Nova Books

I liked this book a lot. It is not a science book. It is a book for ordinary people who can enjoy an alternative view of the Bible. You can see most of this book on the Rael.org website along with some other free downloads and get a sense for the author and the movement.

This book is the biggest mindf*** for Christians ever written. On the one hand it convincingly describes how all of the Kabbalah, Old Testiment and N.T., plus gnostic texts basically originate from Alien contacts, but then these Aliens, called Elohim, are shown to be highly scientific, and slightly hedonistic, agnostics! Honestly, I could not stop laughing because the way it is presented, it all makes sense. It really is a fascinating read and one that will impact you --in the head, the heart, and the gut, as in belly laughs.

Demonstrated Truth is, of course, another matter. Christians might see this book as yet another utterly fantstic work of the Devil, along with the entire fossil record.... which they are also forced to deny --due to their irrational idolotry of a literal (but man made), Genesis. Whatever....

This book is against macro-biological evolution, in favor of Elohim design, but admits some micro evolution does occur after genetic patterns are placed. It advocates: high tech, freer sex (but never pedophilia), good science, rationalism, and friendly aliens called Elohim. It recommends, a new form of politics called geniocracy, which is government by geniuses instead of puppets of the corporotocracy like idiot W, elected by a media manipulated democracy.

The Elohim do not like a number of things about our religions, economy, governments, and cultures here on the Earth, and seek to change them before we kill ourselves, grow even dumber, and before they can land here as friends to share about 26,000 years of their progress.

They don't particularly like being shot at by fighter jets or being called "Gods" by primitive idiots, either. These are not acceptible ways to treat our older brothers, and our "creators"! Got that people! I personally like the things the Elohim want to share, and I don't like the things they object to, so I guess I'm with them.

Watch out for Nibiru, it's coming soon!

Peace and good laughs

Science is beginning to lay the groundwork for intelligent design and massive explosions with extreme variation in species in short time periods is best solved with ID not evolution, which is accepted as the adaptations within species, but this book explains why. Elohim is ET and is responsible for life on Earth, the theory is on the table. Read this book and then go see Expelled, No Intelligence Required, this Atheistic solution deserves some attention.

I did not want to read this book because I was thinking of "heavens gate cult" but I kept going and when I complete the first part of genesis I started to jump I thought that I was going to get a heart failure :) LOL this book has change my life so much and now I know who we are and what we are jeje
love to all humanity

I'd never been satisfied with the "magic ghost" theory I was force fed by Baptist parents as a child. I figured out that there was no God around the same time I figured out there is no Santa Clause. But still, when I read this book under it's previous title, I just bought it for laughs. It's fun to laugh at thinking we don't understand. But by the time I finished it, I was laughing because I finally read the explanation of life that makes sense. It really did change the way I saw the world and my life. It's beautiful. Now I get a laugh out of the primitive thinkers who disregard anything other than the "magic ghost" as crazy.

Intelligent Design is one of the best books I have ever read. For the first time in my life, the bible actually made sense. It explains Genesis and so-called miracles in the bible in a scientific and practical way. It debunks the theory of evolution and gives a believable account of our origins. Like I said, for the first time in my life the bible made sense.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Snow Falcon. The novel explores the nature of healing - from loss, from a dark past - and the extent to which animals can participate in that process. If you're an animal lover, this book is a must-read. Even if you're not, I highly recommend it. It would be a good book-club selection -- plenty going on here and I do think the characters and plot lend themselves to discussion very nicely.

A book that reads like the script of a soap opera, it is written in a narrative style peppered with many conversations. The book flashes between different scenes, each focusing on the thoughts and actions of the people in Little River Bend, the British Columbia town in which this story revolves around.

The downside of this novel is that it can get arduously long at times, the story moving without a sense of direction and focusing on the unimportant aspects of the people's daily lives, just as waking up and eating breakfast.It is also felt that the author did not deal adequately with Micheal's mental breakdown; the reasons given sometimes read like a lame excuse. Jamie's refusal to speak also seems unbelievable. All in all, the author just only skim the surface and did not probe deeper into the characters' inner beings, leaving the readers thirsty for more.

