Windsor Books

Jack Windsor's book `The Secret of the Lake' is one of the best books I have read for a long time. Jack Windsor has the ability to make me cry with his sad stories and laugh out loud with his funny stories. They are so fascinating, that I even hate to be interrupted when someone brings me a cup of tea.

Jack Windsor is a powerful writer and this collection of his work is filled with many wonderful twists, turns and laughs. This book is a must have for anyone who enjoys short stories with cliff hanger endings.

Author Artie Knapp

Victoria Holt once again sweeps her readers into the life of another heroine, Davina. Through the audio version it almost sounds as if Davina might be telling you her story yourself. She is suspected of murder in Scotland but it can't be proven so she goes to South Africa to escape gossip but the nightmare continues there until in the end everything turns out all right and she ends up with the man of her dreams.

The story takes place in post-Victorian Edinburgh. A bankers daughter begins (too late) to notice all is not perfect in her perfect household. Her mother dies. Her governess is let go under mysterious circumstances. And a bawdy new governess moves in to take her friend and her mothers place---and all other things. Her father is discovered dead from arsenic poisoning---and she is accused of murdering him. I was surprised at the end---I felt sure I knew who had killed the girls father----but I'm not good at guessing, I guess.
The characters are pretty well thought out---theres a voyage to South Africa and the terrain is detailed. But the most standout of this book is the main characters illusions that the perfect way of life can go on uninterrupted. She certainly left one snare of serpents for another, too. Very well written and interesting.

Great book with lots of humorous action. The characters are memorable Peter Shandy rocks

Charlotte MacLeod, veteran mystery writer, has released a paperback delight called Something in the Water. This latest entry stars Peter Shandy, professor at a mythical agricultural college in Massachusetts, who has an amazing ability to kick up clods of murder as he traipses through life. Professor Shandy, a reluctant economy-size hero, has temporarily abandoned his wife Helen's side at her request while she entertains childhood chums. The timing appears perfect for Peter to visit Pickwance, Maine and see for himself the "glorious" lupine the scientist in him knows must be more the stuff of legend than fact. To his chagrin the lupine are real and everything else in this picturesque community is not what it seems to be. He discovers paintings (by an artist who refuses to be identified) that evoke distinct pictures in the mind, but are only hazy colors on the canvass. He drinks water from a mysterious spring owned by a woman who must be old, but looks young. Most disconcerting to him, however, is the man who dies within his purview the evening of his arrival. In a community where so much is larger than life (quite literally as even the hens are the size of turkeys and lay enormous eggs), so is the corpse, perhaps not in physical size, but in perfidity. This truly is a man whom none mourn. Time passes, Peter Shandy requests his wife join him in Maine, and the mystery spins itself out. Try this book--if you have never read a MacLeod mystery befoe you will be enchanted, if you have, you will find yourself comfortably back within the company of old friends. Two other selections by the same author featuring Peter Shandy which are very good reading are The Corpse in Oozak's Pond and Vane Pursuit.

When I started reading this book I knew that I was about to dig into the truth of the everyday lives of children in South Africa. This mystery is an autobiography. I have read some materials about South Africa but this book really tells it all.

The book started out with Peter living in Johannesburg. He lived with his parents and brothers and sisters. At first, it appeared as if he had a good life and a happy family. Then things took a bad turn. His father died and they were forced to give up and leave their home to reside in Vrededorp.

This was a slum. It was different from life in Johannesburg. It was a really difficult and poverty ridged life. It was so difficult that his mother could no longer afford to keep him. She sent him to live with his Aunt Liza and Uncle Sam in Elseburg. It was not as comfortable as life in Johannesburg but it was better than Vrededorp.

Here he worked really hard at tasks his uncle and aunt would assign him. He was a very hard worker. It would appear as if he spent a great deal of time there. The book did not tell how long he spent. However, his mother sent his brother and sister to get him. His aunt got accustomed to his company and his help and she did not want him to leave.

When they got back to Vrededorp the family moved in to live with a family friend. He provided free lodging and food for them. From there Peter went to live with another aunt a few streets down. Here he got a job selling fire wood to the whites in white Vrededorp. Here his number of friends increased and they became a gang in which he was the leader. They would steal and fight other gangs. His aunt discouraged him out of the gang. He dropped the gang.

He realized his need for formal education and took it upon himself to approach the principal of a black school. He begged the principal to allow him to go to school. The principal agreed on the condition that he does good work otherwise he would be punished with lashes.

