Oregon Books

My grandfather was a health inspector during this time and eventually quit because he refused to take bribes to look the other way regarding various establishments in Portland. This book is a quick and enjoyable read. The journalistic tone fits the subject matter and is, I think, a deliberate tone to suit the style. It is NOT a text book of the history of Portland. It is an entertaining look into the seedy past of a city not usually known for seediness. Though even today Portland has more strip clubs per capita than Vegas or LA, or any other city in the nation.

A very well written look into Portland's dicey past.Its informative for any newcomer to to learn about the cities past,and a must for any native to read.

my grandfather was Frank Tatum. He was murdered before I was born. It was a very good story. Now I have to find the obituary.

As a Portland area resident, I was really exited to read this book. I was somewhat disappointed. . . Phil Stanford is a journalist, and the book reads like a collection of news clippings. The characters are colorful and interesting, and the photos added a lot to the book, but overall, I felt his coverage was somewhat cursory. I wanted more information, more historical background and more perspective. To be fair, however, I read this book immediately after reading The Devil in the White City. There, Eric Larson took a time in Chicago history, and created a masterpiece. Imagine the Portland Confidenital story/characters in the hands of a writer of that caliber!

Longtime residents of Portland will probably find Portland Confidential a quick, enjoyable read because they'll recognize the places and names Stanford peppers his story with. Portland residents will be less put off by Stanford's "conversational" narrative voice, as they have been reading him for years in his role as columnist for The Oregonian, and more recently the Portland Tribune. I suspect that out of towners and would find very little for them here.

Using a wealth of sources, anonymous and credited, Stanford revisits a time Portland civic leaders have long tried to forget: the corruption filled 1950s. In short, digestable, one newspaper column sized vignettes, Stanford generally cuts right to the chase: Portland was a bad, bad town.

The photographs chosen for this story are marvelous; they bring the story to life and really reflect the tone Stanford seems to be trying to achieve.

The story itself (if one can call it that, it ends up more like a long ramble that often doubles back on itself) is compelling. Like one of the other reviewers, I can't help but wonder how another writer would tell this tale.

That said, Stanford has spent his entire life cultivating the leads and the inside information that led to the publication of this book. Few others would have the wealth of infomation necessary to tell this tale. It serves as a reminder that the Golden 1950's had almost as much tarnish on them as the 2000s do.

Give or take 500 words, I might have given this book 5 stars - the problem is, there's reference to a relationship from the first book, and no explanation. If the author really felt the need to drag "Mike" into The Best Defense, she ought to have included some more details. If the Amazon Product Description hadn't mentioned that he died, I'd have assumed a bad break up.

That aside, the book is quite good. Barbara Holloway, trying to come to terms with what she does for a living, and how she does it, sets up shop in a small neighborhood restaurant, offering legal advice to people who couldn't otherwise afford it. Enter Lucille Reiner, sister of Paula "Baby Killer" Kennerman. Barbara takes the case, finding her client entangled in a conspiracy that goes far beyond the death of one child and the railroading of Paula. The complexity is a bit much at times, particularly during the trial, but it's worth the minor effort to keep the threads straight.

It seems obvious that Wilhelm's intention is to carry Barbara's relationship with her father, the neighborhood people and Bill into the next novel. That's fine - I just hope she does the extra work to explain things so that each book can stand alone. Getting people to read the earlier books might be her goal, but it will become annoying to the reader who came late to the series.

This is a book from an obviously highly skilled author. The plotting was compelling, clever and tense and the main protagonists well drawn. The bad guys are clearly delineated if somewhat two dimensional. One slight flaw was the at times confusing detail of the plot. I am looking forward to other legal thrillers written by this author.