The upside of this novel is definitely that of the snow falcon. The author's descriptions of the falcon flying and soaring in the air and the surrounding landscape were lyrical and beautiful. The relationship between Micheal and Cully gives an interesting perspective into the communication and understanding between man and beast and furthermore, it is very touching. Readers were also given a peep into the world of falconry and introduced to the jargon used.

To summarise, this book is good for light reading and a must-read for all animal lovers; it will jolt the tears out of them.

This book is well written. The prose allows you to experience the emotions of the chrcaters, including the falcon.

The book starts when Michael Somers returns to his hometown in northern British Columbia after many years absence he is shunned by the community. Alone and the subject of malicious gossip he attempts to come to terms with the traumatic events of his past.

As well as being a story of redemption, this is a dramatic tale of love, jealousy and insecurity in the pressure cooker of a tight knit community where emotions build to an explosive climax.

The best book i have read in ages it is truly one of my all time favourites. The love story was great but the story of the Falcon was really absorbing, like i was the falcon seeing it all through the Falcons eyes, would recomended this book to any one.

This should have been promoted more because it would have made the bestseller list for sure. A wonderful story and I recommend it to anyone, animal lover or not! You will find it truly enjoyable!

I bought this book to brush up on my Physics for the MCAT which I am taking in about four weeks. I had not taken Physics since high school, and it showed on the diagnostic tests that I had been taking for the Physical Sciences section. The book is a thorough review with an ample amount of questions at the end of each chapter and a good review of each topic for each chapter. I especially liked the little inserts of humor within the problems and the chapters, as they really helped brighten, at least to some extent, what I find to be a hard subject to spend hours on.

There are a few problems with the book however. The cover states that all solutions are covered in thorough "step-by-step" detail, but this isn't always the case and sometimes I was left wondering "Ok what did he do here." Another thing that I disliked about the book was the fact that answers were either extremely easy or extremely challenging, but I guess that is a bit of a nitpick because that is how the MCAT is. Finally, I couldn't help but notice a good amount of errors either in the questions or the answers at the ends of the chapters. Case in point: The answer to Question 5 of Passage 4, Chapter 15 states that (3x10^4)/(5x10^4)=0.8. I stared a while at this answer to see what I had done wrong...and it wasn't the first time it happened.

Overall, I think it will really help my Physical Sciences score out..I'll wait to see when I take another practice test. One note of caution..there is some discrepancy between the information covered in this book and the other review books like Kaplan, particularly some of the equations covered. While Kaplan says to memorize the equation for capacitance (with area and distance)...Nova will just mention it in a problem. So check with the AAMC website to see what you need to know.

Perhaps its because I did well in Physics when I was in college (I'm a post-bacc premed, and I'm doing my own MCAT prep), but my finding so far (I'm on chapter 9) is that while the book provides good review, it doesn't provide many challenging questions. I think it's focusing on getting you to understand the concepts. My practice test scores suggest I should do OK in physical sciences regardless, but if you're looking for a true representation of the harder questions, look elsewhere (or at least take a lot of practice exams). I do like the dude's sense of humor though!

This book gives you practice tests that are MCAT style at the end of sections and thats what makes it the best review book out there. The MCAT is about not only learning the concepts but about PRACTICE. And this book does both really well.. Buy the book, use it, improve your score. Simple!

The thoroughness of the topics covered and the quality of the questions make this book very valuable. I would highly recommend this book. The passage based questions are helpful as well.

I never really had problems with Physics during undergrad, and assumed that I would have no problem with the MCAT. I bought the whole EK series including the 1001 question books. I read them I dont know how many times (I've been studying for months), but by the end I was very worried about my physics. Nothing made sense. After purchasing this book, everything makes sense again. Unlike EK, it offers a lot of very good example problems, and the questions at the end of each chapter really drill the IMPORTANT points, not just random physics questions. They help you memorize the equations, but stressing them in their problems. The problems are not really MCAT format, however, if you are having trouble with physics this book will definitely get you on the right track. The questions are not there to simulate MCAT problems so much as drill the important concepts into your brain. I haven't taken my test yet, I have two weeks to go...but I am feeling good, and I am considering purchasing the NOVA chem and bio books. I liked exam krackers when I first started, but I am beginning to feel they cut to many corners and have a tendency to confuse you by making things too easy. I give this book 5 stars if you need to RELEARN physics....if you are just looking for problems, this is not the book for you.