At fifteen his education seemed to stop abruptly when he found himself a job at a hotel cleaning, running errands, and doing room service. He worked really long hours and did not get enough sleep. He was often exhausted to start the job each day. He woke up one morning with bloodshot eyes and his sister sent him back to bed. Hours later he went to work but his boss was out looking for a new worker. His boss returned with a new worker to find him, Peter, waiting. He tried to punch Peter but Peter ran away.

He got various jobs after that. He went through anger and bitterness as he tried to succumb to the ridicules and hardships of life. Throughout his life he had questions he wanted to ask but dared not. He had to forego school for work. He was very ambitious. He read widely and became a nationalist in his own way, through the literatures. Eventually, he got his chance for a college education. The rest is history. It is a good book do not stop until you have read every page!!

Reaction
I believe this book highlights the true and real childhood of South Africa's children. This book, Tell Freedom, is a Mystery that only those of the high hierarchy can solve if they will. I believe there is still much evidence of this type of hurt today in some parts of South Africa. This is also present all over the world. Somebody will have to do something to prevent poor children from such ridicule and hardship. It has been going on too long. I believe a change will be welcomed at this time.

I would recommend that this book be read by all age groups. It is an excellent portrayal of life as an under privilege.

When I started reading this book I knew that I was about to dig into the truth of the everyday lives of children in South Africa. This mystery is an autobiography. I have read some materials about South Africa but this book really tells it all.

The book started out with Peter living in Johannesburg. He lived with his parents and brothers and sisters. At first, it appeared as if he had a good life and a happy family. Then things took a bad turn. His father died and they were forced to give up and leave their home to reside in Vrededorp.

This was a slum. It was different from life in Johannesburg. It was a really difficult and poverty ridged life. It was so difficult that his mother could no longer afford to keep him. She sent him to live with his Aunt Liza and Uncle Sam in Elseburg. It was not as comfortable as life in Johannesburg but it was better than Vrededorp.

Here he worked really hard at tasks his uncle and aunt would assign him. He was a very hard worker. It would appear as if he spent a great deal of time there. The book did not tell how long he spent. However, his mother sent his brother and sister to get him. His aunt got accustomed to his company and his help and she did not want him to leave.

When they got back to Vrededorp the family moved in to live with a family friend. He provided free lodging and food for them. From there Peter went to live with another aunt a few streets down. Here he got a job selling fire wood to the whites in white Vrededorp. Here his number of friends increased and they became a gang in which he was the leader. They would steal and fight other gangs. His aunt discouraged him out of the gang. He dropped the gang.

He realized his need for formal education and took it upon himself to approach the principal of a black school. He begged the principal to allow him to go to school. The principal agreed on the condition that he does good work otherwise he would be punished with lashes.

At fifteen his education seemed to stop abruptly when he found himself a job at a hotel cleaning, running errands, and doing room service. He worked really long hours and did not get enough sleep. He was often exhausted to start the job each day. He woke up one morning with bloodshot eyes and his sister sent him back to bed. Hours later he went to work but his boss was out looking for a new worker. His boss returned with a new worker to find him, Peter, waiting. He tried to punch Peter but Peter ran away.

He got various jobs after that. He went through anger and bitterness as he tried to succumb to the ridicules and hardships of life. Throughout his life he had questions he wanted to ask but dared not. He had to forego school for work. He was very ambitious. He read widely and became a nationalist in his own way, through the literatures. Eventually, he got his chance for a college education. The rest is history. It is a good book do not stop until you have read every page!!

Reaction
I believe this book highlights the true and real childhood of South Africa's children. This book, Tell Freedom, is a Mystery that only those of the high hierarchy can solve if they will. I believe there is still much evidence of this type of hurt today in some parts of South Africa. This is also present all over the world. Somebody will have to do something to prevent poor children from such ridicule and hardship. It has been going on too long. I believe a change will be welcomed at this time.

I would recommend that this book be read by all age groups. It is an excellent portrayal of life as an under privilege.

One of the delicious pleasures of this book was the skillful development of both plot and characterizations, something that is often sorely lacking in the erotica/romance genre. (The other review has given a complete plot summary, so I will not paraphrase.) Another of the delicious pleasures in "Throwback" was the quality of the writing from grammar to dialogue to editorial proofreading. This is also something too often lacking in erotica where such errors and carelessness not only destroy the mood of the story but are offputting for any literate reader.

On all fronts, "Throwback" deserves accolades. It remains my favorite book from the last year and will remain on my shelves for yet another re-reading while I keep hoping for more in this Dungeon series from this gifted and conscientious author.

