New Jersey Books

I brought Jen Miller's guide to Wildwood last week for our annual family trip with my in-laws. Everybody, including the kids, found something new and interesting in it, even though we've been vacationing in Wildwood Crest for years now. Even if you think you know all there is to see and do down the shore, pick this gem up and take it to the beach with you.

This book really didn't offer anything new; I was hoping for something a bit like the Weird U.S.A. series that gives the reader more obscure things to see and do.

Like many who purchase this book, I'm not new to shore vacationing but have been spending short summer trips there since I was a little girl. Now grown and married, we've been toying with the idea of packing up and moving there. I share this to let you know what I was looking for in a guidebook. I wanted a feel for what it might be like to live there, head to the other towns, see what cultural events are availible in the off-season, etc. In essence, to go beyond the boardwalk but yet still get a feel for the best of what there is to see and do at the shore. I've purchased SEVERAL books on the topic but this book is by far the best and the one I continually refer back to. It might not have the pretty, coffee table feel that other books on the shore possess, (though it does have SEVERAL, fun black/white photos). What it lacks in esthetics, it more than makes up for in information. To start, the author fills you in on little fascinating details and sidebars that relate to the location's culture, history or both. The room/dining descriptions have a friendly feel, as if a local herself were describing the establishments to you in person, detailing thier pros, cons, and points of interest. Definitally not the feel of traditional stuffy guidebooks I have read in the past. This is a book I look forward to reading. It's a little bit culture, a whole lot of "what-to-do", a dash of history, and a healty dose of love for the shore. Thank you for this wonderful, insightful book! Give us more!

I've spent my life at the Jersey shore. As a kid, I marveled at the Diving Horse on Steel Pier. I grew up with Mr. Peanut. When I had kids of my own, I took them to Wildwood and Ocean City and Sea Isle. Then, without the crowd, I discovered the peace and beauty of Cape May.

This is what Jen Miller's book captures so well. Every shore is different. Every shore has its personality and purpose. You can't tell one from another without a really good scorecard. That's what this book is. Miller does an excellent job of capturing the psyche of each resort. The fact that she also turns this into a really good guidebook is a pure bonus.

It's one of those books you'll highlight, scribble in, tear out and send to friends. I'm buying copies for a lot of folks I know. Maybe even Mr. Peanut.

This is a great guide to the South Jersey Shore- a place where I had the pleasure to live for six years. Many of my summer days were spent traveling down the Parkway and back up again, visiting many of the places Jen Miller highlights and also made me wonder how I missed some other spots she mentions (How did I never visit the Alpaca farm?). On that note, she has a lot of information here that even locals can appreciate:

I had no idea Cape May is the third largest place in the US for weddings or that the Wildwood Boardwalk has more rides than Walt Disney World.

Her descriptions of each beach town give a first-time vacationer a good feel which beach would be appropriate for them (except I don't think Avalon and Stone Harbor cater to visitors of "all economic stripes" . . . it's basically the Ritz of the South Jersey Shore). It also can help a regular visitor discover new things - Miller's encyclopedia-like listing of eateries could see you making a checklist out of the chapters.

Particularly helpful are the pricing guides and notes about in-season and off-season hours.

However, the true highlight of the book are the shaded areas within every chapter where Miller gives helpful hints - like how to prepare for running at the beach (watch out for the wind), provides back histories - like the story of Wawa and shines the spotlight on those out-of-the-way spots - (Where the hell is Strathmere?)

Overall this is a great guide to the shore, though I would have appreciated more detailed descriptions of Somers Point, downbeach Absecon Island and Diamond Beach the same way Strathmere gets written up.

This book is a great guide for shoobies (the nickname locals give to tourists) and also something that can get native South Shore people interested in their immediate environs. It will more than likely be updated in many future editions to stay current and it would be good to have handy on your next trip to the South Jersey Shore.

Fascinating topic, but seems more focused on union-labor relations and politics than the highway itself. Lacks maps to back up descriptions of local geography, and the conclusion was extremely weak.

