Shepard Books

Another good collection of stories from Lucius Shepard. Not that that will surprise anyone I suppose. A combination of sf, crime, sport and supernatural. The sf stories are again the highlight for me, including the excellent Human History and the wild Barnacle Bill the Spacer.

Beast of the Heartland : All the Perfumes of Araby - Lucius Shepard
Beast of the Heartland : Barnacle Bill The Spacer - Lucius Shepard
Beast of the Heartland : Beast of the Heartland - Lucius Shepard
Beast of the Heartland : Human History - Lucius Shepard
Beast of the Heartland : A Little Night Music - Lucius Shepard
Beast of the Heartland : Sports in America - Lucius Shepard
Beast of the Heartland : The Sun Spider - Lucius Shepard
Beast of the Heartland : How Lonesome Heartbreak Changed His Life - Lucius Shepard


Four legs an eye and an ear to be the six million dollar pair.

3.5 out of 5


Brainless boy blows up because space station sucker beasts despise coming crazed cult conflict in C.

4 out of 5


Boxing tart.

3 out of 5


Programmed postapocalyptic people enact punitive pogrom on decadent twisted hi-tech hypnotists.

4.5 out of 5


Music zombies.

3 out of 5


Baseball arguments, with guns.

3 out of 5


Sunbeast seeker shags separately from spouse, summons super maths.

3 out of 5


Japanese Roy Rogers guitar smash hit enables Vietnamese gangster staged shooting.

4 out of 5

This book is a collection of short stories, and although I liked them all, the one entitled Barnacle Bill the Spacer took my breath away. Lucius Shepard writes with such beautiful, unique precision, and expresses himself in such an uncommon and thought provoking manner that I found myself reading many of his sentences over and over just to savor their flavor and texture. His words linger, and his plots won't leave you alone. His uncommon writing gave me an uncommon pleasure-highly recommended.

I liked some of his other short story collections better, but this is still great work. You simply can't miss with Lucius Shepard. He has great insight about love and the human condition, and it's obvious he has travelled and seen much along the way. In each of these stories he deals with the nature of love and the stories we tell ourselves about relationships and sexual encounters.

The stories are diverse and can't be pigeonholed into one genre. I would say Shepard is a magical realist as much as anything, but he does very diverse work.

I love short stories, and it is clear to me that anyone else that loves short stories will love this collection, regardless of whether they condsider themselves sci-fi fans or not. In fact, two of the stories are completely devoid of anything fantastical, and two more only touch upon the surreal. In all seven, you do find the clear and descriptive writing that carries with it an insight into human beings all across the world - or universe. Shephard is able to portray the humanity and inhumanity as they battle within each of his primary characters, and over all, you might say that this is really what this collection is about. Each story has a clear and entertaining plot, but underneath, each focuses on a character that is struggling with his desires or angers or impulses that often lead to self-destructive life patterns; vivid and recognizable as elements of our own lives.

The genre sci-fi stories work the best for me. "Barnacle Bill, the Spacer" and "Human History" make my top five list of the best short stories ever. "Sun Spider" is interesting, but without the punch. And the remaining three straight stories were good, but less so than the others. However, in that "Barnacle Bill, the Spacer" and "Human History" are practically short novels, the book is well worth having just for these two stories alone. Consider the others bonus stories. Collections as a general rule are spotty. There are always pages you want to rip out and sometimes pages you want to hang on the wall. This is the first I've read in a long time that has no rip out material. Everything here is good. And some of it is truly amazing. Enjoy.

I'm sorry that I wasn't as impressed with this particular collection of Shepard's stories as I was with some of his other work. There are a couple of gems in here, however; "Barnacle Bill the Spacer", winner of the Hugo Award, is alone worth the price of admission.

However, if by chance fate has you perusing this page and wondering whether or not to take a chance on Shepard, do it. I first randomly ran across his 'Life During Wartime' in an airport, and I've read everything else of his that I could get my hands on since.

This collection is a fairly mild intro to some of the awe-inspiring concepts that Shepard constructs with the ease of Legos; and not only that, this guy can put words together like nobody's business. Borges would be proud.

It's a crying shame that a lot of his other work is now out of print or otherwise difficult to find; "The Jaguar Hunter", "The Ends of the Earth", and "The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter" I would all rate as superior to this particular collection, but don't let that stop you. Shepard is worthy of your reading time, and his full-length novels are equally astonishing.

Shepard has thrown away everything not absolutely necessary to get at the core of what matters.

Each story in this slim volume gets to the center of a facet of life and illuminates it.

Though every tale is stripped to essentials each is true to life.

Perfect reading for a Sunday afternoon.

Highly recommended.

Fans of playwright Sam Shepard will enjoy this collection of short pieces, many of them not more than monologues or brief sketches of dialogue. Sometimes the blanks are filled in and we get an actual short story, as in the title story, about two elderly men who compete for the attention of a waitress at Denny's. Also, "An Unfair Question," in which an over-inquisitive party guest interested in guns is taken to the basement by her host, who becomes dangerously impatient with her.

