Nova Books

This book was likely the least-engrossing book I've ever attempted to read. I've tried to get through it in four different stints and have gotten bored and frustrated enough each time to give up in favor of another (better) book. The sex scenes seem as if they were written by a horny 12-year-old and seem to be randomly dropped into the book-- they're not convincing in the least. Well more than 100 pages in there still seemed to be no story. The characters are shameless stereotypes: the young woman with a broken family who had to grow up too early and keeps herself so determined and busy so as to ignore her sorrow, she's a country girl who has never known the world, and the dark, mysterious, aloof millionaire who seduces her and finds himself seduced as well. Unfortunately, the writing is as bad as the story is tired, and their relationship isn't able to transcend the pages at all. As the pages went by I found myself wondering when things would come together to make this book more than empty words on paper, but they never did. Don't waste your time.

Well, this turned out to my favorite of all of I.J's books. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book nearly as much as I did. I fell in love w/ the characters. Caitlyn & Alex's relationship was well written, and drew me deeper into the book. Kemal is awesome & what a cool twist at the end! I still can't figure out how Melis is related to Kemal, he says she is his niece, but is that indeed true? I wanted to cry for Melis, and Kemal's character was just brilliant! I will miss Alex & Caitlin & crew! Kemal could fill up a book on his own. Maybe one day he will, with references back to Reap the Wind. LOVED IT!!!!

The shipment was very fast. I was very glad to find this book I have been lokking for it after I read Wind Dancer. It is a wonderful book.

Again, I can't stop reading. This was a great book!

I have certain criteria which needs to be met in order for me to give a book an excellent rating. One of those mandatory items is good editing. The author could write a fantastic story, filled with intrigue and characters that burst out of the pages at you, but if the editing is substandard, then I can't get past it. Thus causing my rating of the book to go down a notch. This was the case with Reap the Wind - those glaring typos and a couple of minor storyline errors jumped out and spoiled the scene in my eyes. Of course, this book is a reprint of an earlier work by Iris Johansen and I'm thrilled that her editor is either now more efficient, or she has a new one!

Reap the Wind focuses on Caitlin Vasaro, a woman who has always had a love for the Wind Dancer. The Wind Dancer, an antique statue shaped like a Pegasus, is said to possess mystical powers. The statue has been passed down in the Andreas family for many generations and is often fodder for rumor and speculation, as well as plots for stealing it. The myths surrounding the statue include stories of untold power for anyone in possession of it.

Caitlin, as a distant cousin to the owner of the Wind Dancer, had studied the statue's history while in college, and pours over a family journal, which contains portions focusing on the statue. She currently has returned to oversee and run the family flower farm in Italy and has produced a perfume that will "rock the world". She always seems to be one step ahead of the bank mortgage and worries about them repossessing Vasaro (the name of the farm). Vasaro is depicted as Utopia - fields of flowers, fruit trees, vineyard, mansion, and various outhouses. Yes, sounds like Utopia to me!

Caitlin's life is high stress constantly wondering if the elements will destroy the flower crop, and if so, how she'll make the next mortgage payment or payroll. Then an opportunity that's too good to be true walks into her life. That opportunity comes in the form of Alex Karazov, a wealthy businessman, ex-CIA/KGB man, who makes her a business proposition she can't refuse. He's willing to put up his money to market her perfume, thus paying off the mortgage on Vasaro. She enters the deal, knowing there is more to it than she is being told.

Most people can see where this story is going. Yes, Caitlin and Alex begin a mad, passionate love affair (and some of those scenes in the book are very steamy and not for those that blush at the mere mention of sex). But the surprise is the mystery that comes along with the romance. It seems others of a more evil nature are planning to steal the Wind Dancer while on loan for the perfume advertising campaign.

(NOTE: This section contains key information about the plot - skip if you are planning to read the book)The story takes you on a wild run through Europe in a chase to get the Wind Dancer back once it's stolen. At times the action is a bit far-fetched, but it will definitely have your heart pumping. The identity of a key villain, The Gypsy, was predictable, but the ending had a few twists and turns to keep it interesting.

There were also scenes that are definitely overkill, such as guys repealing out of helicopters to torch Vasaro with flame-throwers. Another hard one to fathom is the scene where the captain of a whaler shoots his harpoon at the people on the ship trying to save the whale. But hey, there are only a few of those type scenes and it doesn't take away from the overall good story.

