Nova Books

This is one of the best books that I've read in a year. It raises the bar for mystery writers. Although you will have to read about four or five chapters before the suspense takes off, the writing is good enough to pull you through the beginning. The characters are three-dimensional, description is rich, and the plot takes you decades into an established, fleshed out past. "When Wallflowers Die" is not to be missed.

This is one of the best books that I've read in a year. It raises the bar for mystery writers. Although you will have to read about four or five chapters before the suspense takes off, the writing is good enough to pull you through the beginning. The characters are three-dimensional, description is rich, and the plot takes you decades into an established, fleshed out past. "When Wallflowers Die" is not to be missed.

A private investigator tries to solve the question of who murdered Ellen Dahl.
For mature readers only because of very vulgar language.

Sandra West Prowell's Montana mysteries are rooted in Montana's unique culture. With wit and verve, she writes these very readable mysteries that have endeared Prowell and her engaging sleuth, Phoebe Siegel, to many people nationwide.

She makes a valuable contribution to the mystery scene, using unique Montana settings.

The synopsis of this book does not do it justice. I will admit that I was a bit hesitant about buying this book based on the synopsis, but I am so glad I have now disovered Sandra West Prowell and Phoebe Siegel! They have brought me many enojoyable hours and my only regrete is that I did not find Ms. Prowell sooner!

Not only is this a good mystery, but Ms. Prowell adds enough detail of the people, surroundings, and action to make the story come alive.

This book is classic Lindsey, it's fast paced and a taunt thriller. I am a huge fan of his work and even though, I would not say this is his best work, it is still better than the best work of Cornwell or Connelly. David Lindsey is a master of the thriller, I know of no writer today who can pace a thriller better than Lindsey, I can assure you that if you read this book you will want to read all his other books, he is consistantly good, which is notable for a writer of thrillers. I have read all of his books and periodically go back and reread them. I enjoy most of Patrica Cornwell's Scarpetta books and I like Grisham and Connelly, but Lindsey is in another league altogether. If you love the thriller and relish great writing then you will not be disappointed in this book. Though I recommend all of Mr. Lindsey's books, my favorites are A Cold Mind, Mercy, Requiem for a Glass Heart, In the Lake of the Moon, and Face of the Assassin.

I enbjoyed this book and felt it stimulating! I was very moved by the authors work! It rates up there as agood one....almost as good as "Going Too Far", by that great up and coming author Steven Gardner

Marcus Graver has his hands full from the very beginning in this international intrigue thriller. Exceptionally well written. You buy into the day by day action and worries of our detective Graver. Very readable and almost impossible to put down. Buy it, read it, enjoy!!

Reading this book reminds me of my childhood dreams in Ireland.

Now that I am finished with this novel and have moved on to my next read, I am having a hard time remembering much about David Lindsey's "An Absence of Light". Being a big fan of concise writing styles, such as Michael Crichton and Greg Iles, I found Lindsey's overly descriptive style distracting, particularly since the prose was often irrelevant to the action. If you are a fan of very wordy authors, I would direct you to someone like a Pat Conroy (of Prince of Tides fame), who despite being extremely descriptive and downright wordy, does it extremely well.

I wouldn't describe it as a bad book or a horrible read, just an extremely ambivalent one.

Los Angeles is known as many things. A city under siege is not one of them. But a madman, an intelligent yet devious madman, holds the city hostage.

John Dantes has already been convicted as a murderous bomber. The threat remains even with Dantes behind bars. Someone else is out there - working with or against him.

Dr. Sylvia Strange is called in as the last hope of penetrating Dantes' outer shell. And while Dantes plays cruel mind games, more bombs rock the city.

Sylvia is quickly thrust into the center of a carefully calculated plan. Trying to get into Dantes' head could cost innocent people their lives, as well as her own.

There's only one way to stop the source. Get into the mind of a killer. And get out before the timer hits zero.

Sarah Lovett has really done her homework. It's easy to see an incredible amount of research went into creating this novel. Lovett's talent for writing vivid action scenes put that research to good use.

