Windsor Books

The Man with the Getaway Face has the most intrequing name among all the Parker novels, but readers expecting the same fast pace and brutal goings on from Parker's first outing in The Hunter (Payback/Point Blank) will be a little dissapointed.
The first part of the story deals with Parker recovering from a face lift to hide his identitiy from the Outfit, who he severly angered in the last book, but then the stroy shifts into low gear to show how Parker and his cohorts go about setting up and then executing a heist; sort of like a criminal procedural.
The set up in this case is a mundane robbing of an armored truck. It's very small time for a professional robber like Parker, but his desperate need for cash after spending time on the run from the mob forces him to follow through with the job despite the small haul and partners obviously bent on crossing him and absconding with the loot at the first opportunity.
Richard Stark's writing is still sharp and to the point, even though he spends a little too much time describing Highway routes and such, but there is a lot to like about this second book in the series: and de does end the story with a bang. I paticularly like how each of the early novels ends with a cliff hanger leading to the next.
My one complaint about this new edition is the cover. This University of Chicago edition is very badly designed. We have a nifty silloghette of a hand gun on the cover, but a kitchen sink and wall mirror? This is college sophmore graphic design quality stuff. I hope that future covers from this publisher are much better than this.

Most people who have just had their face reconstructed would be inclined to go through a period of mourning as they lament the loss of their familiar appearance. Not so with Parker. Apart from a quick glance in the mirror to make sure he looked different, he is completely unaffected.

This reaction probably best sums up this mysterious and dark character. He always prefers to take the most prudent action rather than be ruled by his emotions, giving him a cold, calculating persona. But these same qualities also make him very efficient and strangely likable.

After receiving his new appearance, Parker goes straight back to work in planning an armoured truck heist. He has some misgivings about the job because it involves someone he has never worked with before, but this is just another contingency for him to plan around. Indeed, it appears that Parker has been built with no reverse gear installed. Once a course of action has been planned, it's full steam ahead and as obstacles rise up, as they inevitably do in this caper, he deals with them head on, scarcely breaking stride.

This is the second Parker book, following his appearance in The Hunter and is a thoroughly enjoyable story. The no-nonsense attitude of Parker, whether it's going ahead with a plan or casually shooting someone in the ankle makes for very entertaining, if a little cold-blooded, reading.

You don't need to read the predcessor of this book to enjoy it, but you might as well. This is book is great from start to finish. It is thoroughly enjoyable.

Huh? Did we all read the same book? I rarely do reviews on books that I didn't like, but I'll make an exception in this case. I've enjoyed many of Stark's books....really enjoy Parker's escapades and no nonsense way, but I think he kind of slept through this one. This is a very short read about one heist. The reader is forced to read through every little detail about the job, including road directions that you could actually follow, directions that are often repeated. Details are important to flesh out mission impossible style plots, but this is a very basic armored car take-down at an out of the way cafe. The adjoining plot has more potential, but never really builds up any suspense or momentum. There is a daily bathroom break for someone Parker has "on ice", and that's real exciting too. This is a short story stretched out to novel proportions. Very disappointing..........had to force myself to finish it. Won't stop reading Stark, but will research future purchases better.

Donald Westlake writes of Dortmunder, a bumbling petty criminal it's really hard to like. Then as Richard Stark he gives us Parker, a much more competent crook who will kill when he has to, and surprisingly or not, a much more likeable character.

It was written in 1963 when the mob was "The Outfit", Exxon was still Esso and you took the ferry to Brooklyn, not the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Parker gets a new face from Dr. Adler, a plastic surgeon in Nebraska who was a pre 50s Commie, then goes back to New Jersey for an armored car heist. Skim and Elma, Skim's overbearing waitress girlfriend, set up the heist, develop an unworkable plan that Parker fixes and set up a doublecross that Parker anticipates. All would be fine except Dr. Adler has been killed, and a guy named Stubbs is sent to find the killer.

