Barrett Books

Why and how it became a "best" of recommendation is more of a mystery than the one in the book. The book has flashes of good writing, but the majority of it is a cliche ridden exposition on how to write by formula. I found the characters unbelievable, the plot was almost nonexistent since it was obvious by the third chapter who the murderer was, and the dialogue sometimes painfully silly. The torture/rape/murder scenes were detailed to a disturbing degree. All in all a book to avoid.

After reading Shadow Man, I was breathless and wanting more. Thank God The Face of Death came about because I was having Smoky Barrett withdrawals.

Shadow Man is the best fiction thriller I've read to date, with McFadyen's second book following a close second.

The author takes you places you never thought of or could have prepared for. So detailed, so believable.

If you're a true crime addict like myself, you'd swear this book was telling a real story.

McFadyen has a sharp mind.

You'll love Shadow Man!

It took me 12 hrs to finish this book. I haven't had a book grip me from the get go as this one did in a while. I will be buying his other books as soon as they come out

Agent Smoky Barrett is on the FBI's serial murder and child abduction team. Smoky has seen much of the darkest side of human behaviour but this does not inure her to the personal impact when her husband and daughter were slaughtered in front of her. Smoky is still recovering from her own injuries, and trying to come to terms with a life without those she loves but could not protect when her best friend is brutally murdered. While still making decisions about her own future, Smoky is drawn into solving a case which has become deeply personal.

This novel is generally taut and tight and is at times quite terrifying. Exploring the darker recesses of the human mind, entering a space where most of us hope never to venture. The themes being explored are not new and there will be nothing particularly unique about the plot to those who read a lot of this type of fiction. Serial killers, with ever increasing amounts of graphic violence bleeding through the pages, have become standard fare on the bookshelves. However, I found myself drawn into this story and while elements irritated, the novel was a great way to escape for a couple of hours. And escapism, for me, is what fiction is about.

If you enjoy this particular genre then this book will either appeal or irritate. If you are interested in forensic attention to procedural detail, then this book may not appeal. If you are interested in the motivations and feelings of those caught in such a maelstrom then you may find this a satisfying read. You decide.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I loved this book. I'm a 29-year veteran of police work and enjoyed the fact that the author nailed the police work details. That's what made this book different than so many in this genre: He got the police work right.

If McFadden brings these characters back in another book, he might want to add a little love/hate between the FBI and the local PD as that is a reality. Most police agencies barely tolerate having to work with the feds.

Yes, the "honey-love" quote did get a little annoying, but aren't there people in your life who annoy you with these little habits?

Smokey is great character: tough, vulnerable and believable.

I hope McFadden writes a follow-up.

Loren W. Christensen, coauthor of On Combat

The main protagonists are Mack McAsh, a coal miner and Lizzie Hallim, a high-born young woman, who has to marry a rich man to save her family. Their love story develops over the course of the novel, as the story progresses. Mack is a young coal miner, a very strong, stubborn, hot-blooded and intelligent guy. He is a property of Sir George Jamisson, who owns the coal mines in the village called Heugh in Scotland. Mack works extremely hard in in the cruel and dangerous coalfields. However, he does not want to accept his fate. He never loses his passion for freedom. Mack challenges his owner and flees to London, where he works as a coal heaver and quickly becomes a leader of the heavers. Meanwhile, Lizzie gets married to Sir George's son, Captain Jay Jamisson, and they move to live in London. Then Sir George gives them a tobacco plantation in Virginia as a wedding present. In London, Mack accidentally gets involved in a riot and is sentenced to be transported to Virginia. In America, Lizzie and Mack flee together and fight for their freedom in the western wilderness.

The book is too predictable and the plots are simple. There are too many coincidences and the ending is weak. I believe this book is definitely not Mr Follett's best. However, it's a fast read and quite entertaining. It also briefly but interestingly introduces the turbulent politics on 1760s Scotland, England and America.

I would strongly recommend other books by the same author, including "The pillars of the earth" and "World without end". Those books are great!

As always, another one of Ken Follett's books that I loved. This book takes you back to Scotland in the 1700's. Even though the book may have had some predictable parts, it was hard to put this book down. The story begins in the coal mines of Scotland and takes you through a beautifully told story of love, lust, greed and envy. A must read for all of Ken Follett fans.

While I think it would be difficult for Follett to top a few of his own previous works, this novel falls far short of what I would have expected from such a detail-oriented writer.

The hardcover book was misleading by its sheer size, since one might expect a deep, intense story to unwind over seven or eight hundred pages. It's actually less than four hundred. The jacket also teased me with visions of a long epic spanning several decades, as Follett did so brilliantly with "The Pillars of the Earth," or as in the style of Michener with any one of his books.

