Jones Books

Breakaway Management articulates what's true about workplace behaviors: all people have them and they are less than ideal. People bring along their less than ideal histories (Managers are people too!) and create barriers to change that keep organizations or work groups stuck. The dysfunctional patterns can be identified and named, openly dealt with, and constructively managed. The tools provided in this book help to talk about what's real in the workplace and that's a common sense approach that experience teaches works well

Finally, the fix-it for dealing with those "people problems" that ultimately cause organizational ineffectiveness and failure! Dr. Jones spends just enough time outlining the origins of dysfunction and the widespread impact of dysfunction to convince any business person that it is this dysfunction we must focus on first in our organizations--and not our structures or policies or procedures. Throughout his book, Dr.Jones develops the pathway for any manager to deal respectfully and responsibly with dysfunctional behaviors. No matter how rampant the dysfunction in your workplace, Dr. Jones has beautifully and practically developed the "way out" for managers so they can implement and foster the "way back" into functional behaviors which, ultimately, creates the "way to" organizational success.

Very insightful;full of useful strategies and information. Dr. Jones style is humorous and very down-to-Earth. Chapter 5 was a real eye-opener. I now have a better sense of how to approach discussion of the issues we've been avoiding for so long. Our Thursday morning staff meetings will never be the same. If you supervise 1 or 1,000 people, this book is for you!! John A. Wilson, Area Group Manager, DMS. Inc., California

Truly explains the the reasons behind the time, treasure and pain that Corporate America has endured through the misdirected and failed implementations of Total Quality Mangement, Teamwork, Re-engineering, Downsizing and Right-sizing that has prevailed through the 80's and 90's. This text offers the reader a practical, no-nonsense approach to many of the obstacles that prevent the successful implementation of continious improvement efforts in terms of viewing the organizaiton from the perspective of Dr. Tom Jones who has laced the pages with no-nonsense advice for understanding and improving your organization's effectiveness. If you're in a position to lead people and "been there and done that," I suggest that you re-assess your organization through the "hands on "experience and techniques conveyed by Dr. Jones...You'll find it as impacting and insightful as "The Goal" (Eli Goldratt) and potentially more effective than the scores of business books offering "silver bullet" solutions to the complexities of organizational life in the 90's

Many managers go home each night feeling sick, frustrated and demoralized from facing a daily struggle to reach goals and improve performance in a dysfunctional workplace. The practices they have used effectively in the past are not working, their people seem confused and hostile, and the job is suffering. This book is written for them. It is packed with ideas and techniques for overcoming the barriers to productivity that these managers face. Identifying the symptoms of dysfunction and specifically outlining steps to overcoming them will give managers increased options and tools that can bring the whole workplace team to a new level of productivity

As I could relate with the age, time and place of the main character's life, I took a ride on the depth given to her by Jones. What a trip! I'm still sitting at the table with them over cioppino wishing everyone would come home again. Well, things surely change as California's Over reveals. I'll have to accept this and jump into another ferment of this writer's cast of characters.

This is not Jones' best, but it's definitely his most ambitious. He's trying to mark out territory as an important writer here, bidding to be a Big Gun. Commentary on society, etc. People in the throes of crucial emotions in their lives, etc. He's more at ease with the metaphysical, as in "Particles and Luck." "Particles and Luck" is a truly beautiful little book. A classic. However, I must say, the looser structure in "Californias Over" (the wandering over three decades in several characters' lives, the multiple point-of view, the flash-forwards to warn reader of future developments) all allow a new complexity here. And Jones' poetry is present. I just happen to prefer the tighter structure. His earlier books are more like DeLillo -- seem to have been directly influenced by DeLillo -- whereas this is more touchie-feelie.

A gifted, stylish writer with something new and original to say. Even though the time (1973) and place (Marin County California) and subject (family of a deceased late Beat/early hippie writer) are far removed from my own experience, Jones has the gift of taking you there, spinning you around, getting you interested in the characters and leaving you delighted and enlightened.

Louis B. Jones's California's Over is much more than a satire of the West Coast's Sixties legacy, though like all good satire it does have a deeply realized base of moral bedrock to put the clearly-observed human excesses and deviations in perspective, and like all good satire it is very funny without being cruel. But the book's real strength and beauty is in its tenderness, the sweet music of human peculiarity lucidly seen, and in its evocations of the loveliness of the sirens' songs that have drawn its characters toward their particular, poignant ruin on their particular rocks of reality. And the novel, like all of Jones's work, is ultimately a song of praise for the embattled decency, for the redemptive power in the feeble human longing for the simple human truth, for the humble beauty of the real, in the face of everything the world can bring of tragedy and temptation. Jones's language is astonishing, rich and lush and ever-inventive, a kind of sustained poetry. By all means check out his other novels--Ordinary Money, and Particles and Luck, which are also terrific. A beautiful writer, with hopefully a long and productive career ahead of him--a joy to read.

