Smuggling Books

Moonfleet is a well written book once you get past the long- winded introduction. I'm sure this book would have been very popular during the 19th centuary, but as i am only 12 i found it very hard to understand some of the words, and personnally i do not enjoy reading a book with a dictionary near by at all times. When the book begins John trenchard (the main character)is 15 and lives with his aunt in the village of moonfleet, a village with many tales of smugglers and pirates, including the worst of them all - the legendary blackbeard. the story is about john and his adventures, all related to the treasure belonging to blackbeard. If you enjoy long hard words with a book that tells an ok tale then this book is for you but i really wouldn't recomend it to children.

One of the most beloved of boys' books in the UK in the early 20th century, MOONFLEET remains the best known of the three short novels by John meade Falkner, and certainly has his most engaging characters, particularly in the young hero, John Trenchard, and his substitute father-figure, the kindly smuggler Elzevir Block. The novel has all of Falkner's characteristics: his gorgeous mellifluous prose, his predilection for Gothic settings, his obsession with aristocratic ancestry and heraldry, a healthy dose of homoeroticism, and above all his ability to evoke striking visual scenes. The plot moves slowly at first and then becomes quite exciting, as John and his mentor search for a lost fabulous diamond and attempt to avoid the price put on their head by revenuers who accuse them of murder; things get a bit awkward at the end, as ten years of forced hard labor are glossed over in a few paragraphs, but then they pick up once again. The influences of Wilkie Collins and, particularly, Robert Louis Stevenson, weigh heavily on the text, but Falkner's gift for evoking a haunting visual picture is something all his own.

MOONFLEET IS A FAIRLY INTERESTING BOOK IT IS A UNIQUE BOOK WITH ORIGINAL STYLE AND A ONE-OF -A- KIND -STORY.the story is about a 15 year old boy called john trenchard who goes on extraordinary adventures on his quest to find blackbeards treasure he soon becomes trapped in avault and finds out a bit more than he bargained for a little bit startled he soon gets locked in and becomes hungry and thirsty he drinks the smuggled alchole he finaly gets rescued but his life changes forever an exeptionally fantastic story with laughter,sadness,romance,pain,rejection and a family classic........

Like many, I loved old adventures such as Treasure Island and Kidnapped when I first read them as a child. Several years ago, Washington Post book critic Michael Dirda named this as being of the same caliber, so I finally sought out a copy to fall into. Written at the turn of the 20th century, the story is set in a small village on the Dorset coast (allegedly based on East Fleet), circa the 1750s. There lives John Trenchard, a classic adventure hero: age 15, orphaned and living with a nasty (though not cruel) aunt, and pining for the beautiful daughter of the local lord. The village of Moonfleet has two intriguing aspects to it. One is a legend relating to a massive -- and possibly cursed -- diamond purportedly owned by the former lord of the manor and possibly hidden somewhere in the vicinity. The other is the village's long history of illicit trade with smugglers bringing in untaxed spirits from France and other contraband. Their main contact in town is the tavern-owner, Elsevir, who is the true hero of the story.

As in Treasure Island, things really start rolling when John gets entangled with Elsevir and the smugglers and more or less joins their gang. When the local lord tries to ambush them one dawn, blood is drawn and Elsevir and John are forced to flee and take to ground for some months. The fugitives then embark on a quest to locate the missing diamond and so make their fortune. John is especially keen on being able to return to Moonfleet a wealthy man, so that he may secure the hand of his fair lady. Of course, events don't transpire so easily, and further adventures take them to Holland, where events take a turn for the worse before a semi-triumphal homecoming.

All of this is fine -- but not that great. The story and characters definitely feel somewhat derivative, and some of the elements feel quite clumsy. For example, the lord of the manor is a nasty, mean character, but there's no indication as to why this is so. Similarly, the prim stern aunt is a stereotype of the type, and a jewel dealer who plays a key role is instinctively venal without reason. Near the end, the heroes face calamity due to circumstances of their own exceedingly unlikely making. The cagey smuggler Elsevir exhibits naivitee that beggars belief. Which is not to suggest that the book is terrible, merely that it's not that amazing. Finally, I should point out that despite the words of many reviewers the story does not involve pirates at all. (Inexplicably, the cover of one edition even goes so far as to reproduce a painting of a boarding scene, complete with cutlasses, pistols, and scurvy seadogs.) The book was made into a rather forgettable 1955 film directed by the great Fritz Lang.

When I began reading this book, a friend of mine took one look at the cover and started naming off what he thought the aspects of the plot were. He named all of the traditional pirate story cliches (sometimes platitudes): orphaned boy, evil pirate, hidden treasure, etc. By looking at the cover, I thought that was what it would be too, and I looked forward to the classic adventure story (I've always loved swashbucklers). As it was, Moonfleet is a very original novel that doesn't follow of the conventions. Surely, some of those elements are there--the orphaned boy and treasure--but they are twisted in different ways. Moonfleet is somewhat darker than other swashbucklers such as Treasure Island, and there are actually no pirates at all. There is also a little bit more depth of characterization as John Trenchard and Elziver Block have a long and meaningful friendship. Moonfleet is certainly a superior adventure novel, complete with exciting escapes (a lot of them), lost treasure, and some actual characterization. It's well worth reading.

Of the fourteen James Bond books written by Ian Fleming, Goldfinger is the seventh, and when I finished it, I'd reached the halfway point in the series. With the previous book, Dr. No, we got the first true Bond villain, the man with truly megalomaniacal plans that is typical of most of the movies. In Goldfinger, we get another such villain, plus a new first: the first villain's sidekick. These sidekicks are usually the supertough hired muscle, and few are more intimidating than Goldfinger's servant, Oddjob.

