Missouri Books

I really enjoyed this story of suspense and romance. I love the way Carla Cassidy writes. Dr. Jessica Langford was the only survivor of the T & B serial killer, a killer which has never been caught. Now 18 yrs. later Jessie is a phychiatrist helping others overcome fear and also has a radio show where callers can call to talk about their fears. All is well until the calls start coming again and she knows in her heart the killer is back and he's coming for her! Det. Jake Meridan is someone who worked the case all those years ago and is now a single parent working on another case when two women turn up dead and they realize another killer is on the loose. Jessica goes to the police about her calls and winds up talking to Jake who seems the only one to take an interest in her problem...and her. While trying to work on his own case he is concerned about Jessica and works on her strange calls etc. Romance and suspense and keeps you guessing. Carla Cassidy has a gift and her storys are always edge of the seat and never dissapoint.
If you like a good mystery mixed with romance this is the book for you! Enjoy.

Eighteen years ago, Jessica Langford was the sole survivor of the infamous T and B killer. In the intervening years, she has married, had a son, divorced, and built a successful counseling practice and radio show. Now, she has begun receiving eerily strange phone calls asking about her own fears. Yet, this crime seems fairly small to the police who are wrestling with another serial killer. However, one cop, Jake Merridan, takes notice of Jessica and when things get more serious, he is there for her. The T & B killer is back, and he wants to finish the job on Jessica.

*** The suspense builds slowly; you are almost unprepared for the fast paced ending. Jessica and Jake's romance is an extremely sweet one, of two needy souls finding each other. It's almost as if two books have melded into one; a tender love story and a murder mystery. ***


Amanda Killgore

In Kansas City, therapist Jessica Langford runs a two hour evening radio show, Are You Afraid of the Dark? That provides advice to those with phobias. However, a caller states that Jessica fears cemeteries. Her producer Chris Mathison asks if she is okay as Jessica goes pale. She thinks back to eighteen years ago as a teenager when the T&B serial killer buried her alive at Hillside Cemetery at Camerson Jackson' gravesite, but she was rescued; the perp was never caught.

Detective Jake Merridan investigates several recent homicides of young females. His failure to make progress, as a serial killer surfaces, frustrates him. Jessica knows who stalked her on the air as he is back but plans this time she plans to confront her fear and the T&B killer. Her efforts take her into the midst of Jake's inquiries and he soon sees a tie with the physical looks of the victims and the radio therapist. As they fall in love, he vows to keep her safe from a serial killer who is either a copy cat or the return of the T&B.

ARE YOU AFRAID? is an intriguing serial killer police procedural romance. Jake is a fascinating lead as he struggles with a case going nowhere until he meets Jessica and his frustration changes as he needs to keep his beloved safe. Jessica has come a long way from the frightened sixteen years old near victim, but answers affirmative to the title question. Though how T&B kept his obsession in check for so long yet now is obsessed to finish the job seems odd, fans of suspense thrillers will want to read Carla Cassidy's captivating novel.

Harriet Klausner

When Jessica was 16, she was abducted by the T&B (torture and burial) serial killer, but managed to escape death when some teenagers out for a party in the cemetery scared her assailant away. Now 18 years later, Jessica is a therapist and radio psychologist who specializes in helping patients deal with fears, while nursing her own fear of the dark. When her last caller of the night asks if she is afraid of the dark, she gets the eerie feeling that it is not just a prank.

Detective Jake Merridan has been assigned a new case, and all clues indicate it is related to another homicide and they just might have a serial killer on their hands. After Jessica starts getting freaky phone calls at home, she goes to the police and starts to tell her story to Jake, but chickens out on providing background. Both find themselves attracted to each other - having a lot in common - being divorced single parents - and start to see each other.

As their romance blossoms, neither realizes that the sadistic killer that Jake is trying to capture is the same one that abducted and altered Jessica's life. His MO might be different, but eventually his goal to get the one that got away will not be squelched. Will Jake identify the madman before his second chance for love is stolen from him? Will Jessica be able to share her physical and mental scars with Jake?

Cassidy is a master at creating diabolical killers and heart tugging romance. This one is not to be missed and will capture the reader's attention until the last paragraph.

