Nevada Books

Nevada politics, for all the billions of dollars the state's economy produces, operates at a small-town level. Nearly all the players know each other, tasty gossip travels fast, and people do shocking things. This book chronicles a series of events most Nevadans would find unbelievable if the story weren't so thoroughly and undeniably documented.
Donald Dickerson's untangling of this labyrinthine conspiracy makes clear how two attorneys managed to convince the state's biggest newspaper that two justices of the Nevada Supreme Court--one the most liberal, the other the most conservative--plotted together to conceal the supposed improprieties of District Court Judge Whitehead, and traces how a few well-placed lies--no matter how improbable on their face--snowballed and crushed the careers of three distinguished jurists. The stunning aspect of the story is the way in which state leaders such as the Attorney General, other justices and the Governor, who knew the truth had their own sins to conceal; some of them stood aside and allowed injustice to prevail; some eagerly and criminally joined the conspiracy--or may even have begun it.
Nevada is a small state, and its legal community is tiny. Since the conspiracy ran from 1993 throught 1996, most of the characters involved are alive, and the guilty and those who declined to speak up still live in that community with the victims.
If Dickerson's strength is his clarity in leading us through the labyrinth, his weakness is in allowing his anger to overheat his prose, though his anger is more than justified.
Dickerson wisely included in the book a CD, packed with the actual documents in the case. Anyone who doubts this incredible story can view the documents and read the testimony. The most astonishing document is the transcript of the testimony of a law partner of the married attorneys who launched the conspiracy by leaking documents apparently faxed to them from the Attorney General's office. The partner's testimony about the atmosphere in her law firm as her partners feverishly telephoned, secretly met co-conspirators, leaked information, examined the results in the newspapers each day and eventually tried to erase phone and fax records in a panic, is more compelling than any John Grisham novel, suggesting this is a story Hollywood should examine.

Henningsen's work is an intriguing study of this overlooked era in Spanish history. He walks the reader from the beginnings of the witch trials (very similar in formation to the more popularly studied Salem witch trials) through the intercession by the Spanish Inquisition and to Antonio Salzar de Frias' posting of the Edicts of Grace. This is a book of political and theological intrigue and a mystery thrown in for good measure. While reading it, I kept wondering what was going to happen next even though this is a history text and not a novel, though there is more than enough information and a strong enough plot within the history to fashion a novel. If you are a lover of history (especially historical texts), this is one book that is difficult to put down. Even if you are not a lover of history texts, the "plot" of this study is one that will probably keep you hooked until then end.

This book is a fast read, probably even if the reader does not have a background in the history of the Apaches versus the US Military. Stockel's empathy for the plight of the Chiricahua Apache tribe rings true to me, especially in the last chapters that describe her participation in a puberty ceremonial on the Mescalero reservation in New Mexico and a celebration marking the 75th year of the end of captivity for the Ft Sill, Ok, Apache tribe. The author begins with an historical overview of the hostilities between the Apache tribes and the US government, focusing on what is known of women's role in the tribe and retelling the stories of Lozen, sister of Victorio and famous warrior and shaman in her own right, among others. She outlines Apache creation myths and how their belief system manifested itself in tribal customs and daily life.

The most compelling part of the book contains her interviews with four Apache women that took place around 1989. One of the women, Mildren Imach Cleghorn, was a Chiricahua Apache woman born into captivity at Ft Sill for the first four years of her life and whose family elected to stay in Oklahoma rather than be sent to the Mescalero reservation in New Mexico. The other three are no less compelling, but perhaps more revealing of the struggle of these women of Apache blood to live in the mainstream world and on the reservation, raise their children to survive in it, and still maintain and honor their ancient traditions.

After reading this book, which quotes extensively from Eve Ball, Dan Thrapp, Opler, Debo, and other chroniclers of Apache primary history, I think readers will be excited to learn more about the Apache people. Ms. Stockel is not complimentary toward certain New Mexican politicians and the US government's handling of this conquered people, which she readily admits in her preface. What shines through this book is the honoring of these women whose struggles in the face of near annihilation can inspire all of us.

This book is pretty good. Since anything "nano" is all the rage these days in science, this book was pretty much inevitable. A good read.

