Dunne Books

Martin Jerrold is now a Captain... of a stinking prison hulk full of poor French prisoners of war. This wild adventure opens even more hilariously than the last one, with Jerrold quite happy to be safe from bodily harm and in possession of a large cabin where he can entertain his "cousin", the very capable Isobel. During such a visit, Jerrold is called away to see to a possible escape attempt, and then a true escape when his French translator is found missing. Also missing is Isobel's dress. And the razor blade Jerrold had loaned the privileged prisoner. And then an imperious Major of the Horse-Guards arrives, urgently wanting to see the escaped man--and he gets Jerrold's superior to demote him and order him to find the prisoner or face getting drummed out of the Navy.

Not that Jerrold doesn't think leaving the Navy would be a bad idea, but the humiliation and the problem with actually making a living at something else leaves him with little choice other than to chase the prisoner. He faces the First Lord of the Admiralty (who keeps Jerrold's uncle too cowed to rip into Jerrold), and muck and mire with only one set of clothes and one boot, and mysterious ladies and men of Carlton House and politicians of the opposition--all who want the prisoner, but none of whom are exactly sure WHY the prisoner is so important.

Fortunately, Jerrold has a friend in the Post Office!

As before, Jerrold is mostly on land, around Plymouth, Dartmoor, Brighton and London, and aside from his habitual state, only occasionally at sea. The politics and historical detail are very good. And Jerrold provides the comic relief without being a total buffoon. As before, he is not stupid and actually has curiosity that not only leads him into hazard, but is good in a sleuth. And he truly does not want the crazy adventures that he falls into, but Jerrold is definitely a man who will often not receive what he desires!

Although, he's survived, and he's got the unflappable and intelligent Isobel, so perhaps he is not quite as hapless and luckless as he seems.

I enjoyed the adventure and the mystery. I could guess at what the secret was towards the end, since I was somewhat familiar with the period, but it was all good fun and quite an enjoyable read.

This continues the hapless adventures of Lieutenant Jerrold. Imagine a less swashbuckling Flashman (by the late Great George MacDonald Fraser) with as much humor. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hooked by the mystery and found the ending particularly clever.

Finishing the second installment of Thomas' Misadventures of Lt. Martin Jerrold left another smile on my face as I closed the last page. I enjoyed it just as much as the first book Blighted Cliffs and eagerly await starting the last in the series Treason's River. These books are nothing but pure fun and adventure with a nice blend of all ingredients loved by readers who just want to sit back and enjoy the ride. One has to love Martin Jerrold, he's a hero with human flaws and failures known to us all but still manages to come out ahead in the end after a merry long chase of madcap mischief and mayhem. Another standing ovation for the author in my eyes, it's nice to see authors still writing a good old fashioned yarn of adventure on the high seas that keep you glued to the pages without looking up but once!

Most first commands are relatively modest. A schooner, brig or perhaps a corvette for a real go-getter would be normal. Lt. Martin Jerrold gets a big first command. He gets a ship of the line, a prize normally going to senior captains. There is a catch. His command is a prison hulk and does nothing more than house prisoners and swing with the tide. That suits him just fine. It keeps him out of danger and conveniently close to his mistress. It's a nice little racket for a lazy bumbler.

Jerrold's world is upset when a prisoner escapes. This is not unusual except that everyone seems to be interested in this particular prisoner. Both political parties are adamant that his future depends on recapturing the escapee and the dangerous papers he carries but they will not tell him why this prisoner is important. When the crown prince's cronies and the intelligence service get involved, life gets positively dangerous, not to mention uncomfortable, as he chases after a prisoner he doesn't really care about.

This book is about on par with the first book of the series, THE BLIGHTED CLIFFS. It is reasonably well written and tells an interesting story. The character is not the cad some portray him to be. He is merely a bumbler and a strangely likeable one at that.

Imagine ordering The Exorcist signed by the author and the devil, and instead receiving a book on calculus. Then you force yourself to read it because you don't want to bother sending it back. That's the same experience reading this book.

The main points seem to be that

- recreational use of herbs, plants, botanicals was common and necessary due to the stresses of the ancient world

- this use influenced the finest minds to come up with new ideas such as democracy and Liquid Paper

- the modern world rejects this and focuses on repressive notions like the "War on Drugs"

- proof of the relaxed view of drug use is offered in translations from Classical writings.