Dr. Jessica Langford is the psychiatrist on a radio call-in show where listeners describe their fears. Jessie knows all about fears as she was kidnapped, raped, tortured, and buried alive at age 16 by the T&B serial killer; she was his sole surviving victim. One night on her call-in show, "Cameron" calls in and describes Jessie's fear of cemetaries ("Cameron" was the name on the gravesite she was buried) and it begins to appear that the T&B serial killer wants to finish the job he started many years ago. Jessie attempts to report this and several other harassing calls to the local police department and meets Detective Jake Merridan, the lead cop for the lily serial killer case. Neither guesses that there could be a connection between the current case and the cold case (the T&B serial killer was never caught), particularly since Jessie doesn't initially reveal her past to Jake. Meanwhile, Jessie has a mysterious new patient, Mark Smith, who ties into the entire scenario. I won't spoil things by revealing the identity of the killer but will say I was able to guess his identity prior to the ending. This was a pretty good book and worth reading if only for Carla Cassidy's style of drawing the reader into the story.

Shirley Christian's work on the legacy of the Chouteau family should be considered the definitive on this subject area. After reading numerous books on the fur trade, it was enlightening and a treat to learn so much of the importance of this intriguing ancestry.
From the days of establishing St. Louis in 1764 by Pierre Laclede Liguest (Chouteau) and his fourteen year old son Auguste Chouteau, up to circa 1850's, Christian leaves no stone unturned. How this extensive family was so instrumental in the politics, economy, real estate, Indian affairs, groundwork of western expansion, etc. is truly a saga of fascination.
It is fortunate that the author included the Chouteau family tree as the names can become quite confusing (many Pierre's, Auguste's, Chouteau's, inter-marriages with the Gratiot's, Papin's and Labbadie's).
Although not totally devoted to the era "before" Lewis and Clark, it is nevertheless an absorbing and accommodating read, extensively researched.

For anyone interested in the early history of the American West this book is an invaluable resource. The Chouteaus and other families in St Louis continuously intermarried and did business with each other. This book supplies what has been lacking in the literature of the fur trade, a solid and careful recounting of the story of their lives and business dealings, backed up with page by page notes, citing sources completely.
The title of the book is misleading, as it covers much more. The story of the fur trade is quite complicated and has long needed a comprehensive analysis of the families involved. Anyone who has read fur trade history and been baffled by all the people and their business and personal relationships will turn to it as a definitive resource.It is clearly written. It is not a "page turner," though the stuff of it has the been the source of many a good book.

When I originally read this book, I thought it was primarily dedicated to the exploration of the Louisiana territory before Lewis and Clark, but the book is really about the dynasty of the Chouteau family of French traders and town founders of St. Louis who not only came before Lewis and Clark by about 40 years but remained to develop the territory, town and engage in the fur business west of the Mississippi along with trading north up the Missouri. It as quite astonishing to read that when Lewis and Clark reached St. Louis to start their trek in 1803 that the accommodating Chouteaus, along with other French settlers and perhaps Spanish, had settled a town of 200 or more houses with the Chouteaus owning fairly upscale homes along with significant land grants that pre-dated the Americans. The Chouteaus were enterprising merchants that had significant contacts with local Indian tribes such as the Osages and other tribes in the surrounding areas North such as the Arikaras. Not only did the Chouteaus know the territory and trade as far west as Spanish held Santa Fe their family stayed in St. Louis and interacted with Governor Lewis of Louisiana until his death and had a lifelong friendship with Indian agent William Clark. The Chouteaus relationships with local tribes was key to having reasonaly good relations with whites and Indians. What is amazing about this book is the amount of documentation and letters that survived from over 200 years ago. The family has a long history after Lewis and Clark's adventure with sons graduating from West Point and their presence in local politics and involvement with St. Louis and the territory goes well into the 19th century. This book has a great amount of detail about a family that developed the interior of America.

This is the story of the Chouteaus, the primary founders of St. Louis and, to a very large degree, the people who laid the foundation which led to the State of Missouri. If you are interested in factual history you will find portions of this book illuminating. The author does a very credible job in certain sections of this work.

If you are interested in the social interactions of the Chouteau clan, again, this is a good book for you. But if you are interested only in the impact of the Chouteau clan on the historic development of St. Louis and the future State of Missouri then, while portions of this book will be useful to you, major portions of this work you will simply want to skim.