Dante's Inferno, despite a fairly intricate plot, fails to deliver much suspense or mystery. Most of the developments upon which the story twists and turn were formulaic and predictable. Sylvia's character is one-dimensional, and the adventures in which she participates would never be remotely possible in a real life setting. The other characters simply hover around Sylvia, who calls the shots for police, forensics, FBI,other psychiatrists, and the rest of a large but poorly defined cast of supporters. Even sociopath John Dantes comes across as wooden, as he helplesslessly becomes enamoured of Sylvia while trying to manipulate her. This is a long book not worth the effort it requires to reach the "climax".

The fourth outing for Dr. Sylvia Strange is the best one yet. Although the plot of "Dantes' Inferno" might seem familiar, there is enough that is new to keep the reader interested. John Dantes is a particularly interesting villain, both for his brilliance and his passivity. We're never quite sure what he's up to, if anything. Watching him match wits with Sylvia makes for excellent reading.

Unlike most thrillers, this is an intelligent book, interweaving an above-average plot with an allegorical depiction of Los Angeles as Dante's (note the similarity to Dantes) nine-circled Hell. Throw in the psychological study of "Dantes' Inferno's" twisted bad guys and it's clear that author Lovett is one smart lady. I look forward to returning to this series in the future.

Reviewed by David Montgomery, Mystery Ink

This is a powerful, fast-paced story. I especially enjoyed the literary allusions so thoughtfully and accessibly woven into the novel. Ms. Lovett's use of the Inferno's geography of hell is fascinating and, added to the things we experience with her always-deep characters, makes complex moods and a terrific foreboding that continually draws in the reader. When I finished the book I felt like I knew these people (including the villains) and had been through a lot with them.

When an elementary school class was asked to select between going to Universal Studios and Getty Center in Los Angeles, they chose the latter. That decision led to a lifetime of regrets at least for those who survived the bomb blast that killed their teacher and ten year old Jason Redding. Dr. Sweetheart, a counter terrorist expert and the uncle of Jason believes that anarchist John Dantes is the culprit. Using all his contacts, Sweet launches a manhunt that culminates in the capture of Dantes.

Dantes asks Dr. Sylvia Strange, a forensic psychologist, to fly to California to administer court ordered test. As the pair battle for supremacy, Sylvia becomes convinced John did not commit this crime, but instead is a victim of a cunning predator playing deep-rooted psych games with all of them. Her theory soon converts her and Sweetheart from hunter to hunted, as they struggle to survive a deadly killer.

Serial bombers are a product of the last forty years so that data is limited and subsequently profiling is difficult. DANTE'S INFERNO uses that premise to build a fantastic story line based on one knowledgeable pro Trying to destroy the infrastructure of a city. Sarah Lovett's latest Dr. Sylvia entry is an exhilarating read due to the antihero John gaining grudging respect from an audience who want to see him burning in hell.

Harriet Klausner

Very insightful and helped me to realize things I didn't kno

Having spent 14 of the 20 years of my life dieting, starving, compulsively eating, and purging, this book opened my eyes as to where it all stemmed from... My mother's own battles with weight and her fear of me growing up to be like her. This book brings to light shocking information on the damaging effects of dieting, gives supportive advice on changing dieting habits as a team with your mother or daughter, and stresses the importance of eliminating guilt and blame from the mother/daughter relationship. A wonderful book for either/both a mother and daughter.

This book is incredibly insightful. It describes how well-meaning dieting mothers can pass down weight and food problems to their daughters. More importantly it offers practical solutions on how to break the dieting cycle and prevent passing it on to your kids.

This book has eye-opening information, especially for women who are either chronic dieters or whose mothers were. My mother wasn't a dieter -- just a tremendously successful overeater. I found that this book has less information for overeaters than it does for people who continuously "diet". It is still a fabulous book, though -- I wish every mother in America would read it!

If there is one thing,but there were many,that I got from this book is that the Love of food and dining my mother has shared with me is healthy. For the rest of the women who are in the a constant state of "diet" Ms. Waterhouse explains that you need only trust you own body to find its balance. Very Zen

I ordered this book after savoring the experience of the PBS series. This book keeps it with me and expands it. Far out! I was so happy that this series was playing on TV while I was writing my novel "Forever Retro Blues" because it touched on so much I was writing about. Oh happy days when I found out there was a book it was based on.