Goldfinger actually begins similarly to Moonraker. In the earlier novel, Bond is initially introduced to the villain Hugo Drax when trying to catch him cheating at bridge. In this book, the game is canasta, but Bond still catches Goldfinger in the act. Auric Goldfinger is an extremely wealthy man with an obsession for gold and a mysterious past. With little in the way of scruples and possible ties to SMERSH, Bond's chance encounter develops into an assignment to derail Goldfinger's smuggling operations.

A second "chance" encounter will lead to a golf game between the two, with Goldfinger trying again to cheat to victory. Later, Bond will begin to get the goods on his foe, but will eventually wind up in Goldfinger's clutches. Like all Bond villains, Goldfinger is interested in explanatory monologues and elaborate schemes, in this case, one involving the theft of all the gold in Fort Knox.

Although it has some of the stuff that would later become cliches, this novel is still Fleming at his peak, maybe just slightly less good than From Russia With Love and Dr. No. If you're a Bond fan, this will definitely not disappoint.

More dodgy card players. This book was fun reading, being a canasta player at the time. Bond busts Goldfinger using a spotter to cheat, and makes him pay back what he owes to people.

Not knowing who he is, when Bond is back with MI6 resources available, he checks him out, and finds out he is a gold smuggler, and even worse, is working for those SMERSH super villain types.

Goldfinger has an audacious plan to bust into Fort Knox with some serious weaponry, and using nerve gas. Leiter and Bond work to oppose him, but Goldfinger has some seriously talented help. Pussy Galore and her Catwoman crew of acrobatic purloiners, and Oddjob, the asian anti-John Steed.

Luckily, during this book, Bond has more Q-Branch toys.

Very rarely does a film improve upon the source novel. I wrote a review of one, King's Ransom, which was made into a vastly superior film by Akira Kurosawa called High and Low. Goldfinger, the film, is one of the classic Bonds -- my favorite, to be sure. The novel, in contrast, is too long, is illogical in some parts, offensive in others and makes the reader realize what a superb job screenwriter Richard Maibaum did in adapting it for the film. These weaknesses stand out in particular:

First, the behavior of villain Auric Goldfinger is completely illogical during the torture scene. You might remember the terrific laser beam scene in the film where Goldfinger, played by Gert Frobe, threatens to slice James Bond, played by the great Sean Connery, in half. In the film, Bond gets out of the mess by bluffing, making Goldfinger believe that he knows all about Operation Grand Slam, Goldfinger's plan to blow up Fort Knox. Goldfinger reasons that he can keep the CIA and the British Secret Service at bay by keeping Bond alive and making them think that Bond is his guest, not his prisoner.

The novel, in contrast, has Goldfinger threaten Bond with a saw. Bond doesn't mention Operation Grand Slam and has been a constant thorn in Goldfinger's side. Goldfinger has Bond dead to rights and, unlike in the laser beam scene in the film, has no logical reason to spare his life. However, just before Bond is about to be sawed in half, Goldfinger inexplicably spares him and forces Bond to pose as his secretary. There's a running joke that Bond villains seal their own fate by devising elaborate ways to kill him that allow Bond to escape. However, Goldfinger's action in this scene in the novel completely defy logic and cripple the story's credibility. Bond novels are an escape from reality -- an adult comic book -- but this plot development makes absolutely no sense.

In the novel, Goldfinger's plan is to rob Fort Knox of its gold supply. Fleming, unlike Richard Maibaum, apparently never realized how logistically impossible this is. Connery rightfully points out in the film that to rob Fort Knox would require a whole fleet of trucks and several days to complete. Maibaum's plan, while still fantastic, makes more sense -- detonating a nuclear weapon in Fort Knox to irradiate the U.S. gold supply and drive the value of his own supply up ten times over.

In the novel, Pussy Galore begins as a hardened lesbian who has no interest in Bond whatsoever. Of course, by the end of the novel, Bond has "heterosexualized" and overwhelmed her with his masculine charms. It's a very 1950's view of homosexualtiy -- that is, that a homosexual could be "cured" of his/her sexual desires like it was a disease. The attitude seems very backward and ignorant by today's standards.

The film strongly suggests Pussy's lesbianism, but it also shows Pussy, played by Honor Blackman, flirting suggestively with Bond. Blackman's Pussy may have lesbian tendencies, but she clearly also has a strong attraction to the opposite sex. When she falls for Bond, it makes sense, unlike in the novel. Bond still converts her, but the conversion stressed is more along the lines of Pussy joining the good guys rather than going from staunch lesbianism to being a Bond girl.

The film has a lot of Asian villains. Harold Sakata is terrific as Goldfinger's superpowered Korean henchman Oddjob, Burt Kwouk (Kato in the Pink Panther films) is Mr. Ling, a Chinese nuclear scientist who supplies Goldfinger with the bomb and most of Goldfinger's henchmen are Korean. However, the film, for the most part, avoids extreme racial stereotyping. Many of the villains are Asian, but there's no suggestion that simply being Asian is a source of evil. Asians would later play a prominent heroic role in You Only Live Twice.

The novel, in contrast, is vicously racist in nature. The nadir of this being Bond's statement that Koreans "are lower than apes." It's hard to believe that even in the pre-civil rights era of the 1950's, this statement could slip by without triggering a major protest from an Asian rights group. Today, it seems so ugly and hateful that I immediately lost a lot of respect for Ian Fleming. This is his hero who believes these vile things, so clearly what Bond believes, Fleming believes -- there's no way to separate the two. One wonders which other racial groups Fleming was bigoted against. It's a disgraceful moment in the Bond saga and a shameful comment on Fleming's view of the world.

Novels like Casino Royale, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice are classics and rank among my favorite novels. Goldfinger, however, falls way short of that standard. When I finished Goldfinger, I was left wishing that I had not read it and instead had left my impression of the story to the vastly superior film. The novel not only disappointed me, it made me think much less of Ian Fleming as a person.