Gillian Markham has found refuge in the transplanted castle of Blackmoor Downs since the night her parents, brother, and boyfriend were murdered. Now that Reginald Blackmoor has passed away, the castle has been willed to Reginald's son. Her solace is threatened, so are any dreams of getting to experience the castle's dungeon firsthand.

Hawkins Blackmoor isn't pleased with his father's will. He wants the land Gillian inherited as well as the castle. His reasons aren't selfish however. He has taken responsibility for his mother's Renaissance troop called the Wanderers. Hawkins wants the land and castle to ensure the troop has a place of permanence.

Gillian has a lot on her mind. In addition to the worries over her home, the castle being taken from her by Hawk. She teaches at the University and has applied for tenure. It's been a long tedious process that would give her job stability if she can get through the tenure committee meetings and overcome the narrow-mindedness about women some of the committee members have. Even with her mind full of worries, Gillian can't help but think about the dungeon and the scene she'd once witnessed there. Her fantasies have centered around what she'd seen and her desires to have a master of her own, but that's all fantasy. For now, she needs to concentrate on winning the battle of wills with Hawk. In an attempt to avoid a court battle and compromise, Gillian agrees to allow the Wanderers to stay on her land for the fall Fair season, and Hawk agrees to allow her to remain in the castle with Oz and Jamie. Hawk is prepared to hate Gillian on sight. He's under the mistaken impression that his father and she had been lovers and that she's nothing more than a gold-digger. Gillian is determined to hate him as well, she isn't expecting a man so powerful he appears to be a throwback to King Arthur's court or the effect he has on her. However, when Hawk informs her that Reggie's beloved dogs have to go, Gillian lashes out at Hawk, effectively putting him in his place and arousing him at the same time. Suddenly, Gillian's imaginary master has a face and it's so angry and intense she's turned on more than she could have ever hoped.

THROWBACK is a titillating addition to Annie Windsor's DUNGEON HEAT series. It's full of fascinating characters and animals, intense interactions, beautiful scenery, and let's not forget very hot sex. Reggie may have been the original master of Blackmoor Downs but Hawk definitely follows in his father's footsteps, right down to his involvement in BDSM. As you read the story you can sense Hawk and Gillian's feelings changing, but neither of them is willing to concede to the other. I love the way Gillian gained self confidence during the story and the way she stood up to the tenure committee - that speech alone was worth reading the book! The Wanderers fascinated me. They live the Renaissance lifestyle full time and seem to genuinely be happy doing so. Their personalities are so varied, they're just a joy to read about. Then there's Old Sir, the oldest of the Greyhounds who waits patiently in the garden each day for Reggie to come back, that dog's loyalty will just about break your heart. THROWBACK is one of those stories you get sucked into right from the start and read all the way through before you can put it down. A wonderful story and definitely a keeper.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

As an accounting manager, I have found this book to be extremely helpful in increasing the efficiency of my staff and the overall performance of my office. The book's ease of use allowed for rapid implementation of some of the Six Sigma principles for problem solving. The user-friendly text made a complicated technical system realistic and accessible to this lay person. I highly recommend this book for any professional who wants to improve the quality of the work environment.

I sincerely hope this first release from Samuel Windsor is not his last. He has shown a magnificent grasp of his subject matter, which he's made simple to understand in this book. I have read through the book twice, the author, seems to have the knack of making you feel like he's living his subject. Truly excellent.

Many businesses forget or ignore the impacts that need to be made in their "transactional" processes much to their detriment, Mr Windsor has written a work which brings to the fore an urgent need for companies to address these processes, he's also supplied the tools and techniques in a wonderfully simple way.

This book ought to be a priority buy for people at all levels in business. Senior managers ought to encourage those in "Transactional" processes to get this book. Much better would be for Mr Windsor to teach these revolutionary concepts and further breed his fresh approach to business excellence.

Most certainly one of the best transactional business books in years !

Alexander Barr
Director of Quality
Applied Data Systems Inc.
Columbia, MD, USA

E. F. Benson has created one of the wonders of literature - two characters which you almost cannot like, up against one another - and the outcome makes absolutely wonderful and witty reading. This is the final instalment of the Risenholme/Tilling series. It was published first in 1939 and Benson died a year later.

Definitely trouble for Lucia, - trouble in the form of Miss Mapp-Flint predominantly - but also Lucia's overweening ego. Having moved from Riseholme to Miss Mapp's stomping ground of Tilling, Lucia has a rival she must really battle. Daisy Quantock of Risenholme is nothing to Miss Mapp (now of course Mrs Mapp-Flint). Of course Lucia moved to Tilling some time before, bringing Georgie with her - we saw her progress in the two previous novels - however the joke never seems to fade.

