Connecticut Books

"Not yet" was the order given by Colonel John B. Gordon in the Sunken Road to the 6th Alabama soldiers under his command on September 17, 1862. "Not yet" was the response uttered by Jeffrey Keene on October 31, 1992 to a palm reader who had just told him that he died in that Sunken Road on the Antietam battlefield. Not yet . . . .

"Someone Else's Yesterday" chronicles a Connecticut fireman's amazing discovery that, not only had he lived before, but that he was one of the South's greatest Civil War heros. Mr. Keene's book records one of the most startling "waking memory" reincarnations documented to date.

Having no real interest in the Civil War, Mr. Keene's journey begins innocently enough on vacation where he felt compelled to visit Antietam National Park Battlefield. His accounting of what happened to him while standing in what is known today as "the Sunken Road" or "Bloody Lane" is riveting. And yet, it isn't until 18 months later, at a Halloween party, a palm reader asks him: "Do you believe in past lives"? Thus begins one man's incredible journey of discovery.

Mr. Keene freely shares his thoughts and confusion as he delves in John B. Gordon's history and discovers parallel events in both his and Gordon's life that are undeniable. Events that are too specific to be coincidence. Two of Mr. Keene's most startling findings are that not only does he share an incredible physical "mirror" likeness to John B. Gordon, but that he has birthmarks and scars on his person that match John B. Gordon's battle wounds which he illustrates through photographs. Mr. Keene also shares photographs of notable Civil War era soldiers that bear a striking resemblance to people he either works with today or has worked with in the past. The latter evidence gives credence to the theory of "soul groups." This reincarnating groups of souls is a group or family with a common purpose and common level/state of advancement/enlightenment who work together towards a common goal. Whether that common goal was to win a Civil War battle, or to suppress a raging fire, the soul group theory comparison here is indisputable.

I highly recommend Mr. Keene's spellbinding book "Someone Else's Yesterday." You may find yourself questioning your ideas about reincarnation!

This book really opened my eyes to reincarnation. I would recommended it to anyone that is unsure and needs proof into the field!

My husband and I were fortunate enough to experience a slice of serendipity when visiting friends in Connecticut. We had ventured out to visit a quaint little cigar shop and that's where we met Mr. Keene. I had never heard of him or his work, and after learning that we were from Upson County, Georgia, he was more than happy to share with us his experiences and convictions regarding his connections to John B. Gordon. The author is quite an interesting fellow--very personable and entertaining. The opportunity to meet and talk to the author has made this book much more meaningful and authentic for me. I highly recommend it to both believers and skeptics alike. It is quite the read!

Mr. Jeff Keene had provided his own past life in a way understandable and as historically accurate as possible to his earlier life as a CSA General John B. Gordon. There were some very touching places in his story which literally brought tears to my eyes like the following -
(1) The place where he explains about the spontaneous feeling of sadness he felt when he stood next to his daughter's grave from his previous life and who had passed off when quite young even before ever being named.
(2) The place where he very humbly stays behind thinking of himself as quite junior when compared to other army commanders on the lines before being called by General Hancock during Grant's funeral to lead the funeral procession alongside him in the front lines.
(3) The place where he vividly reminisces his past life incident when he saved the life of the Federal Division Commander Francis Barlow.
On the whole the author comes through as a very great gentleman and one worthy of emulation in both of his forms as Gen Gordon as well as the current Fire Chief Jeff Keene.
May God provide him all prosperity in the present and the yonder!

What more can I say. I have read many books on this subject, and there are many of them out there, but this I must say is the best ever. It takes you from the very start of his search to present day. If you are looking for your own past lives, this book can help you. It gives you ideas of how and where you can start looking for yourself. It lets you know how a journey of this type can affect your present life, good and bad. It also lets you know how past lives influances the thoughts, actions and memories you have today, even your dreams. I could not put this book down from the moment I started reading it, till I was finished with it. It takes alot for someone to come forward like this and share what they went through, and I must say thank you to Jeffrey for doing so. Martin Huffman

In all things about James Joyce, no one has exhibited more of an acute understanding of the man and his works than Richard Ellmann. He is the bridge by which readers who have not read Joyce or do not understand what they have read by him to the inner workings of the artist and his life.

