Illinois Books

Marti MacAlister, a Chicago homicide detective, is investigating a case, which involves a group of kids from her past and from her first novel, Dead Time. The kids are older with different problems and one is accused of murder. Also, someone from her dead husband's past is looking for him. Marti is trying to solve the murder and figure out how the other's from her past fit in. This mystery has plenty of twists and turns as a challenging case for Marti. Once again Bland cleverly brings attention to issues of the homeless, elderly and children.

You work all your life trying to make it only to see yourself passed over for jobs that are rightfully yours. At first you grin and bear it until your temper flares and you strike out in anger. It lands you in jail. You do your time and released. Now you're free. Free to avenge all those wrongs done to you. Free to set the record straight. Johnny MacAlister, the cop who put you behind bars, is dead but his widow, Marti is very much alive. Now is the time to punish her with your death sentence.
Windy City Dying is a marvelous tale of the intricate workings of a killer's mind who is set to right the so-called wrongs done to him by society and the court system. His methodical preying and elimination of his victims evokes feelings of fear as you get into his mind. Marti, is completely oblivious to the murders even though this funny feeling of something is wrong hits her now and again. She ignores it and works on a far more pressing case that takes her and Vik back into their past.
Bland does a sensational job in telling a story that has various twists and turns to the point where you are kept on edge. A man's insatiable lust for revenge impacts upon a foster child who is suspected of murder. Marti and Vik's investigation of the the child's case takes them back to an earlier time when this same child was part of a group of throw away children. Marti and Vik helped those children then but now find themselves having to intervene again.
I enjoyed the book for its intrigue, exploration of the foster care and juvenile justice system and for its showing how disparate events can be interconnected. You also get to see the situation from the avenger's point of view. On top of that you see Marti dealing with the daily challenges of family living and becoming more concerned about those children that she helped years ago. This is one of the best of Bland's books in the Marti MacAlister series.

For fans of Detective Marti MacAlister, this latest in the series is a gratifying read - sure to keep the determined reader up in the wee hours of the night. Marti has moved on from the death of her first husband, but unknowingly someone from the past has it out for the deceased cop Johnny McAllister.

Bent on revenge and fresh out of prison, Adrian Quinn still feels he was innocent of his horrendous crimes. One by one he hunts down the people he feels were responsible for his downfall (guilty verdict). Since Johnny has long been deceased, he turns his destructive plans towards Marti, her new husband and their children. Adrian's crimes leads Marti and partner Vik back to an old case from four years earlier involving neglected children. One of the children is now a suspect in a murder case.

If you have not ready any of the books in this series by Eleanor Taylor Bland, this book serves as a great introduction to one of the stronger female detectives in the literary world. Detective Marti MacAlister has never appeared larger than life. At times her tough side comes out when dealing with criminals, the men in her field or any injustice. On the flip side, her vulnerability is easily relatable when it comes to her family. All around a very likable heroine.

In WINDY CITY DYING, Marti McAllister's job as homicide detective in Lincoln Prairie forces her to go back to Chicago, where her husband, also a cop, was killed five years earlier. It seems that one of the men Johnny McAllister helped to put behind bars has an agenda to avenge the wrong he felt was done to him by the system, by the world, and, namely, by Johnny McAllister.

Marti and her partner Vik are also reunited with a child from one of their previous cases. Marti and Vik found Jose Ortiz, along with several other throwaway children, living in a library not long after Marti relocated to Lincoln Prairie. Now Jose is accused of murdering his foster sister. It's always tough when kids are involved, and Marti and Vik set out to do what they do best: get the bad guy, whether it's Jose or not.

Once again Eleanor Taylor Bland brings the life of Marti and her family to awesome characterization. Her characters are like old friends; consistent people as real as can be. In WINDY CITY DYING, Bland takes the characters to a new level, a feat for which she should be applauded.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Prairie Hills homicide detective Marti MacAlister doesn't pay any attention to the notice saying that Adrian Quinn is being released on parole because she doesn't know the felon as it was her dead husband Johnny who was one of the arresting officers. Johnny never spoke about the case to her. Marti has made a very big mistake not paying any attention to that notice because Adrian plans to take revenge on everyone responsible for being incarcerated.

His diabolical plan begins when he breaks into his defense attorney's home killing a person he assumes is one of his children, but instead murdered a foster child. The other foster child is blamed for the killing. Marti and her partner work the case not realizing that this murder has nothing to do with the girl who was killed. Their investigation takes them down many false trails while Adrian kills or severely injures many people, including two Chicago police officers. Marti doesn't realize until it is almost too late that she is scheduled to be his last victim before he takes off for Mexico.

After reading WINDY CITY DYING, every reader will understand what a police officer has to put up with and the fear they feel every day they go out on the streets not just to themselves but too their loved ones as well. Part of the story is told from the killer's warped "logical" point of view. Adrian feels no guilt or remorse for what he is doing, including killing innocents who had nothing to do with his being sent to prison, because he believes this is his divine right.

Harriet Klausner

I live in the Chicagoland area and was just at the museum today. As expected, the dollhouse is as amazing as it was when I was a little girl. I saw this book in the gift stop. IT ONLY COSTS $24.95!!! Please, please don't pay these people double what the book actually costs! Go to the Museum of Science and Industry's website at http://site.msishops.com/books.html and look for the book at the bottom of the page. I'm sure there's shipping that's not included. There might even be tax, but it'll no doubt still be cheaper than paying these people $50-$60 for the book. What a rip-off!!!

THE COLOR PHOTOS ARE FABULOUS! I ENVY THE FAIRY PRINCE AND PRINCESS THAT LIVE IN THIS FABULOUS CREATION. THE WORK OF PROFESSIONALS IS EVIDENT--I JUST WISH I COULD HAVE HAD MORE VIEWS OF THE TREASURES INSIDE! BUY IT! IF YOU LOVE DOLLHOUSES AND FANTASY, YOU'LL LOVE THIS TOUR OF COLLEEN MOORE'S DOLL CASTLE!

When I was 7 years old, my mother, grandmother and a cousin of mine went to Chicago, and one of the places we went was the Museum of Science and Industry.Before we went, my mother told me that as a young girl, she had seen the fairy castle when it toured the country before becoming a permanent exhibit at the museum. She told me how much she loved it, and I couldn't wait to see it. I was not disappointed. This IS the ultimate dollhouse. Every time I go to the museum, you can't get me to leave without seeing the fairy castle.I took my own daughter to see it, and now she loves it, too. The last time we went, I found this wonderful book at the gift shop, and was thrilled that now I could look at my beloved fairy castle whenever I wished. This book is a real treasure, with beautiful pictures of the castle. Anyone who loves dollhouses, and the fairy castle in particular, will love this book. It never fails to provoke happy memories for me.

