Brian Books

Grab a hat and get ready for a wild ride with Jack Bludis' tough, yet caring detective. You'll burn the midnight oil to finish this caper : )

Jack Bludis is a prolific writer, having over thirty novels, hundreds of short stories, and several novellas under his belt. His background includes acting; teaching; bartending; and various other jobs. He also has worked in public relations. THE DEAL KILLER is his second Brian Kane mystery.

Brian Kane is on retainer for a two-bit studio exec. When he visits a movie set, he is a witness to the murder of one of the stars. Kane is the on-again; off-again investigator, and everyone he talks to in Hollywood has something to hide...usually of a sexual nature. When Hanna Mills is kidnaped and released, Kane knows he is probably dealing with the Hollywood mob. He enlists the help of his girlfriend, and they charge to the rescue of Hanna's daughter, who is also absconded with at a later point in the story. But not before two people are murdered and Brian suffers several beatings. An old pornographic film is the culprit, and blackmail is the modis operandi:

"She shook her head. 'No honest studio would do it da way Odgie wants to do it, but he has a hammer over our heads. If we refuse, he will make copies of THE BEAST OF BELGIUM and he will release it to da dirty film dealers all over da country. All of our old names are there, just like they were when we lived in Paris, but people will recognize us, and we will be finished in da movie business.'"

Back in his old haunt in Hollywood, Brian Kane gives the reader a running commentary on the dirty business that we all hear about but probably don't understand. THE DEAL KILLER is the stuff that old Hollywood in the 1950's was about, where starlets were developed on the directors' couches. It is a place of corruption and greed, and Jack Bludis does a beautiful job of bringing all of the sordid details into focus for the reader. After reading THE DEAL KILLER, the death of Marilyn Monroe is easier to understand. Bludis captures the time and setting in a detailed and intricate plot sure to have the reader glued to the story. He continues to entertain and carve his own niche in the genre. An exciting and well balanced pulp detective read for a rainy day.

(...)

If you enjoyed James Ellroy's "L.A. Confidential" or Stuart M. Kaminsky's Toby Peters' Mysteries, you're going to love Jack Bludis' work. The Deal Breaker brings back Jack's hard-boiled P.I., Brian Kane for a second round with the stars, the starlets, producers, and movie moguls of the Hollywood of the late 40s and early 50s. Kane holds no punches nor does he take no for an answer when it comes to solving the case ... no matter who's saying no, even his client. Jack takes a genre that's prone to cliché and manages to keep true to the soul of hard-boiled fiction with a fresh and original story. Not an easy feet when the story is set within a period and place that has been well-covered by both the masters of hard-boiled fiction and the hacks, but Jack pulls it off without exception. The Design Image Group, Inc., has done a big service to the hard-boiled/noir cannon as well as the fans of the genre by publishing Jack's work. Don't forget to check out "The Big Switch" also by Jack Bludis in which Brian Kane and his compatriots are introduced and look for an original short story and interview with Jack Bludis in issue 2 of The3rdegree.com coming in April 2003.

In 1951 Hollywood, Regal Pictures mogul Robert regal Clarke asks Brian Kane one more time to explain what he does for the studio. Brian tells her he is a private detective on retainer by Regal. He gets a hundred a month for doing nothing and fifty a day if he is doing something. Robert orders Brian to handle the blackmailing of his girlfriend actress Hanna Mills, but neither of them will provide him any information beyond a vague threat that the culprit will go to columnist Andrea Anderson with some damaging information.

Brian waits for a final scene of western to be shot so he can question Hanna who stars in the film. However, during the climatic shoot-out someone assassinates legendary actor Niles Walker. As the police investigate the murder, Brian knows that a link between the homicide and the blackmail case exists, but Robert still remains obstinate about what he knows and orders Brian to forget about the murder and concentrate on what he is being paid to do: protect him and Hanna.