Robert Palmer is rock journalism's leading musicologist. And if that isn't enough to scare you off, then allow me to keep trying. Let me note, by the way, that I experienced this book the old-fashioned way--via words on paper. If I refer to something left out of this abridged, read-aloud version, consider yourself lucky.

"Rock & Roll: An Unruly History" is your usual inept mock-musicological rock survey that strains to explain how Elvis Presley could possibly have invented a musical form created by Blacks in the mid-1940s. And this is what all rock and roll historianship comes down to: proving that Elvis was the Father of the form, in spite of unlimited evidence to the contrary. (Palmer, who has no patience for such conventionalities as "neatness and order," apparently also can't be bothered with burden of proof.)

And Palmer rejects any rock-genesis theory that would suggest the music started in one place and at one time, even though this is how everything gets its start, including popular music forms. Thus, after quoting Lionel Hampton's explanation that rock and roll evolved from jazz (which it did; countless mid-1940s recordings attest to this), Palmer rejects the idea as "simplistic thinking." The meaning of this non sequitor is as follows: Any definition of rock and roll that doesn't begin with Elvis has to be wrong. This is the essence of rock historianship.

Like most rock writers, Palmer is a gifted wordsmith. He drops names all over the place and fills his paragraphs with important-sounding quotes, and everything sounds formal and historical. But this is hype, not history. Respect your intelligence and save your money.

I read this book almost ten years ago, and I still remember it as a remarkable work that put everything into perspective -- a kind of enlightenment experience. I especially loved Palmer's background on the beginnings of rock & roll in the call-and-response tent revivals.

With regard to the Elvis controversy below, I don't think Palmer ever suggests that Elvis invented rock & roll -- he painstakingly documents the contributions of dozens of black artists like Pinetop Smith, T-Bone Walker, Roy Brown, Goree Carter (to whom he credits the first rock & roll record), Ike Turner etc, well before the Elvis "invasion" of the mid-1950s.

I loved it.

I had to write this to offer a different opinion to the one-star review below. Robert Palmer was one of this country's best music writers and a man who died way too young. This book is not his best (that'd be DEEP BLUES), but he does an excellent job of capturing the broad history of rock 'n' roll. He discusses what led up to that crucial moment at Sun Studios in 1954 (I don't think he's trying to say that the music sprang full-grown from Elvis) and where the music traveled from there.

Bear in mind, however, that this book also served as a companion to a PBS special. That it's able to stand alone without the visuals attests to its worth. It badly deserves to be back in print.

An intriguing archaeological dig down to the murky muddy roots of rock 'n' roll -- sifting through race politics and dogma back to pre-war gospel, blues and jazz, to the Caribbean, to Africa.

Robert Palmer was one of the best rock 'n' roll writers and historians. This is the basis for the PBS TV series ROCK 'N' ROLL, which,unfortunately, did not have nearly the depth of this (it quickly dispensed with rock's roots and showed only Elvis and other latecomers in its first episode). Sadly, Palmer died before he could flesh out this work, which remains a blueprint for future writers to follow on researching rock 'n' roll's roots. Go for it!

Sable island, something out of a myth, it is thirty miles long and barely a mile wide at points, a smiley face shaped sand down off the coast of Nova Scotia, the graveyard of hundreds of ships. It is an eiry place, the kind of thing that should'nt exist, a natural marvel. It also has a herd of wild horses too boot.

This well written and fascinating history tells both the natural history of the island and the history of the wrecks and disasters around it. The island has shifted throughout history, since it is just a large sand bar, but this book brings it to life. For anyone interested in maritime history or the sea or natural phenomena, this is a wonderful reag.

Seth J. Frantzman

I've not read many books that have done such a respectable job in bundling the past, with its deadly history, the present, encapsulating research and discoveries, and the portents of the future. Often inhospitable, shifting, and ever dangerous we may be losing a piece of naval navigation lore and beauty to the relentless re-shaping by the ocean's fury and the, seemingly, irreversible onslaught of global warming that will eventually raise the ocean levels enough to shroud an historic place of incomprable beauty, fear, and destruction.

A must read for "The Perfect Storm" crowd, those interested in maritime lore, and everyone who can 'see' the effects of global warming. Enjoy!