I was browsing in Amazon.com when I discovered this book. I was so excited that I couldn't wait to order it. Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry is one of my all-time favorite places on earth. I still go there whenever I go back for a visit. As a little girl, growing up in Chicago in the 60's, one of my favorite things was going to see Colleen Moore's Doll House every year. I'm sure you can probably imagine how magical this huge, intricately planned, priceless, bejeweled dollhouse seemed in a darkened room by itself, lit with soft lights, telephones all around it so you could listen to discriptions of each room as you peered through the glass barrier surrounding it. This book captures much of the beauty of the amazing miniature treasures and the magic of the house itself-and definitely puts a smile on my face.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the castle in Chicago, and can hardly find the words to say how magnificent it was! Still, in the time I had to view it, so many details were missed. That is why this book is so great. It not only displays the castle with better lighting, it gives you a chance to savor all the tiny details you might never have seen. There is also some wonderful biographical information on Colleen Moore herself. A must for miniature lovers, little girls, and dreamers everywhere!

This book works on many levels:
1. OK, if you just want a good read, Clancy tells the story of his growing up with his long suffering mother, Jennie, in a humorous, compelling, self-deprecating and insightful way. He evokes urban life in the poverty-ridden Depression many would have liked to forget, but which, for Clancy, seems to have been the most alive time of his life. But aside from that -
2. History
(a) A must have for the Chicago Historical Society library. A detailed description of life in one particular Chicago neighborhood in the 1930's Depression and WWII years. Clancy describes life as a working-class, street kid where the neighborhood and his fellow adolescent (by today's standards fairly harmless) gang members are a whole world and all a guy needs.
(b) Also a must for students of Jewish American history. An on-the-ground, day-to-day account of what it was like to be a very secular Jewish American kid at the time and how he, his mother, their friends and their world tried to define their Jewishness.
(c) For political history you get mother, Jennie, and usually absent father, Leo, who are both hard core labor organizers with a commitment forged by the often life or death pre-WWII American labor movement. It is also a reminder of when America had real Socialists and real Communists, who were bigger enemies of each other than of the capitalists.
3. Sociology/Psychology
(a) Jennie, a Russian immigrant, ostracised by her Communist, New York family when she ran off with the faithless socialist, Leo. Single mother of an illegitimate child working as a seamstress and covert union organizer to support herself and her child. Clancy thoughtfully observes and analyzes the stresses and social pressures his mother and similar women of the era suffered and how these shaped Jennie's, and their, characters.
(b) Clancy also tells, again with much self-deprecating humor, the effect all this had on him, not only growing up but how it shaped his future life, and how it is still shaping the next generation, his son. (See also Clancy's novel, Zone of the Interior, based on his experiences with psychiatrist R. D. Laing.)

Clancy Sigal's seeringly honest portrait of his lefty mother, Jennie, and himself brings alive a time now lost forever to Ipods, computers, and cell phones.

Clancy's childhood as the sidekick of a passionate labor organizer mother often working undercover, slipping into town and skulking out when the jig is up is both hair-raising and thrilling. Even when she settles temporarily in Chicago, a secure home life is not an option for his mother, Jennie, and his on-again, off-again father. Jennie's commitment to lifting up the plight of exploited workers while bringing up Clancy is the ultimate juggling act. Lots of dropped balls but a virtuoso performance nevertheless. Clancy was mostly left to his own devices, a street kid whose aspirations were hardly more than rough and tumble fun with his little gang of misfits balanced with an instinct for survival.

Ultimately, Jennie was his salvation even after he left home because she had implanted in him a moral compass more powerful than any microchip that always corrected his course throughout his crazy life journey. He's a lucky boy/man.

This book is a tribute to an extraordinary mother and a rollicking good read at that.

This is Clancy Sigal's best book. His work has always been autobiographical from his novel Going Away (the ultimate 'road' book for my generation of politically aware readers who shunned Kerouac 's egowanderings), to Weekend In Dinlock, his account of Yorkshire miners. In his latest, a memoir, Sigal gives us a funny, moving memory of his relationship with his mother - a fantastic character - set in Depression era America. It's an account of an education that is unsentimental and and profoundly moral. There isn't anything like it around. This is a real book of virtues.

A terrific story well told. I don't know when I've ever read such a robust and intimate description of the tensions in a relationship between a strong sexy mother and a hormone-soaked adolescent boy. Although the background is exotic - Chicago in the turbulent shoot-first days when cops, criminals and union activists fought in the bloody streets - anyone who has ever dealt with an teenage boy will recognize the minefield of emotions Sigal reveals. Besides drawing a pungent likeness of a remarkable woman - his mother - he makes his own street gang life accessible to the reader when he talks about why he cherishes his lawbreaking friends from the old neighborhood. It's a vanished world today, and yet it's strikingly here and now. Good writing too - loose, easy and graceful. I'm a long-time fan of Clancy Sigal's memoirs-as-novels (GOING AWAY, ZONE OF THE INTERIOR). This is memoir that just happens to read like a novel.

Clancy Sigal made me fall in love with his mother Jennie in his unsentimental memoir of a sometimes violent and crazy life. She's the mother I wish I had: passionate, irreverent, protective and smart. The pain and love Sigal feels for his mom hits you like a punch in the gut.

Dynamite scenes of young, street-tough Clancy's roller coaster life with his mysterious and powerful mother are punctuated by glimpses of his current relationship with his 10 year old son Joe. Together, they invoke the spirit of Jennie as they visit her grave, throw a baseball around or jog together, and she, in turn, surrounds them with her tough, maternal love. She lives again, through Sigal's gritty and ironic style.

Capone gangsters and cops-on-the-take are a normal part of the lives of this compelling mother-and-child team who, as they travel from city to city, often take false names. Always on the edge of the law, forever skipping out on landlords and creditors, they're a magnificent reminder of what it takes to stay alive in hard times: guts and guile.

This memoir led me to Sigal's other books: Going Away, Weekend in Dinlock, Zone of the Interior (re-released this year - an insanely brilliant semi-fictionalized account of his time with the famous/notorious `anti-psychiatrist' R.D. Laing) and The Secret Defector. Do yourself a favor and discover this provocative author - funny, authentic, political and deeply moving.