THE DEAL KILLER, the second Kane 1950s Hollywood private investigative tale (see THE BIG SWITCH, obtainable from Design Image), is an exciting hard-boiled detective story with an undercoating of humor that somewhat softens yet hones the plot's edge. Sub-genre fans will relish the story line that moves briskly forward mostly through the actions and interactions with and to Brian who struggles with uncooperative clients. Jack Bludis furbishes a delightful tale for those readers who enjoy a tough but caring sleuth doing the job his way.

Harriet Klausner

I have lived with the diagnosis of depression for five years, but not until a recent major depressive episode hit did I seriously start looking for books to help me understand what was going on. I am so thrilled I found this book first. From reading this book, I have a much deeper understanding of the biological origins of my disorder, as well as the symptoms to watch out for. I especially appreciate the attention Dr. Quinn gives to "atypical" symptoms and bi-polar disorders; I suspect I had been depressed for years, but because my symptoms don't fit the usual criteria, it went unrecognized for far too long.

Dr. Quinn also is to be commended for striking the right balance between helping people with mood disorders and their families understand that their symptoms are not their fault and that they are not "weak" for not being able to "snap out of it," while still explaining concrete steps patients and their families can take to alleviate symptoms and stay well as best they can. It is hard for most people who have never experienced depression how difficult it is to convince yourself that you are a worthy, competent person, that people love and care about you, that the world is a good place to be in, when the illness is at its worst, and all you can see is the dark pit of despair. Dr. Quinn gives people in such states real hope; rather than spouting out meaningless phrases of "you're an okay person" or "people love you" when people who are seriously depressed CANNOT believe it, he explains how medicine, therapy, and alternative treatments can help them get out of that pit so they CAN believe they are worthy people deserving of love.

While I am a "traditionalist" in my medical thinking, and I have no problem with taking pills to help my symptoms improve, I was glad to see that Dr. Quinn gave plenty of space to alternative treatments, and did so without either touting them as cure-alls or cutting them down. In fact, some of the suggestions in the alternative treatment section are helpful even for those who are comfortable taking medications for their mood disorders.

This book should be required reading, not just for those who have a mood disorder, but by their families and friends. It will help families and friends understand what is going on with their loved ones, what is and what is not under their loved ones' control, and signs they can look for when their loved ones need help.

Finally, a book that deals with depression as the serious biologically based health problem that it is without all the moralizing and "just snap out of it" ignorance found in so many popular books on the subject. Contains an excellent critique of the Cognative Therapy theory which insists that you can think your way out of a serious depressive illness. Includes a tremendous amount of up to the minute scientific information on depression, its causes and treatmenst, and what to do if you or someone you love is in danger of suicide. One of the best books I have read on the subject.

I am the webowner of Bipolar Disorder Today and I learned a great deal from this book. It includes up to date information on unipolar depression *and* bipolar disorder - treatment, psychotherapy, medication, and discusses these disorders in detail.

I recommend this book not only for consumers but for families and clinicians as well.

I strongly, strongly recommend this book to people who have concerns or questions about depression. This book begins by explaining the difference between sadness and a depressive illness. It explains what symptoms are part of "normal" grief or sadness as opposed to symptoms that are part of the physical illness of depression. The book then explains that depression is not a mental illness, but a physical illness that can be treated with medication and psychotherapy. It takes the reader through the difference treatment approaches and evaluates each approach. It also addresses the fact that most people hate the idea of taking medication and addresses those concerns. I found the writing style very honest and informative. Best of all, at no point is this book touchy-feely. I never got the sense that someone was patting me on the head, saying "it's going to be ok" or giving me "meaningful quotes for the day".

One thing I would like to make clear is that the book is directed only to people suffering from depressive episodes. If you don't know if you are suffering from grief or depression, then it will be useful. But if you are trying to deal with grief, I would look for grief counseling books first and then come back to this one if the grief counseling books don't help you.

This book is like Axis two disorders for dummies. It is great there are a small amount of illustrations. There are references to movies that you could see that would give you a picture of what the diagnosis looks like. This is one of the easiest to read text books that I have ever had.

The best book I've read to be used with patients in helping them understand a PD diagnosis in a non-threatening way. Wonderful refresher.

