California Books

I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society, but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. - Thomas Jefferson.

_Operation Mind Control: The CIA's Plot Against America_, published in 1978, by Walter Bowart is a highly disturbing account of the use of mind control technology by a secret government (the cryptocracy) against the American people to further their own aims. Walter Bowart (1939 - 2007) was a journalist and a prominent figure in the counter-cultural movement that grew during the 1960s. He was influential in promoting mind freedom through his Freedom of Thought Foundation. Previous reviewers have alleged that when this book came out it was first suppressed by the CIA because they did not want their dabblings in mind control to be made available to the public. Perhaps this explains why the book is so rare today and remains an underground classic. This book makes reference to such other individuals as L. Fletcher Prouty, John Marks, and Alan Sheflin who also investigated the role of mind control technologies and their use by the CIA. The book includes an Foreword by Richard Condon author of the mind control classic novel _The Manchurian Candidate_ in which he explains the rise of America's secret police and their use of mind control against the American people. The book includes vast details outlining various schemes for mind control including the use of hypnosis and drugs (especially the hallucinogenic drug LSD-25) by the CIA and the use of behavior modification and the creation of mind control assassins.

Chapter One of this book is entitled "The Cryptorian Candidate" in which the author explains how headlines about the CIA's role in drug testing in 1977 showed that the CIA had been involved in massive drug testing experiments. The author explains the importance of Richard Condon's novel _The Manchurian Candidate_ which showed the role of brainwashing techniques in Korea on American POWs. The author also discusses what he terms "Operation Mind Control", the goal of controlling the minds of American citizens through mind control technology and explains what he terms the "cryptocracy" or the secret government and the involvement of the CIA. The author also discusses some of the other agencies involved and the role of the American military and the corporations. Chapter Two is entitled "Only One Mind For My Country" and tells the story of an American soldier named David who had joined the Air Force and suffered from amnesia following his tour of duty. Bowart claims that David's amnesia and some of his bizarre memories indicate that he may have been the victim of mind control. Chapter Three is entitled "The Mind Laundry Myth" and exposes the myth of brainwashing among the Communist nations. The author claims that many of those brainwashed were in fact brainwashed by their own country. The author notes the influence of the classic CIA study _Brainwashing in Red China_ by Edward Hunter and the possible role of brainwashing in Korea and Vietnam of American POWs. Chapter Four is entitled "Without Knowledge or Consent" and begins by explaining the role of hypnosis in mind control showing the influence of Dr. George Estabrooks. Indeed, Estabrooks was to brag sometime in the 1940s that "I can hypnotize a man - without his knowledge or consent - into committing treason against the United States." The author explains the role of the OSS (which became the CIA), Estabrooks and hypnosis, the role of the Army, and the Russian psychologist Luria. Chapter Five is entitled "Pain-Drug Hypnosis" and explains the role of pain drugs in aiding hypnosis and the creation of a mind-control race with the Soviets. The author also notes the role of LSD-25, the discovery of Dr. Hoffman of Sandoz Laboratories, and Timothy Leary as a proponent of LSD (and his involvement with Harvard University and the CIA). Chapter Six is entitled "The Guinea Pig Army" and explains how the CIA had given drugs to American citizens under its direction. The author notes the role of such individuals as Dr. Frank Olson (who allegedly jumped to his death after being unwittingly given the drug) and other LSD experiments in the Army and at psychiatric clinics. Chapter Seven is entitled "The MKULTRANS" and is devoted to a discussion of such projects as BLUEBIRD, ARTICHOKE, MKDELTA, and MKULTRA. This relies on the research of John Marks who investigated many of these drug projects through the Freedom of Information Act. Chapter Eight is entitled "The Mata Hari of Mind Control" and discusses the alleged mind control of Candy Jones (a pin-up girl from the World War II era). This shows how Jones was hypno-programmed and alternate personalities created which allowed her to become a CIA courier for twelve years. This chapter relies on the information made available by Candy Jones' husband Donald Bain and notes the nefarious role of the hypnotist William Bryan. Chapter Nine is entitled "The Slaves Who Buried the Pharaoh" and notes the creation of the CIA from the OSS following the Second World War, the craft of intelligence, behavior modification, and the role of such figures as William J. Donovan and John Foster Dulles. The author notes the role of the "mind-control race" and maintains that the cryptocracy has had to keep ahead of the Soviets and maintain absolute secrecy. The author also notes that for the Soviets who live in a totalitarian state there is nothing hypocritical about using the methods of mind control, while for the United States there certainly is. Chapter Ten is entitled "Brave New World in a Skinner Box" and explains the role of behavior modification through the science of behaviorism. The author notes the role of Pavlov who won the Nobel Prize for his conditioning experiments on salivating dogs, the role of Watson and "Little Albert", the various forms of conditioning, and the role of the famous behaviorist B. F. Skinner and the role of his "Skinner box" as well as his utopian plans for society. The author also provides an eerie example how through conditioning one could control the contraction of the pupil of an eye. Chapter Eleven is entitled "A School for Assassins" and notes the importance of the creation of assassins since classical times and explaining the role of a special Navy school for assassins. Chapter Twelve is entitled "The Four Faces of a Zombie" and explains the significance of an individual in the Philippines who claims to have been brainwashed and involved in the Kennedy assassination. Chapter Thirteen is entitled "The Lone Nuts" and discusses the role of various "lone nuts" in the assassinations of figures ranging from JFK and RFK to Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapter Fourteen is entitled "The Ignored Confessions" and discusses various aspects of the confessions of Jack Ruby and the Warren Commission. Chapter Fifteen is entitled "Another Hypno-Patsy?" and discusses the role of James Earl Ray (alleged killer of MLK) and his role as a probable patsy. Chapter Sixteen is entitled "Confession by Automatic Writing" and discusses the bizarre thinking of Sirhan Sirhan (alleged killer of RFK). Chapter Seventeen is entitled "The Patriotic Assassin" and discusses the ancient history of assassination (e.g. the "Old Man in the Mountain", etc.) and the role of mind control in training military men to be assassins by the agencies. Chapter Eighteen is entitled "Deep Probe" and discusses the experiments of Jose Delgado in electronic stimulation of the brain (ESB) and various uses for electro-convulsive therapy (ECT). This chapter also discusses the creation of cyborgs through ESB and Delgado's comments on a "psycho-civilized society". Chapter Nineteen is entitled "From Bionic Woman to Stimulated Cat" and discusses various projects of the CIA in mind control including that of stimulating a cat's brain and RHIC-EDOM (Radio Hypnotic Intra-Cerebral Control-Electronic Dissolution of Memory) in which memories can be erased. Chapter Twenty is entitled "The Engines of Security" and discusses various uses of the new technology, the continuing influence of the CIA in mind control despite their alleged shutting down of such experiments, mass control and other topics. This chapter ends by noting that the technology is being developed for the creation of a perfect slave state ruled by mind controllers. The book ends with two appendices including memos from the CIA and a list of drugs tested by the CIA.

