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Texas Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

American Aquarium Fishes (W L Moody, Jr, Natural History Series)

Published in Hardcover by Texas A&M University Press (2000-09)

Authors: Robert J. Goldstein, Rodney W. Harper, and Richard Edwards

List price: $40.00

New price: $27.60
Used price: $22.08

Average review score:

American Aquarium Fishes (W L Moody, Jr, Natural History Series)

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-13

Great book fo native fishes written for the beginner and advanced hobbiest alike. Easy reading with many color photos.

The native fish bible

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-12

I recently managed to buy a copy of this book and from what I have read so far it is a book that should be on the shelves of fishophiles everywhere, aquarist or not. The book covers a wide range of species, mostly darters and cyprinids and goes into good detail on how to keep and breed them. With native fish keeping resources being rare this book may very well be the best of it's kind. One feature I really liked was the chapter covering the laws and regulations of various states, something that many people are curious about when out collecting. About the only thing I didn't like was that it neglected to mention many of the larger species. Bullheads, perch, bass, trout and many others are not given a lot of attension if any at all. The author deems them either to large or to dificult to breed in captivity so he leave them out.

Fairly good.

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-10

The book in its entirety is fairly good. The authors tried to cover a broad scope. This book may be useful for the breeder in that there is specific information on each species. Please note that you may need to combine the information in this text with information from other sources (print, web, etc.) to take complete care of your native fishes.

The depth and detail and the vivid photos are impressive

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-24

This comprehensive reference volume will appeal to both specialty and general-interest libraries: American Aquarium Fishes provides over 118 color and over 200 black and white photos of various species of aquarium fish, providing detailed discussions on where to find native fishes, how to collect and transport them around the globe, and regional rules of collecting. The depth and detail and the vivid photos are impressive.

The best reference to date!

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-17

It's about time that a talented group of aquarium hobbyist (who are also biologists I believe) got together to write a book that the layman can understand and appreciate. You will not find convuluted passages common in the scientific literature. Each species account is well written and contains the information that the hobbyist wants.

Goldstein, Harper, and Edwards are well known hobbyist and if there are any real experts in the field, it's these guys.

This is an all around great reference for the North American native fish hobbyist.

Ancestors and descendents of James Monroe Boase (1855-1934) of Erath County, Texas

Published in Unknown Binding by J.A. Mead (1991)

Author: John A Mead

List price:

Average review score:

interesting view of psychoanalysis

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-27

On the one hand this is an intelligent auto-biographical novel that is well-written entertaining and easy to read and on the other hand it is a description of an individual's experience of being on the receiving end of psychoanalysis. It is interesting and enjoyable whether you want to read about a colonial childhood in 1930s Algeria or an adult's experience of psychoanalysis in 1960s Paris. The afterword by Bruno Bettelheim is useful additional material on the latter.

The fear of a child

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-13

In this forceful and disturbing novel, a woman discovers slowly the real (psychic) reason of her illness: an irresistible continuing loss of blood.
During her psychoanalysis, she succeeds in demolishing the thick wall that separates her from the extremely painful truth and the origin of her disorder: the fear of a child. The story unveils masterly the reasons of this fear.

Marie Cardinal evocates fiercely her violent psychic battle with her unconscious in order to force it to reveal its secrets, her fear to (re)discover forgotten painful, but crucial, incidents or the psychic violence needed to open the doors of the subconscious.

Her book is also a profound meditation on the impact of a `colossal' religion on people's lives (interdiction of divorce) and on the female condition and female psychology.

A formidable and shocking book.
A must read.

"...a beautiful and terrifying story..."

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 1998-11-27

"...a beautiful and terrifying story in honor of all people.... Van Vactor and Goodheart's decision to publish Cardinal in an elegant translation opens the door to a world rich in language and thought that we should be grateful to share." --The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"...a profligate yet impeccably controlled work.... "...chilling set pieces are shrewdly paced to create primitive, almost horror-story suspense. "One apt work that kept occurring to me as I read was 'gorgeous.' ... Miss Cardinal bowls over her audience with dazzling verbal artistry and emotion-stirring tours de force." --The New York Times Book Review

"Words can be guides too, escape routes marked on tattered old maps, and here the novel and the analysis come together since both are journeys towards a language that is sane and shared, visibly free of the worst of the darkness." Michael Wood, The Sunday Times (London)

A journey in self-discovery

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18

This book is one of the best novels I've ever read. Cardinal's struggle to find herself in the mysterious depths of the unconscious is not just a story about psychoanalysis, it's a book about the ordinary processes that occur in our minds when we experience things we cannot handle growing up. It's about forgetting and remembering. It's about making discoveries and letting things go. Reading her story will make you think about how fragile our understandings of ourselves really are. I admire this book not just for its honest and captivating prose. I think it accurately portrays some of the most valuable ideas behind Freud's psychoanalytic theory.

