Nova Books

This novel was assigned to be read in my English Literature Class at Shepherd University. That is how I came about reading/hearing about this novel. I was pleasently suprised about this novel. I enjoyed the story and the style of writing. I am in the process of reading more novels by Terry Kay. I would recomend this novel to anyone that is looking for a good read.

Ben Phelps and Foster Lanier share a train ride home in 1904 after being cut from a low minor league baseball squad in Georgia. Another Georgian not only makes the cut, he advances quickly to the major leagues, where he is universally hated by the players for his dirty style of play and the public for tales of his wife-beating, drinking, and low-living. Ultimately, he becomes the top player of his age and very wealthy through Georgian business ventures (think Cobb and Coca-Cola), but he always refuses to see the old town and gang.

Ben and Foster meet Lottie Parker on that train. This enigmatic creature is both innocent and way too worldly for her teenage years, but never one to be forgotten. Lottie changes their lives for several generations. Foster and Lottie marry, and name their son Little Ben. Ben goes home, takes a job in the dry goods store, and becomes engaged to the proprietor's daughter. Foster, Lottie, and Ben have a subsequent encounter; when Foster and Lottie are working a travelling carnival baseball game of skill, they make Ben look like the town hero and get him very nearly killed.

Several years pass and then Ben comes to see a dying Foster, who makes him promise to take Lottie home. Both Ben and Little Ben take ill, and end up in the care of Ben's lonely widowed mother and Ben's fiancee. Lottie becomes the talk of the town, first rumours spread that she and Ben had an illicit relationship, then she wins over all with her charm and grace, then she falls in love with Ben's long-suffering father-in-law, finally she leaves town to return home, just as rumour surface that she is the famous carny girl of many years earlier.

I have not read any other Terry Kay novels, and I highly recommend this one. It has a few slow places, especially in the beginning, but it gracefully ties together America's past-times of baseball, commerce, and raising families in the hard-scrabble turn of the century days without much medicine, transportation, employment, or money, especially in the rural South.

"Taking Lottie Home : A Novel" is a good summer read that will pull you in, without knowing it. I saw this book on the discount shelves at the nearby conglomerate bookstore, and with its warm cover, I bought it. I was worried that the plot would revolve around baseball, but it only ties the characters together. It revolved back to teamwork and comradeship. The chapters will fly by, and before you know it, you're at the epilogue. That's where the story lost me, and I became confused. The references to grandma, Gra-Ma, mother, father, etc., made me confused about who was who. It's best to just leave off after the final chapter is finished. An enjoyable read. I recommend.

Some books, as well as characters, can haunt you for days, maybe years, after the reading is done. "Taking Lottie Home" is such a book. And Lottie Lanier is just such a character: part girl, part woman, and all too giving, with eyes no one ever forgets. So, too, is the character Ben Phelps, the young would-be dream-catcher, who catches the ball but only worships the dream, living it vicariously through the faraway exploits of the intangible, aloof Milo Wade. And there's Foster Lanier, who tastes the dream, only to see it turn bitter before finding his final, brief comfort in the arms of Lottie. Then there is Arthur Ledford, a lonely, tormented, fair but angry man, whose role in Lottie's life turns out to be nearly as surprising as Lottie herself. Even the minor characters are hard to forget: Ben's mother, Margaret Phelps, who clings to Lottie's child, little Ben; Ben's fiancee, Sally, who sees Lottie as the greatest threat to her happiness; Arthur's wife, Alice, a cold, hateful woman who seems to believe all women should be miserable by nature; Coleman Maxey, a pain-in-the-butt redneck troublemaker, and an assortment of other town characters who are either enthralled by Lottie or unnerved by her. There is also the strangest alliance of carnival bad guys ever to appear in a Kay novel: a one-armed giant and a midget. Lottie's story takes place in early 1900's Georgia and Kentucky, when it was still the train that took people to faraway places. It, too, could be considered a character in this story, as could the town of Jerico, which sounds a lot like long ago Royston, Georgia, just as Milo Wade sounds a lot like the baseball great Ty Cobb.

Two great contemporary Southern writers are Terry Kay and Pat Conroy. It struck me, while reading this book, that the two men are interesting contrasts, especially regarding the way they write about the South. It reminds me of two men I once heard trying to describe the taste of a persimmon. Both liked the taste, but one said it was bitter, with a little sweet in it; the other said it was more sweet than bitter. For bittersweet stories about the South, it's hard to beat Conroy or Kay. And "Taking Lottie Home" is a sweet story, with just the right amount of bitter. It's the kind of story that stays with you for a long, long time.