I'm a fairly new Michael Chrichton reader, so I'm not familiar with his earlier classics such as "The Andromedia Strain". I didn't go in expecting much when I began to read "Prey" and I don't think I got to much out of it either. The storyline is great, the fear provoked by those miniscule self-evolving technical monsters is something I think Stephen King would admire, but the reason why I couldn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would is due to the fact that his character development is TERRIBLE. This is the second Michael Chrichton book I read where I care nothing for the characters. I liked the main character enough, Jack, but everyone else seemed like a cardboard cut out. And the way he was easily able to get over his wife's sudden change into some techno-zombie is unbelievable.

Michael Crichton is re-visiting some old stomping grounds in this one. The 1970s sci-fi movie classic Westworld was written and directed by Crichton and it features technology run amok and set loose on a killing spree. Jurassic Park features the dangers of tampering with the gene pool with an ensuing killing spree.

Prey, in many ways, is a combination of the two - the dangers of nanotechnology, specifically the dangers of using bacteria in combination with tiny, tiny bits of technology to create something new. The problem is, of course, the same problem that he pointed out in "Westworld" and "Jurassic Park": Things never turn out the way you think they will.

Is this a Pulitzer Prize winner? Hardly. But, it is a creepy thriller with some good points about science, the dangers of unintended consequences and some good thrills and chills. I enjoyed this one thoroughly.

While the science and the 'this could happen' ethos is a lot of fun, the book's start is astoundingly mysogynystic. His protagonist goes on AT LENGTH describing the normal day hundreds of millions of mothers world wide endure as if it's something novel. His male character whines about taking care of kids, how his wife doesn't call home when she's late, how it's hard to run into former pals who still make a paycheck. Honestly, no female author could ever have gotten such tripe published, but because our protagonist is a male, this is fodder for narrative. My husband and I howled at the beginning, and simply skipped entire chapters to get to the part he's good at: telling a scary story using potentially real science. But the guy sure was ticked off at some woman when he wrote this thing.

For the third straight book from Michael Crichton that I've been disappointed. He really needs to re-read his earlier novels to capture that magic again.

This book was predictable and the characters were so flaw that it was hard to root for them instead you rooted against them. It reminded me a lot of a book I just finished, Mount Dragon, but that one was a lot better. I've been a fan of Crichton for a long time and hopes he get his act together.

To sum it up, this was plain awful and if you need a good Crichton fix, read Congo, Jurassic Park, or Sphere. Maybe next time, the real Michael Crichton will stand up.

As some of the previous reviewers stated:
Jason Moss goes on and on about how great he is. He complains about his mother a lot - to me, she sounds like a typical mom of a teenager. The author sounds like a boy going through puberty.
The book SAYS it's about him going into the minds of these serial killers but it's more about the author. Personally, i don't care how great and smart the author is. i wanted to read about the actual journey and letters he wrote to these serial killers and more importantly - the letters the killers wrote to him. He puts in some of HIS full length letters TO the serial killers but only puts in SENTENCES or PARAGRAPHS of the serial killer's responses/letters. i didn't care what HE wrote, i wanna know what THEY wrote.
IF you can make it through the first half of the book (where it's ALL ABOUT JASON MOSS) the second half of the book is pretty great. i say IF you can make it because i wanted to give up on numerous occasions - my partner suggested i give up because i'd read then complain about the book. i can usually read a book this size in a day at the most - it took me four days bc i'd get so tired of the whiney boy writing it.
i read a lot of true crime, this is one of the most poorly written books i have ever read!

This is a quick read. Typical true-crime pulp style. Nothing spectacular about the writing, but the story is indeed unique.

There are a lot of problems with the morals the book is trying to sell though.

Not a bad beach book, but don't expect to learn a whole lot from it.

Jason Moss did indeed turn into Gacy's "last victim". He eventually shot himself. Sad ending.
~RIP Jason Moss~6/06/06~

but why did he choose that date? 6 6 6.
Strange man, yet still tragic.

This book is certainly not the worst True Crime book I have ever read. However, it presents with some obvious problems. It is NOT a journey into the mind of serial killer as much as a journey into the mind of the author. Much of the book is about the author himself and his own thoughts. While the book is organized and understandable, the style of writing is rather juvenile and lacking in depth. That said, the prison visits Mr. Moss had with Gacy were interesting and somewhat frightening; it is difficult to believe that prison guards were willing to leave the author alone with Gacy for periods of time long enough to constitue danger for the author. However, this is what happened. The last scheduled visit with Gacy truly scared the author and he never returned.