You won't find perhaps the most quoted lines from "Goldfinger" in the novel that were heard in the film:

Bond: "Do you expect me to talk?"
Goldfinger: "No, Mister Bond, I expect you to die."

That's because the filmmakers, in this case anyway, wisely decided to rewrite the entire story for their script.

I've been rereading all of the 007 novels and have just finished reading Andrew Lycett's insightful biography of Ian Fleming, so I've been pretty immersed in the whole James Bond experience (why not? It is, after all, 2007). I bought the new special edition DVD collections and can't wait for "Casino Royale" to hit DVD this spring as seeing it several times in the theatres.

Of the first seven novels, I'm standing by "Casino Royale" and "From Russia, With Love" as the best. I liked them 20 years ago and I like them now.

But I would probably put "Goldfinger" with "Moonraker": worth reading but not as good as the others.

The ambitious plot to rob Fort Knox just doesn't come off. Bond himself even sums up the absurdity of it in the film version ("...now you've only got a few hours before the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines show up to make you put it all back"). In the novel, Goldfinger proposes to use a small atomic device to blast the safes of Fort Knox--a explosion that would probably require some serious excavating to get the irradiated gold loaded up and out of there. In the film, he wants to blast the US gold supply with a dirty bomb to increase the value of his own stockpile.

Goldfinger's plan and Lex Luthor's San Andreas land scheme from the first Superman movie are the two great evil plots of hero movies, as far as I'm concerned.
As Bond concedes in the film, "My apologies, Goldfinger, it's an inspired plan."

Although she has the most infamous name of all the Bond girls, Pussy Galore shows up as an afterthought, an undeveloped character whose sexuality is gossiped about and then chucked aside for the obligatory final coupling with 007. Fleming devotes far more time to Bond's golf game with Goldfinger than he does Pussy's character. The movie spends more time fleshing her character out!

Some scenes were actually funny, such as when Oddjob demonstrates his karate by splintering Goldfinger's staircase and fireplace before dinner as Goldfinger admits that he doesn't really care for his house. It was also funny and somewhat racist for Goldfinger to hand over his pet cat to feed Oddjob when kitty got blamed for something. There were actually two foul swipes in this novel: the insistence that Koreans love eating cats and that American Southerners rape their sisters (Pussy Galore asks Bond at one point, "What do you call a little girl in the South who can outrun her brother? A virgin.")

The novel was more interesting this time when I pictured new 007 Daniel Craig in the scenes. The "blunt instrument" Bond makes more sense in this one.

But here's something I've almost never said about any adaption: the movie was better.

First of all, let me disclose that I really like all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, and I particularly like and admire Fleming's lean, understated style of prose. Fleming is underrated as a writer, and James Bond is more than a comic book cutout character.

Goldfinger as a novel has some appealing attributes. The scene in which Bond plays a game of golf with Auric Goldfinger (with the stakes higher than they seem) is a masterpiece. Goldfinger the villain is an ingenious character. The reason I deprived this novel of two stars is first of all that the ending is tacked on almost as an afterthought. Sorry, it just didn't work, and it almost seemed like Fleming reached his page limit, and realized that he needed to wrap up the novel in the next twenty or so pages. Secondly, "Operation Grand Slam" involving a hodgpodge of criminals, seemed highly underdeveloped, and SMERSH would not have dared have a Soviet vessel upload the goal and hightail it to Russia. Nor would it have involved the sweepings of the US underworld in such a plan. It just did not work. Now mind, the idea of robbing Fort Knox is brilliant, and Fleming could have made it work. But here, in my opinion, it did not.

All these criticisms aside, I enjoyed "Goldfinger" the novel, and I recommend it, along with all of the other Bond novels, to anyone who enjoys good writing, a suspension of one's critical facilities for an afternoon, and, of course, James Bond.

Campbell does an excellent job of showing how the conflict in Liberia and Sierra Leone is not just about politics and tribes but who controls the mineral wealth of these nations. In Sierra Leone's case, the political opposition as backed by the likes of Libya was the RUF. They didn't care about the poverty of the people, but cared about controlling the diamond mines that made the RUF's leaders wealthy. This wealth bought all sorts of fancy toys such as RPGs, AK47s, helicopters, and other surplus war material. The RUF used this to terrorize the people of this small country. Diamonds were smuggled out to Liberia and Guinea to be marketed as clean diamonds. The conflict showed true barbarity. People had their hands chopped off by the RUF. The ECOMOG and Sierra Leone Army were just as bad to the civilians. It is no wonder that the citizens of this small state did not lose heart in their long struggle.

The RUF had some contacts with a variety of disreputable pariahs such as Al Quada, Libya, arms merchants, Burkina Faso, and others. This shows the greed that these parties had for Sierra Leone's mineral wealth and what that meant to the poor citizens of this nation. It shows the true nature of these pariah organizations. A good read on a little known topic.

Yes this is the book that the recent movie was based on. No I have not seen the movie. The author is a journalist, and it shows. The depth of research and detail in this book is amazing. It outlines in many layers the diamond industry, its history, and its relation to West Africa. I had no idea what to expect from the book, and was shocked to learn the horrid details and atrocities that have been occurring for decades there. Obviously, like the bumper sticker says, "if you are not appalled, you are not paying attention."

The Western world has no idea what people are suffering for this made up commodity industry. Campbell shows how elite people literally fabricate the demand for diamonds, and its price points. Everyone seems to believe that diamonds are the most precious thing you can give a loved one. Why is that? Have you ever wondered? Why is it better than any other gem or gift? The answers are very interesting, and are laid out in this book.

