Buck Books

I'm giving this two stars because I'm trying to be nice. In fact there are some good aspects to this book. I thought the cops (in both locations in the book) were well thought out and sympathetically drawn. The writing was fine. I read the book rather quickly.

But Monkeewrench has some major problems.

The biggest problem is the resolution. It is simply ridiculous. In so many ways. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't go into any details. Suffice it to say: it makes no sense. None whatsoever.

Other problems:

Self-deleting email messages! How can I do that?

The character of Grace. She is repeatedly obnoxious to other characters who we like. This attitude we are supposed to forgive when we learn more about her history, but it doesn't work, because a three-dimensional person would not behave that way. Also, her transformation from a fragile, scared, vulnerable victim (in her past) to a ball-busting, combative, aggressor (in the present) is never explained.

Annie, the plus-sized-but-sexy woman. Much is made of her in the first half of the book, but she disappears for the second half.

Why would the (almost) victim of a serial killer create a computer game about a serial killer? Seems sick to me. At the very least, that should have been delved into a little, but the book seems to consider it a perfectly natural thing to do.

The subplot of the boy next door goes nowhere.

There is practically no police work to speak of, just lots of speculation. We are supposed to support the police decision not to involve the FBI, but in fact they would have solved the case much faster if they had.

Clearly, the authors came up with one hook (murders based on computer game), and were sloppy for all the rest of it, basing their hopes on an easily amused public. They have probably already decided who should star in the movie.

I picked up this book while visited my sister in Ireland, summer of 2004, and I was very glad I decided to.

A group of computer game designers are severely disturbed when images from their online game are used in a series of murders and reluctantly team together with Minneapolis police to track this killer down. The characters in this book are widely varied, though perhaps a little one-dimensional sometimes. There is some great humor here, but also tragedy. The group of computer game designers have a past they're trying to hide, and protect, which pulls some empathy strings as well as making an interesting twist.

As the first in a series, this is definitely a seller. Enrapturing plot, unpredictable ending, intriguing characters, definitely a wow book.

P. J. Tracy is not one single person but an unusual, to say the least, writing duo consisting of mother and daughter. What input either of them has and how it all works I am not too sure but what I do know is that it does work a treat and their books are extremely readable and well thought out.

I had already read two of their other offerings before getting to this one, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect and I certainly wasn't disappointed. If you did not know you would not think that this is their first book. You would imagine that two people inputting to the same novel would make the storyline a little disjointed if nothing else but not a bit of it. The characters are uncomplicated and the storyline has been well thought through and builds up gradually, keeping the reader engrossed and entertained throughout.

I bought my copy for a couple bucks at a bookstore "factory clearance warehouse". Cassette #1 was recorded or assembled BACKWARD. Did anyone else have this problem?

I fast-forwarded to the end, twisted the tape, and used a bent paperclip to rewind back to the beginning.

I was able to listen to the story OK after that.

Loved it, very engaging, I didn't want to put it down! I since purchased the rest of the series - but watch out - "Want To Play" is the same book, but printed under a different title in England.

If there is any lingering hurt between you and your parents or you and your children, this book is worth reading. Even young people can relate well to it's concepts (yup - that's me! pointed out my son - and we're from a pretty close family). I have sent it to many teens and twenty-somethings, but even my 40 & 50 something friends have found some wisdom and comfort in knowing that "it wasn't just them" or "oh my g..! I did that too!"

Knowledge is power and choice - once we have a better understanding about where our "hurts" are originating from, we can change those thought patterns and maybe even find the courage to talk to the ones we have hurt or have hurt us.

Easy, fast and can be read in parts.

... having someone who stands by your side.

Perfect examples, broad life experience, no judgement, just a quest for the inner truth each one of us has deep inside.

I suggest this book to all those who need a neutral point of view, beyond common sense, religion, and even psychotherapy itself.

I cannot rate this product due to not receiving it. When I looked up the tracking number it said it was delivered, however, I did not get the package. I have contacted the post office, but they could not do anything. If you could help me resolve this I would be grateful as I will not pay for something I did not receive. Thank you.