These points are repeated over and over and over and over. The insinuation is that modern society is out of touch with the past and the ancient world/Classical period was superior, at least in thought and tolerance.

There is only one problem with this book. Around one third of the way through, I noticed this sucking sensation around my eyes as if the book was draining the life out of me. It is so dull and tedious, I found myself studying the white space between each chapters' last paragraph and the end of the page in fascination. A controversial subject? Who knows since the repetitive, hypnotic fashion of the rhetoric makes the experience akin to being drugged by an opiate. It made me wonder what would have happened if this academic exercise had been ghost-written by Dr. Seuss.

I have no political agenda against this book, although the five star reviewers obviously have a political agenda for it. It is certainly required reading for the easily excitable or people with bad nerves.

The repeated references gave me a sense of exactly how pervasive and widespread censorship is on this topic, and not just on the author's personal experience of censorship and his dissertation. If you think you can learn a lesson from history since it repeats itself, how can you learn anything if the great minds are put into English in a way that doesn't really communicate what they said? It is a much more subtle and sinister way to alter how large groups of people see the world.

I don't write book reviews, but it seems like there is a misunderstanding that this is supposed to be some kind of drug odyssey. I read this book without political agenda, but I was also mesmerized by seeing how drugs function within a society and not just as a hangup. The exhaustive nature of the book showed me that there are many, many references regarding drugs in antiquity. So many that it made me wonder how many people were involved in making the translations more palatable to fit with our modern view on drugs, and how many more people were required to maintain those translations.

I think the author is trying to give you an honest translation of alot of what was written pertaining to drugs so many centuries ago. Were those societies superior? Well, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson thought it was so much so that they based our democracy on it which is the reason we have a senate and not a parliament.

I just received a copy of this book this week, and literally couldn't put it down since I found the topic fascinating. The author describes his ordeal with a doctoral dissertation committee, who were insisting that he remove offending chapters from his dissertation. Those chapters became this book.

It seems to be a huge secret that there was recreational drug use by the ancients. The cradle of democracy was full of druggies! I had some classical studies and none of this was EVER mentioned. But, the use of herbals and botanicals for medicinal purposes was known. The use of psychotropic substances for recreation and inspiration was decidedly not taught.

For a very fascinating look at a still taboo subject, I suggest reading ths book. It is an easy read, despite the scholarly origin for the author. I would have liked more scholarly references but probably wouldn't have understood them since I have no background in ancient Greek. I was particularly interested in the way the author tied the frequent wars to use of botanicals for medicine and relief. Life was difficult back then and
it probably did help to numb the fear and pain of a very hostile world to have potent drugs sold in the marketplace along with the kitchen produce.

Very readable and informative and a little naughty. I had no idea that the founders of Western democracy were bisexual druggies until I read this book!

I thought this book was a fascinating read. Going in I had very limited knowledge of Greco-Roman culture, so it was nice to see that the author did a great job of explaining the context of the time as well as the background of the historical figures.

I'd say this is not only an interesting and entertaining read, but also a very important book. We can certainly learn some things from the way drugs were treated in these cultures compared to our horribly horribly misguided ways of dealing with drugs, such as the damaging War on Drugs, in the present time.

I loved the section about the democracy of ancient Athens. As well as learning about fascinating figures like Pythagoras and Aristophanes (sp?).

Highly recommended, I will surely be reading this book a second time someday.

but I am biased since I'm a Ravens fan. It was great for me simply because the fictional story revolves around the Ravens, but I wouldn't be surprised if most people found the book less than satisfying.

This book was great if you want to see what its like behind the scenes in the NFL. I read this is just 2 sittings. It was impossiable to put down. It is very well written. It brings you into the book from the start.
It starts with a General Manager who just won back to back Super Bowls and takes you thru the off season and his desire to win a third straight, but his QB is injured in a car accident. Well I won't give the rest of it away but it is a great book.

I read all the time. To me I'll read anything from Clive Cussler to Salmon Rushdie (granted there are a lot of in-betweens there). My point is, I'll read pretty much anything someone puts in front of me. Since Brian's Song (which I know was non-fiction), I can't remember the last time I was able to read a sports-related book and actually enjoy the plotline as well as the real-life parallels. Luckily for me, Wil Mara's The Draft skillfully combines both. To be honest, I'll have to admit that I didn't know many details about the draft, besides what I saw in Jerry Maguire. However, in this book, you really get a behind-the-scenes look. Also, as a plus, these details don't bore you to death or distract from the story-line.