When you learn the origins of many diamonds, the process they go through and the conditions of the people who mine them, you may want to return it. I know I do. It made me sick. We live in quite a bubble about so many things. I am glad that someone is bringing a conscience to the public about horrible human rights situations like these. The sad thing is that it also makes you wonder why countries like our own are just ignoring it. If we can justify attacking other countries for made up reasons, why can't we take on true issues that are so well documented? It is all politics while people die.

This book is one of the best written books I have read in a long time. Campbell's writing style is intelligent, vivid, and picturesque. His depth of research and personal involvement in making this book is astonishing. I appreciate descriptions that make me feel like I am actually with the writer. Such is the case with Blood Diamonds. An excellent read if you can handle its gruesome reality and deep network of connections to follow.

I GOT THIS BOOK AS A GIFT ONLY TO HEAR FROM THE PERSON I GAVE IT TO THAT THE BOOK WAS MISSING PAGES!?! IT WASN'T THAT THE BOOK HAD PAGES TORN OUT, JUST THAT IT WAS PUT TOGETHER WRONG, THE SAME CHAPTER WAS IN THE BOOK 3 TIMES, IT SKIPPED FROM PAGE 18 TO PAGE 30, RESULTING IN A BOOK THAT MAKES NO SENSE!!?!?! BEWARE OF BUYING!!! MAKE SURE YOU CAN EXCHANGE IT FOR A NEW ONE IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU!!

Blood Diamonds was a good book. I wanted to read it before seeing the movie on HBO. Very well written.

Mr. Campbell (no relation) has an engaging style and has written an informative, though skewed, account of the forces at play in the Sierra Leone tragedy. He skillfully describes how the greed for diamond sale revenue enabled this country to descend into chaos and unspeakable horror. However, he attempts to make this a Western guilt trip by emphasizing how willing market players are to look the other way, thus absolving themselves of any culpability for the bloodbath. Campbell builds on a thin reed indeed, and fails to make analogies with other resources from other strife ridden African countries, such as Angola and its oil, that would more accurately demonstrate how free markets work in an amoral, rather than immoral, environment. I don't see Campbell advocating boycotting Angolan oil because of the atrocities being committed in that conflict. Nor should he, because those transactions occur outside the frame work of a nation's internal affairs, no matter how unjust or cruel those may be. The fact is, African countries have been pursuing the path of self destruction for 5 decades now with no other incentive than for one ethnic or ideological group attempting to acquire wealth and power at the expense of the nation. Attempts to lay this at the West's feet are misguided, disingenuous and unhelpful on many levels, but especially for the average African themselves. While I recommend Campbell's readable volume for its conciseness and wit, please do not limit yourself in seeing other dimensions to this, especially the corruption of ECOWAS and its military mission as well as the ethnic jealousy involved between natives and the economically dominant Lebanese.

Tense and involving ? No. An absorbing story? No. A brilliant literary thriller ? No. Life-altering? Absolutely not!

I had expected this to be reasonably good however, given its MAN Booker Prize nomination, instead it left me wondering about the standard of writing of the books that DIDN`T get nominated - they must have been pretty bad ! This is just passable pulp, a paper-thin story involving mostly uninteresting characters and with dark undertones of post-apartheid that I'm guessing may only really be understood by those who have lived and experienced that way of life. The central character (not the Good Doctor by the way) was, to me, a man of little character at all and the only time I found myself interested in anything to do with him was during his brief visit to his rich and powerful father. As for the Good Doctor himself, well, he was initially portrayed as something of an enigma but as the story progressed he became more and more ordinary and his idealistic attempts at nobility proved anti-climactic at best. I believe that the real message of this book, assuming there is one, will only be appreciated by anyone who lives (or has lived) in or near to South Africa.

Damon Galgut's "The Good Doctor (GD)" is arguably the best among last year's Booker nominees, though sadly its classy but staid and measured qualities may not be what critics look for in prize winners. With GD, those acquainted with the works of South African novelists like Nadine Gordimer and J M Coetzee will find themselves in familiar territory. South Africa in transition is a perspective commonly adopted by these writers.

At its highest level, the brooding tension between Frank and Laurence in their unlikely relationship is symbolic of the struggle for supremacy between the forces of old and new. When Laurence's wide-eyed enthusiasm is pitted against Frank's resigned and cynical indifference, the result is cataclysmic, far beyond the reader's imagination. While Galgut's story is touched by death and regret, his vision isn't entirely bleak. When Laurence and Frank swap beds, deadbeat after a long night out, they feel strangely comfortable in each other's beds. Like yin and yang, are they not twin halves of a pupa society emerging from its chrysalis ? Laurence's stubborn perseverance against the stultifying bureaucracy of Dr Ngema's hospital isn't always altruistic. His callous disregard for Frank's plight as he goes in frenzied pursuit of his vision of setting up a village clinic is delirious if not a little mad. In spite of this, it is Laurence who unleashes the momentum that forces Frank to examine what's wrong in his thwarted life - his failed relationships with his father, his ex-wife, Maria, etc, and who is ultimately the catalyst for Frank's transformation.

There are scenes in GD that are truly memorable, like Frank's and Zanele's unexpected nocturnal encounter with the shadowy figure of the Brigadier, the town's former tinpot dictator. Surely Zanele's schoolgirl-like enchantment with her host is Galgut's sideswipe at the veneer thin and uncomprehending sloganeering of armed chaired liberals from afar. Galgut's characterisation is excellent, sharp and realised throughout. The sullenness of Tehogo, the hospital's sole unqualified male nurse, perfectly encapsulates the corruption, rot and decay of South African society. Only the rehearsed platitudes flowing from the mouth of Dr Ngema comes across as false, stagy and predictable. You know what she will say even before she says it. A minor lapse in otherwise great characterisation.