Pauly brings Zane Grey alive for me in the many pages of documentation, research and quoted letters. I knew Zane was a prolific, wealthy (most of the time), respected writer but I never knew about his over-spending, mistreatment/neglect of his wife and family, and his many lady friends; but at least he wasn't a gambler (except with boats and fishing), smoker, wife-beater or heavy drinker. His primary weakness seems that he was always looking over the horizon for his next quest, another world-record, and maybe score another woman; but he had so much already with his faithful, supportive wife, healthy children and a talent that could turn out page after page of creditable prose. I believe the author should follow-up with more detail about the fall-out behind this man. He touches briefly on the children, the women, etc., but what happens when a person becomes totally ego-centric and disregards the feelings and emotions of others? A good book - a true-to-life glimpse at one of our important writers...

Having never read a Zane Grey novel, I don't know what led me to this book. Biography is my preferred genre, and the "adventures" part promised a good story. I think I dismissed "his women" as maybe something about his bachelor life or maybe some Annie Oakley types he met out west.

Was I surprised! I think his contemporary fans (as I envision them) would have been shocked. Pauly spares the details, but the picture is clear. Their lives with Grey belie their photos, which show these women as wholesome and modern for our times and theirs. Grey's condemnations of "jazz age morals" certainly helped to build his image (or brand) and the hypocrisy was a well covered trail. Pauly says this was only knowable in the last 10 years.

The early letters of wife Dolly are almost too painful to read. She deserves a bio of her own. She apparently took stock of her position and found fulfillment in raising children, business (a bank president!) and travel.

Grey was clearly intelligent, remarkably handsome and athletic. His flexibility is exemplified in transitions from dentistry to baseball, to roping mountain lions, to writing, to pioneering in the film industry, and inventing his own reel for sport fishing. He emerged from childhood with emotional and financial needs.

Pauly does a good job in presenting all of this. The book details what is known of his childhood and early adulthood, how he came to travel west, the novels, the movies, the outdoore life. Pauly has piqued my interest in the Zane Grey novel... perhaps I'll try one.

This is the most information I've ever seen on Zane Grey anywhere. He certainly was not like any of the characters he created. Apparently a charismatic man, but rather self-centered. After he had 3 children with his wife, he stopped spending any time with her or the children - his younger son remembers spending only one full day with his father in his entire youth. Grey took a series of mistresses with him on his yearly travels - and wrote to his wife about them!!! And told her he loved her and that she understood him better than anyone!
There is a good bit of well researched info about his youth and about his life. I enjoyed reading this book and finding out more about Grey's life. If you have enjoyed reading either his Westerns or his books on fishing and the outdoor life, this book wiil give you a "behind the scenes" look at those stories.

This book contains spurious research... the author was only able to examine records briefly... give us a break! He is factually inaccurate in many areas, i.e., birthplace of Lillian Wilhelm Smith. The author inaccurately copied information from Donna Ashworth's well-researched book on the topic.

If this clown is teaching somewhere, students beware!

Fran Elliott
Sedona, AZ

Without the journals and letters which the Gray Estate has allowed Professor Pauly to peruse and quote, ZANE GREY: HIS LIFE might never have been written. They help to deepen, immeasurably, our appreciation of Grey's peculiarly American character.

In so many ways his American-ness is absolute. The zest for living, the expansive nature, the hail fellow well met sportsman side, his relations with women, especially with Dolly, his long-suffering wife--a woman he couldn't live with, yet couldn't live without. In one letter she notes that they had spent 7 days together in the whole of the past 12 months. Grey's traveling begins taking manic proportions shortly before the First World War, and continues for another 25 years, during which time he spends great fortunes on living it up and doing some world class angling. One yacht alone cost $300,000, in the midst of the Depression, plunging him finally into what amounted to them as abject poverty. Dolly couldn't even afford a movie ticket, she was scrimping so much.

Gray was a handsome man, the photos in the book revealing a big, strapping he-man type whom Harrison Ford might have played in earlier days. He seems to have cut right through the Gordian knot of Victorian prudery and found carnal love right away. Pauly's book makes one wonder if sexual freedom wasn't practiced on a much wider scale back in the day than we had previously imagined.

Pauly's big find is that Grey spent most of his writing life cheating on Dolly more or less openly, and she turned a blind eye, sometimes a condescending one, to his wild private life. He had the "decency" to bring his women on his months long excursions, whether to Rainbow Bridge or to Tahiti. They were hired as secretaries perhaps, but somehow wound up in his bed straightaway, posing for pornographic photos, hundreds of them (none of which are reproduced in the book). Apparently Grey was addicted to porn. Professor Pauly is a little at sea with this thundering herd of women and lacks the novelistic background which might have helped us tell them apart, for the most part. However one or two of them jump out from the pack, particularly the would-be writers among them who hoped that the famous Zane Grey would help them sell their work. He would--but only after he signed it with his own name and for his trouble he'd pocket 85 per cent of the proceeds.

This cheating and petty larceny and the wasteful spending are all symptoms of an underlying depression, or so it seems. He often felt his reasons for living slipping away. There was always a bigger silver marlin over the next horizon. "Driven" isn't the word for it!

Pauly gets so caught up in the drama of the decline and fall of the great Western writer, that he forgets to include any material that would interest us in Grey's novels, most of which, he convinces us, are inferior dribble. Book after book is disappointing, but there must have been a few good books perhaps early on? For a critical biography, this one is all too critical!

Agatha's Journey was a marvelous book. Filled with many frighting and mysterious happenings. One of the most mysterious is that one of their dogs, Shey, came out of his cage, but the cage was locked solid! I am usually picky about the books I read, but if I loved this book, you will, too.

Agatha's Journey is one of those rare books that entrances you from first sentence to last. More than a standard "ghost" story, it's a tale of two courageous and compelling women, one a 19th Century Irish immigrant, and the other a modern day writer. Readers who treat themselves to this narrative will come away wiser about both the pioneer experience in America and the depths of the human heart.

This book was a touching and compelling story that I couldn't put down. The author makes you a believer of the after life with fascinating theories and historical facts.

I was never one who completely believed in spirits, but I know the author's family personally, and they aren't ones who would make this stuff up. I guess you could say I'm a believer now. I found the first several chapters very scary (since I've actually visited the house, but I think everyone will be chilled), but I found Agatha's story to be very compelling. I read the book from cover to cover in just a couple of hours-I didn't want to put it down. It tells of one woman's fascinating life and journey through the afterlife. I think that everyone who even partially believes in spirits should read this book. It's good to know that Agatha won't be forgotten.