This book is definitely one to read, as long as you don't focus on the typos and can get past the site seeing/shopping adventures. Never mind, don't ask about those! And if you blush at romance scenes, you'll want to skip over the few very erotic, xxx, love scenes that will leave you wondering how Iris Johansen comes up with this stuff!

The idea of an individual seeking to right a perceived wrong through violent means is something that many writers have used in the past, yet few have done it in as gogent a manner as this writer. The story begins with three dostinct story lines that converge, as the book progresses, into a real page turner. The chacters have depth and become more meaningful as the story is skilfully woven. The witer is from the South and his personal knowedge and lifetime experiences come through well in this work. It is easy to ascertain that he has spent a goodly amount of time in research and this does much to enrich the work. His time in the military has taught him much about beauracracies and the "back-stabbing" and the manipulation of people that is commonplace. The characters are strong and serve to make this book a most satisfying read.

The Bookcassette Adapter gives you balance control on your headphones and is so easy to use: Plug it into the stereo jack of your personal tapeplayer and then plug your headphones into the other side. The Bookcassette Adapter Works ONLY on Stereo Tapeplayers.

If you plan on listening to Bookcassette audio books on a stereo system where you can adjust the sound between the left and right speakers separately, such as a rack system with separate left and right speaker controls or a car stereo with a left and right balance dial, you will be able to listen to Bookcassette audio books without a problem. If you plan on listening to these audio books on a portable cassette player that does not have this capability, such as a Walkman with headphones, you will require an adapter.

As I said, it would be cheaper to buy it on the Internet, especially on eBay, instead of directly from the company (Brilliance Corporation) at 1-800-697-6797

In recent years I have become hugely disappointed in most of the mediocre scrawlings which have been recently published as novels; however, on the highest recommendation of a much-trusted literary friend, I began reading the works of P.T. Deutermann and I'm so glad that I did.

I haven't completed reading all his works but "Train Man" is my favorite so far. The story, (oversimplified), is essentially this: Someone is destroying the train bridges/trestles which cross the Mississippi River, an unrivaled commercial transportation crisis and one which takes years and billions of dollars to rectify. There is also a palatable love element which does not at all diminish the action of this superb thriller.

Deutermann is a master of sub-plots and he possesses a literary gift which is rare in the world of novelists: he gets you rooting for "the bad guy". Not outright, but readers are inclined to want to see the next bridge go down. It's a strange phenomenon but it's there for some of us who are anarchists at heart.

The atmosphere, characters, and locations in this work are all quite credible. I loved this book and I'd give it SIX stars if I could.

This is way down the list of Deutermann's novels. Read DARKSIDE, but skp this one. Three "Deus ex machinas" stopped me at page 110.
1. Army has 3 Russian nuclear torpedos "leaking radiation?", and decide to fly them to Utah?
2. C130 has a fire on board, and crash lands on a derelict Army landing field?
3. And that Army base just happens to be loading a train of chemical weapons for a ride to Utah?

And the nutcase blowing bridges waited five years to go to work?

Stan Beattie

A man on a vendetta for his lost loved ones. A train killed his family so he decides to bring down the railroad traffic for good. To succeed he starts to destroy the six major railroad bridges across the Mississippi. Unfortunately on top of the resulting catastrophic traffic scenario the army plans to transport hazardous material via train through the country from Alabama to the Army's destruction facility in Utah - and there is no way around the Mississippi. FBI agents Hush Hanson and Carolyn Lang have to stop the Train Man before a major disaster plunges the area into doomsday...

Deutermann spends a lot of details on how the train system in the USA works and shows that he researched quite a lot. Therefore the technical general framework for the plot is set.
The book features some interesting characters both within the FBI and in the Army. A lot of details are spent on their problems and the rising tension among them. These parts are quite interesting.
In fact the story is more about the main characters and their relationship as well as about inner Bureau/Army tension and set ups than about solving the crime.
This is also the biggest weakness of the book and as a result the featured story is not really gripping.

Furthermore the preparations of setting the bombs at the bridges are always way too detailed. (Almost as if every reader should be able to build and place its own bomb.) On the other hand the hunt for the perpetrator is much too short and the disclosure of this identity too easy - especially since the main FBI characters have almost no input here.