When I first picked up this book I thought it was great! I love Selena, but when I got to the end and saw pictures of her in her coffin I was really put off. Maybe it is just a personal preference but I disagreed with the inclusion of such a private thing.

The author of this book clearly spent a lot of time researching because the information was very detailed and accurate from the research I've acquired on Selena. The photos are beautiful too. I'd highly recommend this!!

I very much enjoyed this book and found it an easy read along with some very nice pictures of Selena, her friends and family.
Her short time with us is a true tragedy, and for someone so young, so talented, and so beautiful both in body and sole.

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK ABOUT SELENA IN THE MARKET--I AM A FAN, AND I KNOW. THE STORY WAS SO MOVING, SO SAD AND ALSO SO HOPEFUL. I LEARNED MANY THINGS ABOUT SELENA THAT WERE NEVER PRINTED IN THE MAGAZINES OR NEWSPAPERS, AND NOW I UNDERSTAND HER LIFE MUCH MORE--AND EVEN THE TRAGIC LIFE OF HER MISGUIDED [murderer]. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK! I'M GIVING IT FOR CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY FRIENDS!

This book is written so well.The book goes through Selena`s life and career.And it of course includes inside informations and pictures about Selena and her dear and loving husband Chris.I wish there`ll be more information and pictures about the life of the two lovebirds.Because despite the ugly and mean rumours about Selena and Chris ,i truly and deeply believe that they were very happy together and very much in love.They were planning their future very seriously,a new house and kids.She wanted to have 5 kids.
There are also very sad pictures of her funeral and her coffin.The pictures make you feel very sad and frustrated.I mean the big question in my mind was and is, WHY? Why she has to die?What was the meaning of this?
But i really think that this book is very useful and brilliant to all Selena fans out there. The pictures of the book are generally awesome and great!

"Let me tell you a story," is how the author of BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA begins her autobiographical journey, alerting the reading audience from the start that she is a storyteller first and foremost above all else: above her being a woman, a daughter, a sister, a lesbian, a survivor. Indeed, she creates and tells stories in order to better define those qualities she has, the labels she possesses, and with an effort towards cleansing her soul of ugliness in favor of beauty and hope.

Originally designed as a performance piece, that she staged in San Francisco at The Lab in August of 1991, Allison reworked the spoken narrative into this flowing, written memoir.

There are many inspiring, defiantly unsentimental portions of the book, which serve to display Allison's valiant attempts to heal herself while becoming an artist. Unfortunately, there are also Anne Lamott-type lapses into cliche and sap and faux-inspiring writing that fails to ring completely true. The pictures of Allison and the family she writes about that accompany the book are vivid and add an even greater genuineness to the text.

A scene that encapsulates the tone of the book, as well as describing Allison's life-long struggle and that of the girls and women she loves, appears near the end of the book, when Dorothy is visiting her sister and pre-adolescent niece. "I looked into my niece's sunburned frightened face. Like her mama, like her grandmama, like her aunts -- she had that hungry desperate look that trusts nothing and wants everything. She didn't think she was pretty. She didn't think she was worth anything at all." Heartbreaking, real and a truth that haunts the women in Allison's family from generation to generation until... when? That's a question that the author refuses to deal with, probably more out of fear for its answer than anything else.

On a side note, I saw Allison appear live at an event in Orange County in 2006. She was fiery, profane, fearless, and struck me as a serious truthseeker with a motivating message for aspiring writers and aspiring humanists. I was at first taken aback by her brashness, her unapologetic stance about people and politics and education. But as she continued on, she became less guarded, more sympathetic, and ultimately more loving than someone who's seen so much hatred and so much abuse should be expected to be. She was, truly, an inspiring figure up there on the stage.

Dorothy Allison:
No one has put the struggle to be human in terms as stark, alive, and
desperate and uncertain.

