommend; Hot by Julia Harper,Crown Jewel by Fern Michaels and Accidentally Yours by Susan Mallery and The Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts.

Excellent book, very well written in the usual "Coogan" way, that is, skilfull, fluent and full of nice anecdotes. Gives an insightful portrait of one of Ireland's greatest men and my personal favourite. Eireann go brach!

An informative humanizing biography that provides a good picture of revolutionary Ireland. More photogrpahs would have made for 5 stars.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants an intense indepth study of Collins and Ireland of his time. This is easy to read and full of interesting information about the man and those around him. Collins was a genius who shaped the fate of modern Ireland and did so with an acute sense of how far he wcould go to achieve what he wanted.

It really makes me wonder how much better off Ireland would have been if he had not best lost so early in his life.

This is an extarodinary book about an extraordinary man. It is well wriiten, it is exciting and easy to read. It gives a wonderful insight into the life and times of Ireland during this remarkable time

Although the pages and the sophisticated writing style might intimidate one, if you stick to it and read the book to the end, you will NOT regret it. It was my first book in Irish History and I have learned so much from reading it. This book is amazing beyond words. If you buy it, you won't reget it.

This book will have you cracking up. Very well written and easy to read. Something that everyone can relate to. Great to share. Highly recommended.

Laugh out loud funny! Gotta get this for all your girlfriends...and make em read it to the guys! Can't say enough about it. I loved it!

people say this is girl talk in a book... only if you're lucky to have friends as funny as Macsai--I have given it away time and again...I keep this book stocked at my house just to give to my favorite people. This is THE FUNNIEST book ever--I read it while single and childless... and STILL found her chapters on marriage, pregnancy and childbirth painfully funny. I have not been entertained like this since - Sedaris comes close with Santaland diaries (in Holidays on Ice) but still...it wasn't Gwen.

The second chapter "A Snowball's Chance" is worth the [money] for the book itself.

The rest ... well.. it's good but the second chapter was just soooooo descriptive, funny and true to life that I think it's just paling in comparison, KWIM?

What a fun book! The perfect account of what it's like to grow up "Girl". From the heartache of school girl crushes and embarrassing dating disasters to the slap-in-the-face reality of marriage and the REAL truth about pregnancy and motherhood ~ Gwen covers it all. And she doesn't mince words either ~ I couldn't believe some of the things this woman put in print! Every woman will be able to find something in these pages to relate to ~ even if she'd never admit to anyone but her closest girlfriends. Get this book, then get copies for all the women you know!

This kind of novel is a little off the beaten path for me, but I had always wanted to read a McBain mystery, and now having done so, I'm glad I did. Good light reading featuring very human "good guys" and a villain with a credible back story.

Having read more than half of the fifty-five 87th precinct novels written by the recently deceased Ed McBain, I think they break down into two categories. First, there are those that grip you from the get-go and, more important, can be read as an enjoyable" stand alone" novel even if you are not a fan. The three that come to mind for me are "Ice," "Lullaby" and "Hark." On the other hand, there are the ones that are seemingly a bit more plodding but if you are into the characters and McBain's style, you will stick with the book more as a fan and a way to continue watching your old pals move on with life. For me, Fiddlers fits into the latter category. Not as good as his previous work(the aforementioned "Hark") but decent enough where if you stick with it, the end result will be bittersweet - a good read tinged with the sadness this is the end of a landmark series.

A series of execution style murders, with the victims all being old enough to apply for their AARP membership, gives just about the entire group of recurring 87th precinct detectives their moment in the spotlight. Most of the detectives we have seen in this series all get a murder tossed their way and the fun is in us following them on their investigation. Of course, the climactic moment when everyone has to come together to connect the dots is vintage McBain.

As I mentioned, this book may not be a great starting point for a non-fans since I believe the investigation is more fun to read when you know the detectives already. Yet if you are a fan, this is a must read just so you can say a fond farewell to a writer who truly set a standard others may never be able to duplicate.

I'm sad to see the 87th Precinct series draw down to a close... This is (I believe) the first 87th Precinct novel released after Ed McBain's death... Fiddlers.

Carella's group draws a case where a blind violin player was found shot twice in the head behind the restaurant where he worked. This quickly becomes more than "just another murder" when a sales rep for a cosmetic company is found dead in her home, same killing wound, and same murder weapon. Five murders in two weeks, all the same modus operandi, all the same gun, means they have a serial killer on their hands. But how do you tie together victims that have little in common except for the fact they're all over 50? All of the detectives of the 87th Precinct are tracking the murders, trying to find the common thread that will point to the killer. Meanwhile, the killer is on a mission to correct errors that only he knows and understands...

As with all other 87th Precinct novels, I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I did find it a bit bittersweet, however. McBain passed away recently, so there's not much hope for too many more episodes. I've heard it rumored that he had one last novel "in the can" to be released upon his death. I'll have to keep an eye open for that, and for any other episodes that happened between this release and now. McBain is a true master of the police procedural, and his passing is a sad event for many of us. Fiddlers is a quick page turner that draws you into the life of the killer, as you try and figure out his motive and story.

