Beck Books

It seems obscene to use the word "delightful" to describe a novel about a child killer, but that's what this book is: delightful. Unlike many contemporary police novels that feature page after page of chases and all-too-serendipitous events that move the plot forward, this one describes professional detectives simply, logically and thoroughly pursuing their culprit. The prose in this short book is spare; descriptions are terse. But each word, each sentence is dense with meaning and mood. The authors are masters at using only a few words to evoke a full description of the characters. If you're looking for a good change-of-pace in a crime novel, this one fills the bill.

In the early morning a man sat on a balcony smoking and observing the activity in the street. A woman called the police to report this. No action taken (Chapter 2). A mugger is looking for a victim in the park (Chapter 5). Two drinkers looking for privacy found the body of a young girl in the park (Chapter 6). The following chapters give the story of the investigation into the murder. The girl's mother was divorced and worked hard, the father was late in child support payments. The heavy rain at night obliterated all clues. Then another young girl was murdered (Chapter 11). A jealous girlfriend goes to the police to identify the mugger (Chapter 13). The police break into the apartment and capture Rolf Lundgren (Chapter 14). Stolen goods were found in his apartment (Chapter 15). Lundgren gave a description of the man near the water tower (Chapter 16).

The 3-year old boy mentions a word that may be a clue to the killer (Chapter 17). Then Martin Beck remembers a report from two weeks earlier. Was it relevant (Chapter 22)? This sparse clue starts a search (Chapter 24). A rare coincidence allows a policeman to find Mrs. Andersson (Chapter 25). The police search the apartment of the man on the balcony and find something (Chapter 27). Another young girl is found dead (Chapter 28)! She had been told to stay out of that park. Then a suspect is seen at a park (Chapter 29). A hundred police search the area, and find a suspect. In Chapter 30 two radio car policemen stop by a wooded area, one goes to relieve himself. He sees a man who fits the description of the suspect and brings him in. The hunt is over.

This novel is faster-paced than later novels because it omits imagined details about the fictional characters. It does give details about life for ordinary people and their apartments.

The Martin Beck stories written by the gifted husband and wife writers, Wahloo and Sjowall are well written and will hold your attention. Guaranteed. These are crime novels with a social conscience of the 60's era. The authors bemoan the disintegration of the Swedish and western society, where everything is worse than it used to be. Martin Beck is a cop who is no villain, and who does his job because somebody has to do it. We look at the evils of the 60's society almost with nostalgia today. If only today's society could be as bad as the one Martin Beck had to face every day. Had he been able to see into the future, Martin Beck would have indeed been thankful that he didn't have to live in 2001. When I first bought the Black Lizard edition in a Berkeley bookstore years ago, I must confess it was strictly for the slick cover of a dead man with a face in a spaghetti plate (in "Murder At the Savoy"). Soon I had to have all ten of the Wahloo-Sjowall books. I still have them, and still occasionally go back to read them again!

Swedish police detective Martin Beck returns in his third book by Maj Sjowall and her husband, Per Wahloo. Published in 1967, this solid entry in the series concerns a man who rapes and murders young girls in Stockholm parks. The city is gripped with terror, and the police are baffled at first, but slowly they begin to put together a few details. The story is told with a minimum of fuss. A few details are shared about the lives of the police detectives, including Martin Beck, but mostly to reflect how devoted they are to solving the gruesome murder cases.

The authors write in a straight-forward style; the police detectives, for example, are stodgy and would rather be out in the field instead of relying on psychological profiles of the murderer or using the new-fangled "computers" that were starting to pop up in their field. This type of police procedural may be off-putting to people wanting a fast-paced modern thriller. However, the tone really is perfect for the story, reflecting a Scandinavian simplicity and adding a needed dose of realism.

This reissue by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard is well done. The Martin Beck series is apparently quite popular in Sweden, with many of the series having been made into television films. Hopefully, American readers will discover these worthy books.

The second book in the Martin Beck detective series. ... the emphasis is more on the police procedural than the social and political commentary which would dominate the authors' later works.

The crime in this one is again sexual in nature, although even more barbaric: the serial rape and strangulation of little girls, whose bodies subsequently turn up in parks all over Stockholm. Beck is on the case (with his trusty partner Kollberg), and the two thoroughly investigage every lead, but to no avail. The tension in the book is simple, but palpable: ... As the detectives begin to feel the heat from their superiors and the public, the killer prepares to strike again...