Some other books about New Jersey history and geography that I found a better read are Robert Sullivan's excellent Meadowlands, Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike by Gillespie and Rockland, and for the true hardcore transportation geeks and wonks out there: Doig's Empire on the Hudson.

Let me start by saying that I was born in Jersey City in 1940 and lived there until 1956. My father had his business there and after I finished school, I wound up in the family business. Because my dad was always interested and somewhat involved in politics, I still retain some knowledge and awareness of that one of a kind era.

I can vividly remember going to Journal Square and passing over the manmade cuts that looked like canyons to a young boy. And when I attended Dickinson High School, looking down on the approaching traffic to the Holland Tunnel.

This is a book that I've been looking for someone to write for many years. If you are from Jersey City or Hudson County and were born before 1950, so many memories will return. If you have any interest in machine politics, union labor or history in general, this is a great find. I couldn't put the book down and was very disappointed when I was finished.

Mister Hart could do us all a favor by supplementing his research and writing a complete history of Jersey City (Hudson County).

I live in North Jersey, but this book is relevant to anyone interested in American history, the changes this country underwent when the automobile became commonplace, and the evolotion of modern machine politics and bossism. This exhaustively researched, yet economically written book is full of insight and fascinating information about the power struggles that ensued as American cities tried to cope with the changes wrought by the need for roads.

Frank Hague is not as widely known as other political bosses of his era, but he should be, and Mr. Hart's smooth style and astute writing bring the decades-long Jersey City mayor to life and fill in many blanks about him. Hague's controversial reign had a permanent and very tangible impact in New Jersey, New York, and, in fact, throughout the nation.

The Last Three Miles has as its most specific focus the construction of what is now known as the Pulaski Skyway. Serving as macrocosm are the machinations of politicos and union men and corporations before and during the construction of America's first viaduct/superhighway. The cast of characters is nigh Shakespearean, and Steven Hart is particularly good at breathing life into the major players. Foremost is Frank Hague, Irish tough and one of America's great political bosses. Serving as foil is Teddy Brandle, the thuggish union boss who becomes rich and powerful by playing ball with Hague, and whose dispute with his patron over the construction of a hospital leads to the climactic labor struggle which serves as climax in Hart's narrative. Also making an appearance is railroad engineer, intrepid world-traveler and lothario Fred Lavis. There are many others.

In less deft hands, the book could easily have exceeded 500 pages, and been rendered unreadable to anyone not a historian by the inclusion of tedious minutiae. Hart's great gift is whittling down the story to its most concise threads, threads that pull the reader happily along. He tells his tale with wit and vigour, somehow managing not to skimp on essential context, situating his New Jersey narrative within the larger framework of labor woes and Tammany Hall-style 'democracy' and federal intervention in local public works. It's a great read. I laughed out loud at several points, most heartily during a catalog of the salaries and 'duties' of several well-paid Hague henchmen. Hart even manages to take the reader on a harrowing ride along the Skyway's hazardous route.

Hart treats his subjects fairly and allows their flaws largely to speak for themselves, which is refreshing. It's easy to condemn guys like Hague and Brandle for their paranoia and brutish excesses, ignoring their often astonishing achievements. The Last Three Miles documents both in an entertaining and enlightening manner, reminding us that this was how things got done for much of our history.

The Last Three Miles is not merely a story of the hopes, woes, and struggles behind the completion of a public works engineering feat that failed to live up to intended purposes. It's a story of a nation evolving from humble roots to industrial and economic supremacy, often in a ham-fisted, blundering fashion.

I'll nestle it on the bookcase between Plunkitt of Tammany Hall and The Death and Life of Great American Cities.

There's something repulsive, yet strangely compelling, about the Pulaski Skyway, the grimy eyesore that the author aptly describes as "a uniquely efficient generator of traffic accidents." Deride it you must, but the Skyway is a fitting landmark for the squalid industrial wasteland it straddles. You'll want to buy and read this book in a hurry, before the inevitable collapse of the rusty hulk -- which even today, after some 75 years of service, plays a vital role spewing traffic in and out of New York City. It can't be too long before the monstrosity falls down, as anyone can attest who regularly drives the wretched span linking the Holland Tunnel and points west.

