Montana Books

As a recent college graduate, I needed some serious help in trying to hone in on a good job. This book is very helpful, with tips from professionals, tons of stuff on networking, and really how to proceed in your job hunt. I found it very well organized, clearly written, and easy to go between chapters to get information about what you need. I highly recommend it to people who want more information for a successful job hunt.

I have used this book twice in the past 5 years, and without fail it has given me the advice to maximize my interviewing, job-research, and letter/resume writing skills. This book helped me land my two dream jobs and I recommend it enthusiastically for everyone who's on the job hunt.

Thank you ladies!

A great read for the people who need a help with their job search.

I often see Tory Johnson on ABC's "Good Morning America" and she provides excellent advice that always gives me hope about the job search process. This book does the same. Everyone should own it.

Written for the younger job-hunter, although certainly comprehensive enough to help everybody, Women for Hire would make a great gift for new grads and young professionals on the job hunt. The book includes loads of examples of cover letters, resumes, business cards, and even appropriate responses for interview questions.

This is where it all starts, Goku's Journey. Over all I'ld have to say this is the weakest of the first Dragonball set, the other being Dragonball Z. Toriyama hasn't figured out the characters. This is no villain, just miss understood persons (ie Yamcha and Oolong). We don't even meet Pilaf until the next book, the main villain of the first journey. The stories are fun, filled with mostly camp and cheesyness, but they don't have the page turning action of the later books.

The DragonBall series has always been known or it's martial arts action, quirky humor, and of course, Akira Toriyama(Dr. Slump). But what happens when you put the 3 first volumes of his acclaimed series together in one volume? You get 3 times the fun!!! In the first volume Goku meets Bulma and Oolong, and the trio set off to find the legendary DragonBalls, which grant you one wish by Shen-long, the Dragon God. Then in the second volume, they must face the evil of Emperor Pilaf, and his crew. Soon after, in volume three, Goku is trained by the legendary Kame-senin, or Turtle Hermit. Will he, and his rival/friend Kirurin, along with mood-swinging Lunch, go to "The Strongest Under The Heavens?" Find out in my personal favorite manga. Highly recommended, 5 stars, or a Grade: A+.

I was never into Dragonball when the anime premiered when I was young, and I did not grow up idolizing it like several other boys of my generation. However, after beginning to appreciate the works of more modern mangaka, I decided that it's time to read on the most influential classic that inspired so many of my favorite artists: Akira Toriyama's "Dragonball".

I will point out right now that this VIZBIG edition is the first three volumes of Dragonball in one large volume at a more economically friendly price. A wise move since the entire series has been available for quite a while now. Not only that, but the page size is larger, giving you a larger view, and two chapters are in full color.

The story, for those who need to know, is that a brilliant teenage girl named Bulma is searching for seven mystical "Dragonballs" that, when all found, summon the dragon-god Shenlong(Shenron in the Funimation anime dub), and he will grant the person a single wish, whatever it may be. On her quest, she runs into a strange young boy named Son Goku who has a mysterious tail and a bo staff that can extend at his will. Added to that, the boy has unnaturally powerful strength and NO knowledge of civilization abroad. What results is one comical misadventure after the other as the two meet more strange and interesting individuals, some good, some evil, as they try to find the remaining Dragonballs.

This set takes you through the beginning, to the meeting of individuals such as Kame Senn'in(Master Roshi in Funimation dub), Oolong, Yamcha, Reich Pilaf (Emperor in the anime dub), and Kuririn (Krillin in the dub)up until the first fights of the Tenka'ichi Budokai ("Strongest Under Heaven" Tournament, roughly).

Those who have watched Dragonball's sequel set, Dragonball Z, will quickly note a greater emphasis on comedy than action, and indeed the manga is silly. I would not recommend this to young children as there is lots of sexual-based humor. While the story is interesting, it only gets to some real interesting stuff near the later half of the entire book when a bit more combat occurs. Two significant cons of the set are as follows:

1. The colored pages. Don't get me wrong, I like colored pages, but the coloring in this set is mediocre at best. While some things, like the backgrounds, are colored nicely, there are inconsistencies in the color of Bulma's hair and Pilaf's skin. Both are colored as turquoise-to-purple and blue-to-green, respectively. Also, this makes the chapters that were once color(now grey-scale in the manga) to look weak in outline and detail, making some panels appear to be poorly printed.

