Texas Books

The story begins with a passenger dressed in a ridiculous disguise and carrying a suspicious briefcase boarding an airplane on Dec. 6, 1977. He is Dr. Patrick Henry, bound for Tucson to murder is ex-wife. He promised her during the two years they were married that he would kill her in a horrific manner if she ever left him.

The murder attempt failed, but the preparation behind the attempt combined with Dr. Henry's sadistic personality convinced William Randolph Steven, the Chief Criminal Prosecutor of Pima County, Arizona, that the doctor would try again. Conviction of Dr. Henry for the crime of attempted murder was vital to secure the safety and survival of Christina.

The book is organized into four parts: the revelation of the strange and incriminating contents of Dr. Henry's briefcase at the Tucson airport, the marriage of Patrick Henry and Christina Bellios, the investigation of the attempted murder of Christina, and the trial of Dr. Henry.

The second section in which Christina relates her marital history with Patrick is sad, terrifying and profoundly ugly. Truly her husband was a sadistic sociopath. I found myself emotionally engaged from the beginning. Christina had to be protected.

The third section dealing with the investigation reads quickly - each piece of evidence brings into focus the sinister plot.

The final section deals with the trial. Much of the proceedings are related verbatim. Stevens is an excellent writer - as precise in his account of the crime as he is in his legal arguments. The fact that the events really happened resonates long after the final page.

This book should be required reading for every 18 year old girl. A truly compelling story about how we too often judge people by appearances.

I read the book and saw the movie Deadly Intentions. I believe it but how can anyone be so sick? People like that are a threat for as long as they live.

William Randolph Stevens, author of DEADLY INTENTIONS, was the prosecuting
attorney in Pima County, AZ, in the 1970's and was responsible for the prosection of Dr. Patrick Henry, a highly intelligent physician, for the attempted murder of his wife, Christina. Henry is one of the more despicable characters you will ever read about (although I'll admit to saying this about half the sleazebags I read about in true crime). He was a man who was able to contol his emotions and to display his normalcy when necessary. He was also cheap, impossibly angry, vindictive, cruelly sadistic, and so cold as to be unimaginable. And was he WEIRD. I don't understand why he got married, though I guess it was his normal side coming out, because he very quicky came to despise his wife and delighted in nothing more than torturing her, both to remain in total control of her and just for his own enjoyment. As one of many possible examples, Christina was freaked out by a certain kind of insect that was common to where the Henrys were living. One night, in an almost unheard of gesture, Pat took Christina out to dinner, though he was so cheap they went to the cafeteria of the hospital where he worked. During dinner he excused himself for about 10 minutes. Upon entering the car to leave, Christina was descended upon by hundreds of the insects, swarming, landing all over her, and getting caught in her hair. Patrick laughed at her all the way home, refusing to stop the car to allow Christina to get out and escape the insects which he had so carefully planted.
Patrick also used to come home from work seething with anger and going into great detail about what he would do to anyone who crossed him. His plans included such things as sharpening a knife on both edges, taking his victim to a swamp (he loved swamps), gouging out his eyes, filling his orifices with firecrackers - small ones so he could stand close to watch - and lighting them, and eventually gutting him with his knife. In his fantasies these sessions might last several days.

He also told Christina that he would kill anyone who ever left him, which Christina finally did after witnessing him mistreat animals and suspecting him of abusing their newborn baby. This started Patrick's intricate and murderous plan which, being meticulous to the point of compulsion and filled with vengeful hatred, he plotted for over 3 years.
The book details the murder attempt, the excellent police work, and the trial and verdict.

It is unusual that I enjoy true crime books written by police or prosecutors. They usually have an amateur feel even if, as is customary, they are ghostwritten. And they are almost always self-aggrandizing making the author the "star" of the book. Another aspect of true crime writing I usually find boring is a lengthy account of a trial.
But DEADLY INTENTIONS is an exception. First of all, though Stevens is a lawyer, he is also a very good writer. The book is credited to Stevens alone and while he plays a major role in the story, particularly in the last half of the book which deals with the preparations for trial and the trial itself, he does not brag. He simply tells a totally fascinating story like a pro. And the lengthy trial section, which in lesser books has sent more than one true crime reader to Tedium City, is the section which pulls the story together and is superb.

DEADLY INTENTIONS is a truly outstanding work of true crime, and it is futher and continuing proof that the genre was considerably better during the 70s, 80s, and early 90s than it is now. You won't want to put it down.

It's a very good book , here we can even feel the coldness of this young doctor and his terryfied wife .Mr.Stevens did a wonderful work. It really worth reading!!!!

I've always been fascinated by the story of the Mier Expedition. My great-great grandfather, Willis Coplan, was one of the survivors. The book is wrong on page 146, however, where it states that Willis, after escaping and then being caught, spent 20 years in captivity in Matamoros, withing sight of the Texas border. On the contrary, he was sent to Perote Castle. In his memoirs, he wrote that he was "glad to get back with the boys, with whom he had experienced so many hardships." His memoirs also contradict Rick Bass's description of the black bean incident, where Rick's characters are stoic and despondent. Willis, however, wrote that the men who drew the black beans joked about it. One said, "This beats raffling all to pieces," while another said, "Boys, I never failed in my life to draw a prize." It was the men who drew the white beans who grieved, and some of them offered to trade their white beans for black ones, but they had no takers.
Nevertheless, this is a wonderful novel. I'm grateful to Rick Bass for bringing to life a story that, for me, had almost become a fable. Thanks, Rick

Bass recounts the story of a troop of sometimes reluctant, but always relentless men ostensibly fighting for their new nation of Texas. The historical incident, obscure to most of us, is well known to Texans, the retaliation for the Battle of San Jacinto. We come to know what drives some of them and the regrets of others. Mostly, we marvel at their capacity for survival. When everything is taken away from them; when they live day after day in toil and torture, infested with an army of lice and tested by disease after disease, they still have the ability to experience the small joy that comes with the minutest reprieve.