As I ploughed through the pages, I kept waiting for a surprise situation to develop. As mentioned by other reviewers, the book is highly predictable, and contains a lot of flat action narrative that I guess is supposed to excite the reader. By the last twenty or so pages, the book had gotten ridiculous and I was skimming over it all just to get it over with.

This book is totally forgettable. What a shame.

I picked this book up at the Madrid Airport on a business trip. I was immediately engrossed, and couldn't wait to turn the next page, reminded me of my independent Scotch Irish roots, and getting to America was so refreshing. A great ,with wild ride with the good, bad and the ugly, in a turbulent, but hopeful time. The love story gives it some glue also.

A easy and entertaining read.

I've never read a lot of Ken Follett's work. His two historical fiction novels, World Without End and Pillars of the Earth picqued my interest and led me to delve a little deeper into his earlier efforts. I must say after reading this novel that I was quite disappointed.

A Place Called Freedom is at best quite mediocre. There is virtually nothing to recommend it above hundreds of other similar books. There were flashes of interest concerning mining conditions and southern plantation practices in the mid-18th century, but by and large it was utterly unremarkable.

Hard working, ambitious, intelligent Scottish miner, spends 400 pages being attracted to a young open minded highly sexed heiress both in Scotland and over seas in pre-revolutionary America. I wonder how it ends?

Duane's Depressed, the third book in the Thalia, Texas-based series that also includes The Last Picture Show and Texasville, is the story of Duane Moore who is a self-made business man working the oil fields of Northern Texas. He is a mild-mannered, aging and ordinary man whose walk to his cabin becomes a metaphor for his itch for a new life. The narrative begins with Duane surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren, as well as the trappings of a typical rural life in that part of the country and ends with a world turned upside down and without any remnants of his past. Is Duane depressed or going through a phase considered normal for a sixty-two year old? Why won't he sleep in his own house any longer and could his abandonment of his truck, in favour of walking, be proof enough that he has a few marbles loose now?
As Duane progresses through a profound transition much happens that might not have made sense once, but makes for perfect congruity with the new man. The family is gone, the business is in one son's hands, the dog is gone and the lesbian psychiatrist is not likely to be kissed anytime soon. What would any man do? What would any sane man do? Fly away?
Read Duane's Depressed - a book which reads comfortably without the prerequisite of its prequels - and find out.

This book is a sequel to Texasville which is a sequel to The Last Picture Show. I have read both of the latter books and have seen the movies for each one. One should probably see the two movies before reading the third book in the series. Some characters are the same in all the books and McMurtry mentions other characters in the earlier books that have gone on to other lives and deaths in this latest novel.

I related to this latest one in the series because it is written from Duane's point of view and he is exactly my age for the period of the book. While I am not exactly from the part of Texas where the book is set, I have been through there many times and know the area. Whereas I thought, from the opening lines of the book, that it might somehow deal directly with the issues of sustainability and more simple living, I did not find any of the catch phrases of this movement in the book. There is however, much indirect evidence that McMurtry was thinking along these lines as Duane parked his pickup, hid the keys and started to walk everywhere from then on. Duane's shrink convinced him to get a bicycle, but he was never in a motorized vehicle during this entire book. Seeing the countryside as a pedestrian or a bicyclist brought out the environmentalist in Duane. Reading this book gives one a clue to the challenges that one would have in promoting Sustainability and Simplicity in that part of the world. Issues of family and extended family are dramatized, and while the children and grandchildren are treated in a positive way at the end, in the beginning of the book, the opposite is true.

The book deals with Duane's retirement and his mixed feelings about what he has accomplished in 62 years. I certainly identify with this dilemma. I believe that McMurtry developed some heart problems around the time of his publishing this book and subsequently had successful bypass surgery. In this story, he ironically, perhaps wishfully endows Duane with low blood pressure, low cholesterol and low PSA scores. In a subsequent non-fiction book, Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen, McMurtry discusses this brush with mortality. He also gives a history of his family in this part of Texas and his growing up in Archer City where he has built a library to house his huge book collection, many of which he discusses in Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen. If one is looking for a bibliography of books that one "should" read, this is it, in my opinion.

What I like about McMurtry's characters is that most are not criminals, sociopaths and dysfunctionals. Most are just trying to get along in life. True he does cover the colorful characters of the west such a Billy the Kid and Calamity Jane, among others. He uses dialogue very skillfully to tell the stories, especially in the earlier parts of a book. In a couple of books, he seems to have grown weary and resorts to a straight narrative in the latter portions in order to fill in gaps and describe what happens to certain characters.

This book hit me straight in the heart. I got so wrapped up in this book, that I couldn't put it down. I did not read the first two of the trilogy, I wasn't aware that is was a trilogy when I bought it. It is not that important. The way that Duane was depicted in this book was amazing. I felt as if I really identified with him. I recommend it to anyone whose heart is searching.