"...a beautiful and terrifying story..."

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 1998-11-27

Aransas: The Life of a Texas Coastal County

Published in Paperback by Eakin Press (1997-06)

Authors: William Allen and Sue Hastings Taylor

List price: $29.95

New price: $29.95
Used price: $20.48

Average review score:

GREAT Sentimental Journey

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-28

I was born in Rockport, yet learned more about my hometown from reading this book! I never knew my grandparents, as they died many years before I was born, but through this book I got to know them a bit better...and I received insight into my father's role when he was County Judge for Aransas County (he never talked about his job). A wonderful read.

A Californian's perspective

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-14

I have been visiting the Gulf Coast/Aransas Pass area for 9 years now. Every time I go I am intrigued by everything I see. The history that resides there is amazing. I stay at a house on Fulton Beach Road that is filled with history. It has been in my friends family for over one hundred years. The house is actually mentioned in the book. This book is an amazing look at an amazing time in an amazing place. If you are interested in the history of the Texas Coastal Bend then this the book for you.

Thanks, John Conner San Jose, CA

GREAT book well written found lots of info on ancestors

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-02-03

I was suprised to find a lot of information that I did knew little about. The Notes and Sources could be another book in its self. VERY GOOD

Most underrated county in Texas

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-15

Growing up in San Antonio, my family frequently traveled to Rockport for the weekend. We would fish at night and go sightseeing by day. As a child I was always fascinated by the area and I grew so did this curiosity.
Four years ago I read in the Rockport Pilot's Visitor Guide that this book existed. That very day I was dragging my wife around looking for it, finally found it at the Art Museum by the beach. The entire weekend was spent skimming and reading this wonderful book. Since I have got the book I have read and re-read it many many times.
Today I enjoy visiting Rockport as often as I can. While driving around I try to picture what it was like at the turn of the century when the Aransas Hotel was still stood and the Baily Pavillion was THE place to be. Who would have thought that the little towns of Rockport and Fulton would have such a deep history?

Historical adventure tale of a Texas Gulf Coast County.

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 1998-04-20

As a resident of Rockport, in Aransas Co., Texas, but not a native, I was interested in the history of this part of the state. When Sue Taylor and Bill Allen's book, ARANSAS, A Tale of a Texas Coastal County, was published, I was among many who lined up for Sue's signature on my copy.

It was a thick book, I put it aside until I had time to go through it. I've just had 10 days off, and that was among my reading activities.

I assumed it would be historical; so I did not anticipate reading it as I do some novels. But I started. To my surprise, it caught my attention and imagination right away.

Also, to my surprise, I lingered over the words because they painted pictures I wanted to enjoy. I took much longer to read this book, because I was captivated by the words themselves.

The story moved along like an adventure tale, which the history of Texas actually is. It was dangerous, scary, wild, and took courageous and foolhardy men and women to survive. Texas had citizens with those characteristics on both sides of the Rio Grande.

The saga of many real families unfolded. Reading ARANSAS was like looking at a photograph album of one's grandparents--or great-grandparents. You never met them, but through this book you do know them. They became real people, with real personalities.

I did not know of the participation of Aransas County in both the Texas Revolution and the Civil War. It was a port to be conquered by the "other" side in both wars--a strategic military outpost. Other history books refer to the importance of Copano Bay.

Throughout the book the authors give geographic locations of homes or stores or hotels or fishing or cattle wharfs. In the back the references are detailed. We can still visit these places. That's my next goal--to find where history happened, and is still going on.

Frances Mayo

At the Bonehouse (Texas Review Southern and Southwestern Poetry Breakthrough Series)

Published in Paperback by Texas Review Press (1998-03)

Author: Jack Bedell

List price: $11.00

New price: $11.00
Used price: $10.00

Average review score:

His Home, My Home

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-07

Dr. Bedell's poetry is what inspires me to be a proud Louisianian and writer. I am a bit biased since I personally know Dr. Bedell, but his poems really do "speak" to me. This book and anything else by Jack Bedell is well worth the buy.