This book is necessary because it reminds even those who don't want to believe it that we are in that terrible, possibly beautiful and desperate place--just trying to get our leg muscles to work, or our hearts.

Done originally as a theater piece, "Two Or Three Things I Know For Sure" is moving, a quick read, and educational. In other words, it's everything you'd expect from one of our finest contemporary writers. I didn't see it when it was performed as a show. As a memoir, it is very good. My only criticism is -- and it is not so much as a criticism as a wish -- that I wanted to know more, especially about Allison's Aunt Dot and her mother. The book is generously illustrated with photographs of Allison and her family through the years. There is a piece in the book family photographs in a box, pictures of relatives Allison knew little, if anything, about. I would have loved if that section were expanded upon, and maybe to have seen some of the photos. Succinct and thought-provoking (not to mention heart-tugging), this short book makes for a valuable reading experience.

I bought this book because the author's books `Skin' and `Trash' are spotlighted in the anthologies `Courting Pleasure' and `Lovers: love and sex stories' by Tee A. Corinne. I enjoyed them both tremendously and sought out this book.

From the back of the book - [...] Out of Carolina, nominated for the 1992 National Book Award for fiction, introduced Dorothy Allison as one of the most passionate and gifted writers of her generation. Now, in Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, she takes a probing look at her family's history to give us a lyrical, complex memoir that explores how the gossip of one generation can become legends for the next.

Illustrated with photographs from the author's personal collection, Two or Three Things I Know for Sure tells the story of the Gibson women -- sisters, cousins, daughters, and aunts -- and the men who loved them, often abused them, and, nonetheless, shared their destinies. With luminous clarity, Allison explores how desire surprises and what power feels like to a young girl as she confronts abuse.

As always, Dorothy Allison is provocative, confrontational, and brutally honest. Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, steeped in the hard-won wisdom of experience, expresses the strength of her unique vision with beauty and eloquence.
Lambda Literary Award: Finalist

This book may be small but it packs a huge punch. Beautifully written it will bring tears to your eyes.

This book has one of the worst endings I've ever read. It was my first Edna Buchanan book & after a few chapters I intended to read her other books. After reading the ending I won' be doing that! I finished this book with the impression that the author was either having a bad day when she was writing the ending or her editor insisted on the "surprise." The author does a great job develping the characters throughout the book and then has two of them, her current husband & her son, behave in a manner that is compledtely counter to the personalities she has created. I have given the book two stars because it was a great read until the final chapters.

I definately enjoyed this novel by Edna Buchanan and can't wait to read another.

The beginning of the novel opens with the discovery of an unidentified woman on the beach. As the story evolves, the woman is identified as Kaithlin Jordan, who was murdered supposedly by her husband 10 years ago. Surprisingly, Kaithlin's death will exonerate her husband RJ, who was now on Death Row for her murder. What ace reporter Britt Montero would like to find out is "Why" has Kaithlin returned years later...was it to save RJ (whose execution was only weeks away) or for some other reason? Regardless, Britt is on the trail and coming closer to the truth than investigators. Overall the story is fast paced and very entertaining. We follow the tale as we learn more about "where" Kaithlin has been for the past few years,"why" she left and "who & why" someone killed her. I don't think that you will be surprised who the killer, but it is interesting to see how Buchanan develops the plot and characters to the point that you do second guess yourself.

The only two criticisms that I have about the story are simple: (1)I think that the "romance" elements in the story were weak, and (2) the one secret left intact should have been revealed. Issue #1..the romance...in the beginning of the story Britt appears to be in a relationship with a police officer, but by the end, she is in a semi-relationship with Fitzgerald, or is she. Because Buchanan does not give a lot of information about either of them, you simply don't care. And I guess that because it is not a romance novel but a suspense novel, she did not see a need to build or expound on it. My argument then would be to "leave it out". Issue #2...the secret..since the whole death and subsequent investigation was related to the secret..why not tell the person involved. I thought that that was a little "cheap" and seemed to chip at the integrity of the whole story, but I lived with it. Overall, with those criticisms aside, I still felt comfortable with giving it a 5 and plan to read another Buchanan novel soon.