I'm a tough grader - reserve 9 and 10 for all-time greats. This is simply a good read. Very plot driven, with commentary on a number of contemporary issues and personal relationships. It also is about power and greed, and the corrupting influence of money. It touches on the fanatical nature of people's response to abortion, and gives the reader an emotional ride over some very difficult issues. The main characters are complex people, while the supporting characters are a little unidimensional. However, through it all you are engaged in unravelling the crime and discovering whether the truth will prevail or whether money will buy the verdict

Kate Wilhelm knows her courtroom procedure, and at the same time, she understands the human emotions that underly those procedures. Her characters are strong and believable and her story is gripping. Wonderful read

The book begins well, rich (or at least well off, but playing at being poor) female lawyer is asked to do the impossible, free a woman pre-judged to be a baby killer. Barbara (the lawyer) does a credible job and succeeds. The book bogs down near the end with a lot of shooting off in all directions apparently trying to explain herself. 'Bad guys' are unbelievably bad: making money on abortion formula while mouthing abortion foe rhetoric. A little too overdramatic...a C-minus for such a lack of sublety. The righteous are 'good-good', the other side is 'bad bad'. Author is no John Grisham.

Okay, so I read only half of this half-baked book. I was offended by the author's use of the Holocaust. Sara Peretsky did a much better job of this in her last mystery, and even then I considered it taking liberties, but at least her rendering was not a cliche.

Who is this Claire, the main character? Is she a detective? Is she just a person who keeps encountering crimes by accident? What does she do for a living?

I might know had I read the earlier books, but I didn't, so hey, how about the author giving me a little background? Claire is incredibly boring. She never even eats anything interesting. And her boyfriend speaks like a textbook.

I quit reading after Claire's wraparound skirt was dragged off of her by a flushing toilet. Just too stupid to believe.

I read April Henry's first book, Circles of Confustion, a couple of years ago and loved it. I picked up her new book last week, and Henry hasn't missed a beat. Buried Diamonds is exciting, funny and very moving at points. The author has a real knack for creating vibrant, interesting characters that the reader really cares about. In this book, Claire's elderly roommate, Charlie, has a very significant role as the mystery involves an incident from her past. Learning more about Charlie and her tragic history added depth to the story. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this latest adventure of Claire Montrose. Claire is
a bright and likeable heroine and her investigation into the
suicide of Charlie's friend Elizabeth never flags. Flashbacks to the 1950's could have
slowed the novel in the hands of a less skilled writer but that is not the case here. This is
a darker novel than the earlier series entries but I think it is the best thus far.

Buried Diamonds is a good read and one I recommend, don't miss this one.

In Portland, forty-something Claire Montrose stops to catch her breath and to slow down her heart rate. She stretches her arms and legs using a crumbling stone wall as support when she notices a spot where the mortar fell off leaving a hole covered by a spider's web. Noticing how the sun reflects oddly off of the ole, she sticks her long fingers inside pulling out a diamond ring in an antique setting.

Upon returning to her home, Claire shows her prize to her roommate octogenarian Charlotte Heidenbruch, who immediately recognizes the jewelry. Charlie insists the gem belonged to her friend Elizabeth Ellsworth, who committed suicide herself years ago. The elderly woman though Elizabeth returned the ring to her fiancé Korean War veteran Allen Lisac, when they broke off. Unable to resist and encouraged by Charlie, Claire investigates what happened fifty years ago. The players in this tragedy do not realize that the suicide might have been murder and someone today is willing to kill to hide the truth of yesterday.

Fans of the series will appreciate the latest Montrose tale though newcomers will wonder about the license plates that start each chapter. The story line turns darker than previous novels as anti-Semitism raises its ugly head targeting Holocaust survivor Charlie. Still the investigation is fun even if Claire inadvertently sets off a series of events that leads to death and destruction for some of the participants then and now.

Harriet Klausner

Since inheriting a valuable painting from her Aunt Cady in the first installment of this series, Claire Montrose no longer toils at her uninspiring job vetting vanity plates for the DMV, but that doesn't mean her life is void of complications.

One day while jogging in her Portland neighborhood, Claire stumbles upon a diamond engagement ring lodged between the crevices of an old rock wall. Her old friend and roommate, Charlie, believes she recognizes the ring as the one which belonged to a friend who ended her engagement and then killed herself fifty years earlier. But how, they wondered, did the ring end up embedded in that old wall when Charlie is certain her friend had returned the ring to her fiancé when she broke the engagement?

Did the woman really commit suicide all those years ago? To Claire, the pieces of the story seem as fractured as the very wall in which she found the ring, so she sets out to learn more about the ring and the tragic woman to whom it once belonged. However, she better watch out because there's someone harboring a secret about those events who is poised to stop Claire dead-in-her-tracks before she learns too much.

