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MBR Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 8 August 2004 Home | MBW Index

Table of Contents

Cynthia Penn's Bookshelf Harold's Bookshelf Kaveny's Bookshelf

Klausner's Bookshelf Laurel's Bookshelf Shelley's Bookshelf

Shirley's Bookshelf

Cynthia Penn's Bookshelf
The Spy Who Loves Me
Julie Kenner
Pocket Books
A division of Simon & Schuster Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN 0743446054 $6.99 400 pages

Sequel to "Nobody But You" -- Very highly recommended A malevolent plot intends to use a top-secret laser for wealth and revenge. Operatives Amber Robinson and her partner Brandon are assigned the case. Amber has been with the Unit since she was fifteen. It has become her family as well as providing the latest and greatest tools technology offers. She believes that she would never give up her spy world for anyone or anything; that is, until Amber and Brandon track terrorist mercenary Drake's girlfriend Diana to a apartment complex. Then Finn catches her attention. Soon Amber realizes she is not the only one observing Diana. Neighbor Phineus "Finn" Teague watches Diana from his window as well. Little does he suspect that his innocent musings, daydreams of becoming Agent Python, will lead him into a dangerous world of spies and espionage. Suddenly his innocuous wishes to escape boring depositions and overburdening student loans lead to life of intrigue beyond that which he imagined. Now he will do anything to protect the spy he loves. Julie Kenner's superb gift for storytelling dazzles in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. With so many books on the market, readers are hard put to find author's who distinctive style brings them back again and again. But Kenner is one of those authors who's artful humor and the fully developed characters bring her stories vividly alive, even in the seemingly contradictory blend of fantasy and reality. Whether she is writing about superheroes or spies, Kenner creates tales that consistently charm and intrigue. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME come very highly recommended.

Hot Pink: The Girl's Guide to Primping, Passion, and Pubic Fashion
Deborah Driggs and Karen Risch
Just Write Books
www.amazon.com
ISBN: B0002CV730 $24.95 (adobe download) 177 pages

Winner of the WordWeaving Award for Excellence While marketed as a guide "Primping, Passion, and Pubic Fashion" the subtitle may be a bit misleading. For ladies interested in waxing, shaving, or electrolysis the information is certainly well presented. For those ready for a change, eleven muff styles are illustrated with detailed information on how to get exactly the look you desire. But for those who prefer to maintain their natural look, intimate grooming is encouraged through other explorations, including body jewelry, ribbons or flowers. For all women, bathing becomes a fine art with sensuous showers and extraordinary suggestions for tub soaking. Perhaps some of the most fun information can be found in the "treasure chests" at the end of each chapter which describe products with links to them on the web. Latter sections of the book detour into basic sex education and self-esteem building, concluding with interviews with an aesthetician, body artist, sex educator and a relationship educator. While their information may not be as focused as early chapters on pubic grooming, the overall effect is a well-rounded exploration of women's sexuality and sensuality alone or with a partner. HOT PINK is a fabulously indispensable combination of the practical and the erotic. Chock full of useful information as well as resources for finding everything from body paint and essential oils to hairdressing, HOT PINK exploits the best possibilities of an e-book by providing plenty of links to the web. In addition, the layout and appearance of the book rivals some of the best of the coffee table books I've seen. The photos are exquisite and the diagrams frank. Every girl deserves this essential guide to self-pampering and self-exploration. HOT PINK earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.

Cooking Up a Storm
Emma Holly
Cheek
Thames Wharf Studios, Rainvulle Road, London W6 9HA
ISBN 0352338970 $12.95 288 pages

Very highly recommended Storm Dupre has two talents: creating soul-delighting food and leading women through the depths of their sensuality. For him sex a feast to be savored and enjoyed. And when he meets the owner of The Coates Inn, Abby Coates, Storm decides she would be absolutely delectable. With an eye to buying out the inn, he applies for the position of chef, preparing aphrodisiac laden meals that delight the clientele. Abby worries that her inn will go under. Having just broken up with her boyfriend, Abby finds herself boldly responding to her new chef. As word gets out regarding her newly single status, however, Storm finds that it is not just his cooking drawing the clientele. Soon he finds his motivations clouded. He may have come with an eye to taking over the inn, but Abby provides a powerful attraction that he just cannot resist. Author Emma Holly once again pens a boldly sensual romance in COOKING UP A STORM. Abby and Storm provide a powerful focus for the novel, but secondary characters likewise spring vividly to life. Sexual exploration and sensual erotica explode off the pages as Abby moves from a rather naive innocence to naughty temptress. Readers who delight in the unexpected will take great pleasure in this sizzling romance. COOKING UP A STORM comes very highly recommended.

Is It a Date or Just Coffee? The Gay Girl's Guide to Dating, Sex, and Romance
Mo Brownsey
Alyson Publications
PO Box 4371, Los Angeles, California 90078-4371
ISBN 1555837271 $13.95 240 pages

Winner of the WordWeaving Award for Excellence Forty years of heterosexual living did not prepare me for the dilemma of discerning IS IT A DATE OR JUST COFFEE when I started dating women. Well, perhaps dating was too strong a word since it always seems to turn out to be coffee. When straight gals meet straight guys, they know what to expect. With gay-gal dating, they seem to be showering together before reaching a consensus as to whether or not they are friends or something more. Fortunately, Mo Brownsey takes some of the confusion out gay-gal dating with her wonderful book. From being single, relationships, breakups and mourning, Brownsey covers it all. Need help identifying the dreaded lesbian bed death? Not sure if it's lust or love? Considering multiple partner relationships? Mo supplies the answers along with tongue-in-cheek comedy that will keep you howling with laughter no matter where you are concerning gay-gal relationships. I admit to suffering from STD myself (Sexually Transmitted Denial). For gals like me who find themselves in the midst of redefining their sexuality, and refuse to take the whole dating thing too seriously, Mo Brownsey's book is the definitive answer for the basics of gay-gal dating. Her comedic approach to relationships, breakups, recovery and sex is an indispensable guide for those new to this lifestyle as well as gay-gals who've always know that they weren't straight but love a good laugh. Indeed, straight or lesbian, all women will find themselves in this remarkably astute book. IS IT A DATE OR JUST COFFEE earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.

Aphrodite's Flame: Blaze No 142
Julie Kenner
Leisure Love Spell
Dorchester Publishing
276 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10001
ISBN 0505525755 $5.99 384 pages

Forth book in series! Very highly recommended Hieronymus Black intends to rejoin the Protectors for his own nefarious purposes. The worst Outcast in history, Hieronymus claims that he no longer believes that mortals are dispensable, and claims to wish to protect them instead. If his plans succeed, Hieronymus can claim the family seat on the inner council and affect an important treaty that establishes the relationship between Protectors and mortals. Izzy Frost has just been promoted to a top position that will allow her to make the decision whether or not Hieronymus is sincere. Her assistant just happens to be Hieronymus' son Mordi. Although Izzy's gifts reveal Hieronymus to be genuine in his transformation, Mordi remains staunchly unconvinced. Both Izzy and Mordi have intensely personal reasons for proving that they are right about Hieronymus. Izzy fears that other Protectors believe she received her promotion not for her own merit, but because of family connections. Mordi bears the stigma of having once been blindly loyal to his father. Despite their conflict, however, both Izzy and Mordi are intensely aware of the powerful attraction that they share. Hopefully they can stay alive long enough to explore the possibilities. Author Julie Kenner fabulous protector series continues with APHRODITE'S FLAME. Her choice of heroes is refreshing. Mordi was not exactly a likable character in the earlier books, though he did strike a sympathetic chord by the end of the third. In APHRODITE'S FLAME, however, we see proof profound character growth and his struggle with being the son of the worst Outcast of all. Mordi and Izzy have quite a lot in common given they are both half moral. Neither have the gifts that most Protectors take for granted, and both work hard to prove the worth of their individual talents. Together Mordi and Izzy are compelling characters set in a lighthearted romp that readers will treasure. APHRODITE'S FLAME is one no fantasy lover will want to miss, coming very highly recommended.

Virtually Perfect: Blaze No 142
Samantha Hunter
Harlequin
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373791461 $4.50 352 pages

Highly recommended Words gently glowing on the computer screen lure Raine Covington into a virtual romance with a man she knows as Rider. With her screen name Nilla, Raine has spent the last month indulging in deep conversation and naughty sensual play. Now Rider wants to meet her, and Raine refuses. That is, until her editor explains the story she is writing requires a real life meeting to draw her article to a fitting conclusion. Computer guru Jackson Harris has always thought Raine was incredibly attractive, but aloof. He might have known who she was, but he never garnered even a glance. When he meets Nilla online, he certainly does not suspect that he already knows the women he is determined to meet. Work brings them into regular contact, however, and soon they must confront their irresistible attraction. Cyber romance strikes close to home in Samanta Hunter's VIRTUALLY PERFECT. Hunter pushes the envelop of plausibility by making sure her romantic couple reside not only close by, but also know each other. Nevertheless, she pens a ingeniously plotted romance filled with chemistry and conflict. The virtual conversations and erotica are fabulously created with such the right edge of naughty and intriguing. Jackson and Raine will quickly find their ways into reader's hearts. He with his sincerity and she with her vulnerabilities. VIRTUALLY PERFECT comes highly recommended.

Indecent: Blaze No 137
Tori Carrington
Harlequin
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373791410 $4.50 352 pages

From the "Sleeping with Secrets" series -- Very highly recommended Three months ago a client falsely accused psychiatrist Dr. Colin McKenzie of indecent behavior. His lawyer advises a shift in his practice and celibacy until the case can be resolved. Then Lucky Clayborn enters his office and all bets are off. Sentenced to counseling after her second D.U.I, Lucky immediately captures Colin's attention with her flaming hair and fiery temperament. When she seeks him out alone, Colin immediately warns her that he cannot engage in anything of a personal nature with a client. So she changes councilors. Colin provides an explosive attraction that Lucky has not experienced in a long time. She determinedly sets out to engage in an affair all the while protecting her heart. Lucky leads a difficult life trying to stay ahead of her painful past and existing from paycheck to paycheck. But Colin manages to touch something deep within Lucky, something she carefully protects, and suddenly Lucky will have to decide if the good doctor is worth the risk of love. Authors Tori Carrington pen an engaging romance in INDECENT. As always, the writing team Tori Carrington reveals their fabulous talent for a unique balance in the male and female perspective, resulting in prose rich with complexity and characters who really live. Colin's struggle with his ethical dilemmas and remarkable insight into his work by the end of the novel reveals a character of deep complexity and reveals striking growth that nicely parallels Lucky's transformation. Strong willed and independent, Lucky struggles to balance the past with the present, using alcohol as a tool. With Colin's entrance in her life, she rises to the occasion, transforming into a powerful woman who risks everything when she lets him beyond her defenses INDECENT comes very highly recommended.

Cynthia Penn
Senior Reviewer

Harold's Bookshelf
The Rhodiola Revolution
Richard P. Brown, M.D., Patricia L. Gerbarg, M.D.
Rodale Press
33 East Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
ISBN: 1579549241 $21.95 230 pp. plus references and index

With all the factual, quasi-factual, and erroneous information on the market about herbal remedies the reader has to be careful about the author's credentials in most publications. In this case both authors hold highly regarded credentials. Richard Brown, M.D. is associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and has a private practice in psychiatry and psychopharmacology. Patricia Gerbarg, M.D. is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at New York Medical College in Valhalla.

"The Rhodiola Revolution" is the result of their research and experiences with the herb Rhodiola Rosea. Divided into three parts, the first part is mainly an introduction to the interrelated health factors of stress (both emotional and biological). In it the authors also examine the human energy crisis in detail and how so many factors work together to rob people of their energy.

The second part provides a detailed history of Rhodiola Rosea and how it works to increase energy levels, safeguard the neurological system, regulate hormone balance, increase physical performance, reduce mental stress, help depression and a whole host of other problems. What makes Rhodiola different from other herbs? The authors point out that it is an adaptogen and very few herbs meet the qualifications to be classified as one. Specifically an adaptogen must meet three qualifications. First it must increase "the body's resistance to a broad range of agents including physical (heat, cold, and exertion), chemical (toxins and heavy metals), and biological (bacteria and viruses)". Second, it must have a normalizing action. It must have a tendency to normalize "whatever pathological changes or reactions have occurred". So, if your thyroid is overactive it would tend to make it become less so and if it is under active it would tend to make it become more active. No matter what the condition it tends to bring your variance back toward the norm. Third, any side effects must be minimal or non-existent and it must have minimal toxicity.

The last part of the book is an action plan to increase your energy levels and maintain high energy levels for life. It includes information on dietary changes, supplementation, sleep, exercise, and even mental aerobics.