I read this in hardcover, and it's amazing. Jones is the only fiction writer I know of now who is truly driven to poetry, that is necessary poetry, not vague lyricism. Every line matters. I live in Saint Louis, MO, and Jones is here at a university to be a visiting writer and just gave a reading of his newest work, about Alaska in 1970, and it heads off in a totally different direction. There's no one writng today with his sincerity and poetry.

Mr. Wissy Jones, from United Lymphomiloid, arrives in the New England town of Pequod on a corporate mission; he is to purchase children of exceptional intelligence. His matter-of-fact offer to buy Barry, a fat kid with a high IQ instigates a congressional inquiry.

Meanwhile, Jones skillfully garners support from every quarter in Pequod, from the pioneer-stock, six foot female principal of the elementary school and Barry's closest ally, to his own mother, a slatternly lower class housekeeper who's obviously the source of Barry's brains. Everyone has an opinion about Barry, usually not too good, ranging from jealousy, misunderstanding to just plain contempt (he's fat.) Meanwhile Barry and his street-wise blue collar friend seek to prevent his sale by a hilarious act of sexual misconduct.

What happens to the children purchased by U. Lymphomiloid is openly discussed by Wissy Jones during the trial. Yet despite the shocking revelation, Jones has manipulated the town to his side and even co-opts some surprising allies.

This isn't just an examination of an education system that strives to produce a bland mediocrity and mistrusts talent, it is the story of the intolerance of society for individuals and members of minority religions, race, anyone different than the mass average. There is a lot behind this readable book and it is fresher than every.

Discrimination is declining in modern western societies. After struggles, there are now laws against discrimination of sex, race and religion. In some places there already are laws against the discrimination of homosexuals, and before long there will be laws against the discrimination of age groups (especially elderly). You can be sure of that.

The Child Buyer is sketching the discrimination of people with extreem high IQ (HIQ's), something that isn't even an issue in real life (yet). Mediocracy rules the world.

The Child Buyer is a heart wrenching, but at times also hilarious, description of the trial in which must be decided if a HIQ young boy should be sold or not to a company, because that would be good for national security, even though the boy refuses to be merchandise. The book shows how the people of a small village abandon the boy in his lonely struggle, partly because they see him as uncomfortably different, partly because they think it's for his own good to be separated from the rest, and partly because it turns out to be in their own best financial interest if the cooperate...

Hersey has structured his book around the trial. It contains only the dialogue, that is recorded in the courtroom. This may seem odd in the beginning, and perhaps slowing things down a little when all the characters are introduced, but the author succeeds very well in showing the diffence in characters. And in exhibiting the gross stupidity of some of them, as well as the way people choose for there own wellfare, above anything else.

This book was way ahead of it's time, when it was published in 1960, and - unfortunatly - it still is.

I can highly recommend it.

Hersey was justly acclaimed for his fine journalist's eye that was so evident in his Hiroshima and A Bell for Adano. But his scathing social commentary of White Lotus and this book probably have not received the attention they deserve, perhaps because of the fantastic, science-fictional feel of their portrayed worlds.

Told strictly as the minutes of a state congressional hearing, this book details the events that follow when Mr. Wissy Jones, from United Lymphomiloid, arrives in the town of Peqoud and presents an offer to outright purchase an exceptional child, Barry Rudd, who is blessed with an extreme intelligence and a maturity beyond his years, for some unspecified project that will 'aid the national defense'.

As we proceed through the hearings, we are treated to some fine characterization of the witnesses, from the sharply opinionated and articulate principal of the school Barry attends to Barry's mumbling, street-wise but not too intelligent blue-collar friend. But the hearings also expose the first of Hersey's sharply satirical looks at our society as we see the conduct of the various senators running the hearing, obviously meant to remind the reader of the McCarthy hearings, with their forcible cutting off of any testimony that does not fit the pre-defined expectation of what the outcome of the hearing should be, denigration of witnesses' lifestyles, and panel members who clearly do not have the intelligence to even understand what testimony is given.

More horrifying, though, is the picture of the educational system presented, from the ivory-tower intellectual theories that have no relation to the classroom, to the constant attempts to make all students fit one pre-determined mold, to the administrative power struggles, to the bizarre web of psychological testing, to the clueless PTA, to the rigid and hypocritical moral code that schools use to bludgeon non-conforming students. Where in this morass is the place for the truly gifted child, or for that matter one who is intellectually challenged? Hersey's points strike like daggers, for even though this book was written more than forty years ago, our schools still have every problem that is shown here.