Galgut's poised, unhurried and reasoned prose is an absolute delight. Its greatest strength lies in its ability to reveal many layered truths of a society at its crossroads without hyperbole or false bravura. A thoroughly confident and assured debut from Galgut, who will no doubt join the ranks of great South African novelists.

I came away from this book with that feeling you get leaving a restaurant where the portions just haven't been big enough, and you're hoping no one will see you slip into the fast-food place round the corner. The Good Doctor is strong on characterisation and the tension between the two doctors kept me hooked till the end. However, the whole political backdrop to events is too obliquely rendered. 'Backdrop' is hardly the word; politics has intruded so completely into the lives and personalities of these people that I felt a more detailed description of the social situation and relationships was required to help me fully understand why these characters feel compelled to do the things they do. Perhaps Galgut was writing for a South African audience who could complete his implications by themselves. Perhaps it was the opposite; he kept things deliberately vague to add a universality and timelessness to the appeal of the book. Either way, it doesn't work for me. In summary, a good enough read but lacking a certain something.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD: Don't be fooled by the slender size of this book. The writing and content is powerful, packed with haunting images and searing content. On one level, it could be read as a thriller, taut and humid. On another, it appears to be a parable of the repercussions left by apartheid, the inchoate attempts to right centuries of abuse. The hospital, while continuing its administrative operations, with doctors doggedly showing up for duty and logging in rounds, lies indolent, barren and for the most part, unpopulated by the people it is meant to heal. "Not even the seasons changed much. We were too near the tropics for that. There was a dry season & a rainy season, but the temperature that ran through them both didn't rise or fall too much on the chart."

I saw Dr. Eloff's relationship with a native woman, whose true name he never does discover, as the white/native racial issue captured in mineature, his failure to win her over as too much too late. The fact that he only knows her by an Anglicized name is indicative of the entire sequence of events which lead to their tragedy.

very bare in its story telling. i believe this was short listed for the Booker Prize. This book really didn't do anything for me. Its like one of those books you read and then they become part of those untitled stream of books you've read but vaguely remember-kind of like going to a movie that you can barely recall seeing from 2-3 years ago.

Its not badly written but if it had not been assigned reading for class, i would have preferred to read something else. If yu want to read good South African literature, try Gordimer, or Coetzee. Both of whom won the Nobel Prize in literature in recent years. There is no reason why you should or should not read it. It may resonate for those who are south african more.

The characterization is particularly strong so that the characters seem indelible. There is a subtlety to the meaning of the story and the analogy or metaphor it paints of all south africa- young white idealism, blacks who can't forget apartheid, old cynical views, etc. i think this may be the sort of book that touches people differently. SO while i may read it and feel unaffected, it may do something quite different to another.

Top-notch author and another winning story. Alaska is featured and described with accuracy and affection. Just one of the many stories in this land of mystery and challenges.

Jim Chopin, a ladies man with a new lady every night and no visible personality traits or depth of character that might compel women to sleep with him other than his height, hair, and blue eyes.

Kate Shugak, she's a Native, she's tough, she's got scars, emotional and physical. She seems completely disinterested in her friends, family, or extending professional courtesy to others in law enforcement, but that's only because she's deeply scarred.

This was my first (and last) Dana Stabenow novel. The plot about Russian mafioso was simplistic and mundane. The characters were one dimensional and unsympathetic. And, did you know that FBI agents and local police sometimes really don't get along very well? The bulk of the novel was devoted to setting up the characters of Chopin and Shugak, leaving little time to develop a compelling conclusion to the crime story, and yet never left me with the impression that I knew anything at all about the two main characters. If you like mysteries that are well written page turners, you're better off with early Sue Grafton, Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, or S.J. Rozan.

This was the first book I've read by Dana Stabenow but it won't be the last! I was captivated from beginning to end. I will definetly be reading the rest of the Kate Shugak series and anything else by Dana Stabenow I can get my hands on.

Far away from kith and kin, Kate Shugak is holed up in Bering with a false identity and a broken heart. No spoilers as to why: Midnight Come Again serves as a flawless continuation of the horrifying Singing of the Dead, and I have no wish to spoil the former in order to praise the latter.

Suffice to say that Kate has survived--but barely. She is sick at heart, sick in her soul, and so unlike herself that Chopper Jim, who is ostensibly on an undercover mission but really searching for his old and dear friend, is horrified when he finally meets up with her again.

It is Jim's undercover mission, however clandestine he tries to keep it, that sparks the first modicum of interest in Kate since the unspeakable events the year before. As she and her trusty sidekick Mutt (who thankfully has survived as well) get embroiled in the doings of Russian Mafia members who may be hiding a stolen cache of plutonium, she seems to come back to life, slowly but surely.

Along the way are a pair of bumbling FBI agents who are sure that Kate is among the bad guys; and from afar, the call of Kate's nearest and dearest, all of whom pull her back to the world of the living.

A superb entry in the series!

Terribly disappointing that she has left the area of Alaska that readers have come to enjoy reading about. I feel that I not only lost a character I had become fond of as well as a relationship that was interesting, but the entire region as well! And the mafia is a predictable, much less interesting twist than the local people/characters that I had come to look forward to reading about. Kate is just not as appealing anymore. I just can't get interested in reading more Stabenow books, unfortunately..

Don't let the slight silliness of the title fool you. This is not your average crime novel. David Corbett is a writer of deep compassion who recognizes that people are not simply good or bad, and that in order for love to be genuine, it does not necessarily have to be healthy. If you are intrigued by exploring the complexities of the human psyche, human relationships, what makes us fall in love, and even what we'll do for love, this is the novel for you. But you'll have to get past a certain squeamishness you might naturally have for descriptions--very vivid, well-written ones at that--of badly decomposing bodies.