And then the anticlimactic ending. No car chases, no shoot-outs, no ingenious breakthroughs, no sudden flashes of psychic insight: just simple police work and a healthy infusion of old-fashioned dumb luck.

One of the better novels in the series, again to be praised for its attention to details and realism.

This book has given me a new perspective on my life. Being a person who has often spells of intense anger. I have managed to refrain from physical violence for a long time now. This book helped me take the "edge off". It has also helped me with border line personality disorder and depression by highlighting, what I interpreted, as causes of both. I highly recommend this book to anyone who gets angry or would just like a good book to read.

Very good book with respect to personal struggles resulting from hate. The Macro issues of nation against nation, while informative, were not the reason I purchased the book.

Beck credibly explains and illustrates the origins of hatred acted out by both individuals and groups. While the underlying elements show remarkable similarity, group and leader dynamics, of course, enter into hate by groups. I do agree with another reviewer who commented that Beck produces few new explanations of hatred and the resulting behaviors.

The book, however, easily kept my interest and used many examples to beautifully illustrate the process that Beck explains. And he does provide some direction for helping to combat anger, hostility, and violence.

Anyone interested in this book may benefit from the following notes that I made:

1. I would like to have seen some information about the duration of the benefits from the cognitive studies that Beck refers to.
2. If you're looking for credible evidence to support a belief (that I would love to have) that we're likely to find ways to significantly prevent or eradicate hate by groups of people, you won't find it in this book.
3. While Beck provides thorough explanations of anger, hostility, and violence, you'll find far more useful tools to combat these patterns in both David Burns' "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" (Burns has worked with Beck for more than 15 years) and Albert Ellis' classic "A Guide to Rational Living."

The simple idea that the way we think about something determines how we feel about it, and how we act on it. Widely considered the father of modern cognitive therapy, Dr. Beck didn't invent this idea, nor is he the only one promoting it. Yet his expression of it, especially in this fine book, is elegant and compelling. There are many powerful and immediately recognizable examples from daily life, showing how we turn hurt into anger into hatred. How our beliefs and thinking patterns gradually imprison us in cages of reactivity. This book helps make our capacity for both good and evil more understandable. Readers of this book who want a more complete understanding of the topics would probably also benefit from a number of the books talking about the evolutionary and physiological origins of violence. Yet, for the part of our dark nature that we have some ability to control, this book makes a powerful and promising statement, and is complete unto itself.

What could be more interesting than a book on violence written by the world's leading psychiatrist? That's what I was thinking when I bought the book. Although Beck made some interesting points, very few were original points that I wasn't already familiar with. The book is a slow read and only moderately interesting. For a much more interesting account of violence, read James Gilligan's book VIOLENCE: REFLECTIONS ON A NATIONAL EPIDEMIC.

Lee J. Markowitz, Ph.D. student in clinical psychology

The book is well organized, and a quick read on the plane ride to the West. However, it is over 10yrs old and unfortunately the park has not been stocked since before the book was written. The number of fish in the streams has been significantly reduced by over-fishing and lack of stocking. The book effectively predicts this occurrence, however it would be nice to see an updated Foreward stating this. The book gives a nice explanation of each fishing spot in each area of the park. So, if nothing else, it's worth buying for the overview of the fishing spots and directions to get to them.

The beauty of Yosemite is beyond words. Simply touring the most frequented spots gives one a sense of awe. After taking my 3 sons there for a first time visit, I wanted to plan a short backpack/fishing trip for them to enjoy a more in-depth experience with Yosemite. They were anxious to experience Yosemite more thoroughly. The Yosemite Trout Fishing Guide was just the resource I needed to plan the trip. The details in the book were incredible. It was obvious the author has a thorough knowledge of Yosemite, not to mention deep love and respect for the natural wonder of Yosemite. This is a good reference book to have on Yosemite.

Thorough and authoritative, readable and entertaining. I know Steve personally and can vouch for the extensive research that went into making this rewarding guide. He has fished the Park top to bottom and roadside to trailside. This book is a compilation of almost two decades of love with Yosemite and the art of fly-fishing. His complete trailside descriptions ensure that getting to the fish is as much a pleasure as the fun once there. The accuracy of Steve's fishing information has stood the test of numerous presentations to fly-fishing clubs and sportsman shows. Am I biased? Undoubtedly, but that doesn't mean what I say isn't true. Check it out yourself- this is a great guide for novice (that's me) and expert alike. Steve also has a new book on fishing the John Muir Trail coming out this Feb. I suspect it will prove to be just as entertainig a read and useful a guide for that famous "walk".