This is a fun book! But it is not an adventure story of the like of Robinson Caruso. When one thinks of islands, the most likely image is of a romantic, heroic struggle against, and with nature. Well, some of the narrative is that, but there is much more, perhaps too much. It is a political, social, economic, cultural, geographic and geological history book. If you have a degree in history (as I do) it will probably be more pleasurable reading. Without a background in historical terms and events, it might be confusing at several points.

At times the language roams into the realm of what I will call "fractal minutiae." That is, one wonders if the levels will go as deep as quantum physics, or ever stop. The lineage of families who had political or de facto control over the island at various times, the legitimacy of their claims, and what happened to them and their heirs occupies too much space. This seems unnecessary. There were a couple of chapters I forced myself to get through.

Nevertheless, there is much about the work that is compelling. One is left with a deep feeling of respect for the powers of nature and the island itself, a seemingly living, evolving entity whose fate is in doubt.

Authors Marq de Villiers and Sheila Hirtle have produced an interesting book on the history of the Canadian island known as Sable Island. One could be forgiven I believe for thinking the place uninteresting and unworthy of a nearly 250 page book, the island described by some as a "desolate and barren and storm-swept sandbank in the North Atlantic." A crescent shaped island, with arms at east and west reaching to the north, the center bulging towards the south, it is the last lonely outpost of land between Canada and Europe (or Bermuda). Located a hundred miles south of Nova Scotia, it is a mere thirty miles long and at its widest less than a mile wide. A treeless place, it is an island of dunes - some bald, most covered in vegetation - and small ponds. Not a particularly high island, on the north beach dunes reach 85 feet in height, but on the south beach they are rarely more than 8 feet high, considerably shorter than some of the waves that occur during the many gales and storms of the region (though waves that rarely reach the island directly - at least at that height - owing to numerous sand bars miles out to sea around the island). What fame the island has is generally not from it scenery; located on major shipping lands, in an area that is frequently prone to storms and fog, and often not very visible far out to sea, the island has been described as the deadliest piece of real estate in Canada, with hundreds of wrecks having taking place in its waters, fully ten wrecks for every mile of coastline. An additional dangerous feature of the island are its spits located out to the east and west (washed over too often for much in the way of vegetation) which extend between four and nine miles out, as well as the submerged east and west bars, which extend out to eighteen miles - though a massive storm can radically change the size of the spits and bars overnight.

The authors spent a great deal of time discussing the geology of the island, introducing many concepts of that science. Sable Island is an island of sand - not rocks, shale, slate, boulders, or really much in the way of soil - as indeed the name Sable is the French word for sand. Geologists have pegged the island's age at around 15,000 years and they believe the island represents a by-product of the glaciers that once covered Canada, that originally Sable Island was the terminal moraine of a glacier's advance (though much of that original sand has since been moved by wind and wave). The island has not been a static one, changing in size and shape numerous times over human history. Many believe that the island will eventually vanish, its sand vanishing into the depths of the Gully, a huge canyon cut in the continental shelf that almost touches the tip of the island's eastern bar, massive in size (largest submarine canyon in the western North Atlantic at 25 miles long, 10 miles wide, and 8,000 feet deep). There is a great deal of debate over whether the island is moving east, moving west, growing, or shrinking, a subject covered a length.

Meteorology and oceanography around the island are very well covered, with much discussion of global currents and wind systems. The island is very windy, with average winds at 16 miles an hour, gales of up 85 miles an hour routine, and winds of over 120 mph recorded during hurricane-strength storms. It is also wet - annual precipitation is 55 inches, mostly rain, monthly averaging between 3.6 and 5.7 inches - and foggy (July routinely boasts upwards of 20 foggy days and one June had 126 straight hours of fog).

Numerous animals call the island home. For decades the island was known for cattle that had been let loose on the island, though they were all harvested by the 1630s. More famous -and still present - are the ponies of Sable, owing their existence to the politics of the Expulsion (or in French the Grand Derangement or Great Upheaval) of the Acadians in the 1750s. The authors go into a great deal of detail on horse genealogy, firmly showing that the horses bear genetic (and historical) relationships to horses from Acadia. At various times rats, rabbits, cats, dogs, and foxes plagued the island though all have since been removed. Native animals include many species of insects (including three endemic moths and a beetle), a unique nematode, an endemic freshwater sponge which lives in the island's numerous ponds, the Ipswich Sparrow (a subspecies of the Savannah sparrow, breeds only on Sable), numerous nesting seabirds (mostly gulls, terns, and sandpipers), and seals (mostly gray and harbor). The walrus once occurred on the island but has been extinct since the mid 17th century though for many decades afterward their tusks were collected from the shifting sands.