Others tend toward a Mamet-like fascination with the way people talk who have little to say and don't listen to each other. In "Living the Sign," a fast-food customer tries unsuccessfuly to strike up a conversation with the young employees about a thoughtful message hung over the chicken wings. A father and his two school-age children, in "Berlin Wall Piece," struggles without much success - or gratitude - to help his son with a homework assignment. Two telephone conversations comprise the extent of "Coalinga 1/2 Way," in which one person attempts vainly to keep the other person from walking out of a relationship. Four voice mail messages comprise another, as a shady character reports to a client on the fate of an injured race horse in "Tinnitus."

Two personal favorites are "The Remedy Man," about a man who breaks a willful horse, as well as the tyrannical hold of a father over his son, and the monologue "The Company's Interest," in which a lone night-shift filling station attendant is confronted by two long haired, tatooed and much overweight customers.

Mostly set in the West, many in California, this collection of stories shows flashes of mercurial creative intelligence sending off sparks of story fragments - characters, situations, dialogue, each elusive and elliptical, verbal fireworks against a night sky, your imagination filled with evocative afterimages. BTW, the cover photo is by Jessica Lange.

"Great Dreams of Heaven" is a quick read at a breezy 142 pages. Some of these stories would jump alive in an oral reading because they are essentially prose dramas. "Betty's Cats" is a wonderful example of a lady who just refuses to see that a trailer full of cats, even if they stink and complaints have been made to the health department, could be a nuisance to anyone. "Living the Sign" is a great little drama about a guy who stops into a fast food shop, sees a handwritten sign, "Life is what's happening to you while you're making plans for something else." He proceeds to grill the counter clerks until he find out who wrote the sign. After the long investigation, he finds his answer in the geeky Dicky; the piece ends with a little profundity about plans. My favorite story is "It Wasn't Proust" which is essentially an argument between a husband & wife over past romances in France; the dialogue sparkles with the banter having edge & wit. While a couple stories are too short to gain momentum and a couple are puzzle pieces, overall this a wonderful blend of prose and drama. Enjoy!

"Life is what's happening to you while you're making plans for something else." That one sentence from "Living the Sign", sums up this entire collection of simple stories that really hit the nail on the head. The story itself is a metaphor for the collection: The sentence is posted on a sign in a fast food joint by one of its employees, and the sign prompts one customer to begin a mini journey of discovery to find the one prescient individual among the glassy-eyed help behind the counter.

In "The Remedy Man" we get a simple take on the proverbial Horse Whisperer (though E.V., the title character wouldn't classify himself as such - hence the title - he fixes things). But, is this the story of E.V. fixing a horse, or that of him helping a young boy find his own strength and way under the thumb of his controlling father?

The characters in these stories, whether a man unable to grasp his role as father and husband who takes another partygoer hostage at gun point or so obsessed with horse breeding that he locks himself away from his family annually to study catalogs, are either at moments of absolute clarity or complete detachment from life. And, Shepard's sharp, concise dialog and writing snaps right to the point every time.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Shepard, the well-known playwright and actor, has written eighteen brief stories that are filled with unforgettable images. They deal with the unexpected reactions of human nature, especially sex and the yearnings for things that no longer exist. Shepard is at his best with these stories as he clearly and effortless describes the sorrows, joys, and fallibility of everyday life.

I enjoyed all of Shepard�s stories in his second collection of fiction. It would be hard to choose any one favorite, but �Blinking Eye� is one I will never forget. It will leave an unforgettable image on your mind. It is about a young girl driving cross-country bearing an urn containing her mother�s ashes when she encounters an injured hawk on the side of the road. She decides to take the injured hawk to a veterinarian for help. What happens after she places the hawk in her car will definitely leave a vivid image in your mind forever.

Shepard�s gift of writing is effortless to read for he brings all of his stories to life in a clear, concise, and beautifully detailed matter. This is a book not to be missed!!

Joe Hanssen

This book was very informative on many levels. It had excellent advice on the broad questions concerning performance reviews. How often should employees be reviewed? What style should you use? How can you deal with particular types of people? I felt it could have used more information on how to deal with specific people (the passive types in particular). Also, there isn't really an introduction to the appendices, they are just thrown at you. A section on how to setup and test/refine an evaluation form would have been very helpful.

Overall, excellent book (especially as an introduction), but not thorough enough to stand on its own in creating an employee evaluation system.

Perfomance reviews are such an important yet sometimes difficult task for every manager. This practical guide gives you clear and specific ways to communicate an employee's performance. I found the sample phrases and words to be particularly helpful in finding new ways to get my point across. Easy to comprehend and packed with valuable information,Glenn's book turns the process of performance evaluations from a "dreaded task" to a productive and effective opportunity to communicate with your employee.