This biography, "James Joyce" has been around for decades, virtually unchallenged. He presents to the reader all the facets of Joyce's life and personality. This is no mere star-gazing. Along with all the great things about Joyce, he also examines his weakness: his superstitions, his drinking, his occasional selfishnes, his sexual complexities, and his failure to really take care of his family. We get to see Joyce in all his dimensions and from several perspectives. That makes this book not only the best biography of James Joyce but one of the classic biographies of all time.

I just cannot praise this book enough. Ellman's biography of Joyce is amazing, bewildering, daunting (at least in its length) and wonderful -- not coincidently, just like James Joyce. One caveat: I imagine a reader might be quite confused if s/he read this before reading any of Joyce's major works (Ulysses or Finnegans Wake). I am kicking myself that I didn't read this biography years ago! Truly a marvelous work -- and a must for readers of Joyce.

For those of you interested in a biography of James Joyce that's as erudite as his works themselves, then Ellmann's "James Joyce" is most definitely for you. This is a product of years of interviews and correspondence with many of Joyce's friends and family members; and Ellmann's love for both the writer and the man radiate through every page. His sections on the key themes and events that inspired both "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake" are invaluable. Moreover, you'll find yourself chuckling a great deal of time, and even shedding a few tears, as I did. My only critique of the book, albeit fairly minor, is not so much directed at the author as it is at the publisher: there is little room in the margins for notes, as well as very sparse flyleaves; hence for those of you who like to engage a book with gushing pen in hand, then you'll find the layout of this book quite restraining, as I did. One might counter this critique, however, with the perhaps granted point that it leaves all the more canvas space on which to overlay layers and layers of brush strokes much needed when attempting to paint the life of this very complex, gifted, and charming man.

Richard Ellmann's biography of James Joyce is hands down among the three best or the best biography written in the 20th century. For anyone with a serious interest in Joyce or his writings, will truly enjoy getting to know Joyce and his writings through this book.

I've read maybe a few thousand reviews of other titles on this website but this is the first book I've felt I needed to comment on. I comment mainly because I noted that two reviewers gave this book "4 stars". What unmitigated gall!

Richard Ellmann's biography is the most definitive and complete examination of James Joyce that has been written. This extensive work examines Joyce's life from his birth to his death. Ellmann's narrative derives from Joyce's letters as well as accounts from Joyce's brother, Stanislaus. The book is most revealing in offering an understanding of the process it took for Joyce to come up with his most monumental works, ULYSSES AND FINNEGANS WAKE. Ellmann states that Joyce intentionally made it difficult for anyone to understand what he wrote. He wanted to keep his critics, academics and scholars, guessing of what significance his nonsensical gibberish creation represented. In addition, Ellmann intertwines events that occurred in Joyce's life that show how they closely resemble the characters in the works he produced, such as his early work, A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN.

James Joyce most likely can be considered a "starving artist." He would go without a new pair of shoes until they wore down to the soles, but looked debonair and sophisticated with non-matching suits. In the beginning, he aspired to be a work within the realms of Jesuit studies, but later opted for a writing career that would take him from Trieste, Paris, and Zurich. Joyce struggled with poverty through out his life even as his most famous works were published. Monetary problems and health conditions that affected his eyesight never hindered his creative process. If he lost his eyesight, he probably would have continued to write blind. Joyce appeared to be an eccentric and stubborn man. However, Ellmann shows a caring and supporting man who loved his wife and children, and most of all, his father, John Stanislaus Joyce.

In terms to history and literature, Ellmann constantly references Joyce's fascination with Shakespeare, ancient civilization and history. This is best displayed in ULYSSES, but one significant footnote is that he did not appear to care for American history. He makes a minute reference to Ulysses S. Grant in ULYSSES, but he did not even know who the man was; Joyce loathed the United States. Also, Ellmann offers a birds-eye view of what his cohorts thought of his work. Gertrude Stein as well as Ernest Hemingway praised and envied Joyce's contributions to Modernism.