I found this book to be very thought provoking - not only from a spiritual perspective, but from a historical one as well. I enjoyed learning about some of the local history of Naperville, IL. I was inspired by Agatha's perseverance and committment to her belief. I felt as though I read two good books - the life and after-life journey of Agatha and the Penrose family's story of their adventures in the house.

Minnie Vautrin died at 55, by her own hands. Today we would call it post traumatic stress syndrome. Sometimes people have seen too much and given too much and they can't carry it all. Today Minnie Vautrin is remembered for the hope in Nanking she gave when all seemed lost before world war II as the Japanese invaded China.

Imagine being a simple school teacher from the Mid West, sent as a missionary to China to teach. Suddenly your school becomes a haven for 10,000 women who seek shelter against the invading Japanese Army. Vautrin could not even finish a meal or sleep a night without going out to fight off Japanese soldiers intent on hauling off Chinese girls from the international compound that had been declared a safe haven. She was slapped and pistol whipped. She was threatened repeatedly. She went without sleep. She went repeatedly to the Japenese authorities to protest. She even grabbed girls from the clutches of soldiers.

In the broader story, twenty four foreigners, including a Nazi German named John Rabe, saved 200 hundred thousand Chinese from extermination in a 3.8 km square safety zone in Nanking. The foreigners could have walked away. Instead they broke up rape attemtps, were pistol wiped, beaten, threatened at gun point. Unfortunately another 300,000 Chinese were killed, and at least 20,000 were raped, including grandmothers of 80 and girls as young as nine.

American missionaries in China have a mixed record. Those who stayed and saved the Chinese at Nanking have earned a special place in China's history. This book explains this history. If you want to understand China, this is worth reading.

With Iris Chang's Rape of Nanking, this book is essential reading for those who would like to know about the Chinese Holocaust: many millions of Chinese murdered by the Japanese during the Second World War.

Minnie Vautrin was a lady with compassion. She devoted her life in bringing education to Chinese women and girls in 1920s to 30s. She was well remembered not only by the people of Nanking but also by all Chinese people. During the Rape of Nanking committed by the invading of Japansese military in 1937, she risked her life in protecting over ten thousand women and girls in her campus. This book showed her courage. It was a remarkable story of the female over the male, the weak over the strong, the peace over violence. However, over the past sixty years, not many Americans know of this woman of humanity and internationalism. In 2001, I had the good fortune to attend her memorial at Shephard, Michigan with a small group of friends and her relatives. I delivered a brief paper on behalf of the citizens of Nanking for their respect and love to her. Dr Bates, another international team members son of 1937 delivered the grave site prayer.
As Americans, you should not miss this woman of the greatest generation. In December 13 2002, a statue will be set up in Naking to honor this American to China.
In 2004, Missouri House, City of St Louis and City of Overland made Proclamation on her birthday as Ginling Forever, Minnie Vautrin Day. In 2005, Illinois Governor honored her on her birthday and called for citizens of Illinois to follow her example. In September 27 2006, California Congressman Mike Honda introduced her on the floor for a Celebration Resolution - a significant gift for her 120 years birthday!
In 2003, with a group of friends, we set up Friends of Minnie Vautrin Scholarship Project to raise funds to honor her and her mission of Chinese women education in her Ginling College through United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia. [...]

I first heard of the Rape of Nanking back in the year 1998 when I came across Iris Chang's _Rape of Nanking_ Since then I have read every book that I came across on the subject. Dr. Hu's book tells us of Minnie Vautrin an extraordinary woman who spent most of her life in China trying to help the Chinese people through education in religion. The book goes on to tell how Miss Vautrin risked her life day after day protecting thousands of Chinese women who seeked sanctuary at Miss Vautrin's college, Ginling.
Dr. Hu does a wonderful job giving the reader a backdrop of information, so the reader knows Japan and China's relationship with each other and the circumstances that led up to the Rape of Nanking. Dr. Hu also gives very detailed information in a short section about the history of American missionaries going to China. Wonderful book and an extraordinary woman.

Author Hua-ling Hu presents the deeply moving biography of an American educator/missionary who remained in Nanking to help thousands of women and children facing death. I could not set down the book until I finished it, then I started again in order to gain a keen appreciation for the thorough historical scholarship using sources that have not been available until Hu brought them to our eyes. This book should be read by historians, by missionaries, by anyone interested in fascinating biographies -- it is a compelling story with exceptional historical scholarship as the backdrop.

I adore this book! I have it on my nightstand and can just open it up anywhere and be entertained and delighted. One can find facts and qoutes that are truly beautiful. I few of the passages literally took my breath away.

If you love books and reading, this is a MUST have!

I found the place by accident; I always do. It isn't as though I set out looking for them but they call out to me. I don't even have to see them. Sometimes I can simply sense their presence. The closer I draw, the greater their insistence, the more persuasive their arguments, and the stronger the attraction. A good bookstore is irresistible.

Some time ago, I was with some friends and we stopped in a café briefly. My bookstore indicator went through the roof and after very little looking, I discovered the Acorn bookstore in Grandview. I'll save the complete story for another time. Inside, I found a book of particular interest: one that might describe how I am able to discover such bookstores so easily and why I am so enamored of books. The volume was Holbrook Jackson's The Anatomy of Bibliomania, this 1981 edition being supertitled, The Book About Books.

"Bibliomania" sounded like a strong word to me-its meaning obviously being "book-madness." Nevertheless, consideration of the possibility seemed wise, and likely a pleasurable task, as it would include an addition to my library and some hours spent in reading and introspection. After looking over the extensive table of contents, I turned to the opening and read, "The Author to the Reader." Therein, it said:

"Gentle Reader, I presume thou wilt be very inquisitive to know what antic or personate actor it is that so insolently intrudes upon this common theatre to the world's view, arrogating as you will soon find, another man's style and method: whence he is, why he does it, and what he has to say. 'Tis a proper attitude, and the questions clear and reasonable themselves, but I owe thee no answer, for if the contents please thee, 'tis well; if they be useful, 'tis an added value; if neither, pass on, nor, in the observation of what wise Glanvill, hath any one need to complain, since no one is concerned about what another Prints, further than himself pleaseth; and since Men have liberty to read our Books, or not, they should give us leave to write what we like, or forbear, which for the most part they do.