This book is considered a very good intruduction for " personality disorders" from the DSM point of view. Its very readable, illustrated with mnemonics, cartoon examples, media examples , more over it uses humer a an educational tool. It could be considered as an appetizer, rather than a comprehensive refrence in this area. I would recommend it for medical students , residents and mental health workers. It can be helpful for non medical people intrested to know more than personality disorders.

This book is considered a very good introduction for "personality disorders" from the DSM point of view. It's very readable, illustrated with mnemonics, cartoon examples, media examples, more over it uses humour as an educational tool. It could be considered as an appetizer, rather than a comprehensive reference in this area. I would recommend it for medical students, residents and mental health workers. It can be helpful for non medical people interested to know more than personality disorders.

A group of obscure, outdated and mostly forgotten comic book characters fight their creators for the right to exist.

This should be a dreary post-modern mess but in fact it is lively, clever, surreal and fun.

And funny! There's quite a few laugh out loud moments in the book. The characters include a frozen French caveboy, a goth vampire, a Nazi gorilla and a scientist who refuses to admit any of this is real.

It's a worthwhile buy for anyone who loves comic books. You'll be wishing for a sequel!

Let's be clear, I'm not recommending this book to everyone. I wish I could, as it's very funny, well written, and at many places even thoughtful and touching. However, your enjoyment may depend quite a bit on being intimately familiar with DCU current events and DCU writers.
However, if you are familiar with those things you will love this book. And I mean love it. It's a classic that I've re-read many times. At this years NYCC this was one of the few books to the convention to get signed (By Azzarello and Chiang.) I know that many of you out there are up-to-date on DCU writers and crisis'. If you are, do yourself a favor and pick this book up immediately. For those moderately familiar with the DCU this book has my absolute highest recommendation. Read it.

I honestly don't know what to think about Brian Azzarello. He does great gritty crimework on 100 Bullets. And then he has a lot of short, dark works. Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, Banner, Batman: City of Crime and Superman: for Tomorrow (the last two I'd consider REAL disappointments).

And then there's this...

I'd consider this an unofficial sequal to Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory maxiseries, as well as the two major DC Crises. If you don't have knowledge of those and aren't a fan of third and fourth string DC heroes, villains and gobbeldygook getting their time to shine in the spotlight, then this series isn't going to do much for you.

However, if you do like this sort of stuff, this book has it in spades; it's weird and it's great and it's grand. Also, if you crave more Seven Unknown Men of Slaughter Swamp/The DC Architects weirdness, give this book a flip.

I definitely came into this book with little to no expectation, just hoping the story would be as good as the art (by the way, Chiang, the artist, is BRILLIANT). And I was blown away.

But, don't take my word for it!

This here collect the Doctor 13 back up stories that appeared in the most recent Spectre mini series. This is a very fun collection with great artwork that tackles and gives new life to some old minor DC characters. It's a trippy adventure tale laced with bits of humor that I enjoyed very much. I'd love to see this creative team do another Doctor 13 series.

What a wonderful story! I was amazed that the author is a man. The character of Sheila Redden is so believable and your sympathy is with her even though she is about to leave her son. Ordinarily that would lose me as far as any compassion is concerned. I really enjoy Mr. Moore's style of writing and plan on reading all of his other books.

Wonderfully romantic reading, but not sappy or "unreal"......I loved this book from page one until the end.........a woman's awakening to her life. Highly recommend it.

Smart, quiet, shy, too tall, Sheila had never been on her own. She went from dependence on her parents to dependence on a husband. After 15 years of marriage, a long-planned 2nd honeymoon sets into motion the chain of events which leads her away from her safe, ordered, boring existence, and awakens a desire for autonomy.

Moore's cool, precise, detached prose steers the reader through an emotional storm. If anything, this coolness enhances the intensely erotic scenes in the story. As always with Brian Moore, the tale seems to be driven by its own internal workings, and the personalities of its characters. Yet the ending is neither staid nor predictable. You will not be able to put this book down easily, or to put it out of your mind until long after you have finished reading it.

Wow! What a book! I don't usually read romance novels, and I'm still unsure as to what compelled me to buy this one. But whatever the reason, I'm glad I did!

