IPhone 3G used's review (First time reader review) 『I listen to audiobooks while driving, and being a cat lover I decided to try this series out. What a wonderful experience all around. The story telling is superb! Almost a slice of life, but a very interesting and enjoyable one, mixed with a whodunit at the same time. Add to that the relationship between cat and owner (or should I say human and owner) which is described in a unique way; believable, realistic. Explained in a way that opens eyes and minds to how cats and humans actually interact in certain instances. I loved this book and can't wait to listen to every one in the series. George Guidall is the perfect choice for narrator. It just doesn't get any better than this!』
(The Cat Who Said Cheese) 『The product was in excellent condition upon arrival. It arrived in a timely manner. The price was acceptable. Lillian Jackson Braun is a delightful author and her books are very enjoyable. I have purchased her audio books on cd and tape. 』
(Do Not Read if You Are Hungry) 『If you read this when you are hungry, you might head straight to the refrigerator, market, or nearest deli.
This book was wonderful...a mysterious woman comes to Pickax. Qwill hears rumors everywhere about her. Koko wants to go for a drive to the cabin on the lake. Guess who is sitting by the cabin reading a cookbook? Yes! the mysterious woman. She agrees to cook stuffed wild grape leaves for Qwill. He heads to the market to shop for ingredients and hears an explosion! Upon returning to the cabin, Qwill finds the woman missing the middle of preparing the wild grape leaves.
Much excitement, danger, an mystery is to follow. Of course, Koko knows everything. It is too bad Qwill doesn't speak fluent cat. He would get to the bottom of the mysteries sooner.
I loved this installment of, "the Cat Who" series. You will love it too!』
(Not enough stars in the rating system for this masterpiece) 『This is one of my faves when it comes to the Cat Who series. The clues (cheese names....I won't spoil it for you!) and interesting characters like Mr. Limburger who is as odious in personality as his name suggests, gentle Aubrey the bee keeper with a heart bigger than his brain, Onoosh, the mysterious woman. I won't go on, I might spoil things. Other clues (what Qwill finds in his ready-to-cook turkey)and other goings on, and the "coverage" of the Pickax Hotel bombing....nicely narrated. Though through Koko's catly fits (which is caught on tape at the cheese tasting at Qwill's apple barn and distributed by others for the laughs) we start to piece together who, and then later why. It's a thoroughly enjoyable book. As a long time fan of Braun I say this is one of her best. But start at the beginning...to see Qwill and Koko's genesis and struggles. What they had to do to get where they are now.』
(Great listen) 『!This is one of the best of the "Cat Who" mysteries. George Guidall does his usual excellent job with his reading, and there are threads from previous and future Cat Who stories that the Lilian Jackson Braun fan will find especially memorable and tantalizing.』 『When a bombing wrecks a hotel, kills a housekeeper, and threatens to destroy the Great Food Explo, Qwilleran and his feline sleuths, Koko and Yum Yum, embark on a culinary quest to find a killer. By the author ofThe Cat Who Came to Breakfast.175,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo.』 『It's autumn in the little town of Pickax, Moose County, and the citizens are preparing for a new event: the Great Food Explo. A philanthropic creation of the Klingenschoen Foundation (a.k.a. Jack Qwilleran), the Explo was arranged to bring new restaurants, inns, and food specialty shops to the area. The great event is only a week away when a bomb goes off in the only hotel in town, killing a housekeeper. Luckily for Pickax, Qwilleran and his two sleuthing felines, Koko and Yum Yum, are on the case. Thrown into the melee are several new characters, including a mysterious woman, a gentle beekeeper, and the woman who wins a date with Qwilleran at a celebrity auction--although cheese seems to be the main character. Find out what's going on in Moose County and read about some delicious tidbits while you're at it!--Jhana Bach』
Kakaku：
Pocket
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Better than Da Vinci) 『This book has over a thousand reviewers, so I would amagine everything has been said. I liked it better than the even more popular Da Vinci Code--but they're both good reads.』
(Amazong novel from Dan Brown) 『I should first admit that I was really late in giving a review of this book. I watched the movie first and then I was pretty impressed with the movie, that I got the book and it was a very nice read.
If you love semi-fiction and a little bit of history and religion, this book is an amazing read.』
(Angels&Demons, Special Illustrated Edition) 『Fantastic Reading ... Dan Brown keeps you glued to Angels&Demons ... You won't be able to put the book down. The Special Illustrated Edition really helps bring the story to life and embellish the whole visual experience.』
(not for the weak at heart) 『writing that will keep you at the edge of your seat. a great addition to your Dan Brown library.』
(`Angels and Demons') 『`Angels and Demons' has all in it to be quoted as the `universal best seller' as it was rightly done in the New York Times. But the novel gained recognition only after the release of the controversial `The Da Vinci Code' a novel that faced a lot of opposition from the Vatican and other catholic sects. The author of this novel, Dan Brown is known for his wonderful gifted ability to weave fiction and fact as one. His familiarity with science and Vatican are clearly visible in this novel. Starring in this novel is the fictional Harvard University Symbologist, Robert Langdon. He is familiar to the ones who read Brown's previous novel, as he was the one who played the leading role in that novel too. The display of his academic skills in this novel once again has caught the readers' mind. The heroine of this novel, Vittoria Vetra is also a brilliant academic, whose father gets killed by the Assassin who is hired by the Janus. Janus is none other than the Camerlengo, in disguise, whose real face is revealed in the longrun. The author has portrayed all his characters in a fantastic manner. In the case of the Assassin, he is portrayed as a character of shear power and brut force. The reinvention of the Illuminati is a master stroke, although that does not have any impact on the end climax, as it was a tool used by the Janus to guise himself from the outside world. The Camerlengo's instant transformation into a God like thing comes in as a real surprise. But soon his real face is revealed in the climax. This novel when released was also not short of controversies. Despite all that, the novel has managed to come out as a universal best seller. All credits to Dan Brown』 『
An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new
weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target.