At first I didn't like this book. I picked it up and thought, oh great, it's about baseball. How wrong was I when I picked this one up at a bookstore? So I put it down. A few days later, after finding myself at loose ends because nothing I picked up sounded good, I gave it a try again. And this time, I was hooked. Terry Kay's writing just ensared me and I couldn't put the book down till the last page was turned.

Kay's characters just came alive in this book ~~ their dreams, their passions, their loves and fears. This is an wonderful book that will haunt you with its lyrical writing and true characters. There is Ben who is kicked off the Augusta baseball team at the same time as Foster Lanier, an older baseball player. They meet up again on the way home from the baseball fields. Ben struggles to make a life again in his hometown, Jericho, as he struggles with ending his dreams of playing baseball. Throughout his life, he kept track of his best friend Milo who did remain behind to play ball and eventually played for Boston Red Sox. Then there is Lottie, the woman he meets on his journey home ~~ and he continues to meet her over the years. And this is their story ~~ of friendship and eventually taking Lottie home. Foster married Lottie and fathered her son, but Ben took her home.

It's an enchanting story of the deep South at the beginning of the 20th century. These characters are just as real as your grandparents were ~~ and very interesting too. It's a great book to read on a lazy day swinging on the hammock ~~ just be prepared with lemonade and cookies ~~ once you start reading this book, you don't want it to stop!

5-25-04

Although the title may indicate "Water, Carry Me" is a love story, it is, in fact, so much more. Set against the backdrop of a divided Ireland, the novel tracks a few years in the life of Una Moss, the book's fascinating narrator, as she rides the turbulent waves of her early 20's.

Orphaned at eight and raised by her grandfather Rawney in Cobh, County Cork, Una is perhaps one of the most interesting and compelling characters in recent fiction. Cynical yet naive, insightful yet oblivious, she is a wholly real person and draws us into her world and her experiences as she comes of age as an adult. As she enters university, she watches her longtime friends Fallon, Collie, and Gaynor drawing away from her, changing and developing tastes and interests completely different from her own, and finds her best friends are not who she thought they were. And when "the Troubles" violently hit home for Una, she slowly discovers the truth behind the long-held secrets in her family, and her life suddenly becomes enmeshed in that conflict.

But all of these changes become secondary when she meets Aidan Ferrel, a draughtsman from the North, who sweeps her off her feet with his self-depricating charm and adoration of her. Una believes she has found true love and begins to plan her future with the man who, in her eyes, is perfection. Of course, Una then finds out she doesn't quite know everything she thought she did about Aidan.

Moran's deft writing moves the book along at a swift pace, and the interest never sags. This is a thoroughly engrossing, enjoyable, and ultimately heartbreaking read.

As a male who loves romance novels I instantly fell in love with Derdriu Rings Irish voice. I could listen to her for hours!!! But equally enjoyable and believable was the plot. You are never sure if its fiction or reality. Sad ending mimicing real life. This is the first Thomas Moran I have read and it will not be the last.

I knew from the beginning as I read this book that it was going to be tragic, but the flavor in the reading was reading how it was going to achieve it. I was not disappointed. Una, the protaganist, seems doomed from the beginning of the story--from the secret way her parents died, to her grandfather, Rawney, and his dubious friends who are somehow (or are they?) connected to the I.R.A. In fact, all of Una's life is somehow always connected to the I.R.A. and not because she chose that way.

The crux of the book was when she met Aiden, who seemed the perfect man - but then was he the perfect man? Even to the end, she still could not grasp any other image of him. This was her tragic flaw.

I recommend the book to all even though there were some "Irish" stereotypes.

I truely enjoyed the writing style and content. After spending 3 weeks in Northern Ireland recently, I felt the characters were true to many Irish people which made the story more believable and interesting. It is a very beautiful country that must live with such underlying unrest and I felt this was conveyed masterfully in this book. I do agree that having a fundamental knowledge of Irish history is helpful. It is a deeply moving story of some interesting characters. I am anxious to read more from this author.