His Home, My Home

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-07

superb, beautiful narrative!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-11

This book is full of engaging, accurate stories that bring to life the culture and landscape of south Louisiana. Bedell knows exactly when to pull back and let the story tell itself; he never forces preconceived or contrived emotions on the reader. Like it says on the book, I'd buy one and send one to a friend...

This book sings to me.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1998-07-12

It is easy to forget the beauty and richness that real life - real people have to offer. Jack brings the reader home with him, offering beauty and reality with the wonderful trip.

This book is one of the greatest influences of my life.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1998-05-18

Jack Bedell's "At the Bonehouse" takes me back to a time and place in which i had forgotten. Many of us do not absorb the surroundings captured in his work. I have learned to not take life for granted because it is all beautiful. As a teacher, writer, editor and friend, Jack shares his view of life with us willingly. His work has greatly influenced my own writing in poetry and also fiction. In my eyes Jack Bedell is a mentor and he should be for all other aspiring poet's.

Balenciaga and His Legacy: Haute Couture from the Texas Fashion Collection

Published in Hardcover by Yale University Press (2006-12-24)

Author: Myra Walker

List price: $50.00

New price: $31.35
Used price: $26.50

Average review score:

Balenciago, Claudia de Osborne, & Neiman Marcus

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-27

The pictures are stunning and cover a range of designs. What surprised me was how much I enjoyed reading about a woman who collected the textile art of Balenciaga and the history of Neiman Marcus. The author included pictures of Balenciaga creations being worn by their owner. Somehow that added a special touch and made this more than a collection of photographs of elegant clothing. I look forward to enjoying this book for many years.

Seminal Text on Balenciaga

Helpful Votes: 12 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-19

My company produced the mannequins used to exhibit the couture in this fine text, so for me it was a delight, that bias aside, the forward by Givenchy is worth the cover price alone. The text my Myra Walker is insightful and the book is beautifully ilustrated. Seeing Balenciaga's illustrations along side his creations is a joy for any true fashionista. The book is a homage to Balenciaga's work, but not Balenciaga, who was a private and complicated gentleman, and who would like to remembered that way, for his work, not for himself.

absolutely beautiful

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-30

gorgeous pics of gorgeous clothes. this guy is my fav. when it comes to couture and this book won't disappoint. well worth the money. yeah, Dior is great too but this guy really is the 'master'

Superb!

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-01

M. Balenciaga was a master couturier so lacking today as one considers haute couture, especially, as the French houses of haute couture are virtually gone. At the time of M. Balenciaga's impact from the 1930s through 1968 when he closed his Parisian house, there were many more houses of haute couture. He, like Chanel, Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, Mainbocher, Jacques Fath, Schiaparelli, Vionnet, and Gres to name a few, flourished as women from around the globe turned to the tradition and process of the haute couture as the pinnacle of what it meant to being well-dressed. Out of this number, the creations of M. Balenciaga stand-out. There is that certain something about his work which commands and rivets the attention. Yes, unquestionably elegant, imbued with masterful design, quality, and exacting a nobility for the wearer which she may or may not have actually possessed, but still whenever I view his creations I think to myself "more". Unlike today where being anonymous seems to be the rule of what passes for style, M. Balenciaga assured a woman would never be forgotten. This volume pays homage to that certain something and begs the question "where are the contemporary talents?" At the moment, in Paris there are only in my view, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel and Valentino. These individuals know how to dress their haute couture clients (especially, those not wishing to dress perennially 18 years old) whereas the remaining haute couture houses present nothing but a media circus, for too long lead by that dreadful costumier posing as a couturier at Christian Dior. For the sheer pleasure of pondering something beautiful, I recommend this volume as well as Balenciaga by Marie-Andrée Jouve and Jacqueline Demornex published in 1991.

Balenciaga and his legacy

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-17

This is a fabulous book! I love the images and history. I would recommend it to anyone who has an appreciation for fashion history and photography.