"Yet in some sort to give thee satisfaction, which thou hast a right to demand, since I have caused my book to be printed and sold for money, I will show a reason both of this usurped title and style. And first for the name and form, which I hae so freely adapted from Robert Burton his Anatomy of Melancholy: lest any man by reason of it should be deceived, expecting a pasquil, a scherzo, a burlesque, a satire, some humorous or fantastic treatise (as I myself should have done, recalling that all parodies are jests), I may at once undeceive him, for my intent is serious; I have gleaned the crops of innumerable authorities scattered far and wide, winnowing the chaff from the grain, and setting out the various species in such an order that they may best contribute to our knowledge of books in general and of Bibliomania in particular."

I was hooked, and purchased the book. Its structure is thirty-two parts, covering such things as "Of Books in General," "The Pleasure of Books," "The Art of Reading," "Study and Book-Learning," "A Pageant of Bookmen," "The Influence of Books," "Borrowers, Biblioklepts and Bestowers," "Of Bibliomania or Book-Madness," and concludes with "Bibliophily Triumphant."

A passage I found particularly noteworthy was "Men Who Become Books: Biblianthropus."

"If, as I have shown, pro captu lectoris habent sua fata libelli, [`The reader's fancy makes the fate of books'] books, as I have also shown, make the fate of their readers; it is a quid pro quo, give and take."

As I read through the text, I found that the treatise became an increasingly plausible argument that I afflicted by bibliomania. I have long believed in this quid pro quo and indeed have proclaimed to the entire world time and again that lego, ergo sum. Even so, in the sections where Jackson discusses the hunters and collectors of books, he shows that bibliomanes often do not read their books. Their love of books is often superficial, appreciating much about them but ultimately being driven by such things as greed, or at the very least profit. I found myself disconnected from the subjects of the discussion.

The opening of the conclusion, entitled "Wedded to Books," I found myself once again connected with the subject. Jackson advises:

"Let us love books as we love, dum vires annique sinunt, while we are in the flower of years, fit for love, and while time serves,

Gather ye rose-buds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying."

Bibliophily is a natural and even healthful state, for books are the most timeless way for us to proclaim who we are and to find out who our ancestors were. I suggest that there is no better way to find one's place in the world than first to survey the world. I hold that there is no better way to survey the world and human experience than through books. With this knowledge of the world, one has a frame of reference for one's own experiences and can see one's own life in perspective. This understanding will not only enhance one's own experiences, but through discernment leads to wisdom: knowing what to do when confronted with decision, how to promote what is ultimately good. Or, as Johann Kaspar admonished:

"Act well at the moment, and you have performed a good action to all eternity."

So this is the crux of bibliophily for me, even if I do enjoy such simple pleasures as seeing, smelling, and touching books. Nevertheless, the world of books is large enough to allow for reading that is less purposeful in nature, even allowing for the pointless. Other bookmen, whether bibliomanes or bibliophiles, may well take liberty of disagreement with me; and I have no interest in preventing them in any case. Having taken Jackson's tour of bibliomania, I am well satisfied with both the content and presentation. And I'm delighted to have another volume to add to my library.

If you are an aficionado of "books about Books" ,you'll love this classic.
The author,Holbrook Jackson ,who died in 1948 at the age of 73 was one of England's foremost men of letters.He was primarily a "bookman" who loved books and everything about them,and what they were to him ,he wanted them to be for others.It has been said, that when it came to books he was a conductor,not a composer-and what a brilliant conductorhe was.
This book was first published in 1930 when Jackson was 55. It came out in 2 volunes comprising 435 pages and a small printing of only 1,000 copies. It has been reprinted in several editions and still available in a soft cover. It is one of those books that people hold onto and is readily available in various editions. I bought my copy in "The Sleepy Hollow Bookshop" in Midland ,Michigan,in 1997.It is the Hardcover edition ,published in 1950,consisting of 668 pages ,excellent condition,including the dj,and very reasonable priced at $20. As I have always been attracted to books about books,I was captivated by it immediately. Since that time,I have glanced at it many times,but finally got aroumnd to reading it through. Since the time I bought it,I've read several other books about books and written reviews on them. I 've enjoyed them all ,but this is without doubt a classic.
You must keep in mind that this book was written 60 years ago .It also concentrates mainly on British and European books,collectors,authors,classics,etc.However;what the author writes about applies to any books anywhere.He covers everything imaginable about readers,collectors ,booksellers,collections and not muchabout authors ,other than their love of books,versus writing them. Also,don't think that ,with so many pages,the book is too detailed and gets bogged down.There ree co many subjects covered that any subject covered is done in a couple of pages.It is broken down into 32 Parts or Chapters.with each Part again broken down into several sectionsFor instance ,Part XXXIV,

The Symptons of Bi"Tbliomania;there are 7 sub sections;
I.The Symptons Introduced
II. Wherein the Madness Lies
III. Its Main Character an Obsession
IV. Of Hording
V. Bibliotaphs and Book Misers
VI.Of Pluralists
VII. The Mania for Rarity.
All this is covered in 18 pages.
One thing that becomes very evident is the immense difference with readers and books from the time this book was written and today ;is the introduction of the Internet on the whole world of Bibliography. Those were the days that most books were found in small local bookstores.Book lovers spent endless hours searching bookstores in hopes of finding their books. Now virtually any book can be found and acquired via the Internet. Also,Bookfairs and Events like street sales are great ways to find books and even meet authors.In Totonto we have huge charitible used
book sales run by Univrersities.;who get donations of books from theri Alumni.
And then we have Amazon and the communitaion among readers with Customer Reviews. All these new advancements would be totally unimaginable,to Bibliophiles.But ,once again,all the things that Jackson talks about are stii as revalent today as they were then ;but even more so.

a tongue-in-cheek look at the "madness" of bibliomania, inspired by Robert Burton's 17th century classic "The Anatomy of Melancholy", this book is filled with fun facts and interesting anecdotes from the world of books. If you're a book-collector, booklover, bookseller, or just all-around bookaholic, you'll delight in this compendium of book trivia, and in the clinical classification of the numerous manifestations of bibliomania (book-madness), from the book-thief to the book-abuser to the book-hoarder, and everything inbetween - but be careful you don't find yourself described therein!

This is it. Huge, plenty of data, infinite in its approaches, full of ideas, rich in details, abundant in humor and written in a circunvoluted english as if written by a XVII wit. In fact, as if Robert Burton would have done it now, as in fact he did it then.