I have had the opportunity of exploring some of the areas described in this well written guide. Although no words could do the beauty of the region justice, Steve Beck does an excellent job of getting you there to see it for yourself. I found his descriptions right on the money and his recommendations well worth following. I highly recommend this guide to all fisher-people, especially if you have the opportunity to go to Yosemite.

There is a lot of information in this book, just not the the most up to date and useful information. The text although voluminous rambles a lot. Important information like length of hikes into fishing areas and time required is missing in many casese. Most streams, lakes, and trails that are mentioned are not shown on the very skimpy maps used. Most of the information is a decade out of date--the author is constantly referring to what the fishing may be like by the mid-1990s which according to my calendar was a decade ago. I was very disappointed with this book and had I seen it in a book store it would have remained there. The real downside is that it's the only flyfishing book on Yosemite that I could find.

I have not read this book in its entirety as of yet, but have previewed it. A friend suggested I purchase this book, and I'm glad I have done so. However, the cartoon the author chose depicting pitcher Louis Leroy was in poor taste. Perhaps Powers-Beck had his own reasons for choosing this particular graphic. However, it portrays the pitcher in a negative way and it is likely many readers will find it an offensive stereotype. In light of the fact that there were other examples of period graphics the author could have chosen, one must wonder if this decision was made in haste.

This is a book that is long overdue. The author's research provides the most comprehensive account yet written about the integration of American Indians into baseball. I found the similarities with the Black Experience to be especially intriguing. This book will serve as a valuable resource for baseball historians and will stimulate interest in casual readers.

Jeff Powers-Beck goes much further than previous treatments of Native American ballplayers in his seminal work, "The American Indian Integration of Baseball." The book is extremely well-researched and examines the mixed legacy of Native American ballplayers as well as the roots of discrimination against them.

Surveying the careers of more than 120 athletes of Indian ancestry, Powers-Beck argues that professional baseball was "a crucible of both racial and cultural prejudices" against Native Americans. Caroonists made them popular objects of derision on the sports pages. Fans taunted them with war whoops and vitriolic jeers. Even teammates insulted them with nicknames like "Chief," "Nig," and "Squanto." "This was not simply a 'cultural prejudice' towards someone who looked differently," insists Powers-Beck. "It was a starkly racist prejudice towards someone who looked different."

Powers-Beck adds that the roots of discrimination can be traced to government-sponsored boarding schools, like Carlisle and Haskell. These off-reservation boarding schools used baseball as "a tool for assimilation as well as for the prestige and profit of the school." His coverage of Carlisle, in particular, offers insightful information that rivals only David W. Adams' work, "Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1923."

The biographical vignettes of Charles Albert Bender, John Meyers and Jim Thorpe, culled from a wide variety of sources demonstrate the kind of painstaking research Powers-Beck completed. Like the larger biographical treatments of Louis Leroy, George Howard Johnson, and Moses Yellow Horse, Powers-Beck offers a refreshing new perspective of these Native American ballplayers as "integrators" who not only survived the discriminatory treatment of the white baseball establishment, but largely succeeded in shaping the game on their own terms.

As a result, the book is more of a celebratory treatment of the Native American participation and contribution to baseball, rather than a retelling of the "tragedies" of such players as Jim Thorpe and especially Louis Sockalexis, which have become all too popular in recent years.

My only criticism of the book is that it reads more like a collection of esays than a narrative history of this important topic. To be sure, each essay makes a very significant contribution to the larger story of the American Indian Intregration of Baseball, but not a "seamless" one. The danger here -- and my fear -- is that an excellent piece of research will be dismissed as a "reference work" and not be given the kind of credit it is due as a seminal work on the topic.

The subject of Native Americans and the integration of baseball is often overlooked due to the prejudice of Academics to cover the more popular african-american integration of sports. But this wonderful books finally brings to life the characters and times that led to Native american success in Americas past-time, baseball. This is a thorough account of the subject and a great addition to t =he meek amount of academic resources on it. Highly recommended as an enlightening read, especially for anyone concerned with Native American rights in recent times.