At the time this book was written, it revealed the dark secrets of the CIA and the government cryptocracy in their efforts to control the minds of the American people through experiments in hypnosis, behavior modification, and drugs. This book shares many of the same themes which are to be found in another classic _The Mind Manipulators_ by Alan Sheflin and Edward Opton. The involvement in such experiments by the CIA has since become common knowledge. However, this book remains a classic testament to the fundamental freedom of the human being from thought control and coercion.

This is a book to be read, not to buy and put on a shelf to impress your friends. In a free society we all need to be informed. Read other reviews for more detail.

As one of the researchers mentioned in Operation Mind Control (Jim Moore - pp 262-264, orig. edition), I followed this book and its author with great interest. The book disappeared because, according to what I learned, the CIA did not want the public to know the extent and details of its mind control programs. I believe even Walter Bowart himself once described how the entire warehouse supply was bought up by the CIA. The book also began vanishing from libraries across the nation, and virtually every copy available in bookstores was suddenly bought up and disappeared into a black hole. Very few copies survived this draconian purge. Those that remain are quire rare and expensive and should be must-reading for all Americans concerned about the future of our country and how our thought processes are manipulated by the political-intelligence "experts". especially in the wake of what is being revealed about 9-11, Iraq and the NSA spying.
At one point, even photocopies were going for as much as $75-100. The book itself (1st edition) has sold for as high as $250. There was a second printing (with a different cover) that also quickly disappeared; whether it was an authorized printing or not, I don't know.
Walter Bowart reportedly wrote a follow-up, but suddenly stopped and virtually vanished. The rumor mill has it that he was threatened with "termination with extreme prejudice" - a phrase for assassination that is now outdated.
To my knowledge, he is still alive but living his life in a very low profile. From my own experiences over the years, I can't say I blame him.

The author of Operation Mind Control, Walter H. Bowart, died on December 18, 2007, according to his obituary in The New York Times and the reference page at Wikipedia.

In 1978, while living in New Hampshire, I had the opportunity of hearing a local radio interview with Bowart concerning his book. I immediately went out and purchased a copy at the cover price of one dollar and ninety-five cents.

Government censorship of the book has created a scarcity of available copies and has skyrocketed the market selling price.

Everything the other reviewers at Amazon have alluded to regarding its supression by the government is true, for Operation Mind Control is indeed a mind blower. The State could not permit anyone to disclose such damaging information.