2. Some of the writing. Many know that Viz is big on softened, somewhat childish dialog for some series, but I believe Dragonball is one of the most infamous. They use a lot of contractions for simple words, making them out to be spoken by someone with poor diction("for" becomes "f'r", "what are you" becomes "wha'cha", etc.). And sometimes, the characters say some pretty lame puns that I'm sure were not in the original. Bad like 4kids Entertainment bad(Pilaf: Soba! Are things going okay?! Soba: So ba, so good!).

However, none of this takes away TOO much to the manga, and it is still largely enjoyable to read. Many of the names are translated well, as well as keeping the original names of some objects. There are also several editor's notes to let you know of stuff that needs reference to Japanese culture, and whatnot.

If you've never read or watched this series before, then you'll probably enjoy the cartoony designs and comical characters. There is not much in terms of action, but that changes when Dragonball Z starts. Buy all means, if you want this, get this version, its cheaper and you get more manga for your money.

I have had this comic book for so many years and for so many years i never got around to reading it as it seemed to find a life just lying on my book shelf as an ornament. With the recent re-releases of the DBZ DVD uncut re-mastered box sets I found myself finally being able to watch DBZ as I couldn't before. The reason being that when I wanted to watch DBZ on the cartoon network it was already way to deep in the storyline for me to follow and catch up so I decided to never jump on the DBZ nation. Now with the DVD sets being so affordable and just jammed with so many episodes I couldn't pass the opportunity. So I ended up really loving the cartoon and it did take about 1 episode for me to get comfortable with the English voice cast.

Now DB isn't available on DVD box set uncut re-mastered so I thought I would turn to the comics to see where it all began. I finally read the book on my shelf that's been there for years and I really enjoyed it. I am glad I never threw it out on one of my weekly apartment cleaning splurges. The artwork of course is stellar and I love Japanese comics because they have so many pages unlike US comics that only have about 21 pages. It's nice to see how Bulma met Goku and how Oolong & Yamcha all fell into the scheme of things. I always wondered where Chi Chi came from & now I know. I found the book so enjoyable that I ordered the other 15 issues that rounded up the original DB saga. I found myself just waiting for the next page to turn. The creator/artist does a wonderful job of balancing action, humor, friendship, & dirty jokes all in one. This truly is a piece of art that is a masterpiece to own. It also makes a great quick read on any vacation or bus ride. The version I have is the 1st one published by Viz Comics and is the exact same one displayed here except it has a white cover & not red. It is also a little bigger which I like. I am a bit shocked by some reviews that say it's too racy for teenagers. The comic is in cartoon animated children like format; i doubt it's harmful unless your child needs psychiatric help if a comic book influences them that heavily to want to beat people with a stick that magically extends or imagines that people can sit on clouds that fly you places. I am also certain young children won't find the humor the way a grown teenager or someone in their 20's would. I didn't find any racy or uncomfortable content in the comic whatsoever. Everything is in for humor effect. This comic is for any art lover and any DBZ lover. It's simply the best and one of the best artistic contributions to the world.

i grew up watching the anime so i had no problem getting into this. it is a very creative story and the characters grow on you. give it a chance its not a bad read at all.

Chronologically, English Creek is the second in Doig's Montana trilogy--better to read Dancing at the Rascal Fair first. This one gives us Montana frontier life in the 30s and invites one to continue with his contemporary book three, Ride with Me, Mariah Montana. I enjoyed all three and also recommend The Whistling Season.

I hated to get sleepy at night, because I didn't want to put this book down. I thought this was a good story, and the author does a good job of describing the beautiful countryside to the reader.

Like the other novels of Ivan Doig that I have read, ENGLISH CREEK might fall shy of great literature, but it certainly is top-notch storytelling. Doig's narrator for this story is Jick McCaskill, who has as personable a narrative style as one could want. Looking back over more than a quarter century, Jick tells the story of his summer of 1939, when he was 14 and grew from boy to young man. His story moves along at a leisurely pace, but it never stalls, largely because of the wry humor and charm of both his narration and many of his characters. And in telling the story, Jick/Doig give us what I am confident is a realistic picture of ranching life in Northwest Montana, at the foot-hills of the Rockies as they rise out of the plains, just before WWII. Particularly vivid and memorable are extended set pieces of a community Fourth of July (with picnic, rodeo, and square dance), end-of-summer haying, and fighting a raging forest fire.

