Crime Books

Simply terrific! I read this between 1am and 4am, just taking breaks to go to toilet. Couldn't put it down until I finished it! Great writing, terrific plot with no holes in it, a wallop of an ending and best of all no sappy sex scenes to detract from the suspense. Buy it!

I've read several Hard Case Crime books now and A Touch of Death is one of the best. It starts with one hot woman soliciting a man to do a bad deed, moves on to a even hotter woman getting the man to do even worse deeds. Extortion, insurance [...], murder, mayhem, sexy men and hot women. What more could you ask for in a mystery?

The cover is very nice too and I kept wondering when we'd get that scene and we did. Whoever is putting these Hard Case books together is doing a great job.

A decade after college-football glory, Lee Scarborough has fallen on hard times. With a paltry $170 in his kick, he's sold everything but his car. When the prospect of a cool $120,000--to be picked up after he performs some shady, quick work involving modest risk--is dangled before him, he bites. And that's the setup to this ferociously entertaining 1953 thriller by the prolific Williams, whose minimalist style brings with it enough excrutiating detail to keep you in a mesmerized state located somewhere between a fever dream and the bughouse. Like his fellow Gold Medal-original author, John D. MacDonald, Williams plumbs the psychology of his protagonist with grim insight--a neat trick when the protagonist is also the book's narrator. Scarborough isn't stupid, but his imagination is limited. To him, nothing matters but the money. When things begin to break bad, and the modest risk becomes a whole catalog of enormous ones, Scarborough keeps his eye on the prize. He's plenty cognizant of the mess he's in. Trouble is, the money always seems more real than the mess. Scarborough steps off the cliff completely when he gets mixed up with un-grieving widow Madelon Butler, a babe so beautiful she can stop traffic. Circumstance glues the pair together, which wouldn't be all bad from Scarborough's point of view--except that Madelon is an uber-sociopath. She's one of the great inventions of crime fiction: alluring, funny, and horrifying. Oh, yeah, she's smart, too. Way smarter than Scarborough. Chuck Pyle's period-perfect cover painting for this Hard Case Crime reissue captures Madelon in an oddly significant moment. The painting is faintly disturbing on its own terms, but look at it again--hard--after you read the scene in context. It'll scare the hell out of you. A Touch of Death might be the best title yet from the folks at Hard Case.

Sure, the plotting of A Touch of Death by Charles Williams isn't 100% airtight. But that's easy to forgive in view of the wonderfully hardboiled dialogue and the compellingly captivating and suspense filled narrative.
It wasn't too many years ago that Lee Scarborough was a college football player of some renown. But today he's a down on his luck salesman looking for a break. When he learns that there's $120,000 in embezzled bank funds ripe for the plucking, he decides to go after it. Little does he realize he is about to cross paths with Madelon Butler, an aristocratic beauty with ice water where her blood should be.
Lee naively believes he can outsmart Madelon. Trouble is, he's playing checkers while Madelon is playing three dimensional chess. As the fast paced story unfolds, Lee's straits become more and more dire and he finds out the hard way that crime doesn't pay (at least not for him).
Charles Williams was a great writer and A Touch of Death is one of his best efforts. Highly recommended.

From the instant Lee Scarborough spotted Diana James sunning herself sans bikini top, he should have known she meant trouble. The ex-football star was trying to sell his car to pay rent money. Diana James just happened to live in the same building as a prospective buyer. And she recognizes a useful pawn when she sees one: the healthy, athletic Scarborough has all the tools she needs to pull off a caper.

Diana invites him up to her apartment, tests her mark, and then lays out what seems like a simple plan. A banker had embezzled $120K of currency and then hidden it in his estate home... just before turning up up dead. Diana knows the embezzler's wife and intends to take her on a drinking binge up the gulf coast while Scarborough enters the home and locates the dough. Scarborough and James agree to split the $120 grand after they pull off the caper.

Soon Scarborough finds himself in the dark and cavernous home, scrounging around for the bankroll. One little problem: the widow, Madelon Butler, is in the home, drunk as a skunk. And, to complicate matters, someone else is also in the house...

As the tale unfolds, you'll find yourself startled and impressed with the crafty Ms. Butler -- who plays all of the characters around her like fiddles. Charles Williams has created an elegant, captivating story of exceptional quality: built like a Swiss watch, the plot just keeps unwinding... along with Scarborough's life. This is a tremendous story and one that should be optioned into film, just like Williams' Hot Spot.