One of my favorite books that I read in my teens was "The Last Picture Show" by Larry McMurtry. (It was a pretty good movie as well). It really turned me on to this then-promising young author. When the sequel, "Texasville", came out years later, I read that as well. It turned out to be one of the worst books I have read. McMurtry's style of writing changed after his heart attack and his writing really suffered since shortly after "Lonesome Dove" came out. Still, I found myself continuing to read most every book of his that came out and wanting to be there when the old McMurtry showed up again.

After my experience with "Texasville", I bought, but was reluctant to read, "Duane's Depressed; the sequel to "Texasville". As I started out with the book I thought to myself, "This is what's wrong with the post-angina McMurtry". The problem is the excessive abundance of boringly idiotic characters. They're like an influx simplistic and Americanized people out of a Fellini movie. What made me almost put the book down and quit it is the multitude of Duane's children and grandchildren who are nothing but out of control spoiled brats. If this was the only book that I encountered these type of characters, I wouldn't mind. However, they overflow in all of the modern McMurtry.

As I struggled through a cast of totally disinteresting characters, I reached a point (at about a fourth of the way into the book) where the book really started to take off. We lose the dysfunctional offspring and start focussing on Duane Moore. His is a character well-developed by an author that was showing he's still got it. I found myself drawn into Duane and his life and challenges. I found myself relating to a man who was facing many things similar to what I was dealing with in my life. For the duration of the book, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. It was a truly endearing study of a man bewildered by his past, present and future. As Duane was struggling with his issues, I found myself wondering if McMurtry was being autobiographical. I know next to nothing about his private life. It wasn't until his 14th or 15th book that a picture of him was shown on any dust jacket and that's the same picture that has appeared on every book since. Maybe it's an analogy of how his life changed after his heart attack. Whatever it was, the character of Duane takes me back to the early talent of Larry McMurtry.

This is a very good book that just happens to start out poorly. It isn't up there with "The Last Picture Show", "Lonesome Dove", "Leaving Cheyenne", or "Horseman Pass By". However, it IS in the category of "Moving On", "All My Friends are Going to be Strangers", "Terms of Endearment" and several others. When McMurtry's good he is VERY good but when he is bad...

This is the third volume in the trilogy which includes THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and TEXASVILLE.

Set in Thalia, Texas, once again, Duane Moore, now 62, is beginning to feel his age and mileage. He's tired of the rat race that seems to permeate his life, so he leaves his wife and home and takes up residence in a nearby cabin. He gives up driving and walks (then bicycles) everywhere, sometimes over great distances. He builds a huge garden in which he grows just about every foodstuff imaginable, cares for it religiously 10 hours a day, and gives all the food away to the poor who come for it. He begins going to a psychiatrist in Wichita Falls who tells him to read all of Proust, which he struggles through. (Proust is McMurtry's favorite writer.) Finally, he flies off alone to Egypt.

This novel is a major achievement for McMurtry, a big step up from TEXASVILLE in the trilogy. He is much more focused on his characters, and his insights are more penetrating. Some of the things he has Duane do in his search for redemption and meaning in life are outlandish (as only McMurtry could be), but he pulls them off convincingly (even when we begin to doubt the believability of things). Top-drawer McMurtry and a pleasure to read.

There aren't many books I just don't like, but this was one. Rapaille comes across as a self-important blowhard who's tricked everyone into believing he's a guru. I would compare his book to a work of art where some know-it-all expert at the gallery is raving about the artist's use of light, color, and internal meaning, only to find out later that the painting was done by an elephant with a brush in its trunk (i.e. waaaay too much meaning assigned to random things). The same is true here. Rapaille's conclusions are ambigious and unproveable, and you or I could spout the same arbitrary theories. For example, because Americans consume a lot of hamburgers, I hereby declare the cow as the culture code for America. See? It's easy. This type of random link between unrelated things (and the unsupportable claim that they're not random and they ARE related)is what you get with this book. Rapaille's only genius is in convincing corporate America that he is one.

A truly outstanding book with grand insights into the human being and the different cultures.

I think, as someone who is taking a job overseas this year, I was looking for something to help with the culture shock. What Culture Code gave me was a look into the fundamental differences in the way we look at the same things. I was inspired... surprised... and have shared it with others. Enjoy!

Nice stories, good observations, simplistic exposés and bold statements... but dubious generalizations.

This book fails to satisfy the very basic rules of logic. One can propose a generalization of a phenomenon based on unique observations and, depending upon which school of epistemology you belong to, either treat it as a hypothesis that must yet be proven, or adopt it as theory until it is proven wrong (i.e., falsified). But in either case, the existence of a counterexample will shatter the claim. If you are willing to read Rapaille's book from a critical thinking perspective, you will find a counterexample to his theories on almost every page.

