Montana Books

This book is fairly darn good. As an ex policeman myself I understand his dedication to the job. The book also shows the side of him that makes him a human. I think this book is a good read.

What makes No Lights, No Sirens the ultimate cop memoir is the brutal honesty and depth of storytelling by author and former NYC cop Robert Cea. Hold your breath and hold on to something comforting, because Cea is about to pummel you with the anxieties, fears, and and tragedies that made up his tenure as a NYC cop.

As a sworn police officer I always have to wonder, at what point will America get enough of this garbage? Robert Cea, if his account is to be believed, is a criminal. The fact that he did what he did while wearing a police uniform is irrelevant as far as that's concerned. Men like him are a disgrace to all the officers who actually do their job the right way. I'm sick and tired of hearing the excuses. "My pay is low", "The Job doesn't care", "Crime was here before I came on, and it'll be here after I leave" etc. This man is, by his own admission, guilty of perjury, assault, conspiracy and a host of other crimes. He writes about routinely violating the rights of individual citizens, but that's A-Okay because they're bad people and because he includes the obligatory handfull of lines about his struggles with what kind of man he's turning into. You know what? That doesn't cut it. This book isn't about redemption. It's about Robert Cea making money by entertaining people with an account of his criminal behavior and sexual antics. While performing law enforcement duties I have been cursed, attacked with weapons and all the rest. I've never used it as an excuse to line my pockets or lie under oath. As the old saying goes "Adversity does not build character, it reveals it." Robert Cea went to Brooklyn and was faced with a daunting task. In the end his character was revealed and it was non-existant. Don't line the pockets of a corrupt cop. You can find it funny or amusing while you're reading this book in your living room but if you ever got pulled over by a police officer you wouldn't be laughing if it was a man like Robert Cea.

What a great recounting of a career spent trying to get true bad guys off the street. It's no wonder Cea butted heads with the desk jockeys on the force.

A must-read for anyone wanting to see what now-Yuppie Brooklyn was like in its former incarnation.

This book relates the authors experiences in the N.Y.P.D. from his days as a rookie at the Police Academy thru his early career as a gung ho idealistic officer and then his frustrations dealing with the mopes and low lifes in the toughest parts of Brooklyn. Did he at times step over the line? Well, if so, I'm glad he did. Unfortunately, with crime friendly juries often selected in N.Y.C. sometimes such conduct may be for the greater good of society.

I have to say I absolutely loved The Witches of Elleanan series. A true masterpiece for anyone's fantasy collection. I didn't know what to expect from a new series, set in the same world a little later after the first series. I have read other books by authors that seem to loose their touch when they deal with a new series that a previous series has taken place in. That did not happen in this book. I have to say, "Wow!" The author doesn't have a save the world/kingdom thing going on. She comfortably let's you see how your beloved kingdom has prospered from the change brought on in the first series. And it is good.

The tale does well with what it has, and there is never a dull moment. (Even though the action scenes aren't epic battles. And I loooove action.) The world is just as fleshed out and well felt as the first series. I almost expect to wake up and find my whole life is a dream and that I need to go back to my beloved home in Elleanan.

The characters are so real, I almost dare say, richer than the people in reality. The author flaunts her skills in making the unreal into reality it takes my breath away. Each character has a depth the most authors can't match.

I have to touch on an issue from someones review on this book. Some one commented on how the Scottish accent was to much. I was apprehensive at first when I started the Elleanan series, because of the Scottish accent. But I found that I slipped into translation smoothly, even adopting it. (Leading to bits of confusion!) The dialect is nothing to hate the novel for. In fact it gives this series, the writing, everything, the tone that makes this novel so incredible.

*****To conclude. Fantasy lovers will eat this up. It's different from the save the world/kingdom novels. Giving a reality that few books can really, truly give in a fantasy series. Kate Forsyth knows how to do it. And is it good! I can't get my hands on the rest in the series!!!

For those familiar with the author's works, The Tower of Ravens, and the rest of "Rhiannon's Ride", is set in Eillean, and takes place about 20 years after the sixth installment of the Witches of Eillean series. I would recommend that if you haven't read the series, but intend to, I would read it before starting The Tower of Ravens, due to the fact that there would be some spoilers in this series about the Witches series. This book/series, is about a half human half satyricorn girl who escapes her mother, who is the matriarch of her herd. She has some amazing adventures, and somehow comes through it all. Only things I could have wished to be different in this series, is maybe a little less sexual tension between Rhiannon and Lewen early on in the series, and maybe having the afterward being about 3-5 years out, instead of 3 weeks out. Overall, a very pleasureable reading experience. Couldn't put the books down. A must read for people who have read the previous series, and also, for those who would like to get to know the authors works better.

The Tower of Ravens is a wonderful continuance of The Witches of Eileanan. This gives Forsyth's wonderfully complex characters in her first series some relief to grow up in relative peace. This new trilogy is based in the next generation of Witches, some fifteen years after the end of The Witches of Eileanan saga. This Trilogy stands alone; however, I seriously recommend reading The Witches of Eileanan series first.