World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization -- the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth . . . the long-forgotten Illuminati lair.
BEFORETHE DA VINCI CODEWAS BROKEN,
THE WORLD LAY AT THE MERCY OFANGELS&DEMONS』
『It takes guts to write a novel that combines an ancient secret brotherhood, the SwissConseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, a papal conclave, mysterious ambigrams, a plot against the Vatican, a mad scientist in a wheelchair, particles of antimatter, jets that can travel 15,000 miles per hour, crafty assassins, a beautiful Italian physicist, and a Harvard professor of religious iconology. It takes talent to make that novel anything but ridiculous. Kudos to Dan Brown (Digital Fortress) for achieving the nearly impossible.Angels&Demonsis a no-holds-barred, pull-out-all-the-stops, breathless tangle of a thriller--think Katherine Neville'sThe Eight(but cleverer) or Umberto Eco'sFoucault's Pendulum(but more accessible).
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is shocked to find proof that the legendary secret society, the Illuminati--dedicated since the time of Galileo to promoting the interests of science and condemning the blind faith of Catholicism--is alive, well, and murderously active. Brilliant physicist Leonardo Vetra has been murdered, his eyes plucked out, and the society's ancient symbol branded upon his chest. His final discovery, antimatter, the most powerful and dangerous energy source known to man, has disappeared--only to be hidden somewhere beneath Vatican City on the eve of the election of a new pope. Langdon and Vittoria, Vetra's daughter and colleague, embark on a frantic hunt through the streets, churches, and catacombs of Rome, following a 400-year-old trail to the lair of the Illuminati, to prevent the incineration of civilization.
Brown seems as much juggler as author--there are lots andlotsof balls in the air in this novel, yet Brown manages to hurl the reader headlong into an almost surreal suspension of disbelief. While the reader might wish for a little more sardonic humor from Langdon, and a little less bombastic philosophizing on the eternal conflict between religion and science, these are less fatal flaws than niggling annoyances--readers should have no trouble skimming past them and immersing themselves in a heck of a good read. "Brain candy" it may be, but my! It's tasty.--Kelly Flynn』
IPhone 3G used's review (Prison break) 『In this historical sequel to "The Eagle Has Landed", the Nazis plot the escape of an hired assassin from a British prison who, was sent to kill Churchill.
Most of the book concentrates on the German side and the Irishman who is the organizer of the escape. It is a quick and suspenseful read, and with only one major twist, it can be followed easily. Not quite as good as "Eagle Landed".
Higgins has a knack for capturing the personality of the German and swaying sympathy to the flawed characters.
Lord Bless Scott』
(would give zero stars if possible) 『cold harbor never arrived and the eagle has flown was in such poor condition i used it for a door stop until it fell apart completely. dishonest seller - would not buy anything from this store!』
(Hide and Seek, WWII Style) 『A Review by Jace
The end of the Second World War is near, and Hitler is relentless. British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, had been kidnapped by a secret Nazi spy group and no one knows his exact location. Except for one man Kurtis Steiner who is being held prisoner by the British forces. Jack Higgins enters the story as a young historian who must now find the keys to unravel the secret mysteries of the Nazi army. He is sent on a mission to Ireland to find the closest link to Kurtis Steiner, but is unknowing of what he will find. Higgins must fight his way through chambers, dungeons and ward of enemy spies and troops. Higgins is in for the fight of his life and he is bringing you along for the ride.
This book is a masterpiece. It shows the true horror of war from a different stand point. Many war books show you a view from the U.S. but this book gives you a look from the British and Nazi sidelines. It also has a truckload of suspense. I was awake at night wondering what would happen next. My head was full of predictions and guesses of who was to die next, and what was behind that door. My hair was on end through the entire story. This book also brought along enough action for everybody, and had leftovers. Higgins challenges his mind against the mind of a Nazi general and henchman. Higgins challenges tanks and specially trained troops. This book is a work of art.