This is a great book for anyone interesed in becoming a Trooper or other Law Enforcement Officer. It helps people understand the inherent risks of the job, but it also shows the amount of respect the North Carolina Highway Patrol receives (and deserves). It details several deaths of NC troopers (such as Giles Harmon and Bobby Coggins). It is an older book and very difficult to find copies of now.

A great read, hard to put down once you start

Firstly, this book is a credit to the North Carolina Highway Patrol -- a fine highway patrol organization.

I first read this book in late 1990, shortly after graduating from the Illinois State Police Academy. I enjoyed it, but didn't really connect with it on a "5 star level", as it didn't quite fit my concept of what highway patrol work is about and what my career would be like.

Now, 18 years later, I have thumbed through the book and find that it uncannily portrays exactly what patrol work is about. Some humor, some horror, some drudgery, some satisfying public service. Most of us love it, as witnessed by the almost non-existent resignation rate. The author did an outstanding job of selecting tales and retelling events.

The book is a bit unsettling to me since, as indicated by the title, it rather focuses on true fatal events that have happened out on the road (North Carolina highways, in this case). Almost all troopers have had countless gun battles in their sleeping dreams . . . no glory, just horror. Not to mention the even greater hazard of getting run over. As policeman/author David Hunter so accurately phrased it, "Every traffic enforcement stop contains the seeds of death". He was correct.

This is a very good book. Not everyone will connect with it, but if you're interested in the topic matter, I recommend it.

This book is great if you have ever thought about a career in the Highway Patrol. Just realize though it was written back in the 1980's and things have changed alot in the orgainization as a whole, but the people are still as crazy and dangerous as ever. The Stories are real and you can't put this book down.

This is an excellent guide to discovering who stands behind the badges of the highway patrol. I have a new found appreciation for the men and women who risk their lives every day. Even when they have to do so in an environment of decreasing respect and increasing firepower. I strongly reccomend this book.

Monika Everhardt is the head nurse of the intensive care unit at St. Teresa's Hospital. When she learns that a young woman bled to death from an abortion but wasn't even pregnant, she decides to investigate.

The family threatens to sue the hospital. The hospital not only has to grapple with that, but soon anti-abortion protestors and bomb threats are all too real. Plus the hospital is having financial trouble.

Where was the woman's husband during all this? He is an Army Ranger and was supposed to be away on training, but was he?

Amid all these questions and problems, Monika digs deeper and deeper to uncover the truth.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in this series. It is a fast-paced story and hard to put down. I highly recommend it.

From start to finish, this book kept me turning one page right after another. As a fan of Anne Perry's Hester Latterly, I am delighted to have a modern nurse following Hester's impressive footsteps.
One of the most important aspects of this book is the accuracy with which Sullivan portrays the pressures and challenges of modern nursing. In addition, the characters are interesting, the plot compelling and the suspense was compelling. I'm looking forward to the second novel. PS. Many of my friends will get a copy of Twice Dead in their Christmas stocking!

As a St. Louis resident, I always enjoy books that are set here, with their references to all my favorite places. But this book has far more to offer than a familiar setting - there is a great mystery plot, characters I'd like to meet, and some great background on the problems going on in our medical community today. Eleanor knows her stuff - she writes with intelligence and wit. Great read.

Face-paced, realistic, yet peppered with wry humor - a mystery I couldn't put down. You don't have to be a nurse to
appreciate the hospital background, but if the killer doesn't scare you, the "managed care" system will. Sullivan knows her
stuff!

In Twice Dead, we get to share the twists and turns of discovering a killer with Monika Everhardt and her best friend and police officer, BJ. These characters are likable, and they ring true all the way through the story. Even the minor characters have substance. As a lay person, I liked seeing the inner workings of a big city hospital in this era of "managed care". Of course, I loved putting together the pieces of the murder puzzle, one reason those of us who read mysteries love them. The hospital setting, along with the neighborhoods of South St. Louis, add to the richness of the story. Several of my mystery-reading friends and family are getting Twice Dead for Christmas. I look forward to Eleanor's Sullivan's next book in this series.

