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MBR Bookwatch

Volume 4, Number 1 January 2005 Home | MBW Index

Table of Contents

Cynthia's Bookshelf Donovan's Bookshelf Harold's Bookshelf

Kaveny's Bookshelf Klausner's Bookshelf Laurel's Bookshelf

Shelley's Bookshelf Shirley's Bookshelf Vicki's Bookshelf

Cynthia's Bookshelf
Cutting Loose
Kristin Hardy
Harlequin Retail Inc
ISBN 0373791607 $4.50 256 pages

Very highly recommended

In the second book of the miniseries Sex & the Supper Club, author Kristin Hardy creates yet another sleekly sensual tale of walking on the wild side. Sedate Trish Dawson explores outrageous possibility when she yields to a friend's makeup brush and transforms herself into a sexual siren for the night. When she enters the costume party dressed as a dominatrix, Trish does not expect to meet a mysterious stranger dressed as the Marquis de Sade who will take her breath away.

Hollywood actor Ty Ramsay savors the opportunity to pursue a woman who is oblivious of his true identity. Rather than a woman intent on further her career or fulfilling her star-struck fantasies, Trish is a real woman sincerely attracted to him. When she finally convinces him to unmask, however, Trish flees the seduction, refusing to become another notch on the notorious actor's bedpost. Terribly intrigued, Ty becomes determined to find his way into Trish's life and heart.

Author Kristin Hardy has long established herself as a talented author of sophisticated tales that include marvelous glitz and glamour. Once again she provides the perfect escapist fiction in CUTTING LOOSE. As she gains confidence and self-knowledge, Trish becomes a remarkably likeable and sympathetic character. Ty's need to overcome his own self created reputation becomes as great a challenge as discovering the way into Trish's heart. Light bondage and domination add a daring edge with its wildly erotic elements. For fans who follow Hardy's miniseries, favorite characters make adept appearances, including Cilla, who stars in December's NOTHING BUT THE BEST. CUTTING LOOSE comes very highly recommended.

Nothing But the Best
Kristin Hardy
Harlequin Retail Inc
ISBN 0373791682 $4.50 256 pages

Very highly recommended

In the third book of the miniseries Sex & the Supper Club, author Kristin Hardy's characteristically sophisticated prose creates a world of glamour in NOTHING BUT THE BEST. Heiress Cilla Danforth struggles to gain recognition for her talent in her family owned company. While her father recognizes her talent as a buyer of couture fashion, he does not see her talent for business until she unexpectedly convinces the board to give her a chance with a flagging Danforth location. Unfortunately, a flat tire led to wild night of a passion with the very man assigned to her project the very next day.

Rand Mitchell knows the necessity of separating work and pleasure. But who would have thought that the sexy, stranded motorist he stops to help is the heiress of the Danforth fortune and his boss's daughter. Now they have a month to transform a failing enterprise into a shining success all the while managing their passion for one another. Further, when Rand finds himself falling for the boss's daughter, he also quickly discovers that this is a woman who does not take her relationships seriously. He will be faced with quite the challenge if he wants Cilla to see herself as part of a couple.

A wildly sensual tale, NOTHING BUT THE BEST is a blazing hot read for a cold winter night. The smoothly sophisticated world of high fashion draws the reader into a tale of glitz and high fashion yet grounds itself well with real people who face real challenges with relationships. As part of the miniseries, NOTHING BUT THE BEST is a heck of a lot of fun, but it works equally as well as a standalone. NOTHING BUT THE BEST comes very highly recommended.

Cynthia Penn
Senior Reviewer

Donovan's Bookshelf
Skin Shows: The Tattoo Bible
Chris Wroblewski
Collins & Brown/Trafalgar Square
North Pomfret, VT 06063
www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com
1843401673 $24.95 1-800-423-4525

Got a young person with a penchant for tattoos? You have to consider Skin Shows: The Tattoo Bible as a specialty gift for this audience: other tattoo books come and go but this is the 'tattoo bible', packing in color photos on every page of tattoo art, discussing their artists and techniques, and surveying the cultural history of tattoos around the world. Informed and informative, Skin Shows is a simply outstanding recommendation.

A Monumental Vision
John Hedgecoe
C&B/Trafalgar Square Pubs.
Box 257, Howe ill Rd., N. Pomfret, VT 05053
www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com
1843400464 $35.00 1-800-423-4525

Photographer John Hedgecoe maintained a close friendship with sculptor Henry Moore throughout his career, and thus is in the perfect position to provide a warm illustrated feature of all Moore's sculptural forms in A MONUMENTAL VISION. Fans of Moore's works enjoy personal reminiscence, a photographic essay, and a survey of the roots of his genius through a display of Moore's most important works. An outstanding catalog.

Human Body Systems
Greenwood Press
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
$399.95/Set 1-800-225-5800 www.greenwood.com

Recommended for advanced middle school grade levels all the way through college and into the public library system is the outstanding 'Human Body Systems' reference set, intended as a reference using ten volumes to break down various body parts. Each book includes basic physiological information accompanied by excellent quality black and white and color photos, clear and simple diagrams, and charts. Each holds around 200 pages of basic detail which is not limited to basic physiology: included within each book's discussions are surveys of health challenges, new research, and the history of both diseases and discoveries. These articles make each book stand as well alone as in a set, providing students with authoritative, easily understandable health information suitable for research and reports. Though most valuable when purchased as a complete set, each book individually is valuable: members of this group include NERVOUS SYSTEM AND SENSE ORGANS (0313324565), URINARY SYSTEM (0313324026), REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM (0313324492), RESPIRATORY SYSTEM (0313324244), SKELETAL SYSTEM (0313325219), MUSCULAR SYSTEM (0313324034), LYMPHATIC SYSTEM (0313324948), ENDOCRINE SYSTEM (0313326991), DIGESTIVE SYSTEM (0313326800), and CIRCULATORY SYSTEM (0313324018). Each book introduces and explains the system and related parts, how it relates to help, common malfunctions and diseases and the tests and treatments which accompany them, new discoveries about the body system, and the key scientists and doctors who have made the discoveries. Add color illustrations throughout and you have a winning set certain to receive wide consultation in a library setting.

Web Copy That Sells
Maria Veloso
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York N 10019
www.amacombooks.org
0814472494 $21.95 1-800-250-5308

It's quite simple to understand the importance of Maria Veloso's Web Copy That Sells: The Revolutionary Formula for Creating Killer Copy Every Time. Quite simply, it's the only book on the market which defines the differences between mesmerizing web writing and mundane works. Chapters cover what makes web copy irresistible - and what copy is merely dull, providing plenty of copywriting tips to producing compelling descriptions of products or services to be sold on the web. Any involved in Web construction or marketing should consider this a 'must'.

The Genomics Age
Gina Smith
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.amacombooks.org
0814408435 $24.00 1-800-250-5308

How is DNA technology changing how we live and the very roots of what makes is human? Gina Smith is a science and technology journalist known for her reporting for World News Tonight and other popular feature shows: her impressively informed and informative study, The Genomics Age: How DNA Technology Is Transforming the Way We Live and Who We Are, considers new DNA discoveries and their future impact on moral, economic, and social issues. From the new possibilities of conquering cancer within the next twenty years to the stem cell debate, chapters examine applications of DNA science and the new issues it will raise.

Golf And The Game Of Leadership
Donald E. McHugh
Amacom
1601 Broadway, NY, NY 10019
www.amacombooks.org
0814408370 $21.00 1-800-250-5308

If you don't think business involves a certain amount of play, it's time to reassess using Donald E. McHugh's GOLF AND THE GAME OF LEADERSHIP : doctor/golf enthusiast McHugh was also an executive at General Motors and a leadership consultant, and here brings his multi-faceted experiences to the table in drawing important connections between golfing and performance standards. Inspirational stories from golfer greats blend with fundamental principles of living and conducting business to explain the rudiments of developing that competitive edge.

