Archer Books

Jeffrey Archer has impressively compiled together `A Quiver Full of Arrows'. These arrows are anything but blunt and leave a meaningful impact on their readers. Known for his "natural aptitude for short stories" according to The Times, Archer has once again produced an absorbing book full of memorable stories.

The settings of the twelve tales in this book are wonderfully presented, whether it be lost in Ancient Bethlehem or stranded in a Brazilian hotel. It is evident that prior to writing, Jeffrey Archer researched the various setting locations and time periods. Unlike renowned John Grisham, Archer's writings reflect over a variety of topics including love, politics, and humor. Therefore, it is more likely that this book will appeal to you, unless you find reading about 50-year old lawyers fascinating.

You can't talk about Jeffrey Archer without referring to his expertise in writing endings. Unlike most other stories, which end in typical, lovey-dovey fashion, Archer's endings always have unexpected twists, and the ones in `A Quiver Full of Arrows' are not exceptions. After reading the book's first story, `The Chinese Statue', I found myself flipping back through the pages to reread it. The ending of this short, yet meaningful story adds a whole new perspective. This can be said about the other 11 entries. To truly understand a piece in this book, you must read it again and again; it astounds me how much depth Jeffrey Archer puts into his writing.

All in all, `A Quiver Full of Arrows' is a top-class read for everyone; I have yet to find a collection of short stories that is more appealing. It is a noteworthy two hour read that is sure to change your perspective on life. You'll have a hard time peeling your eyes off this one.

Versatile, popular, and appealing British actor Marvin Jarvis has produced and narrated a number of books in the U.K. Recently, he came across the pond to narrate audiobooks - it's about time! His reading of "A Quiver Full of Arrows" is on point. Of course, you need a bit of a British accent, which he has as well as the ability to deliver Archer's absorbing plots with style and skill. Long recognized for his theatre and film work, he has also been dubbed a Golden Voice by Audio File Magazine.

Jarvis is a boon companion for these stories that take us throughout the world - London, China, New York, Nigeria. Listeners may be reminded of Archer's "A Twist in the Tale," as this, too, is a collection of short tales running the gamut from suspense to romance to skullduggery to financial power.

We find ourselves at Sotheby's where bidders are shown an ancient ivory Chinese statue. What secrets it holds! One cannot the effect this has on the lives of a young couple. With the speed of light we're transported to a lavish New York apartment and a festive party with A-List guests who are surprised by those they meet again.

Ever the clever storyteller, Archer's settings play a large part in his scenarios. "A Quiver Full of Arrows" is especially rich with mysterious places in far-off lands.

Enjoy the journeys!

- Gail Cooke

ALTHOUGH I AM A DIE HARD FAN OF JEFFERY AND HAVENT MISSED A SINGLE OF HIS WRITINGS ,BUT THIS CONTRIBUTION OF HIS TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE IS NOT UPTO HIS STANDARDS. MOST OF THE STORIES ARE VERY ORDINARY , EXCEPT TWO , ONE ABOUT A CRICKET MATCH IN WHICH THE CAPTAINS SHOW THE HUMAN ELEMENT IN THE SPORTS, AND THE OTHER STORY WHICH I LIKED WAS A LOVE STORY , THE LAST STORY IN THE BOOK , ONE OF THE BEST LOVE STORIES I HAVE EVER READ ABOUT A COUPLE WHO ARE ARCH RIVALS IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION YET SPEND THE WHOLE LIFE TOGETHER AND EVEN SHARE THE DEATH BED.REST OF THE STORIES ARE DISAPPOINTING.

Jeffrey Archer has impressively compiled together `A Quiver Full of Arrows'. These arrows are anything but blunt and leave a meaningful impact on their readers. Known for his "natural aptitude for short stories" according to The Times, Archer has once again produced an absorbing book full of memorable stories.

The settings of the twelve tales in this book are wonderfully presented, whether it be lost in Ancient Bethlehem or stranded in a Brazilian hotel. It is evident that prior to writing, Jeffrey Archer researched the various setting locations and time periods. Unlike renowned John Grisham, Archer's writings reflect over a variety of topics including love, politics, and humor. Therefore, it is more likely that this book will appeal to you, unless you find reading about 50-year old lawyers fascinating.

You can't talk about Jeffrey Archer without referring to his expertise in writing endings. Unlike most other stories, which end in typical, lovey-dovey fashion, Archer's endings always have unexpected twists, and the ones in `A Quiver Full of Arrows' are not exceptions. After reading the book's first story, `The Chinese Statue', I found myself flipping back through the pages to reread it. The ending of this short, yet meaningful story adds a whole new perspective. This can be said about the other 11 entries. To truly understand a piece in this book, you must read it again and again; it astounds me how much depth Jeffrey Archer puts into his writing.

All in all, `A Quiver Full of Arrows' is a top-class read for everyone; I have yet to find a collection of short stories that is more appealing. It is a noteworthy two hour read that is sure to change your perspective on life. You'll have a hard time peeling your eyes off this one.