Seth J. Frantzman

Powers has written a fine book about the Indian experience, showing many parallels with the later integration of black players. He gives a good deal of detailed biographical information on a half-dozen prominent Indian players, and mini-bios on a couple of dozen others. There is an explanation of how Jim Thorpe might have done better with a friendlier environment, also a list of over 100 full-blooded and part-Indian major leaguers. Finally, he makes an eloquent case for the abolition of current team nicknames that demean the Indian culture.

Pete Palmer, co-editor of The Baseball Encyclopedia by Barnes and Noble

The book epitomises simple yet detailed coverage of the Oracle 9i programming. The best feature of the book is the methodical illustration of even the smallest and trivial concept by sample program which aides in understanding. Nonetheless I found the coverage of arcane topics like index, objects - which sound simple at the periphery but daunt the programmers once dealth in depth - very nice. The two case studies provided illustrates the concept better. However the book doesnt cover data modelling concept which can be discounted as being out of scope.

This one is great book for anyone who's beginning to learning oracle programming.
I bought this book after the T kyte's expert one-on-one so to me I could brush faster thru (some) pages. I guess i'm a sucker when it comes to wrox books.

But a good starting point for beginners!

I am a Web Developer (ASP) with an MS SQL background. I got throw into a project that uses an Oracle database for its backend. If not for this book I do not know where I would be. This is the best book I've seen for a newbie to Oracle. BUY THIS BOOK NOW!!!

In the usual Wrox style, this is a well-rounded introductory book on Oracle programming, with detailed, reader-friendly discussions on architecture and many "Try it out" exercises.

That being said, the book concentrates so much on 9i that if you have installed 8i (or perhaps even Personal Oracle 9i) then you might be discouraged by frequent references and exercises for things you won't be able to do. According to Oracle, 9i Enterprise for Win2K requires 512M of RAM (although other sources indicate that it will run in 256M). The OTN download is around 1.5G (approximately 3 CDROMs worth), or you can request the CDs from Oracle at otn.oracle.com.

I would have preferred to see separate sections and exercises that concentrated on 9i-specific details. There are still plenty of features common with previous Oracle releases to support a general-purpose Beginning Oracle book.

Recommended, with the above-mentioned caveat.

This books isn't bad on PL/SQL, but if you want to write Java programs with Oracle you'll also need a JDBC book.

This a very easy to understand and very informative tome for casual gardners in North Carolina.

This was a great book for me! It is helping me pick plants that will flourish in my environment. It's user friendly & very informative.

This book is helpful and it aided my brother in deciding which plans to put in his Charlotee garden.

Pam Beck's newspaper column always had great tips for the local gardener. This book does not dissapoint. This handy book is easy to carry for those many trips to the home centers or nurseries. It has good pictures of the plants and the descriptions are concise but very helpful. Every North Carolinian, especially those new to the area, should invest in this little gem.

Really good resource for North Carolina gardeners. They were right on about the plants in the book that I have first hand knowledge about. These plantings have done well in my garden. So that gives me confidence to try some of the ones they reccomend that I haven't tried yet.

I stumbled across this book many years ago, while searching for information about 'Walden Two' (the book by BF Skinner).

A Walden Two Experiment is the first-hand account of a real life community inspired by the fictional community in the book Walden Two. Written by the only surviving founder of Twin Oaks (the community this book is actually about) who still lives there over 40 years later, this book chronicles the first five years (but primarily the first three years) as the community struggles to stay above water.

The book details the community trials with economics, personal relationships, labor, housing... and pretty much everything a fledgling community faces as it tries to reach equilibrium. The book is straight forward and a bit grim, as the author explains toward the end of the book, she decided to focus on the difficult aspects to try and create 'a more interesting read'. Personally, I wish there had been more focus on the joys and happier times, but the book is well worth reading and very informative for anyone considering joining an Intentional Community, or perhaps trying to found one themselves.

Another important book to read is her follow-up Is It Utopia Yet?: An Insider's View of Twin Oaks Community in Its Twenty-Sixth Year written in the community's 26th year. And Ingrid Komar's "Living the Dream" - which is another perspective on Twin Oaks from 1979-1982.

In 1967, Kathleen Kinkade's life changed when she read BF SKinner's utopian novel, Walden Two. Inspired by this vision of
community, Kinkade founded Twin Oaks Community in rural Virginia (an income-sharing intentional community still in existence today).