This book is a thrill ride -- a great mystery with some terrific plot twists. But, like the more recent ICE MAIDEN, it's also about more than murder. It starts with a murder victim who has a complicated relationship with her mother. Then there's the convicted killer whose relationship with HIS mother can only be described as tortured. Our heroine, Britt, finds that her mother, with whom she has a tense relationship at best, can offer insight into the case. There's another pivotal mother-child relationship that I won't go into because I don't want to spoil the plot twist. Read this book and you'll get more than a great mystery.

I can't believe that I have been reading as often and as many books that I have and never ran across her books before. I just finished "You Only Die Twice" in one day's time. I had purchased "Act Of Betrayal" from a library closeout and I liked it enough to buy this book. Now, I am searching for any and all of her books. I realize that there are a lot of Britt Montero, the reporter and that I will now be out of sequence, but that will not deter me. I intend to find them all.

This is my first Britt Montero Mystery by Edna Buchanan, and I'm hooked! The story involves a beautiful woman (naked at that) who washes onto a Miami beach, and for a while can't be identified. The police, and resourceful and beautiful reporter Britt Montero, know from the expensive jewelry, and finely tanned skin, and perfect nails this is no regular Jane Doe. Turns out she has already been reported murdered ten years ago, by her rich playboy husband who now sits on death row, and is two weeks away from the needle. Twists and turns in every chapter keep you turning the pages, and I couldn't help but be drawn in by Britt's first person narrative. I found myself finishing this book in two days, and staying awake late into the night to get to the final startling chapter! If you like fast reads, fun characters, and lots of twists this book is for you. I've already bought two more Britt Montero mysteries, and can't wait to read them!

The subject of this book is very interesting, but the author went to great pains to turn what could have been a magazine article into a full length book. Lot's of detail about minor characters and tangential information, but the gigantic cast of characters is not presented is a compelling way that makes you want that much detail. I got about 3/4 of the way through, misplaced the book and didn't bother to look for it which is very rare for me -- in the last 10 years this is one of only two books I started and didn't feel compelled to finish. The story of the actual explosion is definitely worth a read but this book cries out for Readers Digest condensed book treatment.

Gripping read, but a little bit of a slow start. You have to expect that with disaster books; they need time to set the scene of devastation. This is well written and well-researched, with a number of good pictures. Very informative, especially if you have even a passing association or knowledge of the city of Halifax. Also, a must for anyone with ties to Boston.

I had never heard of this disaster until recently. When I picked out this book I didn't have high hopes. The last few books like this weren't very good but this was fantastic. Laura MacDonald's writing is very detailed and personalized. You can really feel for the people and what it was like because this doesn't just spout statistics at you although they are included. Books like this work so much better when they are filled with the personalized stories like this is. Anyone would love this story and I wish they would make movies out of something like this instead of other books.

Do you live in Boston? Every Christmas, there is a 50 foot Christmas tree from the city of Halifax in your Commons. Do you know why? Did you know that it was a gift from Nova Scotia?

On December 6, 1917, an explosion rocked Halifax Harbour, flattening much of Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Scores were killed and many more injured. One of the first responders was the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Ever since then, Nova Scotia has sent a Christmas tree to Boston as thanks.

Contents:
A Short History of Halifax
Chapter 1: Wednesday
Chapter 2: December 6, 1917: Winter Morning
Chapter 3: Black Smoke, White Smoke
Chapter 4: A Word on Explosions
Chapter 5: Minutes Later
Chapter 6: Far from the Harbor
Chapter 7: Scramble at City Hall
Chapter 8: The First Responders
Chapter 9: Duggan Walks Home
Chapter 10: Nightfall
Chapter 11: Friday Night and Folly Mountain
Chapter 12: Saturday: Reorganizing the Relief
Chapter 13: Duggans Reunited, If Briefly
Chapter 14: The End of Emergency Relief
Chapter 15: Cap Ratshesky Says Good-Bye
Chapter 16: Playing Solomon
Chapter 17: Proper Burials, Private Services
Chapter 18: Monday, December 17, 1917
Chapter 19: Rules of the Road versus the Law of the Land
Chapter 20: The Tree at Boston Common
Epilogue
Appendices