Whether we own up to it or not, many of us have a fascination with the flawed hero. Some of us might take it to the extreme by writing to inmates on death row, sending them money and declaring they are our soulmates. Others, like me, simply pick up a book like this one to read the steadily calm, yet feverish account of Dan Abatangelo, (whose surname appropriately means 'fallen angel' in Italian)and his redhead, Shel.

Apart from the main characters in this tale of love, brutal crime and quasi-redemption, the novel is salted with many other characters, characters we know because they reflect the dark, self-destructive side of ourselves or people we've come across somewhere along the line.

In addition, as a writer myself, I can attest to what a Herculean labour it was for the author to pass on his reflections of human nature without becoming maudlin or cliche. The fact that he was a private investigator comes through in his keen observations about peoples' 'little clues' -in their gestures, their chosen words, and even, their haircuts.

Apart from all of this, Corbett dedicated this novel to his deceased wife, who passed away far too young and just six weeks after this novel was accepted for publication. And I can't help but think, romantic reader that I am, that there's something of that tragic, but loving experience reflected in his descriptions of his two main characters.

Oh, pick it up and read it for heaven's sakes. It'll make you think, alright.

I bought this book used. I was surprised to find that someone had kept it in such good shape. It appeared to have been brand new the spine only showed a little wear like they had only read a chapter or two.

I sat back in my favorite chair hoping to enjoy the story. I loved the title so much I was sure the book had to be good. My husband warned me I would not find it enjoyable. I wanted to like it, the woman in my craved liking the book written by the widower. My husband got the last laugh as I finally throw the book against the wall angry I wasted good money on this nightmare for grammar teachers

The first thing I suggest is fire the editor. By page 13, I was so angry with the editor I wished I could call the author and say FIRE THE EDITOR THEY MISSED A LOT!

Page 1
~He went up to his room--the usual decor, meant to set your teeth on edge--and showered off the road dust, hoping to relax a little from the trip and order a light dinner from room service before heading out.~

What does "meant to set your teeth on edge" even mean, and why the long hyphens?

Page 13
~Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as Shel materialized through shadow at the porch door screen.~

Huh?

Page 93
~After securing the door behind the truck, the twins came front.~

I read the whole page twice just to try to guess what he meant to say in that sentence.


I am actually giving this book to my daughter's grammar teacher. I have a feeling it can help them all learn why sentence structure is important and why they need to pay attention to the rules of grammar.

Don't read unless you are willing to either skim the book for the storyline which is basic at best or are willing to try to guess what the writer meant by some of his sentences.

I kept reading because I got some sick enjoyment out of copying all of his bad sentences in a notebook. I filled a few pages. All I can say is thanks for the laugh!

L. Hartline

I picked up this book for about 2 bucks at a used book store. I loved it from the first couple of paragraphs, it always kept my attention.

This is the first review that I have been motivated to write about any novel.I bought this book based on the reviews posted and I am mystfied how so many people see greatness in this work.The premise is week ,unrealistic and overly violent.I almost gave up on this book several times but continued reading hoping for the story to improve,but it did not.This is the worst novel I have read in many years and a cure for insomnia.If I could give it less than 1 star I would.

Corbett's writing is exceptional and his story lines not only entertain but get you thinking. I discover him through his second book, "Done for a Dime." I picked it up in a little bookstore in Pacific Grove CA. The jacket described a mystery about a jazz legend in and around the East Bay of SF/Bay Area Ca where I live. Another great story. The "Devil's Redhead," lived up to my expectation in every way.

I discovered the Sir John Fielding series by Bruce Alexander through Books-on-Tape. As entertainment while driving on the freeway, it was quite good. The storylines and characterizations were interesting enough that miles flowed past, but without the complexity that would have caused me to rewind the tape every time I lost attention in traffic. Unfortunately, Books-on-Tape ended their rental operation before I could complete the series. I was sufficiently interested in how the series would continue that I secured the full set of books and started again from the beginning.

However, what is satisfying at 65 miles per hour is more meager under a reading lamp. "Smugglers' Cove" is the last of the books that I first experienced through Books-on-Tape. I remember being particularly taken by the seaside town of Deal. On the printed page however, the description of the town is less compelling. Even worse, the plot is so thin and predictable that there is no suspense in the reading. About the only aspect of the book that is worthwhile is the continued maturation of the characters from the earlier books. But if your first sampling of the series is this book, even that benefit is lost.

Overall, I'll continue onto the remainder of the series, but am hesitant to recommend to anyone over the age of 15. However, if you'll be driving cross-country and can find the Books-on-Tape version, I recommend it highly.

I love the Sir John Fielding series, and I thought this book was A1. It was a nice mixture of adventure, swashbuckling and murder. Jeremy Proctor is growing up to be a remarkable young man, and he is so straightforward and modest as he narrates the stories about the blind magistrate, Sir John Fielding. I thought the mystery was excellent. It moved swiftly and was nicely paced. And I loved the descriptions about the late 18th century ships and the smuggling trade which has gone on for centuries. I also love Alexander's characters. They are very real and fully-rounded. This is a top-notch series and I recommend it highly. It should be read in order though in order to get the full appreciation for Alexander's sense of time and place. The late 18th Century comes alive under his pen.

Alexander's series about London magistrate John Fielding is, inexplicably, getting weaker with each passing book. It's as though he's running out of steam. This is the end of the line for me. The series was good for a while, but I'm moving on.

SMUGGLER'S MOON transplants the blind Bow Street magistrate from his beloved London to the coastal town of Deal where smuggling is rampant. The smugglers soon turn murderous and Sir John and his right-hand man, Jeremy Proctor, lead the battle to eradicate the evil-doers.