There are several plotlines going on here, and Mara seems to be able to switch between them easily, while not losing the reader. Jon Sabino's rivalry with Brendan Cavanaugh (the Bronco's GM) is interesting and full of twists and turns. Even when you think you know how it's going to end, you're wrong. Mara is just one more twist ahead of you. The Pressner family angle is full of surprises too! I don't want to give anything away here, but suffice to say, you will not want to put the book down.

On the minus side, I'm a life-long Jets fan (we've all got our burdens to bear). So, I've got to say I wish the Jets were in here more, but then again, I'll remember that this is fiction and that the Jets are always the underdogs. Maybe in one of Mara's future NFL books, he'll bring them in. I know, I know: A long shot.

Summed up: A fresh look on the NFL (especially its less-publicized side). I really enjoyed it and I think both men and women (yes, women) all over will too! Better get your copy while you can!

Baltimore Ravens General Manager Jon Sabino has been toasted as the latest genius as his team has won the last two Superbowls. He plans to make history with a trifecta and many professional football pundits make the Ravens the favorite the three-peat.

During the off season, the star quarterback Michael Bell is injured in an accident that leaves him out for the season and the team without a strong player at the key position as neither the back up nor free agency provides the leadership needed to go all the way. Jon knows the best chance lies with the upcoming college draft by taking a chance on a rookie adapting to the NFL right away, which he believes Wolverine Quarterback Christian McKinley can; as he has the talent and played well in the major bowls and Big Ten games. However, without him the Ravens go nowhere. To get him means working a deal with San Diego who has the first draft pick and is willing to sell the rights to the highest bidder of the McKinley Sweepstakes. Sabino plans that to be him at all costs.

Though the intrigue elements (industrial espionage and a quarterback thinking of passing on the pros) seems more like a forced throw into coverage, NFL fans will enjoy the look behind the scenes of a successful professional football franchise. When the plot focuses on Sabino's efforts to insure an opportunity for the historical third ring, the tale is fast-paced and fascinating; when the story line focuses on other characters like a rival General Manager, it becomes time to punt. Still since much of the tale centers on Sabino trying to keep from being sacked, football fans will enjoy THE DRAFT especially with its parallels to Brady (Michigan QB) and Roethlisberger (bike accident).

Harriet Klausner

Dunne is a fantastic and fun writer. This collection gets bogged down however. Many of the stories are dated and the updates are not recent. Many of the stories are reprinted in the far superior colleciton, Justice. Still, parts of this book, particularly the Gloria Vanderbilt story, stand out. If you like Dunne, I would start with Justice and move backwards. It is fun to read many of his stories do have something of a timeless quality. I was frustrated with parts of book which seemed dated and dull. Ahh..what do I know. Dunne is still great.

When I picked up Mr. Dunne's novel for my book collection of his amazing works, it was another week of neglecting my duties as a Mother to my starving children. Thank goodness for the microwave! I am a Vanity Fair subscriber and always will be due to Mr. Dunne's genius writing. Mrs. Litras.

It's had been quite some time since I'd picked-up a book I couldn't put down, but this one ended the drought! It made me an instant Dominick Dunne fan and wishing that he'd continue the saga for the Bradley family in future novels. If you have ever been intrigued by the lifestyles of the rich and infamous, or the larger than life experiences of the Kennedy's, then click on the order button and prepare to curl up with this unforgettable story!

I have enjoyed Dominick Dunne's novels (novels in disguise!), but this book has left me wishing I had been a Vanity Fair subscriber. I never realized what I had been missing, although I might have not read anything else in that magazine. I almost didn't order it, because I was disappointed with his previous work-The Way We Lived Then-which was exactly what he said it was, the recollections of a well-known name dropper, all names and not much content. However-this book is wonderful-and probably more so the recollections of a name dropper. Incredible true stories of the rich and famous, and maybe some not so famous, all intensely interesting. A number of the essays involve crime-beginning with his description of the trial of the man who killed his daughter, and including pieces on the Mendez brothers, O.J. Simpson, Claus Von Bulow, and more, told as only an "insider" could. Yet not all of the tales are crime related, so if you're looking for tabloid-style, tell all stories, this probably isn't the book for you. He tells the tales of high society with a touch of class, and I can't imagine that he has made many enemies, and probably remains in good favor with most of the people he has included in these pages. I finished the book wanting to go back and re-read several of my favorite stories, and wishing there was a sequel I could now continue with. Enjoy-I read it in 2 days.