The interaction between Parker and Stubbs and their search for a swindler named Wallenbaugh, now Wells, take up the rest of the story. Parker's reasons for getting to Wells and going back to Nebraska to square things come from logic only his mind could concoct, but it makes for a fun adventure.

My husband stubbled upon Manhattans & Murder and gave it to me as a gift as I am a huge fan of the TV series and of Angela Landsbury. Manhattans & Murder is written in "Jessica's" voice. So I was looking for more books to read and decided to try Martinis and Mayhem based on the customer reviews. I was totally disppointed. Couldn't picture Jessica saying the lines in this book. Plus, it didn't progress the way the other book did - she all of a sudden seemed to solve the case at the end. Not a recommendation from this fan of Murder She Wrote.

I loved this book as it like the program keeps you guessing right until the ending and it is sometimes funny sometimes dramatic and always exciting. I intend to get them all if I can!

This is the seventh Murder, She Wrote book I've read and was the best so far. It has a great plot and made me feel like i knew and were a part of the characters lives. The book never drags and has a fast- paced plot. It is a great book and you won't want to put it down.

This cozy continuation of Cabot Cove capers is comfortable, but climax-challenged. The ?Murder, She Wrote? book series is ?based on the Universal television series? ostensibly written in the 1st person by Jessica Fletcher, with a little help from Donald Bain. It is fairly true to the long-running tv series, with variations that only the more-than-casual viewer might catch. At the book?s beginning, Jessica awakens, puts on the kettle for tea, and settles into her den to watch NBC?s Today Show. ?Willard Scott, my favorite weatherman?? Jessica would never have been allowed to do or say that! All those Sunday nights on CBS!

This time, Jessica is off to San Francisco for a publication tour on her new murder mystery book. While addressing some inmates at a Women?s prison, she is slipped a Diary of a convict in whose proclaimed innocence Jessica comes to believe. So if Kimberly didn?t do it, who did? And why is someone trying to joust Jessica off the Golden Gate Bridge?

Yet there?s Jessica?s characteristic good humour. ?I reached the San Francisco side [of the Bridge] in what might have been the fastest mile ever recorded by a female mystery writer from Maine who was on the wrong side of fifty.? While addressing a high school class about mystery writing, Jessica responds to a question regarding actress selection: ?Joan Fontaine, or Vivien Leigh. Of course, I?d be pleased if Angela Lansbury played me in a film version of my book.? Unfortunately, the class is unfamiliar with any of these ?mature? actresses.

The characterization, plot, and pace are good until the wet-fire-cracker end. No, I?m not going to tell you ? or even hint! Read the book ? it?s a fun visit with old friends.

After the first three novels in the "Murder, she wrote" series of mysteries, I sort of prepared myself for another cozy but nonetheless fruitless work by contributor Donald Bain. However, "Martinis & mayhem" surprised me very pleasantly.

Jessica is once again on the road, promoting her latest novel "Blood Relations", when a visit to the local women's prison puts her right in the spot to clear an innocently imprisoned young woman by the name of Kimberly Steffer. Jessica finds her diary in her purse at her return to the hotel and decides she will do what she does best: solve the mystery to clear the wrongfully accused and, at the same time, catch the correct culprit. In this adventure, Jessica in joined by her old friend from Scotland Yard, detective George Sutherland, who seems to be very interested in becoming more than a friend, although Jessica is not quite sure she wants to abandoned her widowhood just yet.

The book is well written, and its simple prose is not out of place as it was in the previous novels. Jessica appears smart and quick witted, and George Sutherland is no less than the most typically charming British gentleman. San Francisco is described in a way only a connoisseur could do it: its beautiful sights, the Golden Gate bridge (where Jessica almost falls to her death!), the typical trolleys and the romance this picturesque city has to offer (even though Jessica describes it from the point of view of the upper class traveller), will delight every reader's senses.

I will definitely reccommend this book for the "Red Eye" on your next trip to San Francisco, the better yet if you have never been there; and a delight for the repeated visitor as well.

this is simply the best book i have ever read and could ever imagine reading. painting the darkness was my first Goddard book and now i am in love with the author.

don't let anything in this world stop you from reading this book. and once you start, NEVER put it down. don't even try, you wont be able to.