"The Rhodiola Revolution" is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in alternative medicine and herbal solutions in particular. The text was convincing enough that I decided to try supplementing with it. A week later I find that I am much less fatigued at the end of the day and very happy with the results. Pick up a copy of "The Rhodiola Revolution"; you won't be disappointed.

Open Source Solutions for Small Business Problems
John Locke
Charles River Media
10 Downer Avenue, Hingham, MA 02043
ISBN: 1584503203 $39.95 518 pp. plus glossary, index, and CD

In the world of open source there is a plethora of books on installing and administering Linux. There are also many technical books available on setting up a web server or other specific areas of Linux. This book fills a very broad gap for the non-technical person who wants to know about open source products and how they can be beneficial to your needs. This is not a technical manual but a guide that gives a higher-level view of what the software can do and how to use it.

It includes information on obtaining and installing Mandrake Linux (but no troubleshooting if you have a problem), setting up an office network, setting up an email server, setting up a web server, customer relationship management, calendar and schedule management, document management, accounting, project management, security, and just about everything you need to know to setup and run your business on an open source solution.

Perhaps the best way to provide an indication of this book's perspective is to look at a specific chapter. One of the best ones for this purpose is the one on setting up a web server. The first thing addressed is why you need a web server in the first place. This is followed by an examination of the most common open source web server - Apache. It then provides enough information to understand some of the basics of configuration. This allows you to understand what the configuration files do and get a server up and running, but not enough information to actually configure a secure server.

So, what makes this book so unique that I would recommend it to anyone? It meets the needs of the manager in that it is general enough that someone who has no knowledge of Linux can understand what is going on and what to expect of an installation. Yet it also meets the needs of the technical Linux user who understands the details of all the configuration files but often does not have an overall view of what the complete system is supposed to do. For example, it gives a short conceptual view of Perl that is sufficient to let the reader know if it is something that they could use but provides no information on how to program it. Then again, there are many, many books on Perl programming available.

"Open Source Solutions for Small Business Problems" is a very highly recommended book for anyone who is looking at the open source market and particularly anyone considering Linux as an operating system of choice either on the desktop or as a server. This is easily one of the best Linux books of the year; providing a management level view of the Linux world without the technical focus of other books.

Hardening Apache
Tony Mobily
Apress
2560 Ninth Street, Suite 219, Berkeley, CA 94710
ISBN: 1590593782 $29.99 236 pp. plus appendixes and index

Apache is still by far the most common web server on the Internet. However, when the purpose of your computer is to allow access to your webpages by anyone on the Internet security needs to be a primary concern. If you are serious about hardening your Apache server you will want to have this book.

Author Tony Mobily examines Apache security in detail all the way from making sure the initial installation package has not been hacked at the primary web server site through configuration and installation of security modules. The book has seven chapters that cover configuration, common attacks, logging, scripting attacks, security modules, using a jail, and automating security with scripts.

While the book does cover Apache on the various operating systems the focus is on a Linux install, which is appropriate since that is the most common place to install Apache. This is not a book that I would suggest for someone who is totally new to Apache or Linux, but if you have a passing familiarity with them then you will find this to be the missing information from other Apache books. No matter which Apache book you get to learn Apache, your library will be incomplete if it doesn't include "Hardening Apache".

Google: The Missing Manual
Sarah Milstein, Rael Dornfest
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
ISBN: 0596006136 $19.95 282 pp. plus appendix and index

My initial reaction when I picked up this book was that as a power user of Google it would only contain a few items that I didn't already know. I could not have been more wrong. I soon realized that although I have used Google regularly for several years I know very little about how to use it efficiently to get the results I want. But that situation has changed thanks to this book. If you have an Internet connection and you do anything with Google you should get a copy of this book. When you are done reading it you will have a new respect for Google and how it can make your life easier is so many ways, including a lot of different uses besides as an Internet search engine. There is even some humor in the book, like changing the language to Elmer Fudd for some humorous spellings. "Google: The Missing Manual" is highly recommended and truly the missing manual.

The Excellent 11
Ron Clark
Hyperion
77 West 66th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10023
ISBN: 140130141X $19.95 261 pp.

Bestselling author Ron Clark is right on target again with his newest book "The Excellent 11". In it he enumerates the eleven qualities shared by students who love to learn and how these same qualities in a teacher make learning an adventure. Each of the eleven qualities gets its own chapter where he details not only what defines that quality but provides examples of how to use it to teach children. The eleven qualities are enthusiasm, adventure, creativity, reflection, balance, compassion, confidence, humor, common sense, appreciation, and resilience. This is a highly recommended read and should be read by anyone interested in teaching children whether it is in the regular school system, home schooling, church school, leading children, camp counselors, or any other similar venue.

Digital Photography Hacks
Derrick Story
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
ISBN: 0596006667 $29.95 298 pp. plus index

"Hacking" has a different meaning to the photographer than it does in the computer world. This book is about hacks the way it is used in the world of photography and not the way it is used in the world of computers. When a picture doesn't come out quite like a photographer intended they often make changes in the darkroom via masks, burning, and other techniques. This is photographic "hacking" - enhancing and changing your digital photographs in ways you may not have thought possible to achieve the results you want.

The first chapter focuses on digital camera attachments and how to use them to produce better results. From there the author leads the reader into various techniques of outside photography, nighttime photography, and flash techniques. Once you understand how to get the best picture it is time to change it into a work of art. For this process the author discusses the magic of Photoshop and how it can be used to achieve almost any effect you can imagine.

This is a book for the amateur digital camera user who wants to create a professional looking result. If you are an advanced Photoshop user the part of the book about camera use could be helpful but the Photoshop portion doesn't cover even a tenth of what Photoshop is able to do.

"Digital Photography Hacks" is highly recommended for the amateur digital photographer and anyone else interested in creating photographs instead of taking pictures.

Black Hat: Misfits, Criminals, and Scammers in the Internet Age
John Biggs
Apress
2560 Ninth Street, Suite 219, Berkeley, CA 94710
ISBN: 1590593790 $19.99 142 pp. plus glossary and index

This is easily one of the best books available today to teach the average person what goes on in the darkest corners of the Internet. Author John Biggs takes the reader on a mind-expanding journey into these areas where questionable characters are more the rule than the exception. Along the way you will learn about port scanning, viruses, spam, spyware, worms, scams, pirates, and hacking. This is one of the very few books that teach the reader what can happen and how to be prepared without becoming a book that teaches malcontents how to become a hacker. This makes it one of the very few books that I could recommend to high schools, youth groups, and adult groups who want to understand the dangers of the Internet.

"Black Hat" is a book that is long overdue for publication. Most books on this subject are too technical for the average reader; this one is the exception. Everyone who surfs the net, for whatever reason, should read a book like this just so they know what can happen. If you are a non-technical user then "Black Hat: Misfits, Criminals, and Scammers in the Internet Age" is the best book available today for this purpose. This book should be considered as a gift for friends and family you love that surf the net and need to be safe.

Algorithms and Data Structures: The Science of Computing
Douglas Baldwin, Greg W. Scragg
Charles River Media
20 Downer Avenue, Hingham, MA 02043
ISBN: 1584502509 $59.95 580 pp. plus appendix and index

"Algorithms and Data Structures: The Science of Computing" is designed as a second course computer science textbook for colleges. At this level most computer sciences classes tend to focus on programming and programming theory. While it does have some programming examples (all in Java), this book takes a more overall view and deals with the basics of algorithms and data structures. Why is this an important difference? I have seen a lot of bloated code over the years where a programmer writes a hundred or more lines of code to do something that a couple of lines could do if they only had a better understanding of algorithms. This course gives you the conceptual knowledge you need to be able to adapt to other computer languages and coding techniques as they are developed.

The book does make some assumptions about the reader. First, it assumes the reader has had an introductory course in an object-oriented programming language. As indicated earlier, all examples are in Java, but you should be able to follow along if you have had a course in any object-oriented language. Second, the book also assumes a good (but not necessarily college level) background in mathematics.

This is a foundational course in the design of algorithms, and data structures and mathematical theory to predict and verify, as well as empirical analysis to test the results. "Algorithms and Data Structures: The Science of Computing" is a recommended book as a second course in a computer sciences degree as well as a foundational course for those who are trying to develop a broad basis of computer knowledge at home.

Joy of Thinking: The Beauty and Power of Classical Mathematical Ideas
Lecturer: Edward B. Burger, Michael Starbird
The Teaching Company
4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151-1232
Format: DVD, Video Tape, Lectures: 24
$199.95 to $254.95 depending on format

Most students would not consider mathematics to be a thing of beauty, but it can be both fascinating and beautiful if explored from the right point of view. In "The Joy of Thinking" Professors Edward B. Burger of Williams College and Michael Starbird of the University of Texas introduce the listener to classical mathematics as a new way of viewing the world.

Starting with simple observations with surprising results (like the number of spirals on a pineapple being more when counted one direction than when counted the other direction) they take you on an exploration through real-life probability paradoxes (like the Monty Hall gambit - it increases your chances of winning if you change doors when there are two left), and even into the fourth dimension, and fractals.

If you never liked mathematics in school, found it too hard, boring, or just an exercise in frustration you will welcome a course like this that allows you to pick up the major concepts without picking up a calculator or even a pencil and paper. Expand your mind and learn just how mathematics is involved every day in all of our lives. The "Joy of Thinking" is recommended for anyone interested in getting a grasp on mathematics or just exploring this pure science in a fun and unique way.

Robert E. Lee and His High Command
Lecturer: Gary W. Gallagher
The Teaching Company
4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151-1232
Format: Audio CD, DVD, Audio Tape, Video Tape, Lectures: 24
$34.95 - $69.95 depending on format

No single commander in the Civil War seems to generate as much interest as Robert E. Lee. In this series of lectures Dr. Gary Gallagher Lee and his top commanders in detail. Why did Lee make them his commanders? What were their strengths and weaknesses? How did they perform on the battlefield? What were their strategies during battle and how well did they work?

Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was the most successful army of the Confederacy. As such he became the symbol of hope and to many southerners the representative of their cause. With his repeated successes he also gained the respect of many of the northern commanders.

So what were Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson, "Jeb" Stuart, James Longstreet, Jubal Early, A. P. Hill, John Bell Hood and the others really like? Professor Gallagher delves into their personalities, backgrounds, and strategies to bring them all to life as real people with traits that served them well and ones that did not.

This is a very even-handed treatment of Lee and his commanders that shows them as commanders worthy of respect and at the same time dispels many of the modern day myths about them and their cause. He spends a full lecture at the end of the series discussing the "Lost Cause" writers and their effect on how the Confederacy is remembered.

The enclosed booklet includes a timeline and glossary to help put the various events in perspective. "Robert E. Lee and His High Command" is a highly recommended lecture series for anyone interested in the Confederacy and the Army of Northern Virginia in particular.

The Symphony
Lecturer: Robert Greenberg, Ph.D.
The Teaching Company
4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151-1232
Format: Audio CD, DVD, Audio Tape, Video Tape, Lectures: 24
$49.95 to $99.95 depending on format

If you want to understand symphonies from their historical beginnings as a 17th-century Italian opera overture to modern twentieth century pieces as well as their composition and form then you can't go wrong with "The Symphony". With twenty-four lectures, Professor Greenberg takes the reader on a guided tour of the most significant composers and pieces of symphonic music.

Lasting over three hundred years, the symphony is one of the longest-lived genres of music. Composers and orchestras included in this course include C. P. E. Bach, Johann Christian Bach, the Mannheim Orchestra, Stamitz, Richter, Gossec, Franz Joseph Haydn, Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Boccherini, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Brahms, Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, Roy Harris, and Oliver Messiaen, and several others.

The included booklet contains a complete outline plus a timeline of the various works and a glossary. "The Symphony" from The Teaching Company is a highly recommended purchase for anyone interested in learning the history and forms of symphonic music. You won't listen to a symphony the same way again.

From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity
Lecturer: Bart D. Ehrman
The Teaching Company
4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151-1232
Format: Audio CD, DVD, Audio Tape, Lectures: 24
$34.95 to $69.95 depending on format

In his newest set of lectures for The Teaching Company, Dr. Bart D. Ehrman takes the listener on a fascinating trip through the history of Christianity from its beginnings with only a handful of followers to its recognition as the religion of the empire under Constantine. An experienced and dynamic lecturer Dr. Ehrman is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies.