Do you walk on eggshells around your parents? Do you dread seeing them, really? If so, chances are, your parents are toxic and they have you under their control. I have since realized this after 36 years. This book almost appears to have been written by me as it captures what happened in my past and recent relationship with my parents. Get this book! They are crazy and you no longer have to buy into their loonyness! By the way, I just saw a counselor and she said that the first person to either leave the family or get kicked out of it is the healthiest. GO for it; run! You can't change them no matter how much you pity the crazies!!

Reading this book will confirm what you already suspect about your parent's behavior if you have toxic parents. It will also confirm that many of your emotional habits, such as letting people walk all over you, or not standing up to others because you don't want to make them angry, are because of the way you grew up. This book may help you to redefine your relationship with your toxic parent if you are in a position of still desiring a relationship with that parent. The short coming of this book is that it lumps so many kinds of abuse into one book that you don't get a good feel for how to deal with the specific type(s) of abuse that you experienced. It also doesn't really give the reader any tools to move forward in their own life. Yes, it validates that you were abused, but it doesn't talk about how to move yourself forward in any aspect other than your relationship with your toxic parent. The one thing that I took from this book, and am very greatful for, is the realization that my aging and in poor health, but still miserable, angry, mean, and toxic parent lived her life and made choices to get to where she is today, it isn't my fault she is miserable and mean (even though she would tell me otherwise). I am entitled to live my life, I don't have to feel sorry for her and try to make her feel better at my family's expense anymore. Basically, after reading this book and dealing with a nasty precipitating event, I have realized that I am not responsible for her problems, she is. So if you are in need of validation that your parent is toxic, read this book. However, if you are looking for a way to pull your life together because of childhood abuse, this isn't the book you are looking for.

Interesting and well written story of two kids flying across the country in a Piper Cub. Great adventure and an example of God's provision and protection even when people don't acknowledge His existence.

I am a new private pilot and devour anything aviation related, so I very much enjoyed the flying theme of this book. But even without the flying aspect, it is a great story of how complicated father/son relationships can be and the bonding between brothers. It is a very touching story. Mr. Buck is a solid author as well, which is not always a prerequisite for writing a memoir.

This is a fantastic book! I've read it twice and will most likely read it again. It has so many compelling elements that it can't be fully appreciated in one reading. I think that the sheer adventure in Kern and Rinker Buck's 1966 coast-to-coast flight is what really seized me. I am the same age as the Buck brothers and struck out on my own the very same week they made their flight. Their desire to have an adventure, prove something to their father and master a pursuit reserved for skilled adults hit home with me. The book is funny, touching and insightful about family relationships.

It is a great read and I, for one, am very grateful to Rinker Buck for putting this story down on paper all these years later.

WARNING: the first few chapters are dry, I almost gave up on the book and I am glad i didn't because after the first few chapters the book is so interesting and grabs you.

Very Funny and descriptive you will love this book even if you don't have an interest in aviation.

it takes you through the boys journey and Rinker Buck describes everything in enjoyable detail. The book describes their flight across the country and back(although he really does blow through the journey back).

The book reminds you of a different time in the world, 1966, when you could fly around without a radio and sleep on the tarmac at the airport.

Anyone can enjoy this book and it is in story format, not biography.

Rinker Buck is an engaging storyteller and this story is truly delightful. Touching at times and hilarious at others, Buck takes you along on he and his brother's amazing adventure across America in a Piper Cub. I would recommend this book to just about anybody, especially aviation enthusiasts.

One note: you don't need to read the after word as it is a little sad and depressing after such a good read, and it doesn't relate to the story that much.

I have never written a review of a book before, but I was reading a review of another book I had just read and the author of that review said if you want to read a true legal thriller you need to read this book. I could not find it in the bookstores so I ordered it via amazon.com.