I would recommend this book to anybody who has read a bond book. This novel blows good old James out of the water. It has mystery, suspense, and action. I was left with my jaw on the floor. Higgins has left his heart in this book, which makes it worth the read.』
(In the Eyes of the Nazi) 『This Historical fiction, The Eagle has Flown is a sequel to Higgins previous novel The Eagle has Landed. The novel takes place in Europe during the last years of World War II. Higgins starts the novel with an investigation regarding the attempts on British Prime Minster Winston Churchill's life. The one in specific conducted by a Nazi, General Steiner of the SS from Germany. The mission was compromised and General Steiner the only survivor jailed in a priory run by a Father and several nuns. Himmler a senior SS orders his comrade General Schellenberg to conduct a rescue of the fallen prisoner of war. General Schellenberg contacts Liam Devlin a British Nazi, who knows Nazi sympathizers in London who will help plan the release of General Steiner. The mission is to sneak into the Priory and rescue Steiner but this mission was to busy the officers while extremist in the SS including Himmler would assassinate Hitler and organize a coup. The reason the SS wants to kill Hitler is not because of the tremendous war crimes but because of his careless and contradictory plans regarding the war that were hurting the German forces.
The novel in part of Higgins is well planned out and put together. There are several concepts that Higgins touched that are factual but omitted from history books and other novels. The concepts include the willingness of the German people to stop the war and the German officers who fought to protect and honor their country not Hitler. This novel has the great ability to pull you into the book and make your mind wonder in deep optimism for the Nazi, even though they were on the wrong hand in this bloody war. Higgins after getting a taste of sequels left this novel's end in great conflict with no definite closure, he must plan to continue the The Eagle series. This novel is recommended to those who like war read and who will not stress themselves over late World War II terminology contained in this novel.』
(In the Eyes of the Nazi) 『This Historical fiction, The Eagle has Flown is a sequel to Higgins previous novel The Eagle has Landed. The novel takes place in Europe during the last years of World War II. Higgins starts the novel with an investigation regarding the attempts on British Prime Minster Winston Churchill's life. The one in specific conducted by a Nazi, General Steiner of the SS from Germany. The mission was compromised and General Steiner the only survivor jailed in a priory run by a Father and several nuns. Himmler a senior SS orders his comrade General Schellenberg to conduct a rescue of the fallen prisoner of war. General Schellenberg contacts Liam Devlin a British Nazi, who knows Nazi sympathizers in London who will help plan the release of General Steiner. The mission is to sneak into the Priory and rescue Steiner but this mission was to busy the officers while extremist in the SS including Himmler would assassinate Hitler and organize a coup. The reason the SS wants to kill Hitler is not because of the tremendous war crimes but because of his careless and contradictory plans regarding the war that were hurting the German forces.
The novel in part of Higgins is well planned out and put together. There are several concepts that Higgins touched that are factual but omitted from history books and other novels. The concepts include the willingness of the German people to stop the war and the German officers who fought to protect and honor their country not Hitler. This novel has the great ability to pull you into the book and make your mind wonder in deep optimism for the Nazi, even though they were on the wrong hand in this bloody war. Higgins after getting a taste of sequels left this novel's end in great conflict with no definite closure, he must plan to continue the The Eagle series. This novel is recommended to those who like war read and who will not stress themselves over late World War II terminology contained in this novel.』
『The sequel to "The Eagle has Landed". By the end of 1943, all the evidence of the abortive German attempt to assassinate Winston Chuchill has been buried in a grave in Norfolk. But two of the most wanted ringleaders are still alive, and the Reichsfuhrer is demanding the eagle's return.』
IPhone 3G used's review (Mediocre read) 『This is the first book I've read by Margaret Truman and I had high hopes. The book did not live up to those hopes. I found the book easy to put down and forget, the plot and characters didn't hold my interest and....kiss of death....the ending didn't make my heart race or send even a single chill down my spine. When I read a good book, I tend to get lost in that book - I forget that I'm READING a book. I never got that feeling with this book. I was always just reading.
Maybe I've come to expect too much since devouring Michael Connelly, Nelson DeMille and David Baldacci.