I totally endorse Publishers Weekly's review: "preposterous generalizations and overstatements".

This does not discount the book's value as fantasy novel and "feel-good" reading.

The tile said The Culture Code, an ingenious way to understand why people around the world live and buy as they do. Sounded good, or so I thought.

Clotaire Rapaille takes a one-sided view of American culture in this book. The way the French do things is sophisticated and intelligent. Americans are seen as childish, puritanical, and fat. He tells us fat is an American culture code for checking out of the rat race. Money is the American code for proof.

I like the French. I do. I'm British and I hold no grudge about that invasion back in 1066. It's all water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. But this book can only annoy an American audience (of which I am now one). The book doesn't give much practical advice on how to do business with Americans. His revelations are obvious to any American. The code for America is dream. America is optimistic. What a revelation! Europe is pessimistic. It seems too simplistic. Americans connect love and food. America is either prudish or vulgar when it comes to sex. The French apparently have a much more balanced attitude. There might be some truth to this but the book reeks of pomposity.

Here is the sort of thing he writes:

"Americans end a meal by saying, `I'm full.' The French end a meal by saying, `That was delicious.'"

You get the idea. We feed like animals, they dine. However, there is something to this. Restaurants generally give you more food than you need to satisfy your hunger.

But we do need to be sensitive to cultural mores. Culture is neither static nor homogeneous. And that is America's strength. America is dynamic and unclassifiable. Almost anything you can say about it can be true. And what is an American? There are quite a few French-Americans.

But the need for such a book is apparent. We do need to do our homework. The Chevy Nova (won't go) wasn't a good name in the Spanish-speaking market. The decision to name the car for that market was "off code."

I'm not an emotional person but my copy satisfyingly went in the trash.

Author E.D. Hirsch makes a strong case for greater cultural literacy in the U.S.A., defined as shared cultural vocabulary and information to facilitate communication. According to the author, culturally literate nations make smarter decisions and faster reforms. Hirsch also takes schools to task for failing to do more than teach our kids to read and write - sometimes we barely do that - and for turning out students unable to think critically and imaginatively. Many would agree that we relate more by sports and film stars than than by shared ideals and knowledge. Historians often attribute periods of great national progress to pro-educational moves (Progressivism, GI Bill), and see the failings of people like George W. Bush as stemming at least partly from cultural illiteracy. Of course, one might ask this: has the USA ever had a truly culturally literate populace? Whatever your view, the author makes an interesting case, and provides a modest list of terms that every American should know - but not many do.

The only thing more disturbing than the clarion call sounded by E.D. Hirsch in this most timely work, is the fact that many Americans could probably read it and go, "huh?". Hirsch covers all of the important reasons why Americans should have cultural literacy, which he defines as shared cultural vocabulary and information that allows us to communicate and understand each other. Without a common knowledge of this shared history we risk losing the American ideals that have made us great- ingenuity, creativity, and excellent education.
He also comprehensively details the history of cultural literacy in America and where we went wrong. He painstakingly explores both sides of the debate over whether we should become culturally pluralistic or dissolve into an amalgam of cultural heterogeneity, correctly defending the position of universal literacy for all Americans.
All politicians, educators, parents, and literate students must read this book for the educational future of our nation.
I also recommend reading Hirsch's Dictionary of Cultural Literacy and also the one for Children.

Every American educator and most Americans in general need to read this book. It is the most ground breaking text to be written in the United States in the last 100 years. If all schoolboards and educators used this as a guide, we wouldn't have a problem with public education in this country. Unfortunately, the people who need to read it most, will be the ones who won't understand its message. Such is the paradox in American education today.

Do not confuse this book with its companion text "A Dictionary of Cultural Literacy", which several reviewers have done. The original explains Hirsch's theory of "necessary knowledge" and the latter gives brief explanations of all of the items listed in his original book. I agree with one reviewer that a bit more information on each item would be better in the "Dictionary", but it is already a large volume as it is.

Rene Navarre, MBA
Instructor, Remington College

First off I think some reviewers are giving people the wrong idea of what this book has to offer. I think they meant to review the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy and not this book. After reading some of their reviews I purchased this book and it is not exactly what they led me to believe it was.

This book is made up of essentially two parts. The first part Hirsch put forth his theory that Americans are losing their ability to communicate effectively because they are lacking a common knowledge on certain core items. He sites back when people had a more standard education and were forced to read more because of a lack of television they were more commonly grounded in the same types of information.