After a brief introduction Dr. Ehrman starts the series with an examination of the historical Jesus and the religious world of the time. He then examines the traditions about Jesus including those from apocryphal texts. From there he moves to the Apostle Paul and the changes between Jewish and Christian relations. Finally, he examines the relationship between the Christian community and the Roman Empire from tolerance through persecution to acceptance under Constantine. Through this whole time he also examines the changes in the church as doctrinal differences rise, a canon is developed, church structure and offices are developed, and liturgical practices are developed.

How did this small sect of Judaism rise from obscurity to become the most influential religion in the world? What were the problems faced by early Christianity and how were they different from, or similar to, the ones we face today. How did scriptural interpretation differ between groups and how were these differences resolved? How were the various writings of the day examined to determine which ones should be included in the canon of scripture and which ones should not? These are just a few of the many questions Dr. Ehrman answers in this series of lectures.

One of the things I really appreciate is that he gives the listener the history from many different perspectives; the Jewish followers, the rest of the Jewish world, the gentile who converted, those who did not, the apostles who spread the word to the world, what the Jewish nation was looking for, and the political world around them. "From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity" is a captivating trip and one that every Christian or student of religious history will want to take.

Soaring Through Setbacks
Cheryl Perlitz
Cameo Publications
PO Box 8006, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
ISBN: 0974582417 $16.95 214 pp.

This is one of the more exciting books of this genre I have read. If life seems to keep throwing you setback after setback and you are having trouble keeping your life together you will find this book a great help. Author Cheryl Perlitz uses a very clear and simple writing style to present ways to deal with the obstacles of life and put your life back on track. While there are many tips and techniques included in the book, they are organized into three basic sections that also reflect the pathway to reclaiming your contentment. If you are already at the end of your rope first you have to learn to survive, then learn to revive yourself, and finally learn how to thrive in spite of setbacks.

This is an enlightening book with a realistic plan and viable techniques. Encouraging, enlightening, and life-changing, "Soaring Through Setbacks" is a real find among the ubiquitous self-help books and very highly recommended.

Snort 2.1 Intrusion Detection, Second Edition
Jay Beale, Andrew R. Baker, Brian Caswell, Mike Poor
Syngress Publishing, Inc.
800 Hingham Street, Rockland, MA 02370
ISBN: 1931836043 $49.95 699 plus index

If you want to know about Snort 2.1, one of the best open source intrusion detections systems available, then "Snort 2.1 Intrusion Detection, Second Edition" is the book you will want to have. This is an extensive examination of the Snort program and includes Snort 2.1 on CD with the Book.

The authors start with defining what an intrusion detection system is, what it is not, and how placing it in your network at different points achieves different goals. This is followed by an introduction to Snort and a description of its capabilities and functions before getting into the nuts and bolts of installing and configuring it.

One of the more difficult parts of Snort to understand is how to write the rules that determine when an intrusion has occurred. The authors do an excellent job of describing exactly how to write good rules to achieve the results you want. They even include an excellent section on how to deal with all that information you will be collecting.

"Snort 2.1 Intrusion Detection, Second Edition" is highly recommended for anyone who wants a good, useful explanation of how an intrusion detection system should work and how to implement Snort to achieve that result.

Perseverance Lane
Doris L. Marshall-Slack
Noble House
8019 Belair Road, Suite 10, Baltimore, MD 21236
ISBN: 1561678546 $18.95 146 pp.

The main problem I had with this book was that the author does not make it clear what her purpose was in writing the book. Was it intended to be an autobiographical account of her life? Was it intended to be a motivational piece for young people? Was it intended to be a historical account of social change? Black youth might find it motivational while most white youth would have a hard time relating to it. There are many other motivational and autobiographical books better suited for encouragement.

On the other hand this would be an excellent book for studying social change and the social environment over the past several decades in the black community. Author Doris Marshall-Slack provides all the required details to get a complete depiction of growing up in the rural United States as a black person. It follows the true story of the author as she rises from poverty in the days before the Civil Rights Movement, through a broken home and dysfunctional marriage and eventually to a master's degree. This was all done while still trying to be a wife and mother.

This well-written and articulate book provides an even-handed and personal look into the life of the author. It is an excellent study of the social-economic period and the struggles of black females over the past several decades. A moving story, "Perseverance Lane" is recommended for general reading and anyone studying this period for social sciences, history, or black history.

Reclaiming Desire: 4 Keys to Finding Your Lost Libido
Andrew Goldstein, M.D., Marianne Brandon, Ph.D.
Rodale Press
33 East Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
ISBN: 1579546838 $23.95 312 pp. plus index

Written for women, "Reclaiming Desire" explores why sexual desire fades and what can be done to bring it back. Authors Andrew Goldstein, M.D. and Marianne Brandon, Ph.D., the founders of the Sexual Wellness Center in Annapolis, Maryland, claim that there are four keys to reclaiming this desire. These keys are good physical health, being emotional resilient, being intellectually fulfilled, and having spiritual contentment.

We all go through various life changes, any one of which can affect the libido. The authors look at many of these changes and how they affect your sex drive as well as what can be done to reduce or eliminate that effect. Each of their four keys is examined in detail including not only how things like hormones, depression, anxiety, stress, menopause and other factors affect your drive but also exploring how to lessen those effects. They do a good job of exposing various myths and misconceptions as well as detailing what works and what does not. With today's focus on natural health options they even include information on how exercise and other natural options can be used.

Throughout the book two messages are clear - you are not alone and there is hope. "Reclaiming Desire" is highly recommended to any woman suffering from a declining libido who wants to reclaim that portion of their relationship as part of their life.

Grief Steps: 10 Steps to Regroup, Rebuild and Renew After Any Loss
Brook Noel
Champion Press, Ltd.
4308 Blueberry Road, Fredonia, WI
ISBN: 1891400355 $14.95 212 pp.

There are a lot of different kinds of losses we all must face at one time or another. Each one can put us onto an emotional rollercoaster whether it is the loss of a loved one, a job, a friendship, or a multitude of other possibilities. In "Grief Steps" author Brook Noel discusses the ten normal steps for working through grief. For some people one step may be so short that it is unnoticed as they pass through, others may spend a great deal of time in that particular place. We are all different and while we handle grief differently in many respects we also go through it in similar stages. This book is about those stages and moving through the progression to healing.

Being a Dad: The Stuff No One Told Me
Dale Alderman
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
ISBN: 0595296173 $13.95 120 pp.

A hilarious, light-hearted look at fatherhood, "Being a Dad" is sure to bring a smile to the face of any father. In 36 short essays Dale Alderman points out the funny side of fatherhood from playing, to potty training, to disciple, money, vacations, and every other fun and funny adventure of raising children. With a great writing style that gets to the point quickly and brings a smile to the face, "Being a Dad: The Stuff No One Told Me" is very well done and highly recommended.

Apache Essentials: Install, Configure, Maintain
Darren James Harkness
Apress
Friends of Ed Imprint
2560 Ninth Street, Suite 219, Berkley, CA 94710
ISBN: 1590593553 $24.99 156 pp. plus index

While this book will not make you an Apache guru it does give you all the basics you need to get an Apache server up and running on Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X. The author literally starts at the very beginning by discussing what a web server is and the basics of how one works. From there he examines the history of the Apache web server and how it compares to Microsoft IIS as well as which operating system might be the best one for you. Each server operating system has its pros and cons when used as an Apache server and each benefit and shortcoming is listed.

Installation of the Apache server is also covered from the very beginning with how to get the source code. After installing the program the author turns to configuring the server, setting up your domain, and setting up users. He even covers setting up virtual hosting so you can host multiple web sites on one IP address.

On the positive side the book covers all the essentials for basic setup and configuration of an Apache server including information on setting up Perl, PHP, and Server Side Includes. On the negative side it leaves out a lot of detail on the configuration files and other items. If you need to do anything different or unusual you will need another book. "Apache Essentials" is a recommended book if you need a good overview that has all the basic information to get Apache up and running quickly with a standard configuration.

Growing Up Happy: The Emotional Literacy Series
Lawrence E. Shapiro, Ph.D.
CTC Publishing
10400 Eaton Place, Suite 140, Fairfax, VA 22030
ISBN: 0974778990 $52.00 set, 46 pages in each of three books

Arnold Gets Angry
ISBN: 0974778907 $17.95

"Arnold Gets Angry" is a book about accepting and dealing with anger. The lesson is simple - everyone gets angry at times and that is okay but it is what you do to deal with your anger that counts. Throughout the book are illustrations of a puppy that asks questions designed to help the child openly communicate about their anger and appropriate ways of dealing with it. I did have one concern about this book. On page 17 it says, "Do you do things that make your parents or teachers angry? What do you do when someone is angry at you for something you've done wrong?" Children need to understand that if they do something wrong someone may become angry. On the other hand sometimes people become angry even when the child has done nothing wrong. While we can't really make anyone else angry (it's their emotion and not ours) anymore than we can force them to be happy, there often exists a cause and effect relationship that children need to be aware of. This is a great opportunity to help a child learn two very important truths. First is that you are not responsible for someone else's emotions, and second is that you are responsible for your actions and the results of those actions. This is one of the books in the Emotional Literacy Series and can be purchased as part of a three books set on dealing with Bullying, Anger, and Fear.

Catherine Finds Her Courage
ISBN: 0974778923 $17.95

We all are afraid of things sometimes. "Catherine Finds Her Courage" is about dealing with fear and finding the courage to face it. It includes standard therapeutic techniques the child can use to overcome a more serious fear by conditioning it to have less and less of a negative emotional charge. Throughout the book a mouse illustration makes comments and asks questions designed to help the child talk openly about their fears. This is one of the books in the Emotional Literacy Series and can be purchased as part of a three books set on dealing with Bullying, Anger, and Fear.

Betty Stops the Bully
ISBN: 0974778915 $17.95

"Betty Stops the Bully" deals with ways people bully other people and what you can do about it. It also provides some insight for the child to determine if they are engaged in bullying or teasing someone else as well as a No More Bullies Pledge. The writing style provides many opportunities to openly discuss the subject with your child. This is one of the Emotional Literacy Series and can be purchased as part of a three books set on dealing with Bullying, Anger, and Fear.

The Secret Sales Pitch
August Bullock
Norwich Publishers
2049 Camden Ave., #124, San Jose, CA 95124
ISBN: 0974264008 $19.95 224 pp. plus various after matter

Subliminal messages in advertising - many people claim they exist, most advertisers claim they do not. In "The Secret Sales Pitch" author August Bullock presents a strong case not only for the existence of subliminal influences in marketing but also for their effectiveness. Some of the examples in the book are very obvious once they are pointed out and there is no question that they exist, others seem to be a bit of a stretch. Prepare to be both surprised and at times appalled at the things advertisers put in their marketing pieces.

It is important to point out that some of the subliminal examples could also be an accident of light and photography. As an avid photographer myself I have had some photos end up with what would appear to be subliminal messages and images entirely by accident. Some of them were less of a stretch than some of the examples in this book. This is not to say that his examples are not created on purpose as part of a subliminal plan. Many of them are unquestionable created for this purpose. There is also no question that psychology plays a very important role in advertising. One thing that differentiates this book from similar ones is that Mr. Bullock not only examines the subliminal items hidden in the picture but also explains the psychology behind other parts of the advertising piece. "The Secret Sales Pitch" is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in marketing and the use of subliminal messages in advertising.

Novell's Guide to Troubleshooting eDirectory
Peter Kuo, Jim Henderson
Que Publishing
201 W. 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290
ISBN: 0789731460 $59.99 728 pp. plus multiple appendixes and index

One of the greatest things about Novell is the eDirectory and how beautifully it ties all the rights, security, users, resources, and everything else into an easy to use interface. With everything contained in this one database it also becomes critical that it always be in good health.

"Novell's Guide to Troubleshooting eDirectory" is the definitive guide to fixing and maintaining the eDirectory. The book does assume the reader knows the basics of eDirectory and so does not cover things like installation, adding users, setting up printing, etc. It is not a book about setting up eDirectory but about troubleshooting and maintaining it.

The authors delved deep into the eDirectory structure and syntax as they explain exactly how it works, LDAP extensions supported, as well as the error codes and what they mean. They also detail how to understand the results from the diagnosing and repairing tools that come with Novell such as DSRepair, DSTrace, DSBrowse, and iMonitor. With complete information on objects, classes, and attributes this is an exhaustive volume for a through understanding of the eDirectory.

"Novell's Guide to Troubleshooting eDirectory" should be on the bookshelf of every Novell administrator or anyone who wants to program, read, or otherwise access the eDirectory in a direct manner. For the power users of the eDirectory this should be considered a required reference to be kept close at hand.

Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL: From Novice to Professional
W. Jason Gilmore
Apress
2560 Ninth Street, Suite 219, Berkeley, CA 94710
ISBN: 1893115518 $39.99 712 pp. plus index

I am always skeptical when a book claims to be able to take someone from novice level to professional or even to serve the needs of both the novice and professional. If it is written for the novice then it is too basic for the professional. If it is written for the professional then it is too technical for the novice. "Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL: From Novice to Professional" is one of the very few books that lives up to its claim.

It is written in a highly readable style and organized in such a way that the professional can easily skip over the basic stuff and get right to what they need. Yet the novice can work through the book and soon become quite proficient. Areas covered in the PHP section of the book include installing and configuring PHP5, using variables, flow control, arrays, advanced OOP, error handling, expressions, forms, authentication, networking, and LDAP. Areas covered in the MySQL section include installation and configuration, table structures, and database queries.

For such a large book it contains almost no filler information. Every page contains useful information, the examples are appropriate and detailed, and descriptions are clear and useful. Author W. Jason Gilmore has a rare and wonderful talent for taking the complex and describing it in a simple, easy to understand manner so that anyone at any level can understand how to do it.

"Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL: From Novice to Professional" is a book you will want to have if you currently work with PHP or plan to in the near future. It is not only highly recommended but is the best book I've seen on PHP and I will be clearing some space off my book shelf for it since it easily replaces three or four of my favorite ones. I will have to note that the section on MySQL does not cover that subject anywhere nearly as well as the book covers PHP. Buy the book, read it, and keep it for the PHP section. For MySQL try "The Definitive Guide to MySQL, Second Edition" also from Apress.

Best Damn Windows Server 2003 Book Period
Susan Snedaker
Syngress Publishing, Inc.
800 Hingham Street, Rockland, MA 02370
ISBN: 1931836124 $59.95 947 pp. plus index

If you are planning to implement a network system based on Windows Server 2003 you will find everything you need in the pages of this book. It covers every topic you need to know to successfully create a secure and efficient Windows server (or at least as secure and efficient as a Windows server can be). The author does assume some basic knowledge of networking and so leaves out a lot of the basics, which is entirely appropriate in a book of this nature. The focus is on the Windows Server 2003 operating system and not on things like using IP addresses to subnet a network.

One of the things that differentiates this book from similar ones is that it is not an attempt to provide the reader with the information to pass some Microsoft exam, but focuses on what an administrator really needs to know to do their job. It is a practical and useful book, not one that will be shelved and not used again after taking some exam.

For such a thorough and practical book that attempts to provide real world knowledge I was surprised that it only has two pages about migrating up to a Windows Server 2003 system. Basically the only thing it mentions about upgrading is to make sure your hardware is on the approved hardware list. Although it is possible that this is the only potential problem in an upgrade experience has taught me that it is highly unlikely. I have never had an operating system version upgrade without some type of surprise. The only other thing that I don't like is the skimpy index given a book of this size. For each chapter there are items that should be in the index but are not.

Other than that, the book is well organized with each chapter containing all the information relevant to s specific task. The advantage here is that you don't have to go searching through five or six different places in the book to gather all the related information to do something - it is all in the appropriate chapter. Again, the focus is on usability and information for real world network operations instead of an exam. Each chapter follows the same basic outline of planning, implementing, and maintaining the chosen topic.

With just short of a thousand pages, "Best Damn Windows Server 2003 Book Period" is a highly recommended book for the person already familiar with computer networking who wants to learn the intricacies of Windows Server 2003. Don't buy it if you want a book to pass an exam, buy it because it will make your job easier, make your system perform the way you want, and provide a useful real-world resource if you have a problem.

The Boy Who Didn't Want To Be Sad
Rob Goldblatt
Magination Press
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
ISBN: 1591471346 $14.95 32 pp.

The story line is simple; the truth concealed within is life changing. It is the story of a boy who was sad and did not want to be sad anymore. So, he devised a plan. His plan was to get rid of everything that made him sad. He methodically gets rid of things as soon as he realizes they make him sad or have the potential to make him sad. Eventually he realizes that getting rid of everything that could make him sad also got rid of everything that made him happy. This is a lesson about facing sadness so that we can also have a happy and fulfilled life. "The Boy Who Didn't Want To Be Sad" is a very highly recommended children's book.

Figures of Speech Used in the Bible
E. W. Bullinger
Baker Book House Company
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516
ISBN: 0801005590 $49.99 982 pp. plus multiple appendixes

One of the most useful of Bible study tools, "Figures of Speech Used in the Bible" should be in personal library of anyone who is serious about Bible study. The writers of the Bible often used figures of speech that were common during their time. In fact we often use figures of speech in our everyday conversations without paying much attention to it but we do expect others to understand that we were speaking figuratively and not literally. For example, if we were to say someone is "big as a barn" we would not expect anyone to seriously think they were forty feet long, eighteen feet tall and twenty feet wide. By taking such figures of speech literally it is easy to be lead astray into false doctrines.

The other thing the book is particularly valuable for is literary analysis. The beauty of literature sometimes is its use of various literary devices. Introverted parallelism is an example of a literary device included in the book. This is where two or more items are listed in one order and then in the reverse order. For example Exodus 9:31 where it reads "And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled." First the order is flax and then barley and then the order changes to barley and then flax. Of course there are a lot of other literary devices such as acrostics, sentences that start or end with the same words, a chapter where each verse starts with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, or Psalms 119 where there are 22 groups of eight verses where each of the eight verses in that group all start with the same letter.

Whether it is examining these details of the Bible as literature or preventing an exegetic mistake by not understanding a figure of speech, "Figures of Speech Used in the Bible" is highly recommended and should be owned by all Bible students.

Peeper the Kinkajou
Peter Parente
Tree of Life Publishing
PO Box 421004, Summerland Key, FL 33042
ISBN: 097450520X $15.95 25 pp.

Beautifully illustrated with vibrant colors, "Peeper the Kinkajou" is a feast for the eyes that is sure to keep the attention of young children. With rhyming sentence patterns it tells the story of Kinkajou and his friends. Part of a series, this book introduces him, the anteater, sloth, jaguar, marmoset, and anaconda. For each of them the story line teaches something about their natural habits. "Peeper the Kinkajou" is sure to be one of those books children want to hear again and again and is highly recommended.

Harold McFarland
Senior Editor

Kaveny's Bookshelf
A family emergency has changed the focus of this month's Kaveny's Bookshelf. It was my intent to write about the literary life and Work of my friend of a lifetime Dr. Jared Lobdell but the scope, and importance Jared's work is so great that I will have to hold off a month in order to give him his just due next month instead my focus this month will be on "Some literary voices from the greatest generation. This is not my term but I am going to borrow it and apply it to handful of Americans born between 1912 and 1928 some of them I have know personally, some I have only know in literary sense.

***

It is my style as many my readers know to move from my personal world to a broader more historical world as I will do in this feature. The family emergency that has changed my focus this month was very nasty fall that my 87-year father-in-law Joe Bogstad had after a dinner at my church here in Eau Claire Wisconsin last Saturday. As my wife and I were bringing Joe back home from hospital emergency room with a cracked rib, he said two things that I will always remember him for. The first thing he said was, "you cannot stop it stuff like this from happening . It just happens. The second thing he said was quite a bit more upbeat. Joe said, "One thing I learned as a soldier was how to fall."

***

Joe was in The Army Air Corps from as a radio repairman and instructor from 1942 untill the end of 1945 serving nearly entire course of the Second World War, and then briefly as part of the Army of American Occupation after the Formal Japanese Surrender in early Sept of 1945. Joe was never directly in combat but because of the nature of Pacific operations he was often very close to the action and in a number of cases directly in harms Joe Bogstad was not alone. He shared his service to his country with some twelve to fourteen million other American Men and Women of that era depending on how one wants to count military service. Because he was married twenty six years and had a small son at the outset of the war Joe was given the option of staying State Side but he chose "to see it", rather than stay at home and serve in the United States. Joe's five brothers also chose to see it. One saw it in the Battle of Aleutian Islands off Alaska, another saw it in North Africa, they all served as enlisted men and they all came home alive.

***

One of the saddest things to me as an American is that we have seemed to have forgotten what was achieved on a military level between Dec 7th 1941 and Sept 2rd 1945 when The Second World War Ended with the Japanese Surrender aboard The Battleship Missouri to The American Commander and Chief Douglass Mac Arthur in Tokyo Bay.

A good place to start is

Meeting the Fox: The Allied Invasion of Africa
Operation Torch to Kasserine Pass to Victory in Tunisia
Orr Kelly
Wiley
ISBN: 0471414298 $30.00 400 pages

As you read this wonderful fascinating and well researched book with a personal touch which makes you feel the vastness of the task faced by the American armed forces in Nov. 1942 as the invaded North Africa across several thousand miles of open sea . It is also interesting note that some the French have hated for us is over sixty years old, that is to say at least the French Nazi Vichy collaborationist who turned their guns on American Liberators durning the first days of the American landings in North Africa. I am saying this for the accuracy of the historical record and not as any friend of our present post 9/11 policy. Barely six months later in early May of 1943 the combined German Italian forces were swept out of North Africa after a 1200 mile retreat by combined British Amercain forces at a cost of 275,000 German and Italian prisoners of war some of whom ended up in Eau Claire Wisconsin

***

For an account of the fate of some of these Axis prisoners of war see

Stalag Wisconsin: Inside WWII Prisoner of War Camps
Betty Crowley
311 pages
Badger Books
ISBN: 187856983X $ 16.95

By the way, Betty Crowley is the wife of the Barber who trims my beard in the barbershop next to the bus transfer point in downtown Eau Claire Wisconsin. Betty is a retired school teach and her husband is a Civil War Artillary re-enactor. Her book is authorative well reseached and full of lots of anecdotes and rich with local color. Some of the prisoners actually came back and settled in the Eau Claire Area. Betty as a pubic school history teacherwrote this book when her students did not belive that over 20,00 axis prisoners ofwar were housed in the Eau Claire area during World War II.

***

Another favorite author from the greatest generation was William Manchester who born in 1922 and I just found to my great sadness died April 1 2004. This is the place where I must note that we are losing members of the greatest generation at the rate of over 1100 a day.

His Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War
William Manchester
Back Bay Books
ISBN: 0316501115 $16.95 416 pages

It's a wonderfull and honest account of the war from the perspective a marine grunt who fought in the Pacific and went on to become a world acclaimed historical writer and biographers of the the last half of the 20th century. He is also famous for his phase'Thank God for The Atom" which I believe Paul Fussel another writer with direct WWII experience as an infantry officer. See

Thank God for the Atom Bomb & Other Essays
Paul Fussell
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 0671638661 $17.95

In this essay using the title quote from Manchester Fussell agrues that only after the war were intellectuals able to make the moral issues about the use of the bomb at the end of WWII in August 1945 will a million projected American Casualities project based casualties at Saipan Iwo Jima Okinawa that the luxury of philosophical speculation could be afforded. My father in law Joe Bogstad was on that projected invasion levy. Five of Joes six were born after he came home alive. My wife his daughter was born in 1950. I am going to make this the end of part one on the greatest generation. I guess that there must be a part two.

But before I do that I must give one more bit of credit to William Manchester. I am a creative writer because of his 1968

The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War
William Manchester
Back Bay Books
ISBN: 0316529400 $23.95 992 pages

This book inspired me to write at least a score of stories nearly all of which were published. Also

Manchester A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind & the Renaissance - Portrait of an Age
William Manchester
Back Bay Books
ISBN: 0316545562 $15.95 336 pages

is one of the most insightful accounts of The Middle Ages in which the author links the concept Catholic Papal indulgences origins to the Germanic Pagan Concept of Weregold (or blood money). This was the concept that the perpetrator of a crime paid the victim or the victims family money to avoid a blood feud. William Manchester was not a professional historian, I think had he been he would not have had the courage to set forth this idea. But in way a Marine grunt who had fought his way across the Pacific really was not much worried about his academic reputation. That's all for part one next month I will finish this and do my Jared Lobdell feature. I must admit that as write this my fingers are sad for the loss of William Manchester. I feel like I knew the guy and twelve million includling my late three uncle Philip John and Peter all who served all officers.