And what of the moral outrage that should adhere to the concept of selling a child? Once more, Hersey's pen is savage, showing how easily Barry's parents sell out for a few material goods, how the senators are converted by the mere statement that it's for the 'national defense', how the general township is so easily convinced to get rid of this 'different' kid, and, most poignantly, how even Barry, with full knowledge of what the program entails, reacts to the concept.

A very moralistic tale, told sharply and with defining moments of humanity, bringing a near surrealistic concept into the all-too-possible realm of reality.

Hersey hits hard (in a humorous way) in this mock-legislative hearing at educational failure to deal with gifted children and also at psychobable theories... not to mention legislative inquiries. A little dated, but still rings true. Very funny.

This is a biting satire of the educational system. A man (Wissey Jones) is being investigated for wanting to buy a child. He owns a company that, through drugs and surgery, turns kids into emotionless thinking machines. Local school officials are lampooned as they investigate Jones and his scheme. When the book was written (1960), American educators were in a frenzy over Sputnik and the thought that the Russians had gained the upper hand in the Space (read "Brain") Race, and more effort was needed to go into educating children. Hersey was questioning at what expense, and to what extreme, all this would go. (Ten years later, of course, and education was going in the opposite direction to a lessening of standards and rigor.) At times the book comes across as overly didactic, being told in the form of "Hearings." But overall it's an interesting story, well told.

This meditation CD is what every Christian needs to relax and let go as they fully connect to the presence of God. Rhonda's soothing voice brings deep relaxation to the mind, body and spirit. Listen over and over again and feel yourself becoming calmer and more centered in God's word.

A Moment of Peace: Relaxation for Parents Audiobook

A Moment of Peace: Relaxation for Children

For years I have heard Christians say that you will fall away from God if you engage in meditation. Their words never sat right because the Psalms are full of verses talking about meditation on an aspect of God. I have searched for different tools to help me get closer to God. Knowing I should meditate but not really knowing how. I think Rhonda has done a fantastic job in producing this Cd. After listening to it I found myself saying 20 minutes can't be up. I want more. Wanting more of God is a great place to be.

AnnaMarie

There is so much to combat in our thoughts that tend to be worriful and negetive. Rhonda's tapes help create new thought patterns steeped in Scripture and soothing to the nerves and mind. Meditation isn't just for those of eastern religions...meditation on God's affirming Word is very much a Christian practice. David meditated often on the precepts and wonders of God. In the crazy world we live in, these tapes help to bring some peace of mind and much needed solace.

Very soothing and directional. I think that taking out the time to still
my mind has helped me to make more concrete decisions. I would highly recommend this product to anyone needing more mental and spiritual clarity.
Happy Meditating!
Greg - http://www.househub.com

This meditation collection CD series produced and inspired by Rhonda Jones, is not only a remarkable achievement, but also brings power and presence from above; and strength to one's spiritual journey! Rhonda's award-winning "2007 Best Holistic & Healthy Website" proves the author's extraordinary talent and abilities through the anointed-audio compilation series that truly comes to life through the resurrection of the holy spirit from within. More power-on-high to you, Rhonda!

The Bible clearly states through Rom 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God". This scripture without question, brings to light the true meaning outlined in Rhonda's meditation CD series-that of, renewing--your--mind! As the bible speaks, ".......meditate on the word of God day and night.....". literally takes the believer "a step above" into that spiritual realm of truth-- by entering into that secret chamber, holiness of holy place by means of meditation-day and night, results in stimulating and clearing one's mind to hear clearly from God. In opening up our minds, the bible further says ".....presenting our bodies as living sacrifices..holy...." to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we, as individuals, would be able to open up to HIS callings for our lives, establish a strong spiritual foundation in presenting our "total bodies" as sacrificial lambs through (self) meditation.

The author, heeding to God's calling in her life, ultimately captivates and catapults her audience minds into "His Holy Presence" -spiritual unconsciousness--by her smooth, articulate, resonating voice, which is not only transparent in narrative form, but soothing to one's palette in a very personable, delightful way. All (4 CD volumes) speaks to the trials of life and guides you into the art of meditation in specific topics with quoted scriptures throughout. We must literally Lay in Him & in the Power of His might to absorb His truths and it will comfort our walk:

...Vol 1 ..Negative Thoughts... - When satan attacks, we can quench those fiery darts with the covering of His blood by entering into His Holy sanctuary...-Prayer and Meditation!

Vol 2 ...Restlessness.....-- Asking God to intervene and give you rest and reassurance.... " " !

Vol 3 ...Eliminate Stress.... - Let go of the stresses of life and let Christ fill those voids.... " "

Vol 4...Divine Delay... -- Let us walk by faith and not by sight, believe on the blessings to flow... " "


I personally would encourage anyone to take advantage of all four audio CD's that will, undoubtedly, be a blessing and encouragement in one's walk with Christ. It will minister to your soul, relax your mind and speak to your spirit! It will give you the confidence and boldness you need to face life's most difficult challenges and obstacles we confront daily. When you are going thru adversity or need quiet time, take a moment to drop in a CD, specific to your situation, and see the POWER of the Holy Spirit transform your mind in the mist of your circumstance!