Curse of the Narrows, by Laura M. Mac Donald, is an extremely well documented and researched account of what led up to the explosion, the explosion itself, and the aftermath. She begins the book with an explanation of the Narrows and the importance of the harbour in peacetime as well as at the outbreak of the First World War. Two ships collided in the harbour, one, the Mont Blanc, was loaded with high explosives. The Imo, a Relief ship, punched a hole in the deck of the Mont Blanc, causing some of the explosives to leak, leading to a fire that could not be controlled. The captain of the Mont Blanc gave the order to abandon ship. The ship ran aground near the city of Halifax. To give you an idea of how hot the fire on the ship was, the water under the ship actually evaporated as it came into contact with the hull. It wasn't long before 2,900 tons of high explosives went up. The effects were devastating. And then, water in the harbour, trying to reach equilibrium, created a tsunami. That made matters even worse. Finally, a blinding snowstorm hit the area. Mac Donald goes into very good detail on these events. The reader is left with no question as to the destruction of the area. Communication service disappeared in an instant. There was no word coming out from the area. Reports to other areas of Canada and United States were sketchy, but some information did make it out. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts responded with a trainload of relief workers from the Red Cross as well as doctors, nurses, and supplies.

While you can tell that this book was exceedingly well researched (and there are footnotes and direct quotes aplenty), it reads quickly and like a great work of fiction. But is definitely not the latter. Covering the events of that fateful day, and the aftermath, Mac Donald takes the explosion and the stories of some of the participants and weaves an excellent historical novel. You learn about Dr. George Cox, an ocularist from rural Canada. He practiced in the farmlands of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, mainly for two reasons: He loved nature, and eye problems in the rural areas meant much more hardship for a family. He worked extremely hard to save the sight of all of his patients. One of the First Responders, he operated around the clock on the majority of people with eye injuries in Halifax. While his nurses fainted from exhaustion, he toiled onward. That is just one of incredible personal stories in this book. Mac Donald allows the people to tell the story, and that makes this book much more powerful.

A very well researched and written novel. It also includes many photographs of the aftermath, which drives home the destruction. Do not skip the Appendices, there is a lot of good information in there.

On December 6, 1917, the most powerful human created non-nuclear explosion occurred in Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia. The explosion occurred when a French munitions ship, the Mont Blanc, entering Halifax Harbor collided with a ship carrying relief supplies for Belgium, the Imo, which was sailing out of the harbor. The Mont Blanc was literally a floating bomb carrying TNT, gun cotton, and picric acid, all high explosives that were capable of simultaneous detonation. With the collision, benzol stored on the deck caught fire superheating the ship until the high explosives detonated. The effect of the explosion was to destroy most of the city of Halifax, kill 2,000 people, and wound thousands.

The book tells the story of the events leading up to the human error that caused the collision but that is only a small part of the story. By page 70, the explosion has occurred and the city lays in ruins. What follows can be divided into two stories; the story of the survivors and the story of those who came to help the people of Halifax. The same day as the explosion saw relief efforts from across Canada and the US but especially from the city of Boston which had a relief train on the way to Halifax within 12 hours of the explosion. Ms. MacDonald tells the story of relief efforts struggling through the mountains of New Brunswick in a blizzard that suddenly appeared the night of the explosion. We learn about the efforts of the Red Cross as they use the lessons they have learned from the San Francisco earthquake to quickly provide relief to Halifax.

The stories of the survivors and the horrors they endured (husbands identifying the bodies of their entire family, dozens blinded by the flying glass and wood, children made into orphans searching through the remains of their homes) makes for incredible reading, but the way it is presented is sometimes confusing as we go forward and back in time through the first few days after the explosion with different families. There are some other small problems with the book. The maps are not detailed enough to allow someone who doesn't know Halifax to follow the action. The pictures are printed on normal stock which makes them less detailed. For example, a description of a picture of the Imo tells us to note the puncture wounds in the hull but the picture is so poorly printed that they are impossible to see.

Overall, the book is a excellent presentation of an event that most people know nothing about. It is well written and brings to life the survivors and the volunteers who came to help them. It is hard to read their stories and not be effected.