Bloody AWESOME!!! Highly recommended. So good that I have read all the books in this series. Also I have started the other books in the series before Rhiannon's ride. These ones tell the tales of the older characters in Rhiannon's ride. It doesn't really matter if you decided to read this series after the Tower of Ravens, but I think it would make things even more exciting!

None the less one of the best novels/series I have ever read.

Very rarely does a fantasy novel manage to take you into its world from the first page and refuse to let you go until the ending. More often than not, stories in a series get you hooked into its magical world, then leave you hanging as you breathlessly await the next installment. Not so with Kate Forsyth's THE TOWER OF THE RAVENS. For those who have never visited her world of Eileanan in books such as The Pool of Two Moons: Witches of Eileanen Book 2 (Witches of Eileanan) or The Cursed Towers (Witches of Eileanan, Book 3), never fear! THE TOWER OF THE RAVENS is a fantasy epic that can definitely stand alone, and does so with competent writing, fantastic world-building, and a deeply heroic cast of characters.

Ever since she was a young girl, Rhiannon has wanted nothing more than to catch a winged horse, to tame and train it so that she could fly away and escape from the hellish nightmare that is her life. Scorned, ridiculed, and even feared by her fellow man, Rhiannon lives in near solitude, wanting only to belong. Without even a name at this young age, the daughter of One-Horn and a human father. One-Horn is the mother of the tribe of satyricon, fairies who have horns and hoofs instead of feet. Rhiannon, born without a horn and with human feet, is immediately branded an outcast, and she lives her solitary life with only the hope of escape as comfort.

When she finally manages to escape upon a winged horse, its not without injury and risk to herself. Arriving at the home of Lewen, an apprentice witch, she's finally given a name-and perhaps a chance to truly belong. When Lewen and his family decide to bring Rhiannon to the Tower of Two Moons in the city of Lucescere to be tested for magical ability, Rhiannon worries that she might once again lose any sense of self she's just beginning to gain.

Murder, intrigue, and suspicion soon surround Rhiannon when a member of the Guard is found dead. Suddenly surrounded by unimaginable evil and malevolence, it will take all the strength and magic that Rhiannon possesses to protect herself and those she loves.

THE TOWER OF RAVENS is a wonderful fantasy novel that will thoroughly immerse you in Kate Forsyth's magical world. A woman who wants only to find her place in the world, Rhiannon is a strong, caring woman who truly overcomes her past to be a woman that everyone can be proud of.

Deanna Manetti is running for her life. When her escape is cut short by a wild stallion, she finds herself depending on a man named Shepherd Jones and the kindness of strangers. But who can she trust? "Along Came Jones" is an action-packed tale of suspense and second chances.

Linda Windsor paints a colorful picture of a close-knit western community. Her writing style flows smoothly from action sequences to romance to intrigue to spirituality and back to action again. This is a wonderful novel - so engaging, I didn't want to put it down.

The characters were realistic, the plot was riveting, the romance was beautiful. The only thing that got to me was the ending. Holding onto the "bad guy" and giving him such a major role kinda threw me. And the realization "blow up" scene near the end was a tad over done, but everything eventually ties up nicely. Great book.

I have never written an online review before, but I just HAD to review this one. It's my first Linda Windsor, but it won't be my last. I loved this book! Romance, action, humor, lovable characters, a great plot, and cowboys...what's not to love? Deanna's journey back to God, and the trust she learns to rely on are common in every Christian's life at some point. A friend loaned it to me, and I went out and bought it. This book should be a movie. Read it!

picture your self being acussed of a crime you did not comit. Then after being questioned for countless hours you come home to find your appartment totaly trashed, wouldn't you be freking out. Well that is just some of what happened to the lead character in this thrilling mystery/action/romance novle.deanna has to over come the fear that some one is out to get her after driving several states from the only home she has known her hole adult life. in the mean time she totaly turn the life of a simple rancher sheperd jones (ex-marshell of the US gov.)upside down when he runs her off the road destroying her sports car and stranding her at his desrted gost town. Just wait and see all the trouble deanna and shep get in to as the find that broken hearts can mend and love is not totaly lost. that if you can beat the trials that they fase together any thing is possible with the help of god.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though it may not be the best Christian fiction novel out there. The characters are realistic, the dialogue doesn't seem forced, and the story is compelling. The romance is rushed at times, but the banter and chemistry between Shep and Diana makes up for it. I found myself laughing at Diana countless times, and the author's sarcastic tone is refreshing in a world of stale Christian romances. I would definitely recommend this book!

I found this book particularly interesting as I grew up in the area of "In the Snow Forest" in the Trinity Alps. The whole place has such a unique feel to it that I wonder if it is hard to absorb when reading Parvin? I loved "In the Snow Forest" but I am viewing it through "local" eyes and could easily picture the lead characters meeting at the Yellowjacket (a real place) for lunch and conversation, especially as the summer wears on the cold loneliness of fall in the Trinities comes on and the tourists stay home. I liked this story and would recommend it to people who enjoy western literature.