There is little joy in reading the book, though the author presents the story as well we could expect. Like castor oil, though, it may be good for us to see those so eager for war get their wish, then regret it for every minute of their lives.

I was reluctant to continue after hearing some of the horrific deeds commited by the men who (after reading the dustjacket) I thought to be Texas heroes. But just as I was appalled I was mesmerized into reading throughout the night in hopes of learning how their fates played out. And as I write this just a few minutes later I am wondering how the survivors fared, the ones that were less critical to the story at hand but may have played a more powerful and less publicized role. Overall I recommend this to anyone with an interest in Texas...or history... or man in general.

I found this book to be an excellent historical novelation (or is it a novelation of a historic event)? Anyway, as someone who is familiar with Texas history, I still found much to admire about this novelisation (novelization?) of the Meir escapade, which I learned a lot about, in spite of my (supposed) knowledge of the story. It is made more interesting by the centering of the story on one fictional character, intermixed with real, historic figures. I would recommend the book highly to anyone wanting to learn about this tragic event in Texas history, as well as anyone wanting to read an exciting, bloody story in its own right.

An absorbing account, written with much foreshadowing of an old man looking back upon the foolishness and stupidity of war. Comparisons with BLOOD MERIDIAN are natural, and here the message is quite the same, that men are addicted to war, that there is no glory in it, that stupidity and violence will continue to prevail.

Bass structures his narrative on the historical memoirs left us, which were biased and conflicting, but perhaps, as Cormac McCarthy might say, the truth of what did not happen may be about as true as what can be documented, the memories of men being uncertain and biased.

Some of the characters and scenes are imagined, but some characters such as Thomas Jefferson Green and William Fisher are historical. There is violence and gore in here, but it is not laid on. The author has an eye for the telling detail, as in this paragraph describing the commanders planning the invasion into Mexico:

"They sat in a circle of mismatched chairs. Green and Somervell's chairs were turned backwards so that they straddled them like horses. They leaned forward in the chairs, resting the weight of their torsos against the backs, as if even here they intended to somehow charge into battle."

The prose is nothing like McCarthy, of course, but is sparkling and fresh and goes down like a clean drink of water. Typical Rick Bass prose. The title refers to the black bean lottery that Mexicans used to determine which prisoners were shot and which survived. This may seem too obscure for browsing bookbuyers, but the attractive dustjacket may encourage them to look more closely.

Rick Bass lists his sources on the Acknowledgments Page in the rear of the book, so as to alert scholars who hunger for more details. The author says that he wrote it as our troops were charging into Baghdad--suggesting that his emotions then may have influenced the book.

However he came to write it, I'm glad that he did. This book is short, just 208 pages, but exactly the length needed to tell the story of these soldiers of misfortune. It is a treasure. Bravo!

I bought this book as a wedding present for a couple from Texas that have relocated to Chicago. Up north, they think the "Don't mess with Texas" campaign is about not messing with Texans. I just thought it was a great way of showing what the campaign was really about to all of their visiting Chicago friends. It has great photos with all the Texan icons.

This is a great book for people who are living in various parts of the country and miss Texas. Sold as a coffee table book, it's a great gift idea, providing out-of-staters with the chance to bring some of Texas home to them. The famous celebrities that appear on the pages helped to establish the campaign, further contributing to its good standing. This book serves as a reminder to Texans of just how unique the state of Texas really is. Texans are known for possessing an immense amount of pride for their state, and the excerpts in this book help to explain and reveal exactly why Texans feel this way.

I am an art and photography store owner in Hartford, CT, and I was so thrilled to see this book on Amazon! The slogan just recently won an advertising competition from Madison Avenue, and is now in the Advertising Hall of Fame. I love this book because it really gives a concise but powerful retelling of the campaign. Just like the Absolut Book (about Absolut Vodka) and the several books about the milk mustache campaign, this book retells the birth and subsequent fame of the advertising campaign, and how many different tacts and approaches the firm took. Plus, it has some great pictures and examples from commercials with celebrities and the different ways the slogan caught on. Really a must have book for advertising kids everywhere, as well as artists who are interested in commercializing their work.

Don't Mess With Texas gave a very interesting explanation of the history of the slogan. I think that everyone has heard the slogan, Don't mess with Texas. According to the book, the publication is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the famous anti-litter campaign. Considering it's success I think that the campaign is definitely deserving of a book in it's honor. When you start reading you begin to realize how long this slogan has been around and it brings back almost hilarious memories of old commercials and the different faces of the campaign. How many anti-litter campaign have had the faces of legends like Warren Moon, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, George Foreman , and Leann Rimes. This book encompasses alot of the values that we as Texans hold important and shoot, it looks great as a coffee table book. I would reccomend it to any one looking to explore an interesting story and piece of Texas history turned pop culture.