I knew the author of this book, having met him when he applied to be a Big Brother in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a True Crime fan, I did not find his interest in serial killers disturbing or exceptional. However, it is a bit odd that he found it necessary to correspond with so many of the high profile serial killers. During a routine "home visit" to his apartment as part of the Big Brother screening and application process, Mr. Moss showed me his album of response letters from many other serial killers, includig Charles Manson and Richard Ramirez. (I enjoy True Crime, but this was a bit too close for comfort for me.) If my recollections are correct, he did serve as a good Big Brother to a little boy who needed a male mentor. He did not present as narcissistic... although the tone of his book is self aggrandizing. However, perhaps Mr. Moss was less stable than he appeared at times. Another reviewer states the author took his own life. Somehow, this does not completely surprise me.

The author apparently had alot of spare time to mess with serial killers. All poor Jeff Dahmer needed was to be loved.

Too bad John Wayne Gacy didn't make soup out of the author.

The worst of all the books on serial killers I've read.

I wanted to use no stars, but, I had to choose one :(

I still cant' believe the guy made it to the final table. What an incredible feat. He writes really well too. Great story, well written. Ah, the catch is, this is definitely a GUY book, whatever that mean.

An amazing book. Somehow the author is simply telling the story of how he played in the World Series of Poker but also weaves in all of the following:

- Murder
- Adultery
- The history of poker
- The history of cards
- The history of Las Vegas
- The mob
- What constitutes "cheating" on your wife?
- High ethics
- Discussions of game theory
- His own family tree

And just about everything else. All of it in brilliant prose that makes it fascinating.

At the same time he brings you to the poker table and you feel the tension of re-raising TJ Cloutier with the author. I felt sick a few times as the author described playing pocket jacks aggressively.

If you love poker or gambling or marriage or reading or life, read this book.

McManus has taken several plot lines of varying interest and wrapped them into one messy book. The real-time WSOP diary part of the book is outstanding--funny, gripping, and a great way to live out every small-time rounder's dream vicariously. It's well worth the price of the book. The rest of it... I wasn't nearly interested enough in McManus as a personality to enjoy the insights into his poker-playing youth, and the coverage of Ted Binion's weird life could have been cut without me missing it.

At half the length, this would have been a positively five star book.

For decades, I went to the World Series of Poker as a side-game player and a writer. Like so many, I played mostly and wrote a little. All the writers I met over those years just have to be jealous of James McManus. He played well and made the final table and the big bucks AND he wrote a best-seller about it. I am a poker writer, but I do not pretend to have a fourth of the skills of the eloquent Mr. McManus. He is the Dean of American Poker Writers. England has some fancy wordsmiths. This book is not just for poker players. It would make a great gift for anyone. McManus throws in the saga of Teddy Binion, to boot.
Johnny HughesTexas Poker Wisdom

If you look at the reviews for this book, you'll see a wide range of opinions. From 1-star all the way up to 5-stars. I believe the reason for the wide range is because the book cover and descriptions (including the back) fails to manage the reader's expectations. Similar to many other reviewers, I expected a book 100% about poker and related topics. However, it's really 60% about Ted Binion's murder, and 40% about poker. I did realize that Binion's murder was a topic in the book, but I though it was just a backdrop for the poker story. The murder almost dominates the book. If I had that 60/40 expectation I think I would've enjoyed the book more. So i penalize it 1 star because it didn't meet my expectations. I also subtract 1 more star because the author goes off-topic way too often. Other reviewers rant on how off-topic the book goes, so i don't need to again. 3 stars.

JFK, LBJ, MLK, KKK, CIA, FBI, Bobby, Hoffa, J.E. Hoover, Mafia, Vegas, 'Nam, Fidel, Sammy Davis Jr., Howard Hughes, Rock Hudson, hookers, drugs, and more are all woven through this roller coaster of a conspiracy tale that almost plausibly ties together all the crazy and tragic events that shaped American life in the 1960s and for decades after. The story begins in the moments following the assassination of JFK in Dallas and takes the reader on an almost dream-like journey that ends with Bobby's death in Los Angeles. The story told is masterful, if disturbing, and the characters are "insiders" working with the mob and shady elements within the Federal government to drive the bloody historical events of that period.