Much of the book (I would say over half) dealt with the human history of the island. It was comprehensive, going all the way back to debates over whom first saw and may have landed on the island, whether they were Viking, Basque, or Portuguese. There was much confusion in early maps over where the island was, its exact shape and size, and indeed who owned it. At various times the island was called Fagunda Island, Santa Cruz, and Isola della Rena (rena being Italian for sand) before the name became Sable Island (or Isle de Sable) in 1601. Unfortunately, most of the human history of the island is associated with the numerous shipwrecks, many of them with few if any survivors and at times hundreds of lives were lost, leading eventually to life saving services and lighthouses being set up on the island. Much of this made for exciting reading, with many first person accounts quoted of shipwrecked sailors and those involved in life saving.

An interesting book, I would have liked some pictures though.

Sable Island is undoubtably a fascinating subject, and so it must take an exceptional talent to write such a uniformly dull book about it. I bought this book on a whim hoping it would live up to the mild acclaim paraded on the cover, but I've had to force myself to finish it over the last few days. The previous reviewer is spot-on regarding the topics covered, but he fails to mention that De Villiers managed to leach almost every ounce of interest from them. The only spark of vitality comes from other writers who De Villiers quotes extensively and to his own detriment. The book also lacks any sense of organization and I found myself repeatedly puzzled over how the chapters, not to mention the contents of the chapters, were supposed to be tied together.

Skylar begins with a fun, sexy younger character. I think he's 19 or 20. Skylar is a southern guy who spends his time making love with his childhood friend Tandy or working on his family farm with his friend Doofus. My descriptions lack the wonderful nature of all these characters they are written exceptionally well and full of life and fun. Skylar's family is being visited by his cousin "JONTHAN" while Jonathan is recovering from Mono. Funny thing is that Jonathan walks in full of upper crust bravado and snobbery into a down home country welcome.
That is not even best to describe the fun in this book when the girl that everyone thinks is Skylar's girlfriend is murdered. The town is turned upside down as all fingers point to Skylar for the murder.
From the beginning this book is full of heat with the chemistry of Skylar and Tandy to the off beat comedy of the local police deputies whose ineptness is hilarious. Add in a jail with a roof that comes off to a serious murder mystery. This story manages to have a little of it all wrapped up in one.

This isn't a serious read it's FUN and meant to be fun! 5 stars for it and now I'm off to read the sequel Skylar in Yankeeland.

This book was fabulous! Written in the spirit of the "Fletch" series, this book introduces us to the character of Skylar Whitfield, a Southern boy accused of the murder of one of his oldest friends. Throw in his snooty Yankee cousin, Jon than, Skyler's good-ole-boy charm and intelligence that rivals Albert Einstein, and you have a wonderful, easy read with no idea whodunnit. A must read for "Fletch" fans, and a real page turner for new McDonald readers.

Skylar Whitfield conjures up memories of a younger, less savvy I.M. Fletcher (see "Fletch")as he careens around his redneck hometown trying to clear himself of murder charges. His interplay with his Harvard trained cousin seems forced and phony at times, and the "smarter than the average redneck" attitude has been seen before in "Son of Fletch". If you haven't read the "Fletch" series, "Skylar" can be a fun read, but for "Fletch" and "Flynn" fans, the book is a case of been-there, done-that.

I love the work Gregory McDonald has over the years with "Fletch". Well, Gregory is back bigger than ever with another page turner. Skylar starts a little slow, but within three chapters the night light was going to stay on until this book was finished. Skylar is a great character, in the Fletch mold. This book had me guessing and changing my mind on whodunit on nearly every page. A great finish. Look forward to more Skylar

As a longtime fan of the "Fletch" and "Flynn" series', I can understand other reviewers' excitement about the appearance of the "Skylar" books; it represents Gregory MacDonalds' departure from "literature" and return to what he does best - writing crime novels starring quirky, likeable characters who view the world through humorous eyes.