It may well be that the book will appeal most to readers "of a certain age," as they say. I am uncertain what the cut-off is (about 45?), but for those who have passed the threshold I have little doubt that they will enjoy the story immensely.

Set in northern Montana in 1939, this novel tells the story of the McCaskill family. Young Jick is 15 and interested in learning his family's history--not easy since his parents are pretty tight-lipped. His older brother wants to get married rather than go to college, which causes a rift in the family. The father works for the Forest Service and in tackling a big fire at book's end provides Jick with important family history. Good in spots, especially the last 50 pages or so, but one gets the feeling in much of the book that Doig is trying hard to write an epic, only it comes across as only boring details.

I uncovered Doig's "Dancing at the Rascal Fair" at a small bookstore in Oregon many years ago. Since then, his books have earned a "do not loan" status on my bookshelf. I'll tell friends how much I love his books, but they have to buy their own copies. English Creek is one of my favorites. It immersed me in Montana, in a young boy's summer, in the fold of time between childhood and adulthood. While some of Doig's books have a darker, gritty, edge, English Creek made me laugh outloud. I've just ordered three more copies to give as gifts to friends who I know will love the premise, the prose and the portrait of life on the edge of growing up.

In Legends of the Fall, Jim Harrison has established himself as the best fiction writer of my generation. I am referring to the third of the three novellas in this trilogy, the one entitled Legends of the Fall. (I also loved the second, The Man Who Gave Up His Name, but the first, Revenge, does nothing for me. It is ironic that Revenge was the first to be made into a movie.) With only about five lines of dialogue in the entire story of 75 pages or so, Harrison has created a work of extraordinary power and scope. The characters are unforgettable, the world he describes is incredibly vivid and full of nuances, and the story itself is so moving that I have been compelled to read it at least twenty times. It never loses its appeal. Harrison is the consummate story teller, and that's what Legends is for me -- story telling at its very best. The film with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins was a huge disappointment -- it missed the true feeling of the book by a mile, largely due to the miscasting of Pitt in the role of Tristan. They might as well have cast Pee Wee Herman (at least it would have been amusing instead of trite). The Man Who Gave Up His Name is also a fabulous tale with a wonderful twist on one of my favorite subjects -- what does it mean to be a success (I wrote a book entitled Beating the Success Trap). In short, Harrison has provided a feast of outstanding reading material that should not be missed by anyone who loves fiction. I give this ten stars!

This is one of the finast works I've ever had the pleasure of consuming.It covers a almost forgotten period of our nation's history when young men were actually inspired to fight for the honor of a nation and it's culture.
The primacy of male emotions,another much ignored literary topic,is on view in every chapter.
There is action,chvalry,war ,peace,love and revenge.
This is one that is better than the movie and almost impossible to put down.

The three novellas by Jim Harrison collected in Legends of the Fall took my breath away when I read them, and made me wonder why in the world it took so long for me to discover Harrison. His language is sparse and clean--reminiscent to a certain extent of Cormac McCarthy's--but it has a musical/poetic rhythm to it that is uniquely his own. His ability to create images, plots, and characters that keep the reader riveted is profound, especially given the fact that he uses (at least in the last two of the three novellas collected here) almost no character dialogue.

The publisher's blurb for Legends of the Fall say that the three stories all deal with the theme of revenge, but this strikes me as a paltry characterization of their richness. What the stories do have in common is that the protagonists in each of them suffer a fall from "innocence." In Revenge, the main character discovers that the "innocence" of honest and passionate romantic love can exact a horrific price. In The Man Who Gave Up His Name, the main character loses a sense of who he is after his "innocence" is shattered by the break-up of a nearly twenty-year marriage. In Legends of the Fall, the main character, an "innocent" child of the Montana plains, is traumatized by the violence of the world.

Yet the fall from innocence in each of these "legends" isn't hopeless. Life lessons are learned in each case, even if the lesson hurts terribly. This is especially evident in the middle novella. Norstrom, the main character, loses his old identity. But in the losing of it, he acquires a more sensitive appreciation of the everyday. It's as if his loss of self leaves an open, receptive space that wasn't there before.