Ellroy uses an unusal writing style in this novel which relies on snippets or fragments of thought rather than full sentences to tell the story. Short two, three or four word bursts which describe the action in a way that is effective and gritty, though not necessarily smooth. The result is a read which is compelling, but not leisurely or relaxing. Despite the effort it takes to get through it at times, it is very hard to put down. When you are done, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief and head back to Amazon.com to see what else this guy has written!

Novels such as `The Black Dahlia', `L.A Confidential', `American Tabloid' and `White Jazz `along with his personal testimony `My Dark Places' have elevated ex-junkie drop-out James Elroy to a colossus of American literature and eminent man of letters. Or, as a currently interred bank robber acquaintance of mine recently put it, `His name should be mentioned in the same breath as Steinbeck.'
Elroy's world, littered as it is, with gangsters, pimps, hookers, movie stars, racists and politicians has basically mugged the retro-pulp of Chandler, Thompson and Spillane and run with his kill-gotten gains straight over the wild side and into the abyss of the American nightmare.

His latest `The Cold Six Thousand' is an epic journey; book-ended by the Kennedy assassinations of 63 and 68. Fact and fiction collide as father hating cop Wayne Tedrow Jnr finds himself embroiled in the JFK conspiracy and the vortex of world shaking tragedies that followed. The men that made modern America flicker before us like a scratched Super 8 of moral degeneracy and decay as Howard Hughes, J. Edgar Hoover, LBJ, The Klan, Jimmy Hoffa, The CIA, The Mob, The FBI, Fidel Castro, Sam Giancana, Sonny Liston, Martin Luther King and James Earl Ray lie, cheat, maim and kill, against an horrific tableaux on par with the hellish depictions of painter Hieronymus Bosch.

With the' The Cold Six Thousand' Elroy appears to have split his critics with its almost impenetrable staccato stylings and hipster-speak which would be more at home in the mouths of the 50's beatniks - certainly the delivery is at odds with the timbre of the books corporate gangsters and hoodlum politicians. It's almost as if Elroy was in such a hurry to tell the story that he barely had time to write it - an epileptic Jack Kerouac on an amphetamine comedown.

`The Cold Six Thousand' is, never-the-less, a terrifying thrill ride through an era which has branded world events ever since. Those five terrifying years in which the world was apparently swinging was, if this book is anything to go by, actually `Turning on, tuning in and dropping out' towards annihilation. Today's America was forged in the fires of that terrible half decade and I can hardly wait for Oliver Stone to commit it to celluloid so we can all rest easy and say... "It's only a film."

The Cold Six Thousand is a daringly direct take on the biggest events in America in the 1960s - the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, civil rights leader Martin Luther King and JFK's younger brother Senator Robert F Kennedy. All this set against the first few years of the US involvement in Vietnam, the cold war and the stand-off with Cuba, with considerable influence from such figureheads as FBI Director J Edgar Hoover, eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes and the leading dons of the US Mafia.



Officially we know who killed JFK, MLK and RFK, but after reading this sprawling novel, sequel to the even better American Tabloid, you may wonder if the author's version of events is closer to the truth. All of the 'official' guilty parties feature, including Palestinian activist Sirhan Sirhan who I believe is still in a California jail some 40 years on....but did he pull the trigger of the gun that killed Bobby Kennedy? This novel doesn't specifically and unambiguously answer that question, but Ellroy is in no doubt at all as to who was behind the presidential assassination.



If taken literally (which is difficult not to do) it's impossible not to be disgusted at the extraordinary levels of corruption, racism and political manipulation that lay behind the face of the United States in the Swinging Sixties. The Ku Klux Klan were highly influential in CIA strategy, and although the political impetus behind the US involvement in Vietnam is somewhat glossed over (Linden B Johnson barely has a talking part, unlike JFK in American Tabloid), the CIA's heroin processing 'business' is documented in great detail, as one of the three primary characters Wayne Tedrow Junior (a former policeman) becomes primarily responsible for the labs set up in Vietnam and Laos for creating a massive 'White Horse' production line which has at least two key objectives - to establish a distribution network in Las Vegas among negroes only, and to finance 'The Cause' : collaboration with the Mafia in their attempts to overthrow Castro in Cuba and repossess their casinos which they had invested so much money into.