Biggie and the Fricasseed Fat Man

Published in Hardcover by Thorndike Press (2000-11)

Author: Nancy Bell

List price: $27.95

New price: $27.95
Used price: $3.30

Average review score:

Soothing

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-23

If you read mysteries for intricate plots, this probably is not your cup of tea. Plot in the Biggie mysteries is secondary to atmosphere and quirky characters--and the books have plenty of both. Jobs Crossing, Texas becomes very real, and the reader comes to feel he actualy knows the inhabitants.

There is a charm to it all, a soothing feeling. Cozy must have been especially chosen as a name for the sub-genre, just for this series. Oh, there are villains, but they aren't really all that evil. And there are murders, but only for the sake of a plot that can allow the writer to lay in atmosphere and character. I do wish I could have gone home with Biggie (who is really quite small) and J.R. and had a meal with them and played a game of Chinese checkers with Rosebud.

The book is lightweight, to be sure, but so is angel food cake, and I like that as well.

Corny, Colloquial Cozy

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-25

With plenty of stops for chow time (and chow chow) and a policeman whose priority is his pie, this homespun mystery novel (set during the Christmas season) has an accent almost as thick as the gravy covering the body of fricasseed fat man. In Job's Crossing, if the cholesterol doesn't kill you the colloquialisms might. Please note that the term "funeralized" really ISN'T an every day term in Texas, nor do we all talk like this. The charm of grandma/detective Biggie and grandson/detective J.R. almost overcomes the hokey-ness of the time warp they appear to be stuck in. While the local actuarial tables would surely indicate that Job's Crossing could be hazardous to your health, never fear, for Biggie and J.R. will surely sort things out. Gossip, glop, and a spare grandma all garnish this very corny, colloquial cozy mystery.

Big entry in the Biggie regional amateur mystery series

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-11-08

Biggie Weatherford takes her grandson J.R. to the opening of Job's Crossing, Texas' newest eatery, The Fresh-as-a-Daisy Restaurant. However, instead of enjoying a meal, the amateur detective duo discover the restaurant's owner, Firman Birdsong, has been murdered and stuffed like a chicken to be roasted.

Biggie personally believes that it is her divine right to investigate the murder. She and J.R. soon find several suspects with motives. However, before she can complete her

inquiries, the maternal grandparents of J.R. arrive to take the lad back with them. Feeling that his beloved Biggie is obsessed with sleuthing, an unwanted J.R. runs away, leaving Biggie with two cases to ponder.

If anyone has read the two previous Biggie tales, they might initially feel that their third novel is a repeat. In many ways, it is. However, the story line is freshened up by the crack in the relationship between J.R. and Biggie, and the appearance of the other grandparents. The mystery is well written and built around hoe-down humor and cardiac-giving (but delicious) food. With BIGGIE AND THE FRICASSEED FAT MAN, Biggie remains a big player in the regional amateur sleuth sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner

Murder with gravy on top

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-07

Nancy Bell has whipped up some wonderful characters residing in Job's Crossing, Texas. There is the wonderfully big hearted, but minute Biggie, and her resident 12 year old grandson J.R. and a cast of other fun characters.

Biggie and J.R. go out for a big night on the town, the opening of the town's brand new, all chicken restaurant. The proprietor is nowhere to be found in all of the hustle and bustle, until he is found, served up dead with gravy on top! Biggie takes it upon herself to help her cousin, the local sheriff solve this crime.

During this Christmas holiday season, J.R.'s other grandparents arrive, with intentions of taking J.R. back home with them. The boy is forced to learn about love and loyalty v.s. the value of a dollar. What choice will he make? Is Biggie to busy for him anymore? What would it be like to spend Christmas, or to live with his rich grandparents?

As I detest spoilers I won't give any more plot elements. The sub-plots were all woven together very well. The gore factor was very light. (I will say that it was a murder tastefully done, with a flourish and garnish at that!) I don't recall any strong language or adult situations in the book. With the story taking place in the holiday season, while this book can be read at any time during the year, it may be a nice addition to the holiday reading pile.

