Audio Books

I love this whole series of books. As an individual who has always been interested in the anthropological and archeological study of the Native American people, I find the whole series of books to be well written with just enough historical evidence to form characters and be intriguing and interesting but without being so crammed full of information the story is lost. Another job well done.

I have read all of the current books in this series and by far this ranks as my all time favorite. There are also follow-ups that accompany this book, the Anasazi Mystery Series that greater explains in detail about events that actually led up to this book. If I could go back, I would have read those in succession first and then this book. All in all, this book has all of the great elements that I love to read about in a book. It has romance, betrayal, mystery, and complexities that are much like the human experience that occur sometimes in life. It is about the intense love shared by two people and what they sacrificed to finally be together. The consequences for their actions greatly influenced their entire community.

Engaging novel set among the Anasazi of the 1200's. Probably as close to an actual living breathing recreation of that culture as anyone will ever write. These authors do not begin with a modern Christian perspective and proceed from there, they take the good and bad, humorous and shocking of a past nation and tell it like it was, "warts and all.'

at first it was hard for me to get in this story but after a 4th to half of the book it got better and I could not put it down. this book goes good with the new book MOON and the Anazazi triogy books.

I really enjoy this series in my oppion it is best to read the series starting with Book 1 so that you know what is being talked about. If you are a Indian or love to read about Indians and their history then this is a Great Series of Books to read. It gives great in sight to the beliefs of the Indian Nations and their ways of life.

The book was a gift and it came in time for Christmas.

Struggling to find her love Rye, Poppy (a mouse) has to stop the beavers from making dams. She also has to stop them from turning the beautiful little pond to a big and dirty lake. Rye (a mouse) is trapped inside a dam and cannot get free. So Poppy is not only trying to stop the beavers and set free Rye, Poppy has a wild adventurer with her friend the porcupine, Ereth to tell Ragweed's parents (Rye's brother) is dead. Can Poppy stop the beavers as well as set free Rye and deliver the news? To find out, the call number is AVI and the author and illustrator is Avi and Brian Floca. You need to read this book along with the other great adventures with its series. "Ragweed," "Poppy,' "Poppy and Rye," Ereth's Birthday" and "Poppy's Return." This author has written many great books especially this one. So please, read this book. "Poppy and Rye" is a book for anyone. It has adventure, describing and wow words and many more! Here are some describing and colorful weird words said by Ereth. "Oh, fox flip," the porcupine growled. "Sticky roach toes," Ereth muttered. "Crabgrass up their snoots," Ereth snapped. Avi has a great word choice that makes you picture everything but with words. He really uses his imagination when it comes to writing words. This book I think everyone should read. So please try it!

An absolutly stunning childrens book, Avi makes it an exciting and addicting read. Very powerful read aloud to young children. It is the best book in the series, in my opinion. I highly recomend it.

Poppy has done it again ! Not onley does she save Ragweed's brother ,Rye , from a nasty batch of beavers ,
but she also saves Ragweed's family as well. I'd say this book is for someone who likes animals that's
proabaly why I like it so much.

Wow, What an Amazing Book
Hi, the book I'm reviewing is Poppy and Rye. The authors name is Avi. The location were the book mostly takes place is the brook. Another location is the beaver's lodges which you will find out were that is later in the book.

Things from the story
One of the very important things is when Poppy the mouse was about to make a trip to Ragweed's old house so she could tell Ragweed's parents why Ragweed would never return. Poppy called her best friend Ereth the porcupine old because she was apologizing because Poppy had been begging Ereth to come with her. Then Poppy said she was sorry for not respecting the elderly. Then Ereth got the impression that Poppy was calling him old. Another thing was when Poppy and Rye met. They met when Ereth was sleeping and Poppy was supposed to be sleeping. Poppy was dancing with a daisy and Rye asked if he could join. There's a beaver who's named Cas and he's got plans to make the brook into a lake. They have also captured Rye! What will happen to him????