Thank-you so much Rhonda, for empowering me to overcome my challenges of life through "quiet times' before Christ, through meditation. I give you a 6+ rating! May God richly bless you and continue to shower His blessings on you! Continue on doing what you do best!

When I was just a boy (many years ago), for a treat to myself, I bought the Classics Illustrated comics. The art work and plot were so engaging that I still carry some of those images around in my mind. Jules Verne's "Mysterious Island" and Dana's "Two Years Before the Mast" and many others were indelibly imprinted on my brain so that they could never be forgotten. Little did I realize that these illustrated novels were real literature, that they would lead many years later to actually reading those works. When I spied the life-sized book "Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History with Illustrations," I could not resist buying this book. When it arrived, I began reading a serious history of the Classics Illustrated publications, their awkward beginning and about the lives of their illustrators, and how the U.S. Postal Service effectively drove Classics Illustrated out of business. (It seems that the post office considered this comic a book and not a periodical.) Colorful images taken from the book abound throughout this edition. It's ironic that this very volume of literature is in danger of becoming a classic itself.

CLASSSICS ILLUSTRATED comprised such a crucial, influential, and above all, entertaining part of my youth that they have never entirely left me, and in fact I still have my entire childhood collection, and then some. The author of this book, William B. Jones, notes that his approach to the subject is meant to be objective in nature; but of course anyone raised on CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED can never be completely objective about them, and time and again Jones' understandable passion for these books seeps through. Nor is it simply nostalgia: when I go back to reread old issues it is mainly for the inherent richness of the storytelling and artwork they contain. Where in all comic book history is there a work so profound and moving as the Norman Nodel-illustrated LES MISERABLES, or as sad and tragic as the Angelo Torres-illustrated TOILERS OF THE SEA? Where is the comic book art that can excel, for its sense of historical time and place and fine drawing, John Severin's treatment of the Alamo and the Mexican War in BLAZING THE TRAILS WEST? Has there ever been a swashbuckling comic book so superbly ALIVE as George Evans' treatment of THE THREE MUSKETEERS? As for THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, I wholly agree with the author that it was never adapted so effectively, in any medium, as it was in CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED. I could go on. This is not to say that there weren't issues that were pretty bad, especially in the early days, and Mr. Jones freely admits this. But for those who are already familiar with this series, and especially for those who aren't, I cheerfully recommend this book as a kind of bible to CI and its several related series. I learned so much that was new to me about the issues, the artists, the editors, and the evolution and ultimate decline of the publishing house, Gilberton Company. The packaging and layout and paper quality of the book is a delight. Bravo, Mr. Jones! And bravo, CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED!

Ever said that line? Then you'll love this beautifully written and lovingly researched book about the history of Classics Illustrated.

Jones manages to evoke the characters of the men and women who contributed to this fascinating niche of Americana: illustrators, editors, publishers, and even its detractors. Interviews were obviously thorough, chapters are meticulously footnoted, and yet it reads like ...well, like an engrossing classic tale of adventure! Pick a chapter at random or read from cover-to-cover... it's consistently a winner.

While occasionally too ready with a disavowal of nostalgia, Jones does not hesitate to reveal his personal lifelong love of the comic book series. Truly, the best works of fandom itself can be so endearing, so contagious with admiration and awe. This book is no exception. Like myself, Jones loved the comics when he was a kid. Just as publisher Albert Kanter intended, as an adult I've managed to read every word of the real Count of Montecristo and War of the Worlds and The Moonstone, but I first learned these vivid and amazing tales by reading the Classics versions. Jones augments my personal appreciation and gratitude in this excellent book.

His work was in-depth and, while certainly using a critic's eye, relatively even-handed when it comes to the series' contributors. Now, reading the book, Jones has even made me appreciate the work of Classics artists whose pages I'd previously disliked.

Excellent illustrations, particularly of rare pages and covers, fill the book. Nice personal photos of the artists and editors are a great touch, seeing as this is a book of both down-to-earth and scholarly sensibilities.

Only fault I can find is that the text sometimes refers to a page or panel or other artwork which is not actually reprinted in the book. It can be maddening, at times, because we want to see exactly what he's talking about. My family's incomplete collection lies in another continent, otherwise it would be nice to have it at hand for referencing these things. Keep yours at hand. The book, I suppose, would be gargantuan if Jones did include these bits. So, by rights, it is an excellent book, and I did enjoy reading it.