As an advertising executive, the "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign is, for me, the stuff legends are made of. It was the biggest, longest-running, and most successful public service advertisement in advertising history. It's really quite astounding that a local, pro-environment campaign picked up SO much momentum and even became an important part of American pop-culture. Tim McClure and Roy Spence do an outstanding job of telling their reader everything he/she wants to know about the campaign...and then some! Everything is there--from the first seeds of the idea to the last fully developed commercial (with, of course, lots of celebrity appearances, close-calls, budgeting issues, and interesting stories in between). This is a great book. If you're interested in advertising or Texas at all, it will entertain you.

This book is an excellent resource for the less experienced gardener. It provides location specific information making it a very useful tool. Tried to use few others first without much satisfaction, but LOVED this book. The organization of topics and by month make it incredibly user friendly.

This is a very helpful book for Texas gardeners. The format is user friendly and it would be a great addition to anyone's gardening library.

I like the layout of this book. I read it cover to cover within the first week but have continued to use it as a reference. I like the month-by-month layout and it covers the majority of topics that a Texas gardener wants to know about. It's sort of like combining the best parts of several books...and the format is easy to read and is slightly humerous. The book covers several areas of Texas, so no matter where you live the book covers your area. There are some topics where I wanted more depth, so I used the internet or library to find more detailed information. This book also debunked some of the theories I had learned about specific gardening methods...old wives tales that were truly tales. All said, I would purchase this book again and recommend it for novice to experienced gardeners (stopping short of master gardeners, but they're the ones writing the books anyway).

Excellent book! Very beneficial to both long-term and novice gardeners.

Excellent format and the month to month guide is very useful.

Great choice.

Finally we have a companion to the nationwide Farmer's Almanac -

designed for our unique state - our climate and our plants.

Doug Welsh's Texas Garden Almanac is the definitive almanac on

Texas gardening, covering indepth topics such as pruning trees,

attracting butterflies, and managing fire ants.


In addition, readers will find handy quick-tips including: using

clear plastic soda bottles for mini greenhouses, avoiding the

epidemic of crepe murder (over-pruning crepe myrtles), and creating

herb gardens in mini containers.

Hundreds of delightful illustrations by Aletha St. Romain -

including a beautiful amaryllis illustration for the chapter on

December - make the book a joy for the eyes.

It is so jam-packed with information, tips, and useful

illustrations, it would make a life-long garden guide for a new

gardener. Then too, experienced gardeners would find the book a

wonderful edition to their gardening book library.

As we become more dependent on food sources from millions of miles

away, the need to garden more closely in our own area is of primary

concern. For this reason, every school should consider ordering

copies for students. And if a high school student shows any

inclination toward gardening, this would be a treasured gift.

Medium weight slick paper with fading violet and lime colored edges

make the book wonderful to browse. Every library in Texas needs

this gem.

Valerie Brown, Texas Master Gardener

Delilah Devlin brings readers a fascinating trilogy of connected stories with her novel DOWN IN TEXAS. For those of us who love a good contemporary western romance, this book is a triple-treat!

The stories are all set in a town called Honkeytonk, and one of the main characters in each is related to one of the leads in the next story, deftly setting up each story as the previous tale finishes.

~WEARING HIS BRAND~

Lyssa McDonough has been trying to get Brandon Tynan's attention for some time, but getting caught in a barbed wire fence would not exactly have been her first choice - or even her last one. Somehow, though, it seems to have done the trick after Brandon rescues her from her plight. Since then, he hasn't been quite the same with her, although he hasn't quite given in to the feelings she is sure he has for her. Now it is time to turn up the heat another few notches...

OK, I loved this story! Maybe it's because I'm just a little bit jealous of Lyssa McDonough. Oh sure, the fact that she ends up with a hot cowboy stud like Brandon Tynan is reason enough to be jealous of her, but that's not why I am (much). No, I admire this woman's tenacity and gumption in her quest to snare the man of her dreams - a man who has been a friend for years but has the potential to be so much more. Not only does Lyssa have the envious ability to read his true feelings for her despite his denials, she knows just how to get his attention and sweep away his objections once and for all.

For his part, Brandon is an equally admirable, albeit misguided, character. He is determined to do right by Lyssa and the promise he made to her brother regarding her, even stifling his own consuming feelings for her in order to `protect' Lyssa. When he finally caves, the resulting love scenes practically burn the pages under the readers' fingertips.

~SLOW RIDE~

Years ago, Daniel Tynan worked on Maggie Dermott's husband's farm, learning to train horses. He might have been a teen-ager then, but he was old enough to develop some pretty strong feelings for his boss's wife. Of course, he could never act on them, not while he was underage and she was married, but he never forgot the woman who stole his heart at an early age.

Now Maggie is widowed and needs a horse trainer. Now an adult, Daniel is determined to show the lovely widow that he is the man for the job, in so many ways.

In SLOW RIDE, Delilah Devlin shows just what a conscientious and talented author she is. Here she takes a theme with a potential for a slight `ick' factor, and handles it so responsibly, that it never once moves into questionable territory. Sure, Daniel is a teen when he and Maggie first meet, but there is never any contact between them before he is an adult. And really, there aren't that many years between them - only seven, actually. So when they meet up again as two single adults, there is nothing to hold them back from acting on their feelings - except perhaps Maggie's reservations.

