Nova Books

I have enjoyed all of Stephen White's books, but some more than others. Cold Case left me mostly cold, and though The Program was a great thriller I missed Alan Gregory and his wife Lauren. Warning Signs is a welcome return to the style of the earlier books in the Alan Gregory series.

The politically-savvy district attorney is found beaten to death, and Sam Purdy's partner Lucy is a suspect. Though the physical evidence makes a strong case that she is guilty, Sam works unofficially to prove that she is not. Meanwhile, Alan has a new patient with an alarming tale to tell. As he learns more, Alan suspects that her patient's story may be related to the murder that Sam is investigating. However, (as usual), Alan is torn between his professional oath of confidentiality and taking action to protect the innocent.

Parts of the story are far fetched, but White keeps up the suspense and there are a few surprising twists in the story. Reading a book about Alan and Lauren is like visiting a couple of old friends... though friends better kept at a distance since those close to them seem to wind up dead a lot! This book is a must for any fan of the series.

This was my first Stephen White book and I really liked it. It was a great beach read. It kept my attention moved quickly.

"Warning Signs" written by Stephen White, is the tenth installment in the long running series featuring clinical psychologist, Alan Gregory.

Dr. Gregory has a new patient, a confused, anguished, irritated, and menopausal woman, who needs more help than even Dr. Gregory can originally detect. Under the protection of doctor-patient confidentiality, this woman reluctantly explains the details of her frightening dilemma. During her time with Dr. Gregory, she burdens him with information that has the ethical doctor contemplating breaking the rules of psychotherapy which he holds so dear. Information that gives him reasonable cause to discontinue treating her, however this knowledge also makes it impossible for him to walk away.

I'd say this is one of the better books in the series, however...With every addition to the series I become a little more irritated with Alan and his lack of a backbone when it comes to his relationship with his wife. In the last book, The Program, Alan was wary about giving his wife his honest opinion when they were out shopping. He has no problem lying to her to guard his sense of ethics or to protect a patients privacy, but when she ask for his honest opinion about an impending purchase of a baby crib, he gets as nervous as a Chihuahua. In this installment, Lauren (his wife) wants to go shopping, this time for baby shoes. It happens to be Alan's day off and he doesn't particularly want to shop, however he is afraid to tell her as much - what a namby-pamby - and is only silently gleeful when a phone call from his friend Sam gives him the perfect way out of the shopping excursion without actually having to tell his wife - "No". Stephen White has given Alan Gregory enough personality and real life human character flaws, why, why, why, does he feel the need to make him out to be such a wuss when it comes to his marital relationship. I can certainly appreciate that he is sensitive to her special needs, but I find his wussiness (is that a word?) ineffectual. Still, it was a good mystery, and one that I'd recommend.

I started reading this series from book one, Priviledged Information, and each installment is better than the one before, which is no simple chore. Warning Signs is fast paced and doesn't disappoint. The author can take several seemingly unrelated stories and weave them together in a way that may not always answer all of the questions, but certainly leaves you wondering. The "bad guy" may do horrible things, but the story is told with the psychological insight that doesn't make the reader hate him.

This is a good page-turner including mystery and psycholgy. But the writer choose to include too many "street guide" details on locations. Sometimes reading the book felt like reading driving directions from Mapquest! It's good do descibe the surroundings, but not to that level of detail.

After having read Beaches (a movie I disliked but a book I absolutely loved) and Some Kind of Miracle (which I enjoyed even more than Beaches), I was really curious to read one of Rainer Dart's other books.

And frankly, even though I've had a few hours to reflect upon finishing it, I'm still not quite sure what I think of When I Fall in Love. The only thing I can say with some certainty is that I don't like it anywhere near as much as I liked the other novels I mentioned above.

Reading this book - although one of the quickest and easiest I've read - was a journey of back and forth. I loved the very beginning. Then it got difficult to read for a bit. Then it started picking up again as it neared the end. But given such back and forth emotions, I'm really not sure what that says about the book overall.

Admittedly, the story was a little too sugary for my taste, especially the ending. I remember adoring the language and the characters in her previous novels, and during this one, it just didn't feel the same. I'm not sure if it was the constant use of jokes that got in my way, but I just didn't feel too much for the characters, except Bryan and, to some extent, Charlie too. Lily's life changes and realizations on love just seemed to come on so quickly; perhaps that made it seem a little unreal and a lot mushy. Or maybe it's because I still feel I'm tossing around the same life questions in my head now that I was over ten years ago so it seems unreal that such moments of clarity exist!