The book is neither fast paced nor is the detective aspect of the story gripping. To be more precise I found the book actually a bit boring. As a result it did not keep me up late to finish it. It is easy to read but that's about it.

In his first two books "Scorpion in the Sea" and "The Edge of Honor" Deutermann showed that he can write a gripping page turner. Both books also contained passages where I had tears in my eyes from laughing. Unfortunately ever since then Deutermann's skills seem to vanish more and more with every new book. With "Train Man" the author wrote another one that is easy to read but has none of the tension and the humor from both books mentioned before. Too bad really...

PS
A very similar subject/motive can be found in Ridley Pearson's "Parallel Lies". I strongly recommend reading that book instead of "Train Man" because "Parallel Lies" is much more thrilling and entertaining. The featured characters are great as well. On top of that it has by far the more convincing overall plot and conclusion.

Figure of Eight is a taut, atmospheric thriller that delivers on a few different levels than the average book from this genre and shows why Patrick Lynch is an underappreciated writer.

Unlike most of the formulaic novels in this genre, this novel does not feature steel-eyed, square-jawed heroes and there vulnerable but strong heroines who fall for them almost instantaneously. The lead character, Pete Golding is a flawed and vulnerable person with some issues from his past.

At the start of this novel, Pete is employed by a security firm as a bodyguard to Ellen Cusack, a former world champion figure skater who is attempting a comeback and has received several threating letters from a stalker. What seems like a simple assignment turns out to be much more complicated as both protagonists have secrets from their past that they do not divulge initially.

What seperates this novel from the rest of the genre is the manner in which Patrick Lynch develops his flawed characters and displays their humanity. They achive what they are striving for but only by overcoming the obstacles of their own making. That and Lynch's ability to seamlessly incorporate informantion about the skating world and the price a person has to pay for celebrity into the novel without beating the reader over the head with it demonstrates why he is a cut above the average novelist.

For anyone looking for his earliest work-Check out Amazon.UK as his first two novels were never published in the United States.

I nearly put this one down and am SO glad I didn't, as the original story, plot twists and action were a notch above the usual suspense or thriller type novel. Be forewarned, however, that you need to get through the first 4 chapters before this one weaves its spell (or at least, I did). I prefer books with strong characters and this book does have compelling characters but the reader doesn't meet them immediately and I felt there were too many pages of background, information that could have been shortened and presented more tightly. Even so, there were many mysteries to puzzle through and that made for fun reading. The characters, once they DID appear, were fascinating.

This is a fascinating novel. A tight, gripping story, rich in psychological insight, and with a billiant climax. One to read in one sitting!

I'd never read anything by Patrick Lynch, but after reading this book I immediately ordered more! I thought...ice skating? Boring. I was wrong! The lead characters are flawed but likeable. The plot and twists are sharply defined and kept me on the edge of my seat! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the writing style. Very easy to read, the writing flowed and wasn't full of too many adjectives (one of my pet peeves). Can't wait to get the other books I ordered!

Just finished Figure of Eight. My first Patrick Lynch book, and a great read. A kind of stalker story, but with a difference. Keeps you guessing right from the start. Draws you on with leads, intriguing & sometimes downright strange pieces of information, and just when you think maybe you've worked out how all the pieces are going to fit, it changes. Builds the suspense very well, right up to a literally explosive end. Develops strong main characters well too - especially the 'hero' Pete Golding. There are times when you're not sure what Golding's going to do next, or even if he's the good guy - but you can't help liking him and by the end you're with him 100%. I'd like to have gotten a little more into his character, he's strong and complex enough to carry a story. I'd like to see him reappear in another Lynch thriller down the road.

This was a great follow-up to confirm what I had previously read in "1421 the Year the Chinese Disvovered America" His research was extensive and his tie in to 1421 was great.