The secrets revealed in this book openly describe a clandestine government at war with its own people, covert forces which Bowart describes as "the cryptocracy."

This is precisely the kind of dangerous information that governments fear.

Operation Mind Control is not conspiracy theory.

It is documented fact.

Governments live by lies, by bamboozling and hiding the truth from their subjects.

Accordingly, the primary task of opponents of modern tyranny, as libertarian Murray N. Rothbard pointed out, is an educational one: to awaken the public to this manipulation and propaganda, by demystifying and desanctifying the state apparatus upon which such lies are built upon.

Walter Bowart heroically accomplished this feat.

Operation Mind Control spoke truth to power as few books published in the past thirty years have done.

That is why the government tried to destroy it.

Years ago I had the opportunity to discuss these matters with John Marks, the brilliant author of The Search For The Manchurian Candidate: The CIA and Mind Control. Mark's volume somehow escaped the government's relentless campaign waged upon its predecessor.

I highly recommend his book in addition to Operation Mind Control.

Two excellent documentaries tell the sordid and shocking story discussed in these books. They are, Mind Control: America's Secret War, and Bad Trip To Edgewood. Both are available at Google Video for viewing.

This is a review of the scarce 2nd edition of Operation Mind Control, which appears for sale occasionally on Amazon, originally a subscribers only edition, with author's seal and name of the person it was prepared for on the first page. Limited to 500 copies.

I mostly found this to be a very interesting book about the so-called cryptocracy. There's a lot of startling stuff in the 686 pages of main text, and in the appendices. There do appear to be a few factual errors however. He states that B.F. Skinner's daughter committed suicide, but doesn't say where he got that information. According to the book "Opening Skinner's Box", Debbie Skinner is alive and well. He also declares that Skinner was a tool of the cryptocracy out to turn people into "obedient automatons", which is a contentious argument. All I will say is to recommend Lauren Slater's book to get both sides of the argument and also to read a balanced analysis of "false memory syndrome". Mr Bowart argues against that in the chapter "False Memory Spindrome". However, earlier in the book he mentions the case of Sirhan Sirhan, who apparently after hypnosis claimed he killed Robert Kennedy and who, according to a psychiatrist in 1973, had hypnosis used to plant ideas in his mind to make him accept that he killed Robert Kennedy. This psychiatrist is quoted as saying that a polygraph is more accurate than hypnosis. This suggests that memories can indeed be planted through hypnosis!

Most of the sheer volume of information appears to be well researched. In the interests of space I will just list some search terms that could be entered into a search engine to find out about some of the subject matter: "george estabrooks", "mary pinchot meyer", "sir william stephenson", "mark phillips mkultra", "triple dissociation", "mindwar", "dr colin ross", "franklin cover-up", "finders cia", "michael aquino", "luis angel castillo", "david ferrie", "george de mohrenschildt", "becker body electric", "consumertronics", "high power microwave technology", "gunther karl russbacher", "white phosphorus waco", "genie laborde", "col john alexander", "black hole of guyana", "dorothy burdick", "armen victorian", "mike-alpha-delta-3", "tesla generator", "alt.mindcontrol", "mkdraco", "fletcher prouty", "jacques vallee", "martin cannon controllers", "harlan girard", "p.a. lindstrom", "biotelemetry".

There's supposed to be a documentary based on this book too, according to Mr Bowart in this book.

A well composed photographic book. One of few books of it's kind which highlights Southern California's ever present but, often over-looked mountain ranges. If you have never visited your local mountains, this book will make you want to.

Olander's book is a fantastic coffee table book and at the same time a tour guide and history book. I thoroughly enjoy this book each time I open it- which is often. I have often explored and hiked these mountains and have visited many if not most of the places shown in Ms. Olanders' book. It has motivated me to seek out places I haven't been and to re-visit others with new knowledge and history guiding me. I highly recommend this book to all who enjoy nature.

This book is filled with both stunning photography and graceful prose. Call of the Mountains spans an 18 month period in which the Olanders explored their local mountain ranges. It chronicles the people that they meet along the way and the stories that the ancient mountains hold. The book concludes with the desire that these treasured mountains be preserved for future generations.

This is much more than a book with great pictures. Ann & Farley Olander show the rest of us how we can enjoy the quiet beauty and simple pleasures of the wilderness next door. Unassuming and inspiring, this book is a roadmap for nature lovers and urbanites alike.
It is truly a collection of quiet visual poetry that rhymes with wilderness.

Benoit & Kathryn Gendron, New York City

Thank you Ann and Farley Olander. My husband and I have always enjoyed the mountains, and the San Gabriel Mountains hold a special place in our hearts. It is so nice seeing California mountains so lushly photographed with important prose. Our friends pick it up to look at the photos, but always end up reading it as well. It is truly an inspired partnership that created this work or art.