Interesting a real charmer

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-16

This is the third in the series bringing readers smack-dab into the grits and gravy lives of Biggie Weatherford and those close to her in Joe's Crossing, Texas. The grand opening of the Fresh-as-a-Daisy Chicken Restaurant and take-out (featuring sweet-and-sour to southern fried chicken) is the unlikely setting of a murder. The body of the owner, Firman Birdsonis found under a table covered in gravy and garnished with tomato and parsley. Biggie, the grandmother we've all wished for, rounds up her posse-Willie May, the best cook south of the Mason-Dixon. Rosebud the handy man-driver-raconteur, Paul and Siles the one man (yes, one man) police department and Jr. Biggies ten your old grandson and they unite to uncover this tasteless killer. To add to the chicken-pot-pie, JR's other grandmother and her ersatz cowboy husband Skinny crash into town to take JR to live with them at their ranch. The reader will eagerly await the next glimpse into Jobs Crossing and the southern-fried charmers Nancy Bill's stories evoke.

The Biker's Guide to Texas: 25 Great Motorcycle Rides in the Lone Star State

Published in Paperback by Maverick Publishing Co. (2005-07-19)

Author: Dorothy Waldman

List price: $18.95

New price: $11.45
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Average review score:

Try it, you'll like it!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-16

25 rides covering the majority of the state, ride distances and styles. I throughly enjoyed the way various rides are themed. Ms. Waldman gives many useful tips and valuable information, for example "Be sure your tank is full and you have replenished your provisions before you set out from Alpine. There are no towns for the next eighty miles. There is no place to stop for food or fuel. All you have is what you take with you." Ms. Waldman did her homework, she lists many interesting resturants, muesumes and local attractions for the many varied areas she travels. The wealth of diversity alone makes this book stand tall among Texas travel guides. I will be utilizing this guide when planning trips, to look for destinations, attractions, eateries and other entertaining distractions. I recomend it . . . Try it, you'll like it!

Great tour guide.

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-30

Just got this book and have read about half of it. Have riden some of the roads but not in the layout this book offers. I will be riding as many of the routes shown in the book. Has some really great information on what is ahead and what to look out for.

Rev it up with this great book!

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-01

You need not be a motorcycle rider or a Texan to benefit from this latest contribution to the travel genre.
In her eloquent lyrical style, Ms Waldman takes us across the varied terrain of Texas and magically transports the reader to such diverse locales as Palo Duro Canyon in the Panhandle and the Big Thicket forests of deep East Texas.
I have ridden many of the routes described in the book and find the information accurate and helpful.
This book is a wonderful resource for the serious rider and also a vacation for the mind for the vicarious reader.

Bikers Guide to Texas

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-31

I am a native Texan and have been a bike rider since 1962. This book does more for the novice, general or expert rider than any book on riding in Texas that is currently on the market.
I was luckly enough to meet the author and the three riders on the cover are from the midlifecycles.com riding group.
Enjoy and buy an extra copy for Christmas and send it to any rider you know. They will really appreciate it.
Chuck Boyd

Great new guide book!

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-10

I recently received this book as a gift, and it makes me want to get out on the road! The book has clear, carefully delineated maps to go with each of the rides across Texas. The directions are very clear but not dry because the author spices them up with relevant tips and cultural/historical information for each area. My favorite part is the "Highlights Along the Way" section at the end of each ride. Did you know you can visit vineyards near Stonewall, TX and try French Bordeaux wine? (ride #15 in the Hill Country) Or visit a museum dedicated to Texas' Danish culture and Viking heritage in Danevang? (ride #20)

Though the book is marketed to bikers, many of the rides would be appropriate for cyclists looking for longer rides. Some of the rides are in the 60-70 mile range.

Great book! It would make a good gift for the biker who has everything. It's hard to believe it took so long to get such a good guide book for bikers in Texas on the market.

Body Scissors: A Novel (Dan Reles Mysteries)

Published in Hardcover by Viking Adult (2005-08-18)

Author: Michael Simon

List price: $23.95

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Average review score:

Great sequel to a dazzling debut novel

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-20

Michael Simon proves that Dirty Sally was no fluke. This masterful second novel in the Dan Reles detective series is just as riveting, gripping and engrossing as its predecessor. Corruption at the highest levels of government and business in Austin, Texas are at the core of this intricate confluence of storylines involving outsider police detective Dan Reles. A believable cast of colorful, funny, grotesque and sad characters inhabit this noirish world, brought vividly to life in this exciting page-turner.

Blast from the past part II

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-10

I was born and raised in Austin. How cool is it to have a fictional account my hometown,(home neighborhood for that matter) from my teens and up. WOW. Thanks. Well written, smart, exciting thriller. I'm telling my friends about it...and can't wait for book four!

above average

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-03

get your freak on. Characters are one of a kind. No one is good. Grim and gripping.