In Keith Donavan's The Fifty Year Seduction the author discuses how the introduction of televising college football games has changed the business side of the game forever, and helped it become the money maker that it is today. In this non fiction sports book he shows how the evolution of the media has had a direct influence on the game. This is a must read for any college football fan, who wants to fully understand the inner workings.

This book is absolutely essential reading for anyone who is interested in the business of college football. Even if you are just a casual college football fan, this book is pretty easy to read and helps explain a lot of things, like how Notre Dame can remain outside of the conference system and why the post season is so chaotic.

If there is any short-coming, it might be that the book focuses a little too much on the internal management of the NCAA, especially the consolidation of power that occurred under Wally Byers. But, in the end, this is such a gigantic subject that it had to have some kind of hook.

While watching Texas coach Mack Brown gleefully accept the final BCS nomination this past bowl season, I mentioned to my wife that someone should write a book uncovering the history behind the BCS shams we consistently witness from year-to-year. My wife suggested I write it as I have been involved in high school, collegiate and professional sports for the majority of my life. Little did I know, that Keith Dunnavant had already written a book which uncovered the information I was searching for. While I have utilized and referenced a lot of his material for the evolution of the BCS chapters within my book, my book takes serious aim at uncovering the east-coast / west-coast bias issues and the rift that occurs between the BCS and non-BCS conferences. I also offer a lesser restrictive alternative as a solution to the BCS woes.

Nonetheless, his book is outstanding and was a major inspiration and source of history for my own project. I recommend this book to anyone who aspires to understand the BCS controversy and ultimately how the fans can change the system so it is more equitable and fair to all Division I-A programs. Keith's book - The Fifty Year Seduction - will fascinate, inspire and enrich your college football knowledge, perspective and understanding of the many controversies, scandals and methods of corruption.

This is a well written, well researched book on the relationship of TV and college football. While I was aware of the significant ruling in the 80s when Georgia and Oklahoma as a test case for the CFA were allowed to televise away from the standard one game a week on ABC, I was not aware that the outcome was more games but significantly lower TV revenue. This was the most significant development of the past 50 years with the next big move being the bowl tie-ins and increased revenue available from the BCS bowls in the 90s.

But what this author did such a good job of was detailing the personalities involved with the NCAA and how that dictated how TV contracts were negotiated up until the 80s. Some fallout of those relationships is what led to the later mess in TV rights fees.

Having worked on a fundraising board with a 1-A College athletic program, this is a must read that I would recommend for any athletic administrator or diehard fan. I find it interesting that this book has been out three months and it hasn't been reviewed. I suspect that means that not many college football fans also read books. Or maybe it means they don't use Amazon. Irrespective, do yourself a favor and read this book if you enjoy the game of college football.

Gift of the Bambino is a treat. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it touched me deeply. The Babe Ruth theme is cleverly woven through out the story, with intriguing details about the baseball giant that will delight his fans, but which move in and out of focus around the real story of a boy and his father. This is story about family and about respect, and it is memorable because it is the kind of novel that reaches out to each of us in a personal way. Thanks Jerry Amernic...can't wait for your next novel!

Novelist Jerry Amernic's debut novel Gift Of The Bambino illustrates how it is possible to effectively pen a novel wherein sports' history collides with fiction.

At the core of the novel is Amernic's principal character, Lazo, who had a dream of one day playing baseball in the big leagues or as he called it the "big show."
The spark that ignited his desire was when in 1914, as a very young lad, he witnessed the legendary Babe Ruth, who at the time was playing for the International League team the Providence Grays, hit his first and only home run as a minor leaguer. Apparently, the ball was hit so far that it wounded up in a lake located on some island in Toronto, where the game had taken place. Lazo even had the opportunity to meet Ruth after the game and obtain his autograph.

From that moment on our principal protagonist decided he was going to pattern himself after Babe Ruth and even went so far as trying to adopt Babe Ruth's famous stance at the plate.
Unfortunately, Lazo refused to listen to his coaches and others to change his stance, which was probably why he was never able to hit a low inside fast -ball, and the principal reason why he never made it into the major leagues.