I didn't enjoy these short stories very much. The first, titled "Betty Hutton," is just plain creepy. An ex-con struggles to avoid repeating his violent past. When he comes upon a young woman and her little son at the beach, your skin just begins to crawl hoping against hope that he won't do them any harm. Will he or won't he kill the old guy in the ice shack? Will he or won't he use his gun after the card game? I was uncomfortable reading this, and to be honest, I wouldn't have cared that much if someone had just blown him away. I really didn't see all that many redeeming qualities in Gibbs and didn't feel much concern for his fate.

The second story, "In the Snow Forest," is so emotionless, you don't really care much about these characters at the tragic ending either. There was zero passion in their relationship, and the characters are flat and lifeless. I understand that the author is intentionally drawing the characters in a way that illustrates life and hardships, but come on, when two people discover love, there is always some amount of excitement and joy. I felt that the two main characters were interesting, but the author does absolutely nothing with them.

The last story, "Menno's Granddaughter," was my favorite, and I enjoyed this one quite a bit, with the exception of two plot points. Would a divorced/widowed forty year old woman in 1957 sleep with a complete stranger on a train when still upset over losing her husband? Nothing in the character of Lindsay, as drawn by the author, really gives us too many clues into this, except of course that she's lonely and still mourning loss. And then there's the strange "kiss" at the end of the story that seems so totally out of place in the plot. Anyway, it was an interesting character study, but defintely flawed.

All in all, I can't really recommend this book. Since there are so many glowing reviews here, I felt I needed to add my opinion.

The three novellas in this book are so rich and satisfying-I read them one to a sitting, not wanting them to end, savoring every word, losing myself in the snowbound landscapes, tied up in the characters' lives and desires. Each of the main characters is at a juncture-what's in their hearts doesn't quite match up with what's in their lives-and what they do when they realize this makes for great stories-and wonderful reading. The writing is clean and spare and beautiful. I'm looking forward to reading this book again and again.

Competent and unchallenging stories with long conversational asides about the meaning of it all in the now familiar style of "well written prose." These read like expanded short stories flushed out to novella length and would have made decent filler in a longer collection. By the first sentence of a scene, the end of the scene can be predicted. It's a sad commentary that a plain book like this only gets published wrapped in inflation and hype filled blurbs.

These stories made me hurt and laugh all at the same time. I knew I would love them right after the very first sentence of the first novella. And who doesn't know someone at least a little like Gibbs? I just loved when he ripped off the rear view mirror. Classic! More, please. A novel, please.

In "The Slave", Singer presents us with a pious Jewish man (Jacob) who, despite the fact that he has lost his wife and children in a massacre in 1648 Poland, still retains his religious beliefs.

Jacob, after losing his entire family in a slaughter, is sold as a virtual slave to a Polish farmer, where he lives years of his life in a barn. Part of this time he is tended to by the farmers' daughter Wanda, with whom he eventually falls in love. Jacob is a slave to the Polish farmer, and his love for Sarah (name changed from Wanda because of societal pressures) make him a sort of slave also, forcing him to forgo religious convictions which do not permit the marriage of Jews and Gentiles. And for the rest of his life, he and Wanda also must live as virtual slaves to the mores and arbitrary rationales which permeates the country and do not allow the two to live simply as husband and wife. Their love which is one which is not permitted by any of the cultural backgrounds of the time. And because of this, a surreptitious love must take place, making the two of them slaves to societal norms of the times.

In the end, The Slave is a simple story of love, of acknowledging what actions and beliefs of man go against God's will, and of shedding the yoke of slavery and of these societal norms, and in doing what indeed is the will of Providence.

Another masterpiece by Singer.

Although it was written originally in Yiddish and not Polish, the book is about Poland in XVI century, seen with the eyes of a Jewish person right after World War II. The book itself is very meaningful: it shows every single community in a rather pessimistic light but it is quite accurate. Polish people, Ukrainian people, Jewish people: nobody escapes harsh commmentary. The story is very beautiful and it made me cry at the end. The author definetelly is trying to find answers to what happened to Jewish people during the World War II. The book is set in the times of Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish-Lithuanian Common Wealth and not a Polish Revolution. Uprising was a rebellion of present day Ukrainians and included armies of Cossacks and Tatars. During the uprising Polish noblemen, Catholic priests and Jewish people were commonly eradicated.

Much like his predecessor Henryk Sienkiewicz, Warsaw-born Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991) likewise won the Noble Prize in Literature. 'The Slave' is the first of his writings I have had the pleasure of reading and much like the other reviews reflect, I found it immensly enjoyable. I have read a great deal of Slavic fiction and I found this piece reminding me of other great works, in particular, Eliza Orzeszkowa's 'Meir Ezofowicz'. Similarly, it has the same romance and adventure you would find in Sienkiewicz's epic Triology and it's historically related. Sienkiewicz's 'Z Ogniem i Mieczem' (With Fire and Sword) is historically set around the 17th century Cossack uprising in the Polish Commonwealth.