Cuts Deep

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-04

Friends in Austin have advised me to get on the Michael Simon bandwagon, that he is the future of hardboiled cop thrillers. They point to the eccentric DIRTY SALLY, Simon's previous novel, as proof. In that outstamnding debut, which he Amazon readers voted as one of the best detective novels of 2004, we first got introduced to Dan Reles, a fish out of water if ever there was one, first off he's from upstate, and secondly he's Jewish, which apparently is a fantastically big deal in a town like Austin.

So I went ahead and bought a copy of BODY SCISSORS. In this book Dan is still thriving at the APD, except that he's under a lot of pressure from within because he's keeping a dark secret from Rachel Velez, the true story behind her husband's death. The husband, once Dan's partner, died with his skeletons locked up securely with extra large skeleton keys. You'll gasp when the book opens up, an armed attacker bursts into the rooms of a nice single mother and kills her baby in front of her. Whites fear Virginia Key, and blacks hate her, Simon tells us, and she's a fascinating character, sort of like Pam Grier but a bit younger. It would be a good part for Alicia Keys if she ever wanted to take a flier in the movies. She's an anti drug activist in a bad part of Austin, and when she comes to she finds out that her daughter is dead and her brave, unfortunate son is in the Pediatric Unit at the hospital . . . in a coma. Who did this, wonders Dan, while his associate, the black detective James, movs in attracted to Virginia's bewitching combination of hauteur, vulnerability, and sexual power.

Meanwhile, young wealthy white students are dying from a rohypnol like drug that just knocks them out, into the arms of death. Naturally, when they're white it grabs the attention of the news media. Some people would say, If recreational drugs kill the people who take them, that's a punishment that fits the crime, but Michael Simon sees it differently. In the Austin of the early 1990s, when this book is set for some reason, drugs were very much a part of the scene, and life couldn't have continued on any large economic sense, with them.

Kudos to author Simon for creating a dismal world of danger, drugs, dementia and daring--the five D's of a good thriller. It will remind mystery lovers with long memories of the Roger Simon books that Richard Dreyfuss starred in the movie version of. Same name, Simon, and same sort of fish out of water vision of the world. Also, Carly Simon with her perpetual outsider pout. But you know what they say, he who is the outsider sees more of the big picture. BODY SCISSORS cuts deep.

A novel equally as dark and gritty as its prequel, DIRTY SALLY

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-23

In 2004 Michael Simon immediately caught the attention of fans of noir fiction with DIRTY SALLY, his dark, gritty debut novel. Set in Austin, Texas in 1988, it introduced Homicide Detective Dan Reles, the only Yankee or Jew on the force, a complex and brooding man trying to stay upright in a crooked world. In BODY SCISSORS, Simon continues to build on the topics and themes introduced in DIRTY SALLY while further developing Reles's life and personality, using the dirty underside of Austin as an angry backdrop.

BODY SCISSORS is set in 1991 at the beginning of the Persian Gulf War. Reles is living with Rachel Velez, the widow of Joey Velez, his best friend and homicide partner. The opening passages, wherein Reles and Rachel seem constantly on the verge of connection, foreshadow the events of the book on a number of levels. Reles is assigned to assist in the investigation of an apparent assassination attempt on Virginia Key, an activist community leader. The attempt on Key's life is a failure but results in the death of her daughter while leaving her son in a coma.

From the moment of her introduction Key is an enigma who captures the attention --- and appreciation --- of Detective James Torbett. While Torbett struggles with his attraction to Key, Reles attempts to unravel the surprising connection between the attack upon Key and the seedy Austin drug scene. Key's personal and professional past have the potential to explode at any moment, but she is not the only one with a past; everyone, including Reles and Rachel, has secrets. As Reles's investigation uncovers a surprising revelation about Joey's past, Reles and Rachel join Key in becoming the targets of a powerful madman who seeks to enact a penultimate revenge upon each and every one of them.

Reles's Austin is not the Chamber of Commerce dream that hosts an annual music festival and free weekly events in front of city hall, and in general is a cultural and financial boomtown. Rather, it is a city cast in shadow, where actions at the highest and lowest levels are carried out in a furtive manner with dangerous ends, where one who expects betrayal, pain and death is never disappointed.