Owning an Irish American newspaper, and reviewing over one hundred books with Irish themes the last three years, I now have to revise my list of top ten favorite books, having just completed "Water, Carry Me" last night. As other reviewers have hinted, it's a book that stays with you. I woke up in the middle of the night still agonizing over the lovers, Uma and Aidan.
I would love to see a sequel, with Aidan redeeming himself, writing to substain Uma's spirits, but I suppose he is beyond redemption and would have to live with his guilt, as he has all the years since the Remembrance Day Celebration.
I have been in Northern Ireland, have visited the IRA prisoners in Long Kesh, questioning their choices and commitment. It is almost beyond understanding, though they've often tried to explain it to me. As an American, perhaps we can never understand.
I also write novels about the Troubles, but in "Water,Carry Me", Moran has definitely raised the bar. I never wanted it to end, and while I knew in time Aidan's secrets would be revealed, I never foresaw the consequences to Uma.
Since I work part-time in a bookstore, I've had my eye on this book for awhile. After reading "The World I Made For Her" I was pretty sure I'd love it, but had no idea it would be so powerful.

A very positive role model for our youth (and adults!) Jackie Robinson was courageous man. I learned about the barriers and obstacles he faced as well as all African-Americans faced during this era. And still face today.

I read this book when I did a research paper on Jackie Robinson in 11th grade English class back in 2003. It was a great autobiography and I couldn't put the book down. Not only tells the story of the man as a baseball player, but it tells how he struggled being a "black man in a white world." If you are interested in baseball, civil rights, or even just want to read a good book and learn more about the time, I highly recommend this book.

This was just dynamite. Jackie holds nothing back. I've read a lot of baseball books, and I've read a lot of autobiographies. This was hands-down the best, period! If you only want to read about his baseball accomplishments, go elsewhere. He covers his entire life, and there was a lot more than just baseball. The incidents from other episodes of his life serve to quantify what an advocate he was, and how difficult it was to take the abuse heaped upon him in his first two seasons with the Dodgers without responding. Bravo to a well-lived life, Jackie!

The autobiography of Jackie Robinsons Life "I never had it made" was an inspiring book to not stop trying. I enjoyed this book as a learner of the old ages and as a young fan of baseball. Jackie inspired millions of African Americans to do what they always have dreamed of doing. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was because I thought they talked too much about his life after he retired from baseball. The book talks about the hardships Jackie went through and the journey he made to become such a phenomenal athlete and role model. Some of the people that Jackie worked with were greats known as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. After retirement Jackie opens up his own charities and organizations to help the not so fortunate African Americans of today's society. I recommend this book to anyone that has trouble with their self-confidence because this book makes you appreciate your life more. Unfortunately Jackie will be remembered just because of his baseball accomplishments and not what he did off the field.

They say to whom much is given, much is expected. In Jackie's case he didn't ask to take on this feat- but nonetheless he accepted the mission and gave it his all- and succeeded- perhaps at the expense of his own personal life and serenity. This man had a huge task and he never shirked when it seemed to be insurmountable...the crux of the challenge was that jackie was told that he would be up against jeering crowds, small minds, hostile people that would do their best to get his goat- and that it was imperative that jackie did not resist and defend- and he upheld his end of the bargain.Jackie shows us all the high road.I am no sports fan but I did love this book- because it is about focus, strength and grace in the face of opposition, and a trailblazer personality that lit the way for many many people.

The writer of this book does such a good job in painting the picture of lives of these in this book about life and the dangers of coal mining!

This is a great book. Many of these reviewers made an assumption and assertion that the author created the dialogue and thoughts. Those reviewers are wrong. The author interviewed survivors and, more importantly, listened to hours of detailed interviews with the survivors recorded immediately after the rescue and in the following years. From the author: "This book is nonfiction. I did not make up these words, scenes, or stories. They are events I learned from the voices of survivors, and I have tried my best to retell them using the same words."

There seems to be a new writing style out there that is a cross between fiction and non-fiction (not faction), so let's call this style "soap opera non-fiction". That's where an author takes a historical event, and trys to write it like a "soap opera". The last two books I've bought have done this. I guess the object is to make the book appealling to more readers and therefore make more money.

This was a fascinating story that could have been better told if it was written from a documentary or historical perspective. I wanted to learn something, not read a made-for-TV movie.

I still don't know how the Governor of Georgia and his exploits fits in this story? That is a bizzare and dis-jointed side-story. She somehow tried to tie-in perceived racial incidents surrounding this tradgedy.

I was dissappointed in this book.

