Windsor Books

Just about as flawless as any procedural in any nation, gets! Amid 1968 Vietnam War Protests, in Weather-worn, Chilling December Stockholm and Suburbs, a mass murder in a night- time bus spreads horror and chills thruout Sweden. Eight Dead, including an off-duty cop, known to the entire force. And the criminal apparently loose amid minimal clues. Some great portraits of the police, including the huge, cynical no-nonsense one (name forgotten here), social and cultural commentary, outstanding detecting by just about all, makes this one first class all the way. The "Laughing Policeman" is given two direct references, and just figuring this out will keep you thinking, and detecting all the way to the very end! In truth, as good as it gets, and a trip into late 1960's Stockholm to boot!

In November 1968 there was a big demonstration by the American Embassy in Stockholm in spite of the pouring rain. Two policemen find a bus that went off the road. Eight bodies, one a detective, and a lot of shells. Detective Martin Beck is called from home for this mass murder. Chapter 8 has the press conference; little was known. Could a madman have planned this so carefully? When they question the girlfriend of the slain detective they learn he had been working hard on a secret investigation (Chapter 13). Martin Beck and the other detectives began questioning the people who knew the victims. The last victim mentioned a name before dying (Chapter 14). They identified the murder weapon: a Finnish Suomi Lahti from WW II (Chapter 18). Their psychologists wrote a profile on a mass murderer. Usually quite normal and polite until they suddenly erupt. (Is this profile right?)

Chapter 19 recapitulated what they know about the nine victims from the bus. They know detective Stenström was skilled at shadowing. How could he have been surprised? Following the leads results in the name of the unknown victim (Chapter 22). Another lead results in the arrest of narcotic dealers (Chapter 23). Martin Beck figures out the 16-year old unsolved murder that Stenström was investigating, the most hopeless case (Chapter 24). The police activity affected the underworld, they helped in the hunt. The investigation continued. Then there was a break on the identification of a car seen where a body was dumped 16 years ago (Chapter 28). Newly recovered facts point to a person on the list of suspects (Chapter 29). The solution to the crime occurs in Chapter 30. At the end Martin Beck received a telephone call from the detective who searched Stenström's apartment and found a name. Beck began to laugh.

This story seems implausible in having people killed in public when only one is a danger to a murderer. The authors have used a mass murder to create an unusual plot. Could over 60 shots be fired with no one hearing them?

Martin Beck and Lennart Kohlberg are playing chess. They are police officers assigned to the homicide squad. It is November 1967 in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm. The officers discover a double decker bus filled with dead people including a dead policeman. On that date there had been a demonstration at the American embassy protesting the War in Vietnam. The dead policeman was one of the officers assigned to the homicide unit, Ake Senstrom. His service-revolver is pulled out. Senstrom always kept his watch on the precise time and thus it is possible to measure the time of the assault accurately since the watch has stopped. The officers assume the attack on the bus was made by one man. The weapon is probably a submachine gun. The officers interview the family members and friends of the deceased persons. A clue emerges. The gun used may have been Finnish. The police have no Swedish precedents for mass murder. They have to use American cases as their models! The dead policeman, it seems, was good at shadowing. The dead policeman's girl friend tells the officers she believes that Ake was using her as a sort of guinea pig. It is determined that Senstrom was shadowing a blackmailer. The victim of the blackmail, the perpetrator of an unsolved murder, killed Senstrom and everyone else on the bus to maintain his cover. The solution to the crime is worked out winningly. The portraits of the officers and their families are interesting and charming.

George Santayana

On a rainy Stockholm night a gunman opens fire on Stockholm bus, killing eight passengers and critically wounding a ninth. The crime scene is bloody and chaotic. Critical clues may have been destroyed when the first police officers arrive on the scene and trample through the bus. Police Superintendent Martin Beck is placed in charge of the investigation. There appear to be no clues and no apparent motive. His task is the monumental one of taking this chaotic scene and imposing enough order on it so that clues may be found, leads followed, and the criminal or criminals brought to justice. The physical and mental burdens of the job are compounded by emotional burdens once Beck discovers that one of the victims happens to be a detective who worked in Martin Beck's unit. That is the plot that unfolds in the opening pages of Per Wahloo and Maj Sowall's remarkably well-crafted "The Laughing Policeman".

The Laughing Policeman, published in Sweden in 1968 and in the U.S. in 1971 (winner of that year's Edgar Award for Best Novel), was the fourth in a series of ten Martin Beck mysteries written by the Swedish, husband and wife team of Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall. The plot and structure of the four Beck mysteries I've read to date do not deviate from the standard format found in any well-written police procedural. However, what sets the Beck mysteries apart is their location and character development. Naturally enough, each book is a small window into Swedish life and culture in the 1960s and 1970s when the books were written. Further, as the series develops the character of Beck and his colleagues evolve and the reader slowly obtains a real feel for Beck and his fellow police officers. By the fourth book, the personalities of Martin Beck and his police colleagues have developed to the point where the reader almost has an instinct for how each will react to a given situation. At the same time the characters, especially Beck, remain far from predictable. However, they are already fully formed in the authors' minds and for that reason I suggest reading these books in order.