Philip Kaveny
Literary Editor

Klausner's Bookshelf
Attack of the Bounty Hunters
Steven Gordon
www.Cliffordcroft.com
ISBN 0974956200 $7.50

On Grafton II, only eight million people live on the planet so there is plenty of space for the populace to settle. It is a unique world because the inhabitants have very fast reflexes making them excellent bounty hunters, hired guns and mercenaries. Three hundred Grafonites encouraged by Mo Quandry invade Grofton IV and conquer the 80 million people. The alliance is worried that the people of Grafton II will invade one of their planets and sends their top operative to investigate. Clifford Croft arrives on the planet with the telekinetic Clapper and the sociologist Tane, who has studied the libertarian culture of Grafton II. When he arrives on the planet, Clifford discovers Mo Quandry has a tape of five non Graftonites killing a citizen of Grafton II because he didn't want to pay the full amount for services rendered. Grafton II invades an Alliance planet and Clifford finds that Mo Quandry is trying to organize the Graftonites to invade other planets. Clifford has to find a way to stop him without getting killed and figure out what the man's ultimate goal is. ATTACK OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS is a fantastic work of science fiction. Steven Gordon proves he is a great world-builder with a vivid imagination by creating a unique orb populated by special people free of any dangling alliances. There is plenty of action in this work but the author doesn't shortchange the audience on character development. The Clapper and Red Sally, a psi arsonist, offer comic relief from a tension-filled thriller. The author has written many books starring Croft and Admiral North and anyone who reads this tale will seek his other works out.

Vampire Dawn
Philip Henry
Black Death Books
ISBN: 0974768022 $20.00 209 pp.

For a hundred and six years vampires Claire and Xavier have been together. However, Claire has had recent doubts about being a predator as she is sick of the killings that have led to depression setting in her soul. Xavier also ails when neither has felt sick in over a century or so. A shrink would help, but how do you explain to a psychiatrist that you feel depressed because you get nourishment by drinking the blood of your former species. The duo concludes the shortage of vampires in the dawning of the twenty-first century has caused an imbalance between good vs. bad, which has caused a psychosomatic reaction that leaves them feeling feeble. They need to create new vampires. For two decades Christian Warke has searched for the monster that killed his wife. He does not care one iota about some inane imbalance between good and evil or that he might save someone. All that matters is revenge by destroying vampires. Christian, Claire, and Xavier meet as good and evil confront, but who has right on their side when friends become foes and your enemy shares your blood? VAMPIRE DAWN is a terrific tale that provides a fresh look at the vampire-human "relationship". The story line is told from the varying perspectives of Claire, Xavier, and Christine without regard to who is the real hero as none of the three are totally saints or sinners. Fans will appreciate this superb action-packed horror drama in which author Philip Henry leads his audience into a one sitting read that ends with the reader wondering who is the good guy for the means is as important as the ends.

One King, One Soldier
Alexander C. Irvine
Del Rey
ISBN 0345466969 $13.95, 337 pp.

After his knee shattered in the Korean War, Lance Porter goes to San Francisco to recover from his wounds. While in the hospital, he receives a letter from his girlfriend Ellie who tells him to wait for her to come to him because she has something important to tell him. Thinking that she is coming west because she has become a communist, he explores the Bay Area looking to see if there really are communists in Berkley where Ellie will be staying. He meets Jack a gay poet who seems to believe that Lance is the Fisher King, the man destined to find the Holy Grail, the missing piece of the Ark of the Covenant. He learns from Jack that his twin brother Dewy, who disappeared when he was twelve years old, resides in a small Canadian town. He travels to see Dewy, who tells him that he was chosen by their father to carry out the family heritage but is abdicating in favor of Lance since death surround those who have the Holy Grail. Lance and Elle search for the Holy Grail and evade the people who are searching for it, intent on having it or kill his enemies in a holy war. Readers who want something different in their fantasy reading will enjoy ONE KING, ONE SOLDIER. It is cutting edge urban fantasy and the protagonist must discover the truth about himself and his family if he is to fulfill his quest. This is a different archetype on the Arthurian legend, one that is keeping with modern day society. Alexander C. Irvine has written a fantastic work of speculative fiction that will change the way readers think of urban fantasy.

The Coyote Kings of the Space Age Bachelor Pad
Minister Faust
Del Rey
ISBN: 0345466357 $14.95, 544 pp.

Hamza Senesert has a BA in English lit, but uses it to wash dishes alongside of peers who cannot speak English. He does write poetry when the muse hits him so one can claim perhaps he is just a part-time slacker. His roommate Ulysses "Yehat" Gerbles shares much in common with Hamza as he too is a part-time loafer. Ye lazy bones earns bread clerking at a video store where he has developed a 5-L life taxonomy system based on his patrons as he enjoys inventing things. Hamza falls in love with Sherem, who he admits must have come out of one of those Mummy videos as she is an odd duck. She persuades her Coyote Kings (aside to those as lazy as our heroes the royals are Hamza and Ye) to help her find and safeguard an ancient Egyptian relic with special properties. Their pals Kev and Heinz are also searching with the Kings, but they work for Sherem's enemy, who want to dine on Hamza's brain that possesses special prowess. THE COYOTE KINGS OF THE SPACE AGE BACHELOR PAD is a wild satirical tale that needs some time to understand what is going on even with the epilogue at the beginning at least until readers realize that they have no idea. The plot spins out of control yet with all that gyration, fans who appreciate a way out wacky tale will stay the course. Nothing is sacred as Minister Faust skews anything and everything through the antics of his likable idlers and the immediate support cast who usually bring out the worst in the royal slackers.

The Charnel Prince
Greg Keyes
Del Rey
ISBN 0345440676 $23.95, 487 pp.

The Briar king has awakened from his long sleep and intends to reclaim the forests he regards as his own. It makes no difference to the old god that humans have cleared much of the woods and inhabit the cities where his forest once stood. Creatures from myth and legend walk the land, killing the humans that get in their way and a desperate people are fearful fear each day may be their last. While magic is let loose on the land, assassins kill the king of Crotheny and his two daughters. Queen Muriele sent Princess Anne into hiding while her simpleton brother Charles rules in name only. The queen has many enemies who would like to topple her from the throne, including the Praifec and the church who wants to rule in place of the king. Neighboring kingdoms are preparing for war with Crotheny while Princess Anne eludes her enemies as she daringly makes her way back to her homeland to take her rightful place on the throne. Readers who enjoyed THE BRIAR KING will love the sequel as the real enemies of the monarchy show their true colors. The action is fast paced and filled with damsels in distress, heroic knights and vile villains. The characters that fight on the sides of justice well endear themselves to the audience. THE CHARNEL PRINCE is epic fantasy in the traditions of Terry Brooks and Tolkien.

Star Wars: The Cestus Deception: A Clone Wars Novel
Steven Barnes
Del Rey
ISBN: 0345458974 $25.95, 400 pp.

While the Clone Wars continue, the Republic learns that the remote planet, Ord Cestus, is mass-producing special bio-droids capable of defeating a Jedi in mortal combat. Apparently, a ban on producing battle droids ravaged the local economy leading to the Cestus bartering with the Republic's enemy, Count Doohu and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Taking the threat seriously, Chancellor Palpatine dispatches Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, fellow Jedi Knight Nautolan Kit Fisto, several trooper-clones, and the slug barrister Snoil to the orb to do whatever it takes including global genocide to insure that no Jedi-killing battle droids are produced. Obi-Wan plummets into local intrigues as he senses a much greater diabolical plot behind what is happening on Ord Cestus. With the help of his team, Obi-Wan struggles to prevent the development and sale of the bio-droids, to avert a nasty takeover scheme and trying to prevent the planet from total annihilation from his side or their opponent. Neither the Republic nor the Confederacy can afford to allow their enemy to gain control of the bio-droids that could shift the balance of power. Fans of the Star Wars mythos or Steven Barnes will thoroughly enjoy this fantastic entry that may be the best of the Clone War tales (comic book, novel or game). The action-packed story line contains plenty of enticing exotic characters from nasty bad dudes to the novel stealing Snoil, a brilliant legal genius. A touch of romance adds depth to a great Star Wars story that will bring new readers to the Jedi universe and showcase why Steven Barnes is one of the best novelists on the market today.

The Rebel: An Imagined Life of James Dean
Jack Dann
Morrow
ISBN: 0380978393 $24.95

In 1955, James Dean loves putting the pedal to the metal until his speeding Spyder met a Ford at an intersection. Encouraged by his sweet dead mom to get off the ground so he will not catch a cold, Jimmy awakens at Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital and later is moved to Santa Monica Hospital. Jimmy slowly recovers, but mentally is no longer the same Rebel Without a Cause. Jimmy leaves the hospital, but is hooked on Demerol. He leaves Southern California for New York, following advice he once gave Marilyn Monroe. In Manhattan, Jimmy meets merry prankster writer Jack Kerouac and dreams of directing meaningful films. Marilyn, who he protects from the jealous rages of Joltin' Joe, introduces Jimmy to Bobby Kennedy. When Monroe commits suicide Jimmy suspects Bobby was involved. They battle over her incriminating diary. Jimmy is now a rebel with a cause as he plans to take on the Kennedy gang knowing he could end up rather quickly joining Marilyn in the afterlife. This is an intriguing what if biographical-like fictional account of the life of James Dean if he recovered from the fatal car crash. The story line is at its best when fifties and sixties famous people realistically interact with Jimmy. However, Jack Dann goes too far out with the High Noon confrontation between Dean and the Kennedy mob, making it feels more like fantasy. When Mr. Dann stays with the low level scandals even of high ranking people, fans obtain a fine tale of what could have been intermingled with happened.

Strange but True
John Searles
Morrow
ISBN 0688175716 $24.95, 320 pp.

While Phillip Chase recuperates at his mother's Philadelphia house after falling from the fire escape in his fourth floor New York apartment, Melissa calls because she wants to come over to tell him and his mother something. When she arrives, she tells them that she is pregnant with Ronnie Chase's child, a situation they find impossible to believe. Ronnie died five years ago in an automobile accident coming home from the prom. The only time Melissa had sex was on prom night and she believes this child is her dead lover's since she never even dated another man. Phillip's mother Charlene is hoping that Ronnie deposited his sperm at a sperm bank and she goes to Melissa's house to see if it is true. She never arrives but Phillip talks to Ronnie who he feels sorry for. Before he can return home he discovers something that could put him and the wife of Melissa's landlord in danger. John Searles has written an unusual but enthralling work of psychological suspense that keep fans wondering who the father of Melissa's child is since she insists she has been celibate for five years and readers believe her. It is STRANGE BUT TRUE that the protagonist has no idea how she got pregnant and readers will empathize with her need to believe it is Ronnie's child. A surprise twist at the climax of this novel brings everything into focus so that the audience will feel they have read a poignant family melodrama.

The Program
Gregg Hurwitz
Morrow
ISBN 0060723637 $24.95, 352 pp.

A killer murdered U.S. Marshal Tim Rackley's little girl and all he wanted was vengeance. Acting on that desire got him tossed in jail and the loss of the job he loved. He now spends his days as a security guard, unfilled and empty. Will and Emma Henning come over to his house asking him to kidnap their daughter Leah from a cult who has her brainwashed. Will has enough clout to get him reinstated as a marshal and he takes the job. Figuring Leah was recruited on her college campus so Tim hangs around there and connects with her handlers who invite him to a self-improvement course. They are targeting wealthy and confused people and Tim plays that part so well he is invited to a three day retreat at an unspecified location. He finds members turn their own fortunes over to the leader of The Program and he sees them kill a former member they turned away. He breaks into the files and sees all manner of crimes the group has committed. He eventually leaves with Leah whose trust he gained. Time discovers no judge will issue a warrant on the evidence he's got. A courageous Leah and Tim go back to the retreat and put themselves in danger to find the evidence that would destroy the cult before they have a chance to ensnare more victims in their web. THE PROGRAM is an electrifying thriller that teaches the reader about the insidiousness of cults and their diabolical methods of recruitment and control. This time Tim is determined to work within the law to break up a group that has committed all manners of crimes. Gregg Hurwitz has written a work that is frightening because it is based on actual cults and their methods to gain and lose members. Readers who like thrillers with great characterizations must read this book.

Sandstorm
James Rollins
Morrow
ISBN: 0060580666 $24.95, 446 pp.

The explosion destroyed much of the Kensington Gallery antiquities collection of the British Museum when a bluish light struck the Iron Camel artifact killing guard Harry Masterson in the blast. Various people and government agencies want to know what caused the detonation. Lady Kara Kensington, whose family founded the devastated gallery and its curator Safia al-Maaz find clues that lead to Ubar, a city buried beneath the Arabian Desert. They hire renowned explorer Omaha Dunn to escort them to this legendary ancient city. In Connecticut DARPA Agent Painter Crowe is working an operation when his assignment is changed. His superiors show him the British Museum video and hand him a chunk of meteoric iron that came from the Iron Camel explosion. They assign him to learn what caused the explosion with the clues leading to Ubar. As these four people and others head to Ubar, none comes close to conjecturing what awaits them in Ubar: a force that could destroy humanity. Those ruthlessly guarding this force believe the outsiders are the wrong hands because they want to control the secrets at a cost that could mean the end. This exciting science fiction thriller shows once again that James Rollins is one of the best at taking readers on a nature tour like none they have ever been on except in his action-packed novels (see ICE HUNT and EXCAVATION). His latest tales hooks the audience the moment Harry takes his third puff on his cigarette and never lets up until the end. The key quartet each have distinct personalities and a bit of romance adds to understanding the varying motives of the foursome. Fans will cherish this powerful story.