Great book. Basic history of the depression days and the hardships of families and conditions that prevailed. Pictures were very good and the text was easy to read and detailed. Highly recommend for anyone interested in this time period.

My dad was one of these depression era Okie kids and this book helps me understand him. On the way to California in 1937 they found work (50 cents a day and a quart of milk) in New Mexico and ended up staying there.

My 10 year old daughter was required to read a non-fiction book and create a project for her 5th grade English class. She is an avid reader of fiction, but was not enthusiastic about reading non-fiction. This marvelous book by Jerry Stanley has changed my daughter and her reluctance in this area. She was moved by the story of these Dust Bowl migrants who came to California to find a better life and their struggle to move forward from adversity. Mr. Stanley's book is excellent. While written for young readers, he does not write down to them. Instead he brings the young reader to his level. The photographs by noted artists bring further dimension to this stellar work. My daughter could not put it down.

This book is a beautiful testiment to the human spirit, and the resilancy of the American spirit.
It is also the story of taking a chance on people that other's find useless.
A beautiful book and a beautiful story.

this book is an excellent companion to the historical ficiton book "Bud, Not Buddy." By reading aloud sections of Children of the Dustbowl, teachers could build some of the background knowledge that would help children understand how the daily lives of the average person changed as a result of the Great Depression and the 5-year drought in the Midwest.
Given the devastation of Hurriicane Katrina, this book also offers insight on what can happen when large numbers of people must migrate because of weather-related disasters.

Great pictures and information in an easy to carry guide. The author is worth listening too, if you get an opportunity.

This is really a great little book on a specialized but interesting area of insect identification. Although considered primitive insects (since they undergo incomplete metamorphosis) dragonflies are just cool because they're so big and conspicuous and such strong fliers, and can maneuver at lightning speed, almost like hummingbirds. During the Carboniferous period or Coal Age 340 million years ago, there were dragonflies with 3 foot wingspans, according to the fossil evidence.

They also know how to "play the game." I've watched them many times patrolling the edge of ponds since they know that's "where the action is," during their hunts for prey.

This is an excellent book on indentifying these important insects. If I remember right, 30 or 40 species get covered, which is a good number, and the photos and descriptions are excellent. I found it an excellent guide to learn from and to improve my knowledge of this area, my main interest being in botany, and in identifying flowers, trees, and fungi. This is the best book I've seen on this specialized topic.

As a beginner in the study of these fascinating and beautiful creatures, I found this book clear, concise, and easy to understand and use. The text is simple and complete, and the illustrations are excellent. The small size of the volume makes it fit easily into your pocket for quick reference. Anyone interested in dragonflies will find the book an absolute MUST!

This is really nice field guide to have. The photographs are great. Each entry is succint and includes one or two photographs together with a bold line the length of the dragonfly and printed in one of the dominant colors of the dragonfly. There is a checklist in the back so that you can keep track of what you see, and the introductory information in the front of the book is well-written. Though I bought this book for myself, I think that it also would make a great field guide for a child since the book is small, easy to use, and the photos are clear and attractive. It is well worth the price.

Common Dragonflies of California is an uncommon book. Full of sound advice and chock full of excellent color photos, this book will be of great interest to any California nature lover. I am the kind of person who loves to know the name of every tree, shrub, flower, reptile, bird and fish that I see. Now that I have this little jewel, I'm going to learn how to identify the dragonflies too. The more we learn about nature, the more enjoyment we get from it. I highly recommend this fine book! I expect it would make a great present too, for the right person. Tom Ogren, author of Allergy-Free Gardening

I love this book! Everything was beautiful from cover to cover on glossy paper. Each species of conifers (including pines, redwoods, cypresses, and firs) has a fantastic botanical illustration, photographs, and a map of range. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love for trees and especially a must have if you live in California!

For me, the conifers are the trees that really make a difference. Each one is such a unique and majestic statement on the landscape.

Ronald Lanner's book is a fine natural history book full of artistic drawings, photographs, and a key to help you identify these beautiful trees. It belongs on any naturalists bookshelf.

Conifers grow old, big and tall in California. What better book for discovering the coniferous bounty that the state has to offer. Second only behind Mexico in native conifer species, the conifer elevates the landscape and become an indelible symbolic reflection of all that is natural in California, from the Sierra rich in yellow, sugar and Jefferey Pine to the isolated groves of heavy sequoia, magnificent in their collosal staure. High in the White Mountains of Eastern California, living at seemingly impossible heights the bristlecone pine lives long and prosperous in stauesque poses in an inhospitable environment. The redwood defines the Northern coast, living lavishly in mist shrouded groves. The mighty Tahoe National Forest displays a rich blanket of fine firs as far as the eye can see...