Glenn Shepard shows you exactly what to do and what NOT to say if you've never had to do a Performance Evaluation before. This book is a definite must-have for every business office. When you are done reading this book, you will have mastered the art of constructive performance evaluations and still have a valuable employee in your company! Not only will your employee be valuable, but with Glenn's help, your employee will become "invaluable". I guarantee it!

Of course I always hated doing them. Glenn tackles this issue head on as usual and arms managers with the technique and even sample phrases to get us going in the right direction. He reminds us in his frank, no- nonsense way that we must use this tool to give honest and open feedback (good or bad) to our employees.
Thanks, Glenn!

This practical guide is a must-read for anyone who conducts performance evaluations - especially for those new to the process. Step-by-step, it explains why you should evaluate employee performance, how to set up a program and how to conduct the evaluations. The appendices alone are invaluable. Author Glenn Shepard provides nearly 60 pages of useful, hands-on materials. Appendix A is packed with words and phrases that will enable you to be specific about your observations of employee behavior in areas such as attendance and workplace safety. Appendix B provides five performance evaluation forms that demonstrate a variety of evaluation techniques, such as using essays or assigning numerical values to weighted descriptive scales. Appendix C includes several self-evaluation forms organizations can use as models. We recommend this book to managers, supervisors and human resource professionals who must develop workable, legally sound employee performance evaluation systems.

The main hero starts as a regular trooper trying to survive the next attack, then gets recruited into psi-corps, is trained as assassin, learns about the powers that are behind the war and becomes the major player in finishing it.

Be warned, this is not an easy read. The mood of the book is dark and pessimistic. The pace is often slow and meditative. It's not your regular heroic sci-fi.

Shepard is a great writer and the quality of the prose in this book is absolutely outstanding. This is Literature (yes, with capital L). If you can handle a difficult book and have the time to read it sentence by sentence, then pick it up. If you are looking for entertainment during vacation on a beach - stay away.

Just in case, keep this book away from kids - there are pretty graphic descriptions of sex and war violence in a couple of places.

I'm always amazed at Shepard's output. He has a way of making things believable yet allowing you to be surprised at the next turn of events. A unique writer and a book that sneaks some basic truths past you while the reader is still trying to comprehend the new universe Shepard lays out.

R&R was the story that put Shepard among the great names of SF and forms the chapter of this book. There are several familiar elements for fans of the author, exotic locales, drugs psychic powers that border on magic and secret forces battling it out under cover of 21st century warfare in the jungles of Central America. The book suffers just a tiny bit from being written in the late 80's when heavy involvement by US secret ops gave the impression that a Vietnam type meltdown was about to happen almost on the doorstep of US. Brilliant language and (naturally) hallucinatory imagery are the qualities of the book. Storyline tends to sag in the second half of the book but if you are one of the author's followers you will enjoy this work.

Lucius Shepard is a strong and beautiful writer. His stories have frequently been compared to those of Joseph Conrad, and indeed Shepard is a master of the short story and the novella. R&R, the novella that makes up the opening of this novel, is a beautiful and terrible read, and the quality of the writing remains consistently captivating throughout. So why have I given this novel only three stars? Because, as a novel, it doesn't really work. Shepard writes fantastic short fiction, but when he wrote LIFE DURING WARTIME, he just wasn't ready to tackle a novel. It reads like a series of episodes, each an good read on its own, but each also providing its own closure. But they are linked closely enough that were I to read something else in between them, I'd likely lose track of the details of the plot. So, while the writing is beautiful, the plot interesting, and each episode a joy to read on its own, the novel isn't able to sustain its momentum throughout. I'm glad I read it, but as a novel, it just doesn't quite work.

I always love Lucius Shepard's work and this is his best novel. It is like "Apocalypse Now" in the future, and has the same kind of impact on the reader as that film did on the viewer.

A quote from the opening paragraph: "One of the new Sikorsky gunships... gave Mingolla and Gilbey and Baylor a lift from the Ant Farm to San Francisco de Juticlan, a small town located inside the green zone.... To the east of this green zone lay an undesignated band of yellow that corssed the country from the Mexican border to the Caribbean. The Ant Farm was a firebase on the eastern edge of the yellow band, and it was from there that Mingolla -- an artillery specialist not yet twenty-one years old -- lobbed shells into an area that the maps depicted in black-and-white terrain markings. And thus it was that he often thought of himself as engaged in a struggle to keep the world safe for primary colors."

I'm not sure that P. L. Travers' classic, "Mary Poppins" really needed a sequel. She is a beloved character whose crusty exterior hides a heart-of-magical-gold. This 2nd installment is more of the same...she takes the children on magical journeys where they meet amazing people/creatures, and then she denies it ever happened. Each chapter is a stand-alone tale, perfect for bedtime reading to a child. And, just like in the last book (upcoming spoiler!), she leaves again. As before, Travers does a nice job with the characterization, but it just seems repetitive and actually diminishes the special quality of the first book.