Focus on Freshwater Aquarium Fish
Geoff Rogers & Nick Fletcher
Firefly Books
155 E. 34th St. #5B, NY, NY 10016
1552979369 $29.95 fireflybooks.com

Fishkeepers will find an all-in-one fish guide in Geoff Rogers and nick Fletcher's FOCUS ON FRESHWATER AQUARIUM FISH. Yes, there have been hundreds of aquarium books published: large-size full-page color photos, at-a-glance lists of characteristics and descriptions, and a compelling survey make this a special holiday reference.

Perfect Your Swing
Matthew Rudy
Firefly Books
155 E. 34th St. #5B, NY, NY 10016
1552979865 $19.95 fireflybooks.com

Golfers always want to learn how to improve their game and there's no better way of spending winter than to sit down with Golf Digest's Golf Digest Perfect Your Swing: Learn How To Hit The Ball Like The Game's Greats, packed with step-by-step color photos displaying improvement methods and hitting techniques. Learn secrets from the game's greats and take the basic golf swing one step further with Matthew Rudy's fine guide.

Firefly Books Ltd.
155 East 34th St. #5B, NY NY 10016
1-800-387-5085 www.amazon.com

Crafters tempted to try their skills at creating lovely mosiacs on mirrors and other mediums will find Sarah Kelly goes beyond the usual stone inlays in presenting projects for her The Complete Mosaic Handbook: Projects, Techniques, Designs (1552977749 $35.00). Her book holds no boundaries or limits, covering complete walls and tiny balls, using both glass and ceramics, and adding seashells, buttons and more for added excitement. A gorgeous gallery of projects. Linda Watson's 20TH CENTURY FASHION (1552979881, $24.95) is published in association with Vogue Magazine and provides a style 'bible' for all interested in the history of 20th century fashion trends. From significant designers to the century's movements, and an A-Z directory of great modern designers, 20th CENTURY FASHION is a title to watch for.

Diane C. Donovan
West Coast Editor

Harold's Bookshelf
101 Things to Do With a Cake Mix
Stephanie Ashcraft
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
ISBN: 1586852175 $9.95 128 pp.

Want some ideas on something different to do with a cake mix instead of just following the recipe on the box? You will find lots of ideas in this book. Starting with a cake mix you end up with brownies, cookies, muffins, and other items. Or if you just want to take the basic cake recipe and make it into something unusual how about using fruit fillings in a cake, or applesauce, or Butterfinger candy bars. The author also includes some children's recipes and other unique ideas like a Jack-O-Lantern cake that uses two bundt cakes with the flat side put together.

The book is spiral bound to lay flat and has a protective plastic covering, as should all cookbooks. 101 Things to Do With a Cake Mix is recommended for anyone looking for creative ways to create the extraordinary from an ordinary cake mix.

America Discovered: A Historical Atlas of North American Exploration
Derek Hayes
Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.
2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201, Vancouver, BC, Canada VST 457
ISBN: 1553650492 $40.00 209 pp. plus map catalog and index

The early settlers, investors, missionaries, traders, and other explorers of the North American continent had rough hand-drawn maps or no maps at all to guide them. As a result many of them made their own maps as they traveled. The tremendous variety of these hand-drawn maps makes this collection of maps and historical information fascinating reading.

The book is loosely organized along historical lines although maps with a similar theme are placed together. For example, some of the chapters, and therefore map collections, include "Seeking Furs and Lost Souls, Finding the Mississippi, West from Carolina, Ascending the Missouri, Crossing the Mountains, Russian Alaska, The Emigrant Trails, and The Great Western Surveys.

These are high quality copies of the original maps and a treasure to anyone interested in history. It includes many well-written historical accounts of the explorers and other travelers to augment the maps. While it is an excellent choice for a library addition, America Discovered: A Historical Atlas of North American Exploration is a joy to read and belongs on the shelf of everyone interested in the history of the North America.

A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies
Dede Wilson
Harvard Common Press
535 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118
ISBN: 1558322639 $16.95 172 pp. plus resources listing and index

What a creative idea for a cookbook! The book literally follows the standard format for a field guide to animals or plants. For each cookie it provides the type, habitat (country the recipe is from), description, field notes (where the recipe came from, origin of name, etc.), and lifespan (how long the cookie will keep). Of course it also has ingredients and directions for making the cookie, and total yield for the recipes.

These are some truly creative recipes that children will love, like the Night Before Christmas Mice, which actually look like mice, and traditional favorites like snickerdoodles or pizzelles. It even has a recipe for salt-dough ornament cookies - totally inedible but can be decorated to make permanent Christmas ornaments. A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies is fun, creative, and recommended.

Biological Time
Editor: Bernie Taylor
The Ea Press
PO Box 1193, Newberg, OR 97132
ISBN: 0974993204 $29.95 172 pp. plus glossary, endnotes, and index

Biological Time is a book about natural clocks and natural rhythms in the world. Animals have a biological clock that tells them when to mate, when to migrate, when to return, and many other patterns of their life. While we have forced ourselves into the pattern of time regulated by the rotation of the earth and revolutions around the sun, many other animals regulate their patterns by lunar or other patterns. With lots of examples of differing biological time patterns the author leads the reader on a fascinating journey into this field of knowledge. He even gives examples of aboriginal tribes that regulate their concept of time and seasons based on things like when certain species of fish return to the islands or a tribe of Indians who associated the return of salmon to the rivers with the appearance of a particular moth. Fascinating reading and a view into how we are all interconnected as the biorhythms of one species associate it with another. Biological Time is a recommended read for anyone interested in biological rhythms.

Boundaries
Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend
Zondervan Publishing
5300 Patterson SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530
ISBN: 0310247454 $14.99 296 pp. plus index

This is a book about taking back control of your life by setting boundaries for yourself and others. It focuses on the problem of boundaries for Christians in particular. For example, if Christians are supposed to be loving and helpful to their neighbors then at what point are you supposed to say "No" to something they want or need? Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend help lead the reader through the process of setting up appropriate personal boundaries that define who you are and how you will interact with others.

The authors are right on target with their ten laws of boundaries and eight myths about boundaries. If you can follow these laws and dispel these myths you will go a long way toward reclaiming your life and finding happiness. The section on boundaries and your family is also excellent and shows the authors' depth of understanding about family dynamics. Other specific areas discussed include boundaries and your friends, boundaries and your spouse, boundaries and your children, boundaries and your work, boundaries and your self, and even boundaries and God.

This is an excellent book and is highly recommended to help everyone set appropriate boundaries in their life. While it was published in 1992, Boundaries is still often recommended by Christian and Pastoral counselors and timeless in its application to the human condition.

Building the Perfect PC
Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
ISBN: 0596006632 $29.95 322 pp. plus index

What is a perfect PC? For some it would be a dependable, high-capacity small office server, for others it would be a top of the line video game machine, still others might define it as a dependable LAN workstation machine. The perfect PC depends on your computing needs and the authors take this into consideration as they explain how to custom build any one of five types of PCs. Throughout the book every step includes photograph after photograph detailing the process.

One of the better features of the book is the fact that the authors give name brands and even suggested models for almost all of the hardware. As a result you know you are getting the right quality for your dollar. The authors don't attempt to make you an expert in computer building or hardware design, instead they teach you how to build a specific system for your needs complete with specific hardware recommendations. This is a vast improvement over books that just tell you how to install a piece of hardware but leave you on your own when trying to find the right item.