Ellmann examines a tremendous amount of information within his narrative. When one completes JAMES JOYCE, what else do you need to know about this genuine writer who used his craft as a means of getting back home, but never quite made it there? But he preferred Zurich and its snow-capped mountains as home rather than the complexities of his former Dublin. JAMES JOYCE is the springboard one needs when beginning a study of Joyce the man and his works, which should begin with PORTRAIT and ending with WAKE.

I thought this book was great. If your a fan of Forester, or just like naval stories, read it!

This is a fine novel by CS Forester, the author of the magnificent Hornblower series of novels. It tells the story of a fictional American naval sea captain during the War of 1812, one Captain Josiah Peabody--an American charged with the mission of breaking the British blocade of the fledgling United States and wreaking havoc with the British sea lanes. This, he understands, will give America leverage against Britain and perhaps help motivate it to make peace.

As Forester explains, America had failed to prepare adequately for the possibility of war, had not built up much of a Navy, and paid a thousandfold for this folly. Although Peabody is a fictional character, real life American captains like him did exist, and in fact the American Navy won glory against England in the War of 1812 in numerous ship actions that pitted a plucky but weak United States against the world's most powerful sea power.

The story is very well-told, and Forester's insightful portrayal of Captain Peabody is a fine examination of the American character as it is often perceived by Britons. As always, Forester spins a great sea yarn, with all of the technical details perfect (I'm taking other people's word for this, but I know it is true!) and you can practically smell the salt water and hear the waves.

An enjoyable yarn that ranks with the very best stories of naval adventure.

Cecil Scott Forester is, of course, best known as the creator of the Horatio Hornblower adventures in the era of fighting sail. The majority of the heroes of C.S. Forester's books, not just Hornblower, were British fighting men.

However, he also wrote several stories, of which this was the first, with Americans as the central figure. So "The Captain from Connecticut," Josiah Peabody of the U.S. Frigate Delaware, is by no means alone in being an American: however, he is the only hero of a Forester book who actually has to fight the Royal Navy.

The book is set during the war of 1812: the first challenge which faces Peabody and the Delaware is to escape the Royal Navy's blockade of Long Island in terrible weather. Then Peabody has to deal with pirates, a traitor very close to home, and a British squadron which outnumbers him three to one and is commanded by a very dangerous opponent.

Peabody also encounters, and nearly accidentally attacks, a Royalist French governor appointed by Louis XVIII after Napoleon's first downfall. The governor has a ticklish sense of French honour and neutrality, and is accompanied by his attractive sister and beautiful daughter.

Although this isn't quite up to the standard of the best of Forester's Hornblower books, it is an entertaining and exciting story of war at sea in the era of sail, which holds your attention right up to the surprise ending and the twist on the last page.

This is a good piece of writing. Too bad Forester only wrote this and the Hornblower series for he was great in this genre. A good book to read in the dreary days of winter. I'd recommend it to anyone.

I respectfully disagree with the other reviewers who say this is just as good or even better than Forester's Hornblower novels. It's pretty clear Forester was having an off year in his writing. First, the research is atypically flawed: The American captain Peabody knows Long Island Sound well because he served in the "Coastguard Service," something that did not exist at the time (there was a Revenue service, but a "Coast Guard"--two words, not one in British style--didn't exist until 1915). Second, the writing is just clunkier than in the Hornblower novels; at one point Forester uses "fathoms" as a unit of distance rather than depth. Third, Peabody is mildly interesting as a character but is a long way from being as fascinating as Hornblower was even in his first appearance. Whereas Hornblower is constantly in turmoil over his shortcomings, Peabody is a rather predictable fatalist (and the many and annoying references to Providence underscore Forester's own personal disdain for religion).

Still, I found the novel entertaining and worth a read. Just don't expect 'an American Hornblower.'

I was first drawn to this book by a haunting picture of two little girls on the book cover. I was impatient to learn their significance. I had to wait. In the opening of this story, the author relates his fear of the Not-sees (Nazi) as told to him throughout his youth by his mother who escaped Europe.

However, in an effort to come to grips with being Jewish and to learn the truth about what his family endured during World War II, an American divorced father and his two sons begin a quest to retrace the steps of an uncle who endured the Holocaust. Using a tattered journal's clues they searched for his hiding places and learned more than they expected about the war and its victims. Only after finding where and how the twins died did the author understand his great-uncles, other family members, and his mother. During the trip he also realizes what it means to be a father.