In 'The Slave', the protaganist Jacob is a Jew that has found himself quite literally a slave to a Polish family as a consequent of the anti-Semitic rage that the Cossack uprising brought about. Jacob not only finds himself fortunate to be alive, but is in love with his master Jan Bzik's daughter, the beautiful Wanda. The romance develops throughout the story, along with Jacob the Jew's inner struggle to give into his feelings for Wanda the Gentile.

If you are a fan of slavic literature in general, you certainly won't be disappointed by this story.

I could not put this story down. The writing is vivid and engrossing in this compelling story set during an almost barbaric time in Polish history.

The Jewish, Christian, pagan undertones shape the story. The quest for love and happiness send the reader through many years of trials.

Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful, spare book about a great, forbidden passion, in which two cultures clash with tragic and yet strangely uplifting results. The Slave is Jacob, a survivor of unspeakable horrors in the 1648 Polish revolution - having lost his entire family and become enslaved in desperate and degrading circumstances, he strives to keep his religion and his inner self intact. What he discovers is an unexpected love in a Polish peasant, Wanda, who though simple is in fact intelligent and deep. There is an air of destiny to them.

The book largely takes the form of Jacob's inner dialogue, which is religious and scholarly, a natural outsider who strives to be good in terms that make sense to himself. This is an alien world of unpredictable dangers, race hatred, and bizarre superstitions that overturn his views of the universe as a good and just place - enough to enable his to cross the barriers he faces as he struggles to create a life for himself and then with Wanda. I found this deeply moving, masterfully translated into terms that I could comprehend and empathize with.

In addition, there is much to learn in this about the history of the Jews in Poland. Singer romanticises nothing and is hard on everyone concerned, with perhaps the exception of the lovers and their constant dread. It adds up to a truly vivid portrait of a time, yet played out with universal philosophical dilemmas. Jacob's is an extraordinary journey, believable and moving.

Warmly recommended. I will never forget this life.

This book is actually in two parts. The first half is a biography of sorts of the half Sioux, half white scout Mitch Boyer, who served with various military units on the Plains beginning in the 1850s and ended his life with George A. Custer at the Little Big Horn in June 1876. The second half is a detailed, at some points even minute-by-minute, account of Custer's Last Stand. Examining all the evidence (though disregarding but not totally dismissing the archaeological evidence that was just being made known in the 1980s), John S. Gray reconstructs the last week or so of Custer's campaign, concentrating especially on the afternoon of June 25 when Custer and the Seventh Cavalry met their demise.

A scientific historian, Gray introduces time-motion graphs to depict the movements of troops and Indians on the battlefield. More constructive for me are the itinerary tables that do pretty much the same thing but in a different configuration. Gray theorizes a general counter-clockwise movement of Custer's troops from the Medicine Tail Coulee to Calhoun Hill and eventually to Custer Hill where (Custer's) Last Stand occurred. His interpretation follows pretty much the standard one (challenged more recently by archaeological reports which extends troop movements beyond Custer Hill). He believes the testimony of Indian scout Curley, who had been with Custer right up to the early action on Custer Hill and then left the scene about a half hour before the final moments of the fight, was generally accurate and valid, though misinterpreted by interviewers at the time. Gray must be commended for insisting that what happened during the last half hour of the fight must remain conjecture only, since hardcore evidence is lacking.

It's hard to imagine a more thorough examination of events surrounding this single battle could be made (that will not stop others from trying, I'm sure), and Gray's account might be the closest we get to what actually happened (barring the uncovering of future evidence or revelations made by archaeological findings). Too detailed to be one's first book on the Little Big Horn fight, it will surely be devoured by anyone with a strong interest and some already acquired background information concerning the battle. An important study, highly recommended.

Essentially a physicist's interpretation of the Battle of Little Bighorn, author John S. Gray's "Custer's Last Campaign: Mitch Boyer and the Little Bighorn Reconstructed" is a fascinating account of one of the most storied battles ever to take place on American soil. And this was a battle, with more than 350 men, women and children killed in the span of two furious hours on the dusty slopes of 1876 southeast Montana.

This is not a book for beginners of Custer/Montana lore. It can be extremely tedious at times as Gray utilizes time-motion studies to piece together the puzzle of what happened during the Seventh Calvary's final minutes. Since every man of the U.S. Army was killed during this prong of the battle, there are no eyewitness military accounts. Yes, hundreds of Native Americans survived, but few spoke of this battle for fear of punishment and hatred of Anglo historians. Crazy Horse, one of the few Native American leaders during this confrontation, was assassinated a week after arriving on the reservation. So this very important man's account was never taken. Thus, we are left with a hodgepodge of hazy Native American reconstructions.

Visiting the battlefield today, which stretches over several miles, solemn white headstones mark the spot where bodies of the Seventh Calvary were found. The location of these stones are included in Gray's complex, mathematical equations. What he's intricately pieced together, with the help of eyewitness accounts, archaeological digs and his own analytical mind, is a realistic result of this unusual battle. His conclusions are perhaps outside of the realm of what people would consider today.