In reading the reviews of other reviewers, I have to wonder if we are reading the same collection. I am looking at the UK edition (which is 265 pages). This is a collection of 12 short stories of various length and subject matter. As the author notes, 11 of the stories are based on real incidents. I personally found the stories to be entertaining (Jeffrey Archer is one of my favorite authors). It is an easy reading collection, and the type I refer to commuters who are looking for something to read in installments (also something to take along on an airline).

I have used the New Riders MCSE study guides all the way through my MCSE study preparation, usually in conjunction with the Coriolis Exam Cram series. I found this book to be very light on technical content, and to contain several errors. This is very annoying and confusing when you do not know enough about a subject to be sure that you have just discovered an error. I am currently looking for additional study material for exam 70-219 as I do not feel confident after reading this book. This is a good general introduction to AD design, but look elsewhere for substance. The Exam Gear test questions do not seem anywhere near as challenging as the Microsoft Test PEP questions that I have purchased, which leads me to further doubt the content of this book.

Great book. Mr Archer does a good job bringing technical knowledge together with practical application. It obviously won't give you everything you need to know for exam. But I don't know a book that does on any subject. I recommend it.

Happy Reading!

I purchased these books for my MCSE course curriculum and was very disappointed . This book does very little to prepare students for the 70-219 exam. They find it very dry, and lacking in the implemtation and technical aspects of designing an AD infrastructure. This is more of a business application book, and would be good reading for consultants and network engineers with experience and the technical aspects already mastered.

This book ia a must have for anyone who is in the industry as a Consultant or Systems Engineer. Mr. Archer has done a tremendous job of bringing an overwhelming amout of information into a concise, well structured and easy to read book. Some of the reviews I have read have knocked this book on the amount of technical information. These readers should have read the introduction of this and the other "design" books which clearly state that the core technical information is in the administering ... training guides. If you do not have a grasp of the technical skills, how can you possibly hope to design a solution.

This book is exactly what Microsoft wants. Microsoft wants IT people to start thinking of the business and that's how you structure the Active Directory. I read this book cover to cover, got the Transcender demo, and some other Internet study "guides". This book got me a pass on the exam. Yes the first chapters are not on the exam but the thought process is. Chapters 10-14 are the meat of this and if you do the book and the exercises you will have gone a long way to pass the exam. The transcender demo shouwed me what the exam looked like (the new format) but was not that helpful, dumps and guides were OK to refresh the book, but when I took the exam I got case studies that were on the dumps but the questions were different, the name was the same but the solution had changed. You still have to reason through this to pass and this book helps you see what is going on with DNS, Group Policy and Active Directory design option.

I think Mr. Archer needs to stick to the construction business because his writing skills sucks! He portrayed himself like a sex craved maniac, you know the kind your mother warns you about. Overall the book was in poor taste, the writing came across as an ameteur's work and lacked the zest that books like this have. Mr. Archer needs to leave writing for the pros. I can definitely see why he didn't do so well in English. Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your money and put it to good use instead of buying a pathetic book like this! Johnny I am definitely disappointed with your book!

BORN TO LUST by Johnny Archer is a memoir of a man who learns from a very young age that an abundance of sex is his right, and should be gotten by any means necessary. He never confuses emotions with the raw lust he possesses for the opposite sex. The author gives us an intimate look at his many sexual escapades.

Johnny found girls to be a welcome distraction from being the youngest of five children, born out of wedlock to a father who left them to live in the projects when he was five years old. From the first grade, the reader endures Johnny's experimentations with touching and feeling on young girls. As he grows older, he engages in sexual acts with little emotion except the manipulation used to get the young girls and later women to sleep with him. The tales are written from the male prospective, so the encounters range from funny to pure sadness. The brief emotion of the story comes when Johnny experiences his first love and heartbreak. It is the heartbreak that enables him to be so callous in his interaction with the opposite sex. Again love is no longer part of his persona, lust is.

This novel is a quick and witty read, however, it lacks the emotional depth one associates with a memoir. Readers will be so captivated by the unbridled sex they will forget this is the story of a person's life. BORN TO LUST leaves readers with unanswered questions about the author's life and his choices. Maybe since he left me gasping at the end, he will continue the story with more than the lustful tales and give readers a more in depth understanding of him as a person. Most readers will find the tales at least entertaining.

Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Well, I enjoyed this book very much. Johnny and all his women. This book was crazy. man, Johnny had me up all night trying to finish this book. I kind of don't believe he messed around with all those young ladies while he was in college. But besides all that this book was entertaining. I hope there is a sequel because I am dying to know what happened after he graduated from college.