This is a great reference book for anyone wanting more information about confiers than what you basic field guild provides. This book helps sort out California's hard-to-id confers with it's beautiful watercolors and photographs. The range maps are very helpful and make it easy to plan a trip to see some of California's amazing trees.

Well written, beautiful pictures and artwork and informative; that sums it up. My brother, who is accustom to seeing much more academic books on my desk, commented that it did not look "too technical". For technical, I recommend Dr.Grossnickle's excellent "Ecophysiology of Northern Spruce Species: The Performance of Planted Seedlings," but for a good education on the distribution and range of California's conifers then I recommend this book heartily.

I picked up Cypress Point at a book store when I was on vacation and needed a book. I had never read Diane Chamberlain before.I was very happy to have chosen a book that kept my attention with every chapter.I look forward to reading more of her books.

I've loved Diane Chamberlain's work from the moment I discovered her and have bought and read all of her books. CYPRESS POINT is one of my favorites--a complex mix of mystery, romance, and family drama--the kind of book Ms. Chamberlain does so beautifully. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking how much I wished I'd thought of this plot first, which is the highest compliment a writer can give to another writer. Diane Chamberlain is one of the very best voices in women's fiction today. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This is a story of two women, Joelle and Carlynn, whose lives run parallel, yet are more intertwined than meets the eye. There are two separate stories. One traces Carlynn's life beginning in 1937 at the age of 7; the other begins with Joelle's birth in 1967. The two stories merge into one where deep rooted feelings and secrets are revealed between the two women and that of their loved ones. Diane Chamberlain is best known for underlying themes where things are not always what they seem. "Cypress Point" will not disappoint the reader in line with that theme.

When her best friend, Mara, had an anerysm (sp?) during the delivery of her son, Joelle D'Angelo was heartbroken. Not only for the little boy that would grow up without his mother, but for Mara's husband, Liam. Because she loved Mara like a sister, Joelle did all she could to ease Liam's heartbreak. She spent time with their son, Sam, and even helped find a home to put Mara in when it looked like she would not be recovering. There friendship took a drastic turn one night when they slept together. For Joelle, she was sleeping with the man she loved, while for Liam, all he saw was the betrayal of his wife.

Now Joelle is pregnant herself. Having had a hard time conceiving with her ex-husband, Joelle is estatic, even though she knows that Liam won't show her enthusiasm. Before she moves away, she wants to do one more thing for Liam and Mara. The woman tha saved her life when she was born was said to have worked miracles, and Joelle wants that miracle for the man she loves. Even if the woman he loves isn't her.

Chamberlain again delivers in this intensely emotional read. I was entralled by the story of Lisabeth and Carlynn as well as Joelle and Liam. It made my heartbreak to see what Liam was putting himself through by trying to remain faithful to a woman that simply didn't exisist anymore.

Don't miss it!

I first began reading Diane Chamberlain in 1992 with her book, Keeper of the Light. After that title I made it my business to find and read every book she wrote and then buy all of her new books almost as soon as they are published. For some reason I saved Cypress Point which I bought at a reading featuring the author in 2002. And while Keeper of the Light and the Keeper trilogy which include Kiss River and Her Mother's Shadow will remain my favorite book, I do think I saved one of the best for last since Cypress Point was a most wonderful read.

Cypress Point takes place in the beautiful area of Monterey, California surrounded by the cypress trees we all marvel at whether we live there or visit. And what better place than to tell the story of a medical healer and the young woman she saves at birth whose paths once again are about to cross.

Carlynne Shire knew she was a medical healer at an early age. And while she has always been treated special by her family her twin sister, Lisbeth, didn't possess the same gift and was virtually ignored by her mother. Growing up and treated differently, Carlynne becomes a gifted doctor while her sister only attends secretarial school. Both sisters find love although neither of them have quite as traditional marriages as one would think.

Then sometime later when Carlynn saves a young baby born on a commune, little does she know that in the future years later she would be asked to save this woman's best friend. Or how this birth at the commune would effect the life of her sister, herself or their husbands.

For Joelle reaching out to the woman who saved her years before may be both a blessing and a curse if she is able to help her. Joelle needs Carlyn to try and help heal her best friend who suffered a brain aneurysm while giving birth to a son. But if Mara regains her abilities and life, what will happen to the love Joelle feels for Mara's husband, Liam. How the medical healer and Joelle meet after more than 30 yearsprovides readers with a wonderful novel filled with romance and a bit of a mystery.