Lucky for her and us, Daniel knows just how to put all her worries to bed, along with Maggie herself. J He woos her relentlessly, but with ample consideration for her needs, ensuring a happy ending for this couple.

~STRAIGHT UP SOLDIER~

Suki Reese is in hiding from a violent ex-boyfriend who just happens to be connected to the Mexican mafia, and is being hunted by the law for his activities involved with them. She needs someone to protect her who has her safety first and foremost in mind and doesn't want to use her as bait.

Enter Mac McDonough. This sexy ex-Marine may have sustained a serious knee injury, but that doesn't render him incapable of taking care of the lovely Suki. Once he meets her, that mission becomes of utmost importance to him.

In the beginning of STRAIGHT UP SOLDIER, Mac is feeling more than a little sorry for himself. Sure, he has ample reason, but dwelling on his injury has sunk him into a depression he is finding it difficult to overcome. What he needs is to be needed. To be necessary. When his friend coerces him into playing bodyguard for Suki, the mission proves to be just what the doctor ordered for his sunken spirits. Suddenly, this man finds a purpose again, and looking protecting Suki restores his own belief in his viability as a man, despite the lingering problems from his injury.

Suki is just great. She's a sharp, self-sufficent woman - she's had to be lately. But that doesn't prevent her from accepting help from Mac when she needs it most. Having been on the run by herself for so long has her run down and functioning at less than full capacity. Having a man like Mac watching her back allows her to rest and rejuvenate her flagging strength. The fact that he isn't bad to look at doesn't hurt her spirit either...

This is the story about two people who are strong apart, but in each other find a love that makes them even stronger together. They learn it isn't weak to need someone, and together they can overcome anything.

**Courtesy of Wild on Books**

"Wearing His Brand"

Lyssa McDonough is in trouble, again. The barbed wire she is wrapped in is ripping her clothes to shred. To top it off, her next-door neighbor, Brandon Tynan, is the one to find her and help her out of the mess. But will she end up in worse trouble with Brandon or the barbed wire? She is about to find out.

"Slow Ride"

Maggie Dermott inherited her husband's ranch. Unfortunately, she does not know the first thing about horses and needs all the help she can get. Help comes in the form of Daniel Tynan, who is willing to teach her a lot about horses and life. Daniel plans to take his time and enjoy every moment of the teaching.

"Straight Up Soldier"

Suki Reece is in trouble. When one of her friends sends her help in the form of Mac McDonough, she finds she may be in worse trouble than she originally thought. With Mac being a hardheaded and hard-bodied ex-Marine, she will have to find out just which one of them is in control. Strangely, win or lose she wins.

HOT! HOT! HOT! Down in Texas is three tales of hot cowboys and the women they tame. I found myself compelled to read the novel from beginning to end enjoying every moment and falling in love all over again with cowboys. Ms. Devlin's descriptions drew me in immediately and did not let me go until I realized that Down in Texas was finished. All I wanted was more, so I read Down in Texas again, enjoying it for a second time. I am hoping that Ms. Devlin gives one of my favorite characters, Tara Toomey, her own story.

Down in Texas is now a book in my permanent reread pile. As such, I Joyfully Recommend Down in Texas.

Emma
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

"Wearing His Brand". Ever since Lyssa McDonough met Brand Tynan as a child she understood what her daddy and mama meant when they each defined the worth of a man. Now an adult she must persuade her man that she is his woman.

"Slow Ride". While working as a teenage ranch hand at her husband's spread Daniel Tynan hid as best he could that he loved Maggie Dermott. Now the much younger man tries to persuade the widow that in spite of their age difference to take a chance on them.

"Straight Up Soldier". After serving in the theater of operation, Mac McDonough has left the military. Suki Reese knows her ex will hurt her so she accepts Mac's offer to protect her. Neither expected the distraction of their attraction.

These three hot interrelated Texas romances are all well written tales with deep lead characters in each. Readers will relish the Texas heat as Delilah Devlin delightfully delvers.

Harriet Klausner

Delilah Devlin really delivers "down home" entertainment in her sizzling western anthology, DOWN IN TEXAS for Kensington Aphrodisia (Nov. 2008). In "Wearing His Brand", Lyssa McDonough, who's been running the family ranch while her brother is off serving his country, is desperate to get neighboring rancher, Brandon Tynan to notice her as more than just the girl next door. When Lyssa gets herself caught in barbed wire, she's sure she can catch Brandon's attention with her womanly curves when he's forced to doctor her wounds. However, it's not until Brandon sees her dirty dancing at a honkytonk with another cowboy that Brandon decides he has to stake his claim. In "Slow Ride" Brandon's younger brother, horse whisperer, Daniel Tynan, has never forgotten earthy Maggie Dermott, the wife of the rancher he worked for as a teenager. When he hears of her husband's death and Maggie's need for help to keep her ranch going, he rides to her rescue. Maggie can't believe the young, sexy cowboy would want anything to do with a mature, older woman but Daniel is more than willing to show Maggie that her bed is exactly where he'd like to hang his spurs at night. In "Straight Up Soldier" ex-Marine, Mac McDonough is living as a recluse in a cabin in the woods trying to recover from his wounds in Iraq and wondering if he'll ever be free of pain, flash backs and the cane he needs to walk. When bar owner, Tara Toomey shows up with supplies for him, she asks him to help her friend at a local cabin, Suki Reece, who needs protection from an abusive stalker boyfriend. Mac can't refuse but plans to just make Suki go to the police. However, when he meets the petite Asian-Anglo woman and discovers her ex-boyfriend is the drug runner they've been trying to catch on nearby ranches, Mac decides he needs to stick around not only to protect Suki but also to see if their attraction is mutual. Western fans don't miss DOWN IN TEXAS with its three terrific, fast-paced, sexy tales!