The best I can say is that it wasn't a totally boring read, just mediocre.』
(Better than Ludlum, but Truman is no LeCarre...) 『This book is just the thing for a long plane flight, or a series of quiet evenings at home. Its strongest point is excellent plotting. The character development and scene-setting seemed a bit thin to me. Unlike the Smiley series by LeCarre, the writing seems much more commercial -- and it is hard to really feel (and intensely care about) the characters. (There are the usual romantic/sexual/love interests stirred in, but they seem superficial, reflecting Collette Cahill's shallow personality.) On the other hand, Truman's characters outshine Ludlum's stickmen; hers seem like real people (though just acquaintances, not friends). On excellent attribute of 'Murder in the CIA' is that one doesn't know who the 'bad guys' and the 'goods guys' are until just before the end of the tale. I would strongly suggest that readers who don't want to lose track of everyone really should keep a pad to jot down the names of each of the characters. This 303-page potboiler brings in quite a large cast, and many of them are important to the plot. This book was written during the Cold War, and younger readers may have some trouble connecting with the anti-Communist motivations behind a lot of the action. Also some of the devices (post-hypnotic recollections, for example) seem both contrived and dated. Things have changed a lot since 1987. --- In short, 'Murder in the CIA' is not great literature, but it is a fun read.』
(the queen stays unbeaten when it comes to murder.) 『Who did it? ask the president's daughter. She can simply say who is the murder. Great suspense. Wonderful characters to get along with. You will not want to stop reading any of her books. I wanna read 2 more of her books. The queen stays unbeaten.』
(The queen of mystery in DC is back) 『She did a great job in this book I simply could not put it down! Great suspense and a dry sense of humor go a long way in these great mysreries. who did assk the President's Daughtewr she knows. Great all the way!』
(Couldn't Put it Down!) 『This was my first read in the Capitol Crimes Series, and it won't be my last. While being an easy read, it wasn't too easy that I became bored and lost interest. The main character was someone I could relate to, and have sympathy for . It was very surprising who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. This is a good escape book, better than TV in my opinion.』 『Barrie Mayer, a beautiful Washington literary agent, finds her trip to Budapest cut short -- when her body turns up dead. But her best friend, Colette Cahill, a CIA agent, knows that Barrie was carrying something else in her briefcase, and she suspects the worst. When the Agency instructs her to investigate, Colette could lose her own life in the high-stakes search.... "Smooth...seductive." ASSOCIATED PRESS
IPhone 3G used's review (Nice storytelling, but what about copyediting?) 『As many have pointed out, the date that Buddy Holly died is wrong, and song lyrics are misquoted. There are other copyediting errors as well. We are told that the Judge's grandfather was shipped out to Iowa after disgracing the family back east. But later it becomes the judge's greatgreatfather. There are other such minor gaffes. But far worse, especially for a novel in this genre, the hero solves the mystery with the help of a verbal clue referring to something a character said earlier. But I went back and reread that passage several times and the key line was never said! For a mystery such an error is disgraceful. Didn't anybody read this book before it went to press? All that aside, this is a minor but reasonably entertaining effort, with a nice breezy style and a likeable protagonist. There is little real suspense, however, and the author seems far more interested in depicting the late '50s small town Iowa setting than in building a creditable mystery. The "solution" to the crime seems tacked on and half-hearted.』
(A lucky Find.) 『I found this one on the unwanted books rack at my local Gym. Never had heard of Ed Gorman before (turns out hes pretty prolific!) but this is a great 1st novel in this new series which takes place in the late 50s. I loved the plot, the characters, and the setting (midwest 'natch!)- I await my other books in the series!』
(retro revisionism) 『The characters and action in this book are possessed of a political correctness that did not exist in the Heartland (or probably anywhere else) at the time (whichever time that happens to be - February 3, 1958 or 1959 - see previous reviews.) In a time when June Cleaver wore chic dresses and real pearls everyday to wash&wax the kitchen floor, the author expects us to believe that one of the main characters is a FEmale judge and another main female character intends to go to law school? It just wasn't like that then.
Another error - let's try a little sing-a-long here: o/~ 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 . tell the people what she wore. She wore an itsy bitsy, teeny weenie, _____ polka dot bikini o/~ The author gets gonged here because he says it was pink. [p. 154, original hardcover ed.] Those of us old enough to know better will tell you it was yellow.
The mystery is just so-so and the ambiance the author takes pains to create is simply not credible because he needed fact checks!』
(Easy read) 『The author has another winning book, but don't expect much stimulation from it; it is an easy read, but that is not a bad thing. The characters and story are interesting, but there isn't much challenge to it, so you can just flow along until the end, and you will have a nice, entertaining time. Unhappily, the author is guilty of having some of his characters be more "politically correct" than would have been the case in '50s Iowa; it seems he is inserting his own sensibilities more often than is reasonable. At that time, people were both good and bad, as in most times, but they weren't as conscious of some of the distinctions then as now. In those days, newspapers and politicians weren't always beating everyone over the head about how they should think, and yelling at us to be so "inclusive." Even the most open-minded people then developed their own ideas and morals, with help from family and close friends, but the media didn't press us with many ideas and names. So the author's characters are nicely done, but their "politically correct" pronouncements are jarring and seem out of place for time and place of the story. But if a nice, easy read is what you need, and all of us do at times, then this should be satisifying.』
(Dissapointing) 『As historical fiction, and as a mystery, this books fails. Besides occasional references to convertibles and AM radio, the story could have been from any time. The mystery is uninvolving, and ultimately dissappointing.』 『Buddy Holly's plane just went down. But for P.I. Sam McCain, bad news hits even closer to home. A local couple turns up dead, and the investigation teaches him that behind the white picket fences of small-town Iowa, there's a flip side to the American dream.
"An enjoyable start to a new series... Gorman rocks."--Publishers Weekly
"Hugely entertaining."--Dean Koontz
"Genuinely affecting.--Wall Street Journal』 『Veteran mystery writer, editor, and anthologist Ed Gorman plays all the right notes in his latest book--hopefully the first of a promising period series. It's 1959 (the book says 1958, but that must be a mistake, because everyone knows Buddy Holly died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959), and Sam McCain--"a young lawyer in a town that already had too many lawyers"--is working as an investigator in Black River Falls, Iowa, for Judge Esme Anne Whitney, a wealthy and eccentric old woman who smokes Gauloises in Chesterfield country and takes pleasure in shooting McCain with rubberbands while they confer.