Having said that, though, I think it's a mistake to try to reduce these novellas to a single, overarching theme. They're honest narratives of the complexities of what it means to be human. The characters behave admirably at times, reprehensibly at others. Nothing is cookie-cutter, nothing inauthentically simple. Harrison's faithfulness to the tangled web of human relationships, plus his mastery of his craft, makes these novellas minor masterpieces. I look forward to reading more from him.

I loved this book. It is in my humble opinion the best book Harrison has ever written.

I was in the Navy in 1983 when I discovered this book lying around the shop. Having nothing else to read on watch at the time I picked it up and became instantly hooked.

A prior reviewer made the analogy that Harrison runs a thread of choices: No matter what we decide to do in life we can never be certain of the outcomes. What is important is that we are able to live with the options we choose for ourselves. All three short stories contained in this book explore this theme and the character they exhibit when faced with challenges. It seldom works out how we, the reader, want it to end but like the protaganist we are able to make peace with it.

I seldom if ever read a book more than once, but I have read this one at minimum seven times. As a very young man trying to find himself in a huge cold world when I discovered Jim Harrison's work, Legends Of The Fall (And Other Short Stories) became a sort of blueprint for what would follow in my life and how would I meet the challenges: Alcoholism, divorce, death, even my spitituality.

The movie follows the story line very closely and for that we can be grateful. The tale is beautiful on its own and punching it up to make the transition would have been a fruitless exercise. That said, the vivid picture Harrison paints throughout while utilizing an economy of words causes the film to pale in comparrison.

Wow. I could not put this book down once I started it. I found the violence--the violence of the environment, between people, and within people--so overpowering. Louise made me so sad; for her not to realize or be concious of her own objectification and that she could never quite rise into awareness was so heartbreaking. Charlie Kicking Woman certainly had the most reflective voice; he, at least, could come full circle with his issues--there is where hope lies. Best of all, was Earling's explanation of Love Medicine--what a nod to Louise Erdrich! To even be able to mention the concept, and its all consuming-ness, is a monumental achievement for both writers. Think how far we have come to recognize the concept from what is still considered contemporary literature. Write more Ms. Earling--hurry; I'm looking forward to you work!.

debra magpie earling captures the culture complexities of the reservation indian of that time in a way very few writers would be capable of doing.her insight is heartfelt.i read about a book a week but this story will stay with me awhile.i am so happy to make the acquantice of ms. earling. jim t lebanon ky

Before the last 50 pages of this book, I was very disappointed. While all of it is beautifully written, a large portion of the story drags. This is something I would have understood and even appreciated if I felt I were learning about the characters' culture in the meantime, but I didn't. I began to resent the main character as if she were an autobiographer wasting my time with a narrative that wouldn't interest anyone as much as it did herself.
That being said, the story becomes much more alive, as far as action as well as geniune, important emotion near the end, and my impression of Louise grew favorably with it. But that didn't erase the effort I'd had to put forth to get though the majoity of the book.
Overall, I wish that either the storyline had been faster paced or that the downtime had been used more effectively, helping me relate to the characters and their heritage.

I was one of Debra's students at UM in Missoula and can say that she is as amazing as her book. Anyone who gets the opportunity to see her read in person will not be disappointed. Because I knew her during the period she was writing the book, it has a special place in my heart. I gave a friend an autographed copy and she carried it around for weeks after she read it.