This is really two stories, the Springhill mine disaster and the political exploitation of the survivors. Oddly, the latter is more absorbing. The account of the mine disaster could have used a stronger editorial hand. There are a great many characters introduced at the beginning of the book, but the discriptions tended to be repetitive so that they were not well delineated. There were a few copy errors that should have been caught (a spring night in October; the maple leaf flag being raised several years before it was created....) Worst was the purple prose. The author seems addicted to similies, often using at least one in each paragraph, and many were so strained that they broke the flow of the narrative. If you remember the old comic strip "Our Boarding House," you will understand what I mean. Fortunately the writing improves as the book goes on, but this 280 page book would have been better if it had been boiled down to 200 pages.

The basic facts of this book's content - the event surrounding the Spring Hill Mine rescue have been covered in other reviews and I will not waste time rehashing them yet again. Instead I would like to focus upon the less obvious gems within this book that in my opinion transend the amzing story of survival.

Melissa Green takes the reader on a journey not just into a coal mine, but into life in this working class town in 1958. The families, the marriages and the race relations all form a familiar image for those who like myself lived in or near the same time frame(in my case as a child) except that this book provided me an understanding of my parent's world. While my father wasn't a miner or ever a manual laborer nevertheless the men of the mine matched up with faces and families of those I grew up with in a world long lost to history. Of solid men who took care of their families, saved, and yet know how to have fun.

Beyond that personal appeal the medium of the story takes us with the trapped men and allows us to expereince their empotions. Somehow inspite of the fact we know it is coming the disaster seems as fresh and unexpected as it was to the men who also knew that some day there would be the "big one" and prayed they wouldn't be inside when it happened.

The aftermath leaves the reader choking on coal dust and shaken by the sight of crushed men whom they have just gotten to know. Unlike some writers the author doesn't pretty it up and the all the horror and mental trauma of the men is ours to share. We also share through the men's thoughts, thoughts of children and the future they now realize they will never see, thoughts of wives whom they will never hold and the constant and never ending question of what will it be like when death comes? Like so many of us who take life's little pleasures for granted, this disaster brings into focus for these trapped and dying men the value of those things and people they took for granted.

Lie in the coal black mine on a bed of broken rock while thirst unlike anything you have ever known treatens to drive you out of your mind. Realize your pants can't stay up because you've lost so much weight and understand that you can't last, can't live much longer. Then return to thoughts of your parched throat that feels as if it is filled with a splintery wooden stake that keeps "being twisted and twisted."

A harrowing and personal experience. Well done! Well done indeed!

Marcia Muller takes San Francisco private investigator Sharon McCone to new heights (no pun intended) in Both Ends of the Night. This is the best book in the McCone series that I have read so far.

McCone is a pilot and learned how to fly from Matty Wildress. Matty is not only a flight instructor but also one of the top aerobatic flyers in the nation. Matty hires McCone to find her live-in lover, John Seabrook. Seabrook left suddenly with no explanation, leaving behind his 12-year old son, Zach. McCone not only has to discover where Seabrook has gone, but also, why he disappeared. The search for Seabrook leads McCone to Florida, Arkansas and Minnesota as she follows leads, assumptions and a trail of evidence. McCone is also worried that perhaps she won't find Seabrook alive.

To solve this mystery, McCone must navigate through the Witness Protection Program, a 10-year old unsolved contract killing, a corrupt aviation company, a federal investigation, a company cover-up, and the disappearance of the owner's son. Along the way, she receives help from her ever growing staff, friend and San Francisco homicide detective Adah Joslyn, FBI agent Craig Morland, and lover Hy Ripinsky (who is also a personal friend of Wildress). In the course of the book, we also learn much about planes, flying and human nature.

The plot for Both Ends is extremely well-developed. Unlike many mysteries, the bad guys aren't all bad and the good guys aren't all good. Also, not all the good guys are still standing at the end, which makes Both Ends more like real life.

Muller has become one of those series which I am determined to read every book--it's that good.

Sharon visits her flight instructor, Matty Wildress, and senses that something is bothering her. After some questioning, the private Matty discloses that her lover John has disappeared and has left her with his young son. Sharon and her lover Hy fear that Matty and the boy may be in danger and they try to protect them. Circumstances go from bad to worse, there is a murder, and Sharon and Hy begin looking for the perpetrator. From California, to Arkansas, Florida and Minnesota the two investigators hunt for John to try to find out who the murderer is, and why John disppeared so suddenly. Marcia Muller's books have come a long way since the late 70's when she first created Private Investigator Sharon McCone. This book is a winner for those who enjoy mystery and adventure stories.