The day after a long drive to and from what turns out to be Buddy Holly's last concert before his fatal plane crash, McCain finds the murdered wife of Judge Whitney's rotten nephew, Kenny, and then is unable to stop Kenny from killing himself. Everybody, including the town's loutish police chief, is sure that Kenny killed his wife--only McCain has his doubts.
Complicating things are the troubles of a local black former football star now crippled by booze, and those of McCain's teenage sister who is trying to abort her baby. The period details about race and sex seem dead right; the people of Black River Falls, especially McCain's family and various girlfriends, are all sharply-sketched; and even the very late appearance of a possible villain can't spoil the considerable fun.
Previous examples of Gorman's craft, or sullen art, includeDaughter of Darkness,Black River Falls,Dark Trail,The First Lady,Hawk Moon,The Marilyn Tapes,Senatorial Privilege,Trouble Man, andCage of Night.--Dick Adler』
IPhone 3G used's review (READ) 『See my review of "Presumed Dead."』
(Police action the way you want it.) 『Once again Hugh Holton has hit the police action on the head. Being a police officer for over 30 years, I find that 'Red Lightning', puts me into the life of Larry Cole. Hugh knows how to make you feel that you are there. His villians are bad and they know how to inflect pain and death on their victims. I plan to read his books as they are published. Also, 'ZORRO', will get his.』
(Cop action in Chicagoland.) 『Red Lightning strikes swiftly to entrap the reader with its many twist and turns through Chicago's changing landscape. As a Chicagoland resident, I find myself riding shotgun as Detective Commander Larry Cole goes lights and siren to capture the villainous felons who cast death and destruction in Chicago's most popular neighborhoods. Hugh Holton balances political scandal, quality of life and surrealistic chance with back alley detective work and gut reaction instinct. With his Glock 9mm blazing, Lt. Larry Cole, and his team of top gun detectives, bring the reader into a each fire fight as if we were one of his team.
Although sometimes too unrealistic, this only adds to captivate the reader to grasp the cat and mouse game being played out. I really enjoy how Mr. Holton mixes outside governmental agencies to complicate this action adventure. This is another excellent novel in his string of successful Chicago reading adventures.』
(Winner!) 『You never know what to expect when you read one of Holton's book! There are two thing that you can expect. One thing is how insanely dangerous his villians are! Holton's villians are so warp that they make Hannibal Lector look normal! The second thing is how Cheif Larry Cole handles them.』
(Will the real Hugh Holton please stand up) 『I was extremely disappointed. I was spoiled by Mr. Holton's Windy City and Chicago Blues, both fine works, but "Red" does not carry on in the fine Holton tradition that one would expect. The writing wasn't nearly as crisp as in past books and the story line was predictable and boring. What's more, our hero, Chief of Detectives has divorced his wife, his son is now fatherless, another family bites the dust because it's more important to be super "Chief" than super family man. Now super stud is running after skirts. I'm not impressed. And what happened to the other characters that we've come to enjoy? They barely made an appearance. How sad.』 『An investigative journalist, tipped off about the shady doings of a former military research scientist--whose "home security" system involves booby-trapping the homes of the wealthy with bizarre and dangerous devices--sets out to uncover his scheme.』
Kakaku：
Pocket
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (What a piece of trash!) 『Thank God I didn't buy this book, I borrowed it from a friend. As soon as I started reading it, its slow pace just made me gag, especially with Baby Celeste's idiocy showing up every time, what an annoying naive little twit. The beginning was kind of decent, explaining her early life and such, but there come the adoptive parents, the rich house, and other things that may make this like yet another "Laguna Beach" episode.
And what the ph*ck is it with rape now? First there were brothers and even random strangers in past series, now a Grandpa, to make it even more gross?
Also, the ending was so rushed. The only character I cared about (Celeste Sr.) only appears in like a couple of lines, and her story isn't even clear.
Seriously, GW needs to stop. Now.』
(good book. mysterious ending) 『this book was amazing until you got to the end. it kind of left you wondering. i'm wondering if v.c. andrews is going to write another novel in the gamini series to tie up the loose ends. i hope so. over all the book was very good though. i couldn't put it down!!』
(Pretty Good Ending To the Saga) 『This was a pretty good book. The story line was pretty crazy, in true V.C. Andrews fashion! It was not the best V.C. Andrews book that I've ever read, but I enjoyed it a lot and had a really hard time putting it down. The plot twists will definitely surprise you and you will enjoy how the story wraps up in the end. It's still twisted in terms of what happens in the plot line, but it did not have the same tone as the first two books. Overall, if you enjoy V.C. Andrews, you will enjoy Child of Darkness.』
(STOP IT) 『This has to stop, seriously. When Neiderman first ghostwrote for VCA, he did a decent job. I liked the Cutler series, and he did a good job of finishing up the books that VCA had started but didn't finish for the Dollanganger and Casteel series. The Landry and Logan series, while not the best, were still very decent, and I enjoyed them. However, it all started to go downhill with Orphans. That was not what VCA would have written. I endured the Hudson and DeBeers series with disgust. The April Shadows and Broken Flower series are making VCA spin in her grave right now. Mr. Neriderman, please stop writing for VCA and go back to your own work. You're a old man, stop writing as if you were a young girl. Put the VCA name to rest, did you know there's a online petition circulating around demanding that you stop writing for VCA???