I was very satisfied with the service and quickness of receiving the book. The book was in the condition that was described so there was no surprises.

Deutermann's "Hunting Season" grabs hold of you with the very first sentence and doesn't let go until the end. A skillfully crafted story (albeit heavy on the federal government agency lingo at times) with so many twists and turns, it's hard to put down. Would love to see it made into a movie - it has all the makings for a big screen thriller.

This was the first of P.T.'s books that I read that I found in a bag of second-hand books. I was immediately drawn to the story because I lived near Roanoke and Blacksburg, VA many years ago, when the "Ramsey Arsenal" was still open. From "Hunting Season" I learned about "sweepers" and other specially trained agents and the technology that is available to them as well as the difficult politics of "staying alive" as a Fed (or ex-Fed).
Most of the book takes place in and around the old arsenal and is well described. The underground syphon chamber that was used to flush away bad batches of toxic chemicals was interesting but the various scenarios surrounding it were a bit much as was the constant vehicle switching. But the story is great, and I am reading it for the second time, after 9/11. This book has it all-FBI, CIA, ATF, mountain men, and all the "toys" Kreiss uses that makes a gun unecessary.

This is a spectacular book. From the opening scene until the conclusion, this book held my attention like few others have.

Deutermann does a great job of creating characters that the reader feels for. I really cared about the characters. I wanted Kreiss to find his daughter and thwart the bad guy, I wanted Janet Carter to succeed. And, although I could see it coming a mile away, I was not disappointed that Kreiss and Carter linked romantically.

There are some great plot twists and numerous conflicts happening simultaneously that made me keep reading page after page.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense thrillers.

This time out Deutermann has crafted absorbing story of a father's search for his missing daughter.

Three college students are hiking around an abandoned military complex when presto - they disappear. The FBI soon chalks it up to a youthful runaway.

However, one father knows better, and he's not your typical parent-next-door. Edwin Kriess is a former member of a special CIA group that was trained to find and capture. He's determined to trace his daughter's abductors, and sets about doing so.

The FBI doesn't look kindly upon his investigations - he may have too much information, and what will he discover? Thus, the tracker becomes the tracked when the FBI dispatches someone to ferret out the truth from Kniess.

It's a trigger sharp, twisting yarn, skillfully woven.

I haven't seen this novel on bookshelves, but it is extremely well done and deserves some readership. It touches lightly on the mother/daughter genre/cliche, but explores the relationship in such harrowing, disturbing and emotional ways that it doesn't seem like something that has been done before. Expect to want to read this in a day - don't expect to feel "uplifted" as Douglas Glover writes in a review on the back of the hardcover edition . . . I found myself rather depressed, but it made me think - about my own previous relationships, about the difficulty in grasping who people are, and who you are, when you are caught up in the first waves of love.

Yes, this novel depressed me and was not a feel good story, but the characters were complex and realistic. All of the main characters were very well rounded with good and bad qualities which creates a struggle when deciding if you like them. This is unlike many novelists out there who create flat characters that you are only capable of hating. I think we all struggle with disliking someone in real life and it is never black and white the way many books simply portray.

I also think Laura Catherine Brown has a grip on the struggle of many women with low self-esteem, little positive guidance, and ignorant relations. I have seen many young women make the mistakes Mandy did and probably enjoyed the novel because, I have made those mistakes too. A lot of times, we only see what we want to see or what is convenient and without guidance or maturity, one can make some terrible mistakes. This is what happens to Mandy, but eventually she knows it is time to move on and create a better life for herself.

Amanda Boyle finds herself at somewhat of a crossroads in her life. She is leaving for college and beginning a time in her life where she will no longer be dependent on her dysfunctional parents. As she begins to realize that her life is really just beginning, she thinks, "Every part of my life contradicts every other." It is the contradictions that create her story.

Laura Catherine Brown has created a character we truly care about! Mandy is not sure where her future is headed, but there are things she does know. She knows she does not want to follow in the footsteps of her mother, always complaining and never feeling well, physically or otherwise. She knows she does not want to go through life without feeling valued and loved, and the quest for fulfilling those requirements are the driving force of almost all of the events in her life. She also slowly realizes that by capturing the world with her camera, the things she sees (through her eyes and in her photographs) actually matter! Mandy starts to see that we all have contributions we can make to the world, big or small.