WEARING HIS BRAND
Lyssa McDonough has her eyes set on the hunky rancher next door, Brandon Tynan. The problem is that her big brother, Mac, exacted a promise from Brandon to keep an eye out for her. She's got all this pent up sexual frustration and the only man who interests her treats her like a pesky little sister.

Brandon definitely wants Lyssa in his bed however he doesn't do permanent relationships and knows that she's a forever kind of girl. He certainly doesn't want to destroy his friendship with her brother just to `scratch an itch' so to speak.

Brandon rescues Lyssa from the barbed wire where she somehow becomes entrapped and he's none too happy about it either. It's foolish for her to be out checking fences on her own - especially when there's evidence that they've been deliberately cut. He tends her wounds himself and despite the tension between them drops her off back at her place. His good intentions are hopelessly blown when he sees her dirty dancing with another man.

Brandon and Lyssa have such remarkable chemistry that they practically ignite the pages. She's a spirited determined female intent on getting and doing exactly what she wants. Brandon's an equally strong character and knows exactly how to handle her ornery attitude.


SLOW RIDE
Daniel Tynan isn't one to let a prime opportunity pass him by which is why when he saw the job notice for a position at Dermott ranch he didn't hesitate to send in his resume. He still remembers well the time he spent there many years ago learning about working with horses - and lusting after Douglas Dermott's wife - Maggie.

Maggie's marriage to Douglas wasn't the hearts and flowers romance girls dream of - he'd wanted someone to take care of his home and cook meals and she wanted security and a family. Now that he's passed away she's got a second chance at happiness but dare she act on the infatuation that she's felt for Daniel for so many years?

Daniel's surprised when he receives the call from Reggie Haskell offering him the position on Dermott ranch. Right away he realizes that the ranch is in sorry shape. The stock isn't as plentiful as he remembers and the facilities could use some tending. The one creature he truly wants to take for a ride though is `Miz Dermott' herself. It's going to take more than really great sex to win her over - she requires a gentle hand and some sensual persuasion - both of which he's determined to provide.

There's something almost inspiring about this story. Maggie doesn't view herself as desirable and has a difficult time believing that Daniel could truly want her. He's capable, determined and absolutely loveable. I especially love his brand of `convincing.'


STRAIGHT UP SOLDIER
Ex-soldier Mac McDonough is still recovering from the injuries he suffered while serving his country. Since returning to the U.S. he's avoiding being around his family and friends but a special favor from a friend may just provide the reason he needs to `live' again.

Suki Reece got involved with the `wrong man' and now she's in more trouble than she can handle. She's left witness protection for the `security' of her secluded cabin. Suki needs help and her good friend Tara knows exactly the man for the job - Mac McDonough.

Suki's not at all happy to discover a man lurking about her cabin. She's armed and prepared to take care of the problem if need be but her nerves are stretched taunt from lack of sleep and fear. Her ex is out to kill her and law enforcement is using her as bait so what's she supposed to think when Mac shows up? He's exactly the sort of man she's attracted to but he certainly doesn't seem to be very interested in her. Suki's well aware of just how precarious her situation is and she's determined to seduce the stubborn man even if she has to use every womanly wile in her arsenal to distract him from his mission.

As a reader I couldn't help but fall in love with Mac. He's a delicious combination of soldier and cowboy that's just a little too appealing. Suki's a perfect match for him. She's tenderhearted and still strong enough to take him at his surliest. I especially loved this story because of the way Mac's vulnerability makes him endearing without making him overwhelming.

Delilah Devlin's DOWN IN TEXAS is a fabulous anthology that kept my attention throughout each and every story. Each story flows easily into the next because the majority of the characters are present throughout each of them. The stories are all special in their own right but together they're truly spectacular. The Tynan and McDonough families are honorable and strong families and reading about how they find and set about holding onto their significant other makes me just a little envious. Ms. Devlin has proved herself a capable storyteller before but with DOWN IN TEXAS she's cemented a place on my `most watched authors' list.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

I bought several books before this one and I basically wasted my money! Finally I am able to identify the odes that I have photographed in the field. This is a must have for anyone interested in dragonflies and damselflies!

This is not a book that you can skim; rather, it is one intended for the serious student of Odonata in Texas. Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, it covers everything you might want to know about the dragonflies found in Texas.

Be warned, though, that you cannot approach this book lightly. The author uses scientific terms liberally: you will have to spend time acquiring the vocabulary.

For the serious Texas "Odo-nut" this is an absolutely essential part of your library.

I have several guides for birds, butterflies, snakes, reptiles and amphibians. I just started learn about dragonflies this year and this is one of the best guides I have seen. In fact, it was highly recommended by an individual who has a Masters Degree in dragonfly study. I recommend it for individuals just starting out with dragonflies as the photos are great but it also provides enough information (range maps) to let you narrow down and identify the more difficult species.