Claire is a likeable character with a girl-next-door quality, an innate curiosity and a sharp intellect. She will need the latter to carry her through this case of past and present danger.

Two thumbs up and five stars to this intelligently written gem.

The book is well organized by regions and has a good variety of trail descriptions. They rate difficulty of hike, the length of the trail, the estimated time, and the trail directions. The only thing I wished they would also provide, besides the regional map with location where the described hikes are, is a map of each suggested hike, that shows the layout of the trail, contour lines, and names of the surrounding peaks, rivers, lakes, etc.

Having read nearly every northwest hiking book in print, I can confidently say, this is the best hiking book available. Many other books have been frustrating with dated and inaccurate information. So far the information has been great, specific, and accurate. I will keep this book in my car, and in my pack! Well written.

Having read nearly every northwest hiking book in print, I can confidently say, this is the best hiking book available. Many other books have been frustrating with dated and inaccurate information. So far the information has been great, specific, and accurate. I will keep this book in my car, and in my pack! Very well written.

This was not a very useful book. It had lots of hikes listed, but there were no maps of the hikes, only general location maps. Descriptions were superficial and did not give consistent information for things like elevation gain, distance, etc. Descriptions frequently added sidetrips or loop suggestions, but it was hard to figure out how long or hard the whole hike would be. The best part was the "subjective" information rating the difficulty and scenic aspects, plus comments about how crowded the trails could be, but this wasn't enough to offset the basic lack of good information. I did not feel there was enough information to plan hikes and know I could do them without buying separate maps, which is a pain when you are travelling and trying to go to alot of different areas and pick a few hikes in each.

Fantastic.I can really believe the author hiked these trails instead of just rehashing other, older guidebook passages. Hope to see more like this!

The book was great. It was detailed and easy to reada, where as it described the life of these women vividly. You felt at home with each of the women and like you knew and understood all of their problems completely. Laure Kessler does a great job!

I was led to believe the book would be a lot about the team and it was. However, there is an awful lot more about coach Jody Runge and her contract dilemma with the university while trying to build a winning basketball team. I can see why she may have hated this book. It is everything she isn't about. Your common fan isn't going to care so much about Title IX and men/women equity in sports. They just want to cheer for a winning team and learn about their experiences. The inside look at a women's basketball team was interesting, but it also got repetitive. Mention that a player misses her best friend once or twice and I get it. Mentioning it throughout the whole book is a bit much. The author gets too hung up on the coach's contract squabble that the team didn't even care about. Why should the reader care if the team didn't? There isn't much direct comment from the players, only their thoughts ... or is it the thoughts of the author for the players. Just about right on the season highlights ... not too much and not too little, just hitting what's important and how it affected the team.

In a way I loved the book. But I also felt sorry for some of the players, for having to put up with someone like coach Runge. Arianne Boyer was a great player and still is, and for Runge to treat her like that upsets me. I go to Fort Vancouver High School and my Basketball/Volleyball coach is Arianne Boyer. Yes alot of the book is true, but I feel people didn't really get to see the real side of Arianne like my teammates and I do. She is very supportive and understanding and she cares for each one of us. I'm very glad that Runge acted the way she did, because now Arianne doesn't treat us the same way. She understands how far to push us. I'm glad that the book came out, it made me understand where my coach came from and how far she has come.

I am unsure whether Kessler is condecending to some percieved limitation in the intellect of sports fans or whether she herself missed the point. I have never before been so frustrated by such limited scope in what I expected to be a text with some feminist ethics. The author devotes a great deal of time to simplistic repetitive themes and shows absolutely no appreciation what so ever for the spirit and beauty of the game. (Runge wears heels and has romantic problems, the lone Black player does not fit in with her team mates, and the Blacks in LA are allowed to talk trash - how obvious, how disappointing). This parochial treatment of the story left me feeling that I had been deprived.

Perhaps I missed Kessler's point. Perhaps feminst sports fans are not part of her target audience. I for one look upon athletics as a means for girls and young women to build self esteem and respect for other women. Kessler seems to applaud its more militaristic demands for conformity and submission to authority. All of this in short choppy repetitive sentences.