I don't think this book is as good as some of the others in the series. I won't go into detail about what the book is about as it is well said in the above writings. I would just be repeating what has already been written. I felt like there were to many people involved. I could not keep up with who was who and who belonged to who. Also to much technical information about the planes. Do not read books for that. I feel the ending did not close all the loop holds. Muller has done better.

I keep coming back for Muller's next Sharon McCone story, so it's safe to conclude that I have enjoyed the series so far. By number 19, it's become as much about McCone and her extended family of familiar characters as it is about the mysteries. For that reason, I suggest that somebody new to the McCone books not start with this one. You can, but it all works better if you have some background.

I didn't find BOTH ENDS OF THE NIGHT to be one of Ms. Mullers' most compelling mysteries. It held my interest all the way through, but there was a little more rhapsodizing on the joys of airplane piloting than I wanted. I also thought that there weren't many real surprises in this one and the climax was too straightforward and obvious. Further, given the personal history of the guy living in the woods, he wouldn't have been difficult for a wealthy father to locate over the course of ten years.

I have enjoyed Mullers' McCone novels and will certainly read more of them. This one, however, while OK, was a bit of a letdown. Not bad, but not one of the best. I'm not suggesting that people (especially fans) not read it, just that there are others I liked better. My four-star rating on this one is a bit soft.

I'm a big fan of the Sharon McCone series and this one was a very good read. Fast-moving, credible. I enjoyed all the plane-related detail. Muller, like Sharon and Hy, obviously loves flying. I'd never do it myself, but I enjoyed going along for the ride, so to speak.

If you're new to Muller, I URGE you to read the McCone books in order, starting with "Edwin of the Iron Shoes." Believe me, you'll get to this one soon enough.

Death of A Stranger is the first book I've read by Anne Perry. It involves the death of a railway magnate in a sleazy brothel, which has shocked high society in Victorian London. In addition, the plot involves private investigator William Monk's acquisiton of a mysterious new client who asks him to determine whether her new fiance, a railway-firm executive, has become involved in fraudulent practices. Perry does a good job in describing the detail and mood of Victorian London and in creating interesting characters; particularly in regards to evolving her two main characters, William Monk and his wife, Heather. If mood and character development are what drive your interest in a mystery than Death Of A Stranger is right up your alley. However, while these qualities are important to me as well, I require a much faster-paced plot and some surprising twists and turns, which, unfortunately this book seriously lacks. As such, I at times found it to be tedious and somewhat boring, and oftentimes considered it to be very slow-moving. Death Of A Stranger is not a bad book, it's just not one I'd recommend highly to you.

I just saw this peter jackson movie about two girls who end up murdering one of their mothers. It's a true story and all, happened in new zealand in 1954. I wanted to see what the girls were up to, so I looked them up. Apparently Ms Perry is one of the girls. So i picked up a copy of the book, and I must say I was rather impressed! She writes from true life and frankly, this novel gave me chills! I suggest viewing the film and then rereading her novels, it makes them far more compelling.

I recently read The Shifting Tide and was most impressed with the book. Not having read other books in the William Monk series, I decided to work backward to see what I had missed. Alas, I found that so far The Shifting Tide was the best of the lot. So if you are thinking about this book, but haven't read The Shifting Tide, I suggest you move on to that one instead . . . unless you have a compulsion to read every book in the series.

William Monk is a man who doesn't know who he is. An accident cost him his memory, but in this book facts and vague memories combine to help him reconstruct part of his past. Now, he earns a living as a private enquiry agent in Victorian England. He is married to the redoubtable Hester who runs a charity clinic for ladies of the night in one of London's worst neighborhoods.

As the story opens, a famous railroad entrepreneur and financier is found dead inside a notorious house of ill repute. Outraged by the apparent murder, the police are expected to cure the age-old problem of men and one of the oldest professions. Soon, everyone is starving, and the violence increases against the women. Hester is kept busy trying to sew up their wounds and setting their bones. She soon realizes that she needs to solve the murder if she is really to help her patients.

William is hired by Katrina Harcus, the fiancée of a well-to-do Londoner, who wants to be certain that her fiancé is not involved in something untoward. She's overheard scraps of conversation that make her feel that a great crime is about to happen.