Had someone handed me this book to read, stripped of its cover thus leaving me no clue as to whom had written it, never in a million years would I have guessed the author to be a man!
Brian Moore should be commended for his impressive ability at bringing to life the totally believable female character portrayed in this book. Few male writers can successfully execute on paper such a vivid and candid depiction of a middle-aged woman in turmoil--the revealing of her innermost thoughts about herself and the world around her as she grapples with the sensitive issues of aging and sexuality.

Anticipating her husband's arrival in France to celebrate their second honeymoon, Sheila Redden dreams of rekindling the passions and excitement once present in their stale, sixteen-year marriage. However, disillusioned by his many excuses for not showing up to meet her, Sheila soon becomes painfully aware that her husband's busy schedule with tending patients takes precedence over her happiness. Lonely and deeply hurt, Sheila does what I guess many emotionally-neglected wives would do--she has an affair. I don't think that she intentionally went out looking to get laid--it was just something that happened quite naturally given the vulnerable state of mind she was in at the time. What starts out as a seemingly innocent enough chat with a handsome young American in a Paris diner, suddenly magnifies into something far more serious. Riddled with guilt, yet driven by the desire to walk away from her loveless marriage in favor of a more independent life, Sheila confesses to her husband (over the phone!) that she is in love with another man. What follows Sheila's confession is an unexpected train of events that will drastically change the lives of all of those she touches.

As I've said before--Wow! What a book! This is one of those
'once upon a time' fairy tale romances, but one in which no one at the end rides off into the sunset happily ever after.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to just kick back and enjoy a good ole' fashioned, brilliantly-written romance novel. But be forewarned--some of the lovemaking scenes are quite explicit.

TWO THUMBS UP FOR THIS THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE NOVEL!

Dragonfly contains 13 lucky stories or unlucky depending on how you look at it. There are only 2 stories that I don't like, Baby Girl and Naked Hostility. Those 2 didn't really do anything for me. The rest though are gems. My top 5 are, God's Bug Zapper, Lost, Don't Toy With Me, Rain, and Dragonfly. God's Bug Zapper is just plain creepy. It's about a couple who visit a small town and get caught in a lightning storm unlike any other with horrible results. Lost is a haunting tale of a man obsessing over the loss of his murdered child and finally being committed. The ending is a jaw dropper. A must read. My next favorite is Don't Toy With Me. This one is remimiscent of early Stephen King. I believe this one won the Stoker award. It's downright creepy and hilarious. It's about a couple who visit a toy store to buy a present for their daughter and the wife picks a stuffed monkey against the husband's wishes. They get it home and the monkey takes on a life of it's own. So much so that it takes over the husband's life with dire consequences. A definite must read story. Lastly, are my absolute favorites in the book. Rain and Dragonfly. Dragonfly is a sequel to Rain. These stories are about love, loss, and revenge. Very haunting. Two of the best ghost stories I've ever read. I won't tell you what they're about it. I don't want to spoil anything for the reader. Both very highly recommended. Worth the price of the book alone. Other stories include Wunderland(wonderfully terrifying story), Muddy Waters, Sleeping With The Dogs, The Enigmatic Harold Blue, My Secret Lenore, and Nobody Loves Me. You can pick this book up cheap. Paperback is about $10 through Amazon. If you want the limited Delirium Books version expect to pay close to a hundred bucks. Great stuff! I give the book 4 and a half stars for great stories with haunting and chilling effects. I deducted a half star for the 2 stories I didn't like. Brian Knight is one of horror's brightest rising stars and his work shows it. He is not to be missed. If you get a chance pick up his other fiction as well. Such as Feral and Broken Angel. For right now, go pick up a copy of Dragonfly and read it. It is spectacular!