To explain this theory simply he illustrates giving directions in a city when people assume you are a native to that city. The directions are simple because it is assumed one is familiar with certain landmarks (core knowledge). When giving directions to someone the believe to be a tourist, the directions get a lot more detailed because these people presumably lack the same knowledge of landmarks (core knowledge).

It is a very interesting theory and he backs it up with a lot of research. This book would be of great interest to anyone that is an educator by profession. It might be a little boring to anyone else. Some people have commented that this is a very conservative or right-leaning book. I really don't see that at all. He looks at this theory from the perspective of other cultures as well and the theory holds up. He does say that things people need to know to be culturally literate are often based on Western culture. This is true for the most part. He should not be vilified for pointing out the obvious. He doesn't say that one society is better than another. He just acknowledges that people of different cultures tend to have knowledge of certain things and that it is helpful to be familiar with those items.

The second part is an extensive list of cultural knowledge that experts have agreed on 90% of the time to be relevant. This is only a list. In no way does it define them or elaborate on them. That is what is supposedly spelled out in the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, the book I thought I was getting.

If you are an educator or interested in educating get this book. If you are interested in getting an education then skip this one.

I found this book in my research on classical curricula. It was referenced on the "core knowledge" curriculum cite. The basic premise is that children are not being taught what they need to know in order to have a common foundation of knowledge with others, and they are definitely not being taught the knowledge specific to our heritage, which would be Western and American culture. Hirsch does not really name it as such, because the multiculturalism fad really became prominent after the book was written (20 years ago).
The book is not really 272 pp long. The last 120 pages consists of footnotes and the "list" of what Americans should be familiar with in order to be "literate." This is basically an introduction; no specific curriculum is recommended.
What I found helpful is that Hirsch also gives us the historical background of why the classical tradition was dropped for the more "child-centered" and process-driven system, and the faulty logic that was accepted in that changeover.
If you are a classical educator or considering such, or just want another perspective on what is wrong with our current educational system, I think you should read this book.

I just finished this book and I have to say I was blown away! Before writing this review I read the 1 and 2 star reviews and I have to agree with some of what they are saying but in the end this author really pulled it off. The beginning is slow and being a big fan of authors like Clive Cussler and Vince Flynn this is not the action packed type of spy novel and Andrea is no Mitch Rapp, and neither is Karl Voss but that doesn't make the book bad. To call this a thriller is over stepping though. The book has exciting parts in it but it's a dramatic and very romantic (not smut) book. Some of the other reviews found the ending sad and I have to admit I'm the kind of guy that likes a happy ending but I think the ending is brilliant!

I picked this up hoping it would be a good spy novel, and it was. Wilson spends plenty of time developing his characters, and you can feel connected to them throughout the tale.

The story starts during The Blitz in London and is broken into three parts, each taking place roughly 25 years apart, although nearly all the action takes place in the first two parts.

The plot is rather intricate, and if you'll have to pay attention if you want to have any idea who's on what side by the end, but it's basically a real-world, as opposed to super-hero, spy story.

Wilson's writing style sometimes bogs down, particularly when describing places and their names as characters move about. If I was from Lisbon I probably would have enjoyed the turn-by-turn directions from street to street, but since I'm not it became somewhat tedious. Also, characters occasionally speak languages other than English without translation.

All in, a good story with plausible characters that keeps you entertained.

I love a good spy novel, so I ploughed my way through this even though I sometimes found it not credible. I loved the first part set in 1944 Lisbon with all of its Casablanca-like atmosphere and intrigue. Supposedly the heroine had led a sheltered life; yet she is sent off at age 18 to engage in a most dangerous game, and she actually comes across as quite worldly. I found the whole idea of inter-generational spying not very believable. At the end I found my self paging back through the book to see if I had overlooked a key character in the plot. I don't think I would go out of my way to read another by Robert Wilson.

I think this book is better than the last few LaCarre books. And that's a pretty high standard.

Excellent wartime and post-war thriller by Robert Wilson. His writing is a dimension above most spy-book scribes, his characters are vivid and well-developed and he doesn't rely on serendipitous, contrived plot wild cards that other writers seem to favor. For those of us who like to follow the action with a map of the city or countryside, wilson obligingly provides street names and landmarks. This book covers a lot of ground, from wartime Lisbon to post-Soviet Berlin and London. At times, it's a little hard to tell what's going on -- sometimes the spy versus counterspy versus double agent, etc. -- gets a little confusing. But by the tender ending (and like other reviewers here note: you can see it coming a mile away) you know that you have read and thoroughly enjoyed a supberb spy thriller.

This book gathers an intriguing selection of little known Biblical tales, each rewritten in brief but fleshed-out accounts resembling modern novels and juxtaposed with the actual Bible verses regarding the event. After each story, the author explores the history of the incident using a variety of sources. He offers a suprisingly rounded perspective on the situation being disucessed and theories on why it was orginally included in the cannon and what we might learn from it. Easy to read and full of provacative ideas, it was a pleasure to read.