However, just because MacDonald is leaning back in that direction, it doesn't necessarily mean he's put his heart into it. "Skylar" is a partially-realized novel full of stereotypes (some offensive), caricatures and cardboard cutouts. Nothing here seems anchored in the real world.

The story: Jonathan Whitfield, stereotypical yuppie relative from the north, appears in quaint, southern (cardboard cutout) Greendowns County, Tennessee, to visit his Uncle and family, including sharp-as-a-tack, hayseed caricature, cousin Skylar, a youthful Matlock-clone.

In terms of mystery, MacDonald had me going to the end, even throwing in a shocker of a twist that both surprised and saddened me. Basically, someone beats Skylar's sweetheart to death and Skylar is the only suspect. Because the local Sheriff & deputies are hayseed caricatures of Southern cops, Skylar knows it will be up to him to solve the murder and clear his name. Cousin Jonathan is along as an observer, someone to represent us, the reader, goggle-eyed and confused by all the southern charm.

As characters go, Sheriff Culpepper was the only fellow I really liked. Everyone else is so damned self-absorbed they may as well be carrying around mirrors to talk to instead of each other.

MacDonald can be a great writer when he wants to be, but with "Skylar", I got the impression that he just needed to toss off another book so no one would forget him. Don't kid yourself for even an instant that this book is written in the "Fletch" mold.

The words of Thomas Jefferson are never more appropriate than when applied to Nova Scotia.
I was born in 1935 and grew up in Nova Scotia. I left in 1959 and have lived in Montreal,New Jersey and since 1975 ,in Mississauga,outside Toronto.The cover of this book immediately caught my attention;particularly the name of the author,Lesley Choyce.It is a surname I'd never come across and certainly not to be associated with Nova Scotia.Both sides of my family were Scottish and Irish immigrants who came to Nova Scotia in the late 1700's, mainly to get away from the oppression of the British and and in search of a life where a man's worth came from his own efforts ,not from his position,religion or privilege.
Choyce has written a good book describing the history of Nova Scotia;trying to make sense out of what happened along the way and why things are the way they are today.
He covers the early history where Nova Scotia was nothing more to England and France than land to occupy for its resources or military significance.The people,other than military,were conned in every way possible ,all with only one purpose,spread of empire.
The forms of government,oppression,prejudices,religious descrimination and all the rest of social systems ,that were so bad in Europe were transported and installed here.While governments fought ,the rule and influence moved back and forth with wins and losses.It was the people themselves that were the real losers.The key when looking at the development of Nova Scotia is to remember there was never a Revolution as there was in the United States.Hence, the mentality of being masters of their own destiny has never replaced the reliance on big government ,mother country,King or Crown to direct and control the lives of the people.
Nova Scotia was a British colonly like the other 13 colonies in 1776 when the American Revolution succeeded in driving out the British and creating a country founded on the principles of Life,Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness ,Justice ,their own Constitution,Laws and government. That did not happen with Nova Scotia.As the author correctly shows,Nova Scotia had more in common with the American colonies,but nearly 100 years later in 1867 was virtually forced into union through Confederation.The driving force being the Tory Government and greatly supported by England.Certainly there was no wide support of the people as most of them were, or were descendents of, the French,Scottish and Irish who had known the heavy hand of British rule.There never was a vote by the people ;simply the application of Peace Order and Good Government...
Canada has been existing ,more or less,under this arrangement for 139 years and is probably less united than in 1867. While the central government continues to control,the provinces are forever squabbling and even fanning flames of separation in Quebec,Alberta,BC,and the Maritimes.
The author doesn't really get into it too much;but as you read this book ;keep asking yourself what did the English or the French do that was in Nova Scotia's interest. Then, what has been the result in Nova Scotia of having joined into Confederation.Unfortunately,the mindset is not really there to change the arrangement,but to keep hoping that Government will solve it.
Another thing that the author skips over is that the total population of Nova Scotia has changed little in the last 100 years. The reason is that so many young people have seen the stagnation and simply did what their forefathers from Ireland and Scotland did;its called dispora,they got the hell out of there for greener pastures.
The author has found himself a place there,he loves the landscape ,the people and the culture.Great,and all the more power,success and happinessto him .But remember he works in the secure enviroment of a university,not in the mines,in the fisheries,lumbering ,steel industries or a host of other occupations which have had a continuing history of small successes and crushing disasters.
Another reviewer mentioned that the lack of maps was a problem in following this history;but I kept a highway map handy and had no problem.Another, mentioned visiting Nova Scotia.It is a wonderful place to visit,loads of history,excellent roads and an endless number of spots to discover anywhere along the coast or inland.If the Nova Scotia Tourist Information Bureau is contacted;they will send loads of information to you.