Easy and a delight to read, Paul Chaisson's The Island of Seven Cities both informed me of the early Chinese in North America and inspired me to read more. Having already read Gavin Menzies 1421 - The Year China Discovered the World and complimented with some background while I was in China on reading Bamber Gascoigne's The Dynasties of China, I can't help but concur the Chinese had every tool, skill and knowledge to have almost conqured the world. Had it not for the Mandarins taking control in the late 1400's and closing China to the world, we'd all be speaking Chinese! Paul Chaisson uncovered an historic miracle of a magnitude yet to recognized on a strategic island off the East coast of Canada. Yes, he'll be chastised by the "experts" as Menzies has, but in the immortal words of Winston Churchill about truth; "...there it is." Great reading, hard to put down, well researched with what must be 30 pages of superb Notes and Bibliography! A must read for anyone intrested in the TRUE story of world history. I'm impressed! BTW: My daughter's courses in World History at the University of Southern California made Chinese history of world discovery as per Menzies' book required reading.

The book received was consistent with what I ordered. It arrived in a timely manner.

One of Architect Paul Chiasson's motivation to writing THE ISLAND OF SEVEN CITIES: WHERE THE CHINESE SETTLED WHEN THEY DISCOVERED AMERICA was his life changing experience of facing mortality. Chiasson discovered he was HIV-positive. Although the book is not an autobiography of his experience, there is semi-autobiographical information that he shares with his readers, which inspired him to write the book, revisiting his birthplace of Nova Scotia and rediscovering his ancestral history closely linked to French explorer Samuel de Champlain. But the compelling aspect of his discovery is that upon learning of his illness, he hiked to the mountaintop on Cape Breton Island where past generations of his family had lived, and by accident, he came across ruins that may have dated back to the Ming dynasty. And with this discovery he formulated a hypothesis claiming that the Chinese may have landed in North America before European explorers.

This books ties in with a previous book examining China's possible role and contribution to the exploration of the New World, 1421: THE YEAR CHINA DISCOVERED THE NEW WORLD by Gavin Menzies. Drawing from Menzies's discovery, Chiasson went on a two-year research expedition to finding more about the ruins and proving that they were settled by the Chinese. The Mi'kmaq, an indigenous people of the island, may have derived their culture from the Chinese, and in turn, helped French settlers to live and thrive on the island centuries later. But Chiasson's thought-provoking book is purely hypothesis, and extensive research by archaeologists and historians are still in order for his findings to be definite; if proven correct, this part of history adds another dimension to the understanding of world history.

ISLAND OF SEVEN CITIES is a fascinating read. Chiasson offers insight to the many facets of how the exploration and discovery of the North American continent and its various settlements included a global community of different countries from the West and possibly may have included the East. For several historians this is skeptical history, but for curious minds wanting to understand the discovery of the New World from different perspectives, this is an interesting book.

I have just finished this book, and I can say that it is excellent.

This is a book about a search that was a solution to one of the all-time mysteries of global exploration, dating back to the early 1400s, decades before Columbus. I actually knew something of this mystery before hearing about this book, but I bought it in regards to another mystery. Two mysteries came together and - well, read the book!

I was especially impressed with what the author did not try to do. He was looking for a solution to a riddle, and he looked under every likely stone, one after the other. Logically and methodically and thoroughly, he walks us through every option. As each one turned up nothing, he kept at it, until there were no more stones to turn over. He didn't try to push any pet solution(s) on the reader; he just kept eliminating possibilities, all the while thinking that the one he was looking at would be the one. And he thought of giving up altogether...

So, what happened when he ran out of answers? Serendipity stepped in...

In a true story, luck showed the way. And all the answers didn't come from him, not at all. But when the pieces fit, well, they just fit... And when they do, you have to recognize it.

The book left me with some unresolved questions, so I hope the author can move on and solve those for me, too. I want a sequel...

Keys to the Street is not one of Rendell's better books, and she has so many better books. Diehard fans will like this well enough, but the endless descriptions of London neighborhoods are very dull, and the book takes a long time to get off the ground. Also, there are occasional shortcuts taken, which is something this author seldom does. Her characters are usually very well done, although again, this one didn't blow me away. New readers should start with The Rottweiler, or any of the Barbara Vine books.

Fortunately I can type! I just finished the book on CD. What a book! I thought Live Flesh and Make Death Love Me were great, but, wow! I won't get critical here and pick it apart, just recommend it!

This plot was unbelievable, the ending even worse. This was the first Ruth Rendell I've read and I'm told by my book club counterparts that she's an excellent author. If that's really the case I would recommend starting with some other books of hers because this one was lame.

