Books and Authors Books

I enjoyed this book and was intrigued even though I know very little about classical music. it is a very impressive effort for a first time novelist, although you can tell this is a work of a young writer. she is very promising, and I'm sure to follow her and see how she grows. good book.

Natasha Darsky the daughteer of two idiosyncratic and very successful New York art dealers, is a violin virtuoso who arrives at Harvard to study composition with a famous and intimidating professor. There she meets the enigmatic and volatile Jean Paul, the professor's other star pupil. Natasha and Jean Paul enter into a passionate love affair. But feeling overshadowed by Jean Paul's compositional brilliance she must decide whether to continue composing or enter the dazzling life of the concert stage. Her decision will have ramifications for herself, her daughter Alex and for Jean Paul. Natasha's story alternates between engrossing and cliched (her very brief love affair with a famous iconoclastic Polish film director/would be statesman strains credulity a bit). However this novel which examines the choices a woman must make in love and in career, as well as asking what are the sources of creativity is a riveting read.The identity of Alex's father is kept a mystery through much of the book. Kudos must go to author Yael Goldstein for this her first novel. I look forward to reading many more in the future.

Overture is a beautiful novel. It's a story of mother-daughter relationships. It's a story of music. It's a story of just what it is we mean by art and the duties of those who practice it. I found myself emotionally involved in this book. I was angry at characters. I was cheering for others. Yael paints the life of Tasha Darsky, a world-renowned violinist around whom the story is wrapped, with amazing maturity. I can't wait to read more of her work.

In this beautiful novel, world-famous concert violinist Tasha Darsky thinks she is nothing because she doesn't write music like her lover or her daughter. She views the playing of other people's compositions as a utility, not an act of creation. Yet, she imbues the notes she plays with such unkempt effusion and vibrant passion that the pieces become new under her dazzling bowing. Being a sensation is, however, actually the acidic fruit of Tasha's renunciation of the love of her life and her promise as a composer, so a reckoning and an adjustment are inevitable....

OVERTURE succeeds on so many levels: As a study of the artistic temperament. As a love story fraught with human frailty. As an exploration of modern musical theory. As transporting translation of musical emotions into words. And as a generational spiral in which Tasha, her mother (to a lesser degree), and her daughter each grapple with their talents, their loved ones, and their insecurities. Tasha and Alexandra struggle with typical mother/daughter stresses but also with their fishbowl performing life and the men they encounter. Alex calls Tasha "the Big One" -- the one who has already accomplished everything -- but Tasha knows her daughter's talents and tells her, "...I couldn't do what you do; write music like that...."

OVERTURE is a penetrating, mature reflection on one fragile musical life at its center and the family, friends, mentors, and lovers who help tune it. At one point, an unforgettable character blithely and a bit pompously declares, "I believe beauty is the only thing that has a right to be anywhere it cares to be." Well, that sentiment ought to apply to this novel. It deserves to be...everywhere. Very highly recommended, especially to music lovers.

This is an amazing book! I've never written a review before, but I felt compelled to after reading this book, because I loved it so much. It is beautifully written, and also a great story. It has everything -- compelling characters, juicy plots, good storytelling, and true to life drama, between a mother and a daughter, and the other loves of their lives. It's definitely a must-read. I read it cover to cover in only a few days (I couldn't put it down!) and was so sad when it was over. I can't wait for her next book.

Summary:
Based on a true story, Captain Pantoja is transferred to Iquitos, Peru, an obscure town in Peru's Amazon, to set up a prostitution service for the Peruvian Armed Forces due to the influx of rapes caused by soldiers' pent up sexual frustrations. Dressed as a civilian, the service must be kept secret to all including his wife as this would cause a scandal for the Peruvian Army. Along with the prostitution service's great rise success and fame, a religious sect is building up in magnitude, as they leave behind them a trail of crucified animals bodies and people. Although a seemingly dark story, this book is a humorous look (presented as official army documents and conversations) at the absurdity behind the army and religious sects as both clash in the end for a dramatic result.

My thoughts:
I loved this book! I could not stop laughing for the entire first half of the novel and then couldn't put it down afterwards as I was entranced by the dramatic (yet expected) crash and burn of the service and sect.
Some criticize that this was a weak effort on Llosa's part but what they miss is the fact that Llosa himself knew that the book was going to be absurd and admits that this was the easiest book for him to write and the most fun. It was not meant to be serious and philosophical.
The idea of a prostitution service in the army screams absurdity and can only be met by laughter and hilarity especially with a character such as Captain Pantoja. The style of the book enhances the plot as you see how the captain's obsessive nature for perfection meets the world of prostitution.
A wonderful book with high high recomendations to others. If you've been reading serious novels lately, this is definitely a good way to relax and laugh.