Things I Liked
Some of the things I liked about this book are that the author gave so many details for example: the author described the grass in Dimwood as moist, the trees leaves delicious and the stars dancing in beauty and grace. When I read this book I couldn't stop reading until I figured out what happened to the character that was in distress. The book is a very good book. I also liked how the mice were braver than humans at times
For example: a 3 inch tall mouse has the courage to go in a beaver lodge when the beaver's are 2ft. and have giant tails. I thought it was pretty much fiction but, it was still fun to read.

My Ratings
I give this book, without a doubt, a 5 star rating because it's just a great book. I think this book is meant for kid's ages 9-13 years old.

I love this book. I would recommend this to any mom, young or not so young!

Great read!!! Not only is this full of scriptures, but it has wonderful ideas to put into action for your family. My only problem is that sometimes the author assumes all of the readers are married with children, thus leaving out us single moms, but I still got a lot out of the book.

This is a wonderful book. A most read for all moms who want to encourage their children to be positive and to live a Christan life. It is an easy read and very uplifting!

There were some good things in this one. I did keep it after I was done reading it but it wasn't as deep as I had hoped it would be.

This was our first book we read for our newly formed Bible Study/ Women's Book club at our church. It was a hit and everybody thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a chapter or two that was just "ok", but the rest of it made a lot of sense. Our book club is mostly new moms or moms with younger children.

Unlike others, I was compelled to read this book because of Annabelle's previous occupation and once I started, I could not put the book down, compelled by the artistic way Alexander drew me into the hearts and souls of the characters by her incredible talent to write them in an honest and compelling way, set to the backdrop of an incredible story. It is a story about grace and coming to truly know and believe that grace.

I'll try not to "spoil" the story too much in my review, as I hate that in other reviews.

"Revealed" starts out with Annabelle losing her husband and her regret at not being able to love him the way she wished she could. In her travels to grant her husband's request of being buried by Fountain Creek, she must find another driver to help her meet up with the wagon train that she and her husband were traveling with to the ranch he owned. The new driver turns out to be her husband's brother who did not approve of Annabelle and her past.

The story follows these characters on their journey, both physical and emotion. We are captivated by the way Alexander shows in authentic ways the growth of both characters throughout their struggles.
I can't wait for the next series coming out next month!

I really liked this book. I read all 3 of the Fountain Creek Chronicles series and this one was my favorite. The characters were easy to like and the plot was great.

Loved this book. Wasn't sure I would at first but once I started reading it, I could not put it down. Good author. Can't wait to see what else she writes. The faith and scriptures mentioned in this book touched me in many ways.

I did not think that I would enjoy this book because of Annabelle's former occupation but I ended up loving it. Annabelle and Matthew's conversations with one other on the trail were so funny! The way they rescued Sadie was absolutely wonderful! Hearing how Annabelle and Sadie began their life of prostitution was heartbreaking, drawing the reader closer to the characters. This is a wonderful book and I recommend it highly!

When a prostitute is bought out of a brothel and marries a man she does not really love, the reader wants to dislike her right away. Soon enough, Annabella was my hero, even with her jaded past. A tragedy, and we met her as a pregnant widow. Matthew Taylor needs a job, so he applied as trail guide for Annabelle's trip to Idaho and the land her deceased husband loved.

To say these two literally despised each other would not be stretching the truth, both had deep, dark secrets and both had reasons not to trust the other. However, Matthew got the job and much of this book is about the long, 900 mile journey, searching for tiny little Sadie, a 15 yr. old prostitute, nearly losing their lives in the process. Why was Matthew so edgy and seemed to look over his shoulder a lot? The wanted posters told Annabelle some of the reasons--- she was traveling with a criminal.

This book deals with many issues, prostitution in the early settlements of the West, the dangers of whiskey, gambling and women all thrown together and the struggle to forgive oneself even after God has shown complete forgiveness.

Traveling by wagon was not easy, especially when two people who disliked and distrusted each other were alone for three months and there were inate dangers as well as physical and environmental ones. Personally, for me, I related completely to the subtle description of dementia of a very elderly, mean relative.