The author spends quite a bit of time delineating who married who, who begat whom, who married in, what properties they owned, what slaves were owned, freed and which were troublesome, how much they paid for each, who contested the sales...you get the idea. The author provides excruciatingly detailed accounts of bills of lading, packing slips, property details in wills and court settlements right down to who was to get what. Is this history? Sure it is, this really happened. She draws directly from the original documents. But more importantly, is it relevant...not really. The author spends all too much time communicating extraneous, unnecessary information which detracts from her primary thesis: Who were the Chouteaus and what was their amazing impact on the development of the Missouri frontier? As a result, the fascinating Chouteau story tends to get watered down in irrelevant minutia. The Chouteau story gets lost in page after page of useless information.

However, as stated above, there are portions of this book that contribute considerable scholarship to the emerging St. Louis / Missouri frontier as it developed from roughly 1760 through 1830. Those nuggets are quite good, very illuminating and make this book worth spending time with. Just be forewarned that this book reads like an unfinished work still seeking clarity.

OK-I'm going on the wild assumption that you're checking out this book because of your interest in Lewis and Clark. Be warned, the subject matter in Christian's book is somewhat tangentially related, although you will be given little entertaining factoids such as that one of the scientific specimens sent back to Jefferson from St Louis at the start of the Expedition was a large hairball from the stomach of a buffalo.

I live in St Louis, so I found the story of its founding (by the Chouteaus and their father/husband Laclede) interesting. Christian lives up to the subtitle by giving you a detailed picture of the life of this dynasty as it affected this area, which means you get a good idea of what it was like to be a trader on the Missouri (and some of the neighboring rivers), including interesting insights into relations with American Indians. Indeed, it was quite eye-opening to see how welcoming the Indians initially were of the French settlers/traders in and around St Louis. It was also informative to read of how the French and Indians interbred and lived quite comfortably with one another, although on unequal terms. The Chouteau dynasty began in the 1760's and continued for roughly another 80 years or so, so they had to accommodate and adapt to the change in governance that occurred with the Louisiana Purchase by the US (which although purchased from France, consisted of a territory immediately previously administered-with a very long rein-by Spain).

If you're looking more for some background into what was known about the area encompassed by the Louisiana Purchase at the time L + C started off on their expediation (and quite a bit was known; and in fact North America had already been traversed in Canada, so L + C weren't quite the 'firsts' they're made out to be), check out The Course of Empire by DeVoto.

To learn about the journey itself which, not withstanding the caveats above, is truly fascinating story, do yourself a favor and try to find something other than the popular Undaunted Courage, by Stephen Ambrose. The account provided by Ambrose is in my opinion is seriously flawed, fundamentally lacking in basic historical background necessary to appreciate the Expedition, e.g., any indication of who'd previously explored the regions into which they were heading and lacking a summary map illustrating the geographic (mis)information L + C used to plan their journey. Undaunted Courage also falls down whenever Ambrose attempts the most rudimentary analysis. To top it off, his writing style often made me cringe.

To provide socioeconomic and political background to the Purchase and the settlement that was to follow it, I recommend Mr Jefferson's Loast Cause: Land, Farmers, Slavery, and the Louisiana Purchase by Roger Kennedy.

This is worth a read if you're interested in the whole Wimmin's Studies cult phenomenon. But there's much to puzzle about here too. Prof Mandle took the helm of the WS program at Colgate determined to drag it out of its sectarian isolation, impose scholarly standards, and build bridges to the secular branches of the humanities and even the sciences. At every turn the True Believers fought her and accused of her of straying from the path of ideological purity. In the end, there was a coup and she got dumped.
It makes for an interesting enough tale, but I was left scratching my head as to Mandle's motivations. Did she really expect to effect a lasting clean-up of that stable?

Joan Mandle has done an excellent job at synthesizing for the reader what types of conflicts and miscommunications lie fundamental to the core of struggling women's studies programs. Her account of a case study (memoirs of a campus struggle) is important reading for anyone interested in truly examining and furthering the state of women's studies programs in today's liberal arts curriculum.

Mandle has written a memoir of her years running the Women's Studies Program at Colgate University. During that time, she struggled to make it a non-dogmatic, inclusive, academically rigorous program. She had many setbacks but also successes. It is depressing to read about the narrow-minded ideologues - usually people who thought of themselves as feminists - who resisted her admirable goals. Still, the larger message is one of hope. Feminism really can be an open, inclusive force for education and social change. Mandle avoids jargon and her writing is vivid and accessible. This book is a must for anyone interested in an alternative vision of feminism.

Joan Mandle has written a wonderful, bittersweet memoir about her years as the director of a women's studies program at a liberal arts college. Her passion for feminism is palpable, and her willingness to be openly critical of the intellectual, philosophical and emotional blunders she encounters along the way is as refreshing as it is courageous.