I read through a few of the reviews and was a bit surprised with the comment that Louise's relationship with Harvey was contrived among other things. I was completely absorbed in this novel and felt that it was an artfully told story, I would give it a 6 if possible. I grew up in that area, going to high school in Missoula. My parents live on the Flathead Reservation and my sister went to high school in St. Ignatius. When other high schoolers were taking French and Spanish, she was learning Salish. I am a very white skinned, blue eyed, freckled decendant of Northern Europeans. My father is a true, genuine cowboy and cattle rancher. This book pulled me in not only because of the amazing way Earling captured the sights and smells of my home, but because of the undercurrent of feeling between the peoples living on the reservation, whites, Indians and those who didn't belong to either group because they belonged to both. At first when I put the book down I felt unsatisfied. I wanted to know what happened to Hemaucus Three Dresses. I think Earling's point in leaving that a loose end was that she was just an Indian and therefore disposable and that probably no one would ever invest the time and energy into finding out what happened to her. If it was a white man who killed her, well, she was just a dirty Indian. If it was an Indian, well, just chalk it up to internal Indian justice. I wanted Louise to make better choices. I believe her choices were rooted in hunger, survival and a self-loathing fostered by the nuns of Mission. It is completely plausible that she ends up spending so much time with Harvey the white land developer because in him there is a little hope of change. There is no love on either side of this "romance" and I think that is why a reviewer felt it contrived. He was using her for his pleasure. She was using him for an occasional hot meal, a chance to briefly feel special and the tiniest sliver of a possibility that he might take her away from the reservation. Mostly she was resigned to the fact that nothing would improve for her. The two Indian men in the story, Charlie Kicking Woman and Baptiste Yellow Knife are struggling with the same demons in profoundly different ways. In the end they come to the same resolution I think. Charlie is a policeman, second class citizen among the other officers, someone trying to behave like a white man and be better than the other Indians. It is a lonely, hated place to be. Baptiste chooses to return to the old Indian ways, starting with refusing to speak English at school, resulting in being locked in a store-room by the nuns and mysteriously escaping. He drinks because he is told he can't. He becomes mean and scary, even to other Indians. Louise is a bit of a surprise and unpredictable. She seems resigned to a hard life but when it counts she's a fighter, and she fights HARD.

As far as the metaphores, I was constantly amazed at her ability to take incongruous words and put them together to create a picture that was completely understandable. She had me tasting colors and smelling songs. Amazing. She often used the opposite of what she was describing to illustrate the point. For example: Baptiste's mother's house becomes lighter and lighter the way a tarp gets darker as it gets wet. Completely opposite but what a visual that really expresses a gradual lightening.

I absolutely loved the book. I highly recomend it. (By the way, the magazine reviewer was wrong, there are 4 men interested in Louise. Two are Indian, two are white: Baptiste, Charlie, Harvey and Jules the cowboy). They each see something in her that draws them.

This is good book with some very useful ideas, 3 stars only because its outdated. If your wanting to buy a tablet PC or make better use of one you already have this book would be worthwhile.

I really like the author's approach, since he actually gives both relevant technical information and provides the practical business practice.

How-to books are "easy" to write... what Michael Linenberger does is fantastic and more technical books should be written with this dual perspective!

Microsoft should package a copy of this book with every tablet sold! Good for personal and business productivity!

This book is not for someone learning to really use the Tablet PC. It is about his system of organization and how to use the Tablet PC as a key device in organizing your life, as the title indicates. I was disappointed in the book overall as I was looking for a book that would educate the physicians I support in better use of the Tablet itself.

As I read the book it reminded me of all the things I should be doing to keep my work organized. The tablet PC is a great tool which I encorporated into my daily routine prior to reading. This book gave me helpful hints on how to do things effectively and efficently on my tablet. The book is written using the beta and initial version of the tablet PC tools. If you purchase you must download the updates of Chapters 3 & 4. This update gives a better understanding of the current tools of the tablet PC. It is worth the money in time saved.

This book was the best! Its about two things. Teenagers and love! The perfect combination for a book!

It answers questions as well as has stories, quotes, and poems in it! Theres also some cute illustartions on a few pages!

If you like Chicken Soup I recommend you read this! It deals with every love problem you can think of~ I hope you enjoy it!~

This book was really helpful to me. i really like it alot. theres a story that relates in that book.theres this kid and ive known him for like only 2 years but were really good friends and i like him alot and he doesnt know i want to tell him but i dont. When im around him i dont feel shy i let all of it out but i hide the other part of me. and if he found i dunno what would happen i know i would be shy though. i dont want to take the chance because i dont like to be let down and what if he says no it would hurt me alot!that story related to me alot and i cryed right after i read it. its just like me i dont know what to do but one of these days im gonna tell him the way i feel and hope he feels the same for me.