I have already begun my search for book three by this author. Where did she come from and how did she get to be such a sucess so quickly? Books one and two only slightly overlap with towns and people and book three has a huge reputation to live up to. Thanks for the Christian, historical fiction book that shows the power of change when asked of God.

"Right Ho Jeeves" was first published in 1934 in the UK, though was first published in the US under the name "Brinkley Court". The book is set in England and features Wodehouse's best known creations : Bertie Wooster and his valet, Jeeves. Bertie is the book's wealthy, good-natured and rather dim narrator. He's a member of the "idle rich" and, rather than having to work for a living, lives off an allowance provided by his uncle. He spends much of his time in the bar-room of the Drones Club, is fond of the occasional wager and has an appalling dress sense. Luckily, Bertie has Jeeves, to look after him. Without Jeeves, Bertie's life would be a mess : he makes an excellent hangover cure, his bets usually win and is intelligent enough to rescue Bertie from nearly any situation. He disapproves of Bertie's more garish items of clothing, and will - occasionally - take it upon himself to deal with the offending item.

The book opens with Bertie's return from Cannes, having spent two months on holiday with his Aunt Dahlia, his cousin Angela and Madeline Basset - Angela's best friend. Arriving back at his flat, Bertie is surprised to learn that Gussie Fink-Nottle has been a frequent caller in his absence. Gussie, an old school-friend of Bertie's, is something of a reclusive character : he doesn't drink, looks rather like a fish, prefers country life to the city and is a noted newt-fancier. Gussie has apparently fallen in love, and has - wisely - taken to visiting Jeeves for his advice on how to win the young lady's heart. However, following a disagreement with Jeeves about a white mess jacket purchased in Cannes, Bertie decides to take over Gussie's case.

By sheer coincidence, the object of Gussie's desires is none other than Madeline Basset - who, after the trip to Cannes, has returned to Brinkley Court (Aunt Dahlia's stately home). Bertie sends Gussie off to the stately home in question - though his motives aren't entirely noble. As well as spending time with Madeline, Gussie will also be delivering a speech at the local grammar school's prizegiving day - a job Aunt Dahlia had intended for Bertie. However, when word comes through that Angela has brokern off her engagement with Tuppy Glossop, Bertie and Jeeves race off to the countryside to offer their support. Naturally, Bertie's attempts to ease smooth things over land everyone in a great deal of bother.

A very easy and enjoyable read.

If there's one thing Bertie Wooster should never do, it's make elaborate plans to bring estranged lovebirds back together.

And he demonstrates just why in the second full-length Jeeves novel, a screwball disaster saga that sees Bertie confidently trying to fix people's lives. Of course, things go horribly wrong, and Wodehouse's arch, nutty look at what happens next is an absolute gem.

When Aunt Dahlia summons him to Brinkley Court for a prizegiving, Bertie sends his newt-fancying friend Gussie instead -- especially since Gussie is enamoured of a girl staying there, the soppy Madeleine Bassett. But when Bertie hears that his cousin Angela has broken off her engagement to Tuppy Glossop -- and his aunt is in need of money -- he rushes down to assist all his relatives and pals by advising them to feign such sorrow that they're unable to eat.

Unfortunately his plan falls through, and they manages to enrage the cook Anatole to the point where he storms out. Even worse, the prize-giving is a disaster and the wrong people end up engaged -- and pursued by homicidally angry exes. Only Jeeves' formidable brain can somehow save the day -- and Bertie's behind.

P.G. Wodehouse made a pretty good living off of spoofing the upper crust of England, and the subtlely intlligent servants who bail them out. "Right Ho Jeeves" is a prime example of his writing -- some small mistakes rapidly balloon out into a crazy tangled mess, which only an intelligent manservant can rescue Bertie from.

Much of the book's charm comes from its complex plot and series of disasters (such as Tuppy's homicidal rampage). And as usual, poor Bertie finds himself the object of young ladies' affections -- in this case, the appallingly goofy Madeleine thinks he's madly in love with her, when she's not rambling about fairies and bunnies. If there's a flaw, it's that Jeeves' final solution is a bit limp.