This well-researched little book tells the complete story of the Skyway's ill-starred design and construction. But by way of context, it necessarily tackles a much bigger story: the life and times of the notoriously corrupt Frank Hague, long-serving mayor/dictator of Jersey City, and the bloody battles waged by trade unions locked out of the Skyway project -- a forgotten, sad chapter in America's history.

As a teacher of a 6th Grade class in a New York City public school, it is very rare to find a Principal who cares about the children in their school. There are other school administrators who allow students to literally " Run the school ". Disruptions of any kind in the school setting are not to be tolarated. In many instances, it is the Principal of a school who " Lays Down the Law ". Those in the education profession that take on the mindset of Principal Clark will have model school and classroom settings to be proud of. Principal Clark's demeanor is definately needed in the urban school environmment to bring about positive results.

Feel good I have a Dream speeches are not going to reform urban schools in America, tough love and discipline will. Obviously the above reviewer went to a nice middle class school, because these urban ones, like Chicago Public, are a nightmare and quite dangerous. One feels like their in a correctional facilty instead of a learning center. Gang members and drugdealers are not in need of saving by teachers. Thats not their job. They are their to teach. Youth who have decided to be urban terrorists need to be kicked out and let the correctional facilities handle them if their parents can't. 2700 shouldn't suffer because bleeding hearts want to stuff 300 miscreants and thugs in with them. Those 300 need to be in a boot camp. Gangs should be zero intolerable, not tolerated. But who cares if poor urban youth are terrorized by gangs in their school? While the ehite kids get a nice safe education.

If you enjoyed the movie "Lean on Me" you will love this novel written by the main character, Principal Joe Clark. As a teacher myself, this is a must read for anyone interested in the importance of education in a multicultural diverse or poverty stricken environment. I love this book and give it my highest recommendation!

The previous reviewer, as a teacher, should know that a nonfiction work such as this one, which is part-autobiography, part-pitch plan, is not a "novel." What people like Joe Clark -- and the zillions who were regrettably wooed by Morgan Freeman's bat-wielding rendition of him in the schmaltzy, tearjerking movie "Lean on Me" -- is that what America's urban schoolchildren need most urgently is not a beating near the home-stretch of a losing race but a fair chance from the get-go. We American have always believed starts with quality equal education for alll. A proposal like this doesn't make for a feel-good movie because it involves heady-sounding things like funding redistribution, rezoning and real attempts at racial and socioeconomic integration. But it would go a lot further toward making meaningful and lasting change than Clark's "boot 'em if they fail" and "beat the failure out of them" mentality. By the way, two-thirds of the 300 students Clark expelled from East Side High in Paterson, New Jersey now occupy cells in the Passaic County Jail. This costs the county and the state of New Jersey a great deal. How much less would it have cost if we had provided them with a real, functional education from childhood on?

I strongly recommend reading this book. As an a young administrator in a public school, it is nice to see someone with the desire and drive to do what is right for kids. The story of Eastside and what Mr. Clark did there is truly inspirational. One of the reviews about this book criticized Mr. Clark because a large majority of the 300 students he expelled from Eastside are now in prison. At some point, you must sacrifice the few for the good of the many. Imagine how many more would be in prison if he had not done what he did. I think that anyone that cares about the state of public education right now needs to read this book.

I bought a used copy from Amazon.[com.] Several times I have wondered about a specific plant and found exactly the answer I was looking for in this book.
It has roses, shrubs bulbs trees vines grass and ground covers. It even had Beach Plum.
It doesnt seem to cover any vegetables. For vegetables my favorite book is Rodales Garden Answers. Just vegetables in depth yet easy and enjoyable to read.