This was a tasteless erotic memoir. I didn't find it erotic. It starts out unbelievable when the author states on page two that at the age of six in the first grade he sat next to the same little girl and whenever the teacher wasn't looking he would put his hands inside her panties and play with her stuff. I've heard of starting young but that is unbelievable. This collection of different sexual encounters wasn't erotic. It was just plain sex. With such a promising book cover the stories lack depth and creativity. However the book was full of comical events but needs a little steam. Born to Lust just really lacks.
Reviewed by
Candy

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this book and I must say it is one of the best books I have read this year. I have never written a review for a book until now, and feel I have to on this great new author. This book was entertaining, funny, sad and a delight to read. I felt like I knew Johnny and went to school and lived in his neighborhood. It is a journey through his young life to college you will not want to miss. He has a hard time quenching his thirst for sex and women....finally he finds true love and life is on the right track,then to his surprise things change and he does not understand why..will he try at love agian, or go back to the numerous women he sexed in the past, and add more to his stable...This book kept me wanting for more..
I cannot wait to find out what happens to Johnny as he becomes an adult..This book is a must read!!!! Part 2 can not be soon enough for me..I know we will all be waiting for his future stories, This is an author to put on your to buy list.

Bowling Strikes was off to a great start. It jumped right into the mechanics of bowling in good detail. Suddenly, after 30 or 40 pages, it just died. It almost looked like the author became bored and just wanted to throw another hundred pages on to make the book longer. A good portion was spent displaying almost every possible spare. First of all, with the title being Bolwing Strikes, was was there more space dedicated to picking up spares? I would have rather the author diagnosed precisely what caused the spare and options to correct your throw rather then spending a page on how to pick up the 6-9-10! Even stranger, the author assumes you're advanced enough that you throw a hook, yet spends several pages on ettiquette, how to score, and injuries. The first 20 or 30 pages have some helpful tips, but you're better off spending the money on practice. Best suited for someone who just bought a fingertip ball and wants to learn how to hook.

this book was great. It had all the info you need to know if you want to be a good bowler. all you beginners,this is a must read. It has lots of helpful tips and stratiges from todays top professionals, such as Ernie Mcrackin and Roy Munson. All of you beginners out there, I have three words for you; BUY THIS BOOK!

Ive been bowling for 2 years now and messed about with bowling straight then spinning the ball but my averages were always around 140. Ive had this book for 2 weeks and I now have a comfortable style and bowl 160 average (top score 210). The author tells you how to apply spin to the ball via the "squeeze"...excellent book and judy is very pretty! Nice one amazon

Where do I start?

This bowling technique (the power ball) is most certainly NOT geared to the beginner or intermediate bowler. A hook ball with a medium release (thumb at 11 o'clock position) and a free armswing is more than adequate for all but the most demanding players and playing conditions (at least that was what we were taught at coaching school). The power ball would put excessive strain on the wrist and fingers.

The power ball enters the pocket at 75 to 80 degrees? On which planet does this occur? CAT analysis has shown the pros angle of entry to the pocket at a mere 5 1/2 to 6 degrees, which would be about the maximum achievable without using a rocket-powered ball (currently illegal, I believe).

This is a fairly recent book, yet some of the pictures look like they were taken during the 1950's. What gives?

The spare making suggestions have been rendered obsolete by the 3-6-9 and 2-4-6 spare systems.

The two-page section on advice to seniors was just hilarious (go bowling and make new friends after you retire - wow). Nothing on bowling itself. Bowling does change as you grow older, because the game becomes, physically at least, a bit more difficult, particularly with regards to hand strength/ball weight and knee/leg and back problems. The obvious come to mind - switch to a lighter ball, hold the ball lower in the stance, reduce the length of the steps in the approach.

I would not recommend this book to any of my students at any level. Beginning players should choose Strickland, intermediate players, Kouros.

Another nice book for beginners to intermediates. I generally find I have the same complaint with most bowling books. Not enough illustrations and drawings of the release. Showing works a lot better than just telling.

There's just not enough useful information here for more advanced bowlers who want to graduate to the 200+ range...

Annabelle Archer, DC wedding planner extraordinaire, and Richard, a caterer and friend, are checking out the last minute details in the ballroom before their bride is set to go down the aisle when they find Carolyn Crabbe, a hot-tempered wedding planner, strangled to death with a bridal veil in a hotel ballroom. Carolyn was well-known but not well-liked. She was the Queen of Mean.

Annabelle was seen arguing with Carolyn not long before she was killed, so she become a prime suspect. Then when another wedding planner is killed, Annabelle fears she may be next. She decides she had better find the killer and fast. But can she do that before anyone else is killed, namely herself?

Annabelle is so much fun! I wish she'd been my wedding planner. Except that murder seems to follow her around!

Kate, Annabelle's assistant, and Richard are wonderful characters in this series as well. They all complement each other, too. Having a wedding planner for a protagonist really provides a lot of wonderful storylines. The author has done such a fabulous job at creating and plotting this series.

I highly recommend this book and series.

I spent the first two chapters of this book thinking I had accidentally repurchased the previous title. Hated chef dead vs hated wedding planner dead at wedding. Annabelle argued with each of them just before they died, sexy policeman turns up and patronises. Silly caterer thinks he will get the blame. Sillier assistant gets even sillier. Etc etc etc. BORING!!

As with the previous book in this series, I started out loving it and was much less enthused as the book went on.

With so many wedding planner series starting to pop up, the author really needs to kill the two most annoying parts of the series if she wants it to be successful and stand out from the others:

1) Kate messing up her cliches. It got annoying after about the third time, and was even more annoying being used to end chapters so that it stuck out even more. No one is this stupid as to mess up every single cliche there is. This gimmick is old and tired already.