Especially moving are the novel's warm conversations and emotional resonance between Lazo and his grandson Stephen, who is the only member of the family privy to his grandfather's secrets pertaining to his baseball ambitions during an era of some of the greatest ball players of all time.
Amernic succeeds in moving effortlessly from the voice of Lazo to Stephen, and it is these conversations that permit readers to effectively experience the disappointments that very often humans are subjected to during their lifetime.

Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.com

I'm not a baseball fan. I don't follow the sport. Yet I read this novel in one sitting and enjoyed it immensely. Why was I so taken by this coming of age story built around a colorful bit of baseball history? Why did it appeal to me?

There were a number of reasons. First of all, I learned something about baseball that I didn't know before, including the fact that the key event in the story took place right here in the city where I live. That was news. But that wasn't what kept me reading.

What kept me reading was the artful telling of the tale, the air of innocence in which the story was cloaked, the charm of its naivete, the little humorous moments, the turns of phrase.

It now occurs to me, that there were two babes in the book. One was Babe Ruth. And I felt his pain as he deteriorated. The other babe was the narrator. And I felt his uncertainty as he groped for enlightenment and maturity.

This baseball story is certain to appeal to baseball fans. But as I discovered, non-fans will enjoy it as well.

The theme of fathers and sons reconnecting through baseball is growing more common, from WP Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe" to the new classic "Waiting for Teddy Williams" by Howard Frank Mosher. But Jerry Amernic has thrown us a curve with "Gift of the Bambino," united a son and grandfather through baseball and the sport's most recognizable icon, Babe Ruth. And his results are touching, insightful and often uproarious. Baseball fans will be delighted, but so will fans of stories told with flourish and grace.

Buy this book now, if only because it's difficult to find on chain-booksellers' shelves. To me, a book without the predictable, headlong, simplistic storytelling of today's mass-market books is a gem, and finding it is part of the reward.

Another interesting relatively(pun intended)unknown fact, except to Irish and Polish is that: More Irish marry Polish, and more Polish marry the Irish more than any other peoples - outside of Poland and Ireland, of course. There is a better than 50% chance that every Irish name you hear or see, probably has some Polish uncle or connection, as is the same with any Irish name you see or hear has some Polish aunt or connection. The connection seems to stem from a Catholic people who have both been to hell and back in their histories. Both the Irish and Polish tend to not sit around and, will always, fight back when needed,i.e., both very proud Catholic cultures. Both Irish and Polish are very proud of culture and country and willing to die for their freedoms. The English to the Irish are like the Russian Communists to the Polish. Ireland and Poland has stood up to both and survived. Dia Duit!; (hello/pleased to meet you, in Gaelic) - Cheshch!; (hello/good-bye, in Polish). Poles and Irish marry the Italians the 2nd most and thirdly the Germans/Austrians.

2006's "I Never Knew That About Ireland" is a charming collection of anecdotes, stories, and a few tall tales about the Emerald Isle, by Christopher Winn. Ireland's long cultural continuity, its varied terrain, and its remarkable people are a source of all kinds of interesting items, ranging from stone tombs dating back to the dawn of Europe to some of the finest churches of the Middle Ages to some surprisingly modern firsts.

Winn breaks up his items by geographic area and further subdivides by county. The effect is a sort of travelogue around Ireland that visitors and tourists may find very useful in augmenting the regular travel guides. The book is nicely illustrated with sketches of some of the featured locations or items.

The effects of the Irish diaspora are on display here. U.S. Presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, U.S. Grant, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy had relatives born in Ireland, as did Buffalo Bill Cody.

Some other samples: Belfast was once the home of the premier shipyards in the world (the Titanic was built there). The first trans Atlantic airplane flight ended with a crashlanding in Western Ireland, ironically, near the antennas that provided the first trans Atlantic telegraph service. Amelia Earheart completed her solo transatlantic flight in Ireland (to her surprise; apparently she expected to land in France).

This small volume is highly recommended as an entertaining and educational read for visitors, travelers, and friends of Ireland.

Actually bought this as a gift, but did take time and read about places I had been in Ireland, think I will have to borrow it back after Christmas.

This is a different kind of travel book. Not a guidebook in the Frommer's or Lonely Planet tradition, but just as valuable for learning more about the country of Ireland. This book covers the four province of Ireland: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. Each county within the four provinces are featured. At the end of each section there is an "I Never Knew That..." section. Some things that I bet you never knew about Ireland:

-- In 1822, Richard Martin put through Parliament the first Animal Rights Bill and two years later founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

-- Rosslare has an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes of sunshine every day. (Living in Washington State, that sounds like paradise!)