I certainly didn't dislike the book. I'd say that I liked it for what it was - quick, simple, and touching at times. But, it definitely came in below my expectations given my adoration for Rainer Dart's other work, and I can quite confidently say I probably won't read this book again.

Lastly, and a nit-pick I must readily admit in advance, it completely threw me for a loop that in the beginning scenes with Kimberly, the author alternated the use of her name with Kim in every other line. Perhaps given my name I am too close to this complaint, but while the two names are often (oh so often) alternated back and forth, it just seemed silly to see it change every other line.

I really wanted to like this book, but how could I? Here's an excerpt from Chapter 7, pg. 51:

"In one swift move that came so quickly [Lily] wasn't prepared, [Charlie] seized her and, holding her tightly around the ankles, thrust the rest of her out the window. As she shrieked in terror four stories above the parking lot, he held her out there upside down. She could see the cars below and among them a group of people who had stopped to look as the blood rushed to her face."

There's curmudgeonly but lovable, and then there's violent and abusive. This is the latter.

Neither her colleagues (who witness the thing) nor the onlookers from the parking lot nor her family suggests that she should call the police. Later, Charlie gives Lily a gift to apologize. Somehow, this gift is supposed to show that he's an observant and thoughtful guy--not that he's building a relationship based on a cycle of abuse and apology. I was half expecting the end to be a thriller wherein he is revealed to be a homicidal maniac, but no such luck. What the hell?!

The whole story line with Lily and Charlie and Mark kept me focused on what would happen even when I knew I had to put the book down, but I simply couldn't bring myself to do it.
The part when Lily sends Charlie the video of "I love you's" and he starts bawling like a baby. I just love it when men get emotional in novels like these. When Mark is out of the picture, and Charlie is free to profess his love for Lily, the way he proposes made my heart swell three times its size.
This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves pure romance without the huge hunky jerks who always get the girl in the end, and finally can have a true hero winning out.
Now get off the computer, get to your nearest bookstore, and buy this book!

Altho I am not a person with a disability, I have been around disabled people my lifetime (I'm 42). I found Dart's treatment of this subject to be incredibly right on. People fear disability, and tend to treat anyone disabled with kid gloves, as if they are saints and imbecils, both. Lily does all the stereotypes of the freaked out "non-disabled" mom, the son goes through typical grief stages, and so on. I don't want to give away the whole story as is my wont.

I loved the interplay of the characters, and I fell for the unlikely (in fiction) love-interest, Charlie Roth. Go for the book-- it is well done!

Sometimes, a reader needs to pick a book because the blurp makes it sound enjoyable, and she needs enjoyable. Sometimes a reader chooses it for the romance and laughter, something she is craving that day. And somtimes, when the reader gets into the book, she realizes that yes, it is romantic; yes it is pleasurable; yes it makes her laugh out loud at times; but, unexpectedly, it makes her think, and that is a wonderful gift she hadn't expected. She finds the words to be magic carpets that transcend time and space, and for a full day she is immersed in the lives of Lily, Byran, and Charlie. She learns about handicaps, emotional and physcial; she learns about beating the odds; she learns about love penetrating prejudice. Her heart is full; her eyes are wet; her beliefs are buoyed; she has read a deftly written book in one sitting and she is most grateful to the author. She thanks Iris Rainer Dart profusely in her review and she encourages others.........If you need to feel uplifted by life again, treat yourself to "When I Fall In Love." The carpet ride awaits!!

Its addictive, we can't seem to get enough of the Nina Series. Finaly, Paul was given a more important role, and the author explored those very intriguing and mysterious layers of the most appealing charachter of this series. It was seductive to learn what are Paul's weak spots, he is sooo fascinating. As an additional treat, Sandy, the very verbal but always loyal secretary, allowed us to take a peek at her very private life.
O'Shaughenessey is a master at what they do because while bring the reader to their web of legal tactics, murder investigations and interesting storylines turn arounds, they build up the relationships among its players.
Cheers for digging deeper in the personalities of the fabulous charachters in this series.