Vargas Llosa es sin duda alguna uno de los mejores escritores latinoamericanos. Su novela Pantaleón y las visitadoras es de una prosa sencilla y agradable, su contenido es mejor aún. Vale la pena deleitarse y reirse leyendo este gran libro.

Vargas Llosa is without any doubt one of the best latin writers. His novel, Pantaleón y las visitadoras has an easy and pleasant prose, the content is even better. It is worthy to enjoy and laugh reading this great book.

the whole trama keeps the reader'smind focus on it. You will enjoy the beauty of the play and will get to know the intrincated-simple life of a small town nearby the amazona region in peru. You will be enchanted by this book. read it.

Vargas Llosa lo dice y aqui esta la prueba. Una historia sobre la obediencia militar, los conflictos del ser humano y los trajines de un recto oficial para organizar un servicio de prostitutas con caracter militar para los soldados asignados en la Selva Peruana. Excelente novela.

Vargas Llosa gives us in this story a view of what can REALLY happen in the institutions of our countries and to what length one of them (the Peruvian army) would go to try to solve an internal affair. At first, when reading the reviews of "Pantaleón y las visitadoras" I thought it was all fiction, big was my surprise when the author tells the readers that this is a true story...

I absolutely loved this book; it mixes humor with something so serious as the Peruvian Army. The characters, especially "Pantita" y "Pochita", were great... It is incredible how Vargas Llosa wrote this particular novel, at first it was very difficult to read, the story jumps to different locations and times from one paragraph to the other and until I got accustomed to that writing it was hard to comprehend.

Captain Pantoja was send to the Amazon region to solve a "BIG" problem: the men serving there were out of control, their sexual desire was extremely high and because of that rapes and the pregnancies increased. He was order to create a "visitors program". This was a group of prostitutes which only purpose was to sexually serve the army station there, the mission was supposed to be "top secret", but when Pantoja organized the funeral of one the girls, everyone finds out, including his superiors, and that gets him transferred to another location.

I absolutely recommend this book, it is funny and unpredictable. One could learn a lot about how our countries work and the weird things that happen in them.

Miss Read's novels capture the best aspects of the small town provincial novel--the sense of connection, the wry Austenisms--while leaving the sentimentality and pollyanna-ism sometimes afflicting the genre to her lesser imitators. A Peaceful Retirement brings us another step--perhaps a final step--nearer to the end of this series. I recommend this series, and this book within the series, to anyone who wishes that a novel might have both a 20th C. awareness and a somewhat 19th C. sense of perspective....Most people have not discovered Miss Read, and one somehow wonders if "most people" really ought to. But I am certainly glad that I did....

Miss Read has written over 40 titles, with this final tome describing how her headmistress heroine copes with her new-found life of leisure.

In an afterword, the author says she is laying down her pen "with a thankful heart". It is all the more surprising therefore that these final tales show no sign of staleness. In fact, "A Peaceful Retirement" is quite playful in tone as Miss Read copes valiantly with a series of unlooked-for marriage proposals.

Given that the school year is so regular the author manages to describe events such as Christmas celebrations and harvest festivals with no sense of repetition, and as ever captures the tensions between town and country living, children's and adult worlds and men and women beautifully.

With this book Dora Saint, the real-life Miss Read, can take her own retirement from authorship knowing that she has served her readers well.

I just finished reading "A Peaceful Retirement". Just like her other books, it was excellent reading. I was sorry when the book ended because I wanted to read more. Few years ago I wrote Miss Read a letter stating I loved all her books. She was kind enough to write me a handwritten letter in reply. After a hetic day, I look forward to reading her books and revisit the loveable characters in the quiet town.

I enjoyed this book just as much as I have all the other books written by Miss Read. The reason that I enjoyed this book so much was that it was like catching up with old friends and being transported back to the Village and all the surrounding scenery which captures my imagination. I recommend that you read not only this book but all those that Miss Read (Dora Saint) has written for anyone that enjoys people and a very descriptive story which includes the lovely countryside that one can only imagine. I will miss my friends very much. Thank You Dora Saint for giving me many hours of pleasure.