First of all please get the masterpiece Animal Gospel which a MUST buy for ANYONE interested in animal rights, which is written by the same author. This author is an Anglican priest and theologean and his life's mission IS animal rights (besides being a priest for human beings). Both these books are outstanding and Animal Gospel being the ULTIMATE argument in defense of animals. This book sometimes gets technical in its theological theme, but you really have to read the passion for justice and the tremendous insight that this theologean has for animals. It is Reverend Linzey who says that animals deserve PRIORITY and major consideration in our society (he goes beyond Singer in both this book and especially in Animal Gospel) because they are most vulnerable in our society. This is even beyond PETA that goes by Singer!!! Incredible!!!

He jumpstarted the animal rights movement and EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT Christian or are sour to the Christian treatment of animals, these books--ESPECIALLY Animal Gospel will give you plenty of extra AMUNITION with which to go out into the world and take the tremendous challenges much better than by reading lay books alone. Don't be fooled by the Christian label (except for Animal Theology that DOES indeed have it's Christian imprint) because there is SO MUCH INSIGHT TO USE EVEN if you are shy or repelled by Christianity and animal rights in the same sentence. Reverend Linzey gets to the very root of value when it comes to WHY people view non-humans as inferior which leads to the use of animals for experimentation. He gets to the very root of the horrors of bioengineering and our blase acceptance of engineered mice or other animals, and so much more that is VERY suitable for the lay person or those from another religion that want to avoid Christian theology. You practically have all the arguments spelled out for you. He explains (why) this problem needs to be addressed with the lawmakers rather than waste TOO much time convincing the vivisectors. Can animals be USED at all, he asks? That's a really tough question because upon what criteria do we base any judgment? According to Reverend Andrew Linzey, animals can be used ONLY if THEY BENEFIT--which eliminates the vast majority of ways we use animals in our society. Now really, isn't this great?

This book is an astonishingly intelligent argument for animal rights, and both the books Animal Gospel AND Animal Theology are a MUST buy for those interested in pursing the fight against animal abuse in medicine and for animal rights in general. For the younger folks out there, please believe me. When I was young (still a teenager) and it was basically me against the medical institution or establishment (that's how I felt), I didn't have all this amunition as you have today. Please use this gift of opportunity and information by way of these blessed books, organizations such as PCRM and many other organizations that WEREN'T AROUND when I came face to face with calous doctors who supported vivisection and antagonized me. It was me against Goliath, but I stood firm in my convinctions. Now you have ALL this extra HELP, AMUNITION, organizations, highly educated and intelligent people who are joining in the animal rights movement, even His Holiness The Dalai Lama, etc. Take advantage of all this opportunity to fight injustice. You are not alone as I felt I was back then.

Andrew Linzey has touched me very profoundly. Back then in the 60's and with the horrors that went on in the medical schools in Italy right under the nose of the Church, I, in a way, withdrew from pursuing the fight because I felt it too huge to tackle even if some organizations already existed. He has put me to shame in a way because ironically, it is a Priest of the Christian faith, a faith I had lost faith in, that had so much to teach me about courage in facing the impossible, the whole Medical Institution and SO MUCH MORE even if it is painful facing up to cruelty and indifference. I finally went to a protest against the immense suffering of elephants & their abuse in circuses the whole 10 days, and I was able to face the very painful indifference & cruel remarks of people with much more courage. I had to do it for the elephants and not back down. Then we walked with them (supporting them) to their trailers all the while in tears (holding each other for support) because they were so broken and so very sad. This author will be your teacher helping you to go to the NEXT LEVEL of animal rights.

You can use this book as secondary to Animal Gospel, but you would be surpised how much more insight this book has for anyone fighting for animal liberation and fighting to end suffering on all ends of the spectrum.

One tiny gripe: He mentions animal sacrifice to God alone and not to humans. Only half right by my opinion. Please get the book, Power vs. Force and that will explain the low level of human spirituality when it comes to animal sacrifice.

Don't let this book pass by! This author is DEEPLY COMMITTED to the animal rights movement and some words like humanocentricity are used by him to explain the selfish egocentric mentality of human beings in our world with regard to other beings that share the same planet with us.

Message to young people: LEARN, STUDY--get yourself an education, learn how to fight the tremendous injustices done to our fellow beings, become the President of the United States, congressmen, senators, lawmakers, bookwriters, lawyers (look how Gary Francione's education serves in his arguments for animal rights--see his books), even doctors (now you can sail through medical school without vivisection thanks to PCRM and Dr. Neil Barnard) and go out and DO GREAT WORK FOR NON-HUMANS WITH COURAGE! It is because Dr. Neil Barnard is a doctor that he was able to form a union with other doctors and REALLY MAKE A HUGE difference in eliminating vivisection from about more than 90% of medical schools in America! My little voice meant nothing. In my youth, I spent too much time not believing what I was seeing in the mirror and waiting for a prince. Now I can't believe I wasted all that time in illusions when I should have concentrated on education and the plight of animals in real desparate need of liberation. There is no prince or princess--look at what happened to Princess Diana. All is illusion and all passes--read Buddhist teachings and the book Power vs. Force that has a section on romantic "love." I looked up a rock star drummer boy on the internet that I had a HUGE HUGE crush on for several of my teenage years. When I saw him I said "who is that guy?" All that energy for nothing! Great looking adult guy, but that's all. The only thing that is constant and real is the need for these animals to have someone come to their rescue and help them get out of the deep hell they are in. They are waiting for you to help them. Please don't make my mistakes!! Dedicate your lives starting from your youth to help these animals out of real hell. That is the only thing that is real.

A great read for anyone interested in religion and animal rights. It's a wonderful reference for spirituality and AR discussions.

This book is one of many works by Prof. Linzey which grapple with the meaning of Christian faith and human relationships with other animals. In some respects, Prof. Linzey is quite traditional in his understanding of Christianity--that God is creator and redeemer, for instance, or that all are saved through Christ. However, he adds something unique (though not inconsistent) to his discussion of theology: "theos-rights," a concept emphasizing the fact that creation exists for God, not for humanity. From this, Linzey is able to show how Biblical texts and doctrines should point us toward a identifying with animals as God's creatures--not as objects to dominate over. This book is well written and an eloquent statement on behalf of Linzey's lifetime as a Christian theologian--and it pushes true Christians to become more God-centered, rather than self-centered. For those who might wish for a book that is less academic--but certainly as well written--try Linzey's "Animal Gospel."