Marry Poppins comes back in this book.
Before Marry Poppins came back the Bank's life was a mess.
A new Banks child appeared in this book.
Her name was Annabelle.
Marry Poppins is mean.
She leaves at the end.

Book is in excellent condition; will be a gift for my adult daughter who still loves anything connected with Mary Poppins!

I loved all the Mary Poppins books, they really fired my imagination as a child and are now doing it for my daughter. One quick correction to an earlier review, PL Travers has written other books, just not to the same acclaim as the Mary Poppins series

Many fantasy stories tell tales of brave knights, battling wizards, and beautiful princesses who need to be rescued. This fantasy, however, is nowhere near that. It is a story of an English nursemaid whose name just happens to be Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins is a classic tale of one woman who changes the lives of four siblings. The author, P. L. Travers, has not written any other books. Mary Poppins has won six awards including: Horn Book, ALA Booklist, and Library Journal. I enjoyed this book in and out which truly shows. The one I read, being worded and formatted like the originals, had the old English that made it stand out. Just reading the pages in this book makes me want to jump around and yell: This Book ROCKS!
The story that inspired the movie Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick van Dike, doesn't go along as most would think the book would. As an east wind blows it carries a woman named Mary Poppins to the door of 17 Cherry Tree Lane, where she is to be the nanny of Jane, Michael, John, and Barbara Banks. One day, out on a walk, all of them find a compass that takes them all around the world, meeting Eskimos, Indians, Caribbean Natives, and a Chinese man. Later that day, they go to a lady named Mrs. Corry and her two daughters to buy gingerbread from them that comes with little stars. When they leave, Jane and Michael turn around and notice something......the shop is no longer there! That night they watched out their bedroom window to see Mary Poppins, Mrs. Corry, and her two daughters gluing the stars Jane and Michael got with their gingerbread to the sky, and the stars actually stayed there! About a week later, as Jane and Michael stare out their window they watched Mary Poppins leave with the west wind. Jane wobbles to her bed and slumps down. Then, she felt something under her pillow! What could it be?
As I read, the description made me melt into the pages of the book. It was like I was there and I could see the characters smiling at me. Listen to this excerpt from the text of the story: It was one of those curious windows where there seem to be three of you instead of one, so that when you look long enough at them you begin to feel you are not yourself, but a whole crowd of somebody else. As I read it I felt the same way the author said you would feel as you stare into the panes of the glass. The author also described the pigeons and doves as though they were real people. The fussy, chatty, gray dove Grandmothers, rough-voiced brown pigeon Uncles, no-I've-no-money-today, greedy Fathers, and the soft blue silly and anxious mother doves. I love the way the author brings forth the little detail of how Jane and Michael see the birds.
P. L. Travers made it an amusing, enjoyable story to read. I, for instance, loved it when Mary poppins took out her bottle of "Magic Medicine." When Mary Poppins took some out for Michael it was Raspberry Ice, then when she took some out for Jane it was Lemon-Lime Cordial. Next, she poured a teaspoon for each of the twins, it came out as milk! Finally, she poured out some Rum Punch for herself. In another chapter of the book the whole thing is written in the infant twins' point of view. Since the twins had not yet turned one they could still speak the language of the Starling bird, trees, Sun, and wind. Mary Poppins also could consult with the twins. That chapter of the story was so charming.
This book was amusing, adorable, and illuminating from cover to cover. It has been a sensation ever since it was first published in 1934, that's 71 years! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a desirable fantasy story that's down to Earth. It is a delightful tale for adults and children alike. You will not be disappointed, and who knows? Maybe next time when the wind blows.........

As one reviewer already stated, this is not a political novel. This is not a novel about the civil rights movement in the South in the 1960s. The fact is Joe Dunne is a unique private detective, someone who is willing to be hired to stop bad things from happening to good people by decidedly evil people. He'll allow himself to be hired out to destroy a drug ringleader in a high school in order to save the high school from a drug infestation. He will also allow himself to be a hired killer if it means killing the murderers of three innocent young men (who were civil rights protestors) in the South in the 1960s and he will be handsomely rewarded for his efforts.

It's the voice of Joe Dunne who here confidently carries the novel away. The private-eye palaver employed by this detective's voice is confident, riveting, convincing, and ultimately soothing. He even makes literary comparisons between himself and other, more famous private-eyes in pulp fiction, and, decidedly, Joe Dunne comes out smelling sweeter than the roses he opts to buy his gorgeous assistant, Kirby (before she gets knocked off at the novel's conclusion ) - and has more charm than those more handsome pulp detectives who like to wear shoulder holsters instead of the hip holster he wears.

While some reviewers have stated that the novel makes a long wind-up before the plot is pitched, I noticed no problem at all in that the reader early on learns and knows he or she is in the presence of an extremely skilled and highly confident P.I. Much of the first half of the novel involves the sheer joy to be obtained when witnessing a pro prepare his job - like watching a master violinist's final rehearsal before his debut performance.