In the first day of October 1882, William Trenchard, co-owner of the Trenchard & Leavis retailing chain, is still a happy man in his marital status with his wife Constance Sumner. In the afternoon of that same day, a tall, slim and elegantly dresses man comes to The Limes residence and introduces himself under the name of James Davenall. To Constance's great amazement, this is the man she was engaged to more than eleven years ago. Davenall now wishes to have her support in establishing his identity.
But how can Constance do such a thing when it is known that Davenall took his own life eleven years ago by drowning himself, the Thames bearing his corpse out to sea? Is this individual a fraudster and is he simply after a baronetcy and an inheritance?
Whatever the answers to these questions may be, an hour after Davenall's reappearance into the world of the living, William Trenchard's life is about to change dramatically. An hour is all it is going to take for ten years to overtake him and his wife Constance.
A firework of characters, twists and turns, plots and subplots. Mr Goddard is quite a storyteller and his adventures are an excellent entertainment. The book is read in an astonishingly vivacious way by the British actor Michael Kitchen who delivers a very good performance.

I really liked the storyline and I enjoyed it up til the last five pages or so where you found out the solution to the mystery. I must say that the answer to the mystery was a little far fetched. In theory the story holds together, BUT scientifically, from a biological viewpoint, the story does not hold together. The events don't make since from that viewpoint. The events could not possibly happen as they are laid out in the book since the main character would not be competent enough to pull this kind of plan off. His genetic makeup would not allow him to. For that reason, the solution ruined a wonderful story. I will try him again in the hopes that the story doesn't take that kind of twist again.

When a man presents himself at the home of William Trenchard and his wife Catherine, claiming to be Sir James Davenall, the long-thought dead fiancee of Catherine, it proved to be the first link in a long and convoluted chain of events. James had supposedly drowned himself upon discovering that he had inherited syphillis from his father. After the disappearance, his father refused to believe him dead and, even after the obligatory 7 years absence, would not have him declared legally dead. After the father dies, James's younger brother Hugo becomes baronet in his place and is therefore horrified to learn of the challenge to his new found wealth and position. Richard Davenall, sousin to James and Hugo and also the family solicitor, is put in the invidious position of having to deny the claims of the recently reappearing James or of helping him to prove his rightful place in the family. I found this to be a terrific read, full of twists, turns and with red herrings galore!

I discovered Robert Goddard by accident when I took a random choice book (Caught in the Light by Robert Goddard)off the shelf in my local library about three months ago. Since then, I have devoured everything I can find that he has written. He takes a fairly simple story and weaves events and characters into his tale which keep the reader fascinated until the very last page.It turns out that one has read, in fact, a wonderful mystery story in the true sense of the word. Why is there not more publicity about the author? Do his books have large sales? A new reader only has to read his/her first Goddard novel and they are hooked forever. A modern Trollope whom the world should know more about.

This is probably one of the best books that I've read anywhere that touches on the subject of a conspiracy murder. The plot is complex and convoluted, and absolutely brilliantly written. In this book Morse decides to pursue an unsolved mystery that is really out of his jurisdiction simply because he happened to stumble across it while on holiday. It fascinates him from the very beginning, and soon there is not just one body that turns up, but a number of bodies, all killed at various times. Morse knows they're connected, and he has to use his extreme intelligence to connect the crimes and determine who the murderer is. He does get there in the end, but in true Morse fashion, with quite a few missteps along the way. Wonderful book!

I don't see why this book gets so mediocre reviews?
It's certainly better then "Last bus..."

But I admit, maybe I'm being unfair; I did read this book in my mother-language (as appose to the others read in English) But even so, I got a different experience from this book, it wasn't as... routine and pattern-like, as some of the books are. This book was a bit (!) different, more action-packed, and touching
Together with "Way through the woods" it's the best book by Dexter (In my opinion).