The only thing I did not like about the book was the fairly regular problems with writing style. While the authors are to be commended for staying away from technical terms or at least explaining them before using them, sometimes they go too far the other way with the use of slang expressions. A couple of illustrations will suffice to illustrate the problems. Page 46 uses the sentence " inexpensive Athlon XP models simply mop the floor with comparably priced Celerons." Or on page 179 a sentence reads, "Fast Pentium 4 processors dissipate significant heat, ". Processors generate heat they don't dissipate it; heat sinks dissipate heat. This is not the level of writing that I expect from O'Reilly. Their books are top-notch professional publications and it is very rare to find one that at points reverts to this level of work. Still none of the writing problems create an error that is likely to lead a reader off into the wrong direction so this should not be considered a major detraction from the book as much as it is a surprising anomaly from the publisher.

Building the Perfect PC is recommended and one of the best choices for the true novice to use to assemble a PC, even given the writing problems listed above.

Building Your Outdoor Home
Christian Paschke
Creative Publishing International, Inc.
5900 Green Oak Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55343
ISBN: 0865737568 $14.95 109 pp.

If you want to make your yard an extension of you home living space you will find 30 easy projects to do just that in this book. From basic landscaping to building benches, decks, sidewalks, steps, sprinklers, fences, and even walls there are several basic projects that will help to make your yard a place to relax and enjoy a quiet evening or a friendly get-together. The instructions are easy to follow and detail every step to make sure your project is a success. No special skills are required except the ability to follow instructions. One thing I always look for in a book of this type is a lot of illustrations or photographs to show exactly how to do each step. This book has plenty of both so you can make it perfect the first time. Building Your Outdoor Home is a recommended purchase for any do-it-yourself types who want to personalize their outdoor living space.

Cakes: 1001 Classic Recipes from Around the World
Reader's Digest Assoc.
Reader's Digest Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570
ISBN: 0762104031 $35.00 353 pp. plus index

This book is typical of the superb quality you expect from Reader's Digest publications. Excellent photography, clear instructions, all the information you want is included at the end of each recipe number of servings, preparation time, cooking time, skill level, and number of days it will keep. All cookbooks should include this information along with the recipes. This is the way a cookbook should be done.

The book includes lots of traditional cake recipes as well as recipes you are not likely to find anywhere else without a great deal of effort. Some of the recipes include Chocolate nut strudel, banana chocolate strudel, chocolate chip-amaretto cake, double chocolate brownies, Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cakes, and even Baklava.

Since the entire book is about cakes, it is organized by the type of cake recipe. Those types are butter cakes, pound cakes, chocolate cakes, fresh fruit and nut cakes, dried fruit & nut cakes, sponge cakes, festive cakes, meringue cakes, strudels, charlottes, cheesecakes, no-bake cakes, tarts, small cakes & muffins, yeast cakes, special cakes, fillings & frostings.

Some people will have a problem with the small typeface of the ingredients list. Make sure you can read it before ordering the book. Other than that one small item, this is the epitome of the craft of cookbooks. Cakes: 1001 Classic Recipes from Around the World is highly recommended.

Chasing Lewis & Clark Across America
Ron Lowery, Mary Walker
Windsock Media
6303 Clark Road, Harrison, TN 37341
ISBN: 0974920711 $45.00 167 pp.

This is an absolutely beautiful pictorial trip along the route Lewis and Clark took as they followed the Missouri River west to find an overland route to the Pacific Ocean. But this is a view that Lewis and Clark could not see. Almost all the pictures are from the viewpoint of a small aircraft flying over the landscape. The photographs include everything from modern cities to landscapes that have not changed significantly from the time of their original explorations. The text contains historic information about the trip and the sites photographed as well as details of the plane trip and current information.

The photographs include beautiful patchwork landscapes, meandering rivers, forts Mandan and Union, the rough folds of the hills and canyons of the Missouri Breaks, the Rockies, and the Columbia River. This aerial vantage point gives a different perspective on the difficulties and beauty of the terrain that Lewis and Clark traversed so many years ago. Chasing Lewis & Clark Across America is a highly recommended book for anyone interested in the Lewis and Clark expedition or who just enjoys aerial photography.

The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair
Creative Publishing International, Inc.
18705 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317
ISBN: 1589231813 $34.95 587 pp. plus glossary and index

A good home repair guide is an absolute requirement for those of us who know very little about home repair but feel the urge on occasion to tackle some of those odd jobs around the house. While there are many guides on the market today the best ones have an abundance of photographs or detailed illustrations to help the reader see what they are supposed to be doing. With over 2,300 photos Black and Decker's The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair is the epitome of this class of books. Processes and techniques are described step by step in detail with no prior knowledge assumed. Everything is so well done anyone can complete any of the projects if they can read and follow directions. I've had several home repair books, but this one just became my top choice for the one I want to have around as my primary reference. The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair is a very highly recommended book for every homeowner or handyman.

CSS Cookbook
Christopher Schmitt
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
ISBN: 0596005768 $34.95 238 pp. plus appendix and index

If you do any programming at all you soon learn of the immense value of programming cookbooks. This particular one came at a good time for me as I was trying to figure out how to create a particular effect for a web page and knew that it could be done with a cascading style sheet. A quick turn to the correct page and the code was right there along with an explanation of how it works. Twenty minutes later it was completely coded and working correctly.

The author lists many common problems and for each of them provides a problem definition, a solution, and a discussion. For many of the problems the author also includes a "See Also" section that points you to further reading. With so many problems and solutions it is important to organize them in a way so they can be located quickly. To achieve this goal the book is divided into ten distinct sections. These sections are: Web Typography, Page Elements, Links and Navigation, Lists, Forms, Tables, Page Layouts, Print, Hacks and Workarounds, and Designing with CSS. A top quality cookbook title from O'Reilly Media, CSS Cookbook is a highly recommended read for anyone working with web pages and cascading style sheets.

Eliza and the Dragonfly
Susie Caldwell Rinehart
Dawn Publications
12402 Bitney Springs Road, Nevada City, CA 95959
ISBN: 1584690607 $16.95 32 pp. Ages: 4 - 8

An educational book about dragonflies, Eliza and the Dragonfly is a well-crafted children's book. The story teaches the reader about the life cycle of the dragonfly from nymph to adult. It also introduces them to the occupation of entomologist. At the back of the book is additional information on dragonflies as well as resources to learn more about them. Eliza and the Dragonfly is a recommended and educational read for young children.

Foundations of Python Network Programming
John Goerzen
Apress
2560 Ninth Street, Suite 219, Berkeley, CA 94710
ISBN: 1590593715 $44.99 385 pp. plus appendixes and index

As a networking consultant I have a good deal of experience with networking programs and protocols. I have also programmed in Python to meet some basic needs for processing web site input. If you want to move several steps beyond basic Python programming into the realm of network programming you will find this book one of the best resources available today. The coverage of networking with Python is very thorough and includes TCP/IP and UDP protocols, sockets, server connections, DNS queries, broadcast data, Ipv6, web client access, parsing, working with xml, email, MIME, SMTP, SSL, POP, IMAP, FTP, SQL databases, SocketServer, SimpleXMLRPCServer, CGI, mod_python, multitasking, and asynchronous communication. As is typical of Apress books, there is a lot of specific code examples to help the reader see exactly how it should be done.

Foundations of Python Networking Programming is highly recommended if you already have a familiarity with networking concepts and basic Python programming. This is a second level book that should be used to extend your knowledge and programming skills after first learning the basics of Python with something like Diving Into Python.

Our National Parks and Wildlife Refuges
Jim Jamieson
ImageStream Press
8339 Carriage Hill Alcove, Savage, MN 55378
ISBN: 0972912614 $34.95 176 pp.