Kirsch has a very vivid imagination, almost too vivid. With a just few words from the Bible, he weaves an extraordinary story.

Item as described and received in a timely manner... an excellent buying experience!

I love this book and wish I had the idea to do this sort of thing myself. Kirsch's method of taking a few juicy-but-cryptic lines from scripture and expanding the story works well, a lot better than you would imagine. Although I knew there was lurid information in the sacred books, I had not really paid much attention to the implications or the content. It's time to go back and look at this stuff again, now with the eye of a cynic rather than with the blinders slapped on by Sunday school indoctrination and scare tactics. This is a fun read--highly recommended

As a convert from Islam into Christianity, I find this book to take me back to my old struggle about the Bible and all the customary questions. How easy it is for us to take something out of the Bible and build and argument in order to prove a presupposed point. How easy it is to treat the Bible as a book of stories. But how marvellous it is to treat the Bible as a book of God in which God is telling his story to us in the lives of people like us who have their failures, harlots and all and see all this climaxing in the event of Christ who came to set those in bonds free. I am so thankful for every book that might seek to give it another try to hit the Bible, hit real hard and then I see how sturdy God's Word is. I have read tons of literature that tears the Bible to pieces but I am thankful that through the Bible I am what I am and I am proud to call it the Book which inspired great intellectuals like Claudel, C.S.Lewis, Papinis and tons of others.
Ibrahim Arafat
timothyabraham@hotmail.com

Mass Market Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Bantam -July 29, 2008
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553589946
ISBN-13: 978-0553589948
To purchase, please click here.
Book Synopsis:

A sixteen-year old girl holds a gun to her head at the scene of a grisly triple homicide. She claims "The Stranger" killed her adoptive family, that hes's been following her all her life, killing everyone she ever loved, and that no one believes her. But Special Agent Smoky Barrett does. Her team has been hand-picked from amont the nation's elite law enforcement specialists and they are as obsessed and relentless as the psychos they hunt; they'll have to be to deal with this case.

For another vicious double homicide reveals a killer embarked on a dark crusade of trauma and death: an "artist" who's molding Sarah into the perfect victim - and the ultimate weapon. To catch him, Smoky is going to have to put her own fragile, once-shattered life on the line. For The Stranger is all too real, all too close, and all too determined. And when he finally shows his face, Smoky had better be ready to face her worst fear.

Let me first preface this by saying - this book may not be for everyone. I am a huge fan of shows like The First 48, and growing up in Wisconsin, we have had our fair share of nasty killers, most notably Jeffrey Dahmer. Mr. McFadyen does something few authors have been able to do for me - he has actually made me cry during a portion of this book. I will not go into details, but it involves the events of Sarah's 6th birthday - heart wrenching, to say the very least.

As strange as this may sound, this review is hard for me to write. Not because I don't have a lot to say but because I don't want to spoil this book for anyone. This book is being placed in my top 10 books of 2008 for sure, and without going back to check my list I would say it was in the top 2 or 3. Even though it is almost 600 pages long, once I started reading I had a VERY hard time putting it down. His prose, in my mind, is comparable to one of the greatest writers of our time - Stephen King. Like King, the description of not only the events, but of the characters, leaves no room for doubt - you feel as if you are standing there witnessing things firsthand, and like these characters are people that you really know. This is something that is a rare find in an author, and should be truly commended, whether you like the subject matter of the book or not.

I think the hardest part for me was that initially no one believes Sarah. This poor 6 year old witnesses something beyond my wildest imagination, and when trying to tell the police about it she is dismissed as confused. My heart was literally breaking for this poor innocent child. Once you read this, you will realize not only why she isn't believed (the killer does a good job of covering his tracks and making things look other than what they are), and then you will realize how deep corruption can go. He also demonstrates how far the human mind can go without actually breaking - Sarah's journey is fraught with such evil, and yet she somehow keeps at least a shred of sanity.

Don't get me wrong, this book isn't ALL about murder (although to be honest the vast majority is fairly gruesome). The relationship between Smoky and her team is fabulous - even James who is "the odd man out". As Smoky herself says "He can peer into the mind of a killer and not blink. He can gaze at evil full in the face and then pick up a magnifying glass to get a closer look." This is the same ability Smoky has, which makes her the best in the business. And, she needs someone with that same ability to bounce ideas off of - no matter how difficult he is to work with. Bonnie, Elaina, Alan, and Callie are all very developed and you grow to really get a feel for the relationship between all of them. And despite all of the horror they have all been through...literally...this has helped them to form a bond of friendship and love that is beautiful.