I could not appreciate the cover of this book until I learned the fate of the Jewish twin sisters and others who suffered.

This book touches the reader on many levels, and you may be drawn in to the writer's childhood experience as an outsider striving to find ways to fit in, while marveling at his opportunity to retrace an ancestor's flight from terror, and transfixed by the relationships that are recalled (and are still forming) in this book.

For many of us, the holocaust is more fully appreciated in personal terms than in the abstract. This book doesn't just fetch the truth from the past, it carries memory forward. For a generation twice removed, and more fully assimiliated, Hiding Places is both an intriguing real life story and an inspiring lesson in how the past still echoes.

An inspiring, thoughtful and funny book. A father is retracing his family's escape route fifty years later. While teaching his two sons history, family lore, geography and much about human courage and frailty, the author learns much about family bonds, love and loyalty from his sons. The boys add common sense to a voyage with a lot of bagage and helps the author resolve some difficult family issues. The book is serious and entertaining at the same time. You laugh and cry with the author and wish the book would not end. An obvious Father's Day gift -or for any sensitive person you may want to give some reading pleasure!

Hiding Places by Daniel Asa Rose is many stories in one. It's the story of a young boy growing up and how he perceives his differences and ways he tries to blend in or hide. It's the story of a father and two sons trying to forge a relationship with each other after divorce, and it's about one family's experience of hiding to survive the horrors of the Holocaust.

The book is honest and forthright. Daniel Asa Rose has opened up a window into his feelings about growing up Jewish in a predominantly WASP Connecticut town. This reader was able to relate, not so much to the hiding borne out of cultural and religious differences, but to the hiding that kids do because they feel that no one else has the same thoughts. Daniel Asa Rose gives a voice to those childhood thoughts that most of us have kept silent.

The author reveals himself to be a caring father, one who misses his sons greatly after his divorce and seeks to find a way to create a whole family out of the three of them. He doesn't spend much time talking about how painful the divorce itself was to him, but this shows through in the writing. This is not something seen from a male perspective too often. There are sure to be other fathers out there who will resonate with this aspect of the book.

Lastly, Daniel Asa Rose creates a portrait of his relative, J.P. Morgan (not THE J.P. Morgan) and his particular experience of survival during the Holocaust. At times, it is painful to read, but because it is the story of a singular person, it takes on greater significance than observing the Holocaust as a whole. J.P.'s survival and the tracking of his hiding places by Rose and his sons is nothing short of miraculous. But wouldn't most of those who survived the Holocaust describe their experience as such?

It's tempting to condemn this father for exposing his sons to the horrors of the Holocaust at the tender ages of seven and twelve. Without debating the issue too much, the final verdict is really up to his sons, Alex and Marshall--after all, it's a family thing.

Daniel Rose grew up in Connecticut, in a lobster fishing town. He always felt different because of his Jewishness even though his family was assimilated. Later, after a fractured marriage, he wanted his young sons, aged 7 and 12 to really understand their heritage, especially in terms of the Holocaust, and so he took them to Europe to discover their roots. They looked up relatives who had survived the horror and still lived in Belgium, and from there they set out on a journey to retrace the actual events of the life one of their relatives, an ancient eccentric old man who gave them his diary as a roadmap.

In addition, in alternating chapters, we learn of Mr. Rose's Connecticut boyhood. Not only does he describe the events, but he's able to recapture every nuance of feeling that must have been difficult to dredge up from memory. He makes fun of his orthodox relatives, he battles the school bully, but most of all, he keeps coming back to the recurrent theme of the book --his hiding places.

Foremost though, is his relationship with his own sons, and the unique loving relationship between the three of them. Some of the things that they were exposed to on the trip were not pleasant, but they all came through it enriched by the experience. This was a difficult subject to write about, but somehow Mr. Rose managed to do it with humor. While I didn't laugh out loud, I found myself smiling throughout.