The narrative line of this slim volume moves along at a rapid clip. She tells scores of stories -- about herself, her students, her interns at the center, and her colleagues both on campus and across the country. The tales are both fascinating and instructive. What sets this memoir apart, though, is her unshakeable commitment to social change and her equally rock-solid belief that feminism is strengthened, not weakened, by a rigorous and often critical self-appraisal of both the academic discipline and the social movement.

In this cogent, thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful memoir, sociologist Joan D. Mandle chronicles the six years in the 1990s when she directed the women's studies program at Colgate University, an elite liberal arts college in upstate New York. Her main challenge was how to transform a program narrowly focused on identity politics, talk therapy and male bashing--the agenda favored by the program's former director--into an intellectually rigorous, ideologically open, campus-wide forum on women and gender issues. Mandle's efforts were only partly successful, but you'll be fascinated (and disturbed) by the obstacles she faced. Chief among them was self-censorship in the classroom and at faculty gatherings. People avoided frank discussion of certain issues for fear of being labeled a sexist or a traitor to the women's movement. Mandle also analyzes why certain groups rejected, or felt excluded from, the program in the past--male faculty and students, sorority sisters (hence the reference to "wearing pearls"), women athletes, African-American women, pro-life advocates and others. Notably, Mandle counts herself as a feminist. But her vision of women's studies as an ideologically neutral field, anchored in evidence not political dogma, is shared by all too few in the academia. If you've ever wondered why most Americans believe in equal rights for women but reject "feminism", this book is a good place to start.

I recently purchased DISCOVER! Volume 3 and I want more! Please send Volumes 2 and 3!

I recently purchased DISCOVER! Volume 3 and I want more! Please send Volumes 2 and 3!

While planning for yet another summer of rides on the motorcycle,
my wife and I had this book sent as part of our research.
We were very disappointed, it has 5 stars. So what is the problem?
For one thing it is not well written nor does it seem up to date.
We travel a lot, all over the USA and the world.
It is like asking about a good cafe, first you need to know the people who felt it was great. Do they know good food?

We know well done books and this is not one. I move it to the waste fill.

Rolling on the River.......... In a few weeks, it'll be road-trip weather, and we have some of the nation's prettiest highways at our fingertips--US Hwy 61 and several other state and county highways form the parkway known as AMERICA's Great River Road. Making that drive even easier is a new guide: "DISCOVER! AMERICA'S GREAT RIVER ROAD, Volume 1." This 240-page guide highlights the heritage, natural history and recreational activities available along the Mississippi River from St. Paul, Mn., to Dubuque, Iowa. It includes maps, historical and geological points of interest, bike trails, bird watching spots and short features on small towns, parks, and villages. ----STAR TRIBUNE, Minneapolis, Mn. April 1997

Having traveled and lived in the areas described in Vol.3, The Lower Mississippi, from St. Louis, Missouri to Memphis, Tennessee, and descended from a family of river rats, I can say that I've "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt."

Reading Pat's book is like traveling along with her as she explores the Great River Road along the mighty Mississippi River. I was especially impressed with the with the book's scope and readability. Pat has included personal insights from area inhabitants, collected geographical, historical and societal information and spread it all liberally throughout the travelogue. This is one hard book to put down, and if you ever decide to visit the area you'll have plenty of reference material to use. You will feel like you know the place already, and have gotten your own t-shirt.

Jim Pankey USN (Ret.)

This was such a horrible story of Palestinian parents who murdered there daughter. They called it all in the name of Honor for she was becoming to American. What it's called is murder. The story was not written very well though. The author was all over the place and did not keep the story in one place.

The show forensic files has an episode on this. It gets to the point with out traveling all over the place as the book did.If your curious about the story wait for it to come on forensic files or look it up on line. There is tons of information on line about this tragic story of the lovely , kind innocent girl who did not deserve to die.

This book starkly frames the force of hatred which overtook New York City and the world with the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. It relates specifically to Zein Isa's November 1989 murder of his daughter, Palestina. The West Bank immigrant and his Brazilian wife co-conspired in the brutal St. Louis murder of their teenage daughter, whose friendships they believed had endangered their terrorist plans.

In their search for terrorists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation inadvertently taped the actual killing. Zein Isa and his wife were sentenced to death.