I should have remembered Rendell's remarkable ability to endow everything and everyone she writes about with a thick layer of creepiness. Although putatively a mystery novelist, it's this creep factor that distinguishes Rendell's writing from the rest of the genre, and ironically it's the creep factor that made this particular novel interesting to me.

Set in Regent's Park and St John's Wood, a staid and very posh neighborhood of London, the plot involves a serial killer (with the habit of impaling his homeless victims on the spikes of the park gates), by a hapless masochistic heroine stalked by abusive ex-boyfriend, and by her new love who is (disasterously) not who or what he says he is.

The contrast between these characters and their genteel surroundings pushes the book beyond the mystery genre and closer to horror. The mystery part (who is the killer/why does he kill/who will he kill next) seems secondary to the author's interest in giving you some shivers and convincing you the world is full of undeclared maniacs. If you like that sort of thing, just remember to keep the lights on and lock the doors before you get started.

I picked up "Keys to the Street" in anticipation of a six-month move to this part of London. Now when I walk through Regent's Park I sometimes fight the urge to look over my shoulder for serial killers and stalkers!

The novel has a complex plot that moves from character to character. I would suggest that the previous reviewer should re-read the last chapter. There are a number of interwoven plots. There is Mary Jago, escaping from an abusive boyfriend, who thinks she has found a new love; Roman, victim of a tragedy, who has dropped out of life to sleep on the streets; Bean, a 70-year old ex-butler to a man who liked to be beaten, who now works as a dog walker to supplement his small pension; Hob, a druggy who earns a living as an enforcer for drug dealers; Detective Inspector Marnock, who investigates various murders that are committed; an unknown impaler who is killing street people; and an assortment of other characters plus a large number of dogs. Some people like dogs and some people don't, but be careful how you treat them because they have friends who may take revenge in unexpected ways.

The setting is the Regent Park area of London. The gates are closed at night except to residents who have keys, but various other people find their way past the gates. Several people are murdered and their bodies impaled on spiked fences, but that is just one of the plots. There is drug dealing, blackmail, muggings, and there is Mary Jago trying to escape from her ex-boyfriend and find a new life.

The plot takes some surprising twists and turns. Some people get what they deserve, but the abusive ex-boyfriend seems to walk away unscathed (except that he lost his chance with a rich heiress). Perhaps Marnock should have named the killer on the last page instead of making readers figure it out from the clues given, but that means you have to read the book carefully.

I read this based on a number of recommendations and regret it. I found the characters unlikable and unsympathetic, and the novel's pace hindered by far too much name-dropping and gossip. The settings need more pop and the final act is rushed, implausible, and unsatisfying. Far too much is left dangling. I found the writing pedestrian at best and sometimes wondered if this was meant to be funny; it's my understanding that Smith is known as a humorist, but all too often this book seemed like a joke that I just didn't get.

A successful crime writer finds herself solving a murder case, at great personal risk. The writer, Denise, is tough but believable; she's a realistic balance between a former stay-at-home mother and a hard-boiled detective. The character, Poppy Rice, who features in a few other books (two of which I'm looking forward to reading) is introduced here as Denise's best friend. I hope Tirone Smith returns to Denise in another novel in the future. This one is a little old; Denise's husband is an adviser in the Clinton administration (ah, those were the days when fascists did not rule the land.)

I found this to be a fabulous read. The characters, especially the protagonist, were well-developed and believable. There were so many surprises and twists during the second-half of the book that I was reading with my mouth open. The women are the stronger characters for a nice change. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

It's been a while since I read this book, but I have no trouble remembering how hard it was to put down. It was a unique read, well conceived characters, swift moving plot, a refreshing brevity of language, ( dare I say for a female author?), and lots of surprises. What more can you ask for, you say? Well, I only ask for more, more, more! Unfortunately, this is the only book that this author has written of this genre. I'll keep looking and hoping though. More, please!

One BIG problem I have with this book is Ms. Smith's amorous perception of the Clintons. Why authors of fiction think I care about their political leanings is beyond me. Ms. Smith goes out of her way to portray the Clintons as a normal family. PLEASE!!!
Just get to the thrust of the story and leave the Clintons in the political hell they have earned.