While the history covers the full length of Nova Scotia's history, it is very anecdotal in nature. As a result I found it very disjointed. The lack of a map was also keenly felt. Even though Choyce often supports his theme of the great influence of the sea on Nova Scotia, the gaps in the narrative greatly weaken the impact. If you want a series of short excerpts of Nova Scotia's history, I can recommend this book. However, it is not up to giving much insight into the why of the province's history.

I am planning a trip to Nova Scotia this summer and was surprised at the dearth of informative books about the province. This work was all I came across that appeared to be likely to give me some background that would enhance my trip. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. In addition to providing an insightful history the book is quite entertaining. The only addition I would wish for would be a good map.

Lesley Choyce is a novelist, not a historian -- something that shows through in Nova Scotia: Shaped by the Sea. The book is well written and gives a compelling portrait of this corner of Atlantic Canada, but at times the history seems to barely dent the surface.

Arranged in 45 short (usually four- to five-page) chapters, Choyce covers Nova Scotia from the geologic prehistory of the land through European colonization and into the fish wars of the 1990s. Throughout it all he manages to strike a nice balance between veneration of important historical figures and lamentation of the wrongs imposed upon the environment, Native Americans and others.

Although Choyce obviously doesn't love everything that has been done by the people of Nova Scotia over time, he does love the province -- something that shines through in the brief historical vignettes of this book.

I found the book a slow read. Thats not the books fault as it's material covered a very important aspect of Oak Island from an Engineering/Geology point of view(most want a exciting pirate adventure daring you to get in line and take your chance). It includes among other information, precisely where boreholes were dug, how many and a conclusive update of the underlying geology of Oak Island. A necessary aspect of the mystery for anyone wanting all sides and all input about everything Oak ISland. I reccommend the book but warn the reader to tenaciously hunker down for the long haul, it'll be worth it. Thats why I gave it only 4 stars. The material is dry reading.

The Oak Island mystery is one of the greatest treasure tales of all time. The authors are mining engineers who objectively delineate over 200 years of failed attempts to recover the treasure. One of the most amazing facts is that modern man, with all his heavy earth-moving equipment, drilling rigs and other technology has not been able to recover a treasure put in the ground in what was most likely the 17th century. And don't be fooled by other reviewers of the Oak Island mystery who claim to be skeptics or that it is merely a "natural sinkhole". Over the last two centuries, countless ancient artifacts, metal and unnaturally occurring substances such as putty, charcoal and coconut fiber has been pulled from the money pit. That is in addition to hand-hewn oak platforms that were discovered every 10 feet down or so in the pit. Also, extensive oak cofferdam supports and an excavated filter bed made of various materials including coconut fiber has been found in Smith's Cove.

The authors depart from previous works on the mystery by introducing intriguing new theories. One of these theories is that the original plan was to dig the money pit down to bedrock and deposit the treasure there or in an excavated space below the bedrock. After this was accomplished, water infiltration through the bedrock, which turned out to be porous, made recovery of the treasure impossible. As a result, the original treasure holders decided to make sure no one else could recover the treasure, and build the flood tunnel as insurance. This theory makes a great deal of sense when all of the facts are taken into consideration.

The second theory offered by the book is that the treasure was the major portion of the Spanish galleon Concepcion's booty, skimmed off by British Captain Phips and other British recovery operations of the wreck. While they have no direct proof supporting this theory, it is nevertheless a possibility, and there is some indirect evidence to support it, including a curious reference to gems and Lapis Lazuli in mineral rights covering the area. There is no known Lapis Lazuli deposits in that area of the world, although the Concepcion was known to be carrying quantities of it in their booty.