This was my first experience with this author. The book had a fascinating story line and an ending that tied up all the loose ends. I sure didn't have that letdown feeling when the last page was turned. I have two more of her books. Can't wait to read them.

These sister/authors have produced another great book. This book has just the right mix of intrigue, law, humor, romance/sexual tension, and human emotion. I think the authors have done another good job with character development--each character was very believable. Nina is inherently a good person but the authors have given her "grace" by providing human flaws. I have enjoyed a few books by these sisters and haven not been disappointed yet. I read this book on a recent cruise and actually spent time in the stateroom and on deck reading this entertaining book rather than spend time in the casino, playing bingo, or doing some of the other available activities. I recommend this book to anyone who values believeable plots and characters.

Perri Oshaughnessy does it again! A taut first rate thriller. A tour de force! The Characters are first rate. Don't miss this one. Well plotted. Undownputable. The best heroine to come along in fiction.

If a rip-roaring, fast-paced mystery can be called thoughtful, then "Move to Strike" is just that. On the one hand, we have the story of Nina Reilly's newest case, which is so riveting that it helps pull Nina from a terrible depression (I cannot reveal more without ruining "Acts of Malice," the book previous to this one).

On the other hand, for the first time in the series, the reader gets to see what makes Paul von Wagoner tick. Paul, as Nina Reilly regulars well know, is her on-again, off-again friend/lover/confidante and just about everything else. An ace private investigator, he helps Nina solve most of her seemingly unsolvable cases. And, whether he cares to admit it or not, he is deeply in love with Nina. At the end of "Acts of Malice," Paul took a step that changed his life irrevocably. In "Move to Strike," he is dealing with the aftermath of that act...and the knowledge that Nina will never love him back. His very real and complicated anguish is laid bare for the reader as we follow his thoughts, join in his nightmares, and sympathize for this very strong man who is at his weakest moment.

Meanwhile, Nina is struggling to defend a 16-year-old girl, Nikki, who stands accused of brutally murdering her wealthy uncle Bill Sykes, a prominent plastic surgeon in the Tahoe area. WE know that Nikki didn't do it, because WE were there when it happened. But nobody else does...including Nina herself, who is working half on conviction, half on pure hunch. The slimy district attorney, an old foe, is hell-bent on trying Nikki as an adult. And his vicious assistant Barbara, who has old issues with Nina, is helping him gain his way.

If Nikki didn't kill Uncle Bill, who did? Nina's desperate foray into the case involves Nikki's ultra-ditzy former-showgirl mother, Daria, Daria's sister Beth, who is Bill's widow, an older widow fond of concocting potent "herbal" elixirs, and a band of prospectors right out of the Wild West. Add in a questionable private plane crash and a couple of seemingly unrelated murders, and you have a story that just won't let you breathe until you finish.

I guessed the murderer toward the end--but once again the O'Shaugnessy sisters pulled one of their effortless plot twists. I may have been right about the murderer--but nothing could have prepared me for the truth of the crime.

Get this book and devour it! It's another incredibly good winner.

"Finding A Dream" to me was not as good as ("Daring To Dream") the first book in the trilogy. Maybe it's because Margo was a little more exciting and Josh was a little more...Josh (what a great character he was!). Kate's story was ok, but I guess to tell Margo's and Laura's story Kate's has to be told as well. Now I'm onto "Finding The Dream" (Laura's story), and I can't wait to see what kind of man Roberts has in store for her.

As usual, Nora Roberts at her best. Great book. I didnt realize that it took place just miles up the road from where I live. Made it even more intersting.

Her best as usual, Nora knows how to draw you in & keep you satisfied in her world...I loved it!

Along with the other two books in this trilogy, this is an excellent Nora Roberts novel/romance- Highly reccomended book!

This book what shipped in a timely manner. Also, the trilogy was a couldn't put down type of series. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Very enjoyable read. As to the previous review, people in the UK do use the phrase "I reckon". It's not just in cowboy movies.

Before you purchase this book on the marketplace you should be aware that this 6 cassette edition is the entire 18 hours of the book. Back in the 20th Century, Brilliance Corp had a way of putting 3 hours on a 90 min. cassette, by separating the left and right stereo tracks. Most hand held cassette players do not have left and right balance control and you will need the adapter from Audiobookstand. I still had my adapter and so the purchase of the book at 35 cents was a bargain. As the tapes get old, the other track does tend to bleed through and so you just have to tune it out.