The plot bogs down as William is seemingly blocked by both his amnesia and a psychological inability to draw conclusions from the plain words that Katrina shares with him. It's one of the most block-headed investigations you will ever have to read about. The story is saved at the end by the tale finally unfolding in dramatic fashion.

Hester's tracking down of the murderer of the magnate is the better part of the story. If William's part had been left out or edited down, this would have been a four-star book. As it is, you will have to enjoy reading lengthy self-examinations by a confused amnesiac to avoid falling to sleep as you read this slow-moving story.

What makes the book fascinating are the marvelous details and local color about London's seamy side and the development of England's railways. It almost makes you wish Ms. Perry wrote nonfiction books.

OK, I admit I LOVE Anne Perry. It's such a pleasure to read a book that isn't, well, embarrasing. Great plot, excellent character development, interesting dialogue, a wealth of historical detail ....what more could one want? And she accomplishes all of this without vile language, sex orgies, and other disgusting contrivances that are the last refuge of the untalented. Thank you, Ms. Perry! this one was great, and I'm looking forward to your next thriller!

I always look forward to a new Anne Perry book. Every one is a winner. This one was no exception.The characters and places were so real I was transported back to Victorian times with them.
William was torn between finding out about about his past and
not really wanting to know. I thought he was a litte in love with Katrina dispite his love for Hester.

Hester was as strong a character as ever, working amongst and helping the prostitutes of London's East End She is determined
to solve the mystery and find the murderer in order to help William.Once again her friend and old suitor Oliver Rathbone came to her aid. This time with a hint of a romance to
come with a colleague of Hester's.

As usual the plot had a few different story lines all coming together as the story unfolded. This was a real nail biter .I cant say I couldn't put it down because actually it was the audio book I listened to. Thanks again to Anne and also to Terence Hardiman for the wonderful way he bought the characters to life. Cant wait for the next one in the series.

Well written mystery. The plot centers around Detective Morris Black as he searches for a serial killer who's acts seem to coincide with German air raids. There's a bit of romance between Black and an American girl as well as an interesting character, Dr. Tennant, who was in fact a German spy. The English had cracked the German codes so in fact they were pretty much aware of where the bombings would be and when. How did the serial killer, Queer Jack, gain this information. It's also interesting to see how much Nazi sentiment existed in England at the time.

Maybe it was the setting, maybe it was the disturbing plot, well not as disturbing of a plot as Second Assassin was. But anyway a serial killer, kills and leaves the his victoms lifeless bodies in areas selected for German bombing raids in London, during the Battle of Britain. So how does the killer know? Guess you'll have to read to find out. Also plays on why Germany quit bombing London. Good book, Hyde as usual, does a stupendous effort with the research, and development of the characters. Scotland Yard MI6, and a well placed German agent help to make this book one hell of a read.
If you liked this one try Black Cross, by Greg Iles, and Archangel, by Robert Harris.

This might be the most readable Hyde I've read to date, and I really enjoyed Second Assassin and House of Special Purpose greatly. This captures your attention and keeps you spellbound over the last 250 pages. Thrilling conclusion that brings back memories of Hannibal Lecter. Interesting anecdotes regarding the Blitz and Ultra, and its breaking of the Enigma code. If you enjoyed this, you'll enjoy Enigma by Robert Harris. A fascinating read for WWII fiction buffs.

Christopher Hyde's 1997 Thriller/Murder Mystery is set against the Blitzkrieg of London in the summer of 1940. Detective Inspector Morris Black, whose career has plateaued since the death of his wife and is now under suspicion because of his Jewish descent, is loaned to MI5 to investigate a series of killings taking place in London. The reason MI5 has an interest in these murders and the investigation has to be kept top secret is that all of the slayings have taken place in locations that were immediately bombed by the Germans. Additionally a particularly vicious German spy known as the Doctor has become involved in investigating the murders for the Germans in an effort to ascertain where the serial killer is getting his information from. Inspector Black's investigation is also complicated by an attractive American journalist/spy named Katherine Copeland who is initially sent to seduce the inspector but soon becomes sympathetic to his cause (albeit at some very inconvenient moments.)