What is peculiar is that the reader barely notices how "coincidental" it is that this job is executed without a hitch. There are no mistakes before the job or during the job - none that he knows of nor none that he can clearly surmise once the job is done. Joe Dunne plans to find and murder the five men who killed those three young men and he does find and murder them by plot's end, and he does not get caught, and he does collect his pay. The drama at this plot-point is merely the suspense of how much time will it take to complete this "crime."

Only near the near-end of the novel does the reader learn, and only through the death of his assistant, Kirby, that somewhere along the line, Joe Dunne must have done something to mess things up - but no one learns exactly where, when or how.

Joe Dunne is the man who played to win, but it cost him a broken heart in the end.

The reader is left wanting more of Joe Dunne and more by Shepard Rifkin.

Classic noir grabs you from the haunting preface and won't let go. Rifkin's style combines the lean punch of Hammett with the doomed fate of Thompson. Outstanding selection in Hard Case Crime series - hope they publish more Rifkin.

As a member of the Hard Case Crime book club I received THE MURDERER VINE in the mail six weeks ago and promptly put it on the shelf. I had a few books to read before I could get to it, even though I found the description on the back cover very engaging. It was an angle that I hadn't heard before- the father of a young man murdered while he helped fight for civil rights sounded pretty darned good to me.

I was even more excited when I finally got to reading it and found it was every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be. It's true that it takes some time to build things up and get the protagonist to Mississippi, but it's worth every word. This is the first book I've read by Shepard Rifkin and I was happy to discover that his technique of plotting was very effective. While the first half of the book sets up at a slower pace the second half takes off like a bat out of heck, ending not the way you expect but possibly the way it would really happen. There are several dangling subplots, but what's great about that is it leaves you guessing until the last page. Not every character you meet plays into the climax, but to me that just adds to the realism. Call 'em red herrings or rabbit trails, I don't care. It works well.

One other reviewer said that this was not one of the best Hard Case books. I disagree. I think it's one of my top five. Granted, there's a few I've yet to read but now the measuring rod is going to be a little higher. THE MURDERER VINE is definitely a favorite. I've described it in broad strokes to people, ranging in age from 17 to 65, and they are all interested in reading it. And while it does include some politically charged ideas it isn't a "political" book. It's an adventure/mystery that can be enjoyed by everyone, though some folks from the deep south may take slight offense at the broad brush used to describe the people in this particular town.

Hiding out in Puerto Lagarto as the novel opens, our hero Joe Dunne begins a detailed confession to a traveling American priest. He has been hiding out for two years with no one to talk to and clearly is a bit lonely. Besides that, he has been watching the American in a clerical collar chasing butterflies with a net and thought it was funny. As the pages turn, he tells his story and explains how e got a job that was to set him up money wise pretty good as well as cause his exile far from home.

After handing a case that pushed the bounds, his name is passed on to an angry father by a client who really should have kept his big fat mouth firmly shut. The father is aware of some of the details of the other case and thinks that Joe Dunne could be willing to do what he wants done. It seems his boy was one of three men who went down to Mississippi to help with voter registration. His son, who was a good student at Harvard, along with two friends are now missing and presumed dead. Dad knows who did it thanks to another contact and Dad wants justice.

"'I know they're dead. I don't know what your political views are and I don't care. But I think you know what justice is. If it doesn't exist, then you make it. I want my boy's body. And I want justice."
"You mean revenge."
"I don't make any distinction. Shall we talk business?'"
(page 34)

Dad also knows that the legal system in 1970 Mississippi isn't going to do anything to the five that local gossip says were involved. He wants proof of their guilt and he wants justice.

Justice he is willing to pay for and justice of a kind that means Dunne will have to close his private investigation business, send his receptionist, Kirby, on her way and disappear. The father is willing to pay for finding the bodies of the victims, another higher amount for proof of the guilty and a still higher amount for their execution--no matter how many are ultimately guilty of the crime. Justice that he is wiling to pay for and will pay well for once he has the proof he needs of their guilt. Justice that can be bought at these prices and justice that Dunne is willing to deliver.

Like most releases from Hard Case Crime, this recent re-release is a dark atmospheric one. One knows from the opening page something went horribly wrong and the only real question as the pain filled narrative begins from Joe Dunne is exactly what went wrong. Everything and everyone is flawed in some fatal way and that certainly is the case here. Like many from this publisher, there is a certain inevitability in the read that means all the hard work, the meticulous planning of every last detail, in the end truly did not matter.

Joe Dunne is a complex character and as this slow moving novel tells the tale, a character that the reader begins to identify with more and more. A character, that while one knows is probably doomed, one that the reader pulls for all the way to the bitter end.

The novel is a read full of rich detailed characters, a time that wasn't the best in American history, and plenty of evil. It is a read that also makes one wonder just how much, if any, things have really changed.


Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

As I read more and more of Hard Case Crime's re-releases of old mysteries from decades past, I have noticed that in a certain way they are mostly similar in that they focus on crime. That, in itself, is not surprising (especially given the name of the publisher), but what is a little more so is where the focus isn't: on anything even vaguely political. The Murderer Vine by Shepard Rifkin, originally published in 1970, is an exception.

The politics in this case deal with the civil rights movement in the Deep South. Then three young men disappear while trying to register black voters, murder is the obvious conclusion to be arrived at and, of course, the fix is in to make sure no one is ever prosecuted for the crime. One of the victims, however, has a rich father, and he hires ex-cop-turned-private-eye Joe Dunne to find the bodies, determine who the killers are, and make sure they pay the ultimate price. Dunne has some ethics, but the hundreds of thousands of dollars his client offers overrides any moral concerns.

Dunne heads down to Mississippi along with his beautiful assistant Kirby, who not only offers cover, but as a native Southerner, can teach him the ways of Dixie. Figuring out who the killers are will require blending into small town Southern life and - against Dunne's better nature - adopting a bit of a racist nature.

Will he succeed? Well, the novel begins with Dunne hiding out in Latin America, telling his tale in the form of a confession to a visiting priest. He has committed some sort of crime to justify his hiding out here, but what it is - and how it was done - is the basis of the story.

The Murderer Vine is not the best in the Hard Case Crime series, but it is a decent book. The main flaw is that the first half is pretty slow moving, and it takes nearly a hundred pages (out of a 250 page book) for Dunne to finally get to his destination. Once he's there, however, things to pick up, and by the end, things really move. This one should not be your first choice in this series, but when you get to it, you won't be disappointed.

This is another beautiful story set from the series, but I have to admit that the voice of tigger is a bit annoying, other than that we still like it and it is definitely worth buying it, ...even if you prefer to skip the stories including tigger.

I love these tapes. My preschooler loves these tapes and has since age 2 or so. My sister gave them to me because she and her kids love these tapes. First of all, Winnie the Pooh is simply the best toddler/preschool character out there, as he's funny and not scary or naughty, (or loud), and they use lots of words and do things which are new and fun and interesting for your toddler/ preschooler. Second, this dramatization is unbelievably good--entertaining to adults as well as kids, the perfect mix of humor and gentleness. Another reviewer has said Tigger is annoying--I completely disagree. Tigger is FINE. I wonder if this reviewer has encountered Disney Tigger--now there's annoying! We have taken these tapes everywhere and now of course have lost or broken most of them so I HAVE TO buy some more. There are alot of books and tapes out there you can take out of the library--JUST BUY THESE

When I went to introduce my preschooler to Winnie-the-Pooh, I bought the big book with the complete stories and poems. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it wasn't quite right for my 3-year-old. Reading a story out of the original works takes a good 15-20 minutes, which is more than one can really expect from a preschooler or toddler. Also, the original Pooh is a bit like Sesame Street, in that there are phrases and indeed entire sections of the stories that adults will find amusing but which will just go over a child's head.

And yet, I didn't want to break down and go the route of the Disney-fied Pooh books, with their cartoonish illustrations and watered-down plots and characters.

That's why I was so pleased to find the Easy-to-Read series. There are six easy-to-read titles from two publishers. They are:

Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees
Pooh Goes Visiting
Eeyore Has a Birthday
Tigger Comes to the Forest
Christopher Robin Leads an Expedition
Pooh Invents a New Game

Each book is based on one chapter from the complete works. These little books are divided into four chapters, although it should be no problem to read one from start to finish in one sitting.

The print is large and well spaced, and there are ample illustrations (the original drawings by E.H. Shepard) on every page spread to keep little eyes engaged in the story. Most important, the editor has removed most of the passages that aren't so kid friendly and has simplified the stories without giving them a Disney style candy coating. One could read the original story and then the easy-to-read version and get the same basic plot; when going from the Milne works to the Disney versions, the same is certainly not true.

I didn't give these books five stars because the editor retained some language and dialogue that may be a bit confusing for children in the intended age range. Nevertheless, these books are a wonderful introduction to a classic cast of characters for the preschool set.

After my introduction to this ensemble cast with "Pooh Goes Visiting," I looked forward to the rest of the series. But this one is a bit of a let-down. Be warned that the stories are, or seem to be, out of sequence. Contrary to the title, only two, I think, are about or even contain Tigger. And the voice of Tigger is REALLY annoying. Really. But the rest of the cast continues to bring a gentle wonderfulness to the Pooh stories -- so much so that it's well worth the annoyance of Tigger. Get this one, but don't miss the other, better ones.