As the author Diane Chamberlain provides readers with in most of her books, this one really captivated me and I hated to see it end. I highly recommend this book as well as all of Diane's books. They are emotional stories with characters you will think about long after you finish her books. Now that I also read Diane's latest book, The Bay at Midnight, I will be anxiously waiting for her next book to arrive on the bookshelves.

Who among us hasn't struggled with the comnflicting strees of life - children, spouses, family, work - and tried to achieve a balance that will answer everyone's needs? For Dr. Renee Altman these all come crashing together when the center of her world, her daughjter Molly, is kidnapped. Det. Jessie Drake copnfronts her own individual conflicts as she races against time to find Molly and apprehend the kidnapper without endangering others who are objects of his hate.
Rochelle Krich draws her characters with such realism you feel like they are part of your life. She skillfully weaves the tension of the drama with character profiles in a way that draws you personally into the plot. As with all her books, this one is difficult to put down before the end. You'll be missing a wonderful treat if you don't read this and the other Jessie Drake books.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was so good I almost finished it the same day I began reading it. I am looking forward to reading all future books that she writes. I am hopeful that her critics will put her up there with Faye Kellerman and others of her genre.

"Dead Air" is Krich's best novel since "Speak No Evil". Jesse Drake is back. She is an LAPD detective who has previously appeared in several Krich novels. This time, Jesse is investigating the kidnapping of Molly, the daughter of Dr. Renee (a radio psychologist), and the murder of Molly's nanny. Renee Altman and Jesse Drake used to be friends, but they drifted apart over the years. Now Jesse is once again involved with Renne as she delves into her friend's troubled life. Not only is Renee in torment over Molly's diappearance, but she is also upset about her separation from her husband, Barry, and the sinking ratings of her radio show. Jesse and her colleagues must find out who kidnapped Molly and where the child is being held. Could Barry, Renee's estranged husband, have had something to do with the child's disappearance? Or is the kidnapper someone with a grudge against Dr. Renee? Krich captures the atmosphere of "radio psychology" well, as Dr. Renee lambastes her callers with scathing advice and withering criticism. Dr. Renee is a thinly veiled Dr. Laura, whom the author mentions in the book several times. Krich explores the theme of how effective and therapeutic radio psychology can ever be. Do radio psychologists serve a beneficial purpose or is what they do shallow and harmful--"microwave psychology," as one character derisively labels it? Krich explores Renee's and Jesse's personal and professional problems nicely and the book is exciting and entertaining. "Dead Air" is a timely and engrossing mystery.

I waited for this new Jesse Drake book and was not dissappionted in it. It kept me spell bound to find out who had Molly .I enjoyed learning more about Jesse,but I was hoping her relationship with her ex would go in a different direction.I am really interested in how Jesse adds her jewishness to her life as a detective.If you enjoy Kellerman than you will love Krich and her characters as they keep you turning the pages for more.

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have devoured recently. I am not a reader who keeps trying to figure out "who done it" before the author reveals the ending. But I truly appreciate a finely crafted mystery with unexpected twists and turns. Krich juggles several potential culprets convincingly. Just when I thought the ending was in sight, she turned another corner in the story line.

After reading this I had to find another title by Krich to see if she was this good or if she just wrote a real "winner." Having read _Speak no Evil_, I can say, "She is a wonderful writer." I also devoured the second book by her. Now I intend to find as many of her titles as I can. I hope her publishers take notice of her "out of stock" and "out of print" titles and make them available as soon as possible.

She is an author to discover, if you haven't read anything by her yet.

This is the best California fishing book series available. There are also the Northern and Southern California editions. The best features of these books that makes them so valuble is the commentary and especially the pictures. So many times I have gone to a campsite or lake, only to be so disappointed to find a pond instead of a lake or a campsite with no scenic beauty. These books have pictures of each fishing site, so you have an excellent idea of what you are in for. There is nothing as disappointing as finding a site way below your expectations after driving for hours to get there. These books pretty much eliminate that scenario, especially since they also give you contact information so you can verify the fishing site is still intact, active and as you see it in the picture. Beautiful color pictures on EVERY page of the book. Outstanding.

This guy is a knows his stuff! Buy all his books, and follow his reviews.

Everyone I know that is an avid fisherman and outdoorsman loves this book as well as all the others written by Mr. Shaffer. Not only are the descriptions excellent, but the pictures give a clear indication of what you are going to see and experience at each locale. Without question, I would recommend this book to anyone I know and already have done so.

Even if you don't fish, this book will give you great advise on places to go for camping or family outings and how to get the most out of it. Directions to all sites included.

My dad is the kind of dad who has everything. I spent months and months looking for a Christmas present for him when i came across this book. He always talks about how he wishes he could go fishing more and this book was perfect for him because of all the different fishing spots it covers. It gave him ideas of all the different places to go that he has never been to before. I know he really liked the book, but i liked it too because of all the pictures.