The thing I appreciate most about this book is the soberness (with no lapses into pretentiousness or portentousness) the author brings to his subject. A survey of Classics Illustrated, to be sure, could have very easily elicited yet another visually engaging pretty-picture book saddled with a stridently jokey, throwaway text --ala Chronicle Books. We can be thankful that the tone here is intelligent, the level of detail scholarly, and very few, if any, stones are left unturned. The author has done all his homework, giving all known writers, editors, artists of the series coverage commensurate with their contribution.

This is a thoughtful, caring volume that is so much more than a tribute to a long-gone comic series, although it could be read as that too. One can't help but feel this is a primer on the way more books about popular culture really ought to be written.

From 1941-71 Classics Illustrated comics introduced millions to abridged, comics-style version of literary masterpieces. Classics Illustrated tells of the birth of this popular medium, founded by Russian Jewish immigrant Kanter whose operations saw both the heyday and decline of the golden age of comics. The focuses on artists' creations is particularly involving.

This book is fabulous. We are expecting our first ever foal in October 08 and I have read this book from cover to cover. It is a must in my opinion for anyone who wishes to breed horses. It is a comprehensive manual easy to read in a logical sequence for easy reference. This will be placed in my foaling kit when the time arrives for my new baby to be born. I highly recommend this book, well done.

Theresa Jones has created a wonderful, easy to read and understand manual that is a must for the first time or experienced horse breeder. The book is accurate, written so it is very understandable by the layman, yet full of good medical advice and knowledge. To supplement the book Theresa Jones provides an advice column online to answer specific problems encountered in foaling.

When my mare was near term this was the one book that I had with me at all times. Where other authors of foaling books tend to emphasize foaling horrors and disasters, Theresa Jones emphasizes what is normal. She makes you very aware of what can go wrong, and gives ample instruction on how to recognize an emergency or abnormal situation, but she does it in a way that helps you remain confident rather than helpless.

Foaling horses is definetly a very long process especially if you intend on being there for the whole delivery. This book explains what to look for and what will happen during the foaling process. It also tells what to expect and the musts for after delivery. It was very easy to read and understand by real people. I drag it out for each foaling I attend even though I have read and re-read it more than once.

This book is an excellent book on the foaling proceedure and what you have to do, and know. What I most liked about it was its common sense approach and though the problems that the mare and foal can encounter were mentioned, advice was given on how to handle these problems. Some of the other foaling books on the market emphasis all the problems that can occur to the point that one feels that a mare should never be bred. This book is not at all like that.

This was bought as a Christmas gift for my 9-year-old son and it has been a big hit. The book is big and colorful and has great photo layouts of the "insides" of all kinds of neat devices. The photos and captions explain how the devices work. If you have a child who is always asking "How do they do that?" or "How does that work?" then this book is a great choice.

I bought this book for my 11 year old son. He absolutey loves it. It has a great cover. The ipod is sweet and it's a hollagram like I always say you can never have 1 too many of those hollagrams. And every thing else is a joke but who am I kidding hollagrams are sweet. This is a must have hollagram lover! baby yay i know i'm wako but still ya gotta love the hollagram baby!

Your's truly,
Ottomiss woodford

Through the use of cutaways and exploded views pictures reveal the internal workings of objects and explain various layers and how elements are assembled. This provides fascinating explanations of objects that may otherwise remain a mystery. No need to take apart your MP3 player, you can see inside the player on page 71. There is an explanation of how MP3 compression works along with a 3-D graph.

There are six main chapters:

Connect: Microchips, cell phones, fiber optics, digital radio, voice recognition, satellite, Internet...

Play: Soccer, fabric, cameras, games, guitars, compact discs, MP3 Players, headphones, Fireworks...

Live: Light bulbs, mirrors, solar cells, microwaves, aerogel, shavers, washing machines and robots.

Move: Motorcycles, cars, wheelchairs, jet engines, navigation, space probes, elevators, wind tunnels and space shuttles.

Work: Digital pens, laptops, virtual keyboards, laser printer, smart cards, robot worker, fire suits, radio ID tag, glue and wet welding.

Survive: Laser surgery, robot surgery, MRI scan, pacemaker, cells, vaccination and antibiotics

You may enjoy reading about how fireworks explode and why they display various colors. The pet translator helps you to find out if your dogs barking indicates needy, happy or assertive behavior. Virtual keyboards make using a PDA much easier now that you can type on any flat space.

One of the most fascinating DK books in print. A must have for every library and school, not to mention home library.

~The Rebecca Review

Kids are surrounded by technology these days, but unfortunately fewer and fewer of them appear to know how their gadgets or the world around them works.

This book is a good introduction, even if it is a bit lightweight.

There's a mix of ordinary things like electric shavers and guitars, the somewhat exotic like fiber optics and things mostly on the drawing board like fuel-cell cars. In all, more than 90 objects, processes and technologies are described.