-- You have heard of Stonehenge but did you know that the Grange Stone Circle is made up of 113 stones and is the largest prehistoric stone circle in Ireland (it dates from around 2000 BC).

-- The DeLorean (the famous car from Back to the Future) was built in Ireland and caught the eye of Hollywood producers.

--Sophie Pierce was the first woman to make a parachute jump, the first person in the world to fly solo from Cape Town to London and the first woman in Ireland and Britain to gain a commercial pilot's license. Unfortunately she fell out of a tram and was killed.

Winn has written a book with a warm personable tone. I felt as if I were listening to a fun friend who loved Ireland and knew neat trivia about each region. There is something for everyone as there are facts and stories about famous people, true crime, myths and inventions. Although color photos would have been nice, the numerous black and white sketches add charm to this book.

Winn is a writer, quiz master and producer for theater and television. He has also written I Never Knew That books about England, Scotland, Wales and London.

Armchair Interviews says: A wonderful book for trivia buffs and armchair travelers!

Mark Buckle has always been a sceptic about anything that delves into the supernatural or the superstitious, from tarot cards to star signs, yet upon the death of his girlfriend Catherine, his life and beliefs take an incredible turn.

The novel is narrated by the male protagonist Mark, who after his girlfriend dies in a car crash, is in an emotional state and in his grief, experiences a relationship with Catherine in her after life. Her presence after her death is felt by Mark, as he sees, feels and eventually communicates with her.

Outside of the supernatural component of the novel, the narrative explores the contemporary situation in a witty tale about love, life, and relationships. Despite his connections to Catherine, Mark's life seems increasingly real and he deals with life experiences that any reader can relate to. This novel is a charming account that questions human existence beyond the lived experience and explores the reality of dealing with lifes ups and downs.

Mark Buckle isn't a spiritual kind of guy. But his girlfriend, who has recently been killed in an accident, appears to be trying to make contact ... or is he just falling apart at the seams?

This book is about destiny, forgiveness and the `natural order' of things. It's a sweet, optimistic, generous and upbeat book, and even if it doesn't make a believer of you, but it will probably make you wish you could believe.

Though he has seen loved ones die before, London junior high school science teacher Mark Buckle struggles with the tragic death of his girlfriend Catherine in a car accident. He has no one to share his loss with except to a degree his gay seemingly always dunk fellow teacher Felix. Mark worries that he is losing his mind because everywhere he goes he senses Catherine is there. Rationally he knows he used her bubble bath and why her perfume permeates his apartment. However, when the radio always plays their song, he wonders if she is reaching out to him.

Following the funeral, Catherine appears in Mark's bedroom to help him find someone else. Meanwhile born-again Christian Tess Blake is half in love with Mark. He begins to notice her as a desirable female, but guiltily laments about unfaithfulness while wondering if Catherine is pushing him in that direction.

This first person (for the most part) account is two subplots brought together by the lead protagonist. The first segment of the book is Mark's harangue and grief over his loss accented by Catherine's appearance. Readers will wonder if she is a ghost or is he losing his mind. The second part deals with Mark trying to rejoin the living assisted by Felix, but really with Tess at Catherine's urgings. The audience will wonder whether Catherine is playing spiritual matchmaker or is the hero moving on. Though the two sides feel in some ways like separate novellas tied together by Mark, fans will appreciate the droll self deprecating soliloquies that make for a fine tale and turn readers into Jessica Adams believers, ghost or not.

Harriet Klausner

Jessica Adams' novel was copyrighted in 2002; and is getting its U.S. release in 2004. The novel is told through the eyes of Mark Buckle whose irreverent viewpoint makes the telling of the tale hilarious. The characters shine with gay Australian Felix Saddleton being one of the most unusual. Mark is a heterosexual; so his visit to the meeting of the Felix's Hair Bears, a gay group for hairy men who enjoy hot tubs, is about as silly as silly gets. We get a real sense of Mark's live-in girlfriend Catherine, despite the fact that she's part of the dearly departed for the entire novel. The chapters dealing with the 9-11 tragedy had tears streaming down my face. Noel D. Jupiter, the new age cab driver, and Scott O'Grady, the flatulent middle-schooler, are great supporting characters. Adams has a great sense of pacing and rhythm. The underlying theme of whether there is a God makes thematically universal this unusual entertaining tale. I haven't had a good time with a book like this since Marc Levy's "If Only It Were True." Bravo!