I do not think it appropriate to divulge any details about a police procedural such as this so I will leave it to the reader to see how Martin Beck and his crew slowly put together the pieces of the puzzle behind the killings. The authors are quite good at keeping the pot boiling. They don't reveal too much too early and they do not rely on Sherlock Holmes-like deductions to take the place of crafting a story. Additionally, the writing is filled with funny moments and asides. In its own way the Beck mysteries provide a very interesting glimpse into Swedish life and culture in the 1960s and 1970s. In the hands of Wahloo and Sjowall, Beck's conversations are filled with both blunt exchanges and very sly, sardonic comments that kept me chucking throughout. I was also impressed with how the authors have slowly continued to build up their protagonists back stories. By this volume in the series the reader has a pretty good idea as to the home lives and personal idiosyncrasies of all the major characters. They are free from stereotype and make reading the book a more enjoyable experience.

The Laughing Policeman was a good read, one of those books that you feel you must finish just one more chapter before heading off to bed or back to work. Highly recommended. L. Fleisig

The Laughing Policeman is the best known book of the multi-volume Martin Beck series by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. Despite the title there is little laughing in this grim and gloomy yet classic police procedural. The book is marked by the sparse dialogue and buttoned-down personalities of the Swedish characters. (The book was later made into a movie of the same name starring Walter Matthau and Bruce Dern, but set in San Francisco!)

The entire detective force of Sweden is assigned to solve the murder of 9 people on a Stockholm bus in 1968 (an anti-war - Vietnam that is - demonstration is the backdrop for the book's opening). One of the murdered is Ake Stenstrom, a Stockholm detective. His presence on the bus begins to unravel the mystery of this seemingly random and insane mass murder. Insane it may be, but never random.

Each detective obsessively follows their own path and the paths lead into Stockholm's underworld. Could an old unsolved murder somehow be related to this insane bloodshed many years later? Mass murder so un-Swedish after all - the police don't even have any psychological profiles they can use. Can the always miserable Beck or his top-notch partner Lennart Kollberg crack the case?

Highly recommended for fans of detective stories with an international bent.

Before even reading the book, I noticed that this is the first of the Aubrey/Matarin series that includes more than just a figure of a ship identifying the various kinds of sails, this book shows a map of "The Mauritius Campaign." And indeed, this book ranges farther afield from the narrow confines of the ship and spends more time developing the campaign, based as it is on a set of historical events that occurred at that time and place. Consequently less claustrophobic, this book moves faster and reads easier than the others, with less character development as we have come to know the characters already.

Fifth in the series: Desolation Island

I enjoyed this book as much as the previous by the author. The continuous character development of "Lucky" Jack Aubrey from one novel to the next is amazing. You almost feel as if you are standing on the quarterdeck witnessing the events.

I have read the first four books of the series and definitely recommend them.

Another amazing book in the series. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Particularly happy to find the book so quickly in Amazon's used collection. I'm working my way through this series, and using Amazon makes it easy to get the books I need that aren't readily available locally.

This book, in connection with the others, offers a deep insight into the British Navy's operations at the turn of the 19th century. As a maritime lawyer this gives substance to the English admiralty law's treatment of seamen as wards of the court. The absolute power of the ship's master and the focus of maritime life as taking prizes and deriving wealth from that is something we have no modern corollary for. Admittedly, the sailing terms are a challenge in the beginning, but as I work through the series, I've learned a lot about sailing and how dangerous and difficult life at sea was.

THE MAURITIUS COMMAND, the fourth novel in the series by Richard Patrick Russ (1914-2000) writing under the nom de plume of "Patrick O'Brian," is a distinct improvement over one of its predecessors, POST CAPTAIN. Russ/O'Brian seems to have abandoned his annoying experiments in writing techniques and has settled down to, more or less, a simple, straight-forward narrative style, which is imminently more readable.

As in earlier volumes, this book does not continue precisely where its predecessor left off. However, in this case the missing events are easily understood and reconstructed in the reader's consciousness. We do find that Jack Aubrey's marriage to Sophie is not precisely fulfilling for him; not surprisingly, we find that Aubrey's first love remains the sea and that he is not exactly the model of a perfect spouse. Of course, if one reads the author's real-life biography, Russ/O'Brian was far from a perfect husband, and one wonders whether he has somewhat patterned Aubrey after himself, but let us not read too much into that.

Soon, Aubrey is called to sea again, and the maritime action resumes and continues throughout the remainder of the book. Unlike POST CAPTAIN, this volume does not ramble for pages and pages about Aubrey's floundering on-shore life, thank goodness.

If one has a creative imagination, he could actually begin with THE MAURITIUS COMMAND, but the reader will certainly have a more complete appreciation of the characters if he has begun with the first volume, MASTER AND COMMANDER, and has approached each successive volume in order (POST CAPTAIN, then HMS SURPRISE, and only then THE MAURITIUS COMMAND). Perhaps we should consider each novel as an additional chapter in one extraordinarily lengthy book. This is not necessarily a criticism, just a caution to a reader who might be tempted to sample Russ/O'Brian's work by starting in the middle of the series.

The author does engage in some character development, and, by this fourth book, the person of Dr. Stephen Maturin has become more complex that we suspected at first. Not only is he an unusually gifted physician, but it seems as though he has shadowy political connections and is as instrumental as a "secret agent" as he is as a doctor. While this certainly provides a most interesting twist to the character of the good doctor, I sense that Russ/O'Brian is learning about his creation at the same time we are. I do not feel that he prepared us for this sort of complication in Maturin's nature. While I enjoy the increased complexity in the doctor, I am not at all sure that the author intended this from the beginning but suspect that he may be developing his characters by whim rather than by intent.

THE MAURITIUS COMMAND keeps the reader entertained throughout its length, but, after having now read four books in the series, I feel that Russ/O'Brian is a somewhat superficial writer who realizes that he should paint some complexity into his characters to keep them from becoming mere stereotypes but does not quite understand how to do this. As a writer, he is certainly superior to the authors of what we used to call "dime novel bodice-rippers," but he is far from displaying the skill of a C. S. Forrester or a Herman Melville.

I would suggest that the Aubrey-Maturin series of maritime adventure books is decent entertainment but that the novels are not especially memorable. I also find myself wondering whether the surface action, that is, the plot or superficial story line, may not become repetitious and boring before one reaches the end of the multi-book series. I'm actually hoping that Russ/O'Brian will mature more fully as an author as he accrues more experience in writing the future volumes. We shall see how he handles the fifth book, DESOLATION ISLAND, next.

The Patrick O'Brian naval series of books are an acquired taste. If you love the first book, chances are that over the next few years you will find a way to work through the entire series. I do not recommend reading the book on its own. The true joy is seeing the transformation and progression of the two main characters.

The books are not for everyone, the writing style differs from what is found in 21st century adventure novels. The language is deep and the sentences are carefully crafted. While the books appear on the outside to be simple naval adventure tales, they are really deep studies in character development of a British naval officer and his best friend/ship surgeon/intelligence operative.

The Mauritius Command is one of the best books in the series. Almost the entire book takes place at sea. A few of the earlier book got bogged down whenever the lead character, naval officer Jack Aubrey, steps onto land, but at soon as he takes to sea the books take on a whole new life.

While the characters speak of honor and duty, the author makes no attempts to hide the rough, cruel, and violent life aboard British naval ships during the early 19th century. While not a quick read, if you are willing to invest the time and energy, the Mauritius Command and all of the books in the series are well worth you time.

great book. another opportunity to enjoy a suspense novel. great read for the airport or the beach or the easy chair

As allways Robert Ludlum keeps you wanting to know whats on the next page.
A great book.

An embiterred agent whose lover has been killed, or so he thinks, quits his job and goes walkabout, basically. When he finds out she is alive an perhaps a double agent, he wants back in the game.

Consular Operations wants to get rid of him, but the Russians deny to him that his wife is one of their agents.

When he finds his wife, she bolts, thinking that he is a double agent, because of information she has been fed.

On top of this, the US Secretary of State if completely starkers, and was once one of our protagonists advisers.

The partners manage to work it out, and get the ear of the present and some of his men, and realise that along with the nutso go, there is also a mole in the State department, and the two sides square off over the country.

Cold War thrillers really belong in a class by themselves. They freeze in amber an era of bipolarity, good vs. evil, the razor's edge of annihilation. The world was comfortably Manichean.

So this is a great throwback novel, with throwback themes like U.S. vs. U.S.S.R., Cold War chicanery, moles, spies and leftover Nazis. The plot--why did someone trick Michael Havelock into thinking his girlfriend betrayed him? -- leads to a strange twist about the world teetering on the edge of chaos because one man decided to prove that another man had too much power. Fun, but farfetched. But that's the Cold War thriller for you.

I really had to work hard to finish this book. It was a stuggle in the beginning to keep up with the characters and the plot, though by about 3/4 of the way through, it finally started to make sense. It wasn't my favorite Ludlum book.

"A Question of Blood" is the 14th book in the John Rebus series and delivers an engaging storyline--two murdered schoolboys, a snuffed out stalker of Rebus' partner, the death of an ex-cop and assorted mayhem revolving, as ever, around Inspector Rebus and his mates. Author Ian Rankin puts his anti-hero through the usual physical punishment which at times seems only reasonable for someone so anti-social and contrary as Rebus is portrayed. A secondary and interesting theme explored by this book (although not in nearly enough depth) is a look at post-traumatic ailments suffered by various characters central to the plot, including Rebus' own piled up issues.
This is a better than average read, driven largely by compelling dialogue rather than narrative and well-worth the time of any crime/mystery reader.

This is the first Ian Rankin novel I've read, but I'll make a point of reading them now. A really well designed mystery/police procedural by a Scottish author set in Edinburgh. The story begins with a school shooting, unfortunately an all too common event today, and not limited to the U.S. There was an earlier shooting in Scotland by a man who burst into a school, similar to Rankin's book. The actual shooting, as well as the whole gun control debate, are brought up in A Question of Blood, as well as other current issues U.S. readers will be familiar with, such as teenage gangs, the drug trade, Internet pornography and Goth kids, who might have stepped out of Columbine. The action is continuous and although there are a lot of characters and various subplots, you don't feel they get in the way of the story. Although the Scottish criminal justice system is somewhat different from the American, police and other personnel face similar problems. I found the book fascinating (I really hate that pseudo-word unputdownable) and recommend it to anyone who likes the mystery genre. Also on the school shooting theme, Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes, in a U.S. setting, is a good comparison read.

I took a long time to warm to this book, which is one of series of stories about Scottish Detective Inspector John Rebus, a hard drinking loner, as you might expect. The author states in the preface that, in exchange for a donation to charity, he has taken to naming some minor characters after people who donate. I found this a bit weird, and strangely stereotypical. I took a long time to get into the story line, which moves along via Rebus's interior narration, and that of his young, admiring assistant Siobhan Clarke, and mixes in some dialog between them.
I found the best bits were the descriptions of Scottish society, I live in Ireland, so don't know the full details, but I identified with the descriptions of the modern media, the sodden weather, the drinking etc. I thought some of the street-criminal characters were quite believable also.
The plot hinges around a helicopter crash off the Scottish coast which killed a significant number of Government spy-types, an event which actually did take place. However, Rankin fictionalises what they were up to, I thought this might be insulting to the relatives of those who died, however I guess he has licence to do so.
The main weakness, I felt, was the clichéd nature of the lone, hard drinking detective, useless at relationships, but obsessively brilliant at his work. This has been done so often, you have to wonder what more could we be expected to put up with. Rebus finally drops his guard when he `rescues' his assistant Clarke, after suspecting she was involved in another `plane crash and gives her a big hug. NO HE WOULDN't, and the plane crash was put in for the TV mini-series. This last chapter takes a meandering story and puts it into a tailspin [yes, I know] Overall I won't be back to Rebus anytime soon

The novel starts with a murder suicide; an ex-SAS serviceman walks into a posh private school and kills two students, wounds another and then turns the gun on himself. The Question is why would the killer walk pass all the other students on the Quad, and down a hall to this specific room?

So begins another John Rebus novel, but this one is a different presenta- tion: it's split into seven sections (each representing a day of the week) and follows Rebus and company as they methodically follow the clues to the culmination of the inquiry. One of the victims turn out to be the son of John's cousin, who he hasn't spoken to in years, another the son of a judge; and the wounded child is the son of the local MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament). Are there any connections?

Once again John is in hot-water and suspended, why? Seems that a "villian" who has been harassing Siobhan, had turned up dead in a fire. John was last seen leaving a bar with the victim, hours before the fire. John has turned up at St. Leonard's with his hands in bandages, that he says are the result of a "scalding". Things don't look good for our anti-hero.

But we know that in the end, all things will turn our right enough so that John will be able to stay on the force and go on his un-merry way. What makes the book so good, is that nothing that happens along the way is a turnabout, or a HUH? Everything that happens and the way all of the characters follow the clues are realistic and make for a believable chronology. Rankin is a master at developing a plausible story from beginning to end.

The strength of Rankin's works is the realistic outlook of John Rebus and Siobhan Clarke: in a society that operates by mechnical principle, they are purely organic and in fact feral, which is what keeps them devoted to truth (in a world where lies are publically rewarded) and allows them to solve mysteries with several layers of implication. Rankin's layering technique is flawless, and his mysteries relatively realistic and logical, which combined with actors who are likable characterizations of threads of thought required to find a balance between society and soul, make for a powerful and fun read. We the readers feel we could live in this world, and even more, we want to, since these characters fight the same quintessential adaptation-or-conflict seesaw we ourselves must undergo. For those who non-critically enjoy a solid mystery that feels as if it could happen in our newspapers, if not our world, Rankin has produced another treat.

One of the great pleasures of reading classic English mysteries is the indulgence of a gentle nostalgia for a bygone world. In defiance, perhaps, of the changes presaged by the First War and brought about by the Second, they represent an England that is still predominantly rural, held together by custom and civility, and where everybody understands his or her place in the social order. Nowhere is this more true than with BRAT FARRAR, published by Josephine Tey (Elizabeth MacKintosh) in 1949, but harking back to a vision of country life that has extended for centuries before that. The whole book reads like a celebration of England in an eternal summer.

The setting is Latchetts, an old horse farm in the South Downs, near the English coast. The farm has been owned by the Ashby family for generations. But the Ashby parents are dead, and Simon, the eldest of the younger generation, is shortly about to come of age. There had been a slightly older twin brother, Patrick, but he disappeared in his early teens, apparently drowned in the sea, whether by accident or suicide; the body was never found and nobody is sure of the true story. Into this walks Simon's virtual double, a young man from America now going under the name of Brat Farrar, but claiming his inheritance as Patrick. He has a plausible story, he has a natural gift with horses, and he has great personal charm; it is not long before he is accepted by virtually everybody.