Classic McBain, and one to savor...

"Fiddlers" is the 55th and last novel of the 87the Precinct by Ed McBain who passed away in 2005 shortly before this novel was published. "Fiddlers" is an excellent novel that reminded me of many of the earlier 87th Precinct novels. Max Sobolov, a blind violinist, is murdered outside the club in which he was playing. Then, Alicia Hendricks, a cosmetics salesperson, is murdered. Then college professor Christine Langston is murdered followed by a priest Father Michael and a 70+ year old woman named Helen Reilly. All five murders were shootings from the same Glock hand gun, and all the victims were over 50 years of age. Almost all the cops of the 87th are involved in the investigation as well as Fat Ollie Weeks from the 88th who has been in many of the 87th Precinct novels. Ed McBain was the master of the police procedural and this novel won't disappoint his long time fans. He will be greatly missed. I will sorely miss the 87th Precinct novels which were written frequently by McBain. American mystery fiction has lost one of its best. "Fiddlers" is very highly recommended.

Though it had to be, what a shame to end the series on such a downbeat note, with Steve Carella's little April, once the apple of his eye, turning into a gang girl, and her opposite number, the boy twin, becoming a snitch, a rat, of the worst description, telling on April as soon as it's convenient. Those twins once were the highwater mark of cute kids in the detective novel, now they're just like slimy movie kids. Their mother seems incapable of keeping up with the changes puberty brings. Yes, she can sign "No drugs!" as loudly as she can, and it may work the first time, but eventually the kids will do their own thing, rebelling against the unusual home setup (obsessed cop dad and signing Mom) and wanting to be like other more normal families.

However, Ed McBain's tragic death deprives us of resolution, and I expect something in the man delighted in this, for he had a pretty good opinion of himself and, much like you and I, considered himself one of the great American novelists. Irreplaceable. I for one don't want any V C Andrews scam occurring to the 87th Precinct series. We loved him for his writing pure and simple.

FIDDLERS is pretty good and it's miles better than that wretched book where Ollie Weeks was writing a novel, remember that? Its lame parody of bad writing, presented in standard 87th Precinct facsimile form? Yikes was that awful. This one is much better, and although the actial revenge plot borrows quite a bit from Cornell Woolrich's two 1940s thrillers THE BRIDE WORE BLACK and RENDEZVOUS IN BLACK, the addition of the red-headed prostitute, Reggie, turns the human interest up a notch, so we become interested in the unlikely pairing of serial killer and call girl.

Why "FIDDLERS" though? OK, the first victim played the violin. Maybe there's some larger, overarching metaphor here. Funny thing that FIDDLERS should be Ed McBain's last book, while FIDDLERS THREE was the last play that Agatha Christie wrote. Nothing but a coincidence, but I'm just saying.

I love this book! I could not put it down! I also can't wait to start trying her recipes, they sound delicious! I could almost taste the blueberry coffee cake as I was reading! I am on to "Dean and Berried"!

Delighted to discover this author, heroine and inn! The mysteries are well developed and the recipes are an extra treat. I hope there will be more than two!

I can't even finish it, it's so poorly written and so boring. I am so disappointed. I thought I had found a new author to read. Oh, well.

I just finished "Murder on the Rocks" and while I think this series has potential, the writing needs to be edited better.

1. Natalie frequently complains about how she is flat broke and unable to eat at restaurants. She runs out of groceries and ends up with nothing to eat but a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. However, she is constantly baking up huge batches of cookies and brownies to take to friends and neighbors around the island. Whenever she needs something out of the freezer, she is pawing through chuck roasts and bacon to find the fruit she needs. So is she broke and hungry or not?

2. When a guest at her inn is found dead, Natalie sneaks into his room (against direct police orders) and finds significant evidence that she then hides. When the police later suspect her of being the killer, Natalie is unable to show evidence pointing away from her, because she stole it from the crime scene. Is she really this stupid?

3. An intruder breaks in and clobbers Natalie. She doesn't bother to call the police immediately, instead just waits for them to show up the next day.

4. Natalie pretends to be someone she's not in order to obtain private information she has no right to, and opens and reads her guests' mail.

While the plot is presented as "Natalie is a suspect in a murder she didn't commit and tries to find the real killer" she is guilty of numerous counts of obstruction of justice and just plain stupidity. It was hard to swallow.

Natalie Barnes has decided to go for broke and trade her life saving for a Bed and Breakfast called the Grey Whale Inn on Cranberry Island in Maine. Soon the slimy Bernard Katz shows up and announces plans to change the whole inland into a mega resort which will include turning the Grey Whale into a parking lot. So no one is surprised when he is found dead, the only surprise is the who and why. Natalie just has to stay alive long enough to get the whole story out. Great start to a new series plus great recipes at the end of the book.

Oh, and someone needs to tell the author that you don't get knitting wool from a goat.