I found myself confused and frustrated with this series. You know that you should feel sorry for Celeste, but after reading Black Cat, you don't. She is GROWN, yet she let her mother push her around, and Mom is one VERY f---ed up person. And this third book in Gemini just... left things hanging, without satisfaction or questions answered. I ended up selling these books on eBay because I wanted some of my money back and more room on my bookshelf for better books.』
(Very disappointing) 『I will not write much on the obvious flaws of this book, how it left many questions unanswered, etc. This has been written by others already. I just wanted to add something that no one else seems to have commented on. The ghost writer screwed up the timeline again (as he has done in previous books). In the beginning of the book, (big) Celeste is interviewed at the mental clinic. The doctor's report says she is 17 yrs, 4 months old. The doctor mentions that Baby Celeste was 6 yrs old at the time. That would've made big Celeste 11 yrs old when she had her! Huh?! In the book "Celeste", when Celeste meets Elliot Fletcher (who later gets her pregnant), she tells him she is 15 yrs old. So, by the beginning of the book "Child of Darkness", big Celeste should've been 21 yrs old. Apparently, Andrew Neiderman does not know how to count! Get with the program, dude! And you should have written more about the fate of big Celeste, who was a much more interesting character anyway. 』 『
SHE GREW UP IN THE SHADOWS OF LIES.
NOW THE PAST WILL COME TO LIGHT.
As a child, she was Baby Celeste, the one thing that kept her mother in touch with reality. But now her mother is in an institution, damaged by years of lies and secrets, and sixteen-year-old Celeste Atwell is alone in the world. Adopted by a wealthy couple, Wade and Ami Emerson, Celeste has everything a girl could desire: designer clothes, luxury cars, even a handsome boyfriend. But her new life is shrouded in mystery:
Ami acts more like a girlfriend than Celeste's adoptive mother -- what mother would encourage her daughter to flirt outrageously and dress in racy outfits? Wade, meanwhile, stoically accepts his wife's wild spending sprees and over-the-top behavior. Celeste is about to discover the true price of having it all -- because the secrets hidden within the Emerson household are too dangerous to keep under wraps....』
IPhone 3G used's review (Spy Game For The Post-Cold War) 『Is it possible to improve as a writer while producing less interesting books? John le Carré makes me think so.
More than 30 years after "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" and 20 years after wrapping up the Karla Trilogy, le Carré produced this, 1999's "Single&Single", a feat of impeccable writing about characters and situations I couldn't give a cuss about. Whether it's a businessman slowly waiting for his life to be snuffed out, an eastern European village where a woman stands at a window naked in the moonlight, or a son trying to both save and stop his crooked father, I was continually impressed by the author's lapidarian eloquence but aloof from the story.
The son and the father form the central plot line and the title of this book. Oliver Single is the son, a children's magician whose most successful trick involves disappearing from his father's world. Tiger Single is the old man, a ruthless enabler of rich bad men who lives for himself but inspires a stubborn loyalty.
"House of Single's got more scoundrels among its valued clients these days than the entire rogue's gallery at Scotland Yard," a customs officer named Brock tells Oliver at one point.
For le Carré, all this is a way of getting at the culture of global corruption House of Single's helps enable, not to mention a chance to showcase his ability to keep writing spy thrillers after the end of the Cold War. Russian gangsters plot shipping vitally needed blood West for easy profit. A shady Britishcop dispenses bribes while living a life of luxury. No one is completely stainless, making Oliver's attempt at escape absurd even to himself.
"We are no longer looking at adventurous outlaws who will reveal themselves by clumsiness or repetition," Brock observes. "When one containerload of cocaine safely landed at a British port is worth a hundred million pounds, and the harbormaster is enjoying a salary of forty thousand, we are looking at ourselves."
As long as le Carré stays on this theme, the novel is very interesting. But as he works in a plot around the son searching for the father, "Single&Single" feels a bit lost. Turgid le Carré never is, but he does like long conversations and narrative asides that tease out every psychological nuance. Making me enjoy these digressions is a true gift of le Carré's, one that seems richer now that I've begun to take more notice of it.
Opacity is what does in le Carré here. Oliver's motives remain obscure throughout the novel, and he continually jumps ahead of the reader in a way that's more confusing than stimulating. Numerous women throw themselves at him for even more obscure reasons, defying family and country to offer caresses and counsel about not givingin to corruption. The relative purity of women is a constant theme of le Carré's, but here it grates with repetition.