Beginning with a 17-page introduction that breezes through the basics of garden planning, planting and maintenance, the bulk of this book is made up of two-page plant profiles divided into fourteen sections: shade trees, evergreen trees, small flowering trees, shrubs, plants for winter interest, plants for down the shore, vines, lawns, ornamental grasses, groundcovers, roses, perennials, bulbs corms and tubers, and annuals.

While there are color photos they do not appear on every page. Instead, in field guide format, they are thumbnailed into one color section.

The best reference tool in the book is the zoned New Jersey maps that detail average frost dates, rainfalls and temperatures.

While the New Jersey Gardener's Guide is a worthwhile look for the long-time gardener, its real strength is as a gift for a new resident or a new gardener.

... Several times I have wondered about a specific plant and found exactly the answer I was looking for in this book.
It has roses, shrubs bulbs trees vines grass and ground covers. It even had Beach Plum.
It doesnt seem to cover any vegetables. For vegetables my favorite book is Rodales Garden Answers. Just vegetables in depth yet easy and enjoyable to read.

Quite possibly the best gardening book I have ever read

Overall a very good reference.

However, I was amazed that the Butterfly Bush: Buddleia was not included. This does very well in my area. Perhaps the omission was due to space available in book.

ISBN 0307001040 - Eugene Bradley Coco and illustrator Ron Dias, who teamed up on Pinocchio (A Little Golden Book), take on another classic with the adaptation of Disney's Peter Pan. This time they're slightly less successful, as they fall into what seems like a pattern with these books, trying to tell too much in too few pages and leaving out important details in the process. The illustrations, however, are fantastic.

Wendy, John and Michael Darling are in the nursery on the eve of Wendy's growing up when Peter Pan appears, looking for his shadow. When he hears that Wendy will be leaving the nursery to grow up tomorrow, he offers to whisk them away to Never Land. The children go with Peter and enjoy themselves until Peter sees that Captain Hook has kidnapped Tiger Lily. He rescues her, but Hook then captures Tinkerbell, forcing her to tell him where Peter and the Lost Boys can be found. Hook captures all of them, including the Darlings, and it's up to Peter and Tinkerbell to save them!

Coco jumps right into the story, which seems to assume that the reader already knows something about it. Peter's distress that there will be no more stories makes no sense, because there hadn't been a story yet. It's a small thing for those who know the whole story, and kids might not notice because they're kids, but the book has an incomplete feel to it. Tinkerbell's jealousy of Wendy, for example, is never mentioned. I think young children will love the story, regardless, but for fans of the original, it falls a bit short.

- AnnaLovesBooks

It came in good condition. I was disappointed with the shipping costs. I was charged $$$ for a shipment that came in by regular mail under $2.00

The Book Peter Pan is probable my favorite childrens book of all. Peter Pan is about a young boy named, of course, Peter Pan. Peter lives in a place far away called Neverland. In Neverland no one there can get older. The only adults in Neverland happen to be pirates, and although Peter is just a boy all of the pirates are scared of him because he is the only person who can fly. The book is jam packed with adventure, Peter even has a friend fairy. Peter Pan also has friends called the lost boys. This book is a definate must get book for your child. I recommend this book to all ages, because every kid needs Peter Pan

If kids like Peter Pan, then this is a book for them. With illustrations and the vocabulary the kids can understand, this book provides an easy way for the kids to understand the story. It is a must for any children's book collection.

A wonderful version of this classic Walt Disney story! With beautiful illustrations, it is the perfect addition to your book collection for your children.

Garner Quinn, a best-selling true-crime author, goes on a search for her childhood best friends father, who killed his family apparently without reason and subsequently disappeared.

Her interest in the case is initially rekindled when a fellow author asks to meet her and subsequently reveals that he knows where the killer is, although won't identify him.

Days later he is dead in suspicious circumstances and Quinn is left with the puzzle of discovering who he is and where to find him.

Overall, the book is an enjoyable read, with sufficient interest being maintained in the characters and plot to keep the reader reading, though people looking for a fast-paced, blood-and-guts story should look elsewhere.