But Wodehouse's writing is what really makes the book timeless. It's arch and wry, whether he's describing basic actions ("He leaped like a lamb in springtime"), or goofy dialogue ("But if you were a male newt, Madeline Bassett wouldn't look at you. Not with the eye of love, I mean").

Jeeves and Bertie are the perfect comic team -- Bertie is proud, goofy, and not terribly bright, while the quiet Jeeves is a towering intellect with wry wit. And they're backed by a colourful, small cast of nutty aristocrats, schoolboys, sharp-tongued aunts and cousins, newt-fancying fish-faced men, and a girl who talks about how "every time a fairy sheds a tear, a wee bitty star is born." Yech.

"Right Ho Jeeves" is a hilarious, tangled farce of love, money, jealousy, dinner jackets and the mating rituals of newts. Absolutely priceless, from start to finish.

got the blues? melancholia got you in its grip? the prospect of death got you down? jeeves to the rescue! nothing like a good wodehouse read to cheer one up. problem is, the man wrote just short of a million books, and not all of them are good. so where to start? right here, with this book. of all the wodehouse books i've read, this is my favorite, the most consistently entertaining. just what the doctor ordered to smash you in the funny bone and get a smile going on the old face.

If you love Monty Python, Faulty Towers, and the like, you'll love RHJ. The glowing reviews on this page are spot on. This is timeless stuff. And Cecil's reading (if you incline towards the recorded version) is terrific. Laugh out loud funny. I adored every moment!

It is rare that I derive such pleasure from a book, but Right Ho, Jeeves, gave me a delightful surprise. Not only does Wodehouse make an art of the satirical novel, but in the process wraps the reader up in the witty speech of Bertram Wooster and his strange arrangement of friends, family, and butler. Bertram, or "Bertie," as he is commonly known, stumbles through the entire novel with the idea that he alone must bear the weight of being the sole aid to his friends' problems. Despite several attempts at a kind reprimand from Jeeves, his personal servant, ("I beg your pardon sir... What I intended to say, since you press me, was that the action which you propose does seem to be somewhat injudicious."); Bertie continues to give it his best. Among other things, Wooster implements the best intentions while attempting a match between old friends, but with little success: "All he had to do was propose." "Yes, sir." "Well, didn't he?" "No, sir." "Then what the dickens did he talk about?" "Newts, sir."

Despite the playful banter, colorful characters (such as a sensitive French cook), an inept yet lovable narrative voice found in Wooster, and of course, Jeeves, behind all is an incredibly clever satire on the "upper crust," so to speak. Although, admittedly, many readers cannot associate directly with the early-middle twentieth century, one cannot help but feel the idle, privileged and somewhat clueless lives of the English aristocracy seep from the pages of Jeeves. Wodehouse does a wonderful job of capturing the lives of people who have nothing better to do then dabble about ridiculously in the lives of one another.

Indeed, Wodehouse does much to reflect the over-privileged lives to which Bertie and company cling to so humorously. However, what might have become a novel filled to overflowing with hilarity and drama is brought back down to a more substantial level with the constant subtle humor and patronization brought in by Jeeves. "Jeeves, don't keep saying `Indeed, sir?' No doubt nothing is further from your mind than to convey such a suggestion, but you have a way of stressing the `in' and then coming down with a thud on the `deed' which makes it virtually tantamount to `Oh, yeah?' Correct this, Jeeves." The nature in which Bertie and the rest are virtually ignorant to Jeeves' little jibes such as this shows clearly the statement of Wodehouse, how the aristocracy is too self absorbed to notice even the slightest. In short, this is a wonderfully clever novel, which keeps the pages turning with quick wit and snappy humor. I highly suggest it.

THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY is an excellent legal resource which can be read by legal scholars, however, lay people need to consult a legal dictionary from time to time. But the book clearly establishes how the right to privacy applies to every citizen when used against several aspects of everyday life the citizen comes in contact with. Caroline Kennedy, along with Ellen Alderman, has proven her excellent legal scholarship which, in my opinion, qualifies her as attorney general and/or associate justice of the U. S. Supreme Court.