The bottom line here is absolutely incredible photography. Of course that's the only way to try to present the sheer beauty of the national parks to the reader. Although the name is National Parks and Wildlife Refuges it also includes seven state park areas in Indiana, South Dakota, and Minnesota. With parks as diverse as the Badlands, Great Smoky Mountains, White Sands, and Yellowstone, the color, light, and patterns are diverse and spectacular. There is little information provided about the parks but it does include maps of where the state parks are located and information on each of the photographs. This is a beautiful book just to spend time looking through and a wonderful introduction to the scenic beauty of our national parks. Our National Parks and Wildlife Refuges is a highly recommended book.

Ortho Home Gardener's Problem Solver
Editor: Denny Schrock
Meredith Corporation
Meredith Gardening Books
1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023
ISBN: 0897215044 $29.95 560 pp. plus extensive index

For the home gardener nothing really beats the Ortho Home Gardener's Problem Solver for finding the exact nature of plant problems and exactly what to do to resolve it. This massive book details symptoms and solutions for over 1,500 pests and plant problems. The editors organized the book by type of plant (houseplants, lawns, ground covers, annuals, perennials, bulbs, trees, shrubs, vines, vegetables, berries, etc.) and then within that broad classification they placed listings of individual plants along with a picture and description of a problem. After this section the editors placed several picture galleries to help you diagnose problems. These picture galleries include plant diseases, insects, weeds, animal pests, and household pests. Ortho Home Gardener's Problem Solver is one of the most user-friendly books available to the home gardener and is highly recommended.

Skywatch West: The Complete Weather Guide
Richard A. Keen
Fulcrum Publishing
16100 Table Mountain Parkway, Suite 300, Golden, CO 80403
ISBN: 1555912974 $24.95 244 pp. plus multiple appendixes and index

Although it focuses on the western part of the United States, this is one of the best books on weather that I have read and the information is applicable to everywhere in the U.S. The book starts with the causes of weather and covers everything from the effect of an atmosphere and the warming of it by the sun to the effect of the earth's rotation, moisture, land masses, etc. After that base for understanding weather they move into the specifics of weather phenomenon like fronts, jets, cyclones, snow, rain, thunderstorms, hurricanes, whirlwinds, and lights in the sky. They even cover the subject of sprites and jets above the clouds, an area only recently being seriously investigated after years of reports but only recent proof of its existence.

The author explains everything in easy to understand terms while still being through enough to provide a complete education in basic weather. Of particular value are the numerous pictures of actual weather events so you can see what different cloud types look like or the effects of hail, or even see a cold front slipping under a warm layer of air. Skywatch West is a fascinating book for anyone interested in understanding the weather and very highly recommended.

The Illustrated History of Scotland
Chris Tabraham
Oyster Press
1004 Commercial Avenue, PMB 155, Anacortes, WA 98221
ISBN: 1932573011 $35.00 221 pp. plus index

This is history not only of the Scottish people but also of the land itself. It starts with an examination of the natural forces that shaped Scotland into the land it is today. From ice age carved valleys to the incredible natural stone columns at Fingal's Cave it is a land of contrasts. After examining the land the author turns to the most remote ancestral people of Scotland and the curious stone circles and other artifacts they left behind. Moving forward in time they next examine the arrival of various more modern historical groups including the Celts, the Roman invaders, the Gaels, Picts, Britons, Angles, Vikings, and Normans.

The author also examines the various social, cultural, and political changes Scotland went through and how things like the Industrial age, highland clearances, Scotland's role in WWI, the depression, population expansion and North Sea Oil changed the face of Scotland forever. One of the particularly interesting chapters is one on how the Scottish people transitioned from tribal kingdoms to a more cohesive group and then united with the Picts to form a nation state and then united these kingdoms with England.

Key individuals in the book include Saint Columba, MacBeth, William Wallace, Robert Bruce, and Robert Burns. Throughout the book are beautiful pictures of landscapes, castles, abbeys, historical ruins, and modern structures that provide a visual history of Scotland. Combined with the text it is a thorough and wonderfully written tribute and history to those of us with a Scottish ancestry. The Illustrated History of Scotland is a top quality hardback book that should be on the shelf of everyone interested in Scottish history.

The Irritable Male Syndrome
Jed Diamond
Rodale Press
33 East Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
ISBN: 1579547982 $22.95 253 pp. plus notes and index

Why do so many husbands, fathers, and sons who are normally very loving and kind suddenly become irritable, angry, and withdrawn? That is the question answered in The Irritable Male Syndrome by best-selling author Jed Diamond. In the book he describes how the syndrome is diagnosed, what to expect, and how to treat it. Current research shows that the four primary factors for Irritable Male Syndrome are changing testosterone levels, chemical imbalances, loss of masculine identity, and stress.

This book exposes the emotions and thoughts in the deepest parts of many men. While some may control those emotions and so not exhibit irritable male syndrome, the book still does an excellent job of describing many of the stresses and emotional traits of men as well as offering explanations and ways to deal with them. This is by far one of the best self-help, psychology based books I have read this year and one of the best I have ever read. The Irritable Male Syndrome is very highly recommended and should be read by all women who want to understand their husband, boyfriend, or significant other as well as those who may be suffering with the syndrome or those who love them.

The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook
Oxmoor House
80 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
ISBN: 0848727584 $34.95 291 pp. plus glossary and index

The name Mayo Clinic is synonymous with health and the New Mayo Clinic Cookbook focuses on providing healthy meals you will enjoy eating because they retain the flavors you love. It starts by providing a cooking and healthy weight pyramid you can use to choose good eating habits and an appropriate weight related diet. Each of the recipes also has a diagram indicating how many servings the meal should count for from each of the levels of the pyramid and a nutritional analysis.

One of the really nice features is the inclusion of a section on how to plan a menu using the pyramid system with example menus. With 150 recipes you are sure to find several that satisfy your palate. Some of the ones that I enjoyed were Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Thyme and Garlic, Roasted Root Vegetables with Cumin and Coriander, Pear and Toasted Pecan Chutney, and Spinach Lasagna with Sun-dried Tomato Sauce. Most of the recipes have photographs of the finished meal so you know what it should look like. The only thing I didn't like about the cookbook is that you can't tell quickly how much time is needed to prepare or cook the meal. That is a very minor item given the ability to prepare delicious meals that contribute to your overall health. The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook is a highly recommended cookbook for anyone wanting to eat well without sacrificing flavor.

What We've Lost
Graydon Carter
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
19 Union Square West, New York, NY 10003
ISBN: 0374288925 $25.00 340 pp.

The subtitle for this text clearly indicates the purpose of the text - How the Bush Administration Has Curtailed Our Freedoms, Mortgaged Our Economy, Ravaged Our Environment, and Damaged Our Standing in the World. The various chapters cover items like the wars, military, secrecy, the economy, the environment, education, health care, the judiciary, state of the Union, and our reputation. Chapter 11 is particularly interesting as it shows the presidency "by the numbers". Basically, it is a collection of statistical information in simple statement form which shows things like the number of treasury agents investigating Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein's money (4), amount offered by a group of veterans to anyone who could confirm Bush's Alabama guard service ($3,500), etc. A total of 404 different statistics are listed. The included information comes from multiple reliable sources and Mr. Carter has done his homework documenting the sources. At times it is obviously slanted, for example, the number of young adults that can't locate the Pacific Ocean on a map (30%) is a problem that we have known about for several years including well before Bush's presidency. Relevant most of the time, a curiosity at other times, interesting all of the time, What We've Lost is a recommended read.

Cookin' Up a Storm, 2nd Edition
Jane Lee Rankin
Grace Publishers
1355 Bardstown Rd. #111, Louisville, KY 40204
ISBN: 0965738728 $19.95 157 pp.