Red Tide
G.M. Ford
Morrow
ISBN: 0060554800 $23.95, 313 pp.

In Seattle, Frank Corso comes out of his reclusive writing lifestyle only for his former lover Meg Dougherty. She invited and he attended her photography exhibition that is so successful an Arts Commission member looking at the red dots symbolizing sold called it the measles. However, at the height of Meg's triumph, the police arrive to evacuate the building due to a toxic chemical spill. Unable to ignore the journalistic tendencies that seem to make up much of his brain matter, Frank sneaks his way onto the investigation. He quickly learns of a terrorist strike using an Ebola strand that has killed several people inside a bus tunnel. The timing of these killers is impeccable as the city is about to host a symposium on chemical and biological weapons. However, the law uncovers Frank's hazmat suit masquerade making him the prime suspect and turning the case personal. The fourth Corso tale is an exciting typically havoc that readers expect from the disgraced former reporter who can never resist the lure of an inquiry. The story line moves forward at an incredible pace as Corso, dodging the cops, believes that a greater statement is coming in which more than a busload of innocent passengers are killed. Fans of the series or anyone who appreciate a wild antiterrorist tale will want to ride alongside Corso, one of the better brooding champions.

Day of the Dead
J.A. Jance
Morrow
ISBN: 0688138233 $23.95, 384 pp.

Elderly Tohono O'odham Indian, Emma Orozco, visits former sheriff Brandon Walker to ask if he will investigate the vicious murder of her daughter, Roseanne. Having a connection to the Indian tribe through his beloved adopted daughter and unable to refuse a client unable to pay his expenses, Brandon agrees to make inquiries into a cold case homicide that occurred over three decades ago. Solving a killing that happened during the Nixon Administration is doubtful. Brandon turns to the privately funded The Last Chance, a group that investigates unsolved crimes for assistance including money. As he makes inquiries into the Roseanne murder, he notices a pattern of eerily similar deaths. He postulates that a serial killer or multiple culprits have left dismembered bodies by isolated Southwest roads with no other clues. He begins to close in on the amoral killer(s) who have no compunction in eliminating the sleuth, his family, and friends. The fast-paced third Walker mystery is an exciting crime thriller that contains a lot more sexual violence (especially by an unscrupulous couple) than normally seen in a J.A. Jance tale (see J.P. Beaumont and Joanna Brady novels). Walker is a fabulous protagonist who reveres Native American customs and mysticism, but uses old fashion investigative techniques to try to uncover the culprit(s). The secondary cast especially his wife Diana (major player in (see HOUR OF THE HUNTER and KISS OF THE BEES), a close dying friend Fat Crack Ortiz, his adopted daughter Lani and several other Indians enable the audience to see deeper into this fine upstanding champion. This is a terrific not so cold case that fans of the author will cherish.

This Old Souse
Mary Daheim
Morrow
ISBN 0380978695 $23.95, 320 pp.

The owner of the popular bed and breakfast Hillside Manor, Judith McMonigle Flynn is having a nice day when her cousin Renie asks her to go to the old neighborhood to see Moonfleet, a beautifully looking home badly in need of repairs. The owners of the home have lived there for over five decades but nobody has ever really talked to them. They keep to themselves and have their food delivered. Their sister Sally lives with them but she is as reclusive as they are. While casing the premises, Judith and Renie meet the dairy man who tells them he never sees the occupants of Moonfleet. A UPS truck delivers a package to them leaving it outside their home. He tells the cousins that once a year on the same date the package is delivered to that address. When Judith goes shopping, she finds the murdered body of the dairy man in the trunk of her car. The mystery surrounding Moonfleet becomes very personal to the cousins so they seek answers. The latest Bed-and-Breakfast mystery is a great amateur sleuth story due mainly to the heroine. She has to keep her husband from finding out about her investigation, find her lost precious cat and cope with the marital woes of her son and her daughter in law while solving a mystery. This is a fabulous book in a fantastic mystery series. Mary Daheim deserves a career achievement award for her continuous high quality and unique originality.

Maggie Without A Clue
Kasey Michaels
Kensington
ISBN 1575668831 $22.00, 304 pp.

When Maggie Kelly's romance writing career tanked, she started authoring Regency mysteries starring Viscount St. Just Alexandre Blake and his loyal and gentle sidekick, Sterling. She became a bestselling author, winning many awards until the unbelievable happened. St Just and Sterling popped out of her mind and into her apartment as real people who others see and talk with. She allowed them to stay at her apartment but now they are moving next door to her neighbor's apartment. While she is dealing with the empty nest syndrome, even if its only a few yards away, Maggie's closest friend Bernie calls her up in a panic. Her husband believed lost at sea is in her bed, dead and covered in blood from a knife wound. Maggie and St Just arrive on the scene to see that Bernie is soaked in blood, the murder weapon is one of her own knives, and she has no memory of the night before. The DA, who is running for reelection, believes Bernie is his ticket to another term in office while Maggie, St. Just and Sterling, along with a police officer attracted to Maggie, try to find the evidence that will clear Bernie. Readers will find themselves believing that the heroine thought St. Just and Sterling into existence. They are very believable because they act as if they came from Regency England. It is impossible to figure out who the real killer is until the author chooses to reveal him and it will come as a total shock. Kasey Michaels, known for her upbeat and charming amateur sleuth mysteries, has written another winner, one that will garner her more fans then she already has.

Barranca
Troon McAllister
Ruggedland
ISBN: 1590710231 $23.95, 339 pp.

While Homeland Security and the department of defense fight a global war against terrorism, most Americans feel the latest OPEC oil manipulations not quite realizing that this time it is more than supply control as third world demand dramatically has increased. However, a greater threat to world peace occurs when, Manuel Villa Lobos de Barranca corners the coffee market. The problem the administration faces as the public screams for impeachment between coffee party riots when Starbucks hits double digits is that Manuel has scored his coup following American capitalist principles he learned at Stanford. The CIA and the FBI consider Manuel as the world's greatest threat and know they must intercede, but he broke no laws and conducted his caffeine takeover above board. Normally that would not stop them from filtering Manuel by taking him out, but the world is watching what they do to a South American who applied acceptable Bush economics to take over the coffee business. Desperate, as the government runs on coffee, the Feds turn to their greatest weapon, golf hustler Eddie Caminetti because Manuel trusts him and loves the sport. Equipped with fourteen WMD clubs, Eddie plays Manuel for a cup of coffee. BARRANCA is cutting edge satire that takes shots at the double bogie American economic policies and the war against terrorism. The story line is fast-paced and witty and never slows until the final holes play out at Camp David make that Trump. Eddie is a terrific golfer, but this time he shares the 18-holes with Manuel. Fans of golfing stories that consist of aces, eagles, and sand traps will appreciate Troon McAlister's fourth hole tale.

Canis
Robert Armstrong
iUniverse
ISBN: 0595147038 $17.75, 256 pp.

In 1993 Houston, Duncan MacDonell runs the Animal Regulation and Care section similar to when he served in the military although his superior in the health department thinks of him as the head dog catcher. He insures his ninety-eight employees receive proper training and has hired former military K9 trainer Janie Longley as a special instructor. In spite of his and his department's successes, the politicos still use his group as dumpsters when the public complains about animals running wild on the streets. While visiting street person Alexander Pitkin, owner of numerous dogs, a giant canine attacks Duncan and dents his front driver's door. Not long afterward, a wild dog described as the size of a gorilla starts killing people. As panic sets in and the politicians blame Duncan though they offer neither solutions nor proper funding, he investigates the gorilla dog assaults not realizing how close to home the truth is. This is an exciting thriller that provides the audience insight into the politics of animal control in a big city that will shock readers as Dr. Robert Armstrong takes a major bite out of the butt of city leadership's indifference until a public uproar. The gorilla dog provides suspense and Duncan and his support leadership are a delightful cast. However, what makes CANIS a bark above the typical animal chiller is the atmosphere that the "dog catcher" squad must work within especially when two faced city hall is involved.

Hear No Evil
James Grippando
Harper Collins
ISBN 0060564571 $23.95, 320 pp.

Miami Defense attorney Jack Swyteck listens to Lindsey that as she tries to get him to become her attorney. She believes she will be charged with the death of her husband Oscar while they were living in Guantameno Bay, Cuba. Jack isn't convinced his client is leveling with him and he tells her he isn't sure he can represent her. She tells him her adopted son Brian is also his child, the one his girlfriend gave away for adoption. Deciding to take the case, Jack with Co-counsel Sofia fly to Cuba to interview potential witnesses. It seems strange to the lawyers that anyone involved with the homicide has been transferred except for Lieutenant Dumont Johnson who says Jack's client is a nutcase and is certainty capable of murder. The Cuban government produces a witness who says that after Lindsey left for work another man entered the house. That man is Johnson but Jack can't find him to serve with a subpoena so they have to go into court without a believable witness. As legal thrillers go, HEAR NO EVIL is one of the best because during the trial one piece of shocking evidence after another comes out. Readers will not know to the very end if Lindsey, her son, or her lover is the killer. James Grippando's protagonist is a man with a conscience, a good lawyer who does his best for his clients. The audience will have trouble empathizing with the defendant who changes her story from one moment to the next. This is an enthralling work that will keep readers turning the pages until they figure out the pieces to this complex puzzler.

After the Rain
Chuck Logan
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060570180 $24.95, 403 pp.

Evidence surfaces that bombs have been smuggled from Canada to the heart of Minutemen Country Langdon, North Dakota. Not trusting the Headquarters Pogues after 9/11, Army Major Nina Pryce, ex-Special Forces Colonel Holland Wood and Jane Singer go undercover concentrating on the activities of liquor smuggler Ace Shuster. Though married to Nam veteran and retired cop Phil Broker, Nina is to seduce the truth out of their quarry. Phil arrives from Devil Rock, Minnesota to take their seven year old daughter Kit, used as part of the cover, out of danger. However, when he sees the Cold War dinosaurs and proof of the deadly intent of American terrorists, he concludes that his anger at his wife for jeopardizing their daughter is fruitless. If the terrorists can pull off their objective, Armageddon could arrive in the American Heartland unless Phil and Nina can stop them. This exhilarating post 9/11 thriller will hook readers from the beginning and never let up until the climax. The story line makes the threat of terrorism so real that All the President's Men and woman will believe this could happen here. The solid cast, including the lead protagonists, eccentric local smugglers, a psycho, and a lesbian warrior who kicks butt, add to that genuine feeling that a catastrophe could occur. Readers will get so involved in the terse plot; they will open umbrellas to keep the deluge that drenches the heroes from soaking them as Chuck Logan provides another terrific stormy tale.

Dark Places
Jon Evans
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060594233 $13.95, 326 pp.

San Francisco computer programmer Paul Wood enjoys backpacking in remote unreachable places around the globe. Currently he hikes the rough terrain of the Himalayas on the sustenance budget plan when he finds a mutilated corpse with Swiss army knives stabbed through each eye. Paul is more than shook at seeing the body as two years ago he and his girlfriend were in central Africa when she was murdered in the same macabre manner. Paul soon learns other people were killed with the same creepy modus operendi. Unable to ignore his preliminary findings Paul and his current girlfriend Bosnian Talena investigate. Other travelers from the central African tragedy join Paul when he decides to avenge the budget backpacking world by taking out a serial killer. This entertaining but chilling thriller provides readers with a look at the backpacking community that reside in youth hostels or outside as they hike the planet. The story line hooks the readers with its twists and turns, albeit not all seem real, but no one will care. Paul is a terrific protagonist as he travels the orb although it is difficult to accept this gentle soul as a vengeful fighting machine. Still fans of dark suspense will appreciate this eerie tale as they hitch a ride with Jon Evans to extremely DARK PLACES.

Cassandra French's Finishing School for Boys
Eric Garcia
Regan (Harper)
ISBN: 0060730315 $24.95, 298 pp.