The explanations are all essentially superficial and profusely illustrated. It's enough to get a young person interested and perhaps move them along to considering learning more about technology.

Jerry

I bought this book for my high school students to read in their free time. It is one of their favorite books.

I am several months late when I read about the death of Mrs. Katherine D. Jones. A tribute will be conducted at the Romance Slam James in Chicago (04/30/08) for one of my favorite romance writers. I am truly sorry to hear of her passing and am shocked to learn that 10 days (05/07/07) after her last blog entry online that she had died on 05/17/07. It's never too late to say a prayer, so Mrs. Jones family will be in my prayers.

The books just keep getting better and better and I love the fact that
Bee & Speights are not teenagers nor are they in there 20's and thirty's they are 40 plus and I like that someone thinks that the marvelously mature still knows romance altho this is the last book in the series and I hate to see it come to a close this book is pulitizer prize material.
It's hard hitting from the very begining to the end. I shall miss the the sec but they will live on in our hearts. And so will Katherine who will be dearly missed in our hearts.

Serious writers of fiction should always savor the initiative taken to be flexible in writing in other venues outside of their areas of expertise. The late author Katherine D. Jones had taken much more than this initiative in her debut book for an upcoming series entitled DANGEROUS DILEMMAS. From the beginning this book is hot! Do we have control over whom we fall in love with? This is a question asked for the benefit of group discussions for this book, but I found the question a perfect lead-in to giving an analogy to this superb page-turning delight. Set in the idyllic location of Hilton Head, South Carolina, this is a perfect backdrop for romance, and a bit of suspense to boot! Let me set the stage for the drama...

Kayla Williams is the owner of her family's successful restaurant where secondary characters and a plan to upgrade is much more than she ever realizes. Complicating things, and surely adding to the plot is the contrast between past and present lovers. David Sutton her ex-boyfriend, whom is adamant and jealous of her aspirations suddenly reappears with an agenda all his own; Cole Lewis, the sexy and alluring patron to the restaurant throws his hat into the ring of romantic interlude. Sexual fantasies notwithstanding, Kayla experiences trials and tribulations trying to deal with the advances of both, while fielding the steady recipient of angst not reminiscent of the wise counsel always given by her erstwhile parents. Headstrong and determined, she attempts to find balance to her quest, and still remain true to her heart. But can she? What price would she pay trying to resolve mind over matter? Who gets the upper hand to her heart, Cole or David? Cole the savvy, owner of Full Flava Magazine, is on a mission and knows a winner when he sees one. Counter to his new found desire is opportunistic ex-girlfriend, Shelia Pickwell who has plans of her own in furthering her career. A calculating alliance with someone close to the both of them proves to be the catalyst that may have a bearing on who gets whom, and why. The dangerous dilemmas that Cole, David, Kayla, and Shelia face are par for this course, just to see which one will have the final score to settle, or run win with.

I truly enjoyed this book inasmuch as most romance suspense novels tend to lean more to the romance side as opposed to adding more mystiques to storylines. The author did an outstanding job in entangling a maze for readers to weave while realizing that his may be the best book that they would read this year. Strong words from me, but then again, I know a good book when I read one! I also loved how her love scenes were real and believable with just the right amount to elicit being there! That element coupled with a good storyline, setting, and back-story lends credence to a story that is sure to delight readers in demanding more of this author's works. I recommend this book for many reasons not expressed therein. Katherine D. Jones in no longer with us, as the Lord has called her home. There's definitely no bias in my prior affiliation as a friend as it is in me giving you just one more outstanding book to your shelves! Read it and know her to be the writer as I did!

Kayla Williams is a successful fast food restaurant owner in downtown Hilton Head, SC. She is a single, sexy woman whose rocky love life with on again/off again boyfriend David Sutton, has gone from bad to worse. She has given David too many chances, but after his disappearing acts, womanizing and drinking become too much, she ends their relationship...or so she thinks. Cole Lewis is much more than a handsome face. The successful co-owner of a hip-culture magazine, he can have his pick of any woman. But Cole has been there and done that. His break up with ex-girlfriend, Cassandra Pickwell, shows him that women are nothing but trouble. He makes the decision to swear off women while he takes the time to work on promoting his magazine. But after one look at Kayla, there went that plan.

This is a spicy, romantic suspense and adventure. Cole Lewis, Mr. Special, is a regular at Williams Family Diner. Kayla Williams now owns the restaurant founded by her deceased parents. Cole is every woman's dream and Kayla is his dream. Both are hardworking, successful professionals; both are hurt and somewhat reserved due to bad relationships; but both are strongly attracted to each other. While the two of them try to develop a loving, trusting relationship their psychotic exes from hell try to run interference. To find love Cole and Kayle must overcome personal obstacles while overcoming Dangerous Dilemmas.