What a wonderful example of a good, old-fashioned southern country cookbook. You won't find recipes here that start with a cake mix or a loaf of frozen bread dough. Everything is made from scratch the old-fashioned way. The book starts with an introduction to the life of Annie Johnson, the southern black woman to whom this book is dedicated. Throughout the book are scattered various comments from her that help the reader to feel they know her as a cook and a person. If you want to know how to cook traditional southern fare from scratch the way grandma used to make, this is the book to have. No fancy recipe names, no quiche or anything like that, just buttermilk biscuits, yellow cornbread, fried apples, grits, navy beans, black-eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, sweet potato casserole, potato salad, barbecue ribs, chicken and dumplin's, fried catfish, stuffed green peppers, gingerbread, banana pudding, apple pie and many other traditional recipes. Cookin' Up a Storm, 2nd Edition is a very highly recommended cookbook.

Trace Your Roots with DNA
Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, Ann Turner
Rodale Press
33 East Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
ISBN: 1594860068 $14.95 235 pp. plus multiple appendixes and index

This is an interesting book that examines the use of DNA to trace your ancestry. With the cost of such testing going down all the time this becomes a reasonable way to determine if you are related to someone or not. The text covers Y chromosome DNA testing to follow the father's side and mtDNA for information on the maternal side. Of course you really need to understand how all of this applies to ancestry and the authors provide an excellent discussion of the various types of DNA tests, what they show, and even places where they can be ordered. This includes a lengthy exposition of ancestry informative markers and their use. Ancestry informative markers allow the tester to determine the percentage of their ancestry that came from a specific area. So, the results of the test might indicate you are 70% Indo-European, 15% Sub-Saharan African, 10% East Asian and 5% Native American. This does not tell you anything about specific ancestors but it does give you an idea of the makeup of your family history. Since you are not going to be able to dig up ancient ancestors and test their DNA to see if you are related, the predominant use of the system at this point seems to be to determine if you are related to someone else who has the same surname (although you may never figure out exactly how) or to determine your ancestry mix with the information markers. This book completely demystifies the use of DNA as a genealogical tool. The appendixes include a glossary, where you can get specific tests performed, places where you can add your results to surname projects, sources for genealogical information, etc. Trace Your Roots with DNA is highly recommended for anyone interested in their ancestry or genealogical research in general.

Lost in the Woods
Carl R. Samms II, Jean Stoick
Carl R. Samms II Photography, Inc.
2675 General Motors Road, Milford, MI 48380
ISBN: 0967174880 $19.95 48 pp. Ages: 4 - 8

Why would a small fawn be alone in the woods? Is he lost? Where is his mother? A short children's story, Lost in the Woods combines nice, detailed photography with a story line that points out one of the reasons why a fawn might be alone in the woods. With a frog, chipmunk, goose, squirrel, meadowlark, and other animals the fawn learns about them while waiting for his mother to return. With a handful of hidden animals to look for in the text it is also a fun challenge to find them all. Lost in the Woods is highly recommended for young children.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Scotland
Editor: Iseabail Macleod, MBE
Oyster Press
1004 Commercial Avenue, PMB 155, Anacortes, WA 98221
ISBN: 1932573038 $35.00 400 pp.

Scotland is a country with a lot of history and therefore a lot of stuff to be included in an encyclopedia. This book attempts to include as much information as possible within the confines of a single volume work. On the one hand it is great because you end up with a single volume with entries for just about anything you would want to look up. On the other hand because there are so many entries many of them are not a very thorough treatment of the subject. The book actually ends up with such short entries that it actually seems to fall somewhere between a dictionary and an encyclopedia, more than a dictionary entry, less than an encyclopedic entry. With the occasional longer article that is very well done and more in line with a traditional encyclopedic entry, lots of photos, and listings for just about everything, every place, and everyone with links to Scottish history The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Scotland is still a recommended read for anyone interested in Scotland.

Golden Poppies of California
George D. Lepp
Lepp & Associates
PO Box 6240, Los Osos, CA 93412
ISBN: 0963731327 $TBA 150 pp.

With stunningly beautiful pictures of California poppies from a truly talented photographer, Golden Poppies of California is a visual feast. The state flower of California, it is well represented in this collection of photographs. While it is the primary flower in the book, it also includes other flowers commonly found in the same area as the poppies. While leafing through the book the reader soon comes to realize why this flower would be chosen for the state flower. The author provides the reader with historical and other information on California and the history of the poppy. Golden Poppies of California is recommended for people who enjoy coffee table books, and especially anyone who likes poppies.

Williams-Sonoma Kid's Baking
Editor: Chuck Williams
Oxmoor House
80 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
ISBN: 0848727800 $19.95 122 plus glossary and index

Not your average cookbook for children, Williams-Sonoma Kids Baking provides a basic course in baking written just for kids. The instructions are written at a child's reading level and include how to measure ingredients, correctly break eggs, beating ingredients, testing for doneness, etc. Even all the photographs are children doing the tasks.

The recipes were obviously chosen to be ones that children like to eat and include cookies, breads, pretzels, pizza, pies, and cake. Williams-Sonoma Kid's Baking is a great introduction to cooking that children can read their self and is highly recommended.

Harold McFarland
Senior Reviewer

Kaveny's Bookshelf
As I have mentioned earlier my wife and I have a special connection to a group of English Authors often referred to as the Inkling's consisting of Charles Williams (1886-1945) J.R.R. Tolkien (1893-1873) and C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), and a number of others all of whom had a strong connection with Oxford University. Lewis and Tolkien were English professors, and Williams worked at Oxford University Press. Williams also worked directly with Tolkien and Lewis during the Second World War when Oxford University moved its operations from London to avoid the German Blitz

As many of my readers over the years know I have written a lot about Tolkien and almost nothing about William's and Lewis, but this month all of that changes, because our dear friend of a lifetime Jared Lobdell has produced two very interesting new studies one on Charles Williams and one on C.S. Lewis. I read this collection of reviews and Jared's commentary with a great deal of pleasure for a number of reasons in

The Detective Fiction Reviews of Charles Williams, 1930-1935
Jared Lobdell
McFarland & Company Paperback
ISBN: 0786414545 $35.00 221 pages

the first among many being that I have had the pleasure of Dr. Jared Lobdell's friendship for the last thirty eight years, since we were both students at The University of Wisconsin Madison. When I found Jared at one of the State Street watering holes in Madison sitting next to me on a bar stool I was delighted to find that though he was working on a doctorate in economics at the time, he and I shared a profound interest in English literature. I have worked on a number of conferences with Jared over the years, and though his doctorate is in economics, the love of his life is literature. I must add that I find it a bit strange that thirty eight years later I am reviewing his works in a media format (the Internet which was only a science fictional constructs at the time we first met.

Jared Lobdell's The Detective Fiction Reviews of Charles Williams 1930-1935 came up in a discussion I recently in a discussion I had the production director Rob Mathison of CTV (Community Television in Eau Claire Wisconsin http://www.cvctv.org/, As we were discussing My Television Series, The Foundations of the Fantastic .Rob suggested in an offhand way that creative people also made better critics, because they understood the creative process from the inside out rather than just looking at the surface, and we also talked about the difference between talking about a thing and doing it. That's when Jared and his books came into our conversation, because I feel that if Jared were born in England Fifty Years Before and had occasion to be in Oxford Jared might well have been an Inkling himself, since he has a very large backlog of unpublished fiction which I am sure will find a publisher in the not so distant future since it is of comparable in quality to those of Lewis and Williams.