This book starts off Rated R. I wish I could give a copy to my teens, but it gets a little too descriptive (necessary for impact though) of police violations on women. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. (Maybe when they're older...) It is a collection of some landmark cases, conflicts, and horror stories of the reality of our government's instrusiveness into people's personal lives. It is an eye-opener to those who blindly follow government orders. I'm comfortable reading legal documents, but I thought one of the book's better points was that it put legal terms into layman's terms. I found the book so lively and intriguing I finished it in a day! I definitely recommend this for anyone concerned about government instrusiveness and loss or interpretation of constitutional rights.

a bit boring but just shows what big brother can do to innocent people . good to see caroline standing up for ordinary people .

I enjoyed this book, even though it is heavy on legal court cases. Don't let that fool you, though, it's not a legal reference. This book covers significant cases in privacy using a very interesting approach. There a interviews and behind-the-scenes stories that explain what happened, how the plaintiff felt, and what the outcome was.

If you liked this book you will love "The Digital Umbrella." It is a great compliment to this book.

This book is written by a couple of lawyers who specialize in privacy issues. It is essentially a collection of thoughly researched court cases with added commentary from the authors. As such, it reads like...well... a collection of court cases.

A copy was originally lent to me by a very well-read and intelligent friend of mine who considered it overly dry. I, on the other hand, loved it. It's very details-oriented from cover-to-cover and packs in a wealth of information that is invaluable to anyone interested in the legal aspects of privacy.

Grandpa bought this book to read to his 21 month old granddaughter. She loves books. We have a good time reading this story. Not too short, not too long. We enjoy looking for the animals hidden in the jungle flora on the opening pages of the book. The rhyming verse story is well done. The pictures are big and colorful. Grandpa has to make the sounds that each animal makes, especially the sound of the big, hairy gorilla thumping his chest. We have a fun time looking for the small ants that are found on each of the story pages (added bonus). There are other similar books written by this author that I would consider purchasing.

My son loves this book so much that when it started falling apart, I bought another one! He asks for this book every night. Highly recommend!!

This book is beautifully illustrated. The vibrant colors invited my students to be actively engaged while we were reading it together. The rhyme scheme of the book made my students laugh and learn at the same time. Humor is always a good way to learn. I would reccomend this book to anyone.

This book has been a favorite in our home since we got it over 8 years ago. The pictures are beautiful and fun. The rhymes are great. It is one of the few books that I do not tire of reading over and over and over again to the kiddos.

Only draw-back is that it is permanately stuck in my head. Can't go to the zoo without finding myself saying the rhymes. Oh, who am I kidding, that's not a draw-back...it is kinda fun! hee hee

This is such a cute book. Bright and colorful pictures to look at, with a story that isn't too repetitive. Readers will not mind reading time and again to children

I can't believe I found this book again!!! I read this in elementary school multiple times and memories of it have always haunted me through the years. I'm now 52 and have tried for decades to remember the name of this book to no avail. Tonight I did a Google search and typed in "children's classic fantasy underground world" ... and I found it again! As soon as I saw the title I remembered it. So, I'm ordering it tonight and can't wait to share it with my 9 and 10 year old children.

Another classic I've enjoyed through the years is "The Princess and the Goblin" by George Mcdonald.

This is a quirky and lovely book. The text is provided by Mr. Berton and the whimsical illustrations by his daughter Patsy. My children and I read this book over the course of a summer vacation and each one, ranging in age from 6 to 11, loved it. They couldn't wait for the next chapter. The four children in the book go on an underground adventure into a magical world of strange little people.
I especially loved how the brothers and sisters help each other and watch out for each other through it all.
Highly entertaining.

Like many of the other reviewers, this book was read to me by a teacher when I was about 9 or 10. It was magic! It is so cleverly written that it's easy for the reader to escape into the secret world under the playhouse themselves. Now that I'm a third grade teacher, I have read it to my classes and they, in turn, have also shown their appreciation for such a wonderful piece of writing! I'm so pleased to have found a copy for myself. It's difficult to come by in schools these days.