I thought the book started out kind of slow and I did not care for the use of the "F" word a few times at the beginning. I like to recommend books to my mother in law and that might stop me from recommending this one, but maybe not. Once I got into the book there was not an excessive amount of profanity and I could not put the book down.

I really like John Grisham books and this one ranks up there with Grisham's best. I highly recommended it if you have not read it already.

This was a marvelous read. Fast, frenetic--- keeps you on your toes. I would recommend this to my friends who love thrillers.

William Diehl, Primal Fear (Villard, 1993)

As I continued on through this book, discovering its many flaws, I wondered more than once if the reason I kept reading it was, at least in part, my extreme regard for Gregory Hoblit's amazing film adaptation. It's one of those rare cases (Psycho and Silence of the Lambs are the most obvious examples) where a director took a mediocre novel and really made it his own, with the resulting movie being better than the book could have ever hoped. And yet, a day after I started reading Primal Fear, I was three hundred pages into it.

There's a difference between an author who can write and a book that's well-written. I've been thinking about this over the past few days. I think the distinction, ultimately, derives from what's important to the author. A well-written book is in love with language. It is painstakingly checked for errors, each word has been chosen with care (there are some books, such as Wendy Walker's The Secret Service, where I've actually wondered, idly, how much time the author spent considering the placement of each "the"), the book was written with an eye to the overall beauty and mellifluousness of the words just as much as to plot, characterization, pacing, all that sort of thing. But a book does not have to be well-written to show evidence that an author can write. (When reading this, imagine emphasis on the word "write," in kind of the same way you might say, "dude... that guy can drink", after the guy next to you at the bar has just put back his fifteenth shot of Yukon Jack and shows no signs of disorientation.) It is possible to have cultivated a fantastic feel for one or two of the major structural components of a novel without having quite grasped the rest. I'm not exactly sure how such books actually get published (this may stem from my just having finished Noah Lukeman's excellent The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile, which assures the avid reader/writer that stuff like this gets tossed out the window unless you're, say, Danielle Steel), but man, someone, somewhere, had to okay The Da Vinci Code.

Not to say Primal Fear is as flat-out bad as The Da Vinci Code. Diehl, while seemingly uncaring about the language itself-- while the phrase "riddled with clichés" has become something of a cliché in itself, it's quite an apt description of the writing here, and that's only the tip of the linguistic iceberg-- knows how to plot and pace. When an author doesn't spring the big twist on you until halfway through the book, and you don't care, that's pretty impressive.

In case you've been living under a rock since 1996, the plot: a sleazy, but very good, defense attorney, Martin Vail, wins a big case against the city of Chicago for police brutality against a minor mafioso. In revenge, they set him to defend Aaron Stampler, accused of killing the city's most beloved Catholic cardinal, found shivering in the confessional with the cardinal's blood all over him, the knife in his hand, wearing the cardinal's ring. An open and shut case, right? Well, you've seen Twelve Angry Men...

Unlike most courtroom dramas, this one spends most of its time outside the courtroom, with the first three hundred or so pages of the book devoted to Vail and his team trying to unravel the mystery of who really did kill the cardinal. (That's the big twist I mentioned before.) Once that's out of the way, then we get to the courtroom-drama bit. And, along with the language, that's Primal Fear's biggest failing: this is a very linear book, almost videogame-like in its insistence that we have to solve problem A, fight the boss battle, and then go on to problem B. Even though it's an old cliché in itself that (unless you're Law and Order) the basic piece of mystery-flavored entertainment will have two threads of mystery going at once-- only to be wrapped up into one at the end, of course-- utilizing that particular cliché at least shows that the artist doing the creating is capable of juggling such things in such a way that it keeps you entertained. Diehl is either beyond that or simply not capable of it, given the linearity here. He's just not interested. He's relying on the big reveal to throw the reader off. And it does, somewhat, but the linear nature of the narrative makes him reach for stuff that comes naturally to authors who do it the other way (dramatic tension being the main example).