Brian has a way of grabbing and holding your attention, even if you don't like horror fiction. I don't, but I liked Dragonfly. This is a composite of short stories, with enough theme and character variety to keep everything fresh and me looking forward to the next story. Some of the stories deal with hard issues, ie. child abuse, rape, violence against women. The issues aren't sugar-coated, or swept aside. I liked how he approached hard issues and how his characters dealt with them. Other stories are there just to scare you and make you wonder what goes on in the mind of a horror writer. Definitely worth a read if you're into horror.

after reading this book it makes me wonder about the type of person the author is. WOW... first he plunks those heart strings to grab you and hold on, then scares the bejeebers out of you... wow, this author is amazing. Expect great things to come from this author, is it any wonder his name falls between King and Koontz.... This guy is great and I expect him to be on the best sellers list with both of these guys.

Brian Knight is a very good writer. No wonder I should get a very good read out of this book. Dragonfly pulls no punches. It has points to make, forces you to think, while at the same time is entertaining as hell. I've always been a horror fan but have grown tired of a lot of what is being released these days. Dragonfly is refreshing. A helpful reminder for why I love the genre in the first place. I look forward to seeing more from this man in the future.

Dristlemore is quite entertaining. Although I was a fan of Harry Potter, I was not able to follow all of the Lord of the Rings books-Dristlemore seems to me to be a mix of the two and it certainly was a page-turner. It is a fantasy book without being too unrealistic. Brian Moniz is a very talented writer, he is able to keep the reader's attention throughout the novel, and you keep guessing what is going to happen next. For anyone who is looking for an escape into another world or just an entertaining novel, I highly suggest Dristlemore. I enjoyed it and I know you will too!

The Chronicles of Dristlemore is a wonderful fantasy novel, containing a few unlikely heroes and some very interesting people (Captain Cash, for example). For Moniz's first book, it is incredibly well-written and keeps a perfect pace. Any reader of any age will find this book to be a great story. I wish I had a way to advertise it, because this is one story you do not want to miss out on. I am not going to try to spoil it, but the ending is something I never saw coming. It was well planned and leaves the reader wanting more. I will absolutely be one of the first people to purchase the next book in the series.

I picked up this novel on a hint from a friend and struck gold. I am a huge fantasy fan and I have read hundrads of fantasy novels and I can honestly say this book is the start of something great. Do yourself a favor and pick this bookup today.

Dristlemore, the first novel from Brian Moniz, shows a lot of potential and promise as the first in The Dristlemore Chronicles series. In this novel we meet a new set of fantasy characters, unlikely heroes who break away from the fantasy genre's traditional molds. Captain Cash, a slurring and conniving pirate; Ernin Elgreen, a humorous and affable old wizard; Cain Glorin, a young man learning the ways of the world; and Garrett Highfield, a half-wit with a heart of gold keep you turning the pages in this fantasy novel. A great read for children and adults alike, I'm looking forward to the second installment in this series!

If you follow college basketball and have watched/listened to Dick Vitale, even once, you will LOVE this book. It begins with a foreword by "Dukie V" in which he promises to provide the average fan with coast-to-coast coverage of the game, equal coverage to all, by sharing his "columns" from last season. He then proceeds, as is real life, to work Duke and Coach K into every topic. Throughout the book you actually hear Vitale's voice running in your mind, as the author has an uncanny ability to capture Vitale's lingo and manner of speech in writing. I also loved the ribbing of Duke as the author demonstrates how silly some of the media's constant gushing over the program is. I can't remember a "humor" genre book that made me laugh this many times.

Warning: This book is a work of parody. If a casual reader were to pick up this book, they might think it was a collection of a certain sportscaster's columns. And given the style of writing, the grammatical structure, the repeated use of certain rhetorical devices, and the obsessions with a particular collegiate program, such confusion would be entirely understandable. But as you read the entries closer, you will begin to see that the writing is not actually by that sportswriter, but is a very stylish and amusing parody of that sportswriter. That said, this will make the perfect gift for the Duke fan in your family. He will never even suspect that it is a parody and will merely assume it is yet another media tribute to the greatness of his school, which he assumes is universally acknowledged.