This thriller is very rich and detailed in it's depiction of 1940's London and in Christopher Hyde's descriptions of the bombings you can almost feel the heat from the flames and taste the ashes in the air. Obviously intensively researched, the drama includes numerous real-life personalities such as Ian Fleming and Joseph Kennedy which adds tremendous realism to the tale. The plot twists at an easy pace and is very easy to follow and you should have no problem figuring out the whodunit part. The only problem I had with this novel is that it almost seemed to suffocate itself a couple of times in its' own intricate detailing. I found the pacing to be a little slower than that of The Second Assassin but still a very enjoyable novel

Hyde's complex thriller is based on a true story of a serial killer during the early days of the Nazi blitz of London in 1940.

According to the author, his characters are real people. The protagonist, Inspector Morris Black, is a melancholy Jewish widower. The killer's first victims are young, homosexual military pilots but it's the killer's choice of locale that make the case sensitive.

The murderer kills at the site of Luftwaffe raids - hours before the raids happen. When it becomes clear that this is no accident, Black finds himself in the midst of frantic Intelligence services and privy to secrets that endanger his career.

Meanwhile, "The Doctor," a highly placed English Nazi spy, is also on the track of the killer, intrigued as to how advance notice of the raids is being obtained.

Hyde's detailed and atmospheric prose gives the reader a true sense of London at war. When Black, along with an attractive American spy trying to infiltrate his case, is caught in several devastating raids, Hyde vividly conveys the sense of panic, the devastating destruction and waste, the feel and smell and sound of exploding bombs, falling brick and timber, implacable fire - and the serendipity of who dies and who lives.

He also gives us portraits of London's powerful intelligence people - chosen for their schools and connections rather than their skills - and a sense of British ambivalence which emerged in open slights of Jews and covert plots for a separate peace with Hitler.

Hyde is a careful and powerful writer with an intriguing and shocking story.

This book is not an action packed page turner. It is more of a slowly unfolding mystery, which at times can be a little bit plodding. The atmosphere is gray and subdued, by design. The best part about this book is the lead protagonist. She is a three dimensional character: intelligent, determined, flawed in some ways, and refreshingly lacking the superhuman qualities of many lead protagonists in the thriller/mystery genre.

I guess it was worth it, to read thru this book. I stuck with it because, being employed in the health care field, I'm interested in insurance scams (the ones the insurnce companies themselves commit). The first half of the book was "deadly" (the writing and plot, not the murders) though it did pick up towards the end, with the switched data, "accidents", the envelope thing, etc. Still, not sure the book was worth it...

This is really inventive story. It has all the necessary ingredients of a good financial thriller. But the atmosphere, the premise and the subtlety of the message are really exceptional. THE POLICY is an adult thriller in the best sense of that word. It'll hold your attention AND give you plenty to think about.

This was a well written story that for some reason I didn't expect to grab me and yet it did. To be fair, I had read many of the reviews here at Amazon and it was the general praise that The Policy received that convinced me to buy the book and read it. Had I not visited this site first, I probably would've passed. Now, I'm glad I didn't. Alex Tynan is one of the neater female characters I have met in a book in quite some time. What I liked about her were the several dimensions the two writers who hide behind the pseudonym Patrick Lynch gave her. Like many of us, she has her flaws and has made her share of mistakes. She is not a one-dimensional superhero like we see in many of the bad techno-thrillers. With more than above average intelligence and a tenacity that creeps up on the reader as the novel progresses, Alex reminded me of the proverbial dog with a bone that they just won't give up. Alex is like that and that's what kept me glued to this book. Another interesting skill the authors brought to this storyline was that they picked a dull industry like life and health insurance and somehow, made it seem sinister and evil. Of course, industries themselves are not evil, but the people in them can be and sometimes are. To be sure, this is not a scary book or a true nail-biting page turner in the strictest sense of that label but there is a lot of tension and it grows throughout this novel. The authors did an outstanding job of creating and increasing that tension as the novel progressed. I haven't read any of the other books by the two folks who call themselves Patrick Lynch but rest assured, I most certainly will. These two writers have several other books out and I intend to track them down and gobble them up. Patrick Lynch, whoever you are, keep up the good work and keep the stories coming. You two seem to have a lot to say and some good story lines to use as your vehicles. Thanks for an enjoyable read.

Most thrillers these days seem to fall into well-defined categories. As a result the scenarios, premises and even the plots start seeming pretty familiar pretty quickly. For this reason THE POLICY was for me a great treat. The world it sketched was absolutely believable and beatifully sketched, and I never really knew where the story was leading me. Only that things were going to get nastier and more disturbing as they went on. Which they did. A final bonus was that the end actually made me think, the way a real novel is supposed to. I recommend this to any lover of a good, original story.