This book was read as a class project when I was 10 years old by one of my favorate teachers. Three years later, my sister had the same teacher and the same project. This became our favorate book, but we never saw a copy outside the classroom. We talked about it on occasion over the years and (we were now in our forties) my sister ran across it on Amazon and ordered copies for each of us. I received mine on Christmas morning (best present that year). We were able to enjoy reading it once again and pass it on to our children and hopefully our grandchildren when it's time. Highly recommended - it's a book you don't forget and those are rare indeed.

I read this story back in grade 4, and I never forgot how magical it was. Now, at the age of 19, I finally received it as a Christmas present from my sister. This story is by far one of the most magical stories I have ever read. It was fantastic, and completely unforgettable.

As an auditory learner, I have enjoyed listening to Renard's CDs more than I have reading his books. The Secrets of the Immortal is, by far, his best CD set. His set on the Disappearance of the Universe was amaturish. The actors who voiced his "visitors" were terrible, and Gary sounded like a high school kid with a bad attitude.
On Secrets, however, Gary's voice sounds like a mature spiritual teacher. He presents his teachings in a well-organized and fully developed way. Anyone who wishes to get more insight into A Course in Miracles will find Renard's works very helpful. At times, he even gets close to Eckhart Tolle in his level of insight and profundity, but this doesn't happen consistently. However, the kind of insight and level of wisdom these CDs capture is a very important step in the bringing of the Human Consciousness to another level.

I love this CD series by Gary. If reading isn't your thing, pop these into your CD player and get your spirituality fix while driving or whatever. Disc 2 is the most important, I believe, in the series, since it is mostly about practicing forgiveness. Gary's humor, although a bit dry, makes spirituality fun and motivating, and takes the edge and pressure off. Gotta love the G-Man, Arten and Pursah chose him wisely. Giddy up!

I so much enjoy the disc's of Immortal Reality. I have read the book. But with the disc's I can take one with me while I walk or ride in the car. Gary Renard' books clarify and make it easy to understand ACIM. I enjoy listening to it over and over.Most of all I practice forgiveness, now.
Catherine (Cissie) Rocks

In this 6-CD set Gary Renard presents principles of A Course in Miracles in such a practical way! I simply couldn't track ACIM before reading Gary's book, "Disappearance of the Universe". His second book, "Your Immortal Reality: How to Break the Cycle of Birth & Death", and now this 6-CD set are helping me to put Course principles into EVERYDAY use. "Secrets of the Immortal" has my HIGHEST recommendation to Course students and especially to seekers who may want an overview of ACIM. CAUTION: You will never look at your life and the world the same!

This is my favorite of Gary Renard's audio recordings. Even if you've read his books and devoured them, this audio program is worth listening to many times.

Gary shares deeply of his experiences, his perceptions and feelings over the years that he wrote the two books with Arten & Pursah. He shares artfully about his personal growth and transformation.

Over the years of studying A Course In Miracles and engaging in deep spiritual practice, Gary has come to reveal his authentic self in ways that are both inspiring and entertaining.

Gary's sense of humor is wry and delightful in this recording. I laughed out loud all the way through it! There is instruction and insight that he shares from his own deep experiences. It is well worth the price! God bless Gary Renard for sharing so well and so much of himself. One cannot help but admire him.

I have used the inspiration contained in this book when I teach classes and workshops - you can learn more about my work at http://www.jenniferhadley.com/