In this first account of the early history of Twin Oaks, Kinkade outlines the community's earliest struggles for everything from
enough money for survival to learning how to erect buildings with
virtually no material or skill. She tells the stories of Twin Oaks' earliest members and how they contributed to this communal experiment. Throughout these struggles, Kinkade maintains both her wry sense of humor and her humanistic vision.

Kinkade's book remains as fresh and funny as it was in 1972. I highly recommend it as an introduction both to the intentional communities movement as well as for those with dreams of pioneering their own community someday.

The main problem with this book is that Twin Oaks is not, and never was, a Walden Two experiment. It's a hippie commune, plain and simple. It was founded by some hippies that thought Walden Two painted an interesting picture of communal life, and hoped that by merely starting a self-described "Walden Two community" that behavioral scientists interested in instantiating the paradise that Skinner described would eventually show up and make it happen. But the behavioral scientists never came. What happened was that people lived in the same $3000 building, worked "communally," and initially were paid 25 cents a week for their efforts. There was no heating or cooling, and people who came with dreams of a true Walden Two community saw that it was anything but, didn't like living like a pauper, and left. Many hippies came who saw it as a rejection of capitalist repression, or whatever, and these were the people who stayed. The interesting thing is, however, Walden Two did NOT describe a socialistic commune thriving on true democracy, where decisions were made by having everyone in the community vote. Skinner argued, rather, that we should be governed basically by scientists, who use their knowledge of operant conditioning to construct our environments in such a way so as to improve society. This is more akin to fascism than communism. (I'm not saying that's bad either--fascism WOULD be the best form of government provided the rulers are intelligent and benevolent, but when does that ever happen?) Skinner also did NOT believe that all people should make the same wage. He argued, rather, that the jobs that no one wanted to do should pay the most. Why do actors make so much, for instance, when EVERYONE wants to be an actor? Fry cooks should make more than actors, etc. In short, Twin Oaks is not and never was a community based on Walden Two, and doesn't even have anything to do with any behaviorist principles. If you want to read about a real "Walden Two community," research Los Horcones, in Mexico, instead.

I am interested in getting involved in, or help build and intentional community. This book was perfect for helping me see the ins and outs of community life. The author was candid about their mistakes, as well as their accomplishments, in the first few years. I found this very helpful.

i can't believe such a funny & influential book (for me at least *grin*) is out of print! my advice is to send in a request. ask for a copy for yourself, your crazy hippie kid sister (no apologies offered as i wear that title with honor), your library, your child's school, for everyone you know. this is an honest, funny, and inspiring look into the early days of one of the longest standing intentional communities in the u.s. (yep, it's still around) the sequel perhaps provides more insight (as they'd been experimenting an additional 20 years), but this first account makes a great supplement to b.f. skinner's _walden two_ as you can feel more of its presence with the group of motivated readers who decided to see if they could actualize his ideas. b.f. skinner even wrote the introduction to this account!

fact is often stranger than fiction ~ go ahead, indulge yourself!

Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual GuideThis book is very enjoyable to anyone growing up watching Bugs Bunny and the other Looney Tunes characters. The pictures are colorful and entertaining. The story lines lively.

I bought this book with the intention of finding out more about Warner Bros.' main cartoon characters, and that's exactly what it does for me. Apparently written to be released in conjunction with "Looney Tunes: Back in Action", Jerry Beck shows us a look at all of the recurring characters featured in the classic "Looney Tunes" and their careers. As someone who's trying to gather information on the characters, I learned quite a bit from this, such as who exactly was the original voice of Michigan J. Frog, periodic thespian and until-recently WB Network mascot. Imagine my surprise when I saw the old comic panel where Bugs Bunny reveals his real name! (Although that may not be canonical, since, as Beck points out, the pre-DC comic stories were quite different from the actual cartoons.) And since I've acquired all the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection" DVD sets released thus far, one of the most interesting things about the book is seeing the screenshots that show how bad the video quality is before the shorts get cleaned up for the DVD releases.