If you are a Duke fan you just won't understand, but for the rest of us who love college basketball and understand that there are 'other' basketball teams out there you will enjoy this fun romp through the wild and crazy world of Dick Vitale and his rose colored glasses view of Duke basketball. Brian Allen captures Vitale in a rib tickling, fun paraody of the former coach and his love affair with Duke basketball and coach "K".
As a true college basketball fan you will not be able to put this book down until your sides ache from belly laughs. If you are Duke fan...better stick with the real Vitale.

This book is pure fun and should be apprecated by all (even Dukies).

DO NOT read this book at work. I tried and spewed soda all over my keyboard. If you've read the vster's posts on message boards before, you'll see that this is a common problem! Seriously, these parody "columns" are hilarious, true ROFL material. I've read other parodies of Vitale, but none capture his cadence and lingo as well as this. The author does a fantastic job of spoofing Dukie V and Duke all at once. Each column tracks actual events from last season, Duke's worst in years, and perfectly parallels Vitale's viewpoints, from praising Duke's powerful lineup during early season blowouts of nonconference teams to crediting Coach K with his finest hour in coaching an undermanned team when the losses came in the second half of the year. There's also great post-season analysis of issues like the Don Imus/Rutgers affair. If you are tired of the Dukie V drivel or of Duke, or if you just want some serious laughter, this is a great buy

What a great story. This book takes Dutch, and us, from the glitz of 1940s Hollywood to the fury of combat in the far-flung Pacific, to the numbing despair of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. Wrapped richly in the legend created by the US Marine Corps in World War II, it is a tale of this country's shaky start in this great conflict, it's recovery and seizing the iniative in the Pacific Campaign, and the inevitable triumph of the Allies over the Empire of Japan. It is also a wonderful tale of the triumph of the human spirit over staggering odds. The author gets a grip on the reader at the beginning and doesn't let go until the final page. In a word, read it!

"Dutch Clark The War Years" a great read that depicts the heroism of those who photographed the carnage and evil of World War II. No longer will you take for granted the photographed and written historic account of those days that live in infamy. This is a story of an adventurous young man willing to fight for his country when called and through a series of events finds a challenge that only a few experienced and lived to tell the story. It is a wonderful read that has the right balance of revenge, retribution and redemption.

A great read! Done in the no-nonsense style of the great Western writer, Louis Lamore this book brings WWII to life in a very personal, gut level way. "Dutch" reminds me of the days when we knew the good guys from the bad, when there were standards of conduct and the lines were not blurred. This book is not only a great read but it serves as a memorial to those who suffered for our freedom...discovering that freedom is not free. You'll have trouble putting it down.

Bravo! Bravo! BRAVO!
What a wonderful ending you have crafted for this tale! I was entranced, right to the final word. You've pulled together the many threads of this book in a way that your readers will find deeply rewarding. Applause, applause!

Thanks for this wonderful reading/editing experience, Judith Myers

Well, this book was certainly interesting...but not so engaging for me as coming home to eat. There is a whole lot in this book that I was not aware of before reading it and while I understood that eating locally was preferable...until I read this, I only had a hit of the ideas behind they why of it all. It's a fairly quick read and I do think Halweil makes a compelling case for necessity of a return to a more local food economies. I think this is probably a book that everyone should read. I give it a solid A.

This book is a must read - it should be assigned reading in classrooms. More people care where their food comes from but this goes beyond that and goes to the farmer and the other reasons why we should all care. A little education goes a long way and if we take heed we can help each other as this goes to the heart of what is community. The Walmarts and other big centers for anonymous food are the antithesis of community and their paltry attempts at throwing money at communities does not change that. The first goal is to get people to care what effects their actions and their shopping in particular have on others, both here and abroad and this addresses one part of that.

This is required reading for everyone, not just farmers. It's packed with informative fact and real-life stories. A resource to aid those interested in knowing where their food originates (local is best) as well as how their food is cultivated. This book offers many suggestions to help readers find creative ways to support regional agriculture and a healthier lifestyle.

This book is very well done. He not only describes the problems in the American food system, but does a fantastic job of describing international problems, something that is lacking in many books published in the US. The writing is easy to understand even though it broaches some complicated issues. If there were any weaknesses, I think it's that he doesn't cover the nutritional losses of old food enough.