Her prose is economical and expressive to the point that other talented writers now strike me as using too many words. What's more, Bainbridge's imagination is stunning. Although I understood that I was reading a 'fictional' account of the failed Scott expedition, I kept finding myself thinking that I was there, witnessing what happened, peering over a shoulder as someone wrote in his journal...(!) She's that good. I'm a historian, and I find B's imagined re-creation of what happened on the Scott expedition (which is based on her expert command of the historical sources) completely convincing, and powerfully moving. What a genius!
Bravo, Bainbridge.

Bainbridge's hair-raising fictionalized account of Captain Robert Scott's doomed1912 venture to the South Pole begins with the glory and giddiness of their send off and ends with disappointment and slow death. Five men reached the pole and Bainbridge chooses these five to narrate, in turn, a section of their journey - during which each has a birthday, his last.

Taff Evans, the only non-officer, opens the book with his account of drunken parties and celebrity treatment. His hero-worship of Scott and glory tales of previous adventures contrasts with the bitter fears of a wife chary of being left destitute with children in a grimy slum. Taff is gritty and honest, roaring with life and humor.

Too bad Bainbridge's officers didn't have a little more of that rough and ready ebullience. Subsequent narratives - of the ocean crossing, setting up advance camps, scientific side trips, the numerous setbacks, disasters, equipment failures and human endurance - are all told by men with stiff upper lips.

Their idea of rousing good fun is a drunken scrimmage which ends with them all half naked. They avoid coming to terms with poor preparation and the disastrous equipment choices by blaming bad luck and admiring each other's bravery and fortitude in the face of each new disaster.

Bainbridge is a marvelous writer who brings the horrifics of cold and inadequate preparation vividly to life. Her point is to show the human waste engendered by the British code of honor and this she does. Yet, because of Capt. Scott's voluminous notes, recovered after his death, this is a story that's been often told. Nothing beats the nonfiction version for sheer excitement and heart break.

I would give this book infinite stars when it comes to storytelling, but only one or two when it comes to facts. That aside, this is a great book, humourous, witty, and insightful. This book gives one itimate knowlage of the characters, which is rarely accomplished by other books of this genre. I very much enjoyed the first chapter, narrated by Taff Evans, finding it very well writen and in character. What I liked most about this story was its sense of voice. As the author swiched between characters, the reader recieved an excellent retelling of the facts from one of five very different points of view. Ultimately a very fulfilling read.

Bainbridge does a fine job dramatizing the deaths of the five doomed members of Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic Polar Expedition, in five separate chapters, each written in the voice of a different one of the five men. Bainbridge is obviously well-versed in the details of the true story, and the book hews closely to the facts of the case.

She's at her best in articulating the sort of self-absorbed England-forever attitude of the officers, but her depiction of ordinary seaman Edgar "Taff" Evans falls short; he speaks with almost the same Oxbridge vocabulary as his captain.

Despite this weaker one-fifth of the book, the book overall is quite appealing in the way it conveys a strong sense of the physical place, Antarctica. You can just imagine the sharp intake of frozen air into your lungs as you fall down a crevasse to the end of your harness, waiting for your companions to pull you back to safety.

This woman is one of my favorite writers. I have just finished her "Watson's Apology" and found it wonderful as well. But I always use a caveat with Ms. Bainbridge, as I do with Ian McEwan: she is an acquired taste. "The Birthday Boys" is no exception to the rule.

To begin with, as with many of Ms. Bainbridge's novels, this is based on true events. In this case the ill-fated Robert Falcon Scott expedition to the South Pole in 1912. Scott and four of his crew died on their way back from the Pole itself which had already been reached by the intrepid Roald Amundsen two weeks prior. What Bainbriddge does is invite herself and us into the minds of the five men who died, and each of the interior glimpses and monologues takes place on the event of each one's own birthday, and reviews various aspects of his life including how he is feeling that day. Scott, who died last we must suppose, is saved for last.

It is a bold and marvelous literary concoction of fact, fantasy, and intellectual probing coupled with an almost uncanny peek into the hearts and minds of the men who cannot, of course, be interviewed and what they truly thought can never be truly known. Yet I have accepted these portraits as actual "interviews." Each of the men is given a full literary treatment, a complete characterization. It takes a lot of courage to do what Bainbridge does (she does it in "Watson's Apology" as well): she tells us things she cannot possibly know for sure and leaves it at that. Many people try to do that today, they pretend they are writing history when in fact, they are writing fantasy. Bainbridge doesn't pretend to be doing anything but writing about people and what she thinks or imagines they might have been thinking at any one time. She is the best at this conceit that I have ever read.