Lucia is still practising her false Italian, and her pseudo artistic pursuits - however this time she is mayor of Tilling. All venom is sugar coated and presented with perfectly in place smiles, and it all takes place in the tiny confines of Tilling. Although the deserving poor are mentioned it seems the whole village of Tilling revolves around a small cast of wonderfully drawn characters - Lucia and her now husband Georgie, Colonel and Mrs Mapp-Flint, Mr and Mrs Wyse, the Vicar and his mousie wife, Diva and 'quaint Irene'. No other characters really have anything to say - they might pass in and out of the action such as Foljambe (Georgies indispensible maid) and various town councillors - but they are never crowded into the scene.

The crises tend to be small - but the village is small so they become larger than life and the repercussions are hilarious - There is bridge to be played - and when Lucia decides that, as mayor she must set an example and not gamble for money she finds there are few supporters. Lucia must wangle her way out of a party which includes Italian speakers, and wangle her way _into_ an invitation to stay the night with a Duchess. There is the terrible irony of the unflattering portrait of Mrs Mapp-Flint which goes on to win picture of the year in London to be dealt with - and then there is the mystery (for the village anyway) of Colonel Mapp-Flint's missing crop - the one which he hit the tiger with across the nose before shooting it. Most marvellously there is the resolution of the unfortunate death of Blue Birdie, Susan Wyse's much beloved Budgerigaar. And while much of this might sound familiar from other Lucia novels, they are as freshly drawn as ever.

E F Benson doesn't bother with suspense for his readers - we always know where the riding crop is - or who Lucia will select as her mayoress - the joy of these novels is finding out _how_ this will happen. Things which begin in a chapter early on, might not reach their conclusion until near the end of the book.

It is such a pity the Lucia's ended here -there seems so much room to continue the shenanigans in Tilling, especially with all the promise of the war years. If you haven't read a Lucia before - start at the beginning with Queen Lucia and work your way through them. They only really make proper sense in order as there are characters and activities which cast right back to the first novel which won't really be amusing unless you have read them in order.

Having worn mayoral robes himself, it is not surprising that writer E F Benson should have allowed readers of his Lucia novels to see how that scheming, contriving, arch social climbing lady would do the same when elected as the first lady mayor of the quaint village of Tilling. As the book’s title suggests, donning the mayoral robes brings trouble for Lucia. She foresees that most of it is likely to derive from her arch rival for supremacy in local affairs, Miss Mapp. Accordingly she decides to make Elizabeth Mapp her mayoress. “It is far better to have her on a lead, bound to me by ties of gratitude that skulking about like a pariah dog, snapping at me,” she tells her husband, Georgie Pillson.

Of course the dog lead soon becomes more like the rope in a tug of war as the two rivals strive to topple each other. Reading an account of the tension, in this the last of the Mapp and Lucia books, provides you with some of the best humour in English literature of the 1930s.

I realize that Louis L'Amour had his reasons for not ever publishing these books himself and that was certainly his business. But I am thankful to his family for bringing them out to be enjoyed after his death. I know a character like Hopalong Cassidy had to have certain restrictions and perhaps that is why L'Amour was less than happy with this work. I have to say, after reading many books by this author, that this Hopalong Cassidy definately has a Louis L'Amour flair about him. The fight scenes have L'Amour style all over them. Other parts give him away as well. It is an enjoyable book.

First of all, I liked this Louis L'Amour book greatly. I like L'Amour's slick and heroic character, Hopalong Cassidy. The book has a great plot and all. In the beginning Hoppy looked for the PM ranch which his friend Pete Melford owned. The people in town say they never heard of him. Hoppy meets Cindy Blair, Pete's niece and Rig Taylor. They can't find the ranch either. Hopalong meets Pike Towne and his wife Sarah. They try to get a job from Colonel Justin Tredeway. Their job is to pull cattle out of the prickly pear forest. They go through the brush and gather cattle. They know Tredeway has been there long so they might find what happened. Will they find out what has happened? How long will it take? How close will Hoppy come to death? Who will die? Who may have gotten rid of Pete Melford? There are many page-turning incidents throughout this Louis L'Amour classic. Get this book today! For you or a western fanatic! If you haven't read any westerns now is the time to start! A whole line of over a hundred L'Amour novels and short story collections are at your fingertips

This was the first Catherine Cookson book I've read. It was also the saddest. It seemed that bad things just kept on happening to her, although the book did have a good ending. It sure took a long time for her to find happiness. Catherine Cookson is my favorite author because her stories are so realistic and almost everyone of her books I've read so far have made me cry.

