Bennett Books

Despite many days of questioning the principals, the widow, the wives and anybody else who might have a shard of knowledge about the group, Chris has almost as many questions as she does answers. Yet her persistence has turned up a few leads that the police have as yet to discover. Thus a pretty good premise leads us through the life and times of the men, especially the murder victim, Arthur Wien, a famous novelist, to a fairly surprising conclusion. Wien's celebrity life, his women chasing, money borrowing, and messy divorce, fueled much of the grounds for motive, still difficult to find among the great chums. We picked up a clue mid-book that gave us an inkling of the outcome, an "eureka" not common to reading the stories in this series. Even with that precognition, we were held in suspense until nearly the final chapter when all becomes clear and Chris once again is the lever that elicits a confession from the apparently guilty party. Interestingly, whether it was really that party or not is somewhat left to the speculation of the reader.

We enjoy the very predictability of Lee Harris' stories of which we suppose some might tire. We have often characterized the leading lady and her family as wholesome and caring, creating dependably pleasant tales that don't need violence and gore, nor foul language or explicit sex, to capture and sustain our interest. Isn't that what a good mystery is all about ?!?!

A group of boys living on the same block in the Bronx becomes friends, calling themselves the "Morris Ave Boys". They even wear jackets with colors to distinguish themselves from other students. Over two decades later, nine of the boys remain in touch. They hold reunions, bringing their wives to the festivities. Their next meeting is scheduled for New York on Father's Day.

Former nun and amateur detective Christine Bennett lives and teaches in the city with her police officer spouse. One of her students asks her to assist his grandfather, the prime suspect in the murder of one of his cronies, a fellow member of the "Morris Ave Boys". Christine begins to investigate and finds that she likes all the group's members and their spouses. Everyone seems nice and harmless. As she digs deeper, she begins to find flaws in their perfect behavior, concluding that one of them has ample reason to commit murder.

Lee Harris has the ability to successfully handle a large ensemble cast that leaves the audience feeling they intimately know everyone. The transition between Chris the detective and Chris the mom blend well together and actually enhance the intriguing story line. Even Ogden Nash, after perusing THE FATHER'S DAY MURDER, would say "The Bronx, thonx". Anyone who reads this novel or the other nine tales in the Bennett amateur sleuth series will feel fully entertained and anxious for the next book.

Harriet Klausner

High-strung, remarkable, engrossing and tender, "I Can Hear the Mourning Dove" reflects the true self barricaded within every person. It is a bipolar item, for many of its subjects are abstract and powerful. It clearly pulls you into the suffering of the main character from the first sentence, and never lets go, even after it has been read through. It is my favorite novel, and will always be remembered.

It's also entertaining to read about my favorite celebrities and how actively involved they are in protecting our four-legged friends! Many of these big names share heartwarming, personal experiences with us, as well as adorable photos from their private albums.

This book is an absolute "must-have" for anyone having a special place in their heart for animals!

Bennett has facts and data EVERYONE can use. There's info on where to stay when travelling with your pets, charities that aren't charitable to animals, how students can refuse to dissect animals in school, what to do about unwelcome wildlife "guests" in your home, and so much more. I could go on and on. I can't say enough good about this book. This one is terrific!

G.M.L.

The reason for only 4 out of 5 is that the book is probably too technical for the average person you need a reasonably good background in both physiology and hyperbaric medicine to get a true benefit from this book.

Otherwise a seminal text in the field

If so, Theodore Marmor's reissue and revision of The Politics of Medicare is the book you want to pick up. There is no comparable book of its kind. Other scholars have studied Medicare's origins. Journalists trace the ebb and flow of contemporary Washington battles over Social Security and Medicare. But Marmor, a Yale professor and health policy guru, has written the definitive analysis of how the political battles waged over health insurance and Medicare from the 1940s onward powerfully shape the debate over the program to this day.

Wondering why Medicare, unlike almost all major private insurance plans, fails to cover most prescription drugs? The seeds of an answer may be found in the fears of 1960s legislators that the unpredictable cost of drugs could swamp the program at its outset. Unsure why medical expenditures took off in the 1960s and 1970s? Partly because doctors, who had led the charge against a government-sponsored social insurance program for the aged, benefited enormously from generous rules that were designed to assauge their fears about participation. Puzzled how Medicare became such a political hot potato after years of uninterrupted popularity? Marmor deftly shows how the Reagan administration reoriented widely-held fears about medical inflation into narrower fears about the supposedly unsustainable cost of public programs.

Another reason that this astute volume bears reading, or rereading: Marmor shows that elections can really matter. In the absence of the Democratic majority in Congress that emerged from the 1964 elections, passage of Medicare would have been delayed or forestalled altogether.

Within the cozy world of health policy analysts, Marmor is known for being a staunch proponent of national health insurance and a skeptic about the potential of HMOs and different forms of "managed competition" to control health costs and delivery quality care. His convictions enliven the text rather than detracting from its rigorous logic. This is a book that anyone interested in the politics of health care, and in American politics in general, will appreciate.

One thing alone mars this otherwise impressive book: its packaging. Sadly, any seven-year old with access to Microsoft Excel could have improved on the volume's rudimentary and unappealing charts and graphics. But the reader shouldn't let this superficial flaw detract from Marmor's important and unusually well-written book.

The analysis of Medicare in the 1990s, found in the current volume, is excellent. This is an ideal time to read or reread the book since Medicare program changes will face our new President and the newly elected or reelected members of our House of Representatives and Senate during 2001. This fall I read the second edition and found the book very informative and enjoyable.