I strongly recommend Corbett's Venus to the Hoop for a positive and rewarding perspective on the women's game. I also found VanDerveer's Shooting from the Outside to be a pleasant read. Corbett brings a well rounded perspective - sophisticated enough to offer an interesting contrast between urban street ball and small town girls' preps leagues. VanDerveer proves that given enough knowledge and appreciation for the game the text can work without a complete or complex perspective. Kessler proves the at least one of the two is necessary.

Journalist Kessler takes a college team with little name recognition outside the Pacific Northwest and makes the characters fascinating! From the stubborn coach of the women's basketball team to the ringers from Australia who join the team after the school year begins to the wily lawyer in Atlanta, one wants to know what will happen. I think the reader sees both sides of the picture better than Jody the coach, and this is thanks to the honest approach of the author and the access she obtained to university staff as well as players and coaches. The author looks at Title IX and Oregon's slow movement to comply with the rules, and this mirrors much that is going on in higher education throughout the country, and thus is extremely timely.

This book was required for my class so I had no choice but to buy it. It actually turned out to be an intersting read, though, so that was a plus. It arrived before I expected and was much cheaper here than it was in the campus bookstore. Overall, Amazon was a great way to go!

Kenneth Stern caught my attention because I am a history teacher at a junior college. His account of the workings of the FBI's Counter-Intellegence program against the American Indian Movement (AIM) only covers part and parcel of the FBI's role against AIM.

A sad tale of governmental abuse of power, constitutional violations, perjured testimony, suppression of evidence, fabrication of evidence and a long list of wrong-doings that pains the conscience. It is time for the record to be made whole about the entire workings of all parties involved at the time. Justice delayed is justice denied; but justice delayed is always better than justice never granted.

Stern has written an excellent piece of work that should be required reading for all personnel in the Department of Justice, the FBI and members of Congress.

I followed up 'Like a Hurricane' with this book. It reads quite easily, like a novel. It speaks of a case against several AIM members in Oregon. The author, Kenneth Stern, became involved in the case as a law student and thirteen years later was a bar certified attorney for one of the defendents. The book is clear on the events that took place and includes interesting discussions of people of and events surrounding the case, including Marlon Brando's role in AIM. One of the most interesting parts in near the end of the book where Stern describes the problems of Pine Ridge. He paints a wonderful, if awful, picture.

The only problem I had with the book was the use of dialogue. I will admit, that is part of what hooked me, but I was also leary of dialogue from more than a decade earlier. Overall, I felt it was a very good book.

Kenneth Stern has produced this very readable firsthand account of the criminal case United States v. Kenneth Loud Hawk.

The book begins after the occupation of Wounded Knee. In November of 1975, outside of Ontario, Oregon, a state trooper, reacting from an all-points-bulletin from the FBI, pulls over a motor home and station wagon. Anna Mae Aquash, KaMook Banks, Kenneth Loud Hawk, and Russ Redner are arrested while two others, Dennis Banks and Leonard Peltier, dramatically escape from the scene. Eventually all six face charges of illegal weapons and possession of dynamite.

Kenneth Stern is an idealistic first-year law student fed up with insipid law classes. He learns of the arrest and volunteers to help the defense. He takes us through the thirteen-year-long case with great detail, starting in 1976 until Dennis Banks's plea bargain in 1988. A major focus is on the federal government's unethical behavior in their effort to try the Indian defendents. Such behavior includes destroying, manufacturing, and hiding evidence; spying on lawyer's meetings; intimidating supporters, and prejudicing potential jurors. Stern illustrates the lawyer-client relations and has an admirable devotion to his clients. His clients become friends to him, and he spends exhausive hours working on their cases. His skill at elucidating complex judicial processes make it easy to follow events as they unfold. In spite of his strong support of AIM, he preserves enough objectivity to recognize the imperfections of his clients and avoids any shrill anti-government rhetoric.