2) Leatrice. This character adds nothing to the stories, and the main character can't even stand her. There's nothing the least bit amusing or entertaining about a nosy buttinsky who walks around in growling slippers and light-up sweatshirts.

Annabelle "Annie" Archer is fast becoming one of Washington, D.C.'s top wedding planners. For some odd karma reason, where ever Annie goes dead bodies follow. (A bit macabre, but true.) Detective Mike Reese and her friends are getting very used to it though.

Annie has planned a huge Persian wedding at the Mayflower Hotel. Several weddings, throughout the hotel, are in various stages of completion. Annie's bride is due to walk down the aisle shortly. Annie and Richard, who owns the best catering company in D.C., are triple checking the ballroom decor when they spy a body hanging from the railings. The deceased is well known by everyone in the wedding planning and catering circles, but NOT in a good way. Seems that everyone who ever met the lady quickly became an enemy.

Soon it is obvious that a killer is targeting the area's wedding planners. Annie cannot resist digging for information. Annie justifies it to herself by believing she may be next and knowledge is power. Helping her are Kate (her assistant who never gets a quote correct), Fern (the city's best hairdresser), Leatrice (the nutty neighbor), and Richard.

Who ever thought that being a wedding planner was easy had no idea what they were talking about.

***** Laura Durham writes some of the best mysteries in the twenty-first century. Full of colorful characters and comical situations, I was unable to stop reading. The author adds special touches to her characters which make them so memorable. (Such as Fern who shoulders his way through a crowd yelling, "Coming through, people. I'm a hairdresser. I'm used to trauma.") A fun and witty mystery that is sure to win awards. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Washington D.C. wedding planner Annabelle Archer is horrified to discover the body of one of her fellow wedding planners, Carolyn Crabbe, dangling from a balcony in a hotel ballroom, suspended by a length of wedding veil tulle. Making matters even worse, the ballroom where Carolyn is discovered is to be the site of Annabelle's premiere wedding of the Christmas season and the wedding is planned to start in an hour! Annabelle and her party-planner friends become literally scared for their lives when their wedding planner colleagues start dropping like flies. Annabelle and her assistant Kate try to do some "information gathering" on their own, in order to find out who is out to kill the wedding planners of Washington D.C. The amateur sleuths in this story provide lots of entertainment as they try to solve this mystery.

With tongue firmly in cheek, author Laura Durham takes the reader through some of the craziest society weddings ever imaginable. I laughed out loud at the image of a wedding reception complete with "miniature ponies" wandering through it! One of the pleasures of this series is the outlandish details of the weddings planned by Annabelle, details that are so bizarre that they could only be based on real-life weddings that author Durham has planned.

"To Love and To Perish" continues the entertaining cozy mysteries brought to us by Durham in the first two books in the series. I highly recommend this book to all readers of cozy mysteries.

I've been reading this series since the first book was released, ans although I haven't been keeping up on the reviews, I am keeping up with the series.

It's hard to find a series of this calibur, a female heroine in the genre of Dark Angel, ALias, and Buffy in a well-written series. Full of action scenes, suspense, foreboding, and fighting scenarios without the nagging and overbearing steamy love/sex story that many many supernatural thrillers include.
Anya is the heroine, is a virtual reincarnation of Joan D Arc who possesses a sometimes invisible and always at hand, deadly sword. It would make a great T.v show if only t.v shows still existed with content.
In this story, she heads to Japan on vacation and encounters another dangerous mission. Every story has a new location, a new story, and new as well as reacurring enemies.
This is not so much review of the story in this book, but a confirmation that the series is still on the same track with the same formula - and it works.

I've been a big fan of Annja Creed and the Rogue Angel series since day one- but I was disappointed with "Warrior Spirit" for many reasons. The connection to the sword has given Annja enhanced physical abilities, almost supernatural, yet in this book she fatigues easily, and almost every other character displays more physical prowess than she. The sword is almost an afterthought in this book- she rarely finds occation to use it, and when she does, for some mystical reason she can't get it. The whole series is based on Annja and her conection to the sword!

Annja Creed is a very confident, independant woman, yet in "Warrior Spirit" she questions herself often, and is content to let someone else make the decisions and lead the way. This is not typical Annja Creed. The portrayal of Garin is also disappointing. He wants the artifact, but they never state why, which is a good thing since he gives up without a fight. Previous books have shown Garin to be determined, rich and resourceful. No one can ever find any information about him, yet this time around Annja's guide manages to find a credit card number and bill their entire trip to him? And this is the reason Garin gives up wanting the artifact- which is silly since he's spent the past 500 years amassing a fortune!

Also, there was too much of the book spent on Annja's foes and their background stories, and not enough on Annja and her journey for the artifact.

There are plently of other things I didn't like, but I will leave it at that. If the rest of the series is like this book, I will not be purchasing any more of them.