Just add an "L" to "ANIMA" and you have...."ANIMAL"

And actually, aren't we humans "animals" too? Sure! We're mammals!! Nothin to be ashamed of! And we, who are (well, SHOULD be!) the benevolent caretakers of the world, resonate with all of creation, animal, vegetable, mineral (interesting that Jesus once said "These Stones will speak!" -- if stones can do it, then why not animals, who have more of a soul (IMHO) than a Stone.)

This is a great book. Thought-provoking, has many "AHA!" moments.

When we realize that our existence is TIGHTLY woven around the existence of every other God-created being on this earth, then perhaps one day (soon I hope) the word Man"KIND" will actually mean exactly that!!!

And let's face it -- Adam and Eve were NOT thrown out of the Garden of Eden for anything the animals had done! (let's ignore the snake, who was actually Old Scratch in disguise)

So "Be kind to animals -- for you NEVER know when you may be entertaining Angels Unawares".

I recommend this book for ANYONE, even those who do not profess any religion.

Linzey approaches animal rights from a Biblical Christian perspective. He points out that in the garden of Eden Adam and Eve were totally vegan, as were all the animals. This therefore represents an ideal state of creation, which one day it can return to ("The lion will lie down with the lamb.."). Meat eating was allowed after the flood because of sin, and should be regarded as an emergency necessity rather than part of God's overall plan. If meat eating is not necessary for health (as it isn't in much of the world), then animals should be left alone. Linzey also refutes those who say that God gave us "dominion" over other living things, pointing out that the Bible points to Christ as an example of how "dominion" should be exercised. Christ used his superior ability to help human kind and to sacrifice Himself on our behalf, not to rule over us like a petty tyrant. I have always thought this myself, but it will certainly give me more confidence when arguing against evangelical fundamentalists to know that my opinions are backed up by an Oxford Professor of theology.

Linzey goes further than Singer or Regan in our duties to animals. He agrees with Regan that we differ from other animals as moral agents (though he doesn't use the term), since we are created in God's image. He then goes on to say that just as God became a servant for us, that the "image" we are created in is the image of a servant, not a dictator. Thus, far from using our privileged status with the Almighty as an excuse for tyranny over our less fortunate animal friends, we are obliged to show animals not equal consideration, but MORE consideration than ourselves, simply because we are the stronger species, in the same way that parents always should put their childrens' interests above their own.

In conclusion, I found the book to be worthwhile, and would recommend it to anyone interested in animals rights and Christianity. Unlike many books on animal rights, it was free form anger or condemnation against those doing the exploitation . The author succeeds in loving the sinner while hating the sin.

The news about public school education has been bad for almost 30 years. Statistics published by city, state, and federal information banks show that kids are just not learning what they need to know, schools are overcome with violence, teachers are demoralized, and yet billions of dollars are literally shovelled into the system. Where does this money go, we have all asked,as we walk down our children's school hallways and have seen the paint falling off the walls and ceilings, the broken desks and chairs, and we have heard about the lack of services and resources going to our kids. There has been little documentation of the misappropriation of these funds until now. Lydia Segal has written an excellent and important book on this topic that will become THE textbook on corruption, theft, fraud, and patronage within the Board of Education not only in New York City, but also in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Lydia Segal, a former Investigator of the New York City public schools, says that very little of the dollars allocated to students in our public schools actually gets used by them. She details how coding problems, the procurement process, compartmentalization and opacity of information leave administrators with only two options: good corruption (which ultimately helps the kids) and bad corruption (which never helps anyone but the perpetrator and his/her allies and accomplices). Indeed, the system fights those who try the good corruption route. Ms. Segal describes in graphic detail the "godfathers" and "godmothers" (the school board members), who obtain jobs for their "pieces". Furthermore, no one who reads her chapter "Lessons From Local Political School Control", with the sub-headings "How Language Illuminates the Pathology", "No Real Accountability", "The Ease of Building a Patronage Army", "Controlling the Tools For Patronage", and "Exploiting Parents' Poverty" will ever listen to a school Principal, Superintendent, or School Board official in the same way. Our perception of public school education is changed forever by this book.
The pathology of this corruption suggests the remedy, Ms. Segal says, which is decentralization of power into the schools and the hands of the Principals. The 52 pages of footnotes, interviews, and reference materials as well as the easy reading style make every word Ms. Segal writes believable, although depressing. There is no question, however, that anyone who is interested in school reform and/or who works toward a goal of establishing an education system that puts children first must read this book.

I almost did not buy this book. I would like to understand why our schools are doing such a bad job at educating our kids. The title to this book suggested a narrow focus on issues such as bribery, which, while interesting to a District Attorney, do not seem central to the problem.

What I discovered, however, is that this book really covers alot more ground that the title suggests. Yes, Segal is a lawyer, and she started out in this area by investigating honest to goodness corruption. She is concerned about bribery, waste and abuse, all of which are larger problems than I had realized.

The book goes way beyond those relatively small issues, however. It really gets to the heart of WHY our schools stink, in a way that I have not seen anyone else do. What Segal really gets into are the reasons why our largest school districts are such ossified bureaucratic dinosaurs. She tells a number of really hair-raising stories about how totally the system does not care about efficiency or educational quality, and, perhaps more imporartant, she explains WHY the system can not care. It is a very interesting story. It goes back to the early 20th century when the Progressive Movement was fighting urban corruption, and scientific management was all the rage. The bottom line, however, is that our large systems have fundamental, systematic problems that make it astonishing that they teach as well as they do. As Segal makes very clear, tinkering around the edges with curriculum reform and such like will do next to nothing, until the organizations are fundamentally retooled so that basic efficiency and educational quality become a focus again. As things stand, there is so much red tape, so much administrative ho-ha and general bureaucratic nightmares that there is no possible way that the system can deliver a quality product at a reasonable price.

Very important book.

As a mother of two, facing the tough choice between public and private schools, I found this book full of critical insights as to how the public schools really work. Segal's analysis of the perverse incentives, corruption, and overwhelming bureaucracy that are dragging down our schools is compelling and persuasive. Her suggestions for what should be done to fix the system are intelligent and long overdue. Everyone with school-age kids should read this book now!

A real eye-opener, this very well-written and powerfully argued book finally helped me understand why
urban public schools never seem to have enough money
to educate our children despite repeated national and local efforts to change that. Ms. Segal contends that waste and abuse are the primary culprits and offers thorough and persuavie doumentaion that this is indeed true.
Because she concludes that the problem is with
pathological systems, not people, she spends a good quarter of the book discussing how to overhaul the systems.
The suggestions are overwhelmingly intelligent, inspiring, and above all, realistic.
This book is a must-read for anyone looking for concrete and specific ways to improve our educational system.