This is the best California fishing book series available. There are also the Central and Northern California editions. The best features of these books that makes them so valuble is the commentary and especially the pictures. So many times I have gone to a campsite or lake, only to be so disappointed to find a pond instead of a lake or a campsite with no scenic beauty. These books have pictures of each fishing site, so you have an excellent idea of what you are in for. There is nothing as disappointing as finding a site way below your expectations after driving for hours to get there. These books pretty much eliminate that scenario, especially since they also give you contact information so you can verify the fishing site is still intact, active and as you see it in the picture. Beautiful color pictures on EVERY page of the book. Outstanding.

I have used this book so much I may need to buy a new copy! His reviews tell you everything.

Save yourself some time and buy two or three copies of this fishing guide. You are certain to want to share all of the great info with friends and it's likely that you will wear out your own!
This guy knows every place you could possibly find to fish in Southern California and tells you exactly what to expect at each place (saves disappointments without ruining pleasant surprises).
Great advice - great guide - GREAT gift!

I live near the Los Padres National Forrest. Reading first about the destinations I am personally familiar with, I can tell that Chris has personally fished and hiked these areas with regularity. This guy knows what he's talking about.

The book will primarily tell you where to go and what bait offerings to use. If you are not an experienced fishermen, its not a great primer on the basics of fishing. You'll need complimentary books for that.

This book is an absolute must for any Southern California hiker, backpacker or camper who incorporates fishing into the recreational package. It's stimulated some great new outdoor ideas for me. I can't wait to hit some of the new spots that Chris talks about.

(Chris, if you read this, how about adding GPS coordinates in your next book?)

I'm a fly fisher who has fished (both fly and conventional) many of the streams and lakes (as well as the ocean) in Southern California for the last twenty six years. I've looked at many guide and how to books only to put them down, realizing that what I'm holding was not "definitive." But Shaffer's book is definitive, and more importantly, it is very practical. All of the essential items are in each of his entries, and the information is very up-to-date. Also, there are phone numbers, maps, directions, and other important pieces of data.

I was talking to a friend of mine of some of the places I had fished and camped at as a child, but I couldn't remember the names of these specific places--only the locations. I very badly wanted to go back, but I couldn't find the information on the Internet. As I perused this book, I found the stream in this book. It was easy because it goes by region or area.

It also gives some tactics for dealing with certain streams and lakes. Once again, the information is very up-to-date and practical.

Overall, I was very satisfied with this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to fish Southern California.

DESERT by Jack Dykinga is published by Harry Abrams, Inc., a company that publishes high quality art books and not, for example, vacation tour guide books. DESERT is 143 pages long, and contains 83 full-sized color reproductions. Dykinga uses a 4X5 camera, resulting in a higher quality image.

Many of the images are merely of flowers or of pretty scenes. Here, there is no attempt to produce a photograph of artistic merit. However, this slight shortcoming is overwhelmed by a number of novel and creative photographs.

For example, JOSHUA TREE AT DAWN AFTER SPRING SNOW discloses a dark cloudy sky, tinged with purple, a shadowy snow-covered desert, and a grove of snow-covered Joshua trees--all cloaked with pre-dawn shadows. It is difficult to tear one's eyes away from this photograph.

DAWN ON THE PANAMINT MOUNTAINS and CRYSTALLIZED SALT FORMATIONS are two photographs that continue with the artist's experiments (successful experiments) with pre-dawn photography of the white desert. Here, the whiteness is not from snow, but from white salt.

Jack Dykinga has also focused his attention on cracked lakebeds (dried mud). CRACKED CLAY AND THE MESQUITE FLAT reveals a fascinating heart shape in a patio-like area of cracked sand. The cracked mud area abuts a region of desert that is soft sand.

Another fine shot, MESQUITE FLAT SAND DUNES AT SUNRISE, features a patio-like area of cracked sand, each pentangle of cracked mud is covered with warty clumps of earth. An open area in the middle of the cracked mud patio contains an open area in the shape of a diamond. At the center of the diamond-shaped open area is a small growing bush. The diamond-shaped area with the little round bush resembles an eye.

RACETRACK AT SUNRISE and RACETRACK AT SUNSET are fascinating images--the most unusual in this book. Each shows millions of tiny pentangles of cracked mud, stretching off into the distance. In the foreground are a couple of flattened areas resembling thick ruler-lines. The flattened areas were produced by small boulders, somehow propelled over the mud by the wind. At one end of each ruler-line one finds a boulder.