Like many similar stories, the main character has the financial and occupational freedom to pursue their quest, also a degree of independence. However, whether deliberate or not, there is no real empathy built between Quinn and the reader. When she reaches a dead-end, you don't feel sorry for her, more apathetic.

This is very much a mystery story - how did this man manage to disappear for so many years. Unfortunately, this question is not answered to this readers satisfaction.

I enjoyed the characters and story of this book. The story line could easily have been based upon a true crime and, in fact, did remind me of a couple of similar crimes that I have read about. I didn't like Waterhouse's Graven Images, so I'm glad that I decided to try this one by her. Now I'm looking forward to reading her next novel.

This novel was chilling and unforgettable. Jane Waterhouse writes in an intelligent, interesting manner and I would recommend all her novels in this series.

The aspect I enjoyed most about this book was the way Waterhouse developed the mood and eerie darkness that ran through most of the work. The anti-climatic climax caught me a little off guard and I felt it detracted a little from the way the story developed. In balance, this is a good work and I would recommend it to anyone who likes strong, tenacious female characters.

True crime writer Garner Quinn is tired of all the dirt and horror she digs up while on a case. She is seriously thinking that it is time to retire at 37. Some addictions go todeep to just give up like that. Sometimes friendships are too important to ignore even if one of the parties is dead. Quinn and Lara Spangler never thought that their early teen vow of eternal friendship would last only five whole days. On the sixth day, Lara's father killed her and the rest of their family before disappearing into the night.

Garner is shaken out of her apathy when a down on his luck journalist, T.J. Sterling informs her that he has sighted Gordon Spangler. He wants Garner to help him open doors to the power people in publishing. T.J. promises to allow Garner the opportunity to talk with Gordon before the whistle is blown on the escaped convict. Quinn agrees to the deal, though she has grave misgivings. Her eerie inner warning system proves to be at full operational strength when the headlines state that T.J. committed suicide. Though everyone else thinks the man took his own life, Garner believes that he is the latest victim of Gordon. Garner decides it is time to bring the killer down even if it means risking her own life in the process.

Jane Waterhouse is a brilliant writer whose stylish story is memorably lyrical and populated with unique characters. SHADOW WALK is a walk into dark side of the human existence, a place where psychopaths reign supreme and Mr. Hyde is a Sunday school teacher. The protagonist is a very human and passionate person, torn between leaving a world that taunts her with its depravity yet leaves her yearning to explore it. Like Garner, readers will find the story compelling but a very uncomfortable reminder of what is out there in the real world.

Harriet Klausner

Where have all the good times gone...I felt like I was reliving my childhood when I read this book. The author made me feel like I was one of the characters in his book. I could really identify with this as I grew up during the same time in a similar environment. Its nice to read a book that makes you smile and relax without any violence or disturbing thoughts.

Charming, funny, thoughtful and emotionally gripping! Finished the book in just one sitting.

Nolstagic,witty, and very entertaining.Reminded me of my own childhood.This book would make a great citcom for television with its downhome and eccentric characters.

Thouroughly enjoyed this book as it enabled me to step back in time, if only briefly, for a truly enjoyable journey through my own "growing up" time. Am looking forward to this author's next work!

Some tennis lessons and sessions with Dr. Ruth would have helped Mr. Howard as a youngster.....

This was not a trivial book, a real tour the force trying to sync with Aquinas thought and understand part of the Christian, more specifically Catholic, theology and dogmas. The philosophy of this dominican priest of the thirteen century is based in plain reasoning, focusing in great deal on the "questions of language". His four reasons for the existance of God, his reflections about evil, sin and soul were the most interesting to know in my case, although he has opinion on several other issues, like politics and society. All this search for knowlegde is developed on a medieval society, and it is important to be aware of that context in order to appreciate Aquinas thought, as historical or of metaphysical relevance.