There's a lot of detail in the book, each one adding further insight into each of the characters. It's more than just description; the reader really feels the emotion. There's mystery here too as well as unsolved questions. And there sure is a lot to think about. Afterwards, I couldn't get the book out of my mind and I don't know if I ever will. I must thank Mr. Rose for writing it. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. The women of my church used this book for a 12 week bible study following each chapter and our hearts and minds were transformed. Every woman should read this book. This book is better than any twelve step program out there and it speaks directly to the mind and soul of a woman, there is no way you can read it and still think the same way about the Samaritan woman or any woman for that matter. Give it a shot, you won't regret it!!

This is a must read for every woman. Bishop McKenzie takes you on a strategic journey that brings you to a place of awareness of all that God has deposited in you. She weaves the Biblical story into our lives and brings clarity of God's divine work in us. An excellent tool for a small group study!

Bishop McKenzie writes in the most wonderful conversational style. Reading her book made me feel as though she and I were conversing. The book evoked deep emotion and introspection in my spiritual life. Highly recommended.

This book was a christmas gift from my sister. Journey to the well helped me travel down a well worn road. You have already thought about the things that she has written about your spiritual journey, but with how much perspective. Vashti's book helped me to reflect on my image in the well. Looking at myself objectively in the well, I can change things I dont want to see.

I have been enriched by reading this book by Bishop McKenzie. It came to my attention as a recommended reading posted at my school, Trinity College of D.C. Not aware of Bishop McKenzie, I was intrigued by the summary of this book and decided to read it. What a tremendous blessing. As I read it, I realized that so many women travel often to the well in our daily lives. Just trying our best, no matter how painful, to do what we can until things get better. Like the Samarian woman at the well, we yearned for something different in our lives that would free us from many of the cultural, societal, and spiritual bonds that bind us. Dr. Mckenzie reminds us systematically through the additional Biblical references, exercises, and journal assignments that support this blessed encounter that we are waiting for our opportunity to meet Jesus at the well. Pausing to answer this blessed stranger's questions and boldly asking questions of Him healed her. Reading this book, we are also healed. I encourage women from all walks of life, age or religion to read this book. Like the Samarian woman who met Jesus at the well, you, too will find your voice. through His grace be healed to go forth and tell everyone of the man you just met who knew everything about you and loves you dearly. Peace

"Late Sunday afternoons, when our father eventually arrived to pick us up I usually felt as though I'd been through a war myself. I would grab my already packed bag and hurry to the safe red leather of his car interior to wait for him and my sisters there. Soon after Sharon would follow me, straggling behind with underpants and flip-flops falling out of her suitcase, complaining, "Wait man Wend." She flounced in next to me. "Why do you always have to be in such a hurry hey?"

I was very eager for this book when I saw it advertised on Amazon. This story centers around Wendy, Sharon and Lauren Khan who grew up in Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe. It was a very touching book with three very close sisters who survived their dysfunctional family and then after they had passed on, had each other. Wendy Khan relates a well-told story though sad in many instances; their loyalty to each other strengthens their family ties. The blow is felt however when the smallest sister Lauren faces tragedy and this brings Wendy back from American where she has migrated, to meet up with Sharon as they gather in Zambia, Lauren's home. There is a lot of love in this story as well as passion and some disappointment in the family. But when all is said and done, I would recommend this novel to all readers. It is well written and it should be a great present for someone's birthday or any such occasion.
Those of you who love Africa, please read this book.
Reviewed by Heather Marshall Negahdar ( SUGAR-CANE 07/03/08)

Not qualified to review:
Author is my daughter-in-law
Walter Kann

Wendy Kann's personal and political history in "Casting with a fragile thread" is riveting, wise and timeless. It is a gripping memoir about a woman who has risen above her traumatic childhood and turned her pain into compassion and healing.
Born in colonial Rhodesia--now Zimbabwe--Kann grew up during the country's 13-year civil war. She experienced the first elections in Zimbabwe in 1980 and lived in Hong Kong when the British officials handed the city over to the Chinese in 1997. She said both experiences were nagging reminders that the laws, police, media, army and government can bring bewildering uncertainty to a safe, predictable orderly world.
She writes poetically about her environment--how the lawns in America's neighborhoods simply roll trustingly one into the next, without the rude division of fences and gates.
Having spent my early years in South Africa I too had my "mind revolt against the terrifying avalanche of choice" and tried to figure what "American" was and how I could be "just that."
Kann's observation years later about Rhodesia's civil war is a warning to all countries. She said, "No one in my generation recognized that we were fighting a war to preserve an unsustainable way of life."
Her quote reminded me of America. We have the technology for alternative fuel yet we remain in a war in the Middle East because of an addiction to oil, a non-renewable resource.

deeply moving and honest, ms. kann's memoir vividly evokes a complicated time and place in africa with a story of familial love, loyalty and loss.gorgeous. highly recommend.