But -- and this is the really daring thing -- the reader is told, long before Brat appears at Latchetts, that the claimant is an impostor, coached by an unscrupulous neighbor who hopes to share in the inheritance. By the third chapter, the author has not only taken away the mystery, but moved the story into a place from which no graceful exit seems possible. By this time, however, the reader has come to take such delight in the life of Latchetts and its people and the Sussex countryside that he reads on regardless. And the author does produce some mystery and quite a bit of danger out of nowhere; this is the most absorbing, fully-realized, and exciting Tey novel of the four that I have read. The book also turns, most unexpectedly, into a romance, but a romance with strange incestuous overtones since it involves the growing feeling between a young woman and a man whom she believes to be her brother. Naturally, the book does not have an easy or obvious ending, but it is a satisfying one. It is amazing that Tey can extract herself from the narrative and erotic morass with the delicacy that she does, but that is a tribute to her remarkable powers as a writer, here seen at their very best.

[The reader may wish to see my rather longer review of a collection of Tey novels published as THREE BY TEY, from which the above remarks are taken.]

This was this first book I puchased with my own money at age 12 and I have read and reread it for almost 50 years. The story and the writing stand up to both time and a more critical taste. Characters are beautifully drawn and the mystery never palls. The other books by Miss Tey are old favorites as well,paricularly The Murders of Richard III. They are perhaps better appreciated by adults, but for good writing for young readers, I always suggest Brat Farrar. Besides, who can resist the horses!

Brat Farrer is an English orphan who, after much travel, has decided to come back to England. He is soon mistaken for Simon Ashby of Latchetts by Alec Loding, a cousin of the Ashbys. Brat is talked into impersonating Patrick Ashby, Simon's older twin who allegedly committed suicide when they were ten. Now about to come of age and inherit Latchetts, the plan is for Brat to claim Patrick's inheritance and provide Alec with a lifetime allowance as reward. What Brat doesn't expect is to care so much for the family and, more than fearing his fraud being uncovered, he is in fear of his life.

It has been 30 years since I first read this book and I'd forgotten just how good it is. The story starts off gently at the first sentence. I immediately find myself caught up in the lives of the characters and environment Ms. Tey created. Soon the suspense begins to build and I can't put the book down. Even after the climax of the story, I am still kept in suspense until, at last, Ms. Tey kindly provides me with the resolution. I particularly wish other authors would take note that this completely enjoyable, engrossing and suspenseful story took only 276 pages to tell. If you've never read Brat Farrer or, as with me, it's been a long time, treat yourself and pick it up. Also, for the Dick Francis fans, it not only has horses, but a somewhat similar feel in its style. It was, as my British acquaintances say, brilliant!

Brat Farrar does what a good book is supposed to do. It draws you into a world you'll never be able to experience first hand. I've never been a fan of horses and all that goes with them but with this novel I gained an appreciation and some knowledge of the pleasures of owning a horse farm. It's so difficult to find a novel you "don't want to put down", I'm so glad I bought and read this one. The mystery here is not "who dunnit" or why it was done but how the main character Brat works his way out of the snare he walked into.

This is basically a wonderful period novel with an embedded mystery--with an overview of what might have been a mystery immediately revealed. But, the devil is in the details--providing accelerating suspense & an opportunity for Tey to again excel in her characterizations, dialog, descriptions of English life, etc. I am torn between a 4 & 5 star rating, but the explanation of the details at the end seems a bit thin. On the other hand, similar to "Miss Pym Disposes," the main character is faced with moral dilemma & the opportunity to play God--but this time acts differently. Assumptions are the delight of mystery authors! The interplay of the twin brothers is absorbing & the dichotomy between the twin sisters is interesting. Most of the characters are delightful--even the duplicitous Farrar. I wondered how Tey would manage the ending relationship with Eleanor--& she did it. The ending, as usual for a Tey, was explosive & (at least to a degree) unexpected. Again similar to "Miss Pym," we are given "incontrovertible proof" that's proven wrong. As Tey says herein, "If you thought about the unthinkable long enough it became quite reasonable."

For people who like Tolkien's "other" stories like "Smith of Wooton Major", etc. this is a great book. It's amazing (or not) how much of his writing style shows a continuity throughout his works from a children's story to his epics.

A late start reading anything other than THe Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings prevented me from enjoying this when I was younger. This delightful story of a little dog's encounter with a grumpy wizard introduces us to the vageries of the "mystics". From the moon to under the sea to land, with a surprise ending, Roverandom experiences many things that make him glad to be a dog with his human friend. A fine read.

very relaxing read. aND also not as confusing as some of his other works. if your a tolkien fan its worth buying and reading!

After the hobbit, our younger children who love Tolkien had very little to read. We did get farmer Giles of Ham, but Roverandom was liked much better. Tolkien's imagination and word play are really delightful.

How different the world looks when you are made from small to tiny! How much fun you can have, and all the amazing things you can go and see, even when you are only a small dog, turned into an even smaller toy.

Roverandom! A children's novel written by JRR Tolkien, but an actual event. No, his dog was not turned into a small toy, and sailed over the world, too the moon meeting the man in the tower, the great dragon, seagulls and gods, but by his Son, who had lost his toy dog on a family vacation.

JRR Tolkien is more famously known for his epic story of: The Lord of the Rings. However, a large amount of work written by JRR Tolkien were children's stories, and this was one excellent. It is about a small dog, Rover, who gets changed into a small toy dog by a wizard, after taking a bit at him! Think before leaping!

After being picked up and placed into a toy shop, Rover is bought, and his adventure begins. Ever looking, and trying, to return to his home, Rover goes on an amazing adventure, around the world, below the seas, and too the moon. We meet amazing characters such as the man in the moon, another, old Rover, who can fly, great dragons, where children go when they dream.

The story is very well wrapped together, and even though was written, people of all ages can enjoy it. We have all lost thing, precious and not, and maybe we'll stop to think where they actually go! Many fans of Tolkien will see correlations to other pieces of his work, but Roverandom stands on his own 4 legs as his own little big adventure!

Georgette Heyer has a finite number of character templates. Her heroines come in ingenue, fiesty, and maternal. I like them all, but the maternal ones resonate most with me. Oh, they're not mothers, of course, but they are the older sisters of dependents. They have usually sacrificed their own best hope of getting out of Dodge to take care of their younger sibs, and they are, on the whole, not inclined to whine about it. Venetia is orphaned, her older brother never appears in the book, and she has been taking care of her younger brother all her life. Poor Venetia!

Fortunately, there is A Rake. The heroes also come in standard varieties including Rake, sober and underrated young man, and fops. There are, as there must be in any book, Tribulations. And as it is a romance novel, there is a happy ending. Along the way, she offers to build a willow cabin at his gates, except it is November, so she'd rather not. It's a very erudite wooing. In the end (and I had missed this all the previous times I'd read this), they agree to an open marriage, where she will preside over his orgies. Really. I love you, Georgette.

Read this novel and you cannot help but notice how many truly feeble Heyer imitators are out there. Welcome to the original gold standard.
This charming Regency romance concerns beautiful spinster Venetia Lanyon and dissolute rake, Lord Jasper Damerel.
Venetia lives on her older brother's country estate with her crippled, younger brother, Aubrey. Lord Dameral is the absentee owner of the neglected bordering estate. They meet and immediately recognize and enjoy each other as kindred souls.
Unfortunately, Dameral is not respectable - due to having eloped with a married lady - and believes he is unworthy of Venetia.
Resourceful Venetia refuses to accept his sacrifice of their happiness and sets about overcoming his scruples.
There are complicated plot threads involving Venetia's father's reclusive lifestyle, brother Conway's long anticipated homecoming, and the reason for Venetia's lack of a London Season.
Marvelous dialogue, excellent characterizations and wonderful Regency settings. Recommended.

Some conversations were too long and boring. I wanted it to be over. The author uses the phrase "you see" too frequently for me, which annoys me. This is a traditional regency romance novel about a good girl falling for a rake who reforms. The characters were interesting but not enough to make it worthwhile reading.

Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: none. Setting: early 1800s England. Copyright: 1958. Genre: regency romance.

One of the most disreputable of Heyer's heroes but also one of the most engaging. Not much plot but the usual wonderful dialogue and eye for detail. The developing relationship between Venetia and Damerel is totally believable. Although nothing explicit as usual with Heyer their relationship is one of the most sensual and emotionally moving of any of her protagonists. One of my favourite Heyer books along with Frederica and Sylvester.

One of the most romantic Heyer novels. The hero is a man who made a mistake earlier in life which led to his expulsion from polite society. How will a respectable, intelligent, loving and kind woman respond to him? Can he move beyond bitterness and a lonely, ugly life to find love?

You know the answer! You'll love Venetia, a book which features Heyer's least respectable hero and a heroine with a huge heart.

The Editorial Reviews above give a good description of this intricate thriller, with Detective Inspector Rebus following two differents leads in connection with the disappearance of a student in Edinburgh.

This was the first book I read by Mr. Rankin and all I want to say is, it was truly captivating. An edge-of-the-seat book, gripping from page one. I'm looking forward to read some more of his work.

In my review of the last installment of the Inspector Rebus novel, Set in Darkness: An Inspector Rebus NovelI got the distinct impression that Inspector Rebus was going spiral out of control. he may still, but this novel, as dark and forbidding as most of these novels have been, shows a glimpse of light.

At the beginning of this novel, Rebus' old boss, "Farmer" Watson, has retired and his former lover Gill Templeton has taken over. The situation is awkward, as can be expected, add upon that the disappearance of the daughter of a prominent banker, and various mythical clues, you have a thoroughly involving book. The mysteries themselves are really quite well plotted and convoluted. An excellent challenge for the reader. There are enough juicy tidbits about the protagonists, mainly Rebus and Clarke, that you are kept on pins and needles. The other characters have been built up within the series such that you slowly begin to integrate them into your consciousness. Rankin should be rightfully proud of how he has slowly built a world of Rebus in our minds.

One of the most fascinating things about the series is how Rebus' mind works and how his obstinacy and will to do things his way affects the way he works on these mysteries. There were always signs that Siobhan Clarke, rebus' partner for the last few adventures have become Rebus' legacy of rebus to the Edinburgh police. Yet, she does things her own way too, much to the exasperation of Rebus. That is the beauty of the series, every main character grows and evolves in their own way. The evolution is gradual, almost by happenstance and never seems forced or willful. It is as if Rankin wants to do this carefully, slowly. Rankin will probably make a liar out of me by snuffing Rebus out in a hail of gunfire or some such silliness, but it feels like this would soon become the Rebus and Clarke series.

Great plotting, dense mysteries, complex characters, social historical analysis of Edinburgh and Scotland, a wee tour of the pubs in Edinburgh, what more can you ask for.

A wealthy young college socialite has gone missing, and a miniture coffin has been found near her home. Rebus is trying to settle in with his new DCS (Gill Templer) while working out how to handle their prior relationship. At the same time he is having his apartment made ship-shape so that he can put it on the market, though he has no idea where he wants to move. He is also becoming involved with Jean, who is a curator (and PhD) at the Scottish Museum.

While reviewing the MisPers (missing persons) computer, Siobhan has found that she was involved in a role playing game. Could this be related to her disappearance? Is her on/off boyfriend involved, and what about his and her parents situations.

As with all Rebus mysteries, there are a lot of 'red herrings' to be eliminated, as well as trying to hold onto the actual clues. When the MisPer turns up dead, the stakes get higher as Rebus guesses that this may be related to a thirty-year murder spree. Typically, the ending is violent, but for a change Rebus only ends up with a sprained ankle.

It's a grand story for laddies and lassies alike. Slainte.

There are several ways to use repetition in a novel: to show different angles of an object or event, to add detail to an ongoing process, or to create atmosphere. Rankin tries for the latter, giving us the patently effective formula of 1/2 technical mystery and 1/2 cerebral soap opera, but this book goes on a bit long in the second half especially. The mystery itself is reasonably solid but guessable by readers with experience in the UK (Scotland is not England) style of mystery writing. What salvages this as always is the contrast between the insuppressible Rebus and the system of predictability around him, and the details such as the brightly insightful Siobhan Clarke. Still, it is better than most books written in this genre, and its scenes are more artfully constructed to stay in memory, as are its playful indulgences with language.

'The Falls' was my introduction to the Rebus book series. I'd seen a few of the TV adapatations, which were OK, but when I realized how many changes were made(The TV version of 'The Falls' is almost unrecognizable), I wanted to see if I could find any of the original material.
I enjoyed getting to know the complex characters, and I didn't feel like I was bagged down by too much of their history from previous books. Rebus has asome very interesting strengths and shortcomings, and both he and Siobhan balance some delicate personal and professional conflicts in this story.
The plot of 'The Falls' was easy enough to follow(Why would anyone who only read three pages bother reviewing it?), and I was intrigued by some of the background info involving the coffins to look up the real-life nineteenth century murder spree mentioned in this story.
Granted, some of the internet references weren't perfect(confusing e-mails with instant messages),and while some have said the 'office politics' of the Edinburgh police were the strength of the book, I couldhave done with slightly less of it in later chapters. Still, it was a good way to mix 'old' and 'new' techniques in crimefighting and crime fiction.
So, while this may not have been the best jumping-on point for a 'Rebus' newbie, I'll be back for more!

As this 6th book of the AMELIA PEABODY series opens the three Emersons (renowned archeologist Radcliffe, irrepressible Amelia and their son Ramses) are stranded in the middle of the desert, all but one of their servants have fled, taking most of the water and the last camel has just died. As they stagger forward toward their certain deaths Amelia reflects on how they reached this terrible fate. Weeks earlier they had been contacted at their English estate by an earnest young Englishman. Years earlier his elder brother had, with his young bride, disappeared while exploring. Recently a message had arrived giving hope that they still survived. Despite Radcliffe's initial reluctance to become involved circumstances conspired to lead, not only him, but his wife and son on this dangerous rescue mission.

The Emersons not only escape certain death in the desert but manage to discover an unknown civilization, take part in a palace coup and rescue a damsel in distress before Emerson is able to return to his beloved dig.

Fans of this series will take particular delight in this volume which introduces Nefret into the Emerson clan. Those who are unfamiliar with the series about the Victorian era archeologist/detective 'Nick and Nora' would do better to begin at the beginning (CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK) and then proceeding in order as this series has a more pronounced overall story arc than most mystery series. In fact, the 'mystery' aspect of this series in general, and this volume in particular, is more of an afterthought to the adventures of Amelia and her family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this very long tape and agree with the second reviewer that the relaxed pace is one of its pleasures. I'm not sure how I'd feel sitting on a couch listening to it and doing nothing else, but it's great for listening to in a car or while sorting stuff, etc. The personalities of Amelia and the other characters come through beautifully.

Excellent book. One of my favorite Peabody mysteries. This was bought as a gift - I have all the Peabody mysteries. Thanks!

Elizabeth Peters was born and brought up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's famed Oriental Institute. Peters was named Grand Master at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards in 1998. She lives in a historic farmhouse in western Maryland.

The Amelia Peabody books may or may not be an acquired taste, personally I love them. They are set in Victorian times when there were still very strict rules of etiquette and polite behaviour was the norm. Although most of the books are set in Egypt, in the desert under very trying conditions and extremely hot weather the `English' way of life was still expected to be adhered to, sometimes with quite hilarious consequences.