This amazing dramatization of the Pooh books is performed by a marvelously talented group of British entertainers who truly bring the Pooh characters gently and lovingly to life. As for this tape, I finally got this figured out. This is part of a four-tape program that represents the complete two-book Winnie-the-Pooh story collection, except the stories are out of order (probably so that they would fit equally on the tapes). Book 1, "Winnie-the-Pooh," is represented by "Pooh Goes Visiting" (stories in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10) and "Piglet Meets a Heffalump" (stories: 5, 6, 7, 8). Book 2, "The House at Pooh Corner," is dramatized by "Tigger Comes to the Forest" (stories in order: 1 2, 4, 3, 9, 10) and "Pooh Invents a New Game" (stories 5, 6, 7, 8). When stories that depend on previous information are out of order, it gets confusing. My suggestion: Get the "Winnnie-the-Pooh" / "The House at Pooh Corner" gift pack, which is also four tapes (the same recordings), but in the proper order.

Tough Cookie by David Wisniewski is a departure from his retelling of folktales from various cultures, which the illustrator has done in at least four of his previous books. His book, Golem, won for him a Caldecott award, which is a showcase for his cutwork art talent, however, this book shows his sense of humor and creativity. When reading this book the reader learns that Wisniewski is not only an award winning artist, but he also has a sense of humor too. What a wonderful combination! This book is a crime thriller in which Tough Cookie, a detective, and his girlfriend, Pecan Sandy, must solve the mystery of what is happening to the missing crumbs.It shows how rough life can be at the bottom of a cookie jar, especially when Fingers shows up. It's a must read for all ages, featuring Wisniewski's characteristic cutwork illustrations.

TOUGH COOKIE is one of the most creative and humorous books I have read. Because of its mix of adult humor with children's imagination, I think it is best suited for children ages 11 and up. What an excellent use of language and humor!

This book is hard to rate. If it were for adults, as a novelty, it would clearly be five stars. For teenagers who have discovered "hard-boiled" detective fiction, this book would also be five stars. I have to believe that most of the story and humor would blow past the 4-8 year old set, that is the book's ostensible audience.

The illustrations, on the other hand, fit the age grouping nicely. They are done by cutting vividly-colored paper, creating constructions with the cut-outs, and then photographing the results.

The whole story takes place in a cookie jar, from the perspective of the cookies who have been around for awhile (don't think of them as stale, think of them as experienced). As is usual, putting a new viewpoint in place creates the potential for interesting new ideas. How do you stop depredations against the other cookies?

I wish that the classic noir novels from the thirties had the humor of this book. "I kiss her. 'You're a smart cookie,' I say. 'Maybe being a tough cookie isn't enough.'"

Now, if you have a child with great imagination, and you explain humor well, it may work for a younger child. But be prepared for the difficulty of explaining a satire of something you child has not yet seen or read.

You should also think about ways that low lifes (crumbs) can make all of the difference in real life.

Look at life from a new angle to see its potential!

I work in a children's library, and I read children's books all the time; this book stands out above and beyond many others. It's funny and cleverly illustrated with paper cut-outs, a specialty of the author. I've shared this book with all ages (including my co-workers) and it has been well received by all of them!

Yeah, it's terse. Tough. Even cynical at times. But funny as all get out. It's probably no big trick to pull off a noirish children's book with a protagonist based on Bogart roles, but Wisniewski has just the right touch. It's clever/sassy for grownups ("A slap stings my cheek like a velvet bee." ) but colorful and funny for children.

Our hero, "Tough Cookie," aided by the smart and svelte Pecan Sandy, live in a cookie jar with assorted, uhhh, cookies (and crumbs). Tough Cookie and friends go after "Fingers," a ravenous foe who puts Cookie's former partner "Chips" in the cookie hospital: Like Sam Spade, Cookie goes after him (or her) "It's a long ride to the Top of the Jar. I begin to think maybe I'm a nutbar to do this. Then I think of Chips..." 29 pages of fun, it's an inventive twist on a proven formula.

This is a wonderful book. It's about 4-year-old Alfie and a birthday party for his friend Bernard, who is as boistrous as Alfie is shy. At first Alfie refuses to go to the party without his blanket and refuses to put it down with the coats, but in the end, he learns that he can get along without his blanket after all. He bravely decides to put it aside so that he can cheer up a little girl who's even more bashful than he is. Alfie is a sweetie.
The illustrations (by the author, Shirley Hughes) are colorful and engaging, depicting a delightful array of characters. Ms. Hughes has a keen eye for how people really look. All of her Alfie books are terrific -- this one is my family's favorite.

Shirley Hughes has charmingly illustrated her book of a preschooler who goes to his first birthday party.Unfortunately,the story is too long for the audience for which it was intended.Older readers may read it with memories of their first social function,but your four year old may squirm in their seat awaiting the conclusion.

When I was a little girl, this was my favorite book. I used to "read" it all the time. It's a great present for a little child

...Alfie Gives a Hand is my two-year old's favorite Alfie story. We have read it over and over and over again and he delights in pointing out things in the illustrations. My daughter also loved these stories when she was two and three.