By the time we reach the end of the story, Oliver is on the run from everyone but the man he started out escaping. Things happen, windows crash, and people die, but nothing is made very clear, perhaps to reflect the new world le Carré is writing about. Author's intent, perhaps, but "Single&Single" leaves an odd unresolved taste that makes one wish for the relatively finer loose ends of the Cold War again.』
(surprise ending) 『Overall the story is an interesting read, but it seems to wander at times and there are a lot of subplots which don't seem to really contribute a whole lot to the main story. That's okay, but in the end you find yourself asking, "so what happened to....?" I found the end especially unsatisfying because it ended so abruptly as if Le Carre had just had about had enough of it already. Kinda disappointing.』
(somewhat tedious) 『Though Mr Le Carre knows the complexities and the essence of the spy world probably more than any other author judging by his biography I think that though in Single&Single, he fully goes into these elements to make a story, he fails, unlike other spy authors, to provide ingenious twists and turns and credible suspense to make its work enticing leaving it somewhat dull. In addition, his writing style permanently changes its focus in every paragraph with places, characters and times, so sometimes it gets tiresome to follow him. The ending in this particular plot was prepared beforehand and made predictable, leaving a bit bitter taste on myself as a reader at the time I turned the last page. I have had great expectations when I purchased the book due to the reputation of Mr Le Carre, but they were not fulfilled, at least with Single&Single』
(I could not finish this.) 『LeCarre had a story to tell, but refused to tell it. Instead, he wandered all over, inserting a lot of unnecessary detail. Go back to reading his stories of George Smiley, and leave this one on the shelf』
(Expert at Work) 『---expert storyteller and expert in painting scenes with the British language, that is. Reading le Carre is most always a pleasure, and this book is not one of the exceptions. He is a master at devising and presenting a stimulating sequence of chapters, gradually encouraging the reader to piece together a bit more of just what the story might be. And within each of those chapters, one discovers many a sentence with well-chosen words likewise arranged in an appealing and creative order. This plot turns out to be an appealing one, but le Carre probably would make the IRS instruction booklets appealing for this reader.』 『
A lawyer from the London finance house ofSingle&Singleis shot dead on a Turkish hillside by people with whom he thought he was in business. A children's magician in the English countryside is asked by his bank to explain the unsolicited arrival of more than five million pounds sterling in his young daughter's modest trust. A freighter bound for Liverpool is boarded by Russian coast guards in the Black Sea. The celebrated London merchant venturer "Tiger" Single disappears into thin air.
InSingle&Singlethe writer who both epitomizes and transcends the novel of espionage opens with a haunting set piece, then establishes a sequence of events whose connections are mysterious, complex and compelling. This is a story of corrupt liaisons between criminal elements in the new Russian states and the world of legitimate finance in the West. Le Carré's finest novel in years, it is also an intimate portrait of two families: one Russian, the other English; one trading illicit goods, the other laundering the profits; one betrayed by a son-in-law, the other betrayed, and redeemed, by a son.
This is territory le Carré knows better than anyone. Masterful and prescient, he is writing at the height of his creative powers, and Oliver Single, the central protagonist, is one of his most fascinating characters.』
『On a Turkish hillside, ex-Communist mobsters shatter the skull of a corrupt English lawyer. In a sleepy English village, the authorities ask a lonely children's magician how come£5,000,030 sterling just got anonymously deposited in his baby daughter's bank account. With machine-like logic and soulful literary magic, John le Carré links these two events inSingle&Single, a stay-up-all-night thriller.
The magician is Oliver Single, the tormented son of Tiger Single, a rogue banker theFinancial Timescalls "the knight errant of Gorbachev's New East." In fact, Tiger is sinking his fangs into that crucial one-tenth of world trade free of pesky regulations--illegal drugs--and secretly selling donated disaster-relief blood. Mum's the word in Tiger's mob: as the lawyer's executioner notes, "Is not convenient to hear that American capitalists are bleeding poor nations literally."
Oliver comes in from the cold to help spymaster Brock track Tiger down. That£30 sterling signified Judas's silver, but Oliver yearns to save Tiger's life, too. Le Carré wizardly juggles dozens of characters in a zigzag, globetrotting plot. You-are-there realism, narrative drive, pitch-perfect dialog--why can't movies be this good? Like lightning, le Carré's metaphorsboth dazzle and blazingly illuminate the world.
Ex-spy le Carré was there when the Berlin Wall went up, and his spy craft is legendarily realistic. His female spy/love interest is less so--the opposite of a femme fatale, she might be termed a "deus sex machina." But the book's crucial father-son relationship is quite real, because, like the irresistible villain ofA Perfect Spy, Tiger is based on le Carré's own con-man dad. The cold war is over, but le Carré is hot. And he will endure.--Tim Appelo』
IPhone 3G used's review (Do we care?) 『A page-turner that fails to make us connect with any of the characters.』
(Fast and solid) 『On a March evening in San Francisco a dying man is dumped in Mercy Hospital's parking lot, and it doesn't take ER's head doctor, Carroll Monks, long to discover he's more than just your average overdosed junkie. Only minutes after the man is swept away by his physician and several tough looking bodyguards, the hospital is set on fire and vandalized, the man's blood samples gone. Soon Monks and his daughter, an intern at Mercy, are being targeted for what they know and forced to flee for their lives in search of answers.