I just finished reading "A Peaceful Retirement". Just like her other books, it was excellent reading. I was sorry when the book ended because I wanted to read more. Few years ago I wrote Miss Read a letter stating I loved all her books. She was kind enough to write me a handwritten letter in reply. After a hetic day, I look forward to reading her books and revisit the loveable characters in the quiet town.

My earlier review for this work somehow vanished...so, again I will say that it is simply one of the best collections I have traveled through. The author summons emotions for the consideration of the reader, beautiful sonnets filled with captivating visions that hold the reader within their grasp.
I can only say that it is a wonderful piece of literature...I lack the vocabulary to do it justice.

Petrified Heart isn't just another book dealing with the war in Vietnam. It's poetry with the gloves off. After reading the first five pages I was back in the jungle, a twenty-year-old corpsman.

Only a very gifted combat veteran could have written this book, but everyone who reads it will come away with a better understanding of what war really is--and what it does to ordinary people caught up in something extraordinary. This book belongs on the shelf of every high school library in this country. It ranks with the works of Catton and Kipling.

Five Stars isn't enough to express the powerful impact of this book. Charles Patterson has performed a tremendous service to all, particularly to all of America; war veterans in general, Vietnam Veterans in particular, the friends we lost, our families, and those who vilified us. In baring his heart and soul as he has, Mr. Patterson has managed to convey the breadth and depth of emotions--and lack thereof--that a warrior faces. I served two tours in Vietnam, during The Gulf War, in Haiti and again during Bosnia. I'm constantly asked why I continued to volunteer to go to war after being wounded in 1968 during my first tour in Vietnam. I could never adequately explain it. In the future, when asked I'll just hand over a copy of "The Petrified Heart: The Vietnam War Poetry of Charles E. Patterson." Someone has FINALLY told the world what Vietnam was really like for those of us who fought it. Thank you Mr. Paterson.

I felt like I had stumbled upon a pirate's chest of fine jewels and priceless treasures when I read THE PETRIFIED HEART. Each word, phrase and passage is delicate, beautiful, powerful and crafted into strings of enchanting art. I was both mystified and in awe of Patterson's command and use of the English language. Mark my word, this work will endure as fine literature, long after we are all gone.

Ernest Spencer author: WELCOME TO VIETNAM MACHO MAN, editor: The Khe Sanh Veterans Magazine, RED CLAY

As an English major who doesn't get along all that well with poetry, I like the poems in "The Petrified Heart." As a Vietnam vet and a retired marine, "The Petrified Heart" speaks directly to me. The poems probe subjects that every vet knows, from the dangerous knowledge that war imparts, to the special nomenclature of our war--words that mark us almost as a diffetent species, to the honor denied returning vets and the dark intensity of the Vietnam War Memorial. I heartily recommend "The Petrified Heart."

I have always hated short stories, because they had no substance for me. This was the first of J. California Cooper's books I read and I am now HOOKED! In reading these books I can relate to people I really know. This is the first time I had actually laughed out loud reading a book. I am now a huge fan. I feel these are a must read.

I simply loved the stories especially Liberated. That woman had me saying "you go girl!"

I borrowed this book from a friend, and I am upset that I have let this treasure sit in my apartment for 2 months without reading it. This book is awesome! The writing is simple, wisdom-filled and flavorful! Without making her characters heroic, you find yourself admiring them, because they are so human... full of good, but full of frailties at the same time. I didn't want this book to end, and I'm about to order any book of hers that I can get my hands on. Ms. Cooper is a good writer, with an obvious love and respect for her craft. More than that, without being preachy she manages to impart insight into human nature. I loved this book! The book and the woman who wrote it are classics!

A wonderful, quick read. Her stories touch the heart and some even make you say "you go girl". Iloved this book and would pass it on to many friends. You won't put it down!

I'm enjoying the work of J.California Cooper more and more. I've never been one to read short stories but I'm hooked now. Each story touch my heart and reminds me of someone I know. I feel as if I'm sitting on the porch talking to my grandmother when I read some of these stories. So heartwarming. God's Blessings.

I just sat down with "Pieces of Me," and I couldn't put it down! I loved going from page to page not knowing what I would read about next. The writers are young girls with amazing ideas and writing style, and there are also submissions by their mentors - female writers of all ages. A must have for anyone who loves to write.