In any case, the short answer, though it's already far too late for that: eh, not awful. But the movie is much, much better. Not terribly often I get to say that. ***

I read this book a few years back and could not get it out of my mind. The ending was just such a surprise. I read it and immediately had to rent the movie. The book was better, although I thought the movie was very good and true to the novel. Edward Norton played his character wonderfully.

This is my favorite all-time suspense novel.

This book is my favourite novel of all time. The story line is fantastic and the ending is simply chilling. The complex and descriptive paragraphs are completley stunning. The way Diehl can keep the story flying along with unbelievable speed and excitment is a rare and raw talent and is a joy to read. Also, as well as being fantasic read, it is also fasinating-it reveals the world of the court room in all its glories, as well as looking in to the human brain. Fasinating! If you haven't read it shame on you! Read it, you haven't read a thriller untill you read a novel by William Diehl!

High school cali girl/ 10th grader Suze Simon wakes up in her bed with a blood curdleing scream. Its a ghost, screaming and sobbing uncontrolably. "You have to tell Red he didn't kill me." Suze trys to put two and two together and looks up Red and finds Red Beaumount. When Suze schedules a meeting with Red Beaumount, she meets Marcus, Red's brother. Red thinks, well Red B. thinks he's a.... but he's not. But Red really is... And Marcus really tries to... and Jesse saves... and [blank] killed others too.

So as you see its really a good mystery, and trust I revealed nothing to you, so you have to read it to answer these blanks!

I really like Susannah's character because she kind of sassy and a "kick butt" kind of girl. She's got a really strong personality but it has many of the issues that a teen girl faces...being embarrassed...wanting a boyfriend, and all that.

All in all, this is turning out to be a solid series in the genre of urban fantasy and I highly recommend.

The novel starts off with Suze being at a pool party. While Suze is at this pool party, she meets an attractive guy named Tad Beaumount. After the party, Suze wakes up in the middle of the night to a screaming ghost of a woman. The woman tells Suze to tell someone named 'Red' that he didn't kill her.

With the help of her friends CeeCee and Adam, Suze tracks down a multi-millionaire businessman with the nickname of Red. Suze also finds out that Tad Beaumount is the son of this multi-millionaire. Jesse warns Suze not to get in contact with Red and that it would only cause trouble. Suze ignores Jesse's warnings and gets in contact with Red. Soon Suze finds out that Jesse's warnings were right and that things are not as they seem.

'The Ninth Key' Was a really interesting book but I just don't think it was as great as 'Shadowland'.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed this book but it could have been improved a bit.
There were events that were very suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat but most of these events were kind of un-necessary (You'll have to read the book to find out because it would spoil the book if I said why they were unneccessary).
I also agree with another reviewer that said that this book would have been better if it had been a short story or if it had been a part in the first book.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series, ( Shadowland (The Mediator, Book 1) ) it seemed unique enough. But this one... well first I'd like to point out that in this book Meg Cabot repeats a lot of things she said in the first book. I mean yes I suppose it's nice to make the books so you really dont have to start at the beginning of the series to understand what is going on, but there is a fine line between that, and repeating an ENTIRE PARAGRAPH WORD FOR WORD from the first book ( which Cabot DID do ). During most of this book it seemed to me that Meg Cabot just did not know what to write. It all seems like she just improvised, and, most of it is repeated stuff from Shadowland ( if not word for word, than the basic idea of it ). Thankfully, in the later books this doesnt happen so often, so if you can bare through this one, than the series is over all pretty interesting.
Also, it gets very annoying how obsessed Suze is with getting a boyfriend; like its the only thing that matters, ever. And how being a Mediator " Is so horrible Oh i just wish I was normal " ( This continues on throughout the series ).