This was my first trip into the world of Inspector Morse, and I am happy to say that it was well worth it. I can see how Morse has become one of the most beloved crime solvers in the genre.

There are plenty of plot twists and several suspects in this case, and you need to pay attention. But Dexter is a fine writer and although you may sometimes feel puzzled, you are never confused. The story moves along at a perfect pace and is brought skillfully to a satisfying conclusion.

It was a wonderful mystery novel and I am looking forward to reading about the further exploits of Inspector Morse.

...but not the best. Last Bus To Woodstock is the best Morse novel, and the later ones pale in comparison. I liked this, especially better than The Secret of Annex 3, but it still doesn't have all the twists and turns of the first.

To sum up, if you've read the first, then go for this one; it won't disappoint. If you've read all but this and the last novel, by all means read this one, you'll still be content. But if you're a looking for a new mystery novelist, go for Last Bus To Woodstock.

Came across the audio version at the library and listened in the car. It was fun hearing Kevin Whately, the narrator, competently do his own Sgt. Lewis and Inspector Morse. Service/Dead is a complicated mystery, one that highlights the likelihood that some crimes require more than basic investigative skills. Morse's intuition is what makes him an intriguing detective, though sometimes his irascibility is hard to take. If only he'd show some appreciation to Lewis, a dedicated cop if ever there was one, though one lacking Morse's innate talents. This is one of Dexter's more complicated cases, but step by step the solution becomes clear He is certainly a skilled writer, more literate than most in the genre. Always satisfying.

The story itself is interesting and exciting, and I enjoyed the accompanying insights into life and travel in the arctic. The author narrates well, but almost manages to spoil it with an intolerably smug, condescending attitude towards the "eskimos", which he probably mistakes for a kind of colonial "affection for the natives". He describes them as absurdly naïve, refers to them repeatedly as "somebody's eskimos" as if they are servants of a master race, and paints an image of Danes "teaching them Christianity" and introducing modernity to them while simultaneously protecting them from it as if coddling a baby. He paints careful character portraits of the Danish, Norwegian and German characters, while leaving the native Greenlanders faceless, spineless and mostly nameless. His deference to their expertise in the arctic nature does little to compensate for this.

A Christian religious slant appears intermittently, which appears to come from the author rather than any of the characters or the natives "whose whole morality was in the Sermon on the Mount". Characters are described approvingly as religious or being brought back to God by the beauty of the arctic. When the German commander was regaining his sense and began to think in a balanced way again, "he was able to pray". This may go over well with a devoutly religious reader; to the rest of us it seems silly and contrived, foreign to the subject matter.

I can recommend the book, but not unreservedly. If you can stomach the cultural bias, it makes a good read.

A truly inspiring story of survival against all odds - the elements and a determined human foe. An incredible story of irregular warfare in the extreme. An adventure that is beyond comprehension and seems too incredible for belief. It is difficult to read the story and not feel the chill and the terror in your own bones. A phenomenal story of heroism and survival against all odds.

This is a story of bravery and endurance during World War II. I liked David Howarth's account of the Sledge Patrol and its mission to guard the coast of Greenland. Howarth did his research and what the reader gets is a down to earth factual description of the hardships the patrol faced while experiencing severe weather conditions. The sledge patrol alone in a vast wilderness of ice and snow had to survive on their own. This story is a tribute to them. It was interesting to see how the situation created enemies amongst those who might otherwise be friends. The lack of hostility in the Inuit demonstrated the great importance of culture. Howarth is a great author and this book is worth reading.

Proving that truth is stranger than fiction, Sledge Patrol tells the story of ordinary men accomplishing unbelievable feats under extreme physical conditions and bizarre political circumstances during WWII. Living year-round in the Arctic desolation of eastern Greenland, nine men surreptitiously radioed crucial weather data to the Allies and patrolled the extensive coastline for a Nazi landing. When the Germans arrive, the conflict begins.