Again, if one is able to tolerate the abundance of conventional "pretty" scenes of flowers and sunsets, one should purchase this book, if only to view the seven great photographs discussed in this review.

Mr.Dykinga's skill as an artist is further demonstrated by his book, STONE CANYONS OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU, also published by Harry Abrams, Inc. STONE CANYONS is especially distinguished by its focus on a park called, Vermilion Cliffs (Paria Canyon, The Wave, Coyote Buttes), a park that is rarely the subject of published photographs. STONE CANYONS also uses the style of depicting scenes just before sunset (or just after sunrise), when all but a thin line of the horizon is steeped in shadow. Stand aside, David Muench, here comes Jack Dykinga.

There is a knock at my door and here is the UPS man delivering my order from Amazon.com. Among the books: Desert, The Mojave and Death Valley Photographs by Jack Dykinga, text by Janice Emily Bowers. I barely had time to read more than a page or two of the text before it made me want to go straight to the photos to see the place she was clearly, and intelligently writing about. And I was not disappointed: It was overwhelmed with joy of at being able to share the keeness of Mr. Dykinga's fine and perceptive photographic vision of that place. This is a more subtle body of work than the previous books based around his photographs.

The Sonoran Desert had a similar effect on me years ago and expanded my sense of what ilandscape photography could be. Stone Canyons did not have as great of affect on me as the first book

More than anything else, the images in this book remind me why the large format camera is such a tremendous aid to seeing something more clearly and perceptively than you can with the naked eye. even more so than a 35mm or medium format or easily portable digital gear can. Some of the photos even have a sense of humor to them and when did you last see that in a photograph of a natural landscape? The reproduction of the images appears to be first rate and the design and typography of the book match its contents in quality.

In short there are wonderful things to be found in this book.

This book just shows how spectacular a desert can look with the magnificent photos around the Mojave desert and Death valley of emptiness, stark flowers and blooms and just superb landscapes. It'll give you some inspiration to find something to look for even in a desert.

I know I will as I will be going to Ayer's Rock (Uluru) in Australia in a few months and it's also a big desert!

This book is a beauty, some of the most beautiful photographs I have ever seen.

I spent the first week of September in southern California this year, and on Sunday before Labor Day I drove from Los Angeles up to Death Valley. I hadn't been there since I was a child and I have to say although it is a desolate and lonely place (and 114 degrees at Furnace Creek the day I was there) it is also one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The sand dunes at Mesquite Flat alone are worth the trip.

Everyone should see it, but if you can't buy the book. My copy came shrinkwrapped in plastic which I really like, the last thing you want is to buy a nice book like this in a bookstore where someone has spilled coffee on the pages.

As I went through this book, I kept asking myself, am I looking at the dessert or am I looking at the landscape photographs of Jack Dykinga? I've been to the Mojave and to Death Valley and I don't remember them looking so beautiful.

Dykinga's style reminded me of the work of Eliot Porter, with modern film stock. Most of his pictures have the same subtle quality, created by the use of analogous colors, that is, colors near each other on the color wheel, and varying only by tint or small changes in hue. A Dykinga picture almost always has one dominant hue like brown or tan or blue, and the hue rarely feels intense, even if it's a field of California Poppies.

It's obvious that Dykinga's work utilizes a large format camera. Everything is in sharp focus from foreground to distant mountains, thanks to small apertures and the ability to twist the light through his camera. This means that the picture is not going to immediately draw your attention to one aspect of the scene by controlled focus. More likely, the viewer will have to work his way through the picture, discovering things along the way.

The layout of the book seems to be well considered. Quite often two plates with similar subject matter will face each other and there is a synergistic effect from the comparison. For example, I delighted in examining two facing pictures of desert sunflowers. In both cases the yellow orange flowers have a hilly background, but one group of flowers is pushing up through dried-out, cracked clay, while in the other picture the flowers are growing from a small body of water collected for a brief time from rainfall. The mud and the water are both magenta in color but the textures are completely different. The thoughts that arose from the juxtaposition were not only about the variety of the desert but also about the nature of color and vision.

I suppose one reason that I never saw the dessert the photographer portrays is because most of the pictures were taken at the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. To have been that many places in the desert at just those times would have taken me months and months. At the very least, I can be a philistine and thank Dykinga for saving me a lot of time.

As to the text in the book, my feeling is that it probably has to be included for marketing purposes. Janice Bowers' essays seemed poetic and show that she loves the desert, but like most such commentaries, they do little to illuminate the photographer's work. I suppose the essays are worth reading once. The pictures on the other hand can bear many, many viewings and add something to the sense of the place each time.

I finally concluded that I was looking at the desert through Jack Dykinga's eyes when I viewed this book. I resolved to return to the actual desert again and see if I could continue to see it through his eyes.