Casting With A Fragile Thread: A Story Of Sisters And Africa tells of the mother of three children who left her Rhodesia childhood behind fifteen years earlier to settle into a new life in America and escape her country's upheaval. When she receives a call that her youngest sister has been killed in Zambia, she returns to her native Africa to find a new sense of purpose. A vivid story of death, rebirth, and cultural discovery evolves.

This is a great book that shows a great basketball program. It shows the struggles and triumphs of the season. John Walters did an excellent job at writing this book and capturing the true meaning of UCONN basketball.

This is the best book I have ever read! It's funny, inspiring, informative, a great all around book for any basketball fan. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Ok, first I have to admit, I'm a huge fan of UCONN basketball, Diana Taurasi in particular, but that doesn't make me biased:). I think this book is well written, fun to read, funny, and insightful. It tels the story of an amazing basketball team that deserves recognition even though they didn't reach their final goal. I learned a lot from this book, and it made me laugh and cry. I think that anyone who has interest in women's basketball will enjoy this book, especially if you are a fan of the UCONN huskies. Go huskies!:)

After winning the 2004 NCAA Championship, UConn senior Maria Conlon said, "I feel like it was just yesterday we were lying in the locker room in St. Louis crying our eyes out, saying we never wanted to have this feeling again. Sure enough, we never did."

Perhaps the true greatness of the 00-01 Huskies can only now be appreciated. Could Taurasi & Co hunger for excellence without first knowing the bitterness of falling just short? This book can add fuel to the argument.

I am an avid Husky fan, and I loved this book. I bought it after this year's double championships.i enjoyed reading about the players, about Diana's first and Sveta and Shea's last.This book is a must for any Husky or Women's basketballl fan.

The product came on time, well packaged, and exactly as described. A great shopping experience.

Already have an Atlas, topo CD set of Northeast, Garmin GPS Vista with topo/street maps. Once I found these Gazetteers, I bought one for every state in New England and New York. Each of the above provide different levels of information and alternative routes and access to various locations, often places with no direct road or trails. The gazatteers provide fast detail access to areas in question over the GPS or atlas and are invaluable to me while in the vehical. Although, the GPS is my lifeline away from the vehical, the gazatteers are large and not weather resistant.

I currently own CO, TX, TN, VA and now AL atlas & Gaz.
all are useful for home hunting, trying to locate a key area, etc.
don't count on this for in depth directions. but a good look at contours and gps this works.
this one isn't as good as the TX or TN version.

These are fantastic maps! I have several others, and use them quite often. I don't know of another one that will be better than this one.

I wanted to get this atlas, especially to help us find places to go camping and hiking.. It's not always easy to find campgrounds or primitive campsites (since they're not always located in clearly identified campgrounds), so having these detailed maps is very useful for that. We recently used the atlas when we camped in the Catskill Mountains region, and I was glad we had these maps to help us out.

I forget how I was introduced to this book, but I eventually bought it from Amazon. All I can say about The Red Right Hand is it is one of the best thrillers I have ever read.

I will admit I had picked it up then put it down again because I wasn't in the right mood to read it; but once I picked it back up and finished it, I realized the ending alone was worth reading the somewhat slow beginning.

I won't even talk about the plot. To give any details to this book would be unjust to any person who will have the great pleasure of picking it up one day.

Just know you will be knocked over the head by Rogers' denouement.

The mystery genre is not one that I am fond of. I bought this book from the now defunct (sadly) Common Reader catalog because of the name and description. I'm so glad I ordered it because this is one of the very few mysteries I have ever liked. Joel Townsley Rogers was one talented writer! Some of his gooseflesh-raising descriptions have stayed in my mind for years. This book is not only mysterious and suspenseful but downright scary.