This field guide is the one to own. It covers not only all the dragonflies of Texas and the Southcentral US, but all the damselflies as well. The photographs are superb and this make for easy identification of species in the field. However, because of these pluses, the result is a rather sizable guide that is just a bit too heavy to really qualify as a handy field guide. If you can deal with its size and weight, it more than makes up for this handicap in thes helpful information it provides. The only drawback and the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, is because it is a tad less user friendly for the novice or non-professional (i.e. The species identification keys are a bit confusing). Nevertheless, it is destined to become the standard to measure all other guides.

As an admirer of dragonflies and damselflies I was quite delighted to find this book by John C. Abbott. It is a mix of the very technical and (at least in part because of the 64 plates of magnificent color photos) the very useful for the non-specialist. The range maps are invaluable as a way of adding clues for the identification of similar species. The line drawings of anatomical parts are important in separating closely related species and the glossary of terms, the check list, and the large bibliography round out a very useful or even indispensable volume for the dragonfly watcher. In short, this book is a serious guide to an area with the highest odonate diversity in the United States. "Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States" simply is a must for anyone interested in the odonate fauna of the five states involved. Its production, along with at least three earlier regional and national books on the subject, is a testimonial to the growing popularity of these beautiful and fascinating insects.

I love all the Hank books, and this is a great one for the Christmas season. These books are hilarious and more important to the young reader, fun to read. I'd also check the rest of the series.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

This is the first book our 2nd/3rd/4th grade bookclub did. It is funny! The characters are colorful and the narration by Hank the Cowdog is clever and enjoyable to read. It is a light-hearted, fun read and we were able to have a great discussion if it.

This book to me is very funny. In the book a new dog comes to the ranch and Hank has to prove to Benny that he is the top dog. Hank gets mad because Benny tries to take the dog the Hank likes. He tries to prove to his master that he is the top dog but gets tied up why Benny has the time of his life. Hank acts like he is the head of security, which is called Head of Ranch Security. Hank is in a battle to keep his job at the round off. If you want a book that is super funny, then this book is for you.

Among his many other attributes, Hank the Cowdog has an uncanny ability to keep our entire family amused on long trips. Next to The Original Adventures of Hank The Cowdog (Vol. 1), this one is our favorite. Benny, the prize-winning cowdog-for-hire, very quickly gets under Hank's skin when he bumps Hank off the job of a roundup. Erickson's voicing of Benny is oddly reminiscent of William F. Buckley Jr., and works to great effect. Add the romantic element of Hank's love interest, Miss Beulah ("Mercy!", exclaims Hank) and the perceived threat Benny places there too, and the story becomes even more interesting. All against the regular backdrop of ranch life and supporting characters Drover, Plato, Loper and the rest of the gang, and the story is one of Hank's best romps. Enjoy!

This is a great and heartwarming addition to the "Hank the Cowdog" series. Along with tons of hillarious gags, this is one of Hank's best!

ALL I CAN SAY IS " WHAT A STORY" .

This is a fascinating and disturbing tale that illustrates just how hard it is to convict somebody who has a lot of money and power. Cullen Davis, warped little rich boy dominated by his incredibly wealthy and megalomanic father, grows up to inherit most of the fortune and position. What does he do with it? He chases sex kitten type women, showers them with lavish gifts, and abuses them.

Naifeh and Smith raise the true crime genre to something close to literature here. We have the usual litany of sickies and psychopaths, the usual police incompetence, prosecutors who can't prosecute, etc. The "final justice" in the title is somewhat ironic since multimillionaire Cullen Davis is never found guilty of any of his crimes, the worst of which was the cold-blooded murder of his wife's 12-year-old daughter; the least of which, perhaps the killing of her kitten. The juries in Texas just would not convict him (although they have put a number of poor people on death row). Instead they admired him for his money, stupidly since he just inherited it. And before the book is over, he blows most of it.

We get a terrible sense here that people with riches in positions of power really can get away with murder. People look up to them regardless of their crimes. It helps us to understand how murderers like Sadaam Hussein and what's his name in Yugoslavia continue in power. It's not just that people are afraid of them, they look up to them and find ways to excuse their crimes. This is the human tribal mind at work: better our corrupt and evil leader than theirs, and better a corrupt and evil leader than no leader at all. The women in this one come off as particularly subject to manipulation by power and money, although that was not necessarily the authors' intent. They wanted to show just what a sick, sick man Cullen Davis is, and they succeed in that. But incidentally they revealed the women around him, especially his gold-digging wives, as sad, sad creatures who would be abused and wallow in it for the sake of being close to all that money and power and maybe getting a little of it. One has the sense that they couldn't help themselves.

This is a good read that will rouse your sense of indignation.

it actually happened!!!

Don't look at the facts. Facts are **BAD***!! Let's attack the victims and divert attention away from what the case was all about...the murder of a twelve year old girl and a family aquaintance.

OJ's "Dream Team" (what a joke) must've used this case as a template for OJ's defense, because the similarities are eerie.

Highly recommended.

This book is really, the most precise account of the murders and trials. Some of the other books on the murder trials of Mr. Davis are very goddy and don't focus on the facts of the case. I really think that Mr. Naifeh did an excellent job with the content and details of this novel.I hope that people will not simply judge a case or story by one book, and know that you must have a numerous amount of facts and reality before you try to judge someone or something.