I love this book. When I first read it I liked it but I wasn't having any problems in my relationship. Recently ,things have been very bad between Chad and I and I didn't know what to do. I only have one friend who has been in a long term relationship so it was hard to find anyone who could understand what I was going through. It was actually my friend Stacey who told me to read the book again. (It has helped her many times) There were things that I din't even remember from the first time and they were things I could do to make things better. I called my boyfriend and asked him to come over. We sat there and talked the way it said to in the book, with each of us only speaking about how we felt , not what the other person did. I can't even tell you how well this worked. After awhile we were both crying and holding each other and we realized (the book told us) that relationships require work and you have to talk things through but not by blaming each other. Anyway, we are doing great now and I know I will use this book again and again. I give it 5 stars.

Teen Love: On Relationships certainly did not live up to my expectations! I found there to be unnecessary, boring inserts fro the author and her daughter that only helped me to put the book down and often cancelled out the effects of the few great stories that are in there.

Most of the stories in this book are either immature or cliched and if I had to recommend this book to someone, it will be to those people aged 14 and under. For those people with more life experience, you may find the majority of these stories to be unoriginal and not worth the time it takes to read them.

If you are looking for a great book along similar lines, I would suggest Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul - Love & Friendship, or any other book in the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul series.

This book was surprisingly a good read. It was better than most of the others said. However, I'd say you're better off buying the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul volume 1-3 before you even look at this.

The reason being is that this book is made for the younger teenagers. The book isn't bad as some of the advice given is actually pretty good, but for a teenager who is 15+ it isn't going to do much for you except perhaps raise your spirits. The book is clearly for 13-14 year olds because it waste lots of time on stories like first kisses and first relationships. Sure, any highschool student could use the book if they haven't yet been in a relationship. Plus the book constantly repeats itself. This isn't bad since the author does a great job at getting the message across.

The reason I gave this book four stars was because there weren't enough stories! Many of the "stories" were question that seemed to repeat themselves and were constatnly asked by younger teens. There were a few stories every now and then but mostly questions that got annoying. Many questions you knew where the same they were just asked differently.

Overall, this is a pretty good book to get for your growing little boys and girls of age 12-14. But if your 15-18 this book might not please you and any older than 18 means you best stay away.

As a newbie to parenthood, I find this book enlightening and helpful on many levels. Trying to stay present and in the moment is a constant struggle, but the authors give you the gift of their experience and knowledge to help you stay engaged in the day to day joys of being a parent. Our culture is so busy being over stimulated that we are losing sight of all of god's gifts before us each day, including raising our family! Stop, breathe and enjoy your child before this day is over!

I read this book when I was 2 months pregnant with my first child. Now at 11 months old, I plan on rereading it. I'm a practicing Buddhist, so this fit with my belief. However, everyone can benefit from reading this book. People of all faiths can certainly relate. I passed it on to my sister, who is a Christian, and she had the same praise. Read it.

Worthwhile reading for time-strapped parents who want to be more present in their everday interaction with their children.

The Kabat-Zinns have written a unique book in as much as it is one of the very few that apply mindfulness to parenting. Those portions of the book, where this application is described, are very good. Afterall, Jon Kabat-Zinn has done a fair bit towards popularizing this form of meditative practice. However, the book falters when the authors advise about bringing up children and disciplinary issues. They fail to distinguish, in any practical way, between utter laissez faire and much-needed corrective action. The reader is left to his/her own devices to figure out a path that should be followed. Well, one really does not need a book to tell us that the path is unique and must be forged by each parent. The manner in which mindfulness can help in charting this path is poorly described.
Overall, I recommend this book only for a few chapters (approx. 75 pages) that are very good. The rest does nothing to improve parenting skills.

I was hoping this book would help me learn to be a calmer, more patient, and contented parent. While there were lots of examples, I felt this book was rambling and didn't really give me practical help.

Parker is a thief. That is the basis for this very popular noir series. He goes on a different caper with each book. In most cases the plots are straightforward. Parker is approached by some unsavory characters about a job. He usually accepts. They plan the job, something goes wrong. It is corrected and Parker moves on. The books are all short and quick to the point. They are also quite insightful concerning the human character of greed and what it can do to the individual and those around them.
In FLASHFIRE, our antihero is faced with the problem that somebody wants him dead. He must try to find out who and eliminate the threat. At the same time, he is asked to help out on a job stealing paintings from a remote house. As usual, things go wrong and Parker must overcome them on the way to the usual satisfying conclusion.
The Parker series is one of my favorites. The books might be a bit repetitive and I wouldn't suggest reading several of them one after the other. However, they are a lot of fun. Besides the clever plots, one of the major strengths of this work are the characters. They are each so unique and full of their own personal failures, that meeting each one of them makes this series especially worthwhile. Start with any book of the series. Just start.