Amelia Peabody is Elizabeth Peters' best loved and brilliant creation, a thoroughly Victorian feminist who takes the stuffy world of archaeology by storm with her no nonsense dress sense and forthright opinions.

Egyptologist Amelia Peabody along with her husband Emerson, perhaps the most famous archaeologist of his day and their son Ramses are in the Sudan searching for Viscount Blacktower's son and his new bride. As trouble follows them everywhere it is not long before they are caught up in a web of deceit and treachery. Once again their survival depends upon Peabody's powers of deduction, Ramses ability to look like one of the natives and Emerson's ability to frighten anybody and everybody who gets in his way.

Barbara Rosenblatt really captures the spirit of the Amelia Peabody novels. She understands that these books do not take themselves too seriously. Amelia Peabody is irrepressible and the slow pace of the story is enjoyable because the characters are so likeable. A true pleasure.

Midnight Whispers is a fantasy come true for me! There is everything you can think is going on! There is so much hints of secret affairs- that it's sexy! It's a shame that Phillip became so closeted and obsessed with Christie from the start! FERN was curdly with her long raven hair, nails and dress! Not as good as Clara Sue, who is kurt, sexy and clairvoyant!

I was happy that a glimpse of the story of Violet was revealed. I'm also glad that the story of the "wedded in-laws" at the Plantation home, were never revealed to Gavin Handsome Grown Man!

Revenge is sweet and chicken soup can sure rival it up! You'll love this book, and in my opinion, Christie DIDN'T consent to Phillip knowing her!!!!! Oh yeah, why was Christie's right leg so much longer than the other?! Must be those thin hoochie mama slacks she wore?!

Love the book, and I LOVE how the MAN-sion is portrayed on the cover. It's so winter meets Virginia tides!!!

Every one in our household enjoys these wonderful books by V.C. Andrews. They are very interesting and always a thrill to read.

...despite Christie being an even weaker heroine than her mother. There's nothing wrong with Christie's life being full of music and laughter, but to have so much of her inner dialogue/narration being telling the reader how wonderful her parents are, how wonderful her life is, etc., it gets cliché and boring. I think the GW tried too hard to tell, instead of just showing, because it was obvious that Christie was the little princess of Dawn and Jimmy Longchamp's life.

My favorite part of this book is when Christie and little brother Jefferson, along with Gavin, Jimmy's younger half-brother, with whom Christie is in puppy love, go to The Meadows, where Luther and Aunt Charlotte are married and living contentedly, now that Emily is dead and surely burning in hell.

I liked Bronson Alcott, Laura Sue's (Dawn's natural mother) truelove--it's actually rather sad that she and Bronson had so little time together when they had finally found each other again. I was glad Dawn and Laura Sue had finally had some kind of mother-daughter relationship, and that she and Daddy Longchamp (and her girlfriend, Trisha, from the Sarah Bernhardt school) stayed close.

As for Fern and Clara Sue, I don't know which one was worse. I think it would have been better for Dawn and Jimmy (not to mention Christie) had they never found Fern, but then, they would have always wondered. I thought maybe the nasty way her adopted father treated her tainted her, but then Daddy Longchamp said she must have taken after his side of the family (I think all his brothers, or at least some of them, were in prison).

Jefferson seemed more like five than nine years old and what's with sixteen-year-old Christie still calling her mother "Mommy"? I noticed that in "Music in the Night", too, but at least that book was set sometime (I am guessing) in the late fifties, early sixties, before the world completely lost its innocence.

Then there's Philip, and his homely but fashionable, obsessive-compulsive wife Betty Ann (which happen to be my parents' names, as well), and their two psycho twins, Richard and Melanie. I have a feeling Betty Ann knew all along how her husband felt about his half-sister and it drove her insane and she ended up making her kids nutty, too. (Caution: Spoilers ahead.) Though Philip was the one who ended up in the loony bin, I think Betty Ann should have been put away as well and her children burned at the stake. They were like little Village of the Damned brats.

This book had a colorful cast of characters, and was a satisfying conclusion to the Cutler family saga. The reappearance of Michael Sutton only made me loathe him more. Dawn was such a little fool, and in that sense, Christie had much more sense. She, um, kept it in the family, and thought (before she and Gavin made love the second time), gee, I could get pregnant, and abstained.

I was not expecting this to be a keeper, but it was.

V.C. Andrews was not a good writer. period. I guess the books are great if you like reading the same poorly written story about kids and incest over and over. I'll admit, reading about sick stuff can be entertaining. I would suggest a true crime book about a serial killer. The writing is usually better and the content far more interesting.

Come on now, how many good writers would have new "ghost-written" books published in their name long after they are dead? Answer: Zero.

Not the best out of her series. I really couldn't stand the fact that they were treating Jefferson like he was five instead of nine. A nine year old is capable of dressing and bathing himself. Actually, most kids I know at that age are beginning to get modest. But in this story they carry him around and dress him like he is five.
I also wish they would cut out on the rape stuff. Philip was one of my favourite characters and than they had to go and make him rape Christie.