I haven't been reading the Sir John Fielding novels in order; this dates from 2001. While I didn't give it a five-star rating - it doesn't take a genius to guess who the villain is - I enjoyed the book nevertheless. There's enough twists and turns and rousing action to keep the reader's attention. Then too, the late Bruce Alexander had a wonderful eye for period detail and a corresponding ear for dialogue. There is a charming quaintness to the world evoked in the Fielding books - the language, manners, the sights, sounds and smells, etc.

If you're a Sir John Fielding fan, you'll enjoy this book. And like me, you'll probably finish the book with the hope that the next adventure returns him to his Bow Street haunts.

Bruce Alexander's series of 18th century detective stories were sort of fun and interesting for a while there, but this is the eighth one and they're just not getting any better. Readers know from the outset who the bad guy is, so it's sort of like watching a Scooby-Doo episode and waiting for him to be unmasked. Alexander's writing is passable in a pop-fiction sort of way, but the plot is too thin and wooden and the characters too one-sided and predictable. Nothing is really happening in this series. I've read my last Alexander novel.

This book is so poorly edited (I am giving the author the benefit of the doubt here!), that it is actually a chore to read it. There are glaring grammatical, spelling and continuity errors on almost every page. I read a lot of books and have never seen a worse editing job!

Fantastic book and a great story. I love the beach and this book made me feel I was right there living it with the characters. Would make a great movie!

A resident of Ocean City MD, I enjoyed the book's verisimilitude about the town, its geography and character, the moods of the bay, etc. -- mostly if not 100% accurate. Plus, you gotta like a protagonist, Billy Lee, among whose loves are flounder fishing, a beat up little Boston Whaler boat and a balky old outboard motor, and who lives in a scruffy trailer with spare posessions including his "favorite and only necktie."

The yarn author Croft spins is imaginative and interesting and his language is economical and crisp and would normally have carried the tale along nicely. But the book suffers from awful editing. There are dozens and dozens of spelling, typographical, grammatical and usage errors and awkwardnesses, virtually one every few pages, sometimes several on one page. Examples: "Jeep's" for "Jeeps", "wastein" time for "wastin' time", wretch" for "retch", "aptly know has" for "aptly known as", "shot gun" for "shotgun", "door way" for "doorway", "dead bolt" for "deadbolt", "oceans" for "ocean's", "their" for "there", and on and on. Dangling participles and whole disjointed sentences, e.g., "Slowly inching his way down the hallway toward the warehouse door." Inconsistent usage: local practice here refers to Ocean City's main tourist attraction, the Boardwalk, with a capital "B" but Mr. Croft refers to it in different places as both boardwalk and Boardwalk.

These dozens and dozens of goofs arrested the reader's eye and definitely interfered with enjoyment of the book. Indeed, they were so frequent that at first I thought they were some sort of a pun on the local language a la Anthony Burgess' inventive language in "A Clockwalk Orange". But not so, alas. Wherever the fault may lie - Tom Croft himself, his editors or publisher - the flaws ruin what otherwise would have been an engaging read.

As to Jill, she's fundamentally ambivalent. I incline to the view that she did finally come around to carrying a torch for the estimable Billy Lee. -- Tom Longo in Ocean City, MD

Like all the other reviews, I think this is a fantastic thriller. I gave it to my girl friend to read and she loved it to. I'd never heard of the book before last weekend. I picked it up at a book signing in of all places Ocean City, Md. I didn't expect it to be much of a book but I was blown away by it. It's fantastic!. I'll stick with the group that thinks Jill's a tramp (my girl friend think she's an innocent victim).

This book has a reasonably engaging story line, but the author's inconsistent style and the abysmal editing made the book laughable. Literally. Out loud. It's apparent that Mr. Croft has a fertile imagination, but perhaps should spend more time on writing mechanics and/or should fire his editor. If you can get past the glaring grammatical mistakes, however, you may enjoy the plot. It would make an interesting screenplay -- a format which precludes sentence fragments and dangling participles.

This is the first book in the series. It introduced you to the Becket's of Romney Marsh and their extended family. It was a good read.

The is great. I came quickly and was in great shape.

I'm on the 3rd book, Beware of Virtuous Women, and I'm still not entirely sure if I like this series. Usually, I can tell if it's a good book based on how easily I can put it down. There are very few narrative hooks compared to some of her other romances and I found ample moments to put the first 2 books down without really missing anything. In fact, it took me almost a week to finish the first one (almost unheard of for me; usually 2 days max per book). I liked the family and I liked Julie and Chance but I didn't LOVE anything. And I'm sorry but you would think a preachers daughter would try to stay pure longer than the 5 days or so that she does. The passion she tried to evoke between the 2 that would make me believe they just HAD to have each other just wasn't there.

Ms. Michaels tries to hook you with leaving little hints as to what happened on the island before they came to England and that kept me mildy intrigued but then I was thoroughly disappointed when I reached the end and nothing was revealed. Is she really going to keep this going for another 6 books (each sibling)?! I don't know if I can make it through that many.
I made it through the 2nd one with a little more enthusiasm because I thought Morgan was a little bit more interesting than Julie. At least she tried to do a little more character depth with Morgan, but I don't feel like I ever got to know Ethan.

I am enjoying the 3rd book so far, but I'm only into the first 2 chapters and once again I have set it down to do this and feel only a mild inclining to get back to it. To me, the writing seems forced. Like maybe Ms. Michaels had a great story idea, a new series of siblings to write about, and then was told she had to do so in half the time she normally takes to write a book. The writing seems rushed, the characters have less depth, and the plot seems to continue in one straight line with little or no twists to keep the reader intrigued. I think the books had potential and never quite reached it.

Chance's wife died six months ago and he is currently looking for a
nanny for his daughter Alice. So far, every candidate he has seen has
been unsuitable. Until Julia arrives. Chance thinks Julia is
beautiful and head strong, and since she is the last woman interviewing
for the position, he is desperate, so he hires her.