The other two lead characters, Ward Littell and Pete Bondurant, are carried over from American Tabloid, and for me one of the best features of both books is the description of how the lives and personalities of these two men are shaped and changed by their murderous activities. These men are cold-blooded killers with soft hearts - and in Bondurant's case a rather weak one.



In a way it's amazing that so much history has been squeezed into one riveting novel; if you know nothing about the truth on which it's based it still makes compelling reading, but if (like me) you are among the many who want to know what really happened back then, this story will probably satisfy on another level, and put the whole sordid series of events into some kind of perspective.



I cannot miss this opportunity to add that there appears to be a case for an allegation of history repeating itself, with the US invading Iraq under the one context while the world was/is convinced that the real motive was to get its hands on a valuable commodity. Back in the 1960s, it was a US invasion of another country cloaked under the paranoia of Communism (as opposed to terrorism today) while the commodity of choice back then was heroin. Ellroy finished The Cold Six Thousand only a year or so before the US started the Iraq War - now his words have a sense of prophetic familiarity.



Truly a must-read.

Vivid, vicious, hyper-masculine and uber-stylish, the novel begins on the day Kennedy is killed and follows three men tied up in his assassination through the next five years, culminating with the killings of RFK and MLK. Cameos by J. Edgar Hoover, Jimmy Hoffa, Sonny Liston, Howard Hughes and others speak to the depth of research Ellroy has put into play. The word "ambitious" isn't near strong enough for this one -- it's a classic, a novel that deserves study.

Ellroy's characters are always strong symbols, and between them, the three protagonists span the gamut of American hope and horror. I particularly found Ward Littell fascinating; a brilliant lawyer who works tirelessly for the both mob and Howard Hughes, yet mollifies his conscience by skimming from both to funnel anonymous donations to Martin Luther King.

Highly recommended.

Dig it: James heard the cheers. James wanted more. James wanted to be a "serious" writer. He birthed a book in his brain. The train to get him there.

There you have it: The "literary" style of The Cold Six Thousand. In a nutshell.

Armed with James' knowledge of American history, I could have written this novel. So much of the book follows the same pattern: Write a sentence with few words. Write a similar sentence. Write another similar sentence. Then flip it up with a different sentence. Variation for Six-Thousand in this regard meant occasionally using three sentences instead of four. And on and on it went.

To be fair, every now and then Ellroy did have nice turns of phrase ensconced within this repetition. But it seems he got so amused with his own style that he overloads the reader with an abundance of people and places and slang and events. The story becomes muddled in the process. I'm not one to admit that reading must be easy, but come on, at least it needs to be clear. Ellroy fails in this regard.

I respect Ellroy and know he can knock it out of the park, but I feel letdown with this book. Why did he seek the recognition of literary writers to begin with? Was he not happy with his reputation as one of the hippest and most commanding voices in crime fiction? Literary fiction, in my opinion, has always been easy to write. I should know: I used to crank out the artsy product myself, and to acclaim at that. Genre writing, on the other hand, is tough business. Why did Ellroy decide to jump from the Black Diamond of fiction to the Bunny Slope? If you want a satisfying read, don't buy this book.

This book was very good at making you turn pages quickly...

but it lacked a powerful punch at the end. :(

While this isn't my favorite of Ted Dekker's books, it's definitely a fun read while sitting on the beach. The story grabs you immediately, and keeps you hooked throughout. I enjoyed trying to figure out where the story was going through all the twists and turns. Now that I've read more of his books, I also get a kick out where many of his books cross paths with each other. I think Ted Dekker is a brilliant and imaginative writer, and I appreciate his efforts in trying to get his readers to think about the underlying message of his stories. I also realize that many of his villians are exceptionally gross, but then, so is evil when it's exposed for what it is. This book is still a good read.

This book was an amazing breakthrough for Ted's career. Writing a book for the secular market was a smart move because it will cause readers that may be non-believers to want to read his other material that has more Christian-themed messages. In many interviews, Ted Dekker specifically said he was not writing this book to have obvious spiritual concepts but was targeting secular audiences with the simple message of getting past the skin of this world or the external appearance of a person to find out what's really underneath. Yes, the book contains some typos and may seem a bit rushed, but you have to understand what a prolific writer Ted is and the number of books he writes in the space of one year is unprecedented. Overall, it was an awesome, trippy ride. Get this book.