The myth surrounding Custer and Little Bighorn has been shaped by such matinee films as "They Died With Their Boots On," "Little Big Man" and television's "Son of the Morning Star." These films portray Custer as headstrong, vain, heroic and, in one case, a tad insane. But each version, thematically forged by the decade it was filmed, portrays Custer fighting gallantly to the last, standing alone in buckskins while angrily firing his pistol at the approaching Native American hordes. Custer, as if performing the concluding act of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," falls dead to the ground in bloody, poetic, slow motion. It makes for a great painting hanging above the neighborhood bar.

The reality, revealed by Gray's novel, is Custer did indeed have a battle plan rather than making a vain stab at glory. But his forces were simply overwhelmed, chaos ensued, and panicking men were run down like herds of buffalo. It's not very poetic, but has war truly ever been? To understand America's fascination with this battle, one must first read Evan S. Connell's "Son of the Morning Star," one of the greatest historical nonfiction novels ever written.

Gray discards such weighty wisdom like an old blanket, and scientifically gets to the root of what actually happened. A Last Stand does indeed take place on Custer Hill, where Custer's body was found. Survivors panic, some commit suicide, and Boyer and company frantically run west, fighting and killing in a froth-like animal panic. But west is towards the Native American village they were attacking in the first place. They are then desperately cornered in a ravine, a small gully which can be stared at to this very day.

When the U.S. Army rides into a primitive village, shooting defenseless women and children, the primitive man will fight back if for no other reason than to protect their families. Like poking a stick into an ant hill, Custer and his Seventh Calvary were overwhelmed, the sorry battle ending in a ditch. Men attempted to claw their way out, perhaps asking themselves how they ended up in such a remote location, dying the loneliest of deaths.

This battle haunts us for a number of reasons, mainly because of our inhumane treatment of the Native American people. So we obsessively analyze this epic Homerian battle, trying to find a moment of heroism, a brief glimpse to help salve our morally guilty wounds. But all we find in Gray's account is wide-eyed reality, and desperate men crying in a ditch. Gray's novel details these horrors in scientific fashion, and unknowingly provides a glimpse of the dangers of American warrior vanity.

The reader becomes mesmerized and impressed by the thorough and meticulous process of constantly checking witness testimony with known topography and horse/walking/etc. mph rates, then time/motion studies with all possible data examined to see what plausible explanations can be more pushed forward as likely scenarios.

At the center here is the infamous Indian scout, Mitch Boyer and the testimony of the young Curly, survivor with Custer.

Amazing how the evidence Gray presents turns Custer 180o around from what is historically bantered, an aggressive disobiendent hawkish leader. Gray's reconstruction reveals soldier who emphasized and implemented what orders were given to him, to pin the Indians from left flank escape, and all the time awaiting Benteen's company and ammo train, which never arrived in time.

Disappointed that no chronology chain here shown how the followup takes place to discover the battlefield. Possibly Gray's other books on this subject cover that.

Remarkably well written, able to keep this reader's attention easily even with all the careful calculation checks, etc.

After reading the glowing reviews here on this book, I purchased it and went to work on it. I have to say, this is probably the most disappointed I've been in any book in a long time. Yes, the author puts together some impressive time/motion study. And I did gain some insights into both the battle and the causes of the campaign.

However, I found the text very dry. MitchMitch was here. Mitch went there. Mitch did this. Mitch did that. I also was overwhelmed with the details of who was where when. In the middle of all this detail the author has a hard time giving you his main point behind all the statistics.

I also didn't like the huge number of assumptions on speeds he made to arrive at his conclusions. He may well be correct, but anyone can make a theory fit the facts if they toy with the numbers. What is "trotting speed"? What is trotting speed over rough terrain? What is it uphill vs. downhill? Do units trot constantly or make stops now and then? The whole time/motion study thing left me unconvinced. It is at best a theory.

Surprisingly, a minority of the book was about the battle itself. I realize the author may feel it's already been covered. But his concentration on who was where when left way too many details of the participants unrevealed. It came off as very dry. Why did Reno do what he did? Or Benteen? The author made assertions about their motives, but gave relatively little foundation for his assertions, relative to the masses of data on less interesting topics.

I think the author did a great job at what he set out to do. It just wasn't as interesting as I expected. And the lack of detailed battle and campaign maps was disappointing. One gets lost in all the names of various coulees, ridges, knolls, hills, fords, and other bodies of water.

I found the time/motion graphs very difficult to read, with some variables on them not even indicated on the legend. But I did figure them out. I think he could have used a much better layout to show the timeline of events. I kept having to page back to reference previous graphs as he added more information. Past a point the mind can't keep it all organized, and more effective visual aids would have helped.

I was left with many unanswered questions about the battle. Topics such as weapon effectiveness, actual tactics used, etc, he seemed to just ignore in favor of his extensive analysis of who was where at what time.