Nearing thirty, Hollywood studio attorney Cassandra French constantly grades herself on six courses: Personality, Looks, Physical health, Mental health, Career, and Relationships. Her scores will vary in the first five courses depending on her situation, but she is a drop out when it comes to relationships as she has found men to be shallow and self indulged when they are sober; when males are drunk they become obnoxiously shallow and self indulged. Tired of dating groping alcoholics, Cassandra has a good time attending a baseball game with Owen until the seventh inning stretch when beer consumption takes effect. Cassandra locks the drunken Owen in what she now calls her kennel. When he becomes an obedient canine, she brings him two companions, Alan and Daniel as students at her finishing school for changing slobbering male dogs into caring gentlemen. Movie star Jason Kelly takes Cassandra out, but she learns he is using her to sue her studio. Irate, Cassandra abducts him, but he is a moron unlike his three litter mates as he kills himself by electrocution. Eric Garcia pays homage to the chick lit and hunk lit tales by skewing the sub-genre with this fabulous satire that stuns readers when they realize that this is not another sensitivity quest. Cassandra is amusing as she seems the prototype keeping up with the chick lit Jones until the audience realizes that her boys waiting for food in her basement kennel are not dogs, but human males. The support cast that include her "boys", her employer, and her two pals especially the yoga queen enable Cassandra to star as the queen of the ironically anti-chick lit romp.

The Assistants
Robin Lynn Williams
Regan (Harper)
ISBN: 0060723866 $24.95, 304 pp.

Rachel leaves her hometown of Sugarland, Texas; to follow her dreams of becoming a Hollywood screenwriter; she settles on working as a personal assistant to sitcom star and Betty Ford Clinic failed "alumni" Victoria Rush. Michaela, an almost thirty over the hill wannabe, mentors the transplanted Texan though her expertise centers on sharing a couch with her agent that has led to nowhere but his couch. Assistant Jeb has been fired more often than a federal whistleblower, but now works for off the wall agent Randall Blume. Kecia toils for black teen heartthrob Travis Trask. To keep his job, Griffin pretends to be gay because he works for heterosexual phobic Johnny Treadway; that fails to stop his boss from pooping on him especially when he cannot get Travis to star in a werewolf version of Catcher in the Rye because the homeboy prefers basketball to baseball. Once a week, the abused assistants meet to share their misery. Still each hopes to make it vowing to be kind to newcomers if they do (none of them think in terms of when anymore). Everyday they pray that Hollywood never grinds them into mush. Though this Hollywood expose starts slowly to introduce the ensemble, once the players appear, the story line moves rather quickly through the gyrations of humiliation that the quintet suffer at the hands of their superiors who forget they once wore these moccasins. The plot combines humor and angst as it lays bare how ugly those in power can be towards those beneath them. Fans of Hollywood tales who gives Robin Lynn Williams' novel a chance to accelerate will appreciate this fine depiction of Hollywood at its worst.

If You Dare
Adrianne Byrd
Harper Torch
ISBN: 0060565373 $6.99, 384 pp.

In Atlanta, Sean La Fonte wants art thief Damien Black to steal the Degas collection from Atlanta's High Museum of Art. Though retired, Damien visits the High Museum to case the joint when a rainstorm sends Angel racing inside the building. Damien and Angel talk but she refuses to give him her number. Without her knowledge, Damien switches cell phones with Angel so that she will have to call him. When she does, they agree to attend the Shafrazzi Charity Ball at twenty-five hundred dollars a ticket. Dangerous Tevin Merrick arrives at Sean's restaurant to discuss the latter's gambling debt. They also converse how they will split up the loot from a planned art heist when Angel enters her brother's office. Tevin offers to write off Sean's debt if Angel becomes his mistress. Desperate Sean agrees, but loathes himself for selling the only person he cherishes. Sean asks Angel to date Tevin as a favor, but she refuses. She insists she is no one's whore, but also knows she loves Damien. However, someone steals a Rubens masterpiece with Damien being the prime suspect and then there is Tevin who will not accept no from Angel. This exciting art of love tale stars two delightful protagonists that hook the reader the moment they first meet. The deep support cast enables the audience to understand what motivates the lead characters. However, the heroine's overly protective brother "selling" her is out of character for him when it comes to his sibling and ethical questions involving the stealing of art to sell to private collectors abound. Still, IF YOU DARE is a fun contemporary romantic suspense that fans will appreciate.

No Escape
Heather Lowell
Harper Torch
ISBN: 0060542144 $7.50

In Southern California, DA Prosecutor Tessa Jacobi informs police detectives Veronica Harris and Ed Flynn that LA Waves superstar Quarterback Sledge Aiken raped Midwesterner Kelly Martin. She also informs the two cops that Kelly had numerous credit cards owned by men and a questionable wad of cash. The girl insists she was to give it all to her cousin Jerry who she is living with since she came to Hollywood from Colorado seeking a singing career. Ed suggests that the DA Office hire private detective Lucas Novak to investigate the credit cards because he can do things that the law cannot. Tessa updates her boss Carmen Ramirez who tells her to hire an outside investigator. Though estranged from her father she asks her dad, a former FBI director whom should she hire and he says Lucas. Tessa receives a phone call threatening her and her father overhears her side of the discussion. After she leaves, he calls Lucas and hires him to keep his daughter safe. Lucas informs Tessa that her dad hired him so she might as well use him to help her. As they investigate together, they fall in love, but Ed is murdered and Tessa and Luke could be next as the Ianelli mob is involved. This police procedural romance stars two delightful protagonists and furbishes an incredible easy to understand and cleverly interwoven into the plot explanation of money laundering. The story line is fast paced from the moment Tessa brings in her police pals until the final confrontation though taking a risk just to buy underwear seems off kilter while too many other misfortunate events somewhat overwhelm the climax.

A Certain Truth
James Scott Bell
Bethany House
ISBN: 0764226479 $12.99, 300 pp.

They met in 1903 and now almost four years later they are married. However, Los Angeles based attorney Kit Shannon Fox delayed their honeymoon with her husband Ted while she worked a court case. Ted seems accepting that Kit is in demand as a lawyer and that she puts in lots of time and passion in defense of her clients. On the cruise ship heading back to California, Captain Raleigh detains passenger Wanda Boswell for murdering her spouse Chilton whose body was found in their cabin. Wanda retains Kit as her attorney, but on the high sea there is no judge to rule on objections so the captain makes all "legal" decisions; Raleigh bides time until they dock where the police can take over. Though she has doubts about her client's innocence as Wanda had the motive (public fighting), means and opportunity, Kit disagrees with the Captain as she believes that if her client is innocent, the real killer would be free by then. Kit makes inquiries as a frustrated Ted concludes that her practice is more important than he will ever be. A CERTAIN TRUTH is a superb historical thriller tale starring a wonderful protagonist who defies the role of women in the first decade of the twentieth century. Through powerful characterizations, especially the newlyweds, fans obtain a terrific panoramic look at the era that emphasizes "we've come along way, baby". James Scott Bell provides a winner that will send readers like this reviewer scrambling for Kit's previous appearances (see A GREATER GLORY and A HIGHER JUSTICE) as well as his other works.

Edenborn
Nick Sagan
Putnam
ISBN 0399151869 $19.95, 320 pp.

Humanity and the other primates are on the verge of extinction. The bioengineered weapon Black EP caused the deaths of all the humans on Earth but all was not lost. The scientists of Gedaechthis genetically engineered humans with unbelievable immune systems and since nobody was left alive to care for them they were raised in Immersiveve Virtual Reality. Six of these children survived all carriers of Black EP and all committed to repopulating the earth via clones and artificial wombs. The next generation of post-humans is getting ready to take their place in society to carry on the work of their parents and try to find a cure for Black Ep. Most of the people alive spend as much time as they can in virtual reality because it is a much better place than the decimated earth. However, some unknown person is tinkering with the VR and letting secrets out that cause divisiveness and leads to that person going on a killing spree aimed at the last of the humans. A new form of Black Ep has surfaced and if a cure is not found, the end of the human race is at hand. Although Edenborn takes place in an unspecified future, the technology that the book is based on exists today in a more primitive form. One has to admire these people who refuse to let mankind become extinct even though at times they want to give up because they don't see any progress made. Nick Sagan has written a compelling work that will appeal to fans of speculative fiction and apocalyptic thrillers.

Amagansett
Mark Mills
Putnam
ISBN: 0399151842 $24.95

By 1947, Amagansett, like much of this part of Long island, is undergoing a radical change as Manhattan's rich and famous invade the small fishing villages and farmlands that have made up this area. While the farmers and fishermen toil year round, the wealthy have made the Hamptons a summer playground to escape the urban heat. Still the catch in the Atlantic remains terrific though dangerous so fishermen like immigrant Basque Conrad Labarde and his helper Rollo cast nets almost daily to earn a living. This time Conrad catches the body of a young woman. Deputy Chief of Police Tom Hollis investigates the death to ascertain whether a murder has occurred. To accomplish his assignment, Tom must enter the sanctimonious sanctuary of the opulent newcomers though he feels out of his element as he is made to feel like a working stiff questioning his betters in their feudal society. Not that Tom's attitude is different since he snobbishly sees the outsiders as being stars of a Fitzgerald novel especially when the family of the deceased prefers to hide the truths involving their dead daughter. Though on the surface AMAGANSETT is a historical village police procedural, the story line is actually more of a character study at a time when great upheaval impacts this part of Long Island as centuries old lifestyle is changing. Thus, the tale reads more like a a post World War II whodunit with an emphasis on the history. The cast is a delightful lot that enables the audience to compare the beleaguered working class of farmers and fishermen to the wealthy invaders as revolution has come to the Hamptons.

The Confession
Sheldon Siegel
Putnam
ISBN 0399152121 $25.95, 368 pp.

They are law partners and lovers who were once married but realized they couldn't live together so they divorced. Lawyers Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez agree not to take any high profile cases until their son sleeps through the night. When their friend Father Ramon Aguirre is arrested for killing a female parishioner he asks Mike and Rosie to handle the case and they agree because they won't turn their back on someone they care about. There is plenty of evidence that points to the priest as the criminal. His fingerprints are on the murder weapon, on her shoulder and on the bathtub faucets. The victim was made to look as if she committed suicide in the bathtub but the coroner rules it a homicide to make matters worse, the victim was pregnant and Father Ramon admits he donated sperm for an artificial insemination. It will take nothing less than a miracle for the lawyers to find the real killer to get the priest acquitted. Sheldon Siegel is to legal thrillers like Robin Cook is to medical thrillers. This enthralling novel keeps reader attention with one surprise after another bombarding the audience especially during the trial scenes in THE CONFESSION. The relationship between Mike and Rosie add an exotic dimension to this exciting courtroom drama in which the defense and prosecutor interrogation of witnesses makes for an authentic terrific tale.

Love in All the Wrong Places
Frank Devlin
Putnam
ISBN 0399152237 $23.95, 270 pp.

Helen and Henry meet in a bar and after some small talk he takes her home. In the middle of the sexual encounter, Helen takes a knife and puts it through his heart. She didn't go to the bar for a pick-up; she went there to find a man who would hit on her so she could kill him. The police don't give the case very much attention figuring the woman knifed Henry because he was raping her. Not long afterward another man Helen meets in a bar gets killed in a car wash. San Francisco Police Department Inspector Rose Burke doesn't link these two murders until a third body is discovered in Golden Gate Park with evidence from the first homicide. Rose assumes they have a serial murderer on their hands. Helen's boyfriend Jimmy is her partner in crime and helps her with some of the killings. After a thorough investigation Rose and her partner zero in on the two suspects but getting them to surrender will prove to be an impossible task. While Rose is having marital problems and is pregnant, Helen is decompressing and the time between the need to kill a man who hits on her is growing shorter from the very beginning. Readers know Helen is a killer, and Jimmy helps her in the murders whenever she lets him. The motivation for the killings is hard to understand but that won't deter readers from finishing this enthralling police procedural thriller in one sitting. Frank Devlin doesn't need a knife to cut the heart of the reader, he just uses a word processor to make an emotional impact.

Dark Justice
Jack Higgins
Putnam
ISBN 0399151788 $25.95, 288 pp.

A Muslim raised in England as a Christian, Henry sneaks into the United States and stakes out a place across the street from where the president is supposed to be having dinner with a New York Senator. As he is about to shoot, Blake Johnson, head of the president's top secret security force and a secret service agent confront him, informing the Brit that the ammo from his gun has been removed and the president flew back to Washington D.C. Before the assassin kills himself, he tells, them the "Beware the Wrath of Allah." Blake's counterpart in England, General Ferguson, informed the White House about the assassination attempt. Now the general, Sean Dillion and Hannah Bernstein have to trace the assassin's movements back to the source which turns out to be a mosque run by a man who is recruiting British Muslims and sending them to terrorist training camps in the mid-east. When they return, they will be martyrs in Allah's name. Working behind the scenes is a Russian billionaire and his chief security officer who want to sow dissension in the west and is funding The Wrath of Allah. Ferguson's unit gets in their way one too many times of the Russian and becomes a target for these power hungry megalomaniacs. Jack Higgins has written a very exciting and action-packed thriller that shows how Britain is fighting the war on terror. Sean Dillon, a stone cold killer who was an enforcer for the IRA before being recruited by the General is the hero of this book as he seeks justice for the innocents who get caught in the cross-fire. Although he works outside the law and his methods are cold blooded and calculating, the author portrays him as a believable anti-hero who appeals to readers that believe that justice and the law doesn't always go hand in hand. Dark Justice is definitely heading for the bestseller lists, deservedly so.