As a final thought, I once heard that there was a legend that seven people would die before the treasure would be recovered. Currently, six people have died trying to recover it. Care to give it a go?

I may as well state at the outset I am not a believer in the Oak Island Legend. However, this book is by far the best and most clearly written of the many Oak Island books I have read. The clarity of exposition is greatly assisted by the wealth of diagrams, maps, and tables. My personal preference would be to have the authors also consider the various "skeptical theories" of Oak Island, which they don't do. Whenever a seemingly mysterious fact is discussed, the authors do tend to accept it unquestioningly instead of also considering various ordinary ( if boring ) explanations. For example, if the flood tunnels exist, why has nobody ever been able to intercept them ?. Would not the entrance to the flood tunnel allegedly found by the Halifax Syndicate in 1867 and by the Oak Island Treasure Company in 1897 more reasonably be explained as the connecting tunnels dug into the pit from the same direction and at the same level by earlier syndicates ?. Explanations like this are usually eschewed in favour of more exciting ( but less plausible ?) explanations such as pirate tunnels and the like. Having said that, the book makes exciting reading, although at the end of the day I do not find it especially convincing.

Everyone loves a good treasure hunt and stories about pirates. For centuries explorers have been working their way through the mud, rock, and shafts of Oak Island in their illusive search of this mysterious prize. Does X mark the spot? Depends on where the spot is...now. This book gives great insight behind the mystery of Oak Island and defines some truth as to the tresures "existence". Where it lies today and is there a tresure to be found really depends on so much. Finally a book that explains the mystery with validity.

This is a stunningly readable, fascinating and profoundly written book. I could not put it down. It is filled with amazingly well-drawn characters, nonstop action that drives a first rate plot along to a satisfying conclusion. As good as Sydney Sheldon with more human emotion and wisdom.

This book is good for beach or pool and thats about it. It started out interestingly enough, but somewhere in the middle turned mediocre.

I just finished reading this. It is written really well, and I like the way she wrote the woman characters, they were all strong individuals. The story gets really intense toward the end.

Long before the cheesy reality shows, Cathy Cash Spellman wrote Playground Of The Gods, a kind of Paradise Island with deadly consequences, but played out by some of the world's most powerful and beautiful people.

Thoros Gagarian, a powerful sixty-three year old billionaire, purchased the island of Mora Utu in the south Pacific. He and his five wealthy buddies decide to take a `boys week off', in which the six of them will each invite a `trophy' woman to come along. He plans an indulgent and sensual vacation for everyone.

Thoros himself invites Justine Cousteau, an intelligent woman who is also a capable pilot, to assist him in flying his private plane from Oahu to Mora Utu. Jase Schindler invites Liz Cavanaugh, from his publishing company, Tony Capuletti invites Tiffany Johnson, a PR director for a nationwide chain of gyms. H. Douglas Rand invites his subordinate, Francesca Corbo (Chesi), the Project Coordinator for the Mora Utu designs, Jack Doherty invites Marika, a TV Commercial star with big aspirations of becoming a movie star, and Alex Barclay-Fontaine invites Christie Gibbs, a reporter.

The men are super rich and powerful, the women are beautiful and intelligent, and it looks to be the vacation of a lifetime. Until Tony rapes Marika, drawing a line in the sand between the men and the women. The women become fearful, alone on an island where the men believe that money will pay off rape charges, and when Justine finds that the plane has been sabotaged, cutting off their escape, the group of women flees into the jungle.

What ensues is a battle of the sexes, the men against the women, and Thoros's two servants, Emilio and Nelida are destined to guide them through the fates that await them. Their games include sabotage, back-stabbing, pitting themselves against each other, and even love. Somehow, they must all make it off the secluded island before the storms come.

This is a great story, with well fleshed out characters and flowing prose. The only reason I did not give it five stars was because I could not quite stomach the mystical part of the two servants, that seemed a little forced and over-the-top. What I really did like was the humanity of the characters, the women's strength showing through in spite of their `bimbo' actions, and the men showing their own humanity through the `machismo' of their actions.

Fantastic beach or airline read, this one is best savored when you are kicking back with a comfortable attitude and need a little diversion. Enjoy!