I don't believe the book is to long or that the ending is flat. B. E. takes the time to develop the characters [the husband who no longer can provide for his family and is in denial because he sees no way out; and the sister who longs for a husband, manor house and children of her own] and lets the horror build slowly to make it seem more real and the ending reflects the possibility of "what if this was real and not a novel". Not every novel needs to be the roller coaster ride of pulp fiction like the garish "Raiders of the Lost Ark" scene on the island where all the villains end up with their flesh melting off of them..

If you only want short, quick reading. Check out B. E.'s 3 volumes of short stories. Encounters, Distant Voices, and Sands of Time.

I have this on audio. Couldn't get into it at all. It needs a better beginning to get us hooked. sorry. only finished one CD gave up.

I am a great fan of Barbara Erskine, this book was the best to date. When Luke and Joss Grant face financial problems due to Luke losing his business and their home, they cant believe their luck when Joss inherits a beautiful old house from a mother she never knew. Along with Tom their small son they move into Belheddon Hall. When Joss becomes pregnant with their second child they thought that their happiness was is now complete.

How wrong they were.Joss starts hearing childrens voices and white roses start to appear on her pillow.After the birth of her second son Ned, things really start to happen.Tom starts having terrible nightmares and mysterious bruises appear on his
arms and legs. When Ned disappears and is finally found in one of the attic rooms Luke begins to think Joss is responsible. As the secrets of the old house unfold Joss realises that her sons lives are in danger. She enlists the help of a previous colleague David and together they try and fight the ghosts that threaten them.

From the first page to the very last this book was compelling . The combination of terror and historic events made it very hard to put down. Thank you Barbara Erskine,for a wonderful read.

Something terrible once happened at Belheddon hall.

It happened long ago, and the people caught up in the horrific events are long dead.

But the ghosts, the echoes, linger on.

Joss Grant was adopted as a baby, and she never had much of a desire to learn about her birth parents, until her own son was born. She finally tracks down a name, and a last known address of her birth mother. She is surprised when that address takes her to a beautiful old English manor house in the tiny village of Belheddon, and at first, delighted with the ghost stories that come with it. The villagers even believe that the devil lives there himself. The initial disappointment that her birth mother is dead is gotten over quickly.

As it happens, her husband Luke's engineering firm is bankrupted when his partner runs off with the cash, and they are forced to sell their home to pay off creditors. But all isn't lost; Joss finds out through an old parish priest, that her mother left her a letter with a lawyer, to be read only if she comes to find her seven years after her death. The letter leaves Belheddon hall to Joss.

At first she's overjoyed. The house is perfect. Luke can start a car repair business out of the driveway, she can write her novel in peace, and her adopted sister can watch her son Tom.

But things start to happen immediately. Tom complains of seeing a "tin man" in the night, and Joss finds white roses which no one else sees. Soon she discovers she's pregnant, but that isn't the reason she feels so odd.

When her son Ned is born, Joss and her sister Lyn start to notice bruises on the children. They disappear in the night and turn up in the attic. Lyn thinks Joss is hurting them, but Joss has just realized that never has a boy born in Belheddon lived to inherit the house...

This creepy ghost story was great. I loved it! It confirmed my previous decision to buy all of Barbara Erskine's books. True, the resolution at the end was a little wishy washy, and the extremely malevolent ghost seemed to give up haunting the house pretty easily, but this book is still amazing. The author is fantastic at suspense, and I was scared to read this while alone in the house. My absoulte only compaint with the book was the guy that Luke hired to help him fix classic cars, Jimbo, kept saying "I Reckon" which I think only people in cowboy movies say.

Five stars.

The second volume of this trilogy introduces a few more original notions than were evident in volume #1. The historical basis is somewhat improved, noting that Vlad served as a page in the court of Emperor Sigismund and was a hostage in the Turkish sultan's seraglio, and the plot and characters are well conceived. The appropriately few erotic scenes are deliciously rendered, although the throbbing undercurrent of sensuality inherent in the subject is not as palpable as in the tales of Anne Rice. An excellent choice for Halloween reading.