This book gives a short history of copyright, the reasonings behind it, its manifestation, implementation, and enforcement throughout the last 500 years with emphasis on the English-speaking world; i.e. England and now the US. It is written in a style accessible to those without legal training, and serves as a good introduction to this aspect of intellectual property. The book provides many useful pieces of information such as:
1. The differences between patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
2. How someone can copyright something.
3. How the extent of enforcibility of copyright laws change from nation to nation.
4. A brief history of the laws and court cases that have impacted and defined the evolution of copyright laws within the US.
5. How different industries and industry groups have dealt with and tried to change copyright laws.

In all, this book is a good read. The text is somewhat dry, though not difficult to understand. The style is somewhere between a textbook, an editorial, a history book, and an opinion piece. The book also provides a lot of handy references.

If you want to know what it's all about - just what it is that writers, publishers, composers, musicians, sculptors and photographers own - and what use you can make of their work, this is a great place to start.

A lucid survey of the history, and logic of the law of copyright, Samuels' well laid out, and copiously illustrated book is a useful guide for editors, writers, agents, websters, napsters, law students, and even law professors.

The numerous side bars and photos provide stories that illuminate the logic of copyright law. A subject which is in danger of being throttled by technical detail (the Copyright Act is must reading for insomniacs) is made plain here. It's a great introduction and a helpful wrap up for those who know the ropes, but have gotten tangled in the details.

Unlike many books on legal issues that are important to non-lawyers, this book strikes a very readable balance between providing useful advice and being something you actually enjoy reading. I would rate this a "must read" for anybody dealing with commercialization of art, photography, writing, data ...

The historic perspective is invaluable for understanding copyrights, and Samuels does a superb job of showing how US law has evolved to meet challenges of evolving technologies and markets.

I look forward to a second edition in a few years as the WWW saga unfolds.

"The Illustrated Story of Copyright" may be the most important book I read this year. It traces history back to duplicating the printed word, and covers presses, copiers, the Internet, and computers. Also covered is Fair Use and Patents. The book is written so that non-professionals and non-students can understand it, yet I believe that it would be an asset to any attorney's office or to any law curriculum.

Others who will enjoy this book are the Mac/Apple fans. "Mac people" are a clan of their own, and those I've met will collect anything with substantial Mac information. The condensed history of how Mac came to be is a worthy addition to a Macintosh library.

Furthermore, "The Illustrated Story of Copyright" should be required reading for all musicians, all VCR owners, all computer owners, all freelancers... the list is endless. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it, but wish I'd known about it sooner. I doubt that I'll recommend another book to as wide a range of people.

(this book was recommended to me ... then purchased from my amazon.com wishlist.)

Aird's mysteries are so short and so to the point, that when you reach the end of her book, you are going to say "I want more" like Oliver Twist. Unlike some writers who continue to write when there is nothing more to be said, Aird knows how to get to the heart of the matter without wasting words or space. And she does it with a large dollop of humor.

In this book it is obvious that Britain is having its own problems with illegal drugs, and in this one mystery Aird manages to say a few things and demonstrate the awfulness of the toll that drugs take on individuals and on society, that absolutely tear at your heart. Similar to what I told my kids and continue to tell those I teach, you cannot take the chance of trying a drug 'just this once' because you cannot know if you have an addictive personality. With some drugs, it only takes that once, and many people never find their way out of this horrible lair...

I've looked up to britain for years because of the way they handle law and police work for the most part. It breaks my heart that they too must deal with this modern day epidemic.

Poor Sloan. He has a curmudgeon for a boss, and gets stuck continually with Crosby who sounds like a poster boy for most boys (and men) between 15 and 25, who are enamored of beautiful cars and speeds. Crosby never gets to go as fast as he wants to, and Sloan probably steps out of his car after their arrival with a desire to kiss the ground and wobbly knees after dealing with Crosby's driving.

Someone made the mistake of opening a sarcophagus in order to replace the original occupant with a more recently deceased girl who happened to know a bit too much. The sentence passed on the murderer did not come from the courts but happened much more quickly...and his punishment was very fitting considering. Why do wealthy people, always seem to need more wealth no matter what means they have to take to get it?