Patricia Gussin is on my list from here on out: I haven't read her other work, but I'm looking forward to it after picking this one up on a whim. When a heart surgeon finds her husband in bed with his sexy co-anchor at the news station, she knows her first priority is making sure her family is all right. But when she's arrested for the anchorwoman's murder, she's left at the mercy of the justice system and her increasingly unhinged husband. Every twist and reveal feels organic, which doesn't often happen in thrillers. I really enjoyed the way her characters make bad decisions on occasion and keep secrets from one another in recognizable ways that don't just serve to move the plot forward in arbitrary fashion. Really strong, enjoyable read.

I was knocked out by this book, but in a slow-burn way. Gussin's prose has a way of sneaking up on you: it doesn't show off, because it doesn't have to. Many entries in this genre feel like chest-puffing exercises in braggadocio, but this novel relies on the basics: realistic plotting, solid characters and relentless pacing. A novel about adultery and how it fractures a marriage and a few lives in the process, Twisted Justice moves carefully through a plot that doesn't let up until the last sentence. Her work with different voices is amazing: she's equally comfortable with detailed medical jargon as she is with the rough criminal dialect of Florida mobsters. I won't ruin the ending, but I was genuinely surprised at the reveal of what actually happened in that blood-stained apartment...a treat for thriller aficionados of any stripe.

Dr. Laura Nelson, a respected and talented surgeon, faces more calamities than is possible in this twisting tale. To begin with, she walks into her home after a long and difficult day and night of surgery to find her husband and a strange woman nude in the family room. Then she is found later on in that woman's home kneeling by her dead body and Laura's fingerprint on the murder weapon. She is arrested and accused of the murder. Among other travails to follow, one of her children is found to be seriously ill.

This novel is a complex story about mistakes, failed relationships, lies, manipulation and betrayals. The author is a physician and uses her professional knowledge to provide the story with a high degree of realism. Moreover, she does a credible job in the ins and outs of Laura's legal defense and child custody problems. The only criticism is her characterization of the husband, which is superficial (as is he).

All in all, the novel is a well-paced saga, suspenseful with a plot that keeps the reader wondering what will happen next. Dr. Nelson first appeared in Shadow of Death, and it would seem she is poised to play a role in a future novel.

This is the definition of a solid thriller. Too often, I'm annoyed by dialogue or plot devices that feel shoe-horned in just so the author can stunt a little. Twisted Justice feels real: you can see yourself making the same decisions, good and bad, that the characters make. That authenticity elevates the novel far above most of the other books I've read in the genre. The novel also doesn't rely just on the murder mystery aspect of the plot: it fleshes out the relationships between characters who are, once again in recognizable fashion, often acting on gut instinct, sometimes to disastrous effect. A fascinating and assured addition to the mystery thriller canon.

I loved this book! First off, instead of just coming along with the story which I'm usually doing when reading a mystery, I felt myself echoing each choice made by the characters, often feeling as if I would speak in the same voice were I in that situation. Gussin's ability to place the reader within the plot in such a visceral, yet subtle way, is a true talent. Her protagonist, Dr. Laura Nelson, is a real woman, who despite being a top thoracic surgeon, can be hurt just like any woman when she finds her husband cheating on her. When the woman her husband cheated on her with is found dead, she's accused of the murder, and to make matters worse, her husband thinks she did it. While the backbone of the plot is the murder mystery, the story of her family being pulled apart and what she has to do to keep it together is the heart of the novel. Gussin paints a layered portrait of how fragile happiness can be.

This is an excellent book that state legislators should read. Among other points, the author articulates research on how the decreased use of parole has actually led to shorter sentences and less accountability in prisoner rehabilitation. While this book was written several years ago and a lot of research has been conducted in the interim, it offers an excellent account of how our crime policies have unintended consequences.

One of the particular strengths of this book is that it is very non-partisan. Considerable attention is paid to those who are incarcerated as well as their victims. The attention paid is also not done in an emotionally driven plea for either side but through the use of opinion polls and an understanding that victims of crimes vary in their responses.

An additional strength of this book is that in its discussions, it separates out dangerous offenders from the marginal offenders, their impact on society and what should be done about them. There are few books that offer as many concrete suggestions about what to do as does this book.

Because this book is a few years old and there has been a lot of research done since its publication, I highly recommend that it be supplemented with other books on corrections, prisons and jail, such as Imprisoning Communities or Punishment and Inequality in America.

Petersilia has written a book on a topic that should clearly be of interest to all of us - not just those in the corrections field. She continues to define community corrections in her unique, empirically-oriented, style. Her writing is lucid, non-pretentious, and cutting-edge. As a non-academic, I found it totally readable and useful.