The book is exciting and inspiring, with moments that are both touching and funny. One of the highlights of the book is how the unarmed and unaggressive band of Danes, Norwegians and Eskimos can outlast and outdistance the better provisioned Germans who aren't prepared for life, let alone combat, in the frozen north.

Now reissued, Sledge Patrol was originally published in 1957. At that time, the author was able to get to know the parties involved, both Allied and German, adding dimension to the characters and realism to the story.

I loved this book!

"The Sledge Patrol" is set in eastern Greenland during World War 2. Yes, that conflict even extended to the remote Danish colony. Greenland was strategic because weather patterns for Western Europe and surrounding waters form there. This was of obvious and vital interest to the American, British and German navies. Early in the War, the Danish colonial weather stations had broadcast reports "in the clear". Anyone, including the Germans could pick them up. Two critical events take place: Eske Brun, the Danish colonial head decides he had the power to resist German interest in his territory- and formed the Greenland Army with a force of 9 men. Then the Danish weather reports are sent in cipher so that the German navy can no longer eavesdrop. The Germans land a force to establish their own weather station. This the background to SP. What follows is almost as much a tale of personal honor and battling/surviving the Arctic elements than of military action. There is much dashing to and fro on sledges (dog sleds) to the point where this reader lost track of who was going where. The sides vie to avoid each other more than to engage in combat. And since there is minimal fighting and hence no real "bad guys", I found myself losing track of who was on which side. In fact, most of the men on both sides appear as nice, solid guys. The ending is almost academic. Readers will receive an excellent sense of the fierce and beautiful Greenland geography and Eskimo tradition. Mr.Howarth is an excellent writer and interest in his books appears to be going through a well-deserved revival. But one has to be cautious in recommending SP. It is simply too hard to keep track of the action. Furthermore, the maps are inadequate, adding to the confusion. A positive note: SP is well laid out in an eye pleasing typeface and paper stock. So many of us take such for granted but a tip of the hat to an anonymous graphics person is in order. Cautiously, I'm giving out 4 stars, but 3 may be more appropriate due to my frustrations with the maps. It really would have helped to know where these guys were rather than "somewhere in eastern Greenland".

I've read: "Under the Tuscan Sun", "Extra Virgin ...", "An Italian Affair", "In Maremma: Life and a House in Southern Tuscany", "Italian Neighbors" and I'm on my way to the library to pickup and start reading "Pasquales' Note: Idle Days in an Italian Town". I started reading these types of books when I got lonely for Italy after visiting in November of 2001. I just finished "A Small Place in Italy". Each of these books have something special in it that I enjoyed reading about. I really enjoyed reading about the person Attilio. Attilio came with the house when they purchased this house in Italy -- he had his own secret room. I enjoyed reading about how they hired their local tradesmen to renovate and repair this house. I hope I never run out of these types of books to read, I do plan to return to visit Italy, it would be a joy to visit some of these small towns.

The urge to escape the comforts, routine and refinements of our living conditions to somewhere more challenging, primitive and raw is something that many of us feel - especially those who read books. The books we read can sometimes stimulate the urge, sometimes satisfy it. All I ask of such books is that the author can write well and that he is not boastful.

Eric Newby, especially in "A Small Place in Italy", meets these requirements admirably. Indeed, he ranks for me as a travel writer of near genius. He was almost 50 years old when he and his Italian born wife Wanda took up permanent residence in a ruined farmhouse in northern Italy. His account of the trials and tribulations that followed, the neighbors and the locality, is told in this wonderfully witty, readable and valuable book. Part of the value rests in the sociological and historical dimensions it gives. Even while he lived there, the customs, the occupations and the life styles were fast disappearing.

If you enjoy this genre, you'll want to give "A Small Place in Italy" a prominent place on your bookshelf.