The book reveals much about the village life in the West Bank, where most families, according to Maria Zein, belong to radical military groups whose ultimate goal is to destroy Israel. Many West Bank residents are actually "refugees from other countries." According Maria Zein's account, her husband knew "men from Syria, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi." Maria Zein told the author that her husband had traveled from the West Bank village of Beitin, to Jordan, Syria, Libya and Bolivia. He lived undetected for years in the US, and also claimed to have lived in Europe.

The book reveals twisted morals, which condone murder for the sake of family honor. It unmasks intense hatred that evolved into conspiracies to slaughter Jews, blow up the Israeli embassy in Washington and to murder Tina because she posed a threat to these plans.

It also exposes the frighteningly broad inroads that the Abu Nidal terrorists have made into American cities and life. Alyssa A. Lappen

In November 1989 in St. Louis, the FBI inadvertently tape recorded the entire episode of a teenage girl's being killed by her Palestinian father and Brazilian mother (the Feds were looking for evidence of terrorism, which they also found). In a ghastly eight-minute sequence, Zein Isa stabbed his daughter Palestina thirteen times with a butcher's knife as his wife held the girl down and responded to Palestina's pleas for help with a brutal "Shut up!" The killing ends with Zein screaming "Die! Die quickly! Die quickly! . . . Quiet, little one! Die, my daughter, die!" By this time, she is dead.

Harris, a St. Louis television reporter, has done admirable spade work going through the court transcripts and interviewing everyone connected to the case in an attempt to piece together the interlocking stories of family murder and active support of Abu Nidal's terrorist organization. In addition, she successfully conjures up the small and exceedingly unpleasant world of Zein Isa and his family of rabid anti-Americans living right in the American heartland. The murder culminates their lives of frustration, greed, and vulgarity. Unfortunately, Harris spent more effort digging up information than she did writing the book; so the more-than-casual reader must read and reread its pages to piece together the sequence of events and the scope of the Isa family's involvement with Abu Nidal. Doing so repays the effort, however, for Harris has compiled a treasure trove of materials on two usually elusive subjects.

Middle East Quarterly, September 1995

In the wake of the tradegy of 9/11 this book is eye-opening. It goes into detail about how this family/group operated here right under our noses.

This true-crime story is written in the sensationalistic fashion typical of the genre. It grabs your attention right from the beginning and doesn't let go.
The author describes the irony of Tina Isa's life: to any otherAmerican family she would have been cherished as a charming, friendly, hard-working teen...
The author also describes the network of Palestinian terrorist groups living in the U.S. and the role they might have played... This story is gripping and very informative because the author did a lot of research and provides so much background information about the Palestinian culture, the lives of generations of the Isa family, the Abu Nidal terrorist organization and more.
...

I really enjoyed the sequel to Finders Keepers. Darcy's past was different from most characters that you read about. It was neat that she was able to over come her past and try to go on. Most main characters you read about if they ever were in jail, it was because they were wrongly accused. Rarely, do you find a christian romance where the woman was put in jail for a murder she really did commit. I also liked that Buck was able to realize what she wanted and why, and tried to keep his father from harassing Darcy. I would advise to read Finder's Keepers before reading this one. It will help to understand some of the minor characters better.

After I had read Finders Keepers and finished it I could not wait to get started on this one. I laughed and cried throughout the book. It is a excellient book I would recommend it to anyone.

Are you a bookworm going on vacation or to the beach? Then take this easy read with you. It's not very well written, its formulaic,predictable, and a little cheesy. I thought that the book "It had to be you by Linda Windsor" was better written and a more compatible companion if you want a beach read.

This is a very different romance book, from what I've read in the past. The female lead character Darcy actually was in jail for 6 years and of course became a christian there, after they let her out of jail she moves to a small town to start over her life. Very unusual, I've never read about a lead female character in a romance book, being in jail and learning how to move on. I really liked reading it because its very different, and the romance part of it is good too.

I picked up this book because it was billed as the sequel to "Finders Keepers" but it isn't a sequel in my definition. The main characters in "Finders Keepers" are relegated to minor characters in this book and the focus is on Luke Easton and Darcy.

What struck me in this book was the situation Ruby McCann. Without giving it away, once you finish the book, and you reflect on the series as a whole, some of Ruby's actions in "Finders Keepers" will make some sense.