I found the book to be well written and readable. Covering the major ideas of Aquinas while pointing out what was left out as well as contrasting his ideas with other philosophers. I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning about Aquinas' ideas.

Father Copleston's book is an excellent introduction to the philosophy of St. Thomas. A man of great intellectual depth, Copleston's lucid style makes Aquinas good reading for both academic study and personal philosophical/spiritual enjoyment.

With no real schooling in our aptitude for philosophy, I couldn't follow Aquinas, although I've always been very interested in his ideas, especially his rational proofs of the existence of God. Fr. Copleston's book was immensely helpful. His writing style is clear and elegant. He avoids technical philosophical jargon whenever possible and illustrates difficult concepts with everyday, real life examples. He also does a thorough job of comparing and contrasting Aquinas and his major influence, Aristotle. On occasion Copleston remarks on how Aquinas differs from Kant and other more contemporary thinkers; I wish there had been a little more of that as well, but I imagine his multi-volume History of Philosophy covers all that in detail. I think this book is a fantastic place to start for anyone interested in Aquinas and Middle Ages philosophy in general.

Most major styles are presented in this wonderfully printed book. The articles are informatory and scholarly. This fine collection of calligraphy is intoxicatingly beautiful.

At 1st of May,2003, in Osaka municipal Museum, Japan, I appreciated the travelling exhibition including this John B. Elliott Collection.
This traced copy scroll of a two-line fragment of a letter by Wang Hsi-chih(ACE303-361) is fine. Atouched Dong Quichang(1555-1636) colophones and large character maximes calligraphy are impressive. Sung dynasty Emperor Hui-Tsong(r. 1101-1125) court mounting and seals seem genuine. The Wang calligraphy itself has enough quality among many his old replicas. The ink colour feels rather later period than 8th century.
Another impressive work is Zhu Yunming(ACE1460-1526)'s small square script
album.
However, this is a private and personal collection catalogue. Reading this, one imagines and looks for passed Mr. Elliott's personality and taste.
It is too heavy burden for this collection to act as a textbook of great chinese calligraphy history.
Indeed there is few museum whose collection is completely genuine, I recommend chinese-calligraphy lovers in USA to appreciate, study and learn masterpieces in National Palace Museum, Taipei, First.
Japanese collections also have masterpieces.

What fascinates me so much about this book, what keeps drawing me to it, is this: the calligraphers of ancient China wrote as they painted, and painted as they wrote. In other words, each character is an "embodied image" which expresses the moods and passions of its creator.

When we Westerners read, we read for content, for meaning only. We do not read and at the same time notice how the characters look. Since Gutenberg and the advent of movable type, and especially now, with digital type, each of our characters must always look the same. When they don't, it is considered an imperfection. In Chinese calligraphy, however, considerable attention is given to how the characters look. It is through their appearance that we can discern the whether the creator was hurried, what angle he wrote at, and what mood he might have been in.

The visual effect of a poem written by a great Chinese calligrapher a thousand years ago, vs. reading the same poem in a standardized font, is quite stark. We have a lot to learn from the Chinese, especially given their likely ascension of global power in the coming years. This book provides an indispensable, detailed, well illustrated reference for an important aspect of how Chinese culture differs so dramatically from our own.

Highly recommended.

A handsome book, with excellent production values. The text is well presented, and the reproductions a treat for lovers of Chinese calligraphy. The compare-and-contrast of the different calligraphic styles is satisfying to read and follow. A useful overview.

This is my first introduction to the mystery writings of Kate Gallison, a fellow Jerseyite. A pleasant introduction to her Mother Lavinia Grey mysteries. I picked this book up on a whim, as I usually don't read fiction. I just wanted something light that would hold my interest and Hasty Retreat answered that request on both accounts.

First off, if your Roman Catholic, like me, you think Mother Superior, but Mother Lavinia Grey is an Episcopal Priest, so one must get the title Mother straight. Once I got beyond that it was smooth sailing.