BODY SCISSORS is a story populated by evil characters on both sides of the law, in which the sins of the past fulfill their promise of dire consequences in the present. And Michael Simon? He writes like an angel sitting in a blackened room full of spiders. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Border Raiders: A Jim Blawcyzk Texas Ranger Story

Published in Paperback by iUniverse, Inc. (2005-05-16)

Author: James J Griffin

List price: $13.95

New price: $8.06
Used price: $7.82

Average review score:

Better than the First One!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-22

Showing the indomitable spirit, while being respectful of other cultures, Griffin paints a great picture of the Ol' West. Full of lots of action, and a wide pallet of great characters from all walks of life, this reads like a classic pulp western from bygone days. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Action is back in the saddle

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-15

It's hard to find a good old-fashioned western anymore. Most of those on the paperback stands are sex-in-the-west stuff. "Border Raiders" is for those of us who want the emphasis on more traditional action, and it delivers. It starts off almost leisurely, with a scene of the ranger/hero at home before the start of his mission (tracking down renegade Comanches and rustlers). The action builds gradually and, once started, gathers momentum like an avalanche. The band of rangers has real challenges to overcome in this outing.

A look at REAL cowboys

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-14

I enjoyed this book because Mr. Griffin showed us that it took many types of people to tame the West. In this book, he's remained true to history by including cowboys who were former slaves or of Mexican heritage, as well as having women and girls helping out in time of need.

I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Jim Blawcyzk, Texas Ranger, rides high again....!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-14

Once again I was captivated by the adventures of Texas Ranger Jim Blawcyzk. The author, James Griffin, has written another action-packed western novel with just the right amount of Western adventure to keep my interest and without the use of overly graphic violence to make this short novel an excellent read. It is a welcoming relief to be able to read a book that does not contain overly graphic sex, violence or profanity. I highly recommend this book to fans of Western novels.

Another Action-Packed Western Story

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-08

Once again, James Griffin has given us a fast-paced, action-packed tale of frontier Texas. This time, Ranger Jim Blawcyzk must help a company of Rangers track down white rustlers and renegade Comanches in the Nueces Strip. The action comes fast and furious, and holds the reader's attention from beginning to end. And, as in Trouble Rides the Texas Pacific, there's not a curse word nor overly graphic scene to be found. A great story in the style of the traditional Western.

Boy Captives

Published in Paperback by Anchor Publishing (MD) (1995-06)

Author: Clinton L. Smith

List price: $13.00

New price: $55.00
Used price: $22.99

Average review score:

My Great-Great-Great Uncles

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-26

My grandfather gave this book to each of us it is the story of my great great grandmother Amanda(daughter of H.M. and Fannie Short Smith)Lane's brothers. From the stories I have heard through the years it is written exactly as they told it, and for not having any education I was pleasantly surprised with the grammer they had.

the boy captives

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-22

I am very excited about this book and the history,This story is about my family ,, Frances Short Smith is my Great- Great Aunt ,, I recall the stories from my Grandfather ,, and looking at the origanal book was so exciting ,, this is a must for history buffs ,,,,

Phenomenal Story - Told like a campfire story.

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-02

I believe this book has recently underwent another printing. New printings of this book can be found sparsley in various shops within a hundred mile radius of Junction, Texas.

This book is a rare treasure. Excellent story of two young brothers abducted by Indians and sold as slaves to various Indian chiefs. One was actually sold to Geronimo.

Eventually, the brothers were recaptured by American soldiers and returned to their families.

Great tales of survival!

Amazing Book!

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-06

Amazing story of a boy who was captured and lived with the Comanche Indians for five years. He actually became a Comanche and identified as an Indian while he was with them. Fought with them against other tribes and the US army, etc. Told in an absolutely matter of fact manner. Written in 1927 so not "politically correct" but gives an amazing view of frontier life and life with the Indians. It is in print.

Excellent first-hand account, not "politically correct"

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-11

By pure luck, I ran across this excellent first hand account of the Smith brothers captivity by Comanches in Texas. Written before a revisionist philosophy dominated history writing, their accounts of Indian raids and murders in Texas in the 1870s are the opposite of what is usually written or shown on screen today. My sympathies are with the Texas pioneers who suffered so much. Outstanding reading from such a little book.