Suicide Books

This book is the first by Ed Naha to feature the futuristic muck-raking journalist, Harry Porter, who, in terms of personal style and cynical outlook, has a lot in common with Mike McQuay's 21st century private eye, Mathew Swain. The world that Harry Porter inhabits is very similar to the one that Mcquay creates in his books as well. Both books feature great dialog and creative sci fi situations. Ed Naha wrote a sequel, THE PARADISE PLOT, which is every bit as enjoyable as this one.

(Cover Blurb) All over America thousands of kids were jumping off buildings. Ace reporter Harry Porter had the only lead. All he knew was that it somehow involved the Church of the Ancient Astronauts, a conspiracy to kill the President, and the imminent threat of nuclear war. Harry Porter was the last of a dying breed, a hard-drinking, womanizing print journalist in an age of tranx bars and "happy news" video. He had the biggest scoop of his checkered career- if he lived long enough to file it.

I have read the book five or six times. The story of Harry and his friends(one of them a household computer) coming together to save the country, never fails to hold me. It is one of the few story lines that I have combed the book shelfs for, in vain.

Reading a book on the subject of suicide, of course is not going to be a light, easy read but this book has a great flow to it. The first chapter is very forceful due to the strong language but sets the tone very well for Maxx's, the main character, "journey" throughout the rest of the book. People shouldn't get sidetracked and focus on the words he uses rather than looking at his state of mind as a whole during this pivotal time.

The rest of the chapters, until the final chapter, are interestly written from the viewpoint of those closest to Maxx: his family and friends. Each takes a different angle to show different sides of Maxx and the relationship with that person "narrating" the chapter. It really gives you a complete, multi-dimensional view of the main character and his many layers (which we ALL have, that's part of being human) which all contribute to what kind of person we become. You really get to see the relationships of Maxx to his father, sister, buddies, girlfriends, teachers, etc. It also gives you an insight to how these relationships and events that occur within them contribute to Maxx contemplating suicide.

The last chapter goes back to Maxx and, without giving anything away, he then really re-examines his whole life up to that point and finally starts to make sense of things. This is probably the best, most well-written chapter with a lot of insight into life in general.

Overall, a great read and very interesting story about someone on the brink of committing suicide. I think this book can be very helpful to someone in that state of mind also, to help them see the whole picture and how this act affects everyone around them. It is definitely recommended, not to mention the price is very reasonable.

Shockingly honest and unhesitatingly blunt, "Why?" takes you into the mind of an attempted suicide victim and gives readers a perspective on this tragedy that few writers attempt to tackle-that of the individual himself. The story itself is an emotional roller-coaster and alternates between violent, self-destructive verbal outbursts and somber self-reflection. The result is a book that is nearly impossible to put down. You become so wrapped up in the life of this heartbreakingly idealistic young man that you feel a sort of personal responsibility to hear him out. Which is all the main character, Maxx Springs, ever wanted anyone to do in the first place.

The format of "Why?" is one of the most interesting aspects of the story. The first and last chapters are written from the perspective of Maxx Springs himself; in between, each chapter describes the thoughts of a different person in Maxx's life who has come to visit him in the hospital. It's fascinating to see not only the different perspectives that people have of their relationship with Maxx, but also of their own lives and what has meaning to them. One thing they have in common is their true concern for their friend, their family member, who now lies helpless in a hospital bed. And tragically, the one thing they didn't do enough of was what they all try to do now-tell him how much he means to them.

A significant aspect of this book is that it is not written from the perspective of someone with a life unfamiliar to many of us. Maxx Springs had a comfortable, middle-class upbringing, was able to go to school, and for the most part, it seemed, had a fairly secure future. A series of profound familial problems, however, forced him into a deep depression-an all too common occurrence-so that the world, and life itself, lost its appeal and its beauty and became flat. And being such an idealistic, introspective, and beauty-appreciating individual, it was simply more than Maxx could bear. It is a harsh realization that we all face at some time or another, regardless of our income or social standing-our family and friends, and our world, have many more flaws than we thought they did. Everyone can relate to the feeling you get when you realize that society is mostly indifferent to our individual suffering and that in many ways, we're on our own. For this reason, every reader can relate to the pain Maxx feels and will be drawn into his story. It's a reminder to let people know you care about them and to offer your support when they need it. Otherwise, it may be too late.

"Why?" is not written in high-brow, literary English. The language is shockingly colloquial, and anyone will feel like they're listening to one of their friends from college. Which is just as well-we may know somebody who needs our help. If you want to know the real thoughts of someone who has attempted suicide, or who is in danger of doing so, read this book.

This collection contains: "To Wake the Dead," "The Blind Barber," "The Crooked Hinge," and "The Case of the Constant Suicides." All star Carr's elephantine, shovel-hatted detective, Dr. Gideon Fell.

"To Wake the Dead" (1938)- South African drunkenly bets a friend that he can travel from Capetown to London, on his own by Feb 1, without any money and without any aid except for his own wits. Murder ensues, as does the gargantuan Fell.

"The Blind Barber" (1934) - A shipboard mystery/comedy concerning the murder of a woman, whose body subsequently disappears, the loss of a valuable emerald, and recurrent assault and battery on the ship's captain by various blundering would-be detectives. This is the most blatantly farcical of all his books, with a lot of drunken shenanigans and a truly ditzy heroine. Fell does his detection from his arm chair, after the fact (smart man!).

"The Crooked Hinge" (1938)- John wasn't the heir, but the black sheep of the family when he was packed off to Colorado via the spanking, new ocean liner, 'Titanic.' He was thought to have died when his ship sank on her maiden voyage, but after his older brother dies without issue, not one but two John Farnleighs show up within a year of each other to claim the family estate and title.

"The Case of the Constant Suicides" (1941) - in which Dr. Fell lays a Scottish ghost and investigates the mysterious death of old Angus Campbell. Was it was accident, suicide, or murder?

When a child loses someone close to her, she has a hard time saying goodbye. In this book, the main charcter loses her dog, Abby. She has a hard time saying goodbye to her beloved friend and companion. This is an excellent book to use to teach children, adolescents, and adults about death and dying- as well as the grieving process. By reading "Abby," one is able to better understand the normal process we as humans go through when someone we love dies.

Very practical text with case studies that embellish on points. Excellent for counselors, school social workers and school psychologists who assess ar risk youth.

Sixteen great stories about the air war in World War II. I appreciate learning about seldom reported aspects of the sacrifice and losses of those men. I wish that there more photographs and that the stories had more details in them.
The writing was clear and concise. I would recommend this all WWII buffs. It told the airman's story very well.

An interesting and exhaustive look into this often misunderstood subject. Enjoyable if a little academic. Good insight for classic students, and a beach-read.

A Christmas Journey, By Anne Perry, is the first of the author's Christmas novels.
Let me start by saying that I really appreciate Anne Perry and enjoy her books. This story, if it was a stand alone having nothing to do with Christmas, and all to do with Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, would have been better received. The short book was enjoyable; as an average book by Ms. Perry is better than many authors' best work. However, if you are looking for a story about England at Christmas, I would suggest looking elsewhere. There were only a couple of times that the holiday was mentioned, and it had little to do with the story. That said, if you want to learn more about Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould (One of the truly great characters from the Thomas and Charlotte novels) this is a great way to do it. This story I rate 3 stars.

A Christmas Visitor is the second Christmas tale by Anne Perry. The first book, A Christmas Journey, was a nice book about redemption and forgiveness, yet had little to do with the Christmas season. In A Christmas Visitor, however, Ms. Perry's storytelling skills and the Christmas season take center stage. The story involves the suspicious death of Judge Judah Dreghorn and a house and property that he bought years before after a claimant for the property was sent to prison, by Judge Dreghorn, for forgery. Family friend Henry Rathbone travels to the Dreghorn home as does the surviving brothers and sister-in-law of Judah. The story is very interesting and the mystery is a nice puzzle. Ultimately, family and the spirit of the season are the most important elements of this very good four (4) star book.

Together, these books rate four stars. A holiday treat.

Written as a great guide to world funerary practices for undergraduates and the curious layperson, Parker Pearson's, "The Archaeology of Death and Burial" presents excellent traditionalist, processualist, and post-processualist theories and empiracal evidence of death archaeology worldwide.

Combining striking imagery, sensory details, and memorable characterization, Dorothy B. Hughes builds a good head of paranoia and suspense in her 1942 thriller THE FALLEN SPARROW. Hughes does a masterful job of bringing us readers into the mindset of troubled yet determined hero John "Kit" McKittrick. Kit's boyhood friend Lt. Louie Lepetino had helped him escape from the Spanish prison where he'd been held captive and tortured for two agonizing years after the Spanish Civil War. When Kit returns to New York City from a rest cure at a ranch, he's stunned to discover that Louie's dead, having plummeted 12 stories from an apartment house window at a swanky party honoring wartime refugees Dr. Christian Skaas and his suave nephew Otto. Hell-bent on proving that Louie's death was neither accidental nor a suicide, Kit arms himself and starts sleuthing. His grim goal: killing Louie's killer.

Kit has his work cut out for him. His suspects include just about everyone in his upscale circle of friends, but especially the women, since he's sure only a woman could have gotten close enough to Louie to shove him out a window. The suspects include Kit's alluring old flame Barby Taviton; the lovely, sad-eyed refugee Toni Donne; and songbird Content Hamilton, the young cousin of Kit's friend Ab Hamilton. (TANGENT ALERT...My eyes kept tripping over the name "Content" as I read. For all I know, it might have been a popular name for girls back in the early 1940s. To my 21st-century eyes, reading "Content" as somebody's name just looked odd, yanking me out of the story several times before I finally resigned myself to it...END TANGENT ALERT). But Kit's biggest obstacle is that he's suffering from what we modern folk now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He's still haunted by the memory of the mysterious man from Franco's elite Nazi squad, a man with a limp who tortured Kit in his dark cell, trying to get him to reveal where he'd hidden the fabulous Babylon goblets he'd wrested away from the enemy as an act of defiance. Even now, Kit struggles with fear in spite of himself as he imagines hearing the drag and thump that signified the arrival of the sadistic "Wobblefoot" -- but is he really imagining it, or have his enemies followed him home to New York, maybe even planting their spies into every aspect of Kit's life?

Hughes sure knew how to grip a reader with suspense while evoking the feeling and atmosphere of wintertime World War 2 Manhattan, even if some of her turns of phrase looked a little odd to this modern reader (such as a reference to Content's "wrathy eyes"). Her portrait of upscale café society characters and their milieu is presented with both glamour and bitterness as seen through Kit's eyes. Kit's viewpoint is especially intriguing because, it's indicated, he's had trouble fitting in for some time, having been raised in a working class environment only to be shoehorned into the glamorous life when his policeman dad came into money, which only turned into more money when his mother became a widow and married into the upper crust. It's easy to sympathize with Kit in spite of his misogynistic streak; after all, he was put through hell in Spain only to return to more terror and danger at home, and he spends lots of time and energy stubbornly trying to convince himself he's not afraid, only to be proven wrong, to his frustration. Although Dorothy B. Hughes's mysteries were wildly popular during her heyday, even being adapted into hit movies, her books seemed to be all but forgotten after she retired to concentrate on her family. Amazon.com has both new and used paperback editions of THE FALLEN SPARROW available (the one I read had a cover which had an uncanny resemblance to the FRENCH CONNECTION movie poster), so seek out this spellbinding thriller and rediscover Hughes now!

THE FALLEN SPARROW