In my book you can never go wrong in setting a mystery in a monestery. If you liked The Name of the Rose by Eco and The Haunted Monastery by Van Gulik you will certainly enjoy Hasty Retreat. This mystery has great characters beside Mother Grey, I especially enjoyed Deacon Deedee. My only negative about this book is that the dialogue in the beginning of the book is a bit choppy and at times I wondered who was actually speaking. But, as I read on the writer overcame this problem and good story development took over. Hasty Retreat is a good and enjoyable read.

What is sacrament? What is mission furniture? This is a sprightly funny mystery with ecclesiastical trappings. Actual mission furniture is functional. Hospitality is a ministry. A stay in a monastery guesthouse could be refreshing. The site is across the Hudson from Hyde Park. A group from a rival church appears at the monastery guesthouse.

Mother Lavinia Grey had been hoping to have a sort of vacation. The chant of the monks of St. Hugh's is wonderful, she finds. Lavinia Grey is the pastor of St. Bede's, a declining congregation. She is afraid that the denominational missionary department may very well close the church, disband it. Brother Basil, eighty-five years old, ends up dead, stabbed by a knitting needle. He and the novice had moved a box from his room the previous evening. A Liberian, age 17, the novice, becomes the focus of the murder investigation.

The issue of pro bono representation of the Liberian causes problems in the employment sector among some of the guests. The matter of alibis at the probable time of death, between 11:30 and 1:00, is interesting, since someone believes her husband is involved in a dalliance with another guest. Some of the guests devise a timeline of sightings or probable sightings. Perhaps the killing is a case of mistaken identity. How many of the people present have a garment resembling a monk's robe it is wondered.

One of the guests is nearly asphyxiated by a plastic bag. Lavinia finds that someone has brought a fleshpot mentality to a spiritual retreat and she is annoyed. A monk maintains a furniture workshop. It is possible to make reproduction furniture in the mission style. It turns out the murder was committed to obtain a very expensive chair. The chair was pictured on a campaign poster. It is an enjoyable story.

Mother Lavinia is not your average sleuth. She is the pastor of St. Bede's Church in Fisherville, NJ. The Church Hierarchy is not too fond of female clerics it seems and she had to constantly fight to keep her little church open. She goes on a retreat to a monastery in an effort to get some rest and contemplate her future. She sees immediately that she is going to get little rest. Her two parishoners the Smartts think that they are on a second honeymoon. Martine is in a foul mood about something, and the rest of the monastery has been booked by her nemesis and the politician who once tried t kill her with a polo mallet. Vinnie vows to make the best of it. Then, one of the monks is killed and Vinnie has to find out who did it in a very short period of time.

This novel takes place in a fairly unique setting, a non-catholic monastery. The characters are pretty interesting and the mystery very good. I am definitely going to read more of this series.

Mother Lavinia "Vinnie" Grey badly needs a breather from the secular aspects of her job as the pastor of the St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Fisherville, New Jersey. She decides to replenish herself by joining a weekend retreat in New York, headed by Brother Basil. However, Vinnie's hope for a weekend of quiet and peaceful prayer ends with the arrival of Father Rupert Bingley, who has threatened to dispossess Vinnie's congregation from their building. Father Bingley has brought with him an entourage of his followers. ......The weekend turns even worse when the host is stabbed to death by an unknown assailant. Vinnie initially thinks ungodly thoughts of framing Bingley with the murder. However, she begins to investigate in an attempt to uncover the identity of the murderer and the motive for killing a devout monk. To further her investigation, Vinnie takes a few short cuts that would destroy an official police investigation and prays that God turns the other cheek. Still, her activities places her in danger of joining the afterlife a bit earlier than she expects. .....HASTY RETREAT is a fun and witty religious mystery due to the not so holy antics of Mother Vinnie, whose un-pious methodology may turn off some devout readers. The who-done-it is intriguing and the insight into the Episcopal Church is interesting, but as with the three previous Kate Gallison's Vinnie novels, it is Mother Grey who brings off-beat color to a very good series. ......Harriet Klausner