WOW!
way to go MERZ--way to ruin a terrific series by odom and milan that
used to be filled with non-stop action. well, the bus stops (and i mean
dead in the water) here. how do you like your heroine now-- SHE DOESN'T EVEN
PULL OUT THE SWORD FOR OVER A HUNDRED PAGES! (and counting)!!JON MERZ
should be writing for harlequin romance because the will she wont she
kiss a guy on the cheek is a little hard to swallow after LOVING the
first 8 volumes.who is THIS miss creed anyway? THIS miss creed is such
the world traveler that she is snobbishly prudish when some people
change into their workout clothes and "HORRORS" show their underwear in
a way that "annja" finds and i quote "tasteless" and "crude". WHAT? if
you like your action consisting of tepid desciptions of eating dinner,
lunch and breakfast---then this is the book for you!

I don't think I've read such a bland book at the end of a series before. The writing style had no inflection and Alex Archer didn't even describe the main character. The dialog would be entertaining if it didn't feel like statements the entire time. I put it down for a few weeks and easily picked up again to slog through the rest.

The plot was interesting, but the dry storytelling ruined it for me completely. The characters all seemed pretty much the same: all mad equipped with witty statements and more talented then Annja. Every battle sequence was quick and lacking in something. Character development didn't delve past the usual stereotypes and Annja was very "go with the flow and just don't think about it." For all her high and mighty ideals, she didn't stick to them very well, or even put up much of a fight before she accepted them. The scene that she found enlightenment was well thought out and the only extent of skimming below the surface, though it was regrettably short lived.

Alex seemed to rely on the history of Japan to keep the plot flowing instead of the characters and dialog. The descriptions were sketchy at best and the plot devices weren't handled well at all. The climax was anything but and the ending battle very blah. The romance was okay, but I wouldn't have been crushed if they hadn't had sex. Though the very ending had a nice twist, it was sadly, the best part.

I don't feel like I know Annja any better than at the beginning of the book. I couldn't care one way or another if she survived the book and I didn't feel any particular threat from the antagonists. I don't care to learn about how she even got her sword.

That to me, is the worst part of all.

If it were the first book, I would hang on to see if the writing style improves, but seeing how this is towards the end of the series; I have doubts for the earlier books. Unless it's degraded over time or Alex didn't feel the subject matter as the earlier books. Which is a shame, because the cover art and Japanese background is what drew me to the book to begin with.

I would borrow Alex Archer's books from the library, but I doubt I'll buy another.

How does archaeologist Annja Creed relax on a vacation? Why, she participates in a martial arts tournament, of course! At the tournament, she meets Kennichi "Ken" Ogawa who wants her help in restoring a long lost magical artifact to his family. Ken isn't the only one who wants the artifact, however, and soon he and Annja will find themselves dodging attacks everywhere on their quest to locate the mythical vajra.

WARRIOR SPIRIT is yet another fascinating entry into the Rogue Angel series. The Japanese culture permeates the entire book, adding an interesting touch to the series. The clash between the ninjitsu, also known as ninjas, and the samurai is absolutely fascinating. I found this a bit surprising, as I have always adamantly avoided those late night ninja movies as the art of fighting has little to no appeal for me. However, Alex Archer really brings the whole art to life and provides a mystical perspective on it that is interesting, to say the least.

WARRIOR SPIRIT shows a much more relaxed and casual Annja Creed than in prior books. As she is on vacation, it is refreshing to see that she can step back a bit from her weighty role of carrying the legendary Joan of Arc's sword. In addition, we learn a few more tidbits about the sword in WARRIOR SPIRIT. Alex Archer does a great job at showing us a slightly different, softer side of Annja, as she is almost flirty at times.

The Rogue Angel series continues to be one of my favorite ongoing series. It's quite enjoyable to read a series in which the main character is a sharp and independent woman who can take care of herself in almost any situation. The paranormal twists, along with the archaeological adventures, make WARRIOR SPIRIT yet another great entry in what is a superb series. Easily recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

The Goodbye Look is another excellent Lew Archer novel by Ross MacDonald. Archer is called on the case to investigate the theft of a antique jewelry box owned by the wealthy Chalmers family. Initially suspicion falls on the Nick the only son. Nick is a mixed up kid who has just dropped out of college. As Archer investigates, the threads he pulls lead him to murders commited decades before.

This another excellent installment in the Lew Archer series. MacDonlad is a worthy heir to Hammett and Chandler in the hardboiled detective genre.

Ross Macdonald is an excellent writer of the private eye and mystery grouping.. the book was in excellent condition/ paperback .. and delivery was adequate..

Lew Archer works for the sleaziest rich people in California on a consistent basis. Their concealed pasts go back 20 years, sometimes longer, and in the process of the plot's unravelling several dead bodies usually turn up (including fresh ones). In this novel, his first national bestseller in 1969, two broken families have intertwined tragic pasts that Archer ends up disclosing. By the end they're not happier, but have faced the ugly truth about themselves. This book is compact, unified in time and setting, and has nice plot twists. Macdonald has been criticized for rewriting the same book, and there is a consistency of character and milieu in his work. But hey, if it's not broke... The end is a lift from Macdonald's The Galton Case, widely regarded as his best book. When you've read that one--and if there's a better PI novel written since WWII I don't know of it--try this one. It's a good read by a good writer.