Of course, the book is not without its faults. There's a few mistakes here and there (one of which some other Looney Tunes fan mentioned when he reviewed the book on his website); for example, page 91 claims Elmer to be Daffy's tortured contestant in "The Ducksters", despite the accompanying screenshot clearly showing it is Porky whom the duck is tormenting there. Plus, they refer to the turtle Bugs sometimes races with the name Cecil *Tortoise*, despite the current comics labeling him as Cecil *Turtle*, and they claim the bulldog who sometimes beats up Sylvester is mainly named Spike when I've mainly known him as Hector. Also, I can't understand why they devoted two whole pages to the "Duck Dodgers" show on Cartoon Network (which apparently wasn't as popular as page 45 claims, because it got cancelled after 39 episodes), but there's not a single mention given to "Taz-Mania" or "The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries". And like JThree's review stated, I too would've liked it if they had said something about "Tiny Toon Adventures" in here, especially since, on page 106, Foxy's girlfriend is referred to by the name Roxy, which she wasn't actually given until their "Tiny Toons" guest spot. (And while they were at it, they should've also mentioned "Animaniacs" and "Histeria!" in there, since the "Looney Tunes" characters made occasional cameos on those shows as well.) And yes, since we do get four pages about "Back in Action", a nice two-page spread about "Space Jam" would've been a good inclusion too. It's because of these strange exclusions that I did not give this a five-star rating. Other than that, the book is still a recommendable read for "Looney Tunes" fans.

There seem to be numerous visual guides around by these publishers for all kinds of movies and television shows some of which are rather average, but Looney Tunes is a must have. Inside is a substantial amount of information on the major cartoon characters such as Bugs, Daffy, Taz, Sylvester, Yosemite, Wile E as well as minor less known stars such as Torpid Toad, Pete Puma, Cecil Tortoise and Gossamer. Learn that Daffy and Sylvester have the same voice, just that Daffy's is sped up and other interesting facts. The ACME catalogue is a must for any roadrunner chaser and modern movies with the cartoon characters is another interesting section. A must buy for anyone who has ever been a kid and owned a TV.

I have to admit I had reservations when I saw this at the store. I had not been impressed by the Superman volume or the other editions to come out under this series because so much of it was devoted to modern versions of the main characters. But this book is a visual treat, as well as being very informative about the history of the animated cartoon at Warner Bros. Many model sheets, cels, posters, etc. are here indepth throughout this wonderful volume.

Beck has written extensively about the WB cartoons before, so DK made a great choice in picking him for this book. Even though the targeted audience for this series is kids, the adult, like me, will love this beautifully put-together homage to the best cartoons to come out of Hollywood. I am so glad very little in this book talks about recent efforts; instead, they chose the Golden Age (the 30s, 40s, 50s) and I couldn't be happier.

This is an awsome book.No Looney Tunes fan should be without it.It gives perfect details of each and every Looney Tunes character.You'll also see all kinds of merchandise from past and present.There is also mention of the original Road Runner comic book series,and how it differed from it's animated cartoon source.Plus a little bit of information on the latest movie Back In Action.

This is an amazing story of triumph and determination. It takes the reader along for the journey, step by step with Tom. For anyone who has ever had diabetes touch their lives, you don't want to miss this. Even for those who haven't, it is still a great story of how anyone can overcome any obstacle, if they believe in themselves.I would recommend this book to anyone.We all can learn something from Tom about perseverance and achieving our goals, no matter how far away they seem.

A page turner that has some great laughs, and also has a great message. Tom's unflagging optimism and positive outlook that he will succeed at the tremendous task he has volunteered to undertake is a great message for all who suffer from diabetes. Tom's story is effective in raising awareness that the dangerous side-effects from this potentially disabling disease can be effectively fought off by staying active and not letting adversity or the "can't do's" get in your way. It will carry the reader along for a most enjoyable read about a very memorable trip.

This was a feel good story about one mans' journey accross the continental divide of his own self confidence and pre-conceived notions of what the limits of human endurance are. Having driven accross the country several times in what was seemingly endless hours of freeway glaze I cannot imagine the core of strength it would take to even make it over the same Rocky mountains that caused my modest car to achieve a maximum speed of 50 MPH let alone finish the entire journey across these great United States. This especially given he has Diabetes and once weighed over 300lbs. It seems he is a poster child for the lifestyle he endorses. Bravo Mr. Beck you are an inspiration for us all and this book is written in a page turning style that will attract itself to many types of readers, and will get out the word that your journey was meant to.