Shirley Hughes created such a lovable character when she created Alfie! My children are in their late teens and early twenties and we still talk about these Alfie books! I am so sad to see that "Alfie Gives a Hand" seems to be out of print. If you can get a copy used here on Amazon, DO IT!

The illustrations are priceless - they depict REAL children and REAL life. One of the reviewers here said that she felt it was too long a story for a 2 year old and I probably agree. I think 3 to 6 year olds would understand the point more.

After all these years, I remember the story so well. Alfie is invited to his first birthday party. His mom gets him washed up and in clean clothes and off they go, with Annie Rose in her stroller. Alfie is a little scared of this new experience (and don't you have little ones in your house who can identify?!) and he takes his blanket with him for comfort.

The birthday boy turns out to be rather ill-mannered (that happens sometimes too!) and one present gets thrown all over, and he blows bubbles into his jello (my kids got a big kick out of that!). Then it comes time to play a game in a circle. There is a little girl who is even more scared than Alfie and she doesn't want to play. Alfie makes the courageous choice to put his precious blanket down hold this little girl's hand. It works - she happily plays the game because of Alfie's kindness. And Alfie discovers that it pays to help others, even if it means putting down your blanket for a time!

I highly recommend ALL the Alfie books!

The jumping back and forth in time sometimes frustrated and irritated me, but overall I found The Bad Boy's Wife to be a good book: it's beautifully written, and the characters are very real, complex, flawed, intriguing people. A love story and a story of love's demise.

While this was overall a good book, the main characters Hannah and Cole REALLY got on my nerves. They were not good people. And my first thought when finishing this book was 'Ugh...that was bad'. But then I realized I was letting my opinion of the characters get in the way to much. If you step outside that opinion, and look at the story itself...it really is quite good.

The story starts in July 2000 and works backwards. It tells of the inner workings of Hannah and Cole's marriage, and their little girl Mattie. Hannah is an incredibly needy person with ZERO self-respect. She can't possibly have any the way Cole treats her. Now Cole, while he doesn't ever hurt Hannah, and he appears to be a good husband, constantly proclaiming his love for his wife, he does thing's that are really messed up...and Hannah lets him!! Like cheating on her numerous times, and letting him have sex with her the DAY AFTER GIVING BIRTH...she was still in the hospital when they did it! And the sex alone was tiring just reading about it.

Every single day Cole has to have sex...sometime 2 ore 3 times! And Hannah just takes it, whether she wants to or not. I know I'm ranting and raving about how screwed up these people are, but it's hard to explain. While I really didn't like the two main characters, I did like the story. At least Matties part. This poor child is caught in the middle of her feuding parents, and just wants life to return to normal.

In the end...I would have to say that I recommend this. I don't know that you'll really like Hannah or Cole any more than I did...but even still, it's hard to put this book down. I would definitely pick up another of Ms. Shepard's books. She really is a very good storyteller.

Though coming from wealthy respected parents Hannah married the local bad boy Cole. They stayed together for twenty years living in the same house for fifteen of them. They had one child Mattie. However, Cole ended their marriage without warning and immediately wed her friend Georgia. Cole and Georgia seem happy together and recently had their first child while Hannah feels discombobulated and out of soughts. The relationships between the trio have taken its toll on confused ten years old Mattie.

Everything changes when Georgia is severely injured in a car accident. Cole turns to Hannah to watch the infant Sam. Mattie is even more confused as the relationships between the adults subtly switch again. As the dynamics between Cole and Hannah turn even stranger and Georgia remains in terrible shape, Mattie begins looking backwards because her parents pressure her to choose between them when all she wants is to finish fifth grade.

THE BAD BOY'S WIFE is a bittersweet family drama that takes the twist of starting in the present (year 2000) and looking backwards over the through the years to the late 1970s. The reverse plot flow works quite well as the audience receives an even deeper understanding of how far Cole and Hannah fell. Little memory tidbits such as Hannah's recall of standing back to back with Georgia and not clearing the younger woman's nape add the depth to a strong character study of how a relationship collapsed and its impact on the innocent.

Harriet Klausner

The first two pages grab you by the throat: the dread of the highway accident, the hasty domestic arrangements of caring for two children, the immediate arousal from the ex-husband's touch, Hannah's willingness to be used. . . .
This is a lovely, awful read and perfectly reflects the human condition. There is much among the characters that falls short of decency and of being good enough, but there are moments of each flawed being's showing gentleness and courage.
Shepard's craft at times amazes with its just-right detail, its refusal simply to entertain, and its exquisite realism.
And, showing the same unerring understanding that marked her debut, AN EMPIRE OF WOMEN, Shepard's creation of ten-year old Mattie is the lynch pin of this infuriating, fascinating, and rewarding novel.

Exceptionally well written. I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. The characters are strong - and though they have their faults and sometimes those faults are disturbing - I cared about Mattie, Hannah, and even the bad boy Cole. I was so engrossed in this book that I couldn't put it down, and when I had to, I couldn't wait to get back to it. This book is a must read!