Jared presents us with the nearly one hundred reviews which Charles Williams produced for The Westminster Gazette in their entirety, some times as many as five or six books in two or three hundred words, and in the process he allows Williams to shine in his own light, as a journalist, critic, and creative writer. As part of this process the reader is chronojected. back 70 years to (The Golden Age) of the mystery novel when even a pot boiler cost 7s 6p which converts to about fifty of today's American dollars at present value. In the process Jared makes an elegantly constructed argument that there was in fact a Golden Age of Detective fiction, and Charles Williams was at the heart of it.

Well, onto to Jared's next book

The Scientifiction Novels of C. S. Lewis: Space and Time in the Ransom Stories
Jared Lobdell
McFarland & Company
ISBN: 0786418249 $32.00 194 pages

Okay, I confess Chronojector is really neat word which means a machine to make time travel possible, but it is not my own. It is a word which C.S. Lewis coined. He coined it his novels featuring Edwin as a main character. The reason I know this is that I actually read then all. C.S. Lewis' adult Science fiction novels. sometimes known as the "space trilogy": Out of the Silent Planet 1938 , Perelandra, 1943 and That Hideous Strength 1946 and the time-fragment entitled The Dark Tower 1977. I read them all in less than a week and came out of them with a heightened respect for Lewis abilities as a writer. What more could you ask of a critical work

Phil Kaveny
Senior Reviewer

Klausner's Bookshelf
Reinventing Mona
Jennifer Coburn
Strapless
ISBN: 0758206275 $12.95, 320 pp.

In Coronado, California Mona Warren summarizes her life as a big no; having nothing in terms of personal relationships not even in the closet. For most of her life, she did not care, but now her strategic long term goal is to marry Adam Ziegler and have children with this hunk so that she can PTA her way through the next decade or two. However, at thirty in spite of her former boss (she grabbed the downsizing check) thinking she is forty, Mona has not gotten to the batter's box with Adam. Knowing she needs help if she is to hit a home run and not believing her psychiatrist best friend Greta can assist her in swinging the bat, Mona concludes she needs male advice. She turns to Mike "the Dog" Dougherty, author of a guy's monthly advice column that is a chauvinists dream. However, instead of help, she finds herself within two inches of falling in love with Mike; thus Mona is more confused on getting to the plate. REINVENTING MONA is an amusing yet serious character study that digs deep and shallow into relationships due to a fabulous cast ready to advice magnificent Mona, who begins to learn that relationships start solo by being true to yourself. The story line is very entertaining while also leading the audience to think about what is happiness and how is that intricate in a strong relationship. Jennifer Coburn provides a deep humorous tale.

Dead by Dusk
Shannon Drake
Zebra
ISBN: 0821775456 $6.99, 384 pp.

Chicago Park Street Players comedy club owner Grant Peterson and his manager Stephanie Cahill were having quite an affair until the night he screamed out another woman's name while suffering through a nightmare. She never explained to Grant why she dropped their romance and ultimately quit working for him. Her cousin Reggie brought her to Naples, Italy to run her comedy club there. Grant is an avid amateur archeologist enjoying the Discovery Channel as a passion. He has come to South Italy on a dig unaware that Stephanie is nearby. As a murder occurs and a member of Stephanie's staff vanishes, she and Grant work together to try to uncover what is going on. Soon their proximity rekindles their passion, but neither knows that evil is in the air and coincidence is not what brought this couple back together. DEAD BY DUSK is Shannon Drake at her best as she cleverly blends a fine amateur sleuth with a delightful romance inside a fabulous horror venue. The story line is action packed and filled with twists that take the reader from a broken Midwest love story to a foreign who-done-it to a second chance at love and to a confrontation with a vampire and devil dogs (these are not cake). The lead couple is a delightful pairing and the secondary cast either is old friends bringing alive Italy or malevolence at its evilest. Fans of Ms. Drake will appreciate the cleverly disguising of her subplots so that the audience never knows where she will take them next with this suspense thriller.

Killing Bliss
E.C. Sheedy
Zebra
ISBN: 0821777513 $5.99

Susan Moore asks her nephew Cade Harding, former head of the Washington State University Criminalist Department and an ex cop, to search for her lost grandson Josh. The widower wants to say no as he still mourns the death of his wife fifteen months ago, but he owes his aunt. Susan explains she cut off her drug using daughter Mariah who died from an overdose, but learned after the death that Mariah had an infant son who was placed in foster care, but vanished when three older foster children killed their host Belle Bliss. Cade learns that Frank Bliss blamed the foster kids (Gus Vanellato, Dianna "Beauty" Lintz, and Addilene "Wart" Wartinski) for killing his mother. The ex-cop meets guilt-laden social worker Wayne Grover who offers little. After talking with Wart's sterile aunt, Cade visits Beauty's dying mom who regrets not marrying her daughter's father, who owns a nearby resort Star Lake. The sleuth travels to the resort where he meets Addy "Wart" Michaels. To their mutual shock Cade and Addy fall in love, but a final confrontation between all the survivors is coming. Readers will commiserate with the intriguing lead heroine and understand Cade's shock to find he is attracted to a woman for the first time since his wife died. Cade's investigation is fabulous to follow as he step by step traces Beauty and Wart. Although the killer comes out of nowhere and Frank is too much an idiot to easily tracks the vanished trio while professional sleuths failed, fans will enjoy this tense romantic suspense. And seek other works by E.C. Sheedy (see PERFECT EVIL and ROOM 33).

Wild for You
Suzanne Gray
Zebra
ISBN: 0821775715 $5.99

The three high school teachers, Annie Peterson, Jillian Morgan, and Lisa Carlisle agree to find jobs over the Christmas holidays to break the monotony. They also agree that any of the trio who fails to obtain work must treat the other two to an expensive dinner at a fancy French restaurant. Math teacher Annie has had nothing exciting occur in two years since she broke up with Mark. She accepts work as a delivery person of strip-o-grams for the Naughty or Nice Messenger Service. Her first assignment is to provide a message to divorced Dalton Stoner in a snowstorm, but her car gets stuck in an embankment. Dalton invites Annie to stay with him until the roads become passable, but is shocked that his dogs welcome the stranger. Soon they fall in love pushed together by his matchmaking sisters. Though it is difficult to accept a teacher moonlighting as a "stripper" (the three musketeers should take a vacation in a tropical climate) fans will enjoy this amusing tale because Annie and Dalton are likable protagonists caught by fate in a strange situation. The story line starts inane, but turns nicely after the lead couple meets. The support cast enhances understanding of the dynamic duet as contemporary readers will be wild for Suzanne Gray's fine story once they and the plot overcome the opening tease.

A Rogue in a Kilt
Sandy Blair
Zebra
ISBN: 082177767X $5.99

In 1410 Scotland, Duncan MacDougall bets his best friend Sir Angus MacDougall that the latter cannot find a wife in three months. If Angus succeeds Duncan will give him the keys to Donaliegh; if he fails he owes his pal six months in "knight" pay. To obtain a castle, Angus figures marriage is worth the price though he would prefer not to wed anyone. However, as the clock ticks, Angus soon learns how difficult obtaining a wife truly is as no one seems to want him. As he continues his quest, he tries to protect a young woman from a wolf, but she moves and his knife hits her. He soon learns that he has wounded Birdalani a healer who is friends with the wolf. As she heals she agrees to a handfast to Angus so that he can earn his title. To the shock of Angus and Birdalani both want to make their arrangement permanent as they have fallen in love, but neither will say so out of fear of rejection even as they trek to their new home together. A ROGUE IN KILT is an amusing medieval romance starring two delightful protagonists. The storyline never takes itself seriously as Sandy Blair shows a flair for tongue in cheek. Readers will laugh with Angus' constant rejections even from hard up females until he meets Birdalani. She knows they belong tighter as she is more than just a gifted healer, but does not want to show her skills for fear she will drive him off though the future reads otherwise to her. This is a fun historical romance that those who enjoy a more lighthearted romp will appreciate.