The bitterness that Will feels toward Darcy for the murder of his son, no matter how justified, illustrates how hate and vengeance can twist a person's personality and soul. Buck shows Darcy that even the worse things in a person can be redeemed. Through Luke, Darcy realizes that there are men in the world who are decent and loving; and Darcy shows Luke that it's ok to crawl out from under the burden of grief.

This was a good book, and I would recommend it to anyone, although you should read "Finders Keepers" first, I don't think it's a requirement--none of the true surprises in "Finders Keepers" are given away in "Hide & Seek."

...this is the book for you. On the other hand, if you want to read about a time "when teachers could change the world, when a stranger's help was graciously accepted and freely given, and a time when the promise of a bright future could capture the imagination and determination of any child." you may have to tolerate a little preachy-ness.

I gave this book only one star because of what I consider the devious way the book was presented. I expected a slice of Americana but got an excercise in feel-good faith reassurances instead. The way the story is presented isn't what the book is really about.

It is not often that I feel sad when a book ends. But I did when I finished reading "Long Train Passing". I felt like I really knew these people and they were genuine. The way that Steven Wise developed these charactors was wonderful. I wish there were more people in the world like Annabelle.Especially in a world where things like Columbine High happen. I reccomend this book to anyone with a heart, because it will definetly be touched!

Today, over thirty five years after it's debut on network television, The Andy Griffith Show remains extremely popular. I believe the major reason for it's continued popularity is the hidden desire for most of us to be able to return to a simpler time where problems were usually minor and always resolved in 30 minutes. Yet, some of us did grow up in our own versions of Mayberry USA, and while many of the things depicted on the program were fairly true to life, we also know that many of our problems were quite complex and rarely resolved quickly. Such is the town portrayed in the book "Long Train Passing" by Steven W. Wise. While the setting is 20 years before mythical Mayberry, it seems extremely familiar. For those of us who grew up in small Midwestern towns, "Long Train" hits close to home, and takes us quickly back to less complicated days. The characters depicted seem all too real, mainly because the author has taken them fairly faithfully from the real inhabitants of his hometown in rural Missouri. While the story is extremely entertaining, the real joy in reading this book is to see the characters come alive in print and to feel we would know them if we met them on the street. Here is a chance to go back to a time when many of the complexities of our modern society were not present, but the drama of life and the triumph of the human spirit coupled with love overcoming hate are as current as today. Spend a few hours and let the author spin his tale. You will be greatly rewarded for your investment.

Being an avid reader I often find it a challange to find a book that can hold my interest and touch my heart. This novel does both. Long Train Passing does a fantastic job of incorperating drama, suspense, and morality. It is the heart wrenching story of a kind hearted school teacher, who makes a great impact on everyone she comes in contact with. Everyone has, or should have, a memory of a special teacher who has made an impact on them. The person that inspired you, or changed you, in a way that made you a better person. For the people in this story, that person is Annabelle. She breaks down the emotional walls of a child that was deemed "unsaveable." She also makes the town that she is living in a better place for everyone. The amazing part, is that she does this in the midst of her own personal troubles and disapointments. She makes you realize that life is not worth living if you are the center of your own world. I have never read a novel that is so inspiring, and yet so full of action and suspense. It kept me on the edge of my seat, but also moved me to tears more than once. I could say that teachers will love this book, or women, or kind hearted people. But I'm not going to, that would be closed minded. There is not ONE certain type of person that I would recomend this novel to. I recomend it to ANY human with a heart. There is something in it for everyone!

What a find this book is! Steven W. Wise writes a story that in lesser hands may be sappy or over-sentimental. Instead, he tells a story of healing, compassion and understanding. The protaganist is a teacher named Annabelle Allen who is stricken with a physical deformity but blessed with courage and compassion. When faced with a very difficult student named Jewell Cole, she meets him with understanding and breaks through his pained exterior. She helps Jewell, who dreams of some day being a soldier, with the many battles he must face including an abusive father, receiving an education his father tries to deny him and learning to forgive and live. Also, WWII and the Korean Wars are backdrops in this novel of battles and struggles that must be met head-on. Each character faces conflicts with eventual integrity, lead by the righteous Annabelle. For readers who enjoy stories of triumphs in the moral struggle of life, this is a must-read. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

In this second book of a series, Bretta Soloman has moved from the home she shared with late husband Carl (see Roots of Murder) and undertaken the renovation of a neglected mansion. Set during the busy Christmas season, Bretta is a busy and ambitious florist, hoping to cash in on the season of spending. However, the tale takes more of a Halloween turn when the former owner of the mansion is strangled with the cord of some Christmas lights. Fast paced, the timing seems off in this book, and too many different components come into play. The widowed Bretta has fallen off her diet, her long lost father has made contact, and the former owner of her new home has made some interesting demands, and Bretta has issues with the sheriff. A few red herrings are to be expected in a cozy mystery, but this one meandered past the point of plausibility on many counts. A baffling "flower" arrangement, with too many design elements?