I have read other books that give much better overlays of what happened and why, but lack the depth of this book. I'm hoping to find one that puts it all together.

This is an outstanding work, and Gray did a great deal of work to piece togather the Indian accounts of the final battle and like his work shows the last stand wasn't on Custer hill, but the rush to the river to escape the attack on Custer hill from behind by Two Moon's force. Two Moon's account doesn't go into much detail and has to be put togather with the other accounts to know Mitch is the one leading the men towards the river after Tom is killed on the Hill by Rain in the Face. Most do agree the last soldier standing at the Custer battlefield was Sgt. Bulter.
The men rushing to the river and death were for the most part E company, Dr. Lord and Mitch Boyer (who was already wounded).

There is only one more mystery of the this battle to be solved and that is the horse found miles away dead and shot in the head by the trooper, with its oat bag full and gear intact (which means someone other than Curly made it out of the battle, which means it had to happen before the final stand and best bet it happen when the horses were chased away from Calhoun and Keogh's command by Crazy Horse's force).

This is a complex book but it reaps the clearest, most compelling conclusions as to who were responsible for the JFK assasination.

Reading the last third of the book is dizzying and alarming. The vertigo effect lingers long after you put it away.

Along with Carl Oglesby's "The Yankee Cowboy War" and Michael Piper Collins' "Final Judgment," this is the best book ever written on the JFK Assassination. It may also be the best book ever written on the way the American political process ACTUALLY works. It is certainly the most honest one.

Deep Politics should be required reading for undergraduates in all American college and university Political Science courses. If for no reason other than that, in the course of getting at the bottom of the assassination of JFK, Professor Scott did not hesitate to expand the context of American political life to those unacceptable areas that lay just beneath the American consciousness and at the bottom of the American political undercurrents.

Once one is guided through his process of expanding the context of understanding (or actually "over-understanding") the machinations of the American Political process (its corruption, deceptions, cover-ups, and other pretexts for explaining away its immorality), then the details of the assassination itself, are almost a foregone conclusions - little more than a logical afterthought.

All three authors focus on what is most important -- the big picture - leaving the details to be sorted out by those "eager beaver" researchers that seem so much to relish and are so obsessed with, the minutia such as "who was in the sixth floor window," and with what happen to Senator's Specter's now infamous "Magic bullet," etc. ad infinitum.

Oglesby eschews these nasty details and focuses on the economic war between the old money of the Northeast and the new money of the Southwest. In a reductionist socialist sort of way, he shows that the JFK assassination and Watergate were mere logical conclusions of this economic war. Collins, on the other hand, but like a radar (and like Jim Garrison before him), uses his own "crap detector" to separate the wheat from the shaft and divides the important from the inessential by forging ahead like a bulldog, even against charges of being anti-Semitic, to the only logical conclusion: that Myer Lansky was at the center of the planning of the JFK assassination. Scott, in his own inimical and professorial way, lays out a new political geography of the American political chessboard; one that is expanded to include what is both above and below the political waterline. He then shows that certain roles and circumstances when they cross the lines of morality, limit the men in them to only certain immoral squares on the chessboard.

It turns out that once the links connecting "organized crime" to "disorganized crime" (the criminal minds within the acknowledged and "so-called" legitimate American political process) there is little else that needs explanation. The moves on the American chessboard are all then pre-determined and predictable. It is checkmate for anyone who gets in their way as JFK did, and for the American people and the democratic process -- which they all claim to love so much.

By showing that these unholy connections not only exist but are in symbiotic alliance with each other, and trump the normal American political process, Scott not only exposes, but lays completely bare the underbelly of the utter hypocrisy and corruption of the American political process.

There is one example in the book, above all others, that best summarizes and punctuates the orgy of corruption that existed in the American political process at the time of the JFK assassination and that remains alive as a result of it.

It is the Pre-assassination party (or final coordination meeting, or whatever one wants to call it) called to order in Dallas by J. Edgar Hoover at Clint Murchinson's house on November 21, 1963, the eve of the assassination.

The attendees included, among others:

J. Edgar Hoover (Head of the FBI, next door neighbor of LBJ, racist and Jew hater, and friend of mobster Frank Costello), Clint Murchinson (Texan oil Baron, racist and Jew hater but still a business partner of Myer Lansky, and acknowledged Kennedy hater),
H.L. Hunt (financier of rabid right-wing fanatic causes, racist and Jew hater, Texas Oil Baron, and Kennedy Hater), John J. McCloy (Washington Lobbyist/Fixer and later to be appointed member of the Warren Commission investigating the JFK assassination), Allen Dulles (ex-head of the CIA, fired by JFK in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and soon to be appointee to the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of JFK), John Connally (ex-Secretary of the Navy, ex-Governor of Texas and close friend and confidant of LBJ), General Charles Cabell (Deputy Director of the CIA fired by JFK after the Bay of Pigs fiasco), and his brother Earle Cabell (the Mayor of Dallas at the time of the assassination), Richard Nixon (defeated by JFK for the U.S. Presidency, and avowed Kennedy hater), LBJ (the sitting Vice President who was days away from going to jail because of a whole series of scandals, and who would be sworn-in on Air Force One minutes after the assassination as JFK's successor)

Would someone please give me an innocent explanation for such a meeting in Dallas of all of these Kennedy haters on the eve before his assassination?

Five stars

Peter Dale Scott tells us up front that his purpose is not to use the evidence to pinpoint the killer(s) but to illustrate deep politics. He mentions planting of evidence in various ways to paint Lee Harvey Oswald as part of a Communist conspiracy and as a lone-nut. Also discussed is the Oswald as double-agent idea, establishing a record of the mail-order purchases when guns were readily available locally and the difference between Marina Oswald's testimony and the official record. Scott also mentions the 100 names missing from an index of Jack Ruby's acquaintances. These names provided a negative template of organized crime and those with corrupt political backgrounds purposely deleted from official records. There are many other examples of suspicious activity cited. Hoover and the FBI figured prominently, though not alone in the fancy footwork and public relations (media) that made this at least temporarily satisfying to everyone that all was well as the killer was identified. Peter Dale Scott's investigation and writing is thorough, intelligent and thought provoking. By the way, at the time of writing this book, Scott named three senior FBI officials most likely to be Deep Throat and one of them was correct, as we have recently found out.

Yes, it is I, the secret and very evil member of the ultra-high-level underground trilateral elite squadron of suicide Amazon reviewers here to turn you away from the truth. For Peter Dale Scott has managed with this book to piece together what we have been trying to keep ultra-top-secret since the Middle Ages, and so now we must put out our black ops!

Man, the paranoia and narcissism in this country really shines with books like this and reviewers like these. Face it guys, you're all just craving SOMETHING EXTRA to fend off the horror of your own inevitable death. Seeing conspiracies is like seeing heaven -- it is a natural consequence of the human condition. But so is rape and genocide. So do your part to resist it!

Good, but ULTIMATE SACRIFICE the best book ever

While I thought this book was worthwhile in many respects, ULTIMATE SACRIFICE is simply the best book ever on the JFK assassination.Still, worth your time.

Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA

BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
BEST JFK SECRET SERVICE BOOK: SURVIVOR'S GUILT BY YOURS TRULY :)

I have always enjoyed the adult series of Left Behind books. The kids books are just as good. The kids interact with the characters from the adult series, experience the same events, etc. However, since the main characters are teens, these books can appeal to younger readers. So far, the stories haven't had the ups and downs that the adult series has had. The adult series has books that are a lot more boring than others. The kids series seems to be good in every book. These are not for really young kids, but would be appropriate for young teens. I enjoy them and I am an adult.

This series is the best! I love this series. I have finished the whole series and are waiting for the 29th book! It is a great Christian series about the end times. I don't reccomend this book for kids under 9. It is pretty scary!

Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim Lahaye Explain the Tribulation in this book. The Tribulation is when all Christians are taken to heaven while the others are left behind. Four kid(Judd, Vicki, Lionel, and Ryan)are left behind. During this episode a great earthquake occurs. This earthquake is hit worldwide.

The four kids are also in different places in the world during the earthquake. Each experiences their view in the earthquake. During the time they are trapped doing something that they shouldn't be doing. This is an extremely thrilling book and I would recommend anybody to read this action packed book

This book is filled with critical moments when many must decide what to do when the wrath of the lamb happens.
Mrs. Jenness has finally caught Vicki, and is taking her to the GC when the earthquake starts. Mrs. Jenness's car plummits into a river, and Vicki has to think fast as to what to do next. Will they make it out alive?
Judd and Taylor Graham are on their way to a reeducation center when the earthquake strikes. Judd and Taylor manage to get to a safe area, but how long will they stay there?
Ryan Daley is at Vicki's house, and when the earthquake starts, he falls to the basement and the water cooler bursts and Ryan cant move. Will someone find him in time?
Lionel Washinton is with Conrad when the earth starts to shake. He gets hit on the head, and forgot his memory. He finds a bible, and notes in his journal. But cannot remember anything from before the earthquake. Will his memory come back?
This book is a great book, and its one of my favorites in the seris. But take caution when you read it. It is a very emotional and sad book. I recemond reading this as well as the rest of the books in the seris.

After being witnesses to the Wrath of the Lamb earthquake, the four members of the Young Trib Force are seperated and left to find their way back to Mount Prospect. This book was filled with adventure, and all takes place in one day!
Judd has just been discovered at the hideout at the Stahley mansion, and was being transported to a Detention Facility along with Taylor Graham when the earthquake struck. What will happen after the earthquake-can they escape?
Mrs. Jenness had just caught Vicki with The Underground and was being taken to the GC. While crossing the bridge, the earthquake began and the car tumbled off, Vicki and her principal diving into the icy cold waters of the river. Could Vicki possibly tell Mrs. Jenness about God before it's too late?
Lionel is being held at a GC training facility, where they're teaching them to become Morale Monitors. While doing some training exercises, the earthquake hits, and Lionel is knocked on the head, leaving him with no memory of his past.
Phoneix barks wildly, and Ryan lets him outside, the ground starts to shake and he knows whats coming. But before he can get outside, the floor splits in two and he falls, hitting the cracked concrete floor hard. As the water level rises, Ryan wonders if he can survive God's earthquake.

Pretty darned good popular science for a Marxist, rest his soul (do Marxists have souls, and do they rest after there's no historical left in their materialism?).

This book offers a dazzling tour of Darwiniana, often as straight history but always in the form of essays for (Natural History Magazine) that are digestible in one sitting. Gould's writing is so masterful and clear that it is simply stunning to read. Gould comes across as a great humanist, respectful of the points of view of others - even the Creationists - and erudite in only the way a lover of knowledge can be. I have studied his writing style for years: it is elegant, spare yet sensual, and continually reformulates ideas is new ways, that is, rarely repetitive. Unlike his later essays, which covered quirkier details in increasingly lugubrious attempts to get at the broader notions he cherished, these essays are fresh and light, in my view amoung the best of the entire series.

As an introducer of popular notions and as a scientist, I believe that Gould will be remembered as a genius. I think he was one of the great essayists of the 20C. Warmly recommended.

All of Stephen Jay Gould's admirable traits as a splendid scientist, fine historian of science and gifted writer are prominently on display in this elegant collection of essays; the first of many he published from his celebrated essay column "This View Of Life", which was published for over twenty five years in Natural History, the popular journal of the American Museum of Natural History. Gould brilliantly illustrates the explanatory power of Darwin's theory of evolution via natural selection, discusses some of the most fascinating discoveries from a fresh, more mathematically rigorous, approach to paleontology to which he, himself, contributed, and ruminates on the sociology of science in one exceptional essay after another. He does this in engaging, often lyrical, prose, in which he draws analogies from literature, film and baseball to make his cogent points. Anyone who enjoys great writing, especially on science, won't be disappointed with this tome nor the rest in Gould's essay collection series.

Jill had been trying to get me to read Gould for over a year. She subscribes to Natural History and so had a fresh dose every month to tackle me with. And I'm not sure of my reluctance. Jill would say that it's because I'm reluctant to do anything that she wants me to do--I'm not ready to admit that (I certainly hope that that's not true!). I think it may have been that I didn't want to add Natural History to my voluminous stack of stuff yet to read-- cleverly forgetting, if I had ever truly realized it, that Gould's column was collected, and continuously being collected, in a series of volumes, of which this one is the first. Maybe I just wanted to start from the beginning.

It's a good thing that Jill had introduced me to some later Gould, because this, while genuinely entertaining, and definately intellectually stimulating, is a rougher mix. Gould has grown as a writer (and probably as a scientist) since originally starting his column.

This isn't a book to try to read at one sitting (I think it's been at my bedside for the last year) because it is thick and meaty. While Gould attempts to write at a level that a layman can understand, he doesn't simplify things. It's a tough slog through some of these essays, but always worth the effort. I've got the next volume by the bedside now, and I look forward to growing with Gould.

Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould is a collection of essays, his first, that brings together his knowledge, wit and intellectual musings to the art of writing a scientific essay as no other can.

There are 33 essays in the tome that are unparalleled and are far beyond any of his contemporaries, but brought to us by his unmatched ability, so the common man can understand his intrinsic intuitive profundity.

Gould brings us essays on Darwiniana, Human Evoution, Odd Organisms and Evolutionary Exemplars, Patterns and Punctuation in the History of Life, Theories of the Earth, Size and Shape, from Churches to Brains to Planets, Science in Society-- a Historical View, The Scince and Politics of Human Nature. All of these are thought provoking with a sophistication unmatched in the realm of science today.

As we read on in the book, we see the knowledge brought to us. Can we who read this comprehend both the lessons and the limits of scientific understanding here? Gould brings us his thoughts, as we read, I can only wonder and learn. This is a remarkable achievement.

I loved this book! It has action, introspection, and wonderful descriptions throughout. To follow the main character from the beginning of the story when he doesn't even have a name, to the end and throughout all his adventures is a terrific experience for the reader.

I liked this story, yes I did but some parts are unrealistic.
I first read this story for book report and I thought it was O.K.

The Loner is a very eciting book. It has a great cast of charecters. My favorite was cluny who keeps you on your toes. the book keeps you thinking about what will happen next and has agreat lesson to it. The story takes place in the mountains of Montana, where a boy runs of and meets a sheepherder named Boss.There was also Jup and Juno who belonged to Boss.

The Loner always made you think about what would happen next,therefore it was very exciting.

The Loner is a very eciting book. It has a great cast of charecters. My favorite was cluny who keeps you on your toes. the book keeps you thinking about what will happen next and has agreat lesson to it. The story takes place in the mountains of Montana, where a boy runs of and meets a sheepherder named Boss.There was also Jup and Juno who belonged to Boss.