BLOOD DOUBLE, Neil McMahon's second book about this tough but believable Carroll Monks, hooks the reader immediately and continues to be fast paced and full of fascinating scientific information on genetics. While the writing is not lyrical, it is solid for its genre, and while the story seldom stirs us deeply enough to laugh or cry, it escapes being shallow by allowing us a glimpse into the horrific lives of illegal immigrants forced into street slavery. There are some great action scenes near the end and the characters, thankfully, remain true to themselves. The villain may be no great surprise, but there's still a twist.
For readers interested in a different sort of medical thriller with a strong protagonist and some cutting edge genetics, BLOOD DOUBLE is a winner.』
(4 1/2 stars) 『Dr. Carroll Monks, an emergency room doctor, saves a mysterious man from a heroin overdose. A mysterious fire breaks out and the mans blood samples are stolen. Dr. Monks sets out to learn more about the man he saved and soon finds himself in a very dangerous situation. The rapid pace, as well as the subject matter (The human genome), makes it a quick and exciting read. A good hi-tech medical thriller.
Recommended.』
(A good follow-up) 『I loved McMahon's first book, Twice Dying. And while Blood Double isn't quite as potent, it is a fast-paced narrative that has a lot of merit. The characters are believably well developed, particularly Lex Rittenour, the Gates-type computer wiz with a personality deficit and a drug problem. McMahon nails Lex's drug-addict behavior nicely: the grim nasties when he needs a fix, the nutty pleasantries when he's had one.
The pithy issue of genome mapping (and its many-tiered implications) and the pending IPO of Lex's very incomplete computer program (that promises to bring in billions) and the sundry Big Boys involved in the financial aspects of this stock offering are at the core of this book.
People involved, even peripherally, in the program's creation and sale keep getting dead. It is Lex's near-fatal overdose that lands him in the ER where Monks is responsible for saving his life. The book takes off like a rocket from that point, with some harrowing attempts on Monks's life, the introduction of a possible love interest (the one character I found not entirely believable) and ultimately a harsh look at the reality of the corporate world--where what you put a stop to today will get renovated and go out there tomorrow, no matter what.
Clean, lean prose and an intense narrative make this a book easily read in one sitting. Recommended.』
(Better than Kathy Reichs) 『Never heard of this author before, but the cover caught me eye so I bought it--and was up all night reading it. It's a great story, and a great protagonist (he's an ER doc). Personally I'm interested in medicine&health issues, but most of the thrillers&mysteries in this area are pretty cheesy--not much emphasis on the quality or the characters. The best in that regard (that I know of, anyway) is probably Kathy Reichs--but Neil MCMahon is better still』 『From the very start, Dr. Carroll Monks knew that the businessman dumped from a limousine in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital wasn't a typical San Francisco junkie. Even after Monks had rushed the dying man inside and brought him back from the precipice of a heroin overdose -- after the danger had, seemingly, passed-Monks sensed that something more sinister was brewing.Justhowsinister, he couldn't have guessed. First a phalanx of lawyers and doctors descended on the hospital and whisked the man away before Monks could find out more about the suspicious circumstances surrounding his arrival. Then a small fire broke out in the hospital -- an act of sabotage that resulted in the disappearance of the man's blood samples. But the real shock came the next morning, when the newspapers reported the mysterious disappearance of billionaire Lex Rittenour. Rittenour, a beloved computerwunderkind,had long been rumored to be developing a top-secret technology involving the human genome, the medical applications of which had the potential to place his name alongside those of Lister, Curie, and Salk. Now, just days before the unveiling of his breakthrough, Rittenour -- whom Monks now recognizes as the man he saved in the ER the night before-had, according to his corporate spokesmen, "gone into seclusion."What begins for Monks as an inquiry into Rittenour's disappearance unearths something far more diabolical -- the horrific facts behind genetic research done in Rittenour's name-and pits him against a corporation of dubious ethics, ruthless commando-style tactics, and a multi-billion-dollar motivation to protect its dark secrets.As he did in his first Carroll Monks novel(Twice Dying),Neil McMahon creates from today's most complex ethical issues -- in this case, the "progress" stemming from explosive new advances in genetics -- the unforgettably chilling, electrifying drama ofBlood Double.』
IPhone 3G used's review (A powerful story.) 『Give insights to second chances, human nature and Church problems-- and some insights to the author!?
A beautiful love story.
patricia』
(Storyline ....) 『Anne Reilly is beautiful, successful ... and terribly afraid. Demons from her past have come back to haunt her as her Chicago art gallery exhibits a notorious mad priest's paintings of obsession and horror. Suddenly Anne finds herself slipping into a hell she cannot escape, unable to free herself to the fulfilling love of the man she so desperately needs. Father Blackie Ryan and other "angels" of the faith now join in her struggle against the mystery that threatens her life and her sanity -- against the terror of things seen through a glass darkley, and feelings that lie closest to the heart ..." The Chicago Sun-Times called this book: "Devilishly good!" and the Richmond Times Dispatch called it: "The best this prolific author has produced." Clearly and excellent story!』
大満足！北国のホタテ・いくら・ボタンエビがぎっしり！