Kayla and Cole have both had erotic dreams and fantasies of one another and they finally make the fantasies come true. Kayla and Cole both are a little gun shy at first because of past bad relationships. A man from Kayla's past decides that he wants her back and will have her no matter what it takes. He takes the term stalker to a whole new level because he is a stalker with contacts that messes with her personal and business finances. An old girlfriend of Cole's adds to the mix and all hell breaks loose. Great read that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end.

All the books in Betty Webb's Desert series featuring PI Lena Jones have been very good. They are tied together by the mystery of Jones' background and her developing personal relationships, while each has an individual theme in the mystery Jones is focused on solving.

This one has a theme that is not for the squeamish. That does not make it less important as a social issue.

If the series has any drawback, it would lie in the often thinly veiled hostility towards government-employed law enforcement personnel.

I just finished Dessert Cut by Betty Webb it's her fifth Lena Jones Mystery - Lena is a Scottsdale Az. PI who has survived a gunshot to the head when she was a small girl and raised in the "system". This foray involved female genitalia mutilation, which used to be common in the Middle East (which I didn't know), and her fight to solve a little girls murder. If you haven't read her it will be worth your while to do so, she takes on a lot of today's socially conscious issues.

Reviewed by Anita D. McClellan for Reader Views (10/07)

The fifth Lena Jones Mystery finds ex-cop and PI Lena scouting Arizona's Mexican border for Geronimo's 19th-century battle sites with LA-LA-Land film director Warren Quinn, her problematic and erstwhile lover, and leads Lena to discovery of the mutilated corpse of an unidentified girl between ages 5 and 7, nicknamed Precious Doe by the Cochise County medical examiner. Lena, who takes all instances of abused children personally, stumbles right into the local population of H-visa'ed, upper-middle class, foreign-born parents and their US-born and -raised daughters with a foot in two cultures.

A teen runaway's sheltering of a youngster from Old World and New World sect-driven practices helps to drive a deadly social, hierarchal rite deeply underground, pits daughters against parents, descendents of pioneers who fought the Apache Wars against immigrant plant managers, and makes strange bedfellows of an Anglo Christian women's sect and Middle Eastern and African parents determined to manage "their" women and girls as they see fit. The bodies of children pile up in Los Perdidos while Lena becomes obsessed with finding out what is going on in the wilderness desert country in spite of vigilante justice and the local sheriff, who has no clue what he and the community are dealing with but knows all about what makes Lena so determined to learn the truth. The Author's Note and Appendixes of "Desert Cut" make this novel's subject something no reader will forget and on which none can claim ignorance.

As the product of nine abusive foster homes who was found amnesic at age four on a Phoenix street severely disfigured from a shooting, Lena Jones is perennially seeking information about her parents and her abandonment's circumstances. Her Pima Indian, computer-geek partner, Jimmy Sisiwan, also orphaned as a child but adopted and raised by white parents, has his own obsessions and vulnerabilities, which make them ideal business partners and confidantes. Pieces of Lena's past emerge as the series unfolds. In the second book, she learns something about her mother; in the third, she learns about her father; in the fourth, she figures out why she is so drawn to certain kinds of cases.

"Desert Noir" (2001) launched the Lena Jones series, juxtaposing Scottsdale's up-market art scene with barrios, Indian lands and casinos, tourist traps. That heady brew of damaged and courageous PI, the Southwest's multi-tiered cultures, and breath-taking desert backdrop took a seat right away next to Nevada Barr's and Tony Hillerman's series. Ten percent of Webb's debut novel proceeds were donated to Lura Turner Homes, a Phoenix residence for brain-damaged adults and children and teens with Down's Syndrome which signaled exactly what sets Betty Webb's novels apart: crime fiction with a social conscience. Lena Jones Mysteries are based on stories the author covered as a journalist and are set against the backdrop of Arizona's landmark-strewn "Grand Canyon State" and its social underbelly. Today Webb writes the Independent Press book-review column for Mystery Scene, teaches writing at Phoenix College, and lives in Scottsdale, AZ.

"Desert Wives" (2003), exhaustingly researched by the author and vetted for accuracy by now-Governor Janet Napolitano, hones in on modern-day polygamy in the Arizona Strip wilderness bordering Utah and AZ. Reader beware: Nothing to do with the starry-eyed depiction of polygamy in the HBO series "Big Love." Publication of "Desert Wives " coincided with media awareness of polygamist Tom Green's trial during the 2002 Utah Winter Olympics. The novel has since become a course adoption title for Women's Studies classes, played a role in the FBI pursuit of recently convicted polygamist sect leader and Most Wanted Warren Jeffs of St. George, Utah, and helped change Arizona's laws on polygamy. "Desert Shadows" (2004) focuses on foster children, hate groups, the book-publishing industry and Lena's anger management therapy. "Desert Run" (2006), centers on the fictional murder of a real-life escapee survivor of a 1944 German POW camp in Arizona. This book introduces LA filmmaker Warren Quinn as a love interest and the volatile mixture of native and foreign cultures and races alongside a little-known World War II footnote set in Arizona's Superstition Mountains.