I'll keep this short and simple: This is the first (and probably last) Ted Dekker novel I've read. The book is horrible: the plot is ridiculous (and extremely implausible in the end), the characters are flat, and the narrative is amateurish...Anyone who gave this book 4 or 5 stars either didn't read the novel or will give 5 stars to a phone book.

I thoroughly disliked this book. The characters are one-dimensional and flat; the dialogue is excessively cliched, and the plot revolves around a sadistic serial killer and mind-altering drug experiments. The plot wouldn't have bothered me so much if the book was not marked as a "Christian" thriller. I can think of many ways that people can be introduced to the concepts of Christianity that do not involve reading (or writing) books this banal.

Having read a good many books in this series I found High Country suffered from a couple of sequences that lost some of their sharpness due to their protracted length - perhaps some more agressive editing was called for - but that is a hard thing for some editors to do, giving the author's pervious successes. In addition the drug plane idea has been used by others so lacked the drama that might otherwise accompany the "find".

What raises this book above the average in my opinion, is the growth that the protagonist, Ranger Anna Pigeon undergoes in this story. One thing that bothered me about this very human and likable character was that I shared book after book with her and yet she wasn't really changing, not inside, no character developement, even while her life and career continued to evolve. How ironic that in this book where she is undercover, without a real identiy, that she actually does some subtle and seriously profound thinking about who she really is. Or perhaps this is not so ironic. When robbed of all she is and all she has ever been, when set adrift in humanity on the thin veneer of lies, when no one knows who you are, when every act is completely married with falsehood, then it is that Anna finds what she misses most, is herself.

Her experience waiting tables in college lands park ranger Anna Pigeon in an undercover assignment in food services at Yosemite National Park. Four of the park's employees have gone missing, and the rangers in the park aren't finding any leads. Anna is rooming with a couple of fluffhead girls while posing as a middle-aged waitress, but even her proximity to the other employees can't make her fit in. When one of her roommates collapses after getting high on something, Anna becomes concerned. Some odd men claiming to be friends of one of the missing employees have taken over his cabin, and their presence, along with mountains of gear, coupled with a snippet of overheard conversation and a single-line note from a missing woman to her brother, send Anna on a wilderness hike that very nearly ends her life when she stumbles across a big secret.

Though I wouldn't be so ungenerous as to say the book fell flat, it was definitely missing a vital ingredient usually present in these adventures. Anna spent an inordinate amount of time being hunted by killers in the wilderness and not enough putting things together. The villains were also perhaps a tad too sadistic, and they roughed Anna up a little more than necessary. In all, though it wasn't my favorite Anna Pigeon mystery, it was still a decent chapter in her saga.

I got this unabridged Nevada Barr CD/novel for an avid Anna Pigeon Mystery fan...and it "fit the bill" as a satisfying gift to give. The Giftee was mighty pleased.

I was hooked on Anna Pidgeon's Track of the Cat, and have devotedly purchased and read everything that Nevada Barr has written, especially the Anna Pidgeon books. But ever since Flashback, Nevada's books have been lacking in the excitement that has made the Anna Pidgeon books so addicting. I know, since reading Seeking Enlightenment...Hat by Hat, that Nevada has had a change in faith, and I wonder if it has not been reflected in her writing, since Anna has seemed to have this same kind of change come over her.

I have worked with many rangers as a docent for the parks system, and even in aging, none has seemed to carry aging to such a dark, dismal place as Nevada has written for Anna. Nevada needs to remember that age is not chronological, but spirtual, and if she wants people to keep reading her Anna Pidgeon books, she needs to stop aging Anna.

The draw of Nevada's books for me have been her travelogue of the national parks as much as the mystery of the novel. I have been given such a clear and perfect picture of each of the parks, that when I visit them, it seems as though I have already been there. This was not true for Yosemite. I grew up visiting Yosemite, and this book was so inaccurate, I would have thought I was visiting another place. First of all, walking in the wintertime from the Ahwanhee to Camp Curry or Yosemite Lodge would have caused hypothermia.

Nevada seemed hurried in writing this novel, and she seemed unable to decide on whether to develop the plot, or develop the park description, so she did neither. I would love to give her a redo on this, because based on the other reviews, I know she can do better.