Book #2 in the Mediator series by Meg Cabot opens about a week after the first book ended. Suze, mediator at large, is suddenly visited in the middle of the night by a screaming ghost begging her to tell "Red" that she knows he didn't kill her. With a cryptic message like that, Suze checks around to find out who might be called Red, leading her to a prominent businessman and his hunky son, Tad. Delivering her message is easier said than done, and Suze becomes uneasy when she's rushed out of the strange home of Red Beaumont (even though she's definitely attracted to Tad). Imagine her surprise when the ghost reappears, accusing her of not delivering the message at all, and she runs into a second ghost who tells her Beaumont is responsible for HER death. What's going on? Does Suze have the right person? Is Red Beaumont a cold-blooded murderer? Is he a vampire? What about Jesse, the hot ghost living in her bedroom? Will Tad ask her out?

This is a very good sequel to the first book in this series. Suze is finding an ally in Father Dominic, a fellow mediator, and her circle of friends is growing in her new home. We also meet her father, a ghost who has traveled across the country to give his daughter advice. This story, while of course focusing on the mediator aspect, also brings Suze into a more complex mystery and shows us her survival skills outside of her ghostly talents. There's a pretty good twist towards the end, and the tension between Suze and Jesse is intensifying. This is a fun series, not meant to be taken too seriously, and I look forward to reading more. Surprisingly well done, if you enjoy paranormal romance and suspense, you'll definitely like this one.

These stories set in the Appalachian mountains are incredible! This one is about a certain stretch of the mountains that are haunted by an eighteenth century pioneer woman. The present day plot is set in this area, and the two times run parallel to each other. I find it hard to describe this since the concept is so unique, but I do know what I like, and I like these stories very much. I recommend that you begin with the first book and read in order (this is the third in the series). In this book we see Martha come into her own as she works as a deputy. She is on the trail of an elderly escaped convict and this man's path seems to cross with a bunch of other present day people, as well as the ghost of the eighteenth century woman. I know it sounds far-fetched, but believe me it is not. This book is incredibly well-written.

This was a book club selection. We had not done a mystery and it was a fun, easy book.I enjoyed a few Tony Hillerman's, similar regional mystery novel idea. I had noticed that the author had a following and decided to try it. I did enjoy it. A multi-layered novel with multiple story lines that end up merging in unexpected ways. The criminal elements were a little transparent and predictable (I won't spoil anything by expanding on that). My parents are from Appalachia. This aspect of the writing I found to be top notch. She knows the subject, she writes from the heart. Appalachians are discriminated against and pre-judged ruthlessly and without criticism because it is not a particular race. The "ignorant hillbilly" slur has existed as long as most degrading slurs, and is condoned by the media and our society. Sharyn McCrumb gives her readers a glimpse into a complicated, sometimes closed culture that has many beautiful aspects to it. The religion, the customs, the loyalty, and the unique music are both interesting and mysterious. More importantly, these 1st, 2nd and now 3rd generation Americans helped build this country. From the anti-establishment bootleggers to the mine wars of the 1920's, it is a culture rich with history,tradition, scandal, and tears. Not to be overlooked. Bravo to Sharyn McCrumb.

This novel makes such a strong statement about the destruction of a culture and its environment through the use of mystery, suspense and well-drawn characters. It also questions conventional perceptions of heroes and villains and thus revises the myths that the author is drawing on. That's what makes it so brilliant. She Walks These Hills in the best book I've ever seen from Sharyn McCrumb. I am in awe of her achievement.

After a hard week of Reality, She Walks These Hills is a rare treat. McCrumb's ability to take one away from the concerns and intricacies of one's own day-to-day life is astounding.

She encourages all five of your senses to participate...her characters become your friends and the mystery and history of the Appalachians become part of your own past for a short time. You root for the good guy, boo the bad guy and in the end, can rest easy knowing that everything worked out the way it was supposed to.

SHE WALKS THESE HILLS by Sharyn McCrumb draws you deep into the culture of the Tennessee mountain county. Nora Bonesteel has the sight and she sees many things before they happen. It is not a comfortable, life but Nora has learned to live with it.
An urban graduate student, Jeremy Cobb begins a backpack trip into Nora'S mountains to trace the paths of Katie Wyler who was captured by the Shawnee. Jeremy isn't equipped to walk the hills and abandons his meager supplies as he fights to survive until he can reach help. The spirit of Katie walks to same path.
Hiram Sorley has escaped from prison and is also making his way home. His status as a local folk hero impedes Sheriff Spencer Arrowood in his search. All parties both living and dead travel paths where no man can follow in the complex novel.
A story that will stay with you for a long time.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHRS.

"Justice" by Faye Kellerman, ©1995

"Justice" is an older story by Mrs. Kellerman. I have read stories by her that come after this, judging by the occupation and situations Peter Decker is in.
He is a detective investigating a homicide at a hotel after a prom dance. His main candidate for doing the deed is a nephew or adopted son of a Mafia kingpin from New York. The tragedy is that others get caught up and become so much trash on the way to a conviction. The bugaboo is that the fellow is not really the doer, and the doer is not necessarily the killer, because of drugs and what not. It becomes a sad dance of retribution nobody wins and the dead stay dead.

The book's story has its ups and downs as many books. It has the family story and the thrilling story but you'll be interested in both because neither one is boring. The end is like waking-up from a nightmare but it won't desappoint you. You'll have a good time reading this book.

This book, in my opinion, is the best of all Kellerman's. It's gripping and compelling and you just can't put it down... Also, Chris Whitman is indescribable: you fall for him despite everything and this is what's so scary. You know deep down that he is reeeeaaaaly bad but you can't help hoping for him to some how turn out good...
To find out more about him and Terry you should read Stone Kiss.

Having read this book I still don't know what the main theme was. Is it a love story, a crime novel which follows a serial killer, a disturbing look on how teens spend their time on prom night, an inside look into a mafia family, or just a chilling detective story?

Nevermind, it's up to detective Peter Decker to unravel the complex murder of a girl that was strangled on prom night. There is a nice balance between action and suspense(multiple murders) and the private life of Peter Decker when he talks to his wife Rina Lazarus about his hard and difficult life as a LAPD detective. This gives us a little time to relax, before the suspense starts all over again.

Faye Kellerman is also great in describing Jewish rituals, which is interesting if you don't know anything about the Jewish religion. Another case for Peter Decker to solve, hopefully many will follow !

i enjoyed this book,it was okay it had interesting twists.... i figured most of them out which was a bit of a dissapointment but other that it was good. I liked how she connected religon racism and what was it called before... police politics... yeah thats it its all connected in there. and i wish there was a lil openin to ter and chris but i guess thats the mystery of it.

This is a decent yarn with enough suspense to keep a golf fan interested, but I doubt than anyone outside of golf will enjoy the book.
The protagonist is Beau Stedman, a caddy with great golf talent who is befriended by Bobby Jones. At a young age he is falsely accused of killing the wife of a resort developer at Hilton Head Island, SC. He flees and spends the rest of his life living and competing under assumed names, all with help from Jones. His story becomes public after an intern at Jones' old law firm finds Jones' files on Stedman and follows up on what he finds.
For someone with knowledge of the locales in the story, particularly Augusta National and Hilton Head Island, the author gets so many background facts wrong that it's hard to get into the story. A fictional round at the Augusta National course starts with an error having #1 as a dogleg left, and ends with an error having #10 fairway to the left of #18 fairway. Another error is in a major premise, the development of resorts and golf courses on Hilton Head Island as early as 1930. Resort development of Hilton Head did not begin until construction of a bridge to the island in the 1950s.
An essential of good ficition is that the reader must be persuaded to suspend disbelief temporarily and treat the story as true. Can't do that when you constantly run into background facts that you know to be untrue. The author is supposed to be a trial lawyer. He should have had a paralegal check his facts.

It would appear that I am in the minority regarding the merits of this book. It is a nice story about a fictional Beau Stedman who was befriended by the legendary Bobby Jones. Beau's extraordinary prowess on the golf course is immediately recognized by his mentor Bobby Jones. But before he can make his mark, he is framed for the murder of a young wife and forced into exile, never able to gain the stature and notoriety that is his due.

Jones believes in Beau's innocence and, identifying with his young protege, Jones arranges a series of golf matches with the greats of the game which only he could engineer. And Beau beats them all! He has a perfect record against the best golfers of 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Hardly credible I would say, the vagaries of the game being what they are. While this is a sweet story, particularly the end, it suffers from a very superficial treatment of the characters and a fairly shallow and predictable story line. The story, save the very end, is not well written. All in all, this is a mediocre effort.

If you want to read a great golf novel go out and purchase "The Green" by Troon Mcallister. Now THAT'S a great golf story!

A light, entertaining novel well couched in golf history and a plausebale story. You will solidlly identify with main character, his mentor and the narrator.

J. Michael Veron apparently sat down to write The Greatest Player Who Never Lived in the same manner a trial lawyer would write a closing argument. He tells us what he's going to say, then he says it, then he sums up what he just said. There was very little tension in the story, only piles of documents to sift through along with the main character. It is at times laborious reading with a pleasant twist at the end. Golf fanatics and lawyers (who play golf) will enjoy it. Otherwise skip this tiresome read.

I am a more recent golf fan and not a player, but I devoured this book from page one and loved it. The author fills in wonderful details of Bobby Jones' legendary life and career (what a marvelous man he must have been), as well as telling a gripping story of a mythical relationship between him and the young player whose own meteor never had a chance to streak across the sky. Naturally golf lovers will love it, but that said, I think anyone who enjoys a good sports story or a story about great relationships tested in tough times will also love it. It's a jewel of a book -- don't miss it.

I have come to the conclusion that a really good novel is one that unnerves me, provokes me, makes me think.

The Great Divide, is just such a novel. The top line here is: get it and read it because it is entertaining and provoking and I happen to think that everyone needs to be challenged a little if they are really going to be entertained.

So what of the book itself? The pace is indeed more measured in the middle third, but the plot is gripping and the fruits of the authors research can be seen in the richness of the book's environment. And, by the time you are in to the final third it really is a roller coaster down to the finish, with some very satisfying discoveries in the final pages.

It's interesting to note who here has given this a poor review - someone who used to work in China for a US firm who thinks the plot is far fetched, hmmm would I want to risk it if i were the main character in this book? would I want to trust my life and liberty to the Chinese justice system?

Then there is someone who argues about the geography of North Carolina; well I don;t know who is right on geography because I am not from those parts, but lets just call it artistic licence and get on with the story! This is not a book about the layout of one American state, it's bigger than that.

The comparison with Grisham is not unwarranted, and with Davis' work maturing (this book was released on 2000) you can expect to get some real gems.

If you have read this one can I recommend the more recent and equally compelling "The Lazarus Trap".

I loved this book from the very beginning. Usually I can read this size of a book in a day, but this one took me a full week. Every time I tried to skim I ultimately had to go back over and re read the skimmed parts. I loved it! Characters so real that it was better than watching a movie!

I truly loved this book. If you start it, be sure you have time to read, because you won't want to put it down. The characters were complicated and three-dimensional. The plot was interesting and compelling. Although, the ending is a bit predictable, some of characters motivations were not discovered until the end, and this made it "worth the ride." I believed in Marcus and his journey to find peace. I liked that fact that everything wasn't handed to the reader in a neat little package. Thanks T. Davis Bunn for Christian fiction that is believable and well-written.

T. Davis Bunn's basic premise is compelling: an American activist is captured while seeking to expose slave labor conditions in Chinese factories that double as prisons for political undesirables. A brave Southern lawyer bucks enormous odds to try to win her freedom and expose the collusion between an American textile giant and the Chinese slavemasters. I listened to this book on tape and several times I found myself sitting in my car after I'd arrived at my destination wanting to hear what would happen next. My main criticism is Bunn's writing. His descriptions of people, places, and emotions caused me to wince on many occasions. He uses words imprecisely and seems to think that combining several ill-chosen words will more effectively convey his point. Also, the good people in his story are all good and the bad people are all bad, with no gray areas. Last, most of the main characters are seriously depressed, and I saw no gradual transformation through the story that would lead me to believe that their struggles led them to a better life.