On that note, I would like to talk about something in the book that I feel was my favorite part. No, no, it really has nothing to do with the murders at all. It has to do with Matt (Smoky's dead husband) and Smoky's legacy to their daughter Alexa (I must read Cody's first book to find out what happened here...I must, I must, I must!!!). They weren't wealthy, but wanted to make sure they could leave her something if anything ever happened to them, something that maybe wasn't worth a lot of money, but truly spoke of who they were as people. And what might that be, you ask? They create a library for her, and add to it whenever they can. I have been doing the same thing for my daughters - granted, it started before they were born because I am such a bibliophile, but I think it is such a great idea. What better gift to give anyone, than a library full of books?! Love it, love it, love it!

Truly a must read for anyone - queasy stomachs beware!

About the author:

Cody Mcfadyen was born in Texas in 1968. He designed websites before selling his first novel, Shadow Man, in 2005. He has since had a second book - The Face of Death - published. Both were international best sellers. He lives in Southern California with his two black labs, often referred to as `The Black Forces of Destruction.' He drinks coffee (copiously), plays guitar (badly), and reads (voraciously). He abhors adverbs in writing, except when used in short bios like this one.

After reading "Shadow Man" I was really looking forward to McFadyen's next book. "The Face of Death" was terrifying (it actually gave me nightmares), but it was also healing and positive at the deepest levels. The writing was top-notch. I wish that I could find more authors of this calibre writing thrillers. I look forward to Mr. McFadyen's next book...and the next...and

The Face of Death is the second in the series with FBI crimebuster Smoky Barrett and the team of characters in the first book Shadow Man find their way here too. There are several scenes in this book that had me putting it down and walking away because the images the words on the page stuck in my brain were downright disturbing. If a book has the power to do that, then it is a book worth reading. If you can handle the grittiness of other thrillers like that of Karin Slaughter and Robert W. Walker, then you are going to become a Mcfadyen fan quickly.

I always wonder if a second novel will live up to the first - if the first was outstanding. In this case, McFadyen shows he is consistent. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning finishing this one - not a great idea to be reading this book at 3am. Explicit, disturbing - yes! But also great writing! I will be looking forward to his next books.

I read lots of good reviews on this book so I read it. Starts out fine with a good story line, but goes down hill fast! The violence in this book is too graphic (and this is from someone who loves Stephen King books). The story line goes no where and a once promising book ends. Too much violence, no rhyme or reason to plot. Back away from this book--you will thank me later.

Gerard Zemek
husband of author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

This review refers to "South - A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage" - Ernest Shackleton-(unabridged audio cassettes/Blackstone Audiobooks)

If I was just rating this book for myself, I would give it 5 stars. But as a reviewer making recommendations, I have to say that this personal account of Shackelton's important and historic expedition - destined for Antarctica- may not be a great read for everyone.As a lover of the sea, sea adventures and voyages combined with historical journeys of exploration, I became addicted to this book. However about one third of the way through, I realized that had it not been for my knowledge of nautical terms I would not have known what he was talking about half the time. The reading would have lost me early on. It may seem also at times a bit monotonous to those seeking a great adventure story. Ernest Shackelton was a great explorer and mariner, the story is one fraught with peril and survival,but his personal account of the voyage is a bit matter of fact.

On the eve of WWI, Shackleton and his crew took on this ill-fated journey with high hopes and high moral. Prepared for the worst was not enough though. They met with the most horrific of conditions, losing their ship,much of their essential supplies, their much needed team of dogs, and much more. They spent months on months literally living on the ice. Making it to Elephant Island, a handful of men including Shackleton formed a party to search for help and once again were to fight the elements for months on end. The account also includes the story of the Aurora and her crew that also fought the climate trying to bring supplies to the Shackleton crew.

This unabridged edition has nine 1 1/2 hour tapes. The read, by Geoffrey Howard helped quite a bit in putting some emotion into this memoir and had me wanting to find out what happened next. So my recommendation on this book would definitely be for the audio edition. And at that I would say, it is for those who love anything to do with the sea voyage. For History lovers I would suggest checking out some of the other books written about "The Endurance" and these very brave men.This book is also avialable in paperback at:South a Memoir of the Endurance Voyage

There are some great memoirs of explorations out there. One I would highly recommend, isThe Essential Lewis and Clark Selections also on audio(see my review for book and audio details).


Thanks...Laurie

I was very disappointed when I received this book. I had ordered the hard cover edition at a premium price expecting to get a quality reproduction of Sir Ernest Shackleton's classic book. The original book published by Heineman had many plates of photos taken by the photographer who travelled on the voyage. This version published by North Books had no photos, was on cheap paper and had a fairly basic hard cover. I sent it back and managed to source a second hand copy of the version published by Heineman.