At the time of the Davis murders, I was living in Fort Worth and had a second-hand acquaintance with some of the people involved. Smith and Naifeh got it exactly right: not merely the facts but the "feel" of the case. Texas is a microcosm of the U.S., with all our best and worst qualities exaggerated. The Davis case exemplified our fascination with sex and sleaze, our love/hate relationship with the wealthy, and a legal system that's as much showmanship as The Majesty Of The Law -- and the results were an ironic commentary on what we truly value. (Somehow, the fact that Priscilla Davis was a mother whose 12-year-old daughter was brutally murdered got lost in the shuffle.) The book is engrossing and truly scary, and I highly recommend it.

Eleven-year-old Isabel Montoya lives with her family on a ranch near Gonzales, Texas, in 1835. Isabel feels as if everything in her life is changing. Her older sister has left home after marrying a Mexican soldier, and the family is divided over the conflict between Texas and Mexico, with Isabel's two older brother on opposing sides while Isabel and her parents struggle to remain neutral. When her brothers run away from home - Joaquin to join the Texans, and Alonso to join the Mexicans - the family is devastated. And when Isabel's father is shot and may be dying, Isabel knows it is up to her to reunited her fragmented family - before it's too late. This was a wonderful novel about a young girl caught up in the beginnings of the Texas Revolution. I wish, however, that the book had been a little longer, and that the ending was less open.

This book is about the events leading to the Battle of Gonzales, which was the first conflict in the Texas war of independence from Mexico (October 2, 1835).

I started reading this book to my daughters (ages 7 and 9) after dinner one evening, and we didn't put it down until bedtime more than 50 pages later. They didn't want me to stop reading, and I didn't want to stop either. The characters felt like real people, the story was involving, and just like the people of the times, we didn't know what would happen next.

Melinda Rice gives the reader a Texan's-eye-view of the looming war with Mexico by putting us in the perspective of an 11-year-old girl whose older brothers sympathize with different sides in the conflict. The characters and story have an authentic feel throughout -- I've been to the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum many times, and I found myself reading this book using the same breathy accent used by the historical speakers in their video exhibits. Rice did an excellent job of bringing the reader into history as it happens and making past events feel like they're unfolding around us.

At the end of the book there is a short historical section that gives additional information about the Battle of Gonzales.

The book should be a comfortable read for fourth graders, except for some place and people names.

The year is 1847, and thirteen-year-old Katherine Haufmann lives with her family in Fredricksburg, Texas. The Haufmanns and their neighbors are immigrants from Germany who founded the town the year before. Even though she has been in Texas a year, Katherine still thinks of Germany as her home, and longs to return. After her father joins a peacemaking expedition to the Comanche Indians, Katherine and the other residents of Fredricksburg notice strange fires on the hillside outside of town, that appear each evening at dark in the same exact two places and last until dawn. With fear rising of a possible attack, either by the Comanche or by bitter Americans who feel the Germans have stolen their land, Katherine takes it open herself to find the origin of the mysterious fires - and puts herself in far greater danger than she ever could have imagined. Based on real events in Fredricksburg, Texas, in the spring of 1847, this is the story of a spunky and courageous young girl who, in her quest for the truth, finds that her home is where she least imagined it being.

The unique and historically accurate Lone Star Heroines trilogy by Melinda Rice brings real events in Texas history to life as it shows young readers how girls living at different eras experienced and contributed to dramatic events. In Messenger On The Battlefield (1556227884, ...) is set in 1835 when 11-year-old Isabelina Montoya is happy to hear that her older sister has accepted the marriage proposal of a handsome Mexican solder. But when Texas goes to war against Mexico, dividing Isabelina's family, a decision must be made as to whether they should remain true to their Mexican heritage or fight for their new Texas homeland! Fire On The Hillside (1556227892, ...) is set in the spring of 1847 and finds 13-year-old Katherine Haufmann arriving from Fredericksburg, Texas with her family as immigrants from Germany. As she struggles to get used to her new home, Katherine becomes intrigued by the mysterious fires that start appearing in the nearby hills. While the rest of the townsfolk focus on peace talks with the Comanche, Katherine decides to discover the cause of those mysterious fires. Secrets In The Sky (1556227876, ...) is set in 1943 as World War Two is raging overseas. 12-year-old Bethany Parker lives in Sweetwater, Texas, when the Women Air Force Service Pilots come to town. When one of the women dies during a training flight, Bethany is convinced the mysterious crash was the work of a Nazi spy -- and sets out to prove it! The Lone Star Heroines is an outstanding and very highly recommended series of historical novels for young readers that are each enhanced with a "Sources" bibliography for the further study and more detailed study of Texas history.