I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to many more in this series!!!!!! Terrific book for the holidays, or anytime!

Over eighteen months ago, Bretta Solomon's beloved spouse, a deputy sheriff, died. Bretta still mourns her loss, but their love is so powerful that even death cannot keep them from conversing with one another. Bretta runs a River City floral shop, but that is inadequate to keep her mind off of her husband's death. So when Cameo Beauchamp-Sinclair offers to sell her family mansion to Bretta, the florist leaps at the opportunity.

Bretta performs a miracle restoring the mansion to much of its former glory. To celebrate her accomplishment, Bretta hosts a dinner to include Cameo and many of the elderly woman's friends and relatives. During the meal, Cameo announces that she has discovered the identity of the person trying to blackmail her. However, the lights go off and when illumination returns, Cameo is dead. Having successfully solved a murder before, Bretta begins investigating this homicide without yet realizing how close she comes to joining her husband in the afterlife.

The heroine of MURDER SETS SEED is a likable, understandable, and empathetic individual. However, the remainder of the cast seems two-dimensional, symbolizing a stereotype rather than a person. Though not enhancing the tale, that flaw fails to hurt the story line because the plot totally belongs to the brave Bretta. Janis Harrison writes an enjoyable amateur sleuth tale that sets the roots for a warm sad character starring in a gardening mystery series.

Harriet Klausner

I have been absolutely thrilled with the new mysteries, especially the series that have started up in the last year or two, and Janis Harrison's Gardening Mystery series is just one example of theses great new series.

A Murder Sets Seed is the second of Janis Harrison's Gardening Mysteries. Widowed Bretta Solomon, owner of a flower shop, is our amateur sleuth. She is a fabulous, full-bodied character who holds up the story with her personal strength, humor, and wisdom. The entire of cast and the story line of A Murder Sets Seed are impressive and complete, so readers can expect to react, thank goodness. The mystery, with its developments and revelations, pulled together expertly.

Cameo Beauchamp-Sinclair, a rich socialite, has a couple of problems: she is being blackmailed and needs a surrogate daughter. After she meets Bretta Solomon, she sells the Beauchamp Mansion to her and turns to Bretta for help with the problems. During one of Bretta's formal dinners Cameo denounces her unknown blackmailer in front of the other guests, which causes a snowball effect into murder and mayhem.

Bretta Solomon has decided to begin putting her life back together after her husband's untimely death by buying the historic Beauchamp mansion and restoring it. Bretta and her flower shop staff have been working hard at decorating the house in time for the shop's annual Christmas open house. Unfortunately, a week before the event, the manipulative Cameo Beauchamp, erstwhile owner of the Beauchamp Mansion, persuades Bretta to hold a select dinner for a few friends (read River City's most upstanding citizens) so that they can have a sneak peek at the restorations.

Of course Cameo has an agenda of her own that she fails to appraise Bretta of! Just before dinner, Cameo drops a bombshell: someone at this ill-fated dinner party has attempted to blackmail her and she's not going to stand for it. And then dramatically, the lights go out and when they come back on, Cameo is found strangled. Bretta is all for staying out of this investigation but when the town's leading gossip columnist accuses her of the crime, Bretta goes all out to find out who did actually kill Cameo Beauchamp.

I enjoyed this mystery alot more than the first one ("Roots Of Murder"). Bretta Solomon is a charming and sympathetic woman, and I thought the other characters were developed well as well. But I really didn't understand the sheriff's attitude or hostility towards Brettta, especially as Bretta's husband had been a rather close friend. His antagonism seemed all out of proportion. Also, I had to read the last three chapters twice in order to make sense of who had committed the murder and why. And while I did understand it the second time around, I think the novel would have been stronger if there had been a few more clues strewn about in the preceding chapters.

this book came in a timely and ordely fashion, it is in great condition almost brand new and it is a great book. i will definetely keep the book for use in future college classes and hopefully will do exceptionally well in this Journalism class. Thanks

As a Missouri grad, I took classes with some of these dunderheads and was forced to buy their book. Ranly's great contribution to journalism is extolling the use of the word "that." Moen basically retired to Missouri at age 25. His goal was to brighten up newspapers after the "negativity" of the Watergate-era. Kennedy is a living ghost.