We follow Mandy from her first days at college that include experimentation with sex and drugs. We reel with her from the unexpected death of her father, and feel her pleasure and pain as she experiences her first love and the thoughts of an unwanted pregnancy. We root for her as she begins her first job, and ultimately breathe a sigh of relief when we feel that she has reached a point in her life where she is ready to build her own life, using her own strengths and talents. It is a milestone we all strive for at some time in our lives, but some of us never really reach it, due to daily obstacles that sometimes get in the way of reaching our full potential.

I really enjoyed this book, because I felt like Mandy was someone that I cared enough about that I wanted to know what happened to her. I look forward to reading future works by Ms. Brown. This book also has great potential for discussion in book clubs looking for an interesting coming-of-age story.

This book is for you if you enjoy reading about: sexual abuse, drug abuse (there is pot smoking every 2-3 pages), out of wedlock sex, pregnancy and abortion, and dozens of other bad choices along the way. When I read the author's review at the end where she noted that the book had gone through 7 (I think) revisions, I thought to myself, it needed another 7 more. This book left me sick to my stomach, and I can't believe I read the whole thing.

Laura Catherine Brown writes a vivid tale of a young girl coming of age. Mandy Boyle has had a tough time of it. Her mother is a hypochondriac who treats Mandy terribly by constantly putting her down as well as sexually abusing her as a young girl. Her father truly loved his little girl but he was an out of work man who drank heavily. All of this has had serious consequences for Mandy.

She leaves home for college and has to try to make her own way in the world. She faces a lot of difficult choices and almost never chooses wisely. She turns her back on her one true friend and finds comfort with Booner, a guy she barely knows who tries to possess her. Mandy is "grateful" for love from anyone who is willing to show her attention or affection.

I have to admit though that while I enjoyed the story to the extent that I had to see how Mandy ends up, it was a little sad and depressing to read. The circumstances in her life were sometimes heart wrenching. Overall however it is worth a read.

I was given Autumn Lover and really enjoyed the book so I was really pleased to get Winter Fire. It is every bit as good as it's prequel.

It is historical novel, set in the 1860s in Utah. At nearly 400 pages, it is a reasonably long book but I was so gripped by it I couldn't put the book down.

It is both an an adventure book and a romance, and there are some steamy passages, but really it is the story of growth, redemption, putting one's past into context and moving forward.

I'd recommend this book to others who enjoy this genre. I am definitely going to buy more of Elizabeth Lowell's books.

Elizabeth Lowell has made her plot so convincing of a dream to find a silver cache the heroine's abusive husband hid before his death that will set right a number of wrongs done to her as well as for her brother. The villians in this story are so evil that the contrast of Sarah, and Case as being so good and courageous is clear right away. Sarah has healing skill with animals that crosses over to Case. Case, a man so lethal as to be qualified a gunslinger, however he is not one. He is ruggedly good looking and proves himself smart and sensitive...but he is a hunter falcon type that is capable of a swooping kill; yet they both seek out the hurts,of the other, and heals them through a beautiful love that just keeps growing. This story keeps moving. Its very Well done. The audio version though abridged still has much to offer and the actors draw you in immediately. You can listen to it easily over and over.

I liked this one better than the first in the series. Case and Sarah were a wonderful couple. He had a real reason for wanting to remain emotionally dead. It hurts too much to lose the ones you love. As you would expect, things end well. Case did take a chance on love though. Opening yourself up again after severe hurt takes courage.

This book is really good, even though there were (4) pages in sucession missing in the book I bought. I read Autumn Lover and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. Elizabeth Lowell's "Only series" was great and it would take alot to top that series. The hotter the book the better I like them. I am an avid book reader.

I've read other books by Elizabeth Lowell and liked them. This one was a real disappointment. The hero was unlikeable; there was no chemistry between the hero & heroine. And some phrases were repeated over and over, ad nauseum. I expect more from a "professional" author.