I've noticed numerous people complaining about how Shackelton seems to be neglecting character development in his narration. This isn't a work of fiction, the people involved are not characters Shackelton just pulled out of thin air and could mould to his choosing. They were real, flesh and blood human beings, and to say that one man no matter how well he knew them could actually put their thoughts and personality to paper would be not only incredibly foolish, but also woefully inaccurate, and seriously can you honestly picture Shackelton dragging various members of the crew out onto the floes and sitting them on a snow band before asking, "How does that make you feel?".

Of course it's not going to be the most exciting piece of literature you've ever read. The book is written as a journal and journals tend to cover the day to day dealings of the person whom is writing in them. Longitudes, latitudes and the general functioning of the ship were Shackelton's daily concerns.

It's amazing how many people overlook the enormity of the task these men undertook simply because the authors writing style tended to focus on the here and now and the little details of daily life rather than some hugely embellished fantasy designed simply to make a profit. Anyway.

To those of you whom appreciate this for what it is, you have my applause.

This is a great adventure book. Exciting adventures and heroic deeds make for good reading.

His party stranded on an ice floe hundreds of miles from their destination, beyond the reach of the outside world -- even had the outside world known they needed help, or where to look -- his ship crushed by countless miles of pack ice and supplies running low, Ernest Shackleton spent not a moment in lamentation. He set about saving his crew and himself. They made their way to a small, desolate bit of island shore, from which Shackleton and five men journeyed 800 miles in a 22-foot open boat across the most dangerous sea in the world. A trek through miles of snow-covered mountain wilderness finally brought rescue. And everybody survived! Shackleton's is an epic tale of true adventure and derring-do, and he tells it with the straight-ahead momentum of an ice breaker diving into the pack. He sees beauty in the Antarctic, and he carries a touch of poetry (Browning, anyway) in his soul. He is also a detail man, and his flights of descriptive eloquence bog down amid facts, figures, wind speeds and diatomous striations. But this piling-on of minutiae proves riveting in the action sequences (most of the book). We feel like we are there. Having told his own party's tale, Shackleton gives a useful if anticlimactic account of the Ross Sea wing of the expedition - a story with its own generous measure of adventure, heroism and poignancy.

The main problem with this book is not that it is incomplete, but that you will probably have to wade through portions that do not apply to you to get to what you need to know.

The authors are knowledgable, and I had no problem with the presentation. However, I was looking for the format of ssh and scp commands for the purpose of programmng them in PERL and the needed security files that have to be present for those commands to work without the necessity of logging in every time. I found what I needed to know in this book, but I might have been better off if I had just done a web search for this information.

Likewise, network and UNIX administrators probably have the information they need in this book too, but they will have to wade through the information for programmers as well as the information for IT managers who are deciding whether or not to install SSH on their machines and why. I'd still recommend it since it is a well-written and well-illustrated book. Just be prepared to go digging for what applies to your specific situation.

Good book, but a little hard to understand. Considering the subject matter that is unavoidable. Part of the problem is due to UNIX/LINUX forks. By that I mean no two versions of UNIX/LINUX are exactly alike.
This book is mostly for system administrators. However those of us below that level can glean a few nuggets of usefull information out of it.

This is a prime example of how technical books should be written. The material is not easy, but the authors' mastery of the subject matter is clear. It is superbly well organized and very well written. I was only interested in OpenSSH and not Tectia, but the way the material is presented, it was easy to skip over material covering the latter. If you need to know more than what is in this book, you better start working with the development team.

This is not just a "how to" book where you follow a recipe to do task X. But it DOES tell you how to do most anything you'd ever want to get done. It would not surprise me if it is being used as a college course book on SSH. You will probably have to read it more than once to absorb everything. A nice blend of history, theory, and practice - even a bit of techno-geek humor. (I honestly do not understand the (few) poor reviews given for this book. I don't know how anyone could ask for more.)

Very highly recommended. Well worth the money.

This book is great if you need to set up an SSH client or server. If you are new to SSH this is
the book for you. As an experienced Linux sysadmin this book still helps. It walks you through
key setup, agents, and explains the differences between the different versions/flavors of SSH.

This is good for beginners and administrators to get an understanding of the SSH. After reading it, you will know, how to set up and configure the SSH.

However, it will not give you details of the SSH protocol for an implementor. I had to look into chapter 7 of "VPNs Illustrated: Tunnels, VPNs, and IPsec by Jon C. Snader" to get an overview of how the SSH protocol really works behind the doors. This chapter gave pictorial descriptions as opposed to textual descriptions in the SSH RFCs.

In the next version, I would expect this book to contain a chapter giving implementation details of the SSH protocol.