I've worked my way through this entire series now, and while the first dozen or so (this is no. 23) were generally well done -- good, reasonably accurate descriptions of London of the 1880s, pointed contrast between Society's drawing rooms and the miserable existence of the laboring classes, vivid character development of both working cops and the elite -- the last few have shown a definite decline. Thomas Pitt, Inspector and then Superintendent at the Bow Street station, and a both very talented and highly empathic detective, has now been stripped of his position by the Forces of Evil (the entirely fictional and extremely melodramatic "Inner Circle") and dumped in the lap of Special Branch, where he's beginning to learn how to be a secret policeman instead of a public one. The "Seven Dials" area of London is a pretty minor player in this one, too; the author should have called it "Alexandria," because that's where Pitt is sent to gather information on a beautiful and patriotic Egyptian woman living in London who is caught red-handed wheeling a dead bottom through her back garden in a wheelbarrow. Also implicated is a high Foreign Office official, which is how Pitt and his "M"-like boss, Narraway, get involved. If the details of the motive for the murder become public, the government could fall, Egypt could erupt in revolt, and Suez might even be lost. Can't have that, right? The action is low-key, the plot development takes its time, and the reader will enjoy the scenery, both internal and external. At least The Inner Circle manages not to appear this time, and it's fun watching Pitt trying to deal with a totally foreign milieu -- even though Perry could have spent a lot more time painting its details.

I never really liked political anything, even in Anne Perry, but I could not put this one down. I finished it in one day. She did not disappoint me!!!! Thanks Anne

elizabeth cohen

Classic murder mysteries rely heavily for both their effectiveness and their appeal on a "slight of hands," and one of the tricks is a set of characters in whom one can become interested enough to relate to them in some way. Another is to create an ambiance that arrests the attention and keeps it. Anne Perry has a great knack for creating both memorable characters and an interesting stage on which they play out their roles in the story.

Her Seven Dials is an amazing recreation of Victorian England in the earlier days of the queen's reign. The era is young yet, and the political turmoil that will set the stage for World War I and the social changes it brings is just beginning. Some of the older characters can remember the Napoleon wars. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are paradigms of lower middle class life in the period, with their fate in the hands of Thomas's mentor in the Secret Service, Victor Narroway, and their maid servant and her beau, Samuel Tellman, in theirs. The interactions among all of the characters gives as much a feeling for the period as does the mention of hansom cabs, harnesses, and horse manure in the streets. Even the yellow skies and the chocking, smog filled London streets is classic for the era.

Perry's characters are charming and detailed, each a work of art in them selves. The maidservant is spunky, savvy and sensitive, used to the school of hard knocks, and her friend Tellman is gruff, masculine in an "old fashioned" sort of way, and smarts under the unfairness of social inequality and the period's newly arising sense of social empowerment. The stiff, formal society in which Charlotte Pitt grew up and still has family is faced with an erosion of their privileges and with a growing sense that they are on the threshold of major change. They are like dinosaurs waiting for the asteroid to strike them.

All of this sets the background for a puzzling murder of a man who should not really have been where he was at all and certainly not dead. The central characters push forward in an attempt to make sense of the confusing, almost irrational facts. It is this irrationality that is part of the slight of hands. Eventually Pitt must go to Egypt to unravel the mystery by back tracking the murdered man and his alleged murderess.

The venue in Egypt is Alexandria, a city to which I have been about three or four times. The descriptions of Victorian Alexandria might still easily pass for today, although the city today is more Western than Cairo and much more so than Thebes. The description of the rug suq was definitely memorable. The quarrel that leads to a small riot in the book reminded me of the minor violence that occurred among men there and in Cairo in the few days before Sadat was assassinated. Like the brewing sense of political unrest in the book, here too, everyone felt the tension in the air; everyone knew that something was afoot, but no one knew what was about to happen. It was a very tense time, and so was Pitt's Egypt.

I can not for the life of me understand the author's description of malaquia, an Egyptian soup--which I refer to as "frog-pond"--made for special occasions, as "delicious." I found it slimy and green. The latter I could handle, the former I couldn't. The mention of the sound of what seemed like crickets to Pitt, also brings back memories. Actually the sound is not crickets but a similar one made by small frogs in the canals and on the banks of the Nile. It's very restful. All in all, Pitt's trip to Egypt was as memorable for me as for him.

A delightful mystery.

Anne Perry doesn't disappoint in this recorded book. Read well, and easily one for the bookshelf.

Very descriptive and historically accurate. You'll love her vivid pictures of Alexandria. Egypt comes alive. I'm a harsh critic but this work bowled me over.