Just read the "humor" section. It's unintentionally funny.

This book is not fit to line bird cages. It one the reason so many newspapers are dull and lack substance.

A better book is Steve Weinberg's "The Reporter's Handbook." I'm told there is a recent edition. Weinberg is also a Missouri professor. Unlike the Kennedy, Moen, Ranly triumvarate, Weinberg actually is a great writer and journalist. He knows what he's talking about. Moen, et al are nothing more than witless windbags. (Read about alliteration in the cahpter on "creative" writing.)

Finally, I get my revenge on the dullards who make the Missouri School of Journalism the sham that it is.

With little effort, I have snatched the pebble from the so-called Master's hand.

I used "News Reporting and Writing" when I studied journalism in college. Upon returning to the college classroom to teach journalism, I introduced my students to the latest edition of this wonderful text. The book provides an excellent introduction to the various elements of good journalism and is perfect for a beginning or advanced course on reporting and writing. I recommend it highly!

While I can't actually comment on the current edition, I'd like to say that this is the same book I used 18 years ago in college and it was excellent. I still have my copy and refer to it occasionally when I'm covering an area that I don't handle often. The authors are from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, one of the top journalism schools in the country because most of the faculty have real-world, hands-on experience. This book today is used in hundreds of journalism classes around the country.

News Reporting and Writing is an excellent tool for aspiring journalists. It is very easy to read and right on the money, as far as content. It covers everything from writing a catchy lead for your stories to a step-by-step process for interviewing. The book also has sidebars that emphasize the important elements in each chapter. I would recommend this book to not only anyone interested in journalism, but to anyone interested in learning how to write better.

I thought the first part of this book was fascinating. I thought it probably gave a pretty accurate picture of what the damage was likely to be, and how the damage would occur. I was looking forward to reading about the probable psychological responses to a catastrophe like this. Once I got there, I found myself nodding my head, remembering Katrina. What gave me pause was when the author cited several quotes by a Dennis Mileti. Mileti claims that looting is almost non-existent in catastrophes. "Sociologists, in fact, have tried to interview arrested looters after over one hundred disasters, according to Mileti, but they can never find any." I then looked at the date of publication of this book - 1989. Even so, to say that looting has almost never occurred during disasters is very hard to believe.

It's not my THINGS that I care about, it's the psychological unease of bands of criminals roaming the area. I felt that should have been researched and written about a little better.

Very well researched book on the New Madrid fault line. Chronicles many of the major earthquakes including the 1811-1812 quakes that rerouted the Missippi. Interesting graphs and charts. Nice comparision to other major earthquakes. Good information especially if you are teaching geology in the midwest.

From a person who lives in New Madrid, this book is very helpful. It lists all the things, you need to know. Strategies for your survival, stuff for an emergency case; food, water, toliet paper.

This book does an excellent job of describing the recent history of the New Madrid fault, and the impact of recorded earthquakes in that area.

The book also serves as an effective planning guide for government agencies, businesses, and indiviuals. Proper preparation is critical if this now highly developed region is to survive another earthquake or series of earthquakes such as those that occured in 1811-12.

The dangerous propensities of the midcontinental earthquake zone known by the name of the New Madrid fault system are part and parcel of life in the area where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi river system. In 1811 and 1812, a bone-shattering series of earthquakes took place here, three of which are estimated at over 8.3 on the Richter scale, devastating this region, creating new lakes, making the Mississippi run backwards for a time, raising hills, and changing river courses. If such a series of events took place today, the consequences would be almost unimaginable.

Atkinson's book explores these matters with a studied eye, an easily understoood writing style, and contains many excellent diagrams forecasting where future quake damage will occur, and in what amount. It also contains a shocking series of narratives about how little has been done to prepare for the next emergency. Make no mistake, the New Madrid earthquakes of the early nineteenth century are not the last seismic events in this region.

This book should be required reading for every local and state government official in this region and, especially for every civil defense person. While no one knows when the next giant eathquake will occur, and it may be some hundreds of years away, the magnitude of the potential disaster dictates readiness now. Examples would include strict rules regarding construction of building highways, bridges, pipelines, levees, sewage and water systems and the like. This book points out clearly what should be done.

I recommend the book highly.