Anna, far from home and undercover brings back the classic Nevada Barr we've missed in previous titles. The famous Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park is the location of Anna's new position, slinging hash. Barr reminds us of the aching feet, sore muscles, and endurance one must execute to keep a smile on your face under those eatery conditions.
The vivid contrast between undercover conditions and hike into the splendor of the mountains is vintage Barr as so many readers have used her stories as tour guides to our national treasures.
After all the danger, evil, suspense and injuries, this one gives the reader a fine ending.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

I find it hard to believe this author managed to get a book published. She describes the BMW as a $47,000 V8....wrong. '96 750's were V12, and more like $90,000. Difficult to put much faith in whatever else is written when basic facts cannot be nailed down. Scott also describes Run DMC as 'a rapper', good god. One plus, the book is easy to read, because it's written at about a 3rd grade level.

There aren't many actual facts in this book and honestly, this is slipshod work at best. I am very knowledgeable about Tupac Shakur and truthfully, I would have written a better book. The autopsy photo disturbed me greatly and who took that photo anyway? Whoever took the autopsy photo should be shot! I was not at all impressed by Ms. Scott's conjectures that she tried to pass off as facts. This book is a waste of time and money if you're really interested in the death of Mr. Shakur. I wouldn't recommend this book to my neighbor's dog.

2PAC...was,is,and will be forever in our hearts.
I really don't know what to believe:is he death or not...because here,in romania a lot of magazines keep saying that he is not death...why?Just becaue they wanna be close to him,or what?
suspicious events:13th is a day which usually doesn't bring us good news.Interesting is that there weren't any pictures with PAC bleeding.In his song "Life Goes On"he is talking about his own death . The driver of the car,SUGE KNIGHT hasn't been present at the inquiry of the event."i'm not paid to solve murders"said him
The white cadillac in which where the assasins,just after the murder ,passed near PAC's car,but nobody tdyed to stop theme.
His video,"I Ain't Mad At Cha"was released rigt after the shoots.
in that video,2pac was an angel in Heaven...and there are a lot of theories like these...anyway,his lucky number seems to be 7...
Even if they say yhat he isn't death,I think that we should respect him,even in his death!
Keep ya head up and folllow your dreams!
Peace,love and respect for this ANGEL!

I place this book beside another three books on Tupac which I feel are must reads: [1] "Back in the Day" by Darrin Keith Bastfield, [2] "Holler if you hear me" by Michael Eric Dyson, and [3] "Got your back" by Frank Alexander. These three plus Cathy Scott's book paint a complete picture of his life and death. Cathy Scott's book is thoroughly researched but some facts that are commonly excepted as fact are expressed differently by her. It is evident in this book that she wishes she could talk about the investigation into Pac's death but the sad fact is that there is no investigation. Witness's refuse to cooperate and the incidents on the night of his death make the whole situation difficult for the police. Scott tries to circumvent this very hard but in the end she fails. The book also deals with the murders of Biggie, Orlando Anderson, Yafeu Fula and discusses how moronic the "he is alive" theories are as well. Very good book overall and a very quick read.

With so much controversy about his death, I decided to get the facts from this shocking, yet very informative book from acclaimed journalist Cathy Scott.

While also telling you about the man himself, Scott reveals the many flaws in the investigation of the shooting that took place on the night of September 7th, 1996 - the scene of the crime not being secured quick enough, the fatal release of key witness Yafeu Fula, Suge Knight's attorney playing hard to get with Les Vegas Police and the confusion of other witnesses Frank Alexander and Malcolm Greenridge - which makes you wonder just how much effort did police put into this case?

Not just providing the facts, Scott also presents the many possible motives and turns heads to several known suspects. An interesting read, showing you not only a violent, but tragic story about a young man who lived hard and fast all the way to the end. With information on Tupac's background and other events related to him and his murder, you get to know about the man as well as the musician, with additional comments made by various writers - Kevin Powell, Michael Eric Dyson - and those who knew him well - Jasmine Guy, Suge Knight, a moving letter from his Godfather and a final comment from his mother, Afeni Shakur. The book even uncovers the rapper's mystique - his obsession with death, the alive theories and many other strange coincidences.

'The Killing Of Tupac Shakur' is a revelation that will both shock and fascinate you in more ways then one. A must have for Tupac fans.