A real eye-opener, this very well-written and powerfully argued book finally helped me understand why
urban public schools never seem to have enough money
to educate our children despite repeated national and local efforts to change that. Ms. Segal contends that waste and abuse are the primary culprits and offers thorough and persuasive documentation that this is indeed true.
Because she concludes that the problem is with
pathological systems, not people, she spends a good quarter of the book discussing how to overhaul the systems.
The suggestions are overwhelmingly intelligent, inspiring, and above all, realistic.
This book is a must-read for anyone looking for concrete and specific ways to improve our educational system.

Abe Lieberman is a thin, jewish, sixty year old police detective in Chicago; his wife is the president of his synagogue; his daughter, who is on her second marriage is married to a black pathologist and live in the bay area; his grandchildren (from his daughter's first marriage live with him). His partner is a big ex-football playing Irishman named William Hanrahan; who is divorced, a recovering alcoholic (as is his younger son), and is in love with an Asian woman he wants to marry. On the Chicago force they are known as the 'Rabbi and Father Murphy'.

The cases in this book are not of that much interest, but it is the inter- action of Lieberman and his partner with a myriad of characters from multiple cultures that make this a worthwhile read. Kaminsky is great at getting the nuances of speech and the causes behind the actions of his characters to be so honest and real. A worthy addition to the series.

Chicago police officers Abe Lieberman and Bill Hanrahan are partners affectionately dubbed by their peers as the "Rabbi and the Priest". Their latest case involves mob accountant Mickey Gornitz willing to testify against his boss if certain conditions are met. Mickey insists he will only talk with Abe, who was a high school classmate several decades ago. Mickey also demands that his ex-wife and teenage son receive full protection though he has not seem either of them in fifteen years until the informer disappears into the witness protection program. Reluctantly, the Cook County District Attorney's Office agrees.

However, almost immediately after the moment that the Boston cop handed over the former wife and son to Bill, thugs kidnap the duo. When the abduction includes murder, Bill blames himself and not the brass who thought the wife and kid were low priority. As Abe works on a couple of cases and some personal shtick, he tries to help his partner deal with a severe case of depression caused by deep feelings of guilt.

The Abe Lieberman police procedural series is constantly one of the best the sub-genre has to offer. The current tale, THE BIG SILENCE, is an intriguing look at Chicago, various ethnic groups, and relationships. The police investigation is engaging because no great revelation occurs, just hard work. Stuart M. Kaminsky other sleuths (see Rostnikov and Peters) are very good and deserve fan accolades, but clearly neither one holds a candle to the Lieberman books.

Harriet Klausner

What a wonderful book! Virtually every character, small in part or large, transmits that evanescent hint of reality--reality soaked with love, hate, unsavory trade-offs between criminals and cops, between cops and cops (Our televison cops that give most Americans their conception of the police is unrealistically and inordinately distorted--towards the positive, which for us as viewers means cops that are really, really tough with the subtlety of an 100-mile hurricane ripping through a small town. In Law and Order, aren't most criminals one-diminsional, even if depicted favorably, usually when one of the cops or attys falls in love with one of the baddoes. Kaminsky says, "These men are cops; we depend on them, but they are very imperfect, very willing to deal with ruthless, even sadistic criminals, to make the concession that should result in the greater legal and justice good. But putting El Perro's men back on the street is really better than a sharpie who cozens old people. Anyway, Lieberman's novels have improved (the first is the worst and can profitably be skipped, "Lieberman's Folly": but try to read the rest in sequence. Although the plots are fairly discrete, the characters reoccur and we learn more and more about them as we proceed through the books in this series. The characters speak to the heart, mind and imagination that reaches Keatsian goals (if not his genius). This novel has a few main plots--one focussing on Lieberman's partner, his drinking problems, his difficulty in marrying a beautiful Chinese woman (He's big Irish, all the way); another plot strand focusses on Lieberman's difficult daughter, who has basically abandoned her children to Lieberman and his wife--she's remarried, lives in CA, and like so many of us has great difficulty living a life that is not based on depression, obsession with the "cold and analytical"; she blames Lieberman for her problems, but also realizes that his wisdom, his love may be her only chance for happiness (flickers of) and success in marriage with her new black husband. The honesty of the character interactions, their stances and relationships allows us to see characters not as such but as almost Shakespearean, universal, yet individuals that we can palpably touch and, at least partially, understand. This particular novel, of all of Kaminsky's many novels, from several series, sharply, richly, and genuinely etches real people (e.g. Gornitz, Phil Blitzein, Hanranahan, Kearney, Bess, the grandkids and on and on. This novel loves humanity by giving us people and stories, transcending mystery/suspense genre, but working effectively with its requisites, who help us think about life--its joys, its drama, its hypocrisy, its pettiness, and in the case of the dog--a stroke of authorial genious nonpareil--finding a ray of hope in the kindness of a detective, who looks like a weary, somewhat cranky dog (Lieberman), but lights up the lives of so many (sure he's too good to be true) but gives us readers hope that we might make a positive difference and that a life not beset with problems is really not a life at all. Lieberman's insonmia, his slightly acridly ironic humor, his incorrigible daughter and all those criminals, big and small, who make Lieberman's life a means for us to enrich our own. Great book. Also read Russian series and the three Fonesca novels--Kaminsky entertains inexorably, proses beautifully and brings the dectective novel up to a level that only Bill James and Michael Connelly can approximate. Not airline books (Patterson) but still easy to read, and easy to read twice. Read him

Dark, yet humorous. The entire Lieberman series is fantastic (I've read them all) but this one is the best. The plots are complex yet they move at breakneck speed. You really get involved in the characters and their lives. This cop series focuses on the minds and lives of the police, rather than focusing on the criminals. This series is tops. The only other writers that come close are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane and S.J. Rozan.

I love every single book in the Lieberman series but this one is a particular favorite. As always, Lieberman is both worldly wise and all too human, with weaknesses that make him just that more believable and strangely lovable as well.
This time around, Lieberman and his associate, Hanrahan, are trying to guard the ex-wife and son of a mob informant while juggling the daily frustrations of their own lives. While the mystery will keep your attention, what is equally wonderful, to my mind, are Lieberman and Hanrahan, two guys who jump from the pages in vivid detail. Kaminsky is a wonderful writer and I hope more than mystery buffs discover him. He deserves the attention!