This is the 2nd part in "The Diaries of the Family Dracul" trilogy, which is written in the same format as Bram Stoker's Dracula. This story takes place 25 years after the first novel. Arkady is still trying to find a way to destroy his uncle, Vlad, and release his family from an age-old covenant/curse.

I thought this book was great, better than the first. While I found myself wishing something interesting would hurry and happen in the first book, I didn't have that problem with this book. The action was fast-paced and tinged with a dark urgency, and I couldn't put it down because I was so anxious to see what happened next.

My only real gripe with this book was the "twist" it takes in the end. I thought that was somewhat contrived. It seemed to come right out of left field as if the author was really only putting it for a shock value -- especially considering that vampires supposedly taste the "truth" in the blood. However, it didn't hinder the story, and it definitely does give you a bit of a shock.

Anyhow, I thought the book was better than a 4-star rating, but not quite a five. Definitely another good addition to any vampire lover's collection.

Well the majority of this book was breathtaking, awesome, and just plain great. Arkady has matured, you are given an insight to his brain and his emotions like never before concerning his wife, Mary and his son as well as his ties to Vlad and his sister. He is tortured, heroic and beautiful in this book, a character of pity and beauty at the same time. Smooth and caring and almost human at times, Arkady is the highlight of the novel.

After Arkady leaves the story, however, the book takes a somber note, just lilting down towards the end of the installment itself. If this were my work, i would have seperated it into two installments instead of three... i think thematic and drama-wise, it would have worked better.

I am not complaining at all, but although the first book was better as a whole, i am giving this one 4 stars instead of 5. I was so heartbroken when Arkady left the story (trying not to give away anything here) and the book just seemed to fall through after that. I will have to find the third one and read it to get the complete story though i guess!

As a continuation of Covenant With the Vampire, in Children of the Vampire, Arkady Tsepesh lives in fear of the family obligation or curse to provide Vlad Dracula the first born male of each generation for a blood sacrifice. This has been a tradition for over 400 years and Arkady insists that this nightmare is going to end with him.

The book has the same dark atmosphere as the first in the trilogy and the suspense keeps building. Written in a diary format, you are able to get close to each person and feel their overwhelming hope, despair, tragedy throughout. This is an excellent sequel to Covenant With the Vampire.

The magnificent continuation to the previous masterpiece, Covenant With The Vampire. Arkady & Mary's childe has grown up, & Stephan, now in Amsterdam, has a brother, who has a hard time accepting the shadow world of the Vampire, & eventually comes to learn the horrible truth of it all, in the most personal manner. The psychological twists will set you reeling, as the twisted labyrinths Vlad has constructed unfolds. Zsusannah continues to improve & evolve in her new & glorious afterlife, & has come to realize her new abilities more intimately, & employs wicked trickeries taught to her by Vlad, & a secret society of Vampire Magicians.

The creative genius of Jeanne Kalogridis continues to delight & astound the Children of Darkness everywhere. She is the best new talent to creep forth from the recesses of the catacombes of horror-writers in quite awhile. She has become the Dark Goddess of this strange & compelling world where we long to be, & would swear upon our black souls, we have been. She has spread her black wings, & swiftly ascends unto the ranks of Anne Rice & Clive Barker.

The series, The Diaries of the Family Dracul, is truly an ingenious work, & bears boldly, The Draconian Seal of Approval. I do wish a movie lies in the future...

Wow, you order the book one day and the very next day, the book is sitting in your mailbox. Prompt and speedy service - I like it. I look forward to doing business with you again.

Although I've read enough Joy Fielding books to where I was able to figure out "who done it" pretty early on, "Don't Cry Now" still had surprises I didn't see coming.
Great book. A real page turner!

All of Joy's books are great, but this was one of her best. (See Jane Run is my personal favorite.
This has alot of mystery and some romance, just what her fans love!

This was a great read. I was in suspense until the very last page. A must read

After the thrill of reading See Jane Run and the utter disappointment I felt after reading Lost, I thought I'd see which way the balance went after reading my third Joy Fielding.

It's great stuff, and the ending was a complete surprise! I must agree with some of the reviewers that there is some heavy man-hater stuff here...but in a way, this is greatly necessary in order for the plot to unfold.