Unfortunately, the book hints at a romantic, self-serving autobiography. Since Stern was their legal advocate, he tends to focus on his clients' good side rather than criticize their actions. In certain accounts of historical events, such as Wounded Knee in 1890, he uses only one source (in this case, Dee Brown's none-too-carefully written BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE). Like Peter Matthiessen's IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE, Stern seems to take everything said by the Indians as fact, such as the events that occured at the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973.

The book would perhaps suplement Peter Matthiessen's IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE or Paul Chaat Smith & Robert Allen Warrior's LIKE A HURRICANE. Overall, the book is worth the read for anybody interested in a one-sided account of the events that followed the Wounded Knee occupation.

Amazing that the Native Americans living today and in the past are called the trouble makers. Each war that broke out or incident that has taken place between the U.S. Government and Native Americans has been started because the white man and his greed just can't ever seem to be satisfied with his lust for money, control, or land from the Native American people. Then when Native Americans stand up for themselves after trying to please the devil whites they are labeled red savages! This book is an eye opener and written in a way that keeps your attention. This is one of the most factual books ever written with a color of truth that can't be denied.

I do not believe Ms. Millhiser could write a bad book; this is not one of her best but if your mind is tired from stress this is one to relax with and be entertained. It was the first time I read a "Charlie Greene" mystery. The dialog between Chairlie, her mother and her daughter was entertaining at times otherwise just the typical backtalk. I don't usually go for "series" characters but once you figure out Charlie's fears and insecurities she is a comfortable main character.

I finally gave up and quit reading. It didn't make much sense. I love paranormal, metaphysical mysteries, but this never managed to take off. A good premise wasted. Book could really have used a good editor, too.

My order arrived in a very timely manner and in excellent conditon. Thank you.

First off being a native Californian and also having been in Oregon quite a bit, the author tends to take the stereotyping a bit too far. Not all Oregonians are anti-anyone else, nor are they all New Agists. To an extent, the stereotyping detracts from the book and the plot which is actually very good. Maybe with future novels the author can avoid this. The book is very funny especially toward the end which wasn't expected. The author even made puns out of the title...once was enough. For the most part the book is intelligent and a fun read, but there were so many characters to keep track of that at certain points I would forget the relationship between the different residents of the town. Anyway, I enjoyed reading this mystery for the most part. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

I read all the later ones before I found a copy of this...and it was the best of the lot. Maybe a little unbelievable in spots but so enjoyable that you don't care.

Basically everything I was looking for in a book since it provides a good initial sense of Portland's neighborhoods and suburbs (basically which one's might be nice to live in and which one's sound terrible)

One area that could be improved are the maps in the book. They are a little weak and the could be indexed against the neighborhood descriptions.

We are planning to move to PDX in about two years. We know the city somewhat, but this book is giving us some good information.

THE NEWCOMER'S HANDBOOK FOR MOVING TO AND LIVING IN PORTLAND: INCLUDING VANCOUVER, GRESHAM, HILLSBORO, BEAVERTON, AND WILSONVILLE is an exceptional book for relocators. However, even non-relocators will find it very enjoyable. It features great coverage of the city of Portland, including the very desirable West Hills and Bridlemile sections, as well as its incorporated suburbs, yet it also covers unincorporated areas such as Oatfield (which is, for mail delivery purposes, part of Milwaukie), Dunthorpe-Riverdale (which has both Portland AND Lake Oswego ZIP Codes), and Cedar Mill (which has a Portland ZIP Code), as well as the often-overlooked towns of Wilsonville and Happy Valley, and Vancouver, Washington and its suburbs. Many great ideas for education, dining, house-hunting, shopping, health/fitness, and recreation are included in this book. DON'T PASS THIS BOOK UP UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!!!!!!

I just visited Portland for the first time and was glad to have purchased this book before doing so. Great neighborhood profiles and all kinds of additional information. My favorite travel series so far- better than Frommer's.

Does this book cover the fact that native Portlanders (and Oregonians for that matter) do NOT want new people moving here? If you move to Portland, don't be surprised for it to feel like everyone is so very friendly......and then BAM! all of a sudden you figure it out. They actually are nice people, they just don't want anyone else to have a slice of the good Portland pie. They have valid concerns, because with the arrival every day of more educated and/or financially capable people, the natives are getting priced out of their housing market, out of places where they grew up. Seriously, if you meet a rare native, they will NOT let you forget that you're talking to/looking at a native.