I had the advantage of already having read Cherry-Garrard's rather lengthy tomb: The Worst Journey In The World, so I was aware of the characters, of who they really were and what their various jobs were. That may or may not be essential. I will have to let the reader figure that out. They may stand on their own as literary concoctions, fanciful imaginaries floating at the margins of consciousness, or, as in my own case, rock-solid portrayals of real people I had already read about extensively.

She's a bold writer, and, I think, it might require a bold reader to take this on. But it's wonderful if you just go with it and accept what's there.

Four Stars from me is the same as Five Stars. I always save that fifth star for something I have yet to see. So consider this a Big Pick from yours truly.

I just stumbled across this book in my brother's closet. I remember reading it. Whew! What a fast-paced, egde of your seat thriller with twists like no tomorrow. It's a perfect mental capture on how people, no matter who they are, believe in what they will accomplish. But then there's always that guy who wants to steal a discovery. But things aren't as simple as all that. Not only does Jack Collier, the hero of the story, go to great lengths to try and steal back his own discovery but the discovery, a new cure for cancer, becomes a deadly disease that Jack Collier is appaerntly imune to and the rest of the world isn't. In any case, this book holds sure-fire potential to become a movie. If I had the money I would direct it right now. Great work, Holden Scott. Enjoy!

After you read this book, you will probably never want to use a public toilet again! When Holden Scott first started writing as Ben Mezrich, there was an obvious talent there that somehow seemed to elude critical or public acclaim. However, since changing his name and writing "Skeptic," seems his fate is a little more promising.
"The Carrier" is a by the numbers chase thriller, which has some interesting scenarios, and some truly frightening scenes (reference to the above mentioned public toilet scene..yipes!). However, so many "coincidences" occur and agent Thomas Moon is so over the top that you have to grimace at some of the cliches Scott uses. However, this is an effectively creepy and involving book, one that flows nicely and gives us another one of Mezrich/Scott's typical young medical heroes who is caught up in the bureaucratic/evil world of modern science. You can't help but admire Jack and his quest to save his beloved Angie from cancer; and you can't help but hate Michael Dutton, who cruelly steals Jack's "miracle."
A nice, engaging read and one that I recommend; it's fun.

Heard the taped version of THE CARRIER by Holden Scott,
a medical thriller about a brilliant Ph.D. candidate at Harvard
who has an idea that will make medical history . . . he
has trained a type of bacteria that will attack tumors rather
than healthy flesh . . . but his mentor steals the idea from
him . . . very fast-paced story that kept my attention until
the very end . . . I really felt for Jack Colier, the main
character, and could empathize with his many trials and tribulations.

I can't believe I actually paid good money for this book.

I'm not normally a person who stops reading books in the middle, but I could not bring myself to finish this. The author's grasp of medical science was almost nonexistent. His characters and dialogue were stock. And his depiction of life at an Ivy league university was truly laughable. (My friends who are university professors would definitely like to know how to make as much money as Scott's faculty characters. In reality, academia pays quite poorly.)

Normally I like biotech thrillers, but not this one.

The hook: a young man, a genius, racing across the country to save his girlfriend from cancer. The problem: his cure has gone bad and he is now a carrier. A mere touch from him causes the flesh of people to dissolve in seconds. Hard to believe, but then the effects of HIV and Ebola were probably hard to believe a few years ago. The author maintains the suspense throughout the story and makes the unbelievable at least interesting if not believable. A fast paced read, good for a few hours of entertainment.

John R. Maxim is excellent, as usual. This is a side story about Elizabeth Stride and Max Kessler, both infamous assassins in their heydays. The plot is excellent but the ending may not be to the liking of everyone. Thankfully, John R. Maxim's latest, 'Bannerman's Ghosts', ties everything together even further and provides the happy ending, which I felt these two extraordinary people deserved.

HAVEN is a story about the increasing vulnerability of any country to the crazed actions of a few fanatics. The author does a commendable job of wrapping up too many loose ends of a slightly incredible plot.

I found this book a quick overnight read. I was glued to the book and unable to put it down. Excellent characters and non-stop action. I hope to see Kessler and Stride again real soon.