I liked this a lot...but not sure I would have stayed up all night to read it. It's more than three stars, but less than a full four stars. Still, I give it four...just because I went to bed last night and fell asleep while contemplating who-dunit!

Though some of John Gardner's earlier Bond Books were pretty good -- not up to Fleming's standard, but nothing to complain about either -- this one isn't worth the paper it's printed on, or the time you'll waste on it before abandoning it in annoyance. There's no spark, no wit, no style -- nothing, in fact, to distinguish it from some twelve-year-old's fanfic posted on the internet.

Also, there are no movie stills inside -- if you're hoping to get your Sean Bean (or Pierce Brosnan) fix, you'll have to satisfy it some other way.

After so James Bond novels with mixed results, John Gardner comes up with his best book to date. Based on the screen story to GoldenEye this is a good one. This is a tough and innovative Bond. Well done John!

GoldenEye is undoubtedly John Gardner's best James Bond novel. He really captured the essence of Bond as portrayed by Pierce Brosnan. I took this novel out and read it again when Pierce announced that his services were no longer needed as James Bond. It seems like he just got the part, and now, just like that, he is gone. I read this book again and savored each passage. It really brought back memories of the movie so vividly. It is so hard to grasp that ten years have gone by. I think this was John Gardner's last James Bond novel. Intuitively he must have known it and he put all the best he had into this one. I also love the cover. GoldenEye was such a special film at such a special time. One era ended while another began. This book is a record of those times.

Damn, that was a good book! For being a James Bond fan I sure say that the book "Goldeneye" was better than the movie "Goldeneye"! The book had an extra story line an parts that the movie left out. My birthday was yesterday, June 7, and my dad wanted me to help him pick out a good B-Day gift so I found the "Goldeneye" book by John E. Gardner. Believe me if I had to do it all over I would pick the same book.

This was a great book! Not only did it have everything you would expect from a Bond novel,and it even tapped into social issues, like racism, which we saw when Trevelyan explains his betrayal of MI6 to James. Very interesting account and very next level. It also gives some extra detail that you don't get in the flick! Check it out today!

I read this book ages ago, lost my copy, and now wish I could find it to read it again. She wrote this before her "official" foray into "thrillers" and the romance is great (unlike some of her more recent ones). I love the heroine: a strong, intelligent woman, thrust into a situation she does not know how to handle, and the hero: sensitive, strong, and compassionate. He's not a wimp, though, and takes good care of the heroine.

I rate this book 5 stars because I remember it after reading it almost a decade ago. It definitely had staying power, and that says a lot to me.

The story is interesting, the characters are compelling, the atmosphere and history are very engaging, but ultimately there are just a few to many twists and turns for this book to make much sense.

EL's Tell Me No Lies is a fantastic book. I absolutely loved it. Could not put it down. I bought this book from a second hand book store and was planning to sell it later. I think I will keep it and read it later.

The hero Catlin is wonderful - strong yet compassionate. He is hard with everyone except the heroine Lindsay. It's nice to read a book of EL (unlike her earlier books) where the hero doesn't treat the heroine badly. Lindsay brings out the best in Catlin. His gentleness with her is so romantic. Even when he has to be firm with Lindsay and the events happening around them inadvertently cause her hurt, Catlin lovingly takes care of her.

Lindsay herself is no pushover. As a heroine, she doesn't irritate. Though she is naive and vunerable, she has what it takes to go through the bad times and at the same time heal Catlin with her love and passion.

A great book and certainly a keeper

Very interesting plot. As with all Lowell's books the language is highly offensive That's why I don't read her books regularly. If not for the language I would have given It 5 Stars.

I was put off by the title of this book, I guess Trust No One was taken. And I had to overlook the cover notes that said it was about Chinese art. I know nothing about the Chinese and thought I would get lost in a book about an ex-CIA operative in Asia. I was wrong. Before I completed the book I had spent happy hours on the internet looking for information on the art described in the novel and photos of the charioteer. Of course, a few years have passed since the book was written and the art is more accessable now, but for 20 years almost no one outside China saw these incredible bronze works. I learned a lot.