I could not believe the blunt, truthful, creative, insightful pieces from the girls in this book! It's hard to believe that some of them are only teenagers. This book has inspired me to dig out my journal, open my heart, and write without censoring myself!

I absolutely loved it! I want to become a writer too now!!!!

Instead of putting their hearts on their sleeves, it's in these pages, in black ink for all the world to see. Want to know what goes on in teenage girls' minds? Then get PIECES OF ME, and you'll want to give a piece of yourself.

This book not only has thought-provoking pieces from many young women, it is also a source for great writing exercises.

The pieces have short intros telling how they came about as part of a mentorship program. The same exercises the mentors and mentees use would be fun for any writer to use to get the juices flowing.

Having encountered Mr. Blehert's writings serveral times past in smaller scale situations, I was not sure what to expect from this extensive and even "Fat" compendium of his labors. So I looked inside....THEN I started laughing. Still laughing, I read more....and more..... and then I began to be REALLY impressed. Mr. Blehert has done ALL his homework, and even iinvented lots of extra-credit assignments. A Doctorate of Letters ultimately inevitable, once a few scholastics with a combination of humor and intelligence get to know this most Wonderfully and Creatively written thesis on "Everything you wanted to know about Poetry...... I hope that it becomes a standard text, a sort of very intelligent sweet and sour sauce to go with a survey of historical poetry, a masterful display of chameleon Style facility. Read it and laugh! Read it and be impressed! Buy it and Read it.

If you've been out of school for a while you might be a little rusty on all the literary references that populate this book. Chock full o' parodies, Dean Blehert has more than a way with words -- he has a way with other people's words.

An entire chapter of Please Lord is devoted to how famous poets -- living and dead -- would write "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink." These writers include Sylvia Plath, Lyn Lifshin, Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats and Blake.

Tongue-in-cheek, the book intersperses Blehert's own poetry with instructive "how-to" advice-poems on such topics as "how poetry is done" and "How To Be A Prestigious Mainstream Twentieth-Century Academic Poet." For example, in the chapter on the first subject, Blehert writes:

You can make any sentence poetical
by mentioning blood or bone.
For example, instead of "Yesterday
I went to the store," say "Yesterday
I went to the blood and bone store."
Instead of "The moon rose," say
"The blood moon rose" or "A bone
of moon rose" or, best, "A bone
of blood moon rose."

There is so much in this book, it will take many many readings to catch just half of its humor. Brush up on your "dead white male" poets if you want to get the rest of it.

Fireworks, Roman candles, fizzgigs...they're always going off in Dean Blehert's mind, all the time. When you pick up a copy of Please, Lord, Make Me a Famous Poet or At Least Less Fat, you get 402 pages of peerless wit and erudition. Blehert knows just about everything there is to know about poetry in the English language, and nearly all of his knowledge is displayed in this book, in his characteristic melange of parody, punning and reasoned discourse. Some people may dismiss Blehert as a show-off, or as merely clever. But most, I think, will respond to his expansive good humor, and to the book's undercurrent of serious, even moral, commentary on what poetry should be and do.

Picked up "Please, Lord..." and am reading fervently. I think I'm learning more about literature by laughing at it than I did in those vacuuous, slumber-inducing lectures in college. So I am appreciative of the fresh look at this thing called poetry which ranks up there with ice cream in my list of favorite things in the world.

Next time you want entertainment, forget the movies and TV. Get thee to a bookstore or Amazon. Skip past the so-called humor books, and go directly to the...gasp...poetry section. Don't be afraid. You may have a difficult time finding it, but once there, the name Dean Blehert will be prominently displayed on the bindings of several unique and hilarious books. Pick any one(s) you want, but be certain to include his latest in your trove. "Please, Lord,et.al." is not only a poet's primer, but very tasty brain candy for those who simply like to laugh. But please have a care: Blehert's books can be addicting, with no known antidote! Consider yourself warned!!!

I am not a huge fan of poetry, having been forced to read it in school, but Smith is so down to earth and real that I enjoyed the entire book. The cover got my attention and I decided to try it. I was glad I did! The words are obviously from the heart and based on personal experiences. It really made me think about how far our society has come and how far we still have to go. But it's not just about race relations, it's how all people relate to each other. I highly recommend that you take the chance and give it a read. It will seem like candy for the brain but it's good for it too. I look forward to more of Smith's work.