I picked this one up because of the numerous good reviews that Macdonald has received over the years, and his obvious prolificity. The Goodbye Look is supposed to be his best, and while it is very good, it is a style of mystery that isn't quite to my taste. Macdonald is very much like Raymond Chandler. His hero is a rough, ready, and usually untalkative type who goes through a mystery case as gently as he downs a fifth of scotch. The mystery is also very Chandleresque--several dysfunctional families, incestuously lying and cheating their way to unhappiness. If you like Chandler, you'll like Ross Macdonald. However, based on my impression of this book, if you want more characterization, try John D. McDonald.

To refer to Nick Chalmers of Pacific Point, California as a troubled young man would be completely understating the case. The truth is he's guilt ridden to the point of being suicidal.
Private eye Lew Archer, whose newest client is Nick's mother Irene, is determined to unravel the complex web of events that has brought Nick to the wretched mental state in which he now finds himself.

The Goodbye Look serves up plenty of typical Ross Macdonald fare as the narrative, an exceedingly complex one even by Macdonald's standards, unfolds. Three families, the Chalmers, the Truttwells and the Swains are plagued by a series of intertwined tragedies that have played out over 25 years and more.

As Archer traverses much of the southern California landscape steadfastly trying to sort out this sordid saga of murder, larceny, infidelity, parental malfeasance and hidden identity, the reader is drawn into Macdonald's world. A world where the sins of the father's are invariably visited upon the children and one's destiny is determined before one is old enough to have any say in the matter.

Enhancing this book's interest quotient is the fact that Archer himself becomes an active participant in the ongoing soap opera when he engages in sex with a married woman. Not just any married woman, but one who has, as it turns out, played a key role in the mystery Archer seeks to solve.

As is the case in most Lew Archer novels, the dialogue and descriptive prose are first rate. However, The Goodbye Look is not quite as strong as some of Macdonald's other work because the plot is so twisted that its unravelling raises as many questions as it answers. Readers, particularly those who are already Ross Macdonald fans, will enjoy certain aspects of this book. For example, a scene where clues are found by viewing a decades old home movie is particularly well written. But overall, The Goodbye Look ranks a notch or two below the author's best work.

archer has written a book that gives us a clear insite into the workings of a c-cat prison its easy reading with interesting characters full of dark humour a bit showy when he states that he can do 2000 miles or kms on a rowing machine(they are really hard and tiring) in 10 minutes though read them from the start as you won't have experiences hell and you know that would be cheating

I have to disagree with some of the other reviews. I find this book very easy to read, not boring at all. I could not put it down.

I'm no big fan of Jeffrey Archer, but this Second Book does go into more of the dark side of British Jails and Prisons. The drugs, the violence.... the way the inmates stick together, swapping Mar's bars for Phone Cards.. Very good.

Prison is boring, unpleasant. This book is boring, but not unpleasant. That is the lesson learned from reading this book. Archer spends so much of his time objecting to and fighting his conviction to really analyze prison life other than to make a few facile observations on the unintended consequences of some laws and prison practices.

Archer has a few admiring reviews. From the Independent on Sunday: "The finest thing that he's ever written." From The Washington Post: "A tale that is not only important but true." These read more like sarcasm than praise. Just read them again, and scratch your head.

Archer has written some readable fiction. I've read and enjoyed many of his novels and short stories. He can write well enough. Regardless of your perspective on whether or not he should be in jail, or deserved to be convicted, my conclusion is that Archer should stick to fiction.

I read this trilogy out of order and Purgatory was the last one I read. The first I read was the finale Heaven which is where this edition leads up to. I must admit I have formed a totally different opinion of Archer than I had after reading Heaven. I actually felt sorry for him after Heaven but after reading the initial and more to the point this Volume II edition my opinion has drastically changed That empathy disappeared after the first diary series Hell, and has transformed into disgust with Purgatory as this edition highlights what a selfish and uncaring about his fellow man type of individual Lord Archer really is.

His pathetic refusal to drink tap water (where does he think bottled water comes from anyway) and eat the every day food that every other prisoner does continues on from the first novel. He disgustingly avoids doing this in his new prison by purchasing with his money from the outside world additional water, chocolate and other food as well as phone cards, additional pillows, blankets, towels and other luxuries from the prison black market. He never once mentions remorse for these actions even though obviously his supplier Dale isn't going to the local Tesco Supermarket and purchasing these items. Obviously other prisoners are either swapping these items for drugs or being severely beaten and threatened for them and having to do without just so Archer can be more comfortable and not have to lower himself to do things like drink tap water. Even though he always has visitors he has no problem with purchasing phone cards the same way even though the victims' phone cards he is using may have no other way to communicate with their loved ones. When he is caught by the prison officials he tries to evoke the feeling of pity for him from his readers for these repulsive actions, it is just disgraceful!