Degrees of Separation
Karen Wiesner and Chris Spindler
Quiet Storm
ISBN: 0974408441 $26.95, 297 pp.

Andre Trelawney opens up Danse de Minuit, a classy French club that the locals call a strip joint, in Falcon's Bend, Wisconsin. He keeps his dancers under tight rein with the performers residing under his roof and not allowed to leave the premises without an escort guard. One of the dancers Teresa is found strangled to death under a bridge in Witmer Park. Police Lieutenant Pete Shasta and his partner Detective Danny Vincent investigate the first murder in town in over a year and that incident was a DUI. They interview Andre who the cops conclude is hiding something although he seems to have an airtight alibi. They talk with the wife of the club owner and follow that up with questioning the surviving dancers (Lacey, Cherry, Deidre, Sugar and Vanessa). The case seems to go nowhere as the detectives dig into the background of the club employees and employer seeking a motive. DEGREES OF SEPARATION is a terrific police procedural with detectives struggling to uncover who and why. Pete is a fabulous focus to the fine plot as he worries that his second wife will dump him like his first spouse did because he works long diligent hours on the case instead of on her. His partner adds depth with his big city cynical outlook though under thirty (five years in the Big Apple will do that). The dancers have unique personalities and Andre is a way out antagonist who has no apparent reason to kill the victim. Though the twist is obvious and overused, sub-genre fans will appreciate this tense one sitting Falcon's Bend offering.

Mirror rorriM
Karen Wiesner
Hard Shell Factory
ISBN: 0759945748 $14.95

Fourteen years ago clairvoyant Gwen Nicholson-Nelson was pregnant when her husband a NASCAR Circuit champion died. Each year since Tommie's death, Milwaukee based small press A Star is Born Biographies asks Gwen for permission to write a biography about her late spouse. Through her gift, Gwen never even opens their letter; her daughter Allison watches her throw it out. Gwen works as a counselor with troubled teenage boys. Her current client, Kyle, is in danger from the clairvoyant Other that has taken control of his mind and influencing his actions. The Other is more powerful than Gwen is with the skill to conceal or reveal to the latter at will. Allison convinces her mother to allow the writing of the biography of her father, but Gwen agrees only if author Dylan Mitchell writes the book. Having never forgotten his one night with Gwen before she married, widower Dylan accepts the assignment hoping for a second chance; he and his teenage daughter Randa move into Gwen's mansion to work on the biography. Soon the Other enters Randa's mind with only Gwen to keep her safe. Mirror rorriM is a terrific one sitting second chance at love psychological thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats anticipating a final confrontation. The key to the romance and to the psychological kinetic suspense is the cast. Readers fully understand what has and does motivate Dylan and Gwen, and to a lesser degree the Other, teens, family members, a friend, and the late Tommie without slowing down the action-packed plot. Karen Wiesner gets inside the minds of her audience with the fabulous book 3 of the Wounded Warrior series (see RELUCTANT HEARTS and WAITING FOR AN ECLIPSE).

The Rottweiler
Ruth Rendell
Crown
ISBN: 1400051908 $25.00

In London, the first victim had a bite on her neck so the media dubbed the killer "The Rottweiler", but that is so far from the truth about this murderer for the next two fatalities failed to include the bite. Instead the serial killer uses a garrote on his or her prey and takes an object from the deceased. Somehow these objects end up in Inez Ferry's antique shop. The police investigate everyone associated with Inez especially the boarders who reside in a home owned by Inez. Still the killer is clever making no mistakes as the count rises and the collectables show up in her shop. Inez wonders which one of her boarders, friends, or customers is the Rottweiler as she decides she must uncover this serial killer who has made her life a notorious mess before he or she adds her to the count? The incredible cast including a gloomy London that feels like a Ripper scenario makes this serial killer novel fill the audience with tension that never eases up even when the tale is finished. Several individuals seem sane yet on edge, which obviously can be a result of the murder spree in their neighborhood, but also leads readers and Inez to wonder which one is the killer although the former will not rule out the latter though the culprit appears to be a male. Fans of intense taut thrillers will appreciate Ruth Rendell's atmospheric murder mystery.

The Celebrity
Robert Elmer
Waterbrook
ISBN: 1578567416 $12.99, 304 pp.

Internationally renowned singer Jamie D. Lane performs the show of his life live from England, but near the end of the TV broadcast feels a need to see his dying mom. Jamie thinks back to fifteen years ago when his single mom worked as a hotel maid because she believed her beloved son had the "gift" of voice. He heads to Los Angeles to say goodbye though his mom will not know him due to advanced Alzheimer's. Miraculously she asks Jamie to take her home in Riverdale, Washington where her family lived and died. Jamie needs to do this for his mom and for himself so he takes her ashes to be buried in Riverdale, but first cuts his highly recognizable long haired golden mane. In Riverdale, he uses the guise of Bradley. He meets middle school teacher Anne Stewart, who still recovers from a drunken driver smashing into her at 55 MPH. Soon Anne and Jamie fall in love, but he fears what will happen when she learns that he hid his real identity that of a celebrity from her. If you have not read the inspirational tales of Robert Elmer you are missing a rousing treat. His latest tale stars two weary and wary people carry baggage. Their growing relationship makes for a fine DUET as each begins to realize what they lacked, caring for someone else who also nurtures them. Though actions by Jamie's manager seem to add unneeded suspense, Mr. Elmer provides a character driven inspiring tale that glues heart and soul.

Calendar Girl
Naomi Neale
Dorchester Making It
ISBN: 0843954701 $12.95

In New York City, Nan Cloutier believes she is the ideal calendar girl pin-up not because she is Playboy perfect, but because she obtains holiday jobs. Her current temporary work is posing as Cindy-Lou Who at the Merrier-Iverson Department Store Christmas interactive display. When she lies about being proficient in French to avoid window duty, Nan meets store owner Mr. Iverson, but her actions leads to the gentle elderly man breaking his leg. Her former employer offers her a job to baby-sit his grandson Colm. Needing the money with Christmas over, she accepts. When she meets Colm, he is her age and believes she is a hooker. Mr. Iverson explains he was matchmaking because he believes these two delightful youngsters are good for one another. Colm courts Nan, but her personal life is overfilled as she feels she must save her former college boyfriend and fellow member of the Elizabethan Failures Society from an English invader. Still Colm keeps the pressure on and they fall in love even as their respective families try making them over rather than letting them make it. This is an amusing Manhattan chick lit romance starring a delightful lead female protagonist and a fabulous secondary cast. The story line never takes itself seriously as Nan and cohorts struggles with life, but refuse to believe they are failures. Colm provides a wonderful newcomer into her circle though she wonders if he is a deadly virus or her forever soul mate. Chick lit and contemporary romance readers will laugh with Naomi Neale's naughty and nice tale of a Who who finds love.

Guardian of Honor
Robin D Owens
Luna
ISBN 0373802153 $13.95, 496 pp.

On the world of Amee in the land of Lladrana, a magical force warded the realm so that monsters would not be able to enter. Now parts of the fence are dying, leaving gaps in the protective shield; monsters are entering and the powerful group of mages, the Marshals, fights them. They don't know how to make the dead fence posts come back to life so they summon an Exotique (a person from Earth) who will have the power to rebuild the fence. Alexa Fitzwater, a woman without friends, steps through the magical arch and into Lladrana where she is immediately tested by the Marshals to see if she has the power they need. She meets their requirements and because she needs to be wanted, allows them to train her in magic so she can battle the monsters and fix the fence. She becomes involved with the Chevalier Bastien who wants her to stay with him. He becomes a Marshal something he swore he would never to so he could become a shield to Alexa's sword. The upcoming battle will decide the future of the realm and where Alexa considers home. Robin D Owens has written a fantastic fantasy that makes the realm of Lladrana come alive in the reader's mind because the author deeply describes the locale so well. Alexa has spent her life in foster homes and her only friend died in a car accident, leaving her yearning to find a place to belong. The people of Lladrana need her and her lover wants to bond with her so she can never leave him. GUARDIAN OF HONOR is a spellbinding romantic fantasy.