To the Author of the book, who is a wonderful man with strong and kind words. When you read his Poetry, you can assume one point at the beginning, but at the end of the poem it holds all Truth of Today's Society. One who reads will gather strength in their Heart to understand what People have been through. "At the End of each poem The World becomes a Better Place" by Poetacizing your Mind...G.

The words and meaning evoked from each poem truly is expressed from the heart. It is so nice to see a poetry book that is not sentimental or trite but speaks of the truth, both universal and personal. Recommend this book to poetry enthusiasts and those readers who just want a blast of fresh, honest writing.

Enjoyed it! G.Smith's book speaks loud and clear about today's culture and everyday life. Funny, heart felt and REAL!!!

It's always a treat to be exposed to what Gordon's thinking about and I'm glad he's now laying it down in print. This book of poems is funny, poignant and sincere. He covers a lot of ground (Bush, Katrina, Mercedes-Benz, workplace discrimination) and covers it in his own unique style. A few of my favorites are "Music", "M/M", "Is Not Positive" and "Beautician Addiction". I look forward to the spoken word CD as the only thing better than reading Gordon is getting to hear him talk (and giggle).

GET IT. These old time preachers knew God, knew what He wanted of them, and did it. The results? Powerful preaching that comes from being in front of the throne of God. As one old preacher once said when asked about how to prepare to give a message on Sunday, he replied: "Get into the presence of God, wait before Him, see what He shows you, and then tell them what you saw."

Rico

This book is a great advisory for the preacher. It is a refresher for all Seminarians who payed attention in your Homiletic studies. It also provides insight to different approaches probably not covered by your professors. It is a great book!

I have read fifteen books on preaching in the first six months of 2005. Having read them, if I could choose just one that helped me most as a preacher, it is this text. We hear from some of the best Black preachers in America - how they preach and a sample sermon of each. You sit at the feet of masters.

I am a minister - white - who gained tremendously from these ginats in our pulpits.

LaRue has brought together a broad well-balanced spectrum of preaching experience. His introduction briefly explores the history of black preaching and then presents eleven characteristic similarities of method of the twelve preachers he invited into his project. Two of these characteristics that jumped off the pages of the contributor's essays were the importance of wrestling with the text and discipline and perspective. Wrestling with the text was invariably the first activity mentioned, most reading in the original language and several translations. LaRue mentions the "invitation to the listening congregation to enter into the world of the text being a defining feature of traditional black preaching." Discipline and perspective are key experiences shared by each contributor. The discipline of organizing their lives to give adequate and thoughtful time to preparation was emphasized. "All recognized they had to study in order to remain fresh, vibrant, interesting, creative and faithful." Each also pointed out the need for rest and avocation.

In each chapter, a pastor or preacher first reflects with essay or interview on their preaching life. Inevitably, for those who have pastoral duties it presents a helpful glimpse into the daily life of pastoring. Many of them had a day of the week devoted to sermon writing and several of them had agreements with their congregation that this time was sacred. Some of them found late night inspiration and some early morning. Most of them worked daily on some aspect of sermon preparation. Each prepared a manuscript but never used them in their delivery. There is a natural movement from text to presentation and no anxiety was expressed about forgetting something in the manuscript. Contributor Gardner C. Taylor reflects, "I would remember my starting point, where I was going, and where I would conclude. I followed those thoughts in my mind. Now I would lose a lot of material which I thought was wonderful but perhaps it wasn't. Maybe it needed to be lost. But I also picked up material I had no notion about when I was preparing the sermon. This new material would come in the actual preaching of the sermon."

The book is comprehensive and well-presented. All the contributors were helpful with example and reflection on the task at hand. It was with eager and excited anticipation that I picked up this book. Black preaching can be all of those things mentioned earlier: fresh, vibrant, interesting and creative. My one caution is that something was lost in the printed word, lost in translation. It might have been more helpful to actually have a transcript of an actual preached sermon rather than a manuscript. I do recommend the book, particularly for those who may be seeking to re-examine their sermon preparation method; it was excellent in this regard.