The Watchman
John Altman
Putnam
ISBN 0399151737 $24.95, 272 pp.

Dr. Louis Finney has not been in the game for over two decades, ever since he saw the results of his mentor Dr. Arthur Noble's research on people that were expendable like mentally ill human beings. Their research was instrumental in creating the techniques used today to get a spy to open up their minds and spill their secrets without breaking them entirely. Unexpectedly, Noble calls on Finney to observe the techniques that are being used on Ali Zattout, a terrorist in the Al Qaeda organization. Noble is rushed to the hospital leaving Finney to be the only watcher to judge the effectiveness of the techniques. There is a mole in the unit that the prisoner is in and when he is killed, Dr. Finney takes over the interrogation. Louis has more to worry about than breaking one terrorist for Al Qaeda is worried about the secrets he could reveal. They send over an assassin who systematically kills everyone in the prison's terrorist cell before he makes a daring move on the command center where Zattout is held. John Altman fills the place that John Le Carre has held for so many years and has made it uniquely his own. The prose is stark and gritty reflecting the claustrophobic cell in the compound. The actions takes place on two levels: the authorities try to run the assassin to ground while the doctors need to break the subject mentally so he can spill their secrets. THE WATCHMAN is a spy story for the twenty-first century.

Visions in Death
J.D. Robb
Putnam
ISBN 0399151710 $21.95, 352 pp.

In the fall of 2059, Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the New York Police and Security Department and her spouse billionaire mogul Roarke are on their way home from a business party when she receives a notice to report to Central Park's Belvedere Castle. Her partner Detective Peabody is already there when Eve arrives. She tells her it is a nasty crime scene with the victim laid out naked on an outcropping of rocks, badly beaten pre mortem, raped and strangled with a red ribbon, her eyes surgically cut out. Eve looks at the victim and believes that the killer will strike again; in all probability, the culprit has killed before. Psychic Celina Sanchez, who works the party circuit, tells Eve that she saw the crime being committed in a dream. Her details convince Eve that Celina is genuine. After more women are killed, Eve and Detective Peabody provide a television interview conducted by reporter Nadine Furst. The Lieutenant believes the killer will come after her but she miscalculates and the next victim is Peabody, making this case suddenly very personal to Eve and the entire NYPSD. J.D. Robb has written another exciting police procedural starring characters who readers have come to love and admire. There is a lot of action and romantic love scenes between the various couples but it is Eve with her steel spine and vulnerable soul that coaxes the audience to keep coming back to read the latest book in this terrific series. Eve, like other characters, has grown and changed over the course of the series and even Roarke, the perfect hunk of a husband, has learned to adapt to the life of a police officer's spouse.

A Mourning In Autumn
Harker Moore
Mysterious
ISBN 0892967757 $25.00, 325 pp.

While emptying a dumpster, a body falls out; Lieutenant James Sakura investigates and concludes after reading an autopsy report that the same person who killed this young woman previously murdered another female a few weeks ago. The police find two more corpses in the garbage dump. The women were young and thin, and wrapped in a plastic garbage bag with their organs cut out and put in upside down. No fingerprints, semen or trace evidence was left behind. A fifth body is found in the same condition as the others. The killer changes his MO when he hangs an older woman on a meat hood in a meat packing warehouse. The seventh victim is found in a store window and the eighth victim is the ex-wife of the policewoman working the case. The investigation takes a dramatic shift when they realize that he kidnapped her twin sons. A full manhunt is on for a man that the police don't have a clue who he is or what he looks like. Japanese Americans James Sakura is not your average police officer. He feels too deeply and becomes very involved in the case, taking every failure as a missed opportunity to catch the monster who is terrifying his city. Adding to his woes is the gulf that widens between himself and his wife Kanae who was the victim of a serial killer in A CRUEL SEASON FOR DYING. Harker Moore has written a fascinating police procedural with an ending that will totally shock readers who never could imagine the truth about the killings. The short stark prose reflects the gothic tone of this unique who-done-it.

All Keyed Up
Mary Stella
Medallion
ISBN: 1932815082 $9.99, 252 pp.

Severely injured on the job, DEA Undercover Agent Jack Benton is on medical leave recuperating at Dolphin Land in the Florida Keys. His beloved Aunt Ruby Maguire, a widow of six months, owns the dilapidated facility that Jack wants to sell to developers so the woman who raised him could live a pampered life. Ruby refuses to sell because the six dolphins who reside in the lagoon are family to her. Instead she agrees to allow Delphind Prize winner Dr. Vic Sheffield to conduct research here. Vic is actually Victoria as she uses her ailing father's name to research the cooperative communication between Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Victoria and Jack are attracted to one another, but he remains suspicious of her motives though he finds her energy quite exhilarating. As her research takes focus and she falls in love with Jack, his aunt, and the sextet of dolphins, Victoria has money problems and worse her ex is trying to blackmail his way onto her study; he stole her work on their so-called collaborative efforts. Jack will do anything including give up undercover work and stop a sleazy rat when it comes to his Vic. Though the ex has no redeeming qualities and one must wonder about academic ethics with what he got away with, fans will feel ALL KEYED UP for more works by this author after reading this stellar tale. The contemporary romantic story line contains a fine lead couple and his nice aunt (think Mayberry's Bee), but the audience will treasure the moments when Scarlett, Rhett, Melly, Ashley, Robin Hood, and Marian co-star with the human trio.

A Play of Isaac
Margaret Frazier
Berkley
ISBN 0425197514 $6.50, 320 pp.

Thanks to Dame Frevisse, (see the SERVANT'S TALE) Joliffe and his fellow thespians (Basses, his daughter Rose, her son Piers and their friend Ellis) ply their trade in England of 14 34 though they have no patron. This wandering troupe lives to act no matter the hardship. They are in Oxford performing an inn and to act in a play for the Corpus Christi festival. Lewis, an Eden-child (a person who has Down's syndrome) is so excited with their role-playing that he invites them to be his guest at his home; his parents the Penteneys, enthusiastically endorse their son's invitation. Master Penteney, a wealthy and powerful merchant, asks the performers to put on two plays in exchange for room and lodging. This is a sweet deal and the actors accept, happy to have rest from the road. They have the whole barn to themselves but when they wake up the next morning, they find the murdered body of a man outside their door. The authorities believe the victim was a heretic, a member of the Lollards. He came to speak to Master Penteney, who sent him on his way. At the feast, many guests suffer from food poisoning and Lewis acts out of character with nothing soothing him. The troupe falls under suspicion so Joliffe, needing to save their reputation, investigates. Margaret Frazier, famous for her Dame Frevisse medieval mysteries, starts a new series in the same era that is as good as her first one is. Fans of Roberta Gellis, Sharon York, or Ms. Frazier will be shocked by how terrible actors were treated in fifteenth century England. A PLAY OF ISAAC is a terrific historical who-done-it that will please amateur sleuth and historical mystery fans.

The Heiress of Hyde Park
Jacqueline Navin
Berkley
ISBN: 0425197786 $6.99, 384 pp.

Lord Roman Aylesgarth and illegitimate Tristan Nash fell in love, but family commitments forced him to marry for wealth. Tristan felt like a chip off the old matriarchal block and is left heartbroken, financially broke, and pregnant. Her cousin takes in Tristan, obtains work for her at a London millinery shop and helps her raise her son Andrew. Seven years later, the widowed Roman sees Tristan and tries to start over, but she refuses insisting she loved her late husband. Not long afterward, Lady May Hayworth visits the shop to inform Tristan that she is her aunt, sister to her wastrel father. May, as she has successfully done with THE PRINCESS OF PARK LANE, launches her niece in high society. Although he knows he has plenty to overcome for failing her several years ago, Roman pursues Tristan, who is concerned with how he will react to having a son once he figures out that Andrew is his seed and that she never married or slept with anyone else. The second Mayfair Bride tale is a charming Regency romance that readers will enjoy once they get over their initial ire at Roman for failing to marry for love (alas, idealists when it comes to romantic novels). Similar in many ways to Michaela (star of book one), readers will want the best for Tristan and her son. Forgiving fans will root for Roman to rectify his blunder though he blows it again with Andrew (patience). Although a secondary player, in many ways Aunt May steals the show as she did previously; for fans will want to know the love story between her and her beloved.

To Weave a Web of Magic
Patricia McKillip, Lynn Kurland, Sharon Shinn, and Claire Delacroix
Berkley
ISBN: 0843951443 $12.00, 368 pp.

Patricia McKillip. Artist Harry Waterman feels like a failure because he lacks a muse to motivate him. That changes when Medusa calls him from a painting he drew. She plans to inspire him by pointing to a model Jo who vanished. Lynn Kurland. Using a cloaking spell, part Elfin Maher flees from her father because she refuses to wed her sire's choice of a spouse for her. Her father Robert wants to forge an alliance with Hagarth through his daughter. She refuses and seeks the help of King Harold to learn how to use a book of spells she possesses. However, her father insists she is a valuable asset to further his ambitions. Sharon Shinn. In Samaria, Jesse the fallen angel desires the young Manadavvi woman who returns his love. However, her mother insists her family is too important to have her marry a loser insisting the daughter will wed into a wealthy family or the next Archangel. Claire Delacroix. An elderly woman overhears two gossips discuss Melusine, a demon who chose to live in the mortal world to cast her evil influence on Raymond who she married and had ten children with him. The old woman informs the two women that Melusine came to this world out of love for Raymond. Is she a malevolent devil or a female in love? All four well-written romantic fantasies contain solid lead characters though in a couple of the tales the antagonist pales in comparison. Sub-genre fans will appreciate the quartet as all fun to read.

The Hanging in the Hotel
Simon Brett
Berkley
ISBN: 0425196518 $23.95, 352 pp.

Former model Suzy Longthorne owns the Hopwicke County House Hotel. She was doing quite well until 9/11 caused a major drop in travel. The once exclusive hotel turned to a different type of client to stay afloat. In addition, helping Suzy at times is her friend Jude who fills in when a waitress calls in sick and her pal is short handed. The last time Jude worked at the hotel, the Pillars of Sussex, an exclusive men's club with plenty of influence, held their meeting there. Nigel Petford, a junior lawyer, is thrilled to be a guest of the illustrious club as he expects membership to be forthcoming. In his celebration, he overindulges with alcohol and Jude has to take the cheerful man to his room. The next day, Jude checks to see if Nigel is okay only to find him dead with a curtain rope around his neck. The police assume suicide, but Jude knows how elated Nigel was and believes it was homicide. Jude obtains the help of her pal Carole as she investigates the club and others, but everyone lies. Gifted author Simon Brett shows why he is a grandmaster of the amateur sleuth sub-genre with this delightful who-done-it filled with twists, red herrings, and false clues. Jude and Carole are total opposites, but together make quite a team as their solid friendship serves as the bedrock in their dangerous escapade. THE HANGING IN THE HOTEL is full of viable suspects with the opportunity, many of whom are almost untouchable, but what makes the case is finding the motive.

Price of Pleasure
Kresley Cole
Pocket
ISBN: 0743466500 $6.99

In 1850, a storm wrecks the ship Serendipity. Young Victoria Dearbourne, her mom and her pragmatic companion Miss Cammy Scott survive the disaster having been shipwrecked on an Oceania deserted island. Not long afterward, Victoria's mom dies from her injuries. Eight years later, Victoria's grandfather hired Captain Grant Sutherland to learn if any of his relatives survived and if so to bring them home. Nine searches have failed, but on the tenth Grant and crew locate Victoria and a somewhat befuddled Cammy. They bring the marooned pair back to England in triumph. However, after living free in the wild, Victoria struggles to return to the corset lifestyle of Victorian England although falling in love with her heroic rescuer makes it easier to readapt. PRICE OF PLEASURE is an enjoyable Victorian romance due to the antics of the lead female protagonist who is the personification of "How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm? (After They've Seen Paree)" though her big city was a island wilderness. The story line is fun to follow due to Victoria's struggle to adapt to polite society. Cammy is an intriguing sidekick and Grant and his main crewmember are solid protagonists. Still this is Victoria's tale, as she must make life c

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