How about does this book cover the bike-culture snobs in Portland? Don't arrive riding just any old bike, and don't think just because you don't own a car makes you fit in.

Seriously, I hope the book helps you out, but you can't really know until you're here and you figure it out the real way. Like the rest of us.

I was lucky enough to have this book with me on a recent accounting seminar. Thank God for that. It is a very quick read, and does not offer many details about the specific challenges the business faced.

But it is still very inspirational, funny and informative. It is a great book to give as a gift to someone that is feeling a little down or needs more motivation.

I love stories like this because they prove that persistence and sucess go hand in hand.

If you're looking for a hard hitting business manual, or even a thorough history of Columbia Sportswear, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a very quick read full of no-nonesense advice, straight talk and a few laughs, then this is for you.

Gert Boyle, from what I read here, is rather straight forward. She won't get all gushy about management approaches, philosophies and the like. Truth is, her manual would read something like this: work hard, use your head and when you aren't smart enough to figure something out, at least be smart enough to find someone else who can. And that's what I found refreshing about this quick entertaining read.

The Columbia Sportswear story is one of the most compelling business building stories of our time. However, this books is a totally incomplete treatise. It is well written and somewhat captivating, but way too summarized if you expect to learn anything useful. It is a waste of time to read, although you'll only have to waste 20 minutes to read the entire book.

What a wonderful treat to read about Gert Boyle's unique life. It's not only about success in business, but it's about triumph, history, the Pacific Northwest, advertising and motherhood. It's a great way to learn how to live a meaningful life!

The best part about this book is that all of Gert's royalties will be donated to CASA and the Special Olympics. It's an all around feel great experience.

By the time you finish the book, you feel as if you are having a one on one meeting with Gert. It's a fast read -- and even has great illustrations from past advertising campaigns. It feels good to read a book with a happy ending -- and shows that hard work, listening to others, and caring is what it takes to succeed. I too have a business and have gone through hard times. Gert's words made me think I can still pull myself up, dust myself off and get where I want to go. I have purchased 4 additional copies and have already sent them off to business friends of mine.

It's not a Harvard Business School type of book. Some may find it too short and sweet. I found it delicious -- (and I don't mean just the recipe).

My dad loves Australian wine. He's a trained sommelier but focuses much of his wine attention to Australian wines. I live in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle) and I know that the wine up here is pretty good. I gave my dad this book as a gift to help him build his knowledge and appreciation of Pacific Northwest wines.

He loves the book and already has a list of wineries he has to visit next time he's here.

Informative with some outstanding photography.

My wife I and I loved this book, as it combined fantastic pictures of popular wine regions of the Pacific Northwest along with historical information and the winery background. Get this book if enjoy looking at good photography and want to see what the area looks like. Do not get this book if you want to know the location and background of every single winery in the area (honestly, there are better ways to get this information). This is a book you will keep around on the coffee table for years as opposed to the typical winery guide book which can get out of date in only a few years.

I personally love this book because it really IS the best of both worlds. It features the guidebook part as well as the photobook. The photographs are really stunning and set the ambiance for a trip to the NW. The guidebook makes for a great pre-trip resource to Oregon, Washington or BC plus it has a list of good restaurants in the region too so thats always a plus. I think of it as a visual journey through NW wine country and highly recommend it to anyone.

As the title says the Ultimate winery guide. As in the best not just another winery guide. If you are interested in a guide book of all the wineries in the NW then this is not the book for you. If you want to know what everyone would consider 30 great wineries than buy this book. The photos are amazing and you get a true sense of what it takes to build a great winery.

This book is in no way an "ultimate" guide. It covers only 30 wineries in all of Oregon Washington and British Columbia. It mentions only 3 wineries within 150 miles of us and there are over a dozen. Do not buy this book if you are expecting to get a thorough and detailed discussion of Pacific Northwest Wineries.

The strong point of the book is the quality of the paper and photographs which probably accounts for the books cost.

There are many alternative books which cover wineries in the Pacific Northwest better and which cost less. Save your money and buy one or more of them.