Purchased the text for a course in our district school of ministry. Only a small percentage of us young (new) preachers have the opportunity or a ability to sit at the feet of preachers of this caliber. Fewer still can glean from their earnest sharing of their preparation from kernel to message. This book is not the cold technical manual of some other preaching texts but,don't miss the power found in the details of preparation and delivery. There is a sharing of this human experience and the wrestling with God to minister a word that is from him in due season. Rev. William D.Watley wrote, "In my experience,most sermons, while having the Holy Spirit as their ultimate source, come to us as seed or as spark or as sperm in the midst of our own work and warfare,struggles and strife,agony and anxieties,experiences and ecstasies,fallings and risings,stumbling and recoveries,and require some participation and input from us to produce a finished product." I only wish that for a few more dollars there was also a CD to hear the printed messages since preaching in general,and black preaching in particular, is an aural experience

Cuba is in turmoil. Cuban immigrants living in the United States have never given up their Bay of Pigs dreams to regain control over that island nation and the people of Cuba continue to suffer under a brutal dictatorship. When the operatives of Room 59, a secret U.N. anti-terrorism agency, get word that a new invasion of Cuba, coupled with assassination of one or both Castros is in the works, at least some of them want to wish it good luck. But the examples of Iraq and other American adventures are clear--simply removing evil dictators is more likely to result in civil war and even more civilian suffering than in some utopian outcome.

Kate Cochran is given the task of heading off disaster and is surprised when one of her senior executives asks to be lead operative. Jonas Schrader was involved in a mission in Cuba during the 1970s and has never forgotten the near-disaster, nor what he left behind. What he doesn't tell Kate is that he just might have to compromise the mission itself for his personal goals. And neither Kate, nor the Room 59 team, allow anything to compromise the mission--ever.

Author Cliff Ryder combines solid action with just a touch of military technology and enough emotional depth to make us buy into the character in an engaging thriller. In Room 59, as in the real world, characters are forced to make choices between grim alternatives--propping up evil dictators vs. allowing anarchy and a destructive civil war--rather than idealistic but unrealistic alternatives. Both of the major operatives find themselves sympathizing with the rebel movement they're sworn to eliminate, and Jonas in particular, has personal reasons to hold his hand. The Cuban Major assigned to assassinate Raul Castro is likewise sympathetic--even though his mission is one Room 59 hopes to stop.

For the most part, Ryder's writing is smooth and engaging. Occasionally, however, Ryder's style struck me as awkward. I found the internal dialogue occasionally obtrusive. Still, THE POWERS THAT BE is an intelligent look at the real questions facing those who would battle against terrorism, where every terrorist is, at least to some, also a freedom fighter battling oppression and dictatorship.

From the opening scene to the end, this is a mad-dash action caper that kept me turning the pages. If you're looking for great escapist reading, pick up this one. I'm anxiously looking forward to the next installment.

Room 59 is a multinational covert ops organization that specializes in doing the things that nations cannot do. The members are culled from various military, police and spy organizations and are trained to be the ultimate in deniable operatives. They are equiped with the very latest in high tech gear and can get support from just about any government organization. To top off all this, there is little interference or micromanagement from the countries involved.
Room 59 takes on the hard jobs that nobody in an official government military or intelligence capacity can do. They use small hard hitting teams that can do anything, including kill, to accomplish the mission. That is their mantra, the mission comes first.
So what happens when a top operative of Room 59 gets involved with an operation where he has a personal agenda? An agenda that nobody else in Room 59 knows about?
Room 59: The Powers That Be places Jonas, a former member of the German GSG9 special operations group into that situation. Jonas is tasked to keep an rogue organization from assassinating Raul Castro, Fidel Castro's brother. A powerful Cuban-American businessman wants Castro dead and the revolution in Cuba finally ended and he is willing to do anything to accomplish this goal. He sets up a mercenary group to invade Cuba and remove the current power structure. But first he must have Raul Castro exterminated.
The powers that be, though, do not want this. It is a common belief that if Castro falls, then the tiny island nation will be thrown into more civil war and chaos that will happen if the Cuban communists fall slowly apart under their own power. Room 59 is tasked with the mission to stop the assassination.
Jonas is placed in charge of the mission. But he has his own reason for getting involved because he has been to Cuba before and has ties to the chosen assassin.
The action is great. I enjoyed the plot and characters immensely. The author has no problem killing off characters, even important ones. He holds true to the mantra, mission first--everybody is expendable. I like this as it is a truism in military circles, people get wounded and killed. Nobody is so good as to be bulletproof. It also pays homage to an old military cliche, "no plan survives contact with the enemy." The plot twists and turns were good. Once I started reading I could not put it down.
I will admit I had a bit of a problem with the Gee-Whiz high tech gear. Some of the gear was too over the top and was not very believable. Kind of like some of the Bond gadgets. But that is my only complaint and a not very big one at that.

THE POWERS THAT BE by Cliff Ryder is an awesome beginning to a new suspense series, ROOM 59, in which a multi-national and clandestine agency meets the challenges of today's world of intelligence and action. Room 59 is a high-tech, action-based agency of the best operatives in espionage and counterterrorism. With multi-national agents, Room 59 accepts the dangerous missions that individual governments cannot touch for reasons of politics or danger. Kate Cochran, the head of Room 59, consults with anonymous representatives from different countries but in the end, it is her job to call the missions that will put her agents at risk of their lives in an attempt to keep the world safe from the new threats in today's global world.

In THE POWERS THAT BE, the disappearance of a double agent in Cuba turns ominous as political events in Cuba heat up. Rumors of rebel forces, action in Cuba and Miami, and the secret past of an operative all combine in this fast-paced thriller to heighten the intrigue. As the mission unfolds and lives are at stake, Cliff Ryder allows the reader a glimpse into the conflicting loyalties of governments and within individuals. International politics are not quite so black and white, and undercurrents of practicality, personal history and emotion enter into each mission. Cliff Ryder is excellent in creating a truly thrilling espionage suspense read with multi-dimensional characters in the agents and also the underlying politics. In THE POWERS THAT BE, danger is truly danger and lives are on the line with no guarantee. Cliff Ryder keeps the readers guessing with exciting twists until the very end when tough choices must be made in the heat of action. Forced with an excruciating heart-stopping choice, will the agents choose mission over their own personal loyalties?

Although the publisher labels this book as men's adventure, this book and this series will appeal to anyone, men and women, who like heart-stopping action, intriguing characters from director head to individual agents and political intrigue. In THE POWERS THAT BE both the women and men are multi-dimensional characters, highly trained and capable, dedicated to the mission and sometimes torn by the tough choices to be made when mission strategies come face to face with the enemy.

THE POWERS THAT BE has all the very best of the genre from the early classics to modern films and creates something entirely unique. THE POWERS THAT BE has all the intriguing high tech tools of the loved classics of Mission Impossible and James Bond but in Room 59, the danger is real and ever-present and the enemy not simplistic. Lovers of MI-5, Jean Le Carre and the Sandbaggers will relish the reflections on the nature of espionage and the concept of who watches the watchers. While Room 59 recalls all the great traditions of espionage thrillers, this novel also adds a new dimension --- in-the-trenches action and a look into some of the political hot spots from both a ground-level and long-term view. THE POWERS THAT BE is a must read for espionage enthusiasts craving variety in the genre!

Sometimes there are problems, international problems, that require intervention but no government is willing to openly sanction any actions. This is where Room 59 steps in. Room 59 is a top secret black ops unit and Kate Cochrane is the director. At her disposal are a vast array of agents well trained to meet the dangers that face them.

The mission is Cuba. Colonel Jonas Schrader and Marcus Ruiz are the primary operatives on a mission that will take them into the heart of Cuba. The story isn't one dimensional however, as there is action in Florida as well as glimpses into the past. Will the mission be jeopardized by this secret past? Who will live and who will die in this first exciting Room 59 book?

THE POWERS THAT BE is one of those thrill rides that leaves you guessing till the final end. I did figure out some of the secrets, but that didn't stop Cliff Ryder from having other surprises in store for me! Without spoiling the plot, the ending is a shocker and truly sets the stage for making the Room 59 series a hit due to the author's willingness to take chances.

THE POWERS THAT BE is populated with a large number of unique and interesting characters. We get glimpses into the minds of the handlers, such as the director, Kate, and the liaison, Judy Burges, who have to make tough decisions. Will they sacrifice the one for the good of the many? And then we have the field operatives, such as Marcus and Jonas. These are not one dimensional characters as they have thoughts, feelings, and even lives outside the job that sometimes conflict with the mission at hand. What choices will they make when everything is on the line?

Cliff Ryder writes a very credible and entertaining thriller. The fast pace keeps the reader rapidly turning the pages but even more importantly, the facts are clearly articulated so that someone unfamiliar with the terminology will feel drawn into the storyline. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things about THE POWERS THAT BE is the thought provoking questions Cliff Ryder raises about international politics. Excellent start to what appears to be a promising new series!

COURTESY OF CK2 KWIPS AND KRITIQUES