Petersilia is one of the most well-known corrections scholars in the country. She writes in an easy-to-read style that is engaging and interesting in a book that will be of interest to academics, policymakers, practitioners, and the general public.

After about a decade of imprisoning record numbers of people, we now face record numbers of parolees re-entering society. This book both describes the challenges that prisoners face as they come back to the community and how we can help them in their efforts to succeed.

"When Prisoners Come Home sets the stage for reinventing the offender pre-release planning and discharge process. Dr. Petersilia's insight is nothing less than inspiring."
--Reginald Wilkinson, Former President, American Correctional Association

"Joan Petersilia has brilliantly mapped the terrain of prisoner reentry, mixing forgotten wisdom, new data, and fresh insights into a compelling call for new approahces to the reintegration of returning prisoners."
--Jeremy Travis, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute

"When Prisoners Come Home is scholarship at its highest practical level. With about 600,000 prisoners being released each year, governments are planning massive and expensive efforts to deal with the avalanche. Dr. Petersilia's book is a necessary ally in that formidable task. To add to its attraction, it is crisply and clearly written--scholarship infused by practical experience and presented without pretension. For many decades it will dominate the literature on parole and the conditions of prisoners returning to society."
--Norval Morris, Julius Kreeger Professor of Law and Criminology, Emeritus, University of Chicago

This book disucsses the most important issue facing our neighborhoods and families over the next 10-20 years - re-entry! Re-entry is the process of prisoners returning home after years of separation from their families, jobs, and community. Joan Petersilia has conducted research on re-entry for many years. She describes the re-entry process, discusses the numerous legal issues, and identifies the day-to-day reality prisoners face as they come home.

This book is written with the general public in mind, but is grounded is solid research and valuable for policy makers. It is easy to read and hard to put down. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand the problem and impact our recent years of incarceration has had on our population.

Harlan Carvey's book, Windows Forensic Analyisis, is an invaluable resource in any computer forensic examination of a Windows based computer. In real-life experience, I had a case where I had to determine file use by a former employee. The company never took the computer out of service and continued to use the machine after the employee left the company. By using the information in Windows Forensic Analysis on system restore points and MRU registry entries, I was able to determine not only what files were used but on what days. This book is one of the first I look to when I have questions on examining Windows systems. If you only have one reference book for Windows examinations, this should be the one. A must-have for any computer forensic examiners library!!

Once again Harlan Carvey has provided a resource worth every penny. The chapters detailing registry and memory analysis alone were extremely valuable to me. The accompanying DVD provides countless Perl scripts to assist in the collection and sorting of data.

This book is essential for understanding how to analyze memory dumps, albeit many forensic investigators will usually turnoff a computer instead of getting a memory capture to do a more traditional analysis.

The included scripts are very helpful. This book unlike many other books in this genera is designed for the technical professional. Forensic analysis is often like a who done it mystery, and having some more tools in your toolkit will assist you in thinking outside the box. The registry analysis was thorough and essential for a recent project. The memory dump analysis scripts were helpful in a recent Defcon Capture the Flag Competition. A sample chapter is avaliable online.

I purchased this book a few days ago, and as soon as I read the first chapter, I realized that I needed to read the entire book as quickly as possible. This is a wonderful book, and parts of it truely invoked a state of "nerdvana" in me!

PRO's:

First, I will say that the information in this book is tightly packed. There is no unnecessary verbage, and the writing is direct, to the point and understandable. There is a high ratio of technical content to noise, and this greatly contributed to my enjoyment of the book. Even in the technical areas that I was already familiar with, I found the summary of the information to be precise, accurate and helpful. I can see keeping the book around as a reference guide for years to come. The general structure of the book, for example the sections in grey boxes with the [!] annotation, works well, and the end-of-chapter summary and review (particularly the Q&A) are good.

There were several sections, ones that I was personally weak in to start with, that I found particularly helpful, such as the sections on analyzing packed or compressed executables and malware. I had just never gotten around to reading the whitepapers on these, and I'm glad I didn't as those chapters of the book summarized in a few pages what would have taken many more to pick up by reading other original sources. I personally thought that the chapter-to-chapter flow of the narrative was fine for anyone who does incident response on a regular basis.

Through the years, Harlan Carvey has developed and made available his tools in an open (perl) format with no need for compensation. The tools on the DVD alone are worth the money of the book, and are a great addition to any IR toolkit. The references to third party tools, many of which I hadn't heard of, were also particularly helpful.