Tom, as I read your book I was amazed by all the planning, and work it took to make this walk across America. I was struck by the realization that people with diabetes really needed to be aware of how they can help with there health and that we all need to take more interest in our health care. It really does depend on us to take charge of our lives. I felt motivated to take charge of my own life and health as I read every page. I was in awe of the mental and physical endurance it took for your walk.....and I felt Paula was a saint being right there with you. You're extraordinary people!

My heart was touched by your story of your mom and your fortitude to take charge of your life as you discovered that you where a diabetic. As I read I felt I was right there beside you experiencing everything you were talking about with each page of your book. I laughed and I cried with you. I cringed as the cars passed on the interstate. I felt the rain, the heat, the storms, the fears, the excitement, the altitude (I really huffed and puffed with that part.) This was a real adventure for me since I had never even really thought about how all the elements would effect you....and most people would of given up when faced with what you faced. Wow what an accomplishment.... you're my hero in a new way Tom. Thank you for walking for diabetes, thank you for writing about your walk..... this is a fantastic book and 5 stars in my eyes.

Tom Beck's description of his sojourn across the country to promote the cause of the American Diabetes Foundation is a fun and uplifting read. Especially his discriptions of; small town America, The ups and downs of his (and his wife's) emotions during their four month journey and how a formerly overweight, three pack a day smoker diagnosed with diabetes could meet and exceed his challenges.

A great book to spend a couple of hours with!

I came accross my first k.k.beck book in a used book store. I have started collecting them. The Revenge of Kali-Ra is a well crafted tale, a very enjoyable read. Slightly different in style than her books set in the 1920's, Kali-Ra grabs you at the very beginning and I couldn't put it down.

Actress Nadia Wentworth, well-known for her popularity and anatomy, has found the role that she deeply believes she was born to play: the evil, eternal and gorgeous goddess Kali-Ra, of the now-forgotten, wildly popular pulp fiction series from the '20s. Little does Nadia know that by bringing Kali-Ra and her creator Valerian Ricardo back into the public eye, she'll be setting the stage for. . . a lot of people to come tramping into her life with demands!

Nick Iverson, average guy with a philosophy degree, has just discovered he's Ricardo's heir. Or would be if Ricardo's wife, Lila were dead. Which she isn't. She's very much alive and trying to spread Valerian's "message" to the masses. But that won't benefit either of them monetarily as the book is public domain now and no one owns the rights.

Or do they? It appears some heavy handed fat guy in a Speedo living in some foreign county not only has the rights, but he's sending his goons--a nervous lawyer and an aged lounge singer to be exact--to get his money.

Into this mix, add one Doctor of Literature, who wrote his thesis on Valerian, one burnt-out script writer who just wants some peace and a good drink, a mysterious hot young thing named Callie, and Melanie, Nadia's manager and general dog's body--the only really sane one of the bunch. Stir in one murder, a missing security man and some cheesy pulp fiction and you've got The Revenge of Kali-Ra!

In this tongue-in-cheek, laugh-out-loud novel, Beck manages, easily and credibly, to bring together all these bizarre and seemingly unrelated characters. The story generally flows well and employs a few twists and turns that would have made any pulp author proud. Over all, this is a fun, breezy book and well-worth a read.

I saw the cover of this book and smiled. I used to read Fu Manchu novels and the mysteries of Seabury Quinn when I was a teenager (and this was in the 1970s!) and loved all the trappings of ersatz Asian occultism and the army of thugs and dacoits armed with daggers and blowpipes with poison darts. But Beck's novel is not about those writers' creations nor is it a very good parody of what it attempts to poke fun at. Donald Westlake is far funnier at the comic crime novel, so is Carl Hiassen. They know their worlds. Beck seems to have done some cursory research (certainly Rohmer's series is evident as well as references to Haggard's Allan Quartermain and She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) but there's more contempt for the genre than any real love of the pulps. And any true parodist really loves the subject he's sending up and doesn't use that subject as a target of moralizing. Beck seems to be one of the writers who jumped on the bandwagon of the popular comic crime novel because, at this time, it's a moneymaking genre. Her characters are lifted out of the realm of cliche (the bimbo starlet; the failed lawyer with an equally failed love life; the alcoholic, sex-starved screenwriter; etc. etc.) and can be found in any number of ho-hum popular crime novel writers' books. Finally, had I bothered to read the whole blurb I would've learned this book was more about moviemaking (a topic I loathe) and the moronic minds in Hollywood and I would've avoided it completely. I stayed for the pastiche of pulp writing which IS funny and right on the mark. Overall, this is pretty run-of-the-mill. But for anyone who lingered over the pages of a real trashy pulp thriller from the 30s or 40s, craving the action and melodrama of the evil East battling the righteous West, it might be worth a read.