Shadows of Myth
Rachel Lee
Luna
ISBN: 0373802129 $13.95, 400 pp.

She awakens in a field of corpses with no memory of who she is, where she came from, or how she got there. Archer, a man cursed with immortality, and his friends Giri and Ratha find her and the dead child she is carrying. He takes her to Bandylegs Inn in Whitewater where she recovers her ability to speak and recalls her name is Tess Birdsong. The innkeeper's daughter Sara, Tess, and the three men who found her sense something evil is coming for her. Winter arrives unnaturally early and the townsfolk go hungry. Tess and her new friends along with Sara' wannabe lover Tom travel together in hopes of learning who she is, but are stunned to find a ghost town whose crops and food supply was poisoned. Rumors are heard that a powerful mage gathers those with Ildwin blood to harness their power in a quest to conquer the world. He apparently is calling Tess to come to him, but Sara hears him too. The magnificent six knows they must battle the malevolent mage, but remain clueless that beyond this dimension the Chained One uses the evil sorcerer as a puppet for his mysterious malignant purposes. SHADOW OF MYTH is a fantastic fantasy set in a world where magic exists. The six champions are strong souls; Tom and Sara and Archer and Tess are delightful couples who work well together although Archer remains a bit of an enigma as he hides his true feelings for a woman more powerful than he is. Rachel lee, known for her terrific romantic suspense tales, provides a wonderful good vs., evil fantasy.

Forgotten Justice
Lois Richer
Heart Quest
ISBN: 0842364374 $10.99

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police found John in at a roadside badly beaten up. He has no memory who he is or anything else about himself. Since he is not injured besides some bruises and amnesia, the cops take him to Camp Hope where he can recuperate. At the camp, John Riddle as he is now called displays incredible computer skills. He is also attracted to wheelchair bound Christa Anderson, sister of the owner of the camp. Christa announces to John she will be leaving the camp to end her years of dependency since her teenage accident left her a paraplegic; he is stunned by her determination and courage, but also hurt because she is his hope for the future. Still he encourages her to go. John looks at a hateful Internet site the Society for Order and thinks something bad will happen on October 29 less than two months away. John would rather die than bring anything dangerous from his past on his beloved Christa and her family, but he may be too late. FORGOTTEN JUSTICE is an engaging romantic suspense in which the danger subplot comes in late, but readers will not care as the romance between the two lead protagonists is brilliantly and simmering established so that the audience cares about this likable pair. They and her brother and his wife are a fine group that deserve the best out of life, but will soon find out the menace that a despaired John fears he brought to Camp Hope. Lois Richer provides a delightful contemporary tale starring two intrepid walking wounded refusing to allow anything to interfere with their love for one another.

What Goes Around Comes Around
Cornelius Lehane
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312322984 $23.95, 304 pp.

Brian McNulty is a bartender at Manhattan's Midtown Sheraton when an old friend Big John Wolinsky, a regional Sheraton manager, arrives in town ostensibly to fire his crony. The third member of the "three musketeers" Greg Phillips arrives at the bar. Greg is surprised to learn Brian works there, but says nothing further except he sounds in trouble. Big John says he has no plans to give the pink slip to his buddy, but his friends clearly have designs to use him because they went through a murderous lot together over a dozen years ago in Atlantic City at the Dockside before each one quit. Big John reassigns Brian to serve as the bar manger at the Ocean Club. On his first day at the club, a body in a tux is floating in the East River. Detective Sergeant Sheehan leads the investigation, but immediately assumes that Brian is lying and involved. Brian is involved though he has no idea why as he is threatened and shot at; worse he thinks Big John knows, but is not talking. This satirical New York who-done-it is fun to read due to the amusing asides and soliloquies provided by a somewhat overwhelmed Brian as he learns a life lesson that unless one remains a solitary drinker, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. Trying to help his pals especially Big John, Brian becomes the target though he has no idea why, what he is doing, or wants to silent him. Though his involvement with no help from his friends comes across after a while as watered down gin, fans of mirthful Manhattan murder mysteries will appreciate his wisecracking investigative style.

The Myriad
R.M. Meluch
Daw
ISBN: 0756402794 $23.95, 320 pp.

The Roman Empire never really died; it just went underground waiting and gathering its forces so that when it emerges it will be a power to be reckoned with. That time came when FTL space flight because a reality and the Roman Empire reemerged on the distant planet of Palatine. Earth and Palatine engaged in an on and off again war for almost two centuries until a common enemy united them in an uneasy truce. The Hive is sweeping across the galaxy, eating everything that crosses its path and actually seeking inhabited planets for its meals. The US. Merrimack is charged with finding the Hive home world and destroying it. While on its mission the crew finds THE MYRIAD, three inhabited worlds in a globular cluster; colony worlds settled by a non-Terran humanoid race. The inhabitants of these worlds travel through space using wormholes where time and space are twisted. After making first contact, the Merrimack leaves and is attacked by a swarm of the hive. After two very intense battles, the Merrimack is called back to the Myriad because their use of the wormholes is causing the cluster to collapse; a planetary leader's plan will mean the destruction of the three inhabited worlds. THE MYRIAD, the first book in the tour of the Merrimack, is terrific military science fiction. The crew of the Merrimack are believable and likable especially Captain Farragut, who care about the men and women under his command. R.M. Meluch provides intense battle scenes and vivid descriptions of their aftermath in such a way that readers feel for the man and women risking their lives against an almost unstoppable enemy while also eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

Heir of Stone
S.L. Farrell
Daw
ISBN 0756402549 $24.95, 468 pp.

Lamh Shabhala is the master cloch (a magical stone) that gives its wearer tremendous power. Jenna MacEgan is the First Holder and the queen of the Irish Thuaildh hated and feared by the royals who resent the power she wields over them even though they possess clochs albeit weaker ones than Jenna. The aristocracy also detests her daughter Meriel the healer because she heals many commoners instead of her own kind. Jenna's brother Doyle believes he should be First Holder and King; he enters into a conspiracy that successfully kills Jenna and Meriel and other family members except Sevei, Kayne and Ennis. Sevei wears Lamh Shabhala while her uncle is crowned king. The commoners revolt because they know he killed their beloved Meriel. While Civil War threatens the kingdom, the Arruk, sentient monsters with powers equal to the cloch wearers are ready to attack the humans. If the humans fail to band together under the command of Kayne who wields the power of a strong Cloch and has fought the Arruk, they will suffer death and an end to their empire. Sevei joins the battle but it is hard for her since Ennis fights on the side of the Arruk. HEIR OF STONE is an action packed swords and sorcery novel and the best of the marvelous cloud mages series. The battles scenes are every bit as exciting and imaginable as those found in THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Kayne is the character that is most dynamic as he changes from a warrior to a great leader of armies. The political intrigues and plots are a different kind of warfare where everyone loses. S.L. Farrell has written a series that rivals the works of Terry Brooks.

Constellations
Peter Crowther (editor)
Daw
ISBN: 0756402344 $6.99, 320 pp.

This fifteen set anthology written by British authors is a solid outer space compilation that has in common one other thread beside the national gene tree; in some manner the short stories relate to the CONSTELLATIONS seen from our planet so that the book contains short stories beyond MOON SHