Burke Books

Great book that shows the perils of continuing to work for others. I loved the comparison of jobism and communism. If you need a boost toward self employment, this is it!

This book was written back in 1996 and boy didn't Hedges call it right?Many of those people who hung their hopes on a J-O-B now find themselves out of work and attacked Hedges for this book and it's predecessor, "Who Stole The American Dream", are probably wishin they had listened to Hedges instead of attacking him.The very popular Rich Dad series of books is interestingly sending out the same message only to a larger audience---you must go from employee to self employed if you want to succeed. The best and fairest boss that you will ever have is the one you see every morning in the mirror.I also recommend "Who Stole The American Dream", "Cash Flow Quadrant", "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and "Wave 4."

This book is great for anyone thinking about starting their own business. If you have any insecurities about leaving the world of jobism, they will all disappear after reading this book.

A great book to learn why Jobs = slavery and Self-employed = Freedom and that it's your choice as to which direction you go. And why. And what to do about it.

A great book with a simple idea that most Americans never realize.

I've been free from a job for years now. I just wish I'd had this book to read when I got out of college. I would have started my action plan to freedom sooner. Now I help others "plan their escape" by consulting them on how to become free by starting their own business. If I weren't there to guide them, I'd toss 'em this book instead.

This is a fantastic book for anyone who wants to go into business for themselves. It is educational for those with an open mind and stuck in the (J)ust (O)off (B)roke (JOB) mentality.

Anointed for Burial is a great book for anyone seeking the Lord's name. I reccommend tis book with a strong yearning that the reader can get out of it more than they had ever hoped for.

This is not only a best read, but a must read. Encouraging and uplifting, this book will strengthen your faith in God and give you a comfort with the reality of the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives. As you read the miraculous events portrayed in this book, it is clear to you that what is being described is not only factual, but absolutely divine. God "showed up" to bless his "little ones", just as He is apt to do. Read this if you can find a copy! My walk with God was tentative as a new believer, until I read this book. Today I am a pastor, in large measure, I believe, because of the influence of this single volume of Holy Spirit inspired writing at the right moment in my early walk with God. It was as a result of this book that I found myself able to truly experience God firsthand. God bless Todd Burke and his family.

Whether you have a heart for missionary work in the far-reaches of the world or to give a place for the Holy Spirit to work through you to reach people around you where you live, this book will impact you in that it reads like the Book of Acts, yet with the transparency of witnessing from the sidelines a genuine, God-seeking couple who faced true uncertainty in the face of swiftly changing times (but with God's blessing and timing evident).

This book evidences the birth and growth of the Lord's church in Cambodia, a seed that is now, in 2004, having positive implications for the nation as the church is now exploding at the seams (having doubled in number in just one year). ANOINTED FOR BURIAL reads especially meaningful in light of what was about to come on Cambodia (the genocide of over one million Cambodians).

Highly, highly recommended for any believer seeking to walk in His leading and to have within them His heart.

Sean

I'm so glad someone else recommended this book to me and that I found it for sale at this web site! Being a missionary to Cambodia myself, this was a great book for me to read. Reading how the Lord worked in the lives of the Cambodian people in the past, reminded me that He can and will still change people's lives in Cambodia today! I would really recommend this book to anyone who can find a copy!

This is an incredible book that shouldn't be so hard to get ahold of! You can't put it down. The power of God is evident throughout. Best missionary book I've ever read; I've also heard it compared with "Bruchko". Definitely read it.

I am a reader on the tail end of the boomer generation, yet I found the information provided in the book very helpful in assisting me when trying to place my grandmother in a nursing home. It guided me through the process as well as helping me to understand what she might be experiencing both mentally and physically. I completed the Crisis Information Checklist provided in the book in order to get my affairs in order. I also checked out the author's website and found it to be most useful! I applaud the authors for creating such a valuable reference guide both in text and online!

Highly readable with copious references to useful websites. The authors have cut through the chaff by prefacing topics with condensed but substantive overviews. Overall, I found the book to be a good practical resource. A good read.

I have relied on WHAT TO EXPECT DURING PREGNANCY, WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE FIRST YEAR, and now there is a book to tell us what to expect for every year after that! Great resource. A must for your home library.

I have spent countless hours worrying about my aging parents and what the future holds for all of us. This publication has given me answers to many questions and explained where to go for additional information. It also hit upon areas that I had never considered before. I want to thank the authors for providing such a valuable resource. The Boomer Basic crisis information checklist is great.

Great book. Very useful tool. The book really talks to the issues I face today. A must for the library. The website and the website references really make for a complete one stop for issues facing my generation.

First, this book is beautiful to look at... great photos, full of colours, very Caribbean.
Then the recipes are very appealing and mouth watering and they don't come accross as too difficult to execute.
And most off all, so far all the recipes I have tried turned out to taste great and also look good.
I live in the Caribbean and the recipes in that book really seem to represent the islands.
The best cookery book I have bought in a long time.

As an Executive Chef who specializes in Caribbean Style product development I found it very refreshing to see such a wonderful example of a Caribbean Cookbook. I found the recipes to be clear, easy to follow and in some respects very creative. The photography is truly stunning and for once doesn't focus on sandy beaches and palm trees. The only thing I would like to have seen were some more modern recipes, maybe next time Virginia.

I went through my cookbooks, to see if I could weed some out, because I have too many to mention. It's hard getting rid of a cookbook, especially one with a few recipes in it that you've come to love. But I've scanned the recipes I need to keep forever into my MacBook. However, there were an even dozen I couldn't part with. These are books I turn to time and time again, even though I consider myself somewhat of a gourmet chef.

Ms. Burke's EAT CARIBBEAN is, in my opinion, absolutely indispensable. Her Jerk Chicken is delicious, and coming from me, someone who's had her own recipe for Jerk Chicken published, that is really saying something. You won't go wrong with this book. Ms. Burke is the marketing director for Walkerswood Caribbean Foods and they're the people who make the jerk seasoning that I, and so many others use, so it's not surprising that she really knows her stuff and if you get ahold of this book, you'll be cooking like you do to.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

I actually stubbled across this book at the Sangster Airport in Montego Bay Jamaica. After reading about Virginia Burke at the back of the book I realized that she also grew up in the same district as I did in Walkerswood JA. Now that I have a personal connection to this book I was more than eager to begin to try some of the recipes.

The recipes are easy to follow and came out great. This is saying a lot for me since I just started cooking on a regular basis a year ago. What will instantly catch your eye about this book are the vibrant colors and the accruacy of the photos used.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is either a novice or pro in the kitchen, or for anyone interested in trying their hand at cooking Carribean cuisine.

The colorful cover caught my eye, but it's the creative and easy-to-prepare recipes inside that keep me coming back to this book regularly. This cookbook goes way beyond jerk, or adding a little pineapple or coconut to a dish. Author Virginia Burke is true to the cultural origins of dishes and the recipes are presented in an easy-to-understand and unpretentious manner. To my surprise, finding the ingredients in the U.S. has been quite managable. I have seen this author on TV once, and think she deserves a cooking show of her own. How fun it would be to take a weekly culinary trip through the islands with Virginia Burke.

I thought that this book was well written. And verry ineresting. And it told what happened during the late 1800. And it told how people where like back then.

The Judd family saga is a story that will inform you, captivate you and make you laugh at times. The trials and tribulations of a midwestern family's growth through several generations gives a realistic portrayal of typical rural life in America. Doris Burke's writing is comparable to that of Frank McCourt and if you enjoyed Angela's Ashes this should definately be your next read.

I found this book of The Judd Family very interesting. It showed how families survived and what life was all about in the 1900's. I would recommend reading all of the excitement and sorrow that happened to this family. It was a well written and unforgetable story.

As I read this book It made me feel as if I knew the family and what life was like for a struggling family in the 1900's. The characters seemed realistic. The book was well written and very descriptive. I especially enjoy reading books about the past, and I hope to read more from this author.

This author has a great way of describing events that took place in the past with this family. The different stories she tells make you sit back and recall things that have happend in your past. I hope to read more books in the future by this author.

Are the father-centered family, private property, and the state necessary and inevitable part of all human societies?
Frederick Engels, coworker of Karl Marx, says no. Engels demonstrates that these three institutions arose in the fairly recent history of the human race, as a way to establish the rule of the many over the few. And, conversley, when these institutions are an obstacle to human progress, they can be dismantled.
Although this book was written about 125 years ago, the subject matter and his point of view sound surprisingly modern. Evelyn Reed, a Marxist anthropologist, writes a 1972 introduction that updates the original work from the point of view of 20th century anthropology debates abd the rise of modern women's movement. An additional short article by Engels, "The part played by labor in the transition from ape to man" is a lively piece that could be part of today's debates on human origin with almost no hint of its vintage (except maybe for his use of the term "man", instead of gender-neutral "humanity").

Marx and Engels made a fundamentally wrong guess about the nature of human beings. But it is very important to understand their line of reasoning, because they developed quite a few critical insights along the way. Due to political charge associated with their teachings it is practically impossible to find suitable third party narrative of their works. So, the only way to enlighten yourself is to dig right down into originals.

This is a serious, scientific and materialist analysis of development and change in human society and its institutions. Frederick Engels, who along with Karl Marx was one of the central founders of the modern communist movement, wrote this book in the late 1800s based on the latest developments in the then-new science of anthropology. Studying it can help us understand society and be better prepared to organize and work to change it.

Engels takes up the rise of the state and of the family and the oppression of women as early societies became more productive, making possible the division of groups of human beings into those who produce and those who live off them, and the need of the exploiters to perpetuate this state of affairs.

The Pathfinder Press edition also has a valuable introduction by Evelyn Reed, long-time socialist activist and author of works including "Woman's Evolution," "Sexism and Science," "Cosmetics, Fashion and the Exploitation of Women," and "Problems of Women's Liberation."

Why is society so cruel? It seems to be self-defeating. Why doesn't the war of the sexes ever end? In no other species do the two sexes battle against each other.

In this book we learn that things weren't always this way. In fact, oppression and exploitation are recent inventions, if we count that human history dates back EIGHTY thousand years since the rise of homo sapiens sapiens. At one point most cultures suddenly became sedentary and agriculturalist - and private property in the land emerged. Private property of land resulted in an overthrow of the matriarchal family by its male members and in the establishment of a separate group of men who violently protect unequal relationships (the state as we know it today). All happened together in a revolution that occurred in the course of just a few generations some SIX thousand years ago.

Nonetheless, the moral of this story is one of hope. If we were capable of remaking ourselves once, and based on that have advanced dramatically in a limited sense of creating material culture, then humankind can remake itself again and found a culture that enriches all aspects of everyone's lives. But this time the redesign will have to be conscious and conscientious, the beginning of a humane human history in which all participate on an equal basis. Such is the future that socialism and communism promise for us.

As a companion to this volume, be sure to read Women's Evolution, by Reed. Written a century later, it shows that anthropology's evidence overwhelmingly coincides with the theory Engels put forward in this book.

Was human society always overseen by a military and police force?
Was wealth and the means of producing more wealth always the private possession of individuals or a small section of society?
Were women always at the bottom of society, treated primarily as sex objects and machines for child-bearing and child-raising?

And is this humanity's destiny?
In this book published in 1884, Fredrich Engels answers the above questions in the negative. His book is based on anthropological data available in his day from societies around the globe. New discoveries since have confirmed his conclusions and the book is remarkably relevant today.

This book is excellent because it is exactly what I needed, that is an account of Edmund Burkes thinking, what it is he contributed to our understanding of government.

Edmund Burke (1729-1797)wrote REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE in 1789 which was four years before the rise of the fanatical Jacobins and the execution (murder)of Louis XVI. This book was not only well written but very prophetic on the tragic events that were part of the French Revolution. Burke showed historical insight and warned both the British and the French what was going to happen.

Burke cited conditions in France prior to the French Revolution. He certainly did not give a false representation of the economic and social conditions in France, but he was clear that, while not perfect, the French had advanced culture and tolerable living standards. He also warned the French that abrupt changes without recourse to tradition and legal norms were dangerous and would end in tyranny. Readers should be aware that Burke's assessment of the French political system was that the French had reasonble politcal freedom and prosperity. To destroy this political system would end in political disruption, social and political violence, lack of law-and-order, and the rise of tyrannical military leaders.

One should note Burke's assessment of the members of the French National Assembly which was vacilating and subject to the whims of any "political interest group" was serious. He suggested that military officers would be among those "pleaders" would be military officers who would be difficult to control. He also warned that when someone who understood the art of command got control of the military officers, the days of the French Republic and the National Assembly were over. The military commander would be in total control, and this is exactly what happened when Napolean I (1769-1821)started to exhibit military genius, he quickly got power by a coup d' etat in 1799 and became the French Emperor by 1804.

Burke's warnings of disaster and tragedy were fullfilled. From at least 1792 until 1815, the French were almost constantly at war with most Europeans. While the French Empire expanded beyond anything prior French monarchs ever dreamed of, the collapse of the French Empire came quickly, and the French empire was ended by 1815 at terrible cost in both blood treasure. Burke warned of these dangers, and his predictions were accurate.

Burke lived just long enough to see the rise and fall of the maniacal Jacobins which included the Reigh of Terror (1792-1794)and the execution of King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie antionette. Had Burke lived a few more years, he could have resorted to remarking, "I told you so."

Edmund Burke has been defined as a conservative which is true. However, Burke was not a reactionary. Burke realized that progress, whatever that may mean, is often slow and within the confines of historical tradition, legal norms, and established law. Burke warned his readers, to use modern parlance, against "wipe the slate clean." Burke clearly understood that to "wipe the slate clean, meant mass dislocation of men and ultimately mass executions (mass murder). Subsequent modern political revolutions vindicate this view.

Readers may wonder why Burke expressed support for the American Revolution but strongly opposed the French Revolution. A careful examination of these revolutions provides the answer. The American "revolutionaries" were arguing for their "Rights of Englishmen" which had a long tradition in Great Britain. Henry II (1154-1189) started the use grand juries. The English had the right of trial by jury by the time of Edward I (1272-1307). The fact is the American colonists wanted to rules of common law and long established legal traditions to apply to them. The British wanted to rule the American colonists with administrative law using clever bureaucrats, as Burke would probably have called them, rather than use British Constitutional Law and the Common Law which many American colonists demanded. The French, on the other hand, wanted to replace a weak monarch with "clever bureaucrats" which Burke knew very well could not work in France.

Readers should note that Thomas Paine (1737-1809)wrote a response to Burke's REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION titled THE RIGHTS OF MAN. While Paine's views were different than those of Burke's Paine's book was just as brilliant as Burke's. Readers should read both works if they want exposure to profound political thought and excellent writing. This is much preferred to the current political nonsense that is pushed by media talking heads and journalists who cannot think or write. Burke and Paine were well read men and offered readers history lessons as well as politcal lessons.

Edmund Burke's REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE is highly recommended regardless of one's political persuasion. This book is not a light read and takes time. However, one will be better informed and wiser for doing so. Again, this reviewer suggests the reader should read Thomas Paine's THE RIGHTS OF MAN to draw comparisons and contrasts.

This small title is actually a letter that the author wrote to a friend in France. When Edmund Burke wrote this letter about the French Revolution (where the king was overthrown and beheaded by the masses aka Jacobins), English scholars agree that the result was the finest piece of prose in the English language; only a few poets have succeeded in writing something finer. Whether you agree with Burke's interpretation or not is not the point; he penned the finest piece of literature ever in the English language.

As a historian and social commentator, Burke is a "structural functionalist" decades before that term was dreamed up. He recognizes that the French are not only creatures of their culture, but prisoners. And to compare them to the English colonists and other insurgents in the American colonies who revolted against the British government is to compare apples and oranges. Whereas the Yankee revolution of 1776 was Biblically-inspired and the propaganda for rebellion preached from the pulpits, the French were railing AGAINST the Catholic Church for keeping people ignorant and in their Dark Age.

Burke says the French Revolution is a revolution without its moorings, without the necessary principles to guide individual behavior, and without the maintenance of institutions that long provided stability and security. What the French philosophes were writing was mere balderdash, says Burke. Without their traditions, customs, and institutitions that had slowly brought the French out of barbarity and into a civilized manner of living, Burke saw in revolution a rapid decline and fall of the French people into a visciousness of dog-eat-dog.

In short, Burke saw the French Revolution as lacking virtue and descending into terrorism; whereas the Yankee Revolution was virtuous and grew into a democracy.

Whether you agree with Burke or not, and I do not, his writing in this letter to a friend is the finest example of English writing to be found and should be read by everyone simply for that reason alone.

In 1789, the year of the French Revolution, Burke received a request from a good friend living in France to provide his thoughts on the Revoution. The result- one of the finest pieces of political discourse ever written. For those encountering Burke for the first time, his adament defense of the crown, and of hereditary succcesion, seem to make a hypocrite of this self-proclaimed liberal. Burke, however, was not defending an absolute monarch who ruled under the charter of divine right, but rather, pointing out the danger of a perfect democracy, whose sovereign (the national assembly) was compelled not to a moral authority such as a Church, nor to a fixed consitution. In short, liberty was safer restricted in civil socity, than left unchecked.

Whether you find Burke's analysis, consistent with your political leanings, or more likely, you find his writing very offensive, you can appreciate both the efffect of this work on American and European political though, as well as the reason and intelligence with which it was written.

This is an indispensible essay for anyone who has ever been interested in politics. It is composed of beautiful prose, crisp logic, and perennially relevant material.

You must read Burke to understand the why it is worth being critical of the French Revolution and to understand some major reasons for the counter-revolutionary movement in France.

In a world where people indefinitely hesitate to take that first huge leap from the world of corporate B.S. to 'really live life to it's fullest', I applaud Burke in taking that step and sharing his amazing experience. The author invites you into his vivid world and shares his fears, joys, new found friends and the simple pleasures in doing what he loves, "Surfing."

What a great read to help encourage one to take the first leap!

Awesome read! I loved the way Anderson makes you feel like you're right there with him with vivid descriptions and colorful wording. Enough levity to make you laugh out loud, enough somberness to make you think about where your own life is going and realize that the rat race is not the way to happiness, and enough adventure to make you want to experience his travels for yourself! I hope there's another book from him in the not-too-distant future!

Anderson Burke delivers an adventure most of us only fantasize about - leaving an unsatisfying corporate job to fulfill a wanderlust desire.
From Fiji to Austraila to Vietnam to Africa, West of Indigo Blues takes
you on a wild ride through fascinating countries and cultures. This book
will have you packing your bags for Mr.Burke's next adventure.

If you have a) any appreciation for travel (e.g., desire to experience new people, cultures, foods, etc.), OR b) been squelched by working for 'the man', GET THIS BOOK. This book is filled with unique characters, lessons in history & geography, appropriate & intermittent social commentary and a WHOLE LOT OF LAUGHS.

His journey from Corporate Boardroom to Fiji surf breaks to Mumbai's "untouchables" should be required reading. Bring on some more Mr. Burke.

I truly enjoyed this book. Its immense readability allows you to follow the author effortlessly through many countries. There are many interesting characters in this book, some of which seem as restless as the author. Through his travels, Burke shows you a world in flux. The constant movement is a plus for the reader. The book never stagnates as he moves from country to country. This book may serve the reader as a basis for the reader's own search for a more meaningful existence.

Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (6/08)

"What Should I Say?" is a practical guide to help people recognize what are and what are not appropriate things to say to someone who is experiencing a difficult situation. The author covers a myriad of subjects including: death, illness, financial difficulties, and couples having difficulty conceiving a child. She stresses that it is not only what you say but the tone in which you say it that will truly impart your feelings. Speaking firmly and with confidence will make what you say more believable to the listener.

Many suggested responses can be applied to most situations so it is not as if you need to memorize a list of appropriate responses for several different situations. Focus on those that you are comfortable saying and modify them as the varying circumstances for each situation dictate. Burke also discusses the importance of not trying to force your opinions or advice on people. Rather, you should let them know you are there for them if they need your support.

Burke also gives advice on how to handle people who are offering to help you. She emphasizes the importance of being gracious for the offered assistance. However, she also states it is okay to politely tell people that you do not want to discuss the particulars of your situation.

I gained a great deal of practical knowledge from reading this book. I often do not say anything when others are troubled, not because I don't care, but because I am afraid to say the wrong thing. I now feel more confident that I can appropriately express my concern while not worrying that I will add to someone's pain.

"What Should I Say?" is an excellent aid for people who are often at a loss for what to say when confronted with a difficult situation. Everyone who is above the age of eighteen should read this book. Having the knowledge of how to best respond to other people's problems will not only prevent hurt feelings, but will help build stronger relationships. At the end of the book are two lists: 10 Best Things and 10 Worst Things to Say in Any Situation. Learning the items on these lists will be a monumental asset the next time you find yourself unsure of what to say.

This easy read book is definitely a keeper! Everyone should have a copy which definitely might prevent a few cases of 'foot in the mouth' disease. I can't imagine that there isn't anybody who hasn't said something they wished they hadn't and then realized they hadn't a clue what they SHOULD have said instead!
'What should I Say?' will solve that problem for you! The book is written with chapters in specific categories so that the reader can look up any particular circumstance to help provide a selection of possible 'correct' answers, questions and comments.
This neat paperback book should be in everyone's home library!

It happens all to often. One goes and speaks, and then blurts out something they shouldn't - they are shunned by their audience for their accidental blurb. "What Should I Say?: The Right (and Wrong!) Words and Deeds for Life's Sticky, Tricky, Uncomfortable Situations" is a guide to keeping one's tongue straight and not saying something that would make others think less of them - advice on instilling confidence in oneself so that they may instill confidence in others. Deftly written and researched, "What Should I Say?: The Right (and Wrong!) Words and Deeds for Life's Sticky, Tricky, Uncomfortable Situations" is highly recommended for anyone who has said the wrong thing before.

I like this book! We have all been in those situations and wondered what exactly is the appropriate way to speak to a person who is grieving or has gone through some type of loss. She keeps the information in a basic, common sense format that is easy to read. I find myself looking up situations before I get to them in her book and it has helped me immensely.

This is a perfect handbook of situations which people can use and reference for life's little adventures.

I can't remember the last time I read an anthology of short stories -- probably in college -- and I doubt that any other author could have tempted me. I bought this book because the jacket promised there would be an Irene Kelly story, and I was in serious need of an "Irene Kelly fix"! These stories were wonderful and engrossing, which I guess shouldn't have been surprising. I've read all the Irene Kelly novels, and "Flight" and "Nine," and have never been disappointed. Thank you, Miss Burke, for your great work!

Jan Burke is a wonderful writer. Eighteen is a great collection of short stories.

This book was a great surprise to me. I picked it up thinking it was a mystery such as I've read by Burke before. I've enjoyed Burke's mysteries for years, but never thought of them as being great literature. They are just fun books to read. But this book thoroughly changed my mind about Burke's abilities.

First time I was in college, I majored in English Literature. I really enjoyed all of it including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Twain, Dickens, poetry by John Donne and Emily Dickinson...but I must have had a lousy teacher when it came to short stories. I hated the things. They were so often dark and I could not relate to the stories at all. I think there is one short story I still remember from that time about a boy on a rocking horse who couldn't stop rocking because as long as he did it his father/family won money. It was a really dark story...