Rogers was a much better writer than some of today's authors who think that gore and perversion are the only way to scare readers, and that we can only handle one and a half page chapters or our puny little attention spans will collapse.

They should all have to read this book--so subtle, so creepy. I promise you will never forget the crazed little sawtooth killer--the hair on my arms is standing up as I type--if you buy this book you will not regret it!!!

I read this years ago after one of my favorite authors (Donald E. Westlake) cited it as his favorite mystery novel. I loved it. The book is a constantly-shifting and mysterious narrative that repays a close read. Mystery fans: Find it and read it-- the designation of this book as a "classic" is completely justified!

A corpse with a missing hand, sightings of a twisted gnome driving a sleek convertible, the lone hitchhiker on a deserted highway comes straight from a nightmare's central casting. "The Red Right Hand", written in 1945, fresh and jolting in the 21st century, must have absolutely rocked the literary world of its day with this strangely creepy tale of young love gone impossibly wrong. Dr. Harry Riddle finds himself implicated in the murder of Innis St. Erme, a young New York businessman who had set off to New England to elope with his bride-to-be when a roadside picnic takes a terrible turn. Author Joel Townsley Rogers spins this bizarre and eerie tale tightly around a non-linear plot, leading the reader down a hallucinogenic trail of murder and mind games that is sure to confuse and delight - like you're kicking back on a lazy Saturday afternoon a pick up an early "Twilight Zone" episode mid-flight. But by the time its over, you're on the edge of your seat, yet still completely unprepared for the final twists and turns that would leave Hitchcock stuttering. Classic stuff - the best - don't miss this one.

I found this book by chance at a second hand book sale while on summer holiday about three years ago. The edition was printed in 1975 and by now (after reading over and over) looks rather shabby.

I had never heard of the author before and was merely looking for something to pass the time. It didn't pass much time, because once I started reading I couldn't put it down, and only took me one day to finish.

Joel Townsley Rogers puts you, neé, throws you right in the middle of a first-person account of this murder mystery that unfolds in one day. The story and subsequent mystery slowly unravels as he takes you back in time, revealing the characters and the events leading up to the day in which the story is told.

You start guessing and wondering, painting your own mental images of the characters and surroundings desribed with meticulous attention detail.

There are clues throughout the book, and careful reading is required. Read it again and again, and more clues are revealed.

As far as endings to any book are concerned, they're pretty imprtant, so I won't divulge any details. I will say this though...be prepared!

This is whodunnit to the very end, and even though the ending has never changed in the 7 times that I've read it...I'm reading it again for the 8th time right now.

Enjoy and share

I've just finished reading this wonderful book a few days ago. It was sweet and simple, yet Mary was obviously such an elegant lady. I took my time reading each page, savoring every moment she described of her life in CT. I truly didn't want this book to end. How I wish I had personally known Mary and had been able to sit down and have tea and cake with her. I can't stop thinking about Mary, her 1st and 2nd husbands, and her friends and family. Most of all, I keep thinking about Smoky, her precious German shepherd. I cried about Smoky, and then I cried about Mary when I found out she had passed, also. This was an extremely memorable book.

To the reviewer from Modesto - please email me, I know Mary would love to hear from you.

Mary's book read like a conversation between friends as she reminisced about the challenge of making a barn into a home and then adjusting to life as a single woman upon the death of her husband. Although for me it was reminiscent of similar experiences as I was her neighbor, living just over the hill, everyone will enjoy her style. In her telling of the love and support she found among neighbors, she reminds us all of a life and time many of us knew but now has been lost.

This is one of the best reads I have expereinced. Must admit that I am partial because I live in CT and much of what she describes I have seen. It is a touching love story. A book about the value of women learing to be independent well before her time. It is richly written. Our book club will be reading this book next month. I'm looking forward to the second reading. A must read in my humble opinion!

Mary was delighted to hear your raving reviews of her book. I am sad to tell you that she passed away August 18, 2001 at the age of 96. She was in the process of completing a sequal to "The Widow Down By The Brook". Had her body not given out, believe me, her mind would have finished it. I was fortunate to have spent the past year trying to keep up with her. The immediate personal connection you feel reading the words in her book are the same feelings you had meeting her. She found humor in every day. She was a delightful woman, a precious one that got away. She will be truely missed.