This is not a mystery in the traditional sense. In fact, the crime is committed surprisingly close to the end of the book (and don't be let down by the solution). The real focus here is the wild sendup of trashy pulp novels from the '20s-'40s, vulturous heirs, crazed cults, and modern-day Hollywood and the idiots and sleazeballs that surround it.

Every character is memorable, as well as a loving parody of some cliche, celebrity, or character type. In disagreement with one of the below reviews, the fun of the book is that all the characters are one-dimensional types. The best mysteries are usually written that way (even Agatha Christie did it with "And Then There Were None!"), so that their one domating personality trait (often the one that makes them look guilty for one reason or another) can be emphasized and the story, which surrounds the murder, is not clogged up by character development. Sure, we all love books rich in character, but mysteries often shouldn't be that way. Some writers (like Sue Grafton) can pull it off, but for most of us, it's just fine. The one side of the characters we see are always uproarious, and the characters are very well-drawn: SSelf-absorbed, dumb Nadia; resourceful, studious Melanie; eager, giddy Nick; mysterious, sexual Callie; bitter, drunken Duncan; abrasive, demanding washed-up crooner Vince; hapless, loveless Quentin; sneaky, calculating Lila; and the list rolls on.....

It's the most humorously well-written book I've read, too. The prose is laced with sour humor, even in simple descriptions of characters and items, and the dialogue is witty and vital. (And the pulp novel segments are great!) The pacing is fast and interesting, never slowing too much to lose interest. All the plots weave together quite nicely, and there's even an all-around happy ending that could only happen in Hollywood. By no means your conventional murder-mystery, and more resembling some wild satire along the lines of "Soap," this book just screams "MOVIE!" This could easily be done with an obvious all-star cast; one's brain automatically fits celebrities into the roles with no trouble. A fun, light summer read, I picked it up one Sunday in July and had devoured it by Friday night. Tuck your cares away and read this book. you won't be disappointed.

I was recently given a copy of THE REVENGE OF KALI-RA by a friend who thought I would enjoy it, knowing my fondness for Pulp fiction (and all things Pulp related).

Being unfamiliar with the work of K.K. Beck, I added this novel to a precariously balanced stack of other books that had already accumulated in my bedroom that has come to called my "BOOKS TO BE READ...SOMEDAY" stack, figuring that I would get to it "eventually". But, every time I glanced at the mockingly large mound of books in the corner, the gaudy red book cover with the 30's heroine in peril on the top of the pile kept egging me on, "Pick me up and read me," it said, "thrills, spills & chills are waiting for you beneath my tawdry red cover."

Finally, unable to ignore it's lure any longer, I picked up this book hesitantly, unsure what to expect from this intriguingly titled book by an author with whom I was completely unfamiliar...and am I glad that I did.

This story revolves around a hot young Hollywood starlet who stumbles across a long out of print pulp novel written by a long forgotten 1920's hack by the name of Valerian Ricardo (Uncle Sid to his family back in MN). The starlet, Nadia Wentworth, decides that she must play the main character featured in a series of out of print books written by Ricardo about a femme fatale character called Kali-Ra, Queen of Doom (think Fu Manchu in a dress). Out of this simple premise follows a rollickingly good story about a flaky Hollywood starlet and her level-headed but put upon assistant, a hectoring old harridan of a widow clutching for control of her husbands memory, a drunken screenwriter being held against his will, a shady off-shore money man living in exile, a possible illegitimate child, a senile old crooner and his mountain of a chauffeur, a directionless great-great-grand-nephew from MN, and a mad dash to claim the copyright to the long forgotten, but now much in demand, writings of Valerian Ricardo. It all leads to a bevy of twists and turns, a few good laughs, and a very satisfying ending.

This humorous, light-hearted send-up of Hollywood and the self-absorbed characters that live their may not be Shakespeare (or Hammett or Chandler for that matter), but if you're looking for a well told story and a memorable cast of characters, I can sincerely recommend this book.