The unique and historically accurate Lone Star Heroines trilogy by Melinda Rice brings real events in Texas history to life as it shows young readers how girls living at different eras experienced and contributed to dramatic events. In Messenger On The Battlefield (1556227884, [price]) is set in 1835 when 11-year-old Isabelina Montoya is happy to hear that her older sister has accepted the marriage proposal of a handsome Mexican solder. But when Texas goes to war against Mexico, dividing Isabelina's family, a decision must be made as to whether they should remain true to their Mexican heritage or fight for their new Texas homeland! Fire On The Hillside (1556227892, [price]) is set in the spring of 1847 and finds 13-year-old Katherine Haufmann arriving from Fredericksburg, Texas with her family as immigrants from Germany. As she struggles to get used to her new home, Katherine becomes intrigued by the mysterious fires that start appearing in the nearby hills. While the rest of the townsfolk focus on peace talks with the Comanche, Katherine decides to discover the cause of those mysterious fires. Secrets In The Sky (1556227876, [price]) is set in 1943 as World War Two is raging overseas. 12-year-old Bethany Parker lives in Sweetwater, Texas, when the Women Air Force Service Pilots come to town. When one of the women dies during a training flight, Bethany is convinced the mysterious crash was the work of a Nazi spy -- and sets out to prove it! The Lone Star Heroines is an outstanding and very highly recommended series of historical novels for young readers that are each enhanced with a "Sources" bibliography for the further study and more detailed study of Texas history.

For most presses, East European studies is a dying breed, consigned to the periphery by Europe's metamorphoses and other global challenges. However, Granville (history, Stanford Univ.) examines an event that retains stinging memories almost 50 years later--the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The author explored archives accessible only after the Cold War, and had extraordinary cooperation from archivists in Moscow, Budapest, and elsewhere. Kadar, Nagy, Rakosi, Tito, Khrushchev, Eisenhower, Dulles, and other personalities, as well as arcane communist and democratic bureaucracies, are revealed through countless archival fragments. Granville is at her best telling the interwoven story of 1956. Ultimately, Granville's analysis leads to a no-fault conclusion, suggesting that misperceptions and misconceptions among all actors led to the disastrous outcome. Recommended for graduate students and above.-- D.N. Nelson, University of New Haven

Johanna Granville is one of the most industrious and talented of the scholars who have seized upon new archival opportunities to deepen our understanding of the Cold War. For _The First Domino_, the author has scoured archives in Europe and the United States in an effort to find out how the principal actors arrived at decisions regarding the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Matters, as she writes, were not as simple as they once appeared. Nikita Khrushchev and other Soviet leaders bad difficulty, for example, deciding whether or not to suppress the uprising by force. In fact, they voted not to intervene one day (October 28)before they ordered decisive military action (October 31). Some of what she has uncovered is already known: that Imre Nagy denounced some of his countrymen during his years in Soviet Russia (1930-44) and that he did not invite the initial Soviet invasion of October 23-24. But thanks to Granville's linguistic abilities, she has shed new light on the seemingly inexplicable conduct of Poland's Wladyslaw Gomulka and Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito. Moreover, she has helped to clarify Janos Kadar's decision to betray Nagy and the revolution. In a particularly compelling chapter, Granville examines the role the United States played before and during the revolution. She concludes that the Eisenhower Administration's talk of "rollback" and "liberation," when combined with U.S. intelligence operations and psychological warfare, may have led Soviet leaders to fear a U.S. intervention and, thus, to opt for a harder line. Above all, however, Granville reminds us of historical contingency. Those who have studied the revolution have sometimes taken the view that Hungarians and Soviets acted out of necessity. Granville herself thinks that given Hungarians' historic detestation of Russia and communism, revolution was bound to erupt; and Nagy's "trial and probably ... execution were inevitable." She should have written "were very likely," because elsewhere she observes that if the Soviets had removed Stalinist dictator Matyas Rakosi sooner, there might not have been a revolution; and that had there been no Polish crisis of October 19-20, Budapest's students might not have demonstrated on October 23. "No event," she wisely concludes, "is ever predestined; individuals can make rational choices to change the course of history at any given moment." ---Lee Congdon, Professor of History, James Madison University._History: Review of New Books_ (Summer 2004),v 32, i4: p 147.

Dr. Granville's book is without question a first-rate, well-researched monograph. She uses Hungarian documents that even Hungarians have not read, sometimes presenting them in dialogue form (Chapter 3). The books reads like a novel in some places. (...)

This long-awaited review of archival records dealing with the Hungarian uprising of 1956 is destined to appear on numerous Cold War historians' bibliographies. It is a meticulously researched study, a grand example of erudite scholarship in its truest sense. Dr. Granville's examination of declassified documents is exhaustively and exhaustingly thorough.

Johanna Granville's The First Domino: International Decision Making during the Hungarian Crisis of 1956 (...), a pioneering work on East European Cold War history, confirms that when President Eisenhower had his chance to redeem the Republican campaign pledge to "roll back" the Soviet occupation of Hungary, he failed and thus perpetuated that occupation for three more decades.
This is a remarkable study of Cold War history because the author, at home in Russian and other languages, has availed herself of recently opened Soviet and other archives to describe how Hungary became the first "domino" in a process that "resulted ultimately in the Soviet Union's loss of hegemony over Eastern Europe in 1989."
The Hungarian revolt resulted in more than 2,000 deaths and the flight of over 200,000 refugees to the West. It is worth noting that a far smaller group of earlier Hungarian refugees, who fled to America from a Nazi-endangered Europe, helped build the first atomic bomb during World War II.
Chapter 6 of "The First Domino" is the most fascinating, since it explores U.S. psychological warfare and covert activities in Eastern Europe during the 1950s, including broadcasts by Radio Free Europe.---Washington Times, March 21, 2004 by Arnold Beichman, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University