If he'd at least acknowledged the detrimental outcomes for others as a result of his selfish behaviour I would have at least given him some credence but he never mentions this once in his diaries. He is however quick to criticise any prison official who doesn't provide him with special treatment such as the guard who told him he could be put on report for going into the enhanced wing that every other prisoner has to wait three months or so on good behaviour to visit, let alone live there which he shortly there after is granted. I find it hard to fathom how he constantly complains about the papers saying he is given special treatment when that is exactly what happens and he uses the media as an excuse for everything such as demanding his own cell, as his cell mates will talk to the papers if he has to share. He never once criticises himself or his actions for being in prison, always maintaining he is a victim and his sentence will be overruled in the near future which history has proven never happened.

Other unique aspects of this edition to the others are that Archer befriends a Columbian prisoner to get the prisoner's brother smuggle out an emerald from his homeland and sell it to Archer so he can save ten to twenty thousand pounds. He also wanted a painting from a Columbian artist at a much cheaper price as his prison buddy's relatives knew the Columbian family selling it and could convince them (which obviously would have involved threatening them) but thankfully this turned out to be all talk. Either Archer is extremely naive and stupid from living such a privileged and sheltered life, or an extremely selfish individual prepared to live of the misery of others to further himself and live more comfortably. Obviously Britain doesn't have the law that criminals can't profit from their crimes that Australia and other countries do. Although this does result in an interesting look for readers into prison life for the wealthy. It is just a shame Archer is allowed to make money from these books. Surely he could donate proceeds to a childrens' hospital or victims of crime groups or something but I guess as he proved by actions in this book, he has no conscience.

While passing through the airport in London two years ago I had a six hour layover and decided to look around the bookstore where I found a book called "Prisoner FF8282" by some author named Jeffrey Archer.

Since I speak english (American) and am not English I did not know who this Sir Archer is or was. I, however, purchased the book, and, proceeded up to the BA business lounge where I proceeded to begin, reading this book. I, did, finish, the first book "Prisoner FF8282" before I arrived on my nonstop, flight to New York. Sir Archer is a great, author, who, knows, how, to write, a, diary, of, the, workings, and, goings, on, inside, prison. I took pause, upon, arriving home to, re-read, the book and enjoyed it, even, more, the, second, time.

Now, out comes the second Prison Diary from Archer. Again,,, I loved the second installment. In it he details his stay at the second prison called Wayland that sounds pleasant but is far from it. Several House of Lords Sirs visited Sir Archer and were shocked to find that the food was bad, the bedding dirty, and two inmates have to share each cell.

Mr. Archer ended up involved in several fights where he had to defend himself from advances from other inmates. In one horrible incident Mr. Archer had to use a snooker ball (pool ball for we American's)) in a white sock to keep a mentally retarded (his wording, not mine) inmate from entering his cell and having his way. Keep in mind that Mr. Archer is 73 years old and had every right to protect his and what is his.

Jeffrey Archer is to be applauded for his writing skills and dedication to sit each day and document the cummings and goings inside the three prisons.

Each book in the series has received five plus stars from the New York Prison Diary Book Reading Club that I volunteer for.

Should you ever find yourself convicted and on the way to prison the ten books in this series are must read to know the in's and out's of prison routine and unroutine and how to get through your sentance without being violated or made to do things that you generally wouldn't do, even if paid.

I highly recommend this book to all Amazon customers that read books. This book and the other nine in the series are gripping.

I would recommend that you purchase each of the ten in the series... all are well worth reading.

OK, the first half of this book is great. Five stars. I felt like I was reading one of MacDonald's very best, akin to Hammetts "Big Sleep". However, once MacDonald's sights get set on a group of characters, he just cant seem to stop from circling them over and over again. It got so that I felt like I was caught in a whirl wind, each page would re-visit someone and each page would shift the plot direction. Its sort of funny, but I felt like the story sort of lost itself and became almost too muddled to discipher just after Archer sustained a second serious concussion.

Archer is one of the classic series in this genre. Its just great. And this book should be read along with the others. However, I would suggest that you not start here due to the fact that it wont cast the very best light on MacDonald and his prowess.

"The Barbarous Coast" is a perfect example of a "hard-boiled" detective story. The "hard-boiled" detective story has been analyzed, re-analyzed, and over-analyzed. Ditto for the leading authors of the genre Hammett, Chandler, and Ross MacDonald. Consequently, it can be difficult to look at a novel of this genre as a stand-alone story.

In "The Barbarous Coast" PI Lew Archer takes on both the Hollywood establishment and the Mob as a simple assignment of tracking down a missing wife turns into a multiple murder case. The plot is very good, and the characters are excellent. Much of the strength of the story is in MacDonald's depiction of the southern California atmosphere: the wealth, decadence, and underlying fear of those who have made it, the regret and the disillusionment of the those who have almost made it, the sad continuing striving of those who will never make it but who still cling to the dream.

I enjoyed reading "The Barbarous Coast", but I did not find it satisying. None of the book's weaknesses is a deal breaker, but their culumative effect keeps me from giving it a top rating. Examples: The plot seemed unnecessarily conplicated, Archer kept getting beat up too frequently, the Mob connection just didn't fit in well, several cliche scenes.