The imaginative mixture of history, geography, demographics, topical themes, solid research, Lena's efforts to achieve intimacy, and plot twists make all Lena Jones mysteries memorable in more ways than one.

"I'm not a nice girl," Lena Jones declares on the first page of the first book (Desert Wives) in this outstanding mystery series by Betty Webb, built around controversial darkside themes. By the time Desert Cut, Lena's fifth dilemma comes along, she still isn't. And it's a good thing.

Lena is a been-there woman. She needs all the experience she has as an ex-cop and now Scottsdale PI. One perfect morning she and her colleague/companion Warren Quinn are enjoying a pleasant ride across the Arizona desert when they make a stunning and horrifying discovery--the body of a girl-child. Is she the victim of an illegal border crossing gone wrong, or more, or worse?

Once again former investigative reporter Betty Webb shows her skills in spinning a fascinating story around a tough topic.

Webb is a fine place-writer. Her descriptions of the desert landscape and the people shaped by it alone recommend the book. But the culture is changing. There are more than the relationships between the Native American, the Anglos and the Hispanics. There is yet another wave of newcomers as burgeoning job opportunities attract workers from halfway around the world.

Herein lays the conflict. For the lovely child, the dead girl, was not abandoned after an accidental death, but is the victim of a brutal and unspeakable crime. So unspeakable that local sheriff refuses to give Lena the cause of death--for a time. Lena is persistent not only in gaining that knowledge but in pursuing the truth until all is understood. In the process, Lena learns more about herself and discovers more about her own tangled background.

The book is not all heavy going. There are flashes of the glitzy world of Beverly Hills when Lena flies over to her consulting job on a television Western, and as we learn of Warren's day job as an Oscar-winning Hollywood director. Plenty of humor sparks out as well.

Still, Webb reveals, as is sometimes best done in fiction, some eye-opening facts about this nameless crime. And she names it--female genital mutilation or amputation. Terrifying yes, but something every person needs to know of and understand in our changing culture.

Webb ends the book with two appendices (one with explicit language) and a bibliography on the subject. She's serious about this.

I recommend this book, both for the quality of the story and for the essential and painful information, but the reader should not pick it up unaware.

by Patricia Nordyke Pando
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Scottsdale PI Lena Jones, in four previous appearances, has tackled some different and interesting and controversial topics, ranging from polygamy, the homeless and a former WWII German POW camp. In this latest novel, she uncovers horrific subject one knows about in Africa and the Middle East, but hardly comes to mind in the United States.

While horseback riding with her boyfriend scouting a film location in the Arizona desert, Lena finds the body of a seven-year-old girl. It turns out there are other young girls either missing or dead from a nearby town. Many of the inhabitants work for a chemical factory there, and are African or Middle Eastern immigrants. Lena can't get the thought of the little girl she found in a shallow grave from her mind, and starts her own investigation. Eventually, she ties together a common thread for all the dead and missing young girls, and a horrific one it is.

As in the previous books in the series, the plot is meticulously researched, with an outstanding bibliography, carefully written and documented, and the writing and story substantial. While constructed as a mystery, the novel is truly more important than the genre.


Highly recommended.

Excellent book -- tons of great restaurants, classic ethnic recipes to make when you get home, indexes by ethnicitiy and locale make places easy to find, explanations and introductions are interesting and informative. If you live in or will visit Queens, this is a great book to have.

Excellent book, beautifully printed, with fascinating information on the foods of many different countries. As Queens County (in New York) has over 150 different ethnicities (the most ethnically diverse county in the US), this is a very welcome addition, and quite obviously a labor of love. Even though it originally came out in 2005, it is still worth purchasing for the great food descriptions of various cultures and the recipes included at the back of each chapter.

In a city that offers thousand of possibilities for food lovers, one needs a very talented and focused Suzanne Parker to separate the wheat from the chafe.
Ms. Parker did a great job in unveiling the cuisines of so many nationalities, and also included excellent recipes for those among us who dare to try.

Organized by ethnic cuisine, this book is a wonderful guide to the vast restaurant scene in Queens, which is underrepresented in both restaurant guides and the New York media. The author has included descriptions of the various cuisines and dishes, and also contact information and easy to follow directions for how to get to each restaurant. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves to eat and wants to get to know New York better.

This book is really quite something. It is jam packed with recipes, restaurant information, and unforgettable facts the likes of which I have never come across in any other cookbook or restaurant guide. This book fills a niche that has been empty far too long.