I got two more Aird books to read...can't wait.

Karen Sadler

Ms. Aird's writing is superb in all of her books, and this one is no exception. I love correct English grammar and spelling and Ms. Aird is superlative at this, and she does it all with a dry wit and careful characterizations. I'm almost getting to the end of all her books, and I'm certainly sad about that. Ms. Aird is like no one out there. She is a little like a modern day Agatha Christie, but she's far funnier, her writing actually has more clever twists in it that most of the golden age detective writers. If you enjoy fine writing and clever plots, I suggest that you begin to read all Ms. Aird's books. You will totally enjoy them. In this book we see an intelligent look at the modern day drug scene. In her inimitable way, Ms. Aird captures this slice of humanity with a very sure hand. A body of a young girl turns up in a 2000 year old sarcophagus that is supposed to hold an Egyptian mummy. The girl is much fresher than 2000 years (in fact the corpse is about a week old when she is found.) Tracking this killer leads Sloan and Crosby into the drug world and they take a crash course on drug smuggling and money laundering. What a treat!

Aird always has ingeniously plotted crimes and very good characterization, and this is no exception. Her humor is dry, understated and one of the reasons I liked to read her as a teenager. Many of her titles are a play on words, like "Little Knell" and "A Religious Body." Hadn't read her in years, then I inherited my mother's paperbacks of just about all her books. I read them all one right after the other they held up to a second and third reading really well. Which leads me to the quibble...she's given a character name that shouldn't be here. Oh well. He's still the same sort he was in Last Respects. Obviously a solid English name and doesn't spoil the story a bit.

Aird's a little like Agatha Christie as a writer about crime in the English village. She's a better writer than Christie, thourh. She is better with characterization--her characters behave more like real people. Christie tended to write rather flat, cartoonish, if easily identifiable characters--sometimes her villians often seem a bit two-dimensonal and overdramatized, her heroines (particularly in some of the earlier ones) oversentimentalized. I don't reread Christie unless I NEED a book and there's nothing else.

Partly I guess it's the passing of years and changes in writing technique. I enjoyed some Christies in elementary and junior high school but don't think I would have "gotten" as much of the humor in Aird back then. Christie was good with puzzles, of course, and was very productive over her career. And her estate has managed her "brand" wonderfully.

Aird's writing overall is more complete and more complex. The tags that identify her characters seem more naturally woven into the story (Sloan's roses, Crosby's driving, Leyes' attempts to use material from some evening class or other in possibly apposite reasoning). Her puzzles are satisfying without being too outrageous or silly and she does get a lot of good sharp jabs at human nature. Recommended.

The Chief Inspector C. D. Sloan (Seedy to his friends) books are probably some of the cleverest police procedural British mysteries around. Written with minimal violence, this is a very well written series that revolves around the very dry and droll exchanges between Sloan (a very precise and methodical man) and the many uniquely eccentric people he frequently works with -- from his long winded and quotation loving boss, Superintendent Leeyes to his very young and rather dim car-mad underling, Detective Constable Crosby. This latest Sloan mystery involves a missing mummy, a murdered young woman, and drugs.

It all starts when the coroner receiving an anonymous tip that a body has been moved within his jurisdiction of East Calleshire, but without his knowledge or consent, and the coroner wants the police to investigate. It turns out that the body concerned is that of a mummy that has been bequeathed to the local Calleshire museum by the now dead Colonel Caversham. Sloan is a little annoyed. He has just received a warning from the customs and excise people to be on the lookout for increased crime since they had just removed about 4 kilos of heroin from circulation, and Sloan would rather spend his time trying to nab the ringleader of this local drug ring than chasing after a mummy. However when the sarcophagus is opened they find the body of a young woman who looks as if she's been dead for less than a week instead of the expected mummy. The curator of the museum is aghast -- where is the mummy? But for Sloan the questions are very different: who is the murdered woman? And who tipped off the coroner about the body? Sloan will have to sift through much before he can finally arrive at the conclusion of this very perplexing mystery.

The great thing about Catherine Aird's Sloan novels is that there are no extraneous characters or plot lines. Everything has a significance, so that if you pay close attention you can actaully solve the mystery along with Sloan. This makes Aird's books perfect brain teasers. This entire series is clever, amusing and entirely engaging. "Little Knell" definitely makes for a very good read.