In 1967, British travel editor Eric Newby and his wife, Wanda, bought a primitive farmhouse in the hills between Liguria and Tuscany, the region where they met during World War II, Newby a soldier on the run between POW internments, Wanda a relief worker. They are the first foreigners to come live in their neighborhood, which remained unchanged from the time of the War; in fact, the country people, contadini, probably lived pretty much as they had for a couple of centuries or more. In the 25 years that the Newbys stayed, using the farmhouse as a second home but tending the land seriously, they were accepted and came to know the people and area well. A SMALL PLACE IN ITALY is a profile of their neighbors, their work, customs and the surrounding area. He offers up historical notes and chronicles the arrival of the late 20th century and loss of old ways.

This book has everything going for it. Newby is honest, a truthful writer. He never sells out his subject for entertainment or sentimentality. He does not go the route of portraying the noble savage, he does not paint the peasantry as buffoons or children, he does not go over the top to prove that he is one of them. It is obvious that he and Wanda were quickly accepted into the community because they were hard workers who respected the land and were happy to share. There is a fine wit and spirit at hand. Newby has to be the most resilient person on earth (see A SHORT WALK IN THE HINDU KUSH for more evidence).

Other virtues of this book: the pages whip by because Newby is brilliant at ordering his information. He also translates the Italian phrases and words that pop up routinely, so that those of us unschooled in Italian, particularly northern Italian expressions, are not at a loss.

Having a love for Tuscany and Umbria but not the income to live there, my partner and I read with some initial pleasure two books by people who renovated villas at vast cost and labour to the local tradesmen and wrote down lots of recipes - 'hell I'm such a cute and cultured Californian poetess patronising the locals once a year'.

Then a friend lent us the Newby version. Forget the rest. Get the best. He and Wanda work hard. They know and respect their neighbours. Crisp words give life to vine-growing, mountains, meals and breakneck roads.

This is the one: all else are imitations.

I read Love and War in the Apennines, and just completed A Small Place in Italy. No doubt the villages and the people have have changed. And there's something endearing about knowing your neighbors, and being a part of their lives. I did enjoy this book, and the other. But I can't help but feel that there is still a void to this whole series. I really want to know about Wanda. She must really me a fantastic woman.

Couldn't get into this book, I found the characters morally weak and the pace of the book very slow. It was so bad that I couldn't even finish, not worth my time. It seemed like you were reading a script for a TV show from the 40's or 50's, very dated, stiff and slow.

I would have to agree with many of the other reviewers in stating that this is one of the better Bernard Samson books. It is a good follow up and great end to this series. He pulled off a book that has a good deal of suspense through out. There is also a lot of human drama outside of the spy vs. spy game. If you are into espionage books this is a great set to send time with.

A great read, 6th in the series, dont miss it.

To really enjoy any of the nine books in the three triologies,
Berlin Game, Mexico Set, and London Match- Spy Hook, Spy Line, and Spy Sinker - Faith, Hope, and Charity one should begin with Deighton's Winter. This books traces the story of the German family named Winter from New Years, 1900 through the close of the Second World War and in the process introduces most of the principal characters that appear in the subsequent trilogies. I have recently reread the ten books, starting with Winter and my enjoyment was multiplied many times over the first readings.

Sinker is the sixth book in Deighton's series starring the middle aged and "past it" British spy Bernard Samson. However, this book is different from the other five in that it is written in the third person rather than the first. This allows the reader a greater insight into the doings of other members of the cast, particularly Brett, and makes us realise how Bernard has been used as a pawn in the bigger picture. Previously we were encouraged to believe that Bernard knew everything, that he was the professional in this game played out by amateurs behind their desks in London.

Sinker lets us into the world of Fiona, Bernard's estranged wife who defected to the other side and works for the Stasi in East Berlin. Deighton examines Fiona's life and her fears thoughtfully and realistically, but once again showing how she too is little more than a pawn in what is and also has been a man's game based on old promises, betrayal and the old school tie system.

Unlike many other spy mystery authors, Deighton ensures that the characters are the most important and well developed part of the book. We know their loves and their innermost thoughts, but we are also left with the feeling that we do not quite know everything. It is this air of mystery which keeps the reader hooked until the dramatic conclusion of this book.

Overall, Sinker is essential reading but for absolute enjoyment should be read in conjunction with the preceding five books and the following trilogy.

I came upon Lovesey quite by accident & have been pleasantly surprised & entertained. I have now read all 8 of the series featuring the curmudgeonly Inspector Peter Diamond & they make for a quick, enjoyable romp. These are not taunt thrillers but tongue-in-cheek good old fashioned murder mysteries, set in Bath, England. Diamond & his team solve their puzzles one piece at a time in the way good Policemen do. I heartily recommend these engaging stories.

This is my favorite Lovesey of the 4 I've read so far. They are all pretty easy to take--some action but mostly puzzlers with a police procedural flavor. The protagonist tends to pull apparently separate mysteries together in solving them. I think whether one likes the Detective Superintendent (DS) Diamond books depends a lot on the characters. Diamond himself is self-centered and sometimes nasty but once in a while can be quite sympathetic. In this particular book there is a dramatic change in personnel (not a big surprise, I think), but the "guest" characters were more interesting IMHO. The perpetrator is difficult to envision as real though it does make for a surprise ending--I find it hard to see how any reader could have figured out the mystery--not a fair "Agatha" type book. However, the book is quite enjoyable--I esp. liked the character Ada who was a riot! The ending gets rather exciting--trite perhaps--but exciting nonetheless. I enjoyed the book quite a bit.

UPON A DARK NIGHT is one of my favorites in the Peter Diamond series. In spite of his gruff, rather unloveable personality, Peter Diamond has an amazing ability to tease out the link between two apparently unrelated deaths, a farmer, who apparently killed himself with a shotgun and a woman, who jumped/fell off of the roof of a building. While everyone else in the department figures, including his rival, John Wigfall, concludes each died by suicide, Diamond comes to believe that the cause of death is not so obvious. Complicating the cases is a missing person named Rose, reported by a notorious shoplifter named Ada, who has not exactly endeared herself to the Old Bill. Soon, Peter connects all three cases with an unlikely suspect and he races against time to prevent another murder disguised as suicide.

Peter Lovesey is one of the best crime fiction writers today. This is not an English cozy, but an extremely well-written police procedural mystery, well-paced with an intricately woven plot. I would highly recommend both the series and this book.

This was my first Peter Diamond novel, and I immediately liked the character. Despite a surfeit of gruff and unlikeable middle aged English detectives, Diamond still stands out as well-drawn and interesting.

At the beginning of the book, the only threat facing Diamond is that he might die of boredom. He starts investigating apparent suicides in Bath out of a lack of more obvious murders to pursue. When his investigation ties in with the mysterious case of the amnesiac found wandering the roads of Bath, his life gets rather more exciting than he might have wanted.

I had some issues with the way that the two major threads of the story were knitted together. I felt as though this affected the pacing-- particularly in the second half of the novel. Still, I liked both threads and the book kept me reading.

Recommended for fans of British police procedurals. I will be picking up another in the series when I get the chance.

Things have been so quiet lately; Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond suffers from hypertension caused by ennui as he has not had a homicide to keep his blood pressure level. Normally Diamond would ignore an apparent suicide by a farmer, but with nothing else to occupy his time, he decides to take a quick look. First thing he realizes that the farmer's arms were too small to pull the trigger of a shotgun placed under his chin

Peter simultaneously investigates what he believes is a homicide while trying to persuade his superior that someone killed the farmer. At about the same time, a girl falls off a rooftop during a party. Initial reaction was it was a tragic accident, but Diamond sees incongruities with that explanation. He investigates both deaths while an amnesiac is found in a hospital parking lot by a shoplifter Ada who reluctantly releases the woman to someone claiming to be a sister. Ada talks with Diamond, who reluctantly follows up her comments and links the two deaths and the abduction with a fourth party as he begins to find the buried connection.