This book is magnificiant. It truly displays strong character, awesome courage and some mind blowing courtroom arguments. Marcus Glenwood is a tired man after the unfortunate accident that destroys his life. Before he can think straight, he is hired to represent a missing girl, Gloria Hall.

Here, though Marcus is not in the best of his minds due to presonal tragedy, he still represents the Halls. Every page leads to new problems in Marcue life. Though, Marcus knew that fighting against a Multinational Giant won't be easy, the arguments presented are very good. There are some excellent arguments presented in the book.

The twist in the story continues till the last page. Marcus has almost given up hope when he strikes the final punch. The book is a great read !!!!!

This book is widely accepted as the standard graduate level text for Discrete Time Signal Processing. Personally I think it could use a bit of elaboration and the figures and graphs should be improved upon.

I must say that for the most part it is comprehensive and thorough in dealing with this subject matter. Some of the trickier nuances are lost in this treatment of the subject.

I would highly advise this book to anyone who has a firm and solid foundation in subjects such as DSP, communications and possibly transform mathmatics. I would not under any circumstance advise this book as a starting point!

Additionally, due to the nature and level of this material... I would suggest a study guide to accompany. Having been out of school for only four years I entered an online masters program... I am expected to teach myself from the book, I have found the study guide to be necessary.

This is a comprehensive book on DSP. It is perhaps too much for a student approaching DSP for the first time but it is a very useful text for advanced students. It is also a good reference on the subject. Beginners would do well to go through the elementary book Signal Processing First by one of the authors Schafer before tackling this book.

The electrical engineering approach to teaching a subject can often be quite rugged in comparison with the other hard sciences. I believe that for many students, an honest and unbiased appreciation of this text takes quite a bit more time than other hard science texts. Treating this book with respect and his or her instructor with reverence, the talented student who dedicates herself or himself to be a disciple of DSP will profit from Discrete-Time Signal Processing.

I've used D.T.S.P. for a course and found it very satisfying. I've also read the Schaum's Outline by Monson Hayes and "Understanding Digital Signal Processing" by Richard Lyons, but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone really interested in the subject.

This book can appear more intimidating at a first glance, but chances are that is just the fear of a mind not accustomed to precise, throughout exposition. Actually, such preciseness is the only way to really understand a subject and it is much harder to learn something without it (although, it's easier to delude oneself into thinking that one is learning).

While studying on the Hayes' book I often found myself trying to reconstruct the steps taken to build and use a mathematical representation of a problem, and realizing that there were some informations I was missing; that the exposition made sense only as long as I didn't put it under a magnifying glass to see the holes. As my interest for DSP and my hunger for thoroughness grew I had to turn more and more to the Oppenheim-Schafer in order to find the missing steps, until I decided that it would have been easier to use it as my primary book.

As for the requirements, there isn't really much: some basic calculus and, for some chapters, a knowledge of analog systems - something that you have probably already studied if you are doing this for university, and something that you should study if you are a diy enthusiast.

If this isn't your biggest interest and you only need to pass an exam, the Schaum's outline should be enough. If you want to build a solid foundation in DSP design, acquire new mathematical models and the skill to use them (in my opinion this is a central part in increasing one's intelligence) use this book.

It is my pleasure to comment on this book which I recently purchased. I have two of Dr. Oppenheim's previous books. This book is a core integration of a topic with too many diverse starting points (mine was digital filters derived from Prony's method, not in the book by name). Dr. Bose was my first EE Professor. Alan Oppenheim was my second EE instructor. Alan (just finished MSEE at the time) had not published a book yet, but his focus was always on your questions. His product was your understanding. If this book is for your shelf, it will not harm it. If this topic is for your mind, this book was meticulously written for you. Lance Webb, PhDEE