CON's:

If you are not very technical, or not very familiar with the Windows operating system, you may be overwhelmed by the level of technical detail. If you are an experienced administrator, however, you should be able to adapt what you know about other operating systems (e.g. file structures, process execution, etc.) fairly easily. There were a few typographical errors in the book that didn't detract from its readability or technical accuracy.

All in all, and excellent book, and a must-have for ANY windows incident responder.

Harlan poured his clear love of incident response and of the forensic profession into this book. Windows Forensic Analysis dives into many exceptional topics that are routinely overlooked in similar material. The entire book covers many novel analysis techniques and topics, the registry analysis chapter and the file analysis chapter discusses many detailed artifacts and areas of examination during forensics that up until this was published was only discussed deep inside forensic circles or discovered through hard earned on-the-ground experience. The book's only drawback is that it covers too many topics and the chapters do not flow together as well as I would have hoped. A single chapter is excellent, but in many cases it doesn't lead you to the next one. I also found that the entire book could have been written on just registry forensics. However, in order to create broad appeal, the registry section was probably shortened. You can tell Harlan has a lot more to tell. Finally, the CDROM companion could have had more polish to the file layout as finding some of the tools is slightly confusing upon initial glance. Even with these minor drawbacks, the information in each chapter is phenomenal. I recommend this book to anyone looking to advance their understanding of the Windows analysis environment.

Writers are often told, "Write what you know." Good writing needs a ring of truth, an authenticity, and enough details to make it real and believable. In "Writer's Block," Bruce Kimmel has done just that. The story takes place in the world of musical theater, a world Mr Kimmel knows intimately. Arthur Myerson, a writer, is having difficulty with the second act of "Bus and Truck," a new musical that is not quite coming together. Tempers flare, the plot thickens, and then, the young composer/lyricist is found dead.

Although myself a mystery lover, I know I would have enjoyed this story even if it hadn't been a mystery. The characters are colorful yet real, the plot interesting, and it moves along nicely. It's clever and well-crafted, a fascinating read that is likely to be a hit with theater lovers and mystery lovers alike. It also has a surprise ending, which I quite enjoyed. A must-read for the theater crowd, and a good pick for all.

Bruce Kimmel has produced a mystery book that even professed "whodunit haters" will love. From the first words of the story you are drawn into the world of 1960's musical theatre, skillfully painted by one who knows it well.

In no way is this the usual formulaic treatment found in your average mystery/thriller, and Mr. Kimmel throws one heck of a curve ball,,,several times!

I read this book cover to cover in one sitting, unable to put it down, and then tover the next week re-read it again... and again.

I highly recommend this novel to mystery lovers, mystery haters and anyone who has ever been in, attended or heard of a Broadway musical. Highly entertaining, and thought provoking.

I must say that, as one who is not normally a reader of mystery, I was wary that this book might not be for me...I am happy to say that I was wrong. So intrigued was I by the 1960's Broadway background that I was easily swept into the story--one that kept and held my attention not only through a series of interesting plot twists and narrator turns, but also stuck with me in such a way that I was still contemplating the story days after I finished. That, I believe, is the sign of a good read. Well done, Mr. Kimmel. The Kritzer books are next on my list!

Bruce Kimmel, whom a lot of us came to love as the leading producer of show music over the last decade-plus, had a career previous to that in film and television (we won't count his early theater work, since that was largely school-based). For the last couple of years, he has pursued a third career, that of novelist, with the zeal and savoir-faire that have marked his two previous endeavors.

Unlike his recent Kritzer trilogy, Writer's Block is a neat little mystery, with a "Deathtrap"-like structure that provides a nice surprise about halfway through the book (not so surprising when one considers that Ira Levin and Kimmel are friends). What really makes Writer's Block tick, though, is Kimmel's insider knowledge of the trappings of musical theater, and he peoples his book with a nice gallery of not-so-secretly renamed folk from the golden age of Broadway: think Merrick, Champion, Laurents, Sondheim.

I only have two minor quibbles with this book, and they are very minor--most importantly, I wish it were longer, with more time devoted to fleshing out the characters and giving them a bit more backstory. The characters are exceedingly well-drawn in the time that is given to each in the book, but my sense is if you don't have a pre-existing image of David Merrick or Gower Champion, you might not get the full gist of their counterparts in the book. My second quibble is with where the murder is placed. It's where it is for a reason in the book, but I personally wished the book would have started with the murder, then begun with the story as written, leading to the first denouement about halfway through. I've probably been reading too much Dan Brown lately.