UPON A DARK NIGHT is a fantastic Diamond police procedural as the cop is at his curmudgeon worst due to absolute boredom from no cases; only someone like Diamond could bemoan a major drop in the murder rate. Thus two homicides would have probably remained under the radar screen with the killer free except that Diamond basically had nothing interesting to do. The mystery is brilliantly established so the audience like Diamond's boss sees no foul play until Diamond's inquiries begin to cleverly prove otherwise. Peter Lovesey is at his best with this awesome who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

This book is a realistic and personal account from the many heroic men and women who unselfishly placed their lives in harm's way for others they never knew. The pictures are excellent!

Tha book is "AWESOME" I don't know to say I look in it the story's are just amazing and I hope all the families are doing okey And I'm praying for you and together we will get through this together and I will always remeber till this day and, I hope the "WHOLE WORLD" will remeber that day.But "GOD" said, It was time for them to go and I wish he hadn't done that to so many lives. A man once said,"I will come one day and you be
coming to see me and you will live a good life in "HEAVEN" with me.So I "Encourage" all of you to read the book on

9-11
TERROR IN AMERICA
By David Bresnahan.

bill bresnahan came to our school today (Mt. Zion) and told us of his story, i bought the book and CD from him the book is a great way to inform americans about what they didn't know what happened exactly on september 11th the pictures are a a good way to show what terrorist can do to one country. New York absolutly was on its knees from the attack and this was what brought New York together..Thanks goes out to all those who gave their lives and worked and to those families whos lost someone, i believe god will come through and help us in our time of need..Thanks you David Bresnahan...

I found the fotos were interesting however I live blocks from ground zero and I am a professional (& Famous) photographer. Many of my friends are fireman , police, FEMA and rescue workers... In my opinion the book is pushing the authors religious beliefs - I have a problem with this --- I am not cetain that the money is going to profit the victims- I have seen what they have taken fotos of & they should give the money to the victoms - not for their personal religious causes!

we'll remember where our children were...at the exact time the world changed...and our hearts were broken...and our hearts will continue to break and we will live in time before and in time after the sad events of September 11, 2001. David, your book covers the most tragic event of our lifetime. There is no way you can remain unchanged by writing this history. We are very fortunate you chose to share this book with us.

The book itself is already highly enjoyable. Now this audio version by Hugh Dickson is MIGHTY enjoyable master performance if you ask me. I had been listen to it so many times over and love it every time because of the characters, dialogues, and the humors. Georgette Heyer + Hugh Dickson - BEHOLD, this book is a must read must listen and an absolute keeper.

p.s. The plot of this book is great in my opinion. I love it.

Georgette Heyer was a wonderful author. Her characters live, her conversations scintillate, and her plots are tantalizing.

I believe Georgette Heyer was hoping to make the cousin Randall an attractive bad boy a la Johnny Depp; instead, he comes off as simply repugnant, like Philip Seymour Hoffman in the indie film "Happiness." Some of the other characters are simply caricatures. As others have mentioned, Heyer is tight-fisted with the clues, although the set-up is a clever one.

Detective Inspector Hannasyde is an amiable and clever fellow, but readers would do better to instead read "The Unfinished Clue," which is a better mystery with more likable characters.

"Behold, Here's Poison" by Georgette Heyer is a story that lingers in the mind. I read this book many years ago, but had the wrong author in mind when searching for it to reread. It was a delight to rediscover this clever story with a murder weapon I've never seen used in another story.
Her characters dance from the opening page as real people we'd never meet except between the covers of a book. This is the second appearance of Supertindent Hannasyde as he struggles to deal with vivid "dingbats" and less than helpful relatives who will do their dam-est to protect the family name and foul his investigation. Randall Matthews is so finely drawn he is best described by his beloved as a "amiable viper."
A comic read, which will find a place on your shelf of "keepers," if for no other reason than to study the exquisite art of the English verbal insult.
Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."

Although she cannot be called a great mystery plotter (the murderer is highly unlikely and there is a dire lack of clues), her characters make up for any defects. The lovely dispicable Randall, is hilarious one of my favorite Heyer unheroes. I prefer her Regencies but the mysteries are highly palatable as well.