I almost tossed this book aside when I realized it was a collection of short stories. I am glad that I didn't. I mowed through this book in two days straight and probably would have done it faster if I hadn't had other things to do. These stories are not all mysteries, and when they do involve mysteries, they are mysteries about what makes people tick. The last story was about a small boy whose abusive father dies. The local law enforcement wade through the evidence and a story is told in what is found about this boy and those people, such as his neighboring young teenager, who want to keep this boy safe.
All of these stories show great thought, and great effort, and great knowledge of humanity.

A really great addition to our American literature that will be missed by many unfortunately, the same way I almost missed it...

Karen Sadler

I am a big fan of the Irene Kelly series and have always enjoyed reading the work of Jan Burke. She has a very special ability in getting the reader immersed in her stories, this being one of the reasons why she has won so many writing awards. In this collection of stories she displays her ability with confidence, taking the reader through a myriad of experiences.

I evaluated each story individually, and all of them received a rating between four and five stars, with the average being 4.5. Eight of the stories received five stars from me:

1) The Mouse: Looks at how things are for kids in school, how peer pressure may prevent someone from being proud of her actions, and how this changes in adulthood.
2) Revised Endings: Harriet feels miserable when she is assigned a new editor, who is obnoxious and demands changes in the ending of her latest novel.
3) Ghost of a Chance: A ghost visits a woman shortly after the death of her husband, who was murdered on a shooting by.
4) Unharmed: In this story, winner of the Readers Award from Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and the Macavity Award, Alex recounts the death of a woman calibrating his involvement in it.
5) Mea Culpa: A boy tries to deal with the death of his father in a car accident and with a confession he listens his stepfather make acknowledging he wants to abandon the kid's mother.
6) An Unsuspected Condition of the Heart: Rossiter writes a letter in which he relates the vicissitudes he went through when he found Lord Dallingham on the road with his phaeton overturned.
7) The Abbey Ghost: In this Edgar Award Nominee story, Edward and Lucien scare their bad side of the family away using the legend of a ghost protecting a treasure in the abbey over which their castle was built. Years later when one of them dies, he becomes a "real ghost" in order to help the other one in dealing with a murderer.
8) Devotion: Frank Harriman, Irene Kelly's husband, along with some of the characters from "Bones" takes part in this story where a young boy goes missing after his father is murdered.

Besides the eight stories listed above, the collection includes the first Irene Kelly short story, "A fine set of teeth" and an Agatha Award nominee, "The man in the civil suit". Jan Burke displays an amazing variety in the stories, dealing with different time periods, types of characters, plots and viewpoints. This is a collection of stories you cannot miss! - 4.5 stars

Anyone who has not read a novel by the spectacular Jan Burke should try 18, an anthology of short stories that convey the wide range of her amazing talent. She writes contemporary, historical, and paranormal with the narrator being of either gender, and is comfortable in first or third person. The commonality is that each story is well written and fascinating.

Fans of Bones will want to read "Devotion" which showcases some of the same characters. After Detective Frank Harriman finds the murdered body of Victor Toller and learns his son is missing, he calls Ben Sheridan and asks him to do a search with his two SAR dogs Bingle and Bool.

The very popular Irene Kelly stars in "A Fine Set of Teeth". Irene and her husband Frank give musician Buzz Sullivan a lift to his music gig. They stay to hear the performance only to be awakened early the next morning to find out the lead singer has been killed.

In "MEA CULPA' a crippled young boy finds ways of protecting himself from his abusive step-father. However, when he discovers that the man is going to kill his mother, he must find a way to stop him. This intriguing story has a feel of Charles Dickens Victorian England even though it takes place in the United States.

Vampire lovers will want to read "The Haunting of Carrick Hollow", an atmospheric tale that is quite scary while ghost lovers will find "The Abbey Ghosts" actually enthralling.

The above is just a sample to whet the appetite. Readers will find themselves totally immersed in each and every story.

Harriet Klausner