If you are a fan of musical theater, or books with unexpected surprises, you are certain to find Writer's Block well worth your while.

The true test of a good book is if you can't put it down. Well, in that case, WRITER'S BLOCK passes with flying colors! Set in 1969 in the world of musical theatre, this murder mystery takes you through the out of town try-outs of a new musical, BUS AND TRUCK.

You get to meet Arthur, the book writer who can't seem to finish Act Two (hence the title, Writer's Block); Stanley the brilliant young composer who stubbornly refuses to cut any of his songs; Galen the talented director/choreographer; and Conrad the bossy producer who wants a hit show.

The story is compelling and full of twists and turns, including a very surprising "twist" half way through the book.

This is a mystery like no other you've read. I would definitely recommend it.

I searched everywhere for this book, and when I found it, I practicly lunged at it, and it was beyond worth it. Step into the life of the young sleuth, Lili, as she uncovers mysteries by finding the birthdates of the victims and the suspects, so she can use her mothers ring to solve the cases. I love the series; I bought all of the books within a month. Enjoy!

This is a very good series, despite being so short. I love how the mysteries are incorporated with tidbits of astrology. It's really very interesting and engrossing. Another thing I love is the blossoming romance between Lily and Hiromi is so fun and you'll be screaming for them to get together the whole time. Lily is an astrology whiz who has just taken over her missing mother's job; Spica. Spica is a detective who uses her secret ring to call upon the spirits of each sign to help her solve the murder or mystery. The little spirits are adorable and each has a distinctive personality based on their representative sign. Throughout each book their will be author's notes telling you about the sign being investigated at the time. The mysteries themselves are varied and some (as in later in the series) can be downright frightening! This isn't a book that will scare you, however. It's a story about mystery, lost love, a missing parent, and fun. There are many funny bits to lighten the story up. The art style involves a lot of shading and screen tones. It is very detailed. This is a great series all around and I definitely recommend it!

This is a good series. It's about Lili, a high-schooler who solves crimes with the help of a magical ring containing the spirits of the zodiac signs (Virgo, Scorpio, etc.), who give her clues to track down who did the crime, and how.

The art is pretty good, but not what I would call remarkable. The story is mostly meant for younger kids, so a 10-year-old would probably like it a bit more than a teenager. If you're trying to get a friend of yours interested in manga, (or want to find out about manga yourself) this is a good choice for fans of Nancey Drew and Encyclopedia Brown.

This manga is great! It has comedy, mystery and action. And the art is beautiful. Its too bad that there is not much on it on the web... Cause it never got turned into a tv show, and so it is not known very well :( I recommend that you buy this and introduce this to your friends, make them read it even though they might judge the book by its cover! my buddies say that they didnt like to read this because of the cover T_T! its a good manga!

I LOVE Zodiac P.I.! It's wonderfully written, with a awesome cast of characters and catchy plot! I've read all 4 of the books so many times that I accidently ripped the spine of the 4th volume...oopps.

~The Characters~
Lili (NOT Lily) Hoshizawa is a 13 yr. old astrologist on a search for her mother,Kaoruko Hoshizawa,who disappeared 2 years ago. In the meantime,she busts mysteries under the alias Spica P.I. and leaves the police, along with her own father, scratching thier heads as to who she is. She solves crimes with 2 things: the birthdate of the victim and the help of 12 zodiac spirits who give her clues and guidance from Lili's summoning of her Star Ring.
Hiromi Oikawa,however,is another story. Good-looking,yes, Hiro is also a detective(much to Mr. Hoshizawa's annoyance) and deals with the mysteries in a logical manner. At times, he's a regular pain in the behind. Hiromi is also allergic to girls, including his own sister, Megumi(whose vainity is VERY annoying..I'd like to do nothing more than kick her and Michelle/Sailor Neptune over a cliff. They're so AIR-HEADED...) I find that very funny.......poor Hiromi!!

This is one of the best books I have ever read, Abby and the rest of the BSC help at a club, and then the action starts. I thought they were mean not to let certain people get in. But the rest is O.K.!

This is my second Baby Sitters Club i hate! It is only a a murder of a reporter.

It was my seventh mystery read. The first 5 mysteries were just borrowed and the sixth one was the first I bought.I was discouraged by that, I never bought any mystery any more.But mom seemed to like it rather than the other books I read.So she gave me one for my birthday.I liked it because Abby and I both have asthma and a mom that works far from home. Idecided to collect as many as I can of these mysteries.I now have all up to mystery #28.I stareted collectin this since my birthday last month.

When Abby discovers that there is a mysterius past about Stonybrooks new country club the, "Baby Sitters Club," decides that they should find out about it. This book is fast paced, exciting, and readers of all ages will enjoy it. It is also a must read for those young detectives out there.

Abby hates February, too hot for some things and too cold for others which is why she decides to help renovate dark woods to greenwoods . She finds out about a secret society at Dark woods and the death of a journalist who was looking into the secret society. Then it becomes more than a February distraction. I would recommend this book to all ages because it is not complicated and is easy to follow but i think it was a bit unrealistic at times.I would rate it 41/2. A great book on the whole.

I am a huge fan of this series. I read every book in the previous Fearless series. I was looking forward to the FBI series, but it's begining to worry me. For starters, I hated the characters of Catherine and Kim. Will is ok but he does not compare to Sam or Ed, Gaia's previous boyfriends in other books. Gaia has never been stupid. As a teen she was intelligent, strong and capable. She never would have done such stupid things as she has done in this book. If you haven't read the book yet, stop reading because this will contain spoilers. I think it's incredibly stupid for Gaia to have gone off on her own searching for Catherine. If Gaia thinks the FBI is a good enough orginization to join, why would she question them regarding Catherine's disapperance? Shouldn't she have trusted them? Ignoring the FBI's orders and going after Catherine was very out of character for Gaia. Even for someone who has had trust issues in the past, they wouldn't ignore the FBI and trust complete strangers like Marsh. It just doesn't make sense. I didn't like how the book abandoned the lollipop case for awhile and then went off on this whole terrorist thing. The FBI doesn't know Catherine is terrorist? Give me a break! It was so stupid. Like the FBI wouldn't know about terrorists planting bombs under the city streets of Philadelphia. And like the FBI uses passcards for security. Hello! They'd use fingerprint or eye/retinal scans. Even a 6th grader should be aware of these flaws. Despite the flaws, I still give this book a 3 because I love the character of Gaia so much and I have hopes that the series will get back on track. I am currently reading the latest book and it's back on track with the lolli pop murder case. Stick to the cases and no more terrorists stuff, please!

Gaia leaves the FBI in order to rescue partner and best friend Catherine Sanders. After locating a house where Catherine was at some time after her disappearence Gaia finds herself in a lot of trouble. She makes a new 'friend' who very nearly strangled her to death when an agent turned PI comes to her rescue. She ends up needing help from her Hogan's Alley partners Will and Kim. But involving them will get them in trouble with the FBI and cause them to risk losing thier jobs. Gaia meets an excellent agent that mysteriously appears and helps her out until he mysteriously disappears. Gaia is being chased by the FBI and now with the knowledge of Grey ops fears for her life. Who is going to be able to get her out of this mess?

The book was totally awesome!!! I totally recomend it to someone who loves action. A great read!!!

Agent Out is a continuation of the last book, Live Bait. Gaia goes looking for her partner and friend Catherine by herself against FBI orders. This book is filled with SO many suprises, especially near the end. It mixes romance and adventure, just like the other Fearless books which makes this book so good. The ending is so unexpected it is by far my favorite Fearless book! I would recommend it to any Fearless fan!

I loved this book. I tried to go slower so i would have to wait as long for the next one but it didn't exactly work.In the beginning evrything makes sense and u just want Gaia to find Catherine. But nearer to the end you get confused and its one of those suspensed kind of confusing feelings. I have read every fearless book and reccomend the to ANYONE and EVERYONE. If u like suspense or staying up all nihgt reading u will love these books. The FBI series is a new series but i would reccomend reading the fearless series first. She ties the old books in very well! Gaia still hasn't gotten over Jake, and that plays a part in this series because she doesn't want to lie to will like she did to jake and sam and ed. So eventually she decides to tell him her secret and he doesn't even believe her!! He will eventually. Gaia is once agian forced to belive that she should never trust anyone when she is betrayed yet AGAIN. From who? now that ur going to have to read to find out about. Once agian great book. I can't believe we have to wait till JUNE for the next one!