Fog Magic is a book about a girl who loves the fog and finds a passage through the fog into Blue Cove in the past. She loves Blue Cove and makes a lot of friends as she figures out its secrets.
The book was good, but it was slow and at some parts didn't allow the reader to get much of the feeling of the part. It was still good at other parts and sometimes shocking, but it gives and empty feeling. I mean, it doesn't explain why the fog opened to Blue Cove for Greta and why in every generation of the Addingtons there would be a child who loved the fog. It doesn't have that good of an ending. I love Newbery Honor books, but this one was a bit disappointing. It was still magical though, but I'll only recommend it to people who think such unsolved mysteries and are able to understand a lot of that kind of stuff. Instead of this book, I'd recommend "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM." It's not exactly a fantasy, but its kind of like this book and its a lot, lot better.

My favorite thing about Fog Magic is when the fog comes in, Greta saw a different world. When she discovered the fog had magic in it was when she was looking for the milk cow and thought she saw a house in the fork of the road. Then Greta found friends on the other side of the mountain called Blue Cove. Her new friends name was Retha and Mrs. Morrill. My favorite part of the book was when Retha and Greta were picking berries and it was time for Greta to go home and Mrs. Morrill gave Greta a piece of pie to take home with her. When she got home the pie was gone from the pale. All in all I really liked reading this book and imagining what it would be like to be in another world. My least favorite part of the book was about Captain Cornwall dieing of yellow fever. It made Greta and Retha really sad.

Although it's not currently listed as such, the author of this book is Julia Sauer, and "Fog Magic" is a classic. I read this book several times as a child. Along with the Oz books and "David and the Phoenix," it was my first introduction to fantasy. In it, a young New England girl wanders through the fog to another village in earlier, Colonial times. On her visits, she makes friends with another little girl in the village. There's a bittersweet feeling when she realizes that where the village once was, now only cellar holes remain. Ghosts, time-travel, and a hint of Brigadoon made this book one that I still remember as an adult.

If you want additional information on "Fog Magic" (and additional reviews), check its listing under the author's name.

I read this book several times as a child. Along with the Oz books and "David and the Phoenix," it was my first introduction to fantasy. In it, a young New England girl wanders through the fog to another village in earlier, Colonial times. On her visits, she makes friends with another little girl in the village. There's a bittersweet feeling when she realizes that where the village once was, now only cellar holes remain. Ghosts, time-travel, and a hint of Brigadoon made this book one that I still remember as an adult.

I loved this book and read it several times as a young girl. There was something haunting about the story -- I still think of it now and again. It was one of the best entrees I had into the world of the past, and I think it contributed to my enduring interest in history.

Jennie, a chimp, becomes as three-dimensional as any human in this tale, which shines a bright light on the question of what responsibilities researchers have to their primate subjects after the experiments are over.

What a wonderful read -- fact-based fiction that really gets the reader to ponder many things and tugs at the heart. I highly recommend this book.

I love this story. I couldn't help but love Jennie. She touched so many lives and was touch my many herself. This is an incredible story about Jennie, her intelligence, her adaptability, her humanity. I was amazed to learn about her. I wish I could find Hugo's book and his movies of Jennie. I highly recommend this book!

Jennie was both an enjoyable read and a great insight into the similarities between ourselves and one of our closest genetic relatives, the chimpanzee. The book also raises the interesting moral question of whether or not it it acceptable to raise a chimpanzee as a human child.

If I had one qualm it is this: though the story is a fictionalized rendering of actual events, I found it hard to know how much of Preston's story was based on hard reality, and how much if it was filled in by his wonderful imagination. How much were these various journal entries, interviews, notes, and memoirs based real ones, and how much were they the creation of a talented writer?

I found that the book left me wanting to know more, but that's not necessarily a bad thing: Jennie prompted me to learn more about the actual events surrounding the life of this amazing chimpanzee.

First let me say that I think this story was a wonderful, touching story. And also very heart breaking. Up until the end it had the potential to be one of my favorite books. But I guess I am just not a fan of sad stories. There is enough pain, grief and suffering in the world as is without adding to it. I actually started a new book immediatly after finishing this one just to get it out of my mind (I normally give myself a day think about a book I just finished). If it were not for the very sad end this book would deserve 10 stars.