Julia thinks Chance is an intriguing and maddening man, but she finds
his daughter Alice delightful. Chance intends to take Julia and Alice
to Becket Hall, his family home in Kent. There Julia and Alice will
stay with his father and his large and slightly odd family. He planned
to come back to London to continue work with the War Office but
coincidentally he now has work to do in Kent so he is staying. Chance
is needed to investigate the smuggling that is taking place there.

Chance's family appears to be involved in the secret activities and
Julia is quick to discover what is going on. To assure her silence and
protect his family, Chance seduces Julia. He was not counting on his
feelings growing for her in the process though. As the Beckets try to
solve the problems of gangs and smuggling while keeping their family
safe, Chance comes to realize that he wants Julia forever and so he has
the added task of keeping her safe and by his side.

A Gentleman By Any Other Name is delightful. Chance and Julia are very
likeable
characters. I was drawn to their witty banter and their passion. I
felt they were very well suited to each other. The entire Becket
family is a colorful mix of characters, each having their own
fascinating story to tell. Drama, intrigue and romance combine
creating a really enjoyable story, A Gentleman By Any Other Name is the
first book in what promises to be a fantastic series!

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I am a big fan of Ms Michaels. She usually writes spunky heroines, dapper heroes, and has a flair for humor that adds so much depth to the romance genre. I was disappointed by A Gentleman by Any Other Name, however.

In retrospect, I figure she was trying to write some sort of gothic romance, with windswept moors and brooding, complicated characters. A mass market Wuthering Heights. This story of Chance Becket, the eldest of Ainsely Becket's children (some adopted, some not) was melodramatic and oftentimes boring. Julia Carruthers, who happens to hail from nearby Chance's ancestral home, applies for and gets the job as Chance's daughter's nanny in London. But then they go back to the Marsh where Julia shows everyone how well she fits into the culture and goings on of this somewhat isolated village. Julia is nosy and annoying and has a tendency to be overbearing without having any of the other qualities in a heroine, such as humor, self depreciating or otherwise, which make the annoying traits bearable. The attraction between her and Chance is forced, and the book is quite frankly way too long. It's also obvious this will be one in a long line of books for every orphan, maybe with one or two of them pairing up with each other (ew, just because they aren't blood related, doesn't mean they aren't siblings!). I picked up another one at the same time, and just finished skimming it. Pretty much the same thing.

What saves this book is the host of secondary characters, including a cast of retired privateers, who make the story more interesting and fun. I won't be getting of the others in the series, and I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who enjoys the whimsical regency Ms Michaels often treats us too. This book, and it seems this series, are for readers who prefer long passages with no action, dark and brooding characters (seriously, most of them are), and irritating main characters.

I gave this book a five because I liked the book. Well duh or i would have given it a lower star! Anyway this book had very good action in it. My faviourte part was when Nancy and her friends are in the farm house in Brandon. This part was the most exciting part. This was because they had just found a very important letter when, oh my gosh something happens. I guess you will just have to read the book to find out!!! Also I like Nancy Drew books because you never know what to expect! Well i guess thats why it is a mystery book. Like i said before Carolyn Keene uses very good description!! Claps for her yeah!!!!! Also if you like dance like ballet then you are in for a good one two of the maine charters are into ballet!!!! Thats the only reason I picked up this book, well also becasue I love Nancy Drew books!

i was suprised to see what some people rated this!!!i loved this is a great action packed book.there are tons of exiting parts in this mystery!!this is about nancy trying to find the people responsible for sending the notes to henri and helene fontaine and later on to stop the jewel smuggling and to find mr.koffs brief case and figure out why a women stole the scarlet slippers on helenes desk in the place she works for dancing ballet.this is a really good book despite some of the reveiws i would reccomend that you could buy it or if they have it at the library you
could check it out.

Sure Im a little old to be reading Nancy Drew books but who cares?
Any way this one is my Favorite because Ned and Nancy pretend to be married and almost ask Nancy to marry Him (almost He hints)
So thats why its my favorite because of the romance :-)
If you want more mystery read Nancy's myst. letter!

This book is full of surprises. I liked it also because I'm a lot like the main character, Nancy. She's adventurous and has good friends. Since I'm a lot like Nancy, it made it easier for me to relate to her and get through the book without being confused.
This book is about a picture of a famous dancer wearing a pair of scarlet ballet slippers. That picture was stolen from Paris. Nancy and her friends soon find out why. Four smugglers hid jewels in the picture and snuck it into the United States. They wanted to sell the jewels to make money. Nancy kept running into these people and started to suspect something. Were they staying in River Heights? Her friend Mr. Fontain she met painted the painting and was a dark person, just like the people she suspected of stealing the artwork. Also they were the only dark people in town. The bad guys were also sending threatening letters to the painter, to make him leave. These people will do anything to keep Nancy from knowing the truth about them. Even tryed to kill Nancy.
Will Nancy survive this mystery? Will the truth be told and the bad guys go to jail?

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, especially Nancy Drew cases. If you like suspense and adventure, you're sure to like this book.

This review concerns the original 1954 edition as well as the revised 1974 edition. Nancy meets Henri and Helene Fontaine, who have fled from their home country of Centrovia and now run a dance school in River Heights. Now the Fontaines are being threatened and fear for their lives. Nancy is determined to find to find out who is threatening the Fontaines and why. This book is alright. The mystery is okay and there is a bit of action. One thing that I did enjoy about the book was that at the end, Nancy participated in capturing the criminals. She may not have physically done it, but at least she was present, unlike in so many of the books were you get an ending like "As Nancy arrived the police were putting handcuffs on so-and-so" or "Two hours later the police called and said that the suspects had been arrested". How exciting is that? It's not!!! The book could have been a little more exciting, however, and it never really held my attention throughout. The book is worth reading, but it isn't one of my favourites.