Elizabeth Stride,a former Israeli assassin known as the "Black Angel" has moved to Hilton Head Island to make her home. She is also trying to escape her past lover Martin Kessler a former Stasi agent.Elizabeth starts dating a surgeon but Martin Kessler reappears.A teenage girl is about to be abducted by an English bounty hunter named Pratt who has been hired by her uncle.This is holds the key to a terrible terrorist act.Elizabeth and Martin join forces to protect this teenage girl and the action begins.They battle the teenage girl's uncle,various terrorist elements and many other forces of evil.You have every kind of gun battle that you can imagine. The action is fast and furious.
The ending of this book is also very good. You will definitely like this book.

I just finished 'Haven'.....would somebody PLEASE tell me why Aisha's uncle was so obsessed about finding her?.......was it to ensure that he would control the fortune she would inherit after the death of both parents? The book seemed to point to the fact that she had something to do with a deal he was cooking up with who? The Libyans.....the Egyptians? It was confusing because it kept alluding to the notion that perhaps this had something to do with the warheads, radiation, biological warfare etc. I don't consider myself stupid but while I was reading this book took allot to stay focused because it seemed to keep wandering......and wandering.....and now I suppose we will see Kessler again because he managed inspite of a gut wound and exposure to radiation to get away.......hmmmmmmmmmm

This is my third venture into Kathy Mallory's world. Descriptions of crime scenes are gory. Neverending tension! Thank heaven for the men around her to balance her out. She's intense and seemingly invulnerable. I could not put the book down! What a ride! On to the next!

This is my third venture into Kathy Mallory's world. Descriptions of crime scenes are gory. Neverending tension! Thank heaven for the men around her to balance her out. She's intense and seemingly invulnerable. I could not put the book down! What a ride! On to the next!

This third book in the series is just as great as all the others, maybe even a little more so. All the characters I've come to love are here as well as the introduction of J.L. Quinn (pretty please let him reappear). This was an intensely emotional story that ends with a bang. Art cricits are being killed off and it has something to do with an old crime handled by her late foster father. All hell breaks loose when a determined Mallory reinvestigates. We've gotten to know these characters so well by now that when Riker's past is delved into or Mallory is proven to be as destructible as the next person, the reader is there. The ending left a quite a blow and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one in this series (The Stone Angel). I really can't praise this series enough for it's deep character development, unusual as well as strong heroine and well written plots.

This was the first Carol O'Connell book I read and still one of my favorites. It's the only book that ever scared the hell out of me while making me cry for so many characters who were irreversibly devastated by their loss. Carol O'Connell has a wonderful way of creating characters who are rarely likable or sympathetic but who are almost always interesting.

Carol O'Connell's Killing Critics is her third Kathleen Mallory mystery, and they just continue to get better. This book has it all: complex plot, memorable characters and some brilliant detective work.

An artist, Dean Starr, is discovered murdered in the middle of an art gallery exhibition. His death is made to look like performance art. NYPD Special Crimes Unit detectives Mallory and Ricker are called in to investigate. Twelve years previous, there was a brutal double homicide in an art gallery owned by the same man, and the circumstances are very similar. Mallory's late father, Markowitz, was on that case and although he got a confession and a conviction, he never for a minute believed that he had the right man. As Mallory and Riker find out more about this new murder, the more parallels there are to the old one. Yet, the NYPD considers the old case closed, and will not allow them to "officially" investigate. The list of suspects is very long, and there are also a good number of people who would like to see the murders remain unsolved. Those in high ranking office are vulnerable including the police commission and a state senator.

In Killing Critics, O'Connell gives us a crash course on the New York City art world, including artists, works of art, galleries, gallery owners, art shows, art critics, art patrons and art investors. It truly is fascinating. She also opens the door wider into Mallory's troubled childhood, and we better understand why she remains so scarred. All the major characters (Mallory, Riker and Butler) are fleshed out in greater detail.

Two things kept me from giving this book five stars. First, I thought it was a bit slow at the beginning, although it quickly picked up speed and the ending will blow you away. Second, I thought it stretched O'Connell's credibility to have Mallory challenge a former Olympic gold medalist to a fencing duel (she only had one semester of fencing in college). Still, these criticisms aside, this is an awesome story and O'Connell is one of the few writers who gives us mysteries with meat.