Aside from the intrique this book is hot. Lowell works the familar formula of ex-CIA undercover guy hero in a way that is credible. And Lindsay, our heroine, is not a virgin or 20 years old. She is an independent woman with a life of her own. She and our hero do not fall into bed the first night, it takes them weeks to determine what they want. The are partners, they are forced to live together, eat together, and have conversations. Doing the job they get to know each other, and eventually they deliberately consumate their relationship.

I recommend this book as the best I have read by Lowell and one of the best by any romance writer. Romance/suspense novels are uneven. I have yet to find a consistent writer who satisfies in everytime. I doubt that I will. This book has an unusual balance that is a surprise. I loved it.

This is one of the funniest novels I have ever read. Gay captures the mindset and cadence of the backwoods community in "Provinces of Night."

The story revolves around a teen-aged boy who is finding his way in the world amongst his father who is seldom present, his Uncle Warren who has moved away, his spell-casting Uncle Brady, and his grandfather, bluesman E.F. Bloodworth, who has returned to the small Tennessee community to make amends. There isn't a strong plot driving "Provinces of Night" so much as a group of great characters that pursue their own interests to comical effect.

Along the way there are plenty of jugs of moonshine to drink, women to be pursued, and blood ties to be tested. "Provinces of Night" is more raucous like Daniel Woodrell's "Give Us a Kiss," than nostalgic like John Grisham's "A Painted House." It would be difficult for me to decide which of these three 5-star novels I enjoyed more. I can say that I believe Gay to be the best of the three writers at turning a unique phrase.

Provinces of Night is a haunting, comic, bloody novel that takes the reader into a back country, intense world. The novel does elicit comparisons to Faulkner and Wolfe in that Gay uses the book to portray a very specific time and place while exploring universal themes of family and responsibilities. These themes go back to the earliest biblical stories, yet are fresh and evocative in Gay's beautiful prose. Provinces of Night is well worth reading.

(from my amazon.co.uk review: Gay seems to be getting some attention there)

I've lived in Tennessee for almost 30 years, in the urban setting
of Knoxville. I'm a caver, and the hunting for new caves takes
me to small towns and deeply rural areas in rugged terrain, where
one can be 40 miles from the nearest supermarket. You learn that
there are places to be avoided, where strangers are not welcome.
(You can also find such places in London, Glasgow, etc., as well
as in parts of the English countryside.) The law can be far away
and not impartial in some locations. Provinces of Night deals
with small-town Tennessee rather than the deeply rural and remote
parts. The central figure, Fleming Bloodworth, is not violence-
prone, but violence is often not far away. There is humor and
tenderness, as well as violence and death, but that's often how
life can be. Tennessee is not a slaughterhouse, but it's not
unusual to see "Three Dead in Cocke County Bar Fight" on the
evening news.

William Gay started writing at age 52. He seems to have been
strongly influenced by the novels of Cormac McCarthy, especially
those set in Tennessee (Suttree, The Orchard Keeper, Child of
God--all set in Knoxville and the surrounding counties). The
title comes from McCarthy's dark and brooding novel Child of God.
Gay's first novel, The Long Home, has a flavor similar to Child
of God, but Provinces of Night is closer to Suttree and The
Orchard Keeper. Gay's writing skills are on a par with McCarthy:
after reading Provinces of Night and The Long Home, I reread
McCarthy's novels, and took a long pause when I encountered the
phrase "provinces of night" in Child of God. I wondered in
McCarthy was writing under a pseudonym.

There's a great power and lyrical quality in Gay's writing. When
I got halfway through Provinces of Night I began to dread turning
the pages, since every page read brought me closer to the end.
So I ordered The Long Home from Amazon, taking comfort in the
knowledge that hundreds of more pages would be waiting for me.
Gay's third work, I Hate To See That Evening Sun Go Down, a
collection of short stories, has just been published, and it
contains some of the finest short stories I've ever read.
Gay is a great new addition to our current Southern writers.
He's the darker side to the rural South: for the lighter side
read T.R. Pearson's whimsical novel A Short History of a Small
Place.

No one writes like William Gay, period. He is an artist who paints pictures with words, and there is no one like him who is alive today. Imagine van Gogh painting a novel, and you will begin to understand William Gay.

One of the best novels I've read in the past few years, "Provinces of Night" shows the influence of Flannery O'Connor and of Cormac McCarthy, but is also highly original. The language and dialogue are what make it most enjoyable. The story is both funny and dark.