Parker narrowly escapes a Russian hit man who came to the cabin he shares with Claire. In the midst of disposal of the body he is contacted about a potential job with huge rewards involving stolen paintings in an isolated Montana mansion. The time frame on the Montana job is very tight so Parker has no time to put closure into those who put the price on his head. Of course they aren't prepared to wait.

As well as other Parker adventures written as Richard Stark also check out under Westlake's own name his masterpiece solution to being unemployed, The Ax. His novels Corkscrew and the Scared Stiff are also brilliant!

I would also recommend James Pattinson (Pattinson not Patterson), a British author who writes very similar style novels which are also short chaptered and simple but enjoyable reads for those who have read everything Westlake has written so far but want more of this sort of reading. Feast of the Scorpion, Wild Justice, A Car for Mr Bradley, The Time of Your Life, Homecoming The Animal Gang and Crane all have criminal characters very similar to Stark's Parker character. Check them out.

If superior criminals don't talk, think, and act like Parker, they should. Never a slow moment in a Stark book.

Parker is back, and this time he is the target of a hit. This was a very enjoyable Parker novel. Not only is the typical plot turned on its head, by Parker being the target, but even the grand theft is totally undone. This is a great story that demonstrates the ad lib abilities of Parker.

Like always, the writing is terse and quick. Details are for the dead men. This was a very quick read, and I recommend it to anyone with a taste for hard-boiled writing.

Parker is caught between two ongoing storylines that demand a lot of time. But time organization is one of the many, many things that the ever-practical Parker is good at, and he neatly balances ferreting out the source of a contract on his life with pulling a heist at an isolated, but immensely well-guarded, estate near that Canadian border. Once again, Parker has to work with other thieves in order to accomplish both goals, and his interactions with the underworld are fascinating as always.
The Good and the Bad:
This is only my second Parker novel (and my second Stark novel), but I'm already beginning to appreciate the elements and rhythm that make up the series. Even though Parker's actions would be detestable in the real world, the fact that he is fiction allows us to take joy in watching a tough-guy who means what he says, says what he means, and has the guns and the wits to enforce his rigid moral code on those around him. Stark has captured an underworld that lacks the relentless glamour and gravitas of The Godfather (or any of a million-and-one crime movies out there), and yet avoids the complicated realism of The Sopranos. Stark's criminals are like those in the movie The Usual Suspects, or maybe a Tarantino film. Crime is a profession, an exciting profession with real drama, and the man who excels in it is the ultimate professional. He's like the Sherlock Holmes of shooting people and stealing stuff; he is so highly specialized that he can be an apex criminal, but probably doesn't know a blog from a boo-bah.
If I had a criticism of Firebreak, it would be that, at times, the characters are a little too talkative, and their conversations can be a little too neat. I can accept Parker as an exceptional man who imposes order and logic on a messy world, but when other characters pick up that black-and-white clarity, it seems insincere.

This was a good book although confusing at times!The book was one my daughter enjoyed a lot!=]

A great book. My son read this book. He loved this book so much that he finished the book in about 2 hours (He doesn't read that fast)!!! If any parent is helping his kid find a book. Look up this one.

Book's list price was actually fifty cents less than the list price charged by amazon.

Wathcher's Last Stop is interesting Daid is thirteen years old and his dad goes missing throgh the whole book. David is wondering what the note means that his dad left it said "I'm sorry that I left I had to go HOME!" David is trying to find out where his dad is and David went one of his Dad's friends and they told him that they cant tell David.So David took one of things in his Dad's friends place and that gave him excuse to come back and look in Ronald,his dad's friends,jornal to see if he wrote where his dad was and he did. It turns out that his dad was in somewhere oyu would never think. You will Have to read the book to find out where!!
~READ this Book!~

This book holds you on with its deatil till the very end where it provides a bench for the reader. The ending I'd say was a surprise ending that blows you away!!! The rest of the story makes you eagar and more eagar till the end. I would give this Book 5 stars!! It is the perfect way to start off a series.