Sometimes even very talented writers like Ross Macdonald will miss the mark. The Barbarous Coast, I'm sorry to say, is an example of a great novelist not living up to his potential.

Oh, it all starts off interestingly enough. Ross Macdonald's favorite and most famous fictional character, the hardboiled PI Lew Archer is recruited to help a naive young Canadian locate his missing bride. Her name is Hester and she's a native Californian, the daughter of long dead silent film star, Raymond Campbell. As Archer pokes around Hester's last known haunt, an exclusive Malibu country club, he learns of an unsolved murder that took place there just under 2 years before.

So far so good. Unfortunately, the narrative then begins to devolve into a poorly coordinated, multifaceted saga of murder and blackmail that unsuccessfully tries to cover too many bases. Macdonald introduces a number of supporting characters; a greedy and lecherous movie studio owner, his schizophrenic wife, a Las Vegas gangster with homosexual tendencies, a washed up boxer turned actor and Hester's sister Rina, a psychiatric nurse.
Also introduced are Hester's mother and her aforementioned husband, both of whom rather surprisingly get lost in the shuffle.

Further detracting from the book's appeal are Macdonald's, shall we say, less than universally accepted theories of mental illness. Theories he does not hesitate to present as facts on a par with the law of gravity.

Ross Macdonald fans expect his novels to be intricately plotted and many would be disappointed if they were not. But the Barbarous Coast is a disjointed collection of plot threads that ultimately fail to blend together. It appears as though he tried to cram too much material into this relatively short book.

A rare disappointment from an author capable of much better.

It's nice to visit old friends. I haven't read any of Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer novels in a long, long time. Macdonald's prose hasn't lost any of its punch for me over the years. Like Anthony Boucher says, "{Macdonald)...writes like a son of a bitch."

Originally published in 1956, The Barbarous Coast has PI Lew Archer nosing around Malibu, looking for a freaked-out Canadian's wife, a high-diving bombshell, Hester Campbell (in the vein of Esther Williams, for those who might not get it). The fact that the guy has punk hair makes the character seem awfully strange for the book's original publication date, but that's okay.

Hester has disappeared without a trace. Lew starts poking his nose into things at the Channel Club, the ritziest, snobbiest country club in the Pacific Coast. Before long he's up to his neck in blackmail, beauties, and a two-year-old unsolved murder that seems to hang around like last week's fish odor.

When Macdonald passed in 1983, America lost one its greatest crime writers. However, The Barbarous Coast is not Macdonald's best Lew Archer novel. The tales twists and turns at random that is more confusing than surprising. Sometimes, it's even hard to follow. For the life of me, I can't remember how Lew got messed up in this case.

One of the things that interests me, going back to the authors that have been a part of our American cultural landscape, is: Does the writing stand the test of time? This book does...the prose is magnificent. The difference between reading a vintage crime novel and a contemporary crime novel is like watching "Perry Mason" and "Law and Order." Only the times dictate the color and level of morality that we find acceptable.

While the scenery may be old-fashioned, and The Barbarous Coast may not be the best Lew Archer episode, it's still a good story. I've added the Lew Archer novels to my to-read list.

Armchair Interviews says: Another Lew Archer convert.

This is one of the greatest romances I have ever read. The Lady Raine tricks a Knight into marrying her for the sake of protecting her brother. Lord Benedict is an adorable man who, although handsome, has little experience with women. He commits one impulsive act because of his strong attraction to Lady Raine (following her from the hall) and finds himself tangled in her web. He has opportunities to drop the headstrong women and let her feel the consequences of her actions, but instead out of a need to protect her agrees to make her his wife. This book is hilarious as well as fascinating as the two try to prevent themselves from falling for the other. Read It! You won't regret it!

I know that one of the key plot devices in a romance is to keep the hero and heroine from communicating. But I think it's been way overused, in this one it was simply frustrating. I think I'm just going to lay off this kind of book for a while.

This is my first time reading Catherine Archer and I believe she did a pretty good job. The heroine, Lady Raine needed "a man of honor to protect her younger brother's inheritance." So she resolves into tricking Lord Benedict into marring her. So ok the marriage is not based on love at first, but things change once you get to know the person right? And I believe Ms. Archer showed the change from 'just a support' to 'true love' very nicely. I loved this book and I would recommend that you read it.

From the back cover:

Lady Raine had need of a husband...

But not just any man would do. She required a man of honor to protect her young brother's inheritance. And from the moment she laid eyes upon Benedict Ainsworth at court, she knew her search was over. But her scheming had just begun...

Entranched by Raine's breathtaking beauty, Benedict, Baron of Brackenmoore, would have moved heaven and earth for the intriguing lady. Though when she tricked him into a marriage of convenience, he was determind to make her his wife in more than name only...!

And my review:

I love marriage of convenience stories, so I grabbed this from the bargain bin at my local used book store.

I wish I'd saved my money. This book was nothing but boring prose, annoying characters and misunderstandings that only serve to frustrate the reader. I couldn't connect with or like either of the lead characters, which is essential for an enjoyable romance.

After having tried to read "Fire Song" and also being dissapointed, I put this author on my "do not buy" list.