...in this typical Catherine Cookson page-turner. The orphaned Emma is brought to live with her reluctant grandmother on a country farm. Life is hard. Emma endures very hard work, the abuse of her employers, and suspicion of her Spanish background.

Emma's great beauty and strenth of personality cause some men to love her and some men to hate and want to punish her for seeing through them. Circumstances force her to accept marriage from a decent enought young farmer Barney but her life is harsh, and she must endure the hatred of her brutal brother-in-law Luke, who eventually punishes both Emma and Barney in a particularly horrific fashion.

Emma must also bear the heartache her selfish, promiscuous daughter brings to the family, but she remains a good woman, working herself to exhaustion on the farm when her husband becomes disabled, and refusing to become bitter. I wish Emma had been allowed to use her Whip in a more dramatic, rescuing fashion, like Ayla and her slingshot in Clan of the Cave Bear, but it tends to serve more as a symbol in this novel.

Emma's relentless hard times depressed me more than usual, I don't think the other Cookson heroines suffer quite this much, except maybe Katie Mullholland or Tilly Trotter.

In any event, this is another superb Catherine Cookson I'd highly recommend.

This book was quite a revelation for me as I have always been a fan of Felicity Kendall's TV comedy shows but had no idea that she grew up in India, where I spent much of my childhood at about the same time. Frequent references to places like Breach Candy in Bombay, and the Maidan and Chowringhee Road in Calcutta brought back vivid memories. So too did certain words and phrases like chowkidars (sort of watchman or servant), peons (messengers), dhobi (manual washerman or lady), chota pegs (small whisky's) and pye-dogs (loose unfettered mongrels, often rabid).

The descriptive writing is writing is evocative too and I quote the following passage from early in the book which aroused several senses in me: "A white mist hovered over the sprawling Maidan. In the early hours of the morning the dry grass looked lush with dew . . . the sickly sweet smell of the city had not yet taken hold of the day, and, in the cool air, the sounds of barking pye-dogs were still faint. Across the Maidan large black crows cawed and swooped at one another from the tall trees, and in the distance people walked and bicycled their way to work along the footpaths, municipal peons in their khaki shirts and bush shirts, pressed into starched creases that would not last till lunchtime, vendors in dhotis, their baskets of ware balanced perfectly on their heads, arms swinging freely in easy confidence." How brilliant is that?

This is not only a fascinating and entertaining autobiography but it is also entwined with the parallel story of Felicity's relationship with her father. The book carries a present day story line of her father lying very ill in hospital in the autumn of his life together with Felicity's own story throughout her life.

Felicity was taken to India by her parents as a baby as her father managed a travelling theatre specialising in the works of Shakespeare. The huge population of India together with their recent colonial British heritage meant that there was a potentially large audience the length and breadth of the sub-continent. The lifestyle of the family and acting troupe varied from splendid to meagre according to the cash flow and income generated by the performances. They boarded in splendour with Indian royalty on some occasions and in humble, if not run down lodgings on others. Felicity's first speaking stage performance was at the tender age of 9 and from then on that was to be her life. At age 18 she returned to England, against her father's will, on her own, to forge her own way in the world of theatre and found that England was a foreign country to her altogether. Never before had she owned a coat or worn gloves or stockings but the English climate dictated that she did so then. The cultural change was difficult to get used to as was the formal or strict attitude of the British compared to the more laid back philosophies espoused by the Indians.

The story takes us through her whole life from growing up in India and learning first to speak Hindi like a native, being top of the class later in Urdu, her love affairs and marriages, her motherhood, her extraordinarily successful role in TV's "The Good Life", her work with such dramatic giants as Ismail Merchant and Derek Jacobi through to the time of publishing in 1998. Throughout her life the constant threads are her family and India - two enormous constants. I look forward to, and will really enjoy, the sequel to "White Cargo" even if it is only half as good as the first.

Felicity Kendal's life is everything but ordinary. Growing up in India as part of a traveling theatre company managed by her parents left her with little option of education or career. Ms. Kendal describes her childhood in India, the feelings of not fitting in in her 'native' England and the struggle to find a place. The story begans as a one sided conversation with her ailing father in a long term care facility. Moving smoothly between the past and present, the reader experiences the difficult aspects of her childhood, her love of India, the death of a much loved sister, and finally finding a place in the theatre of London. A well written and insightful book. I would recommend 'White Cargo' to any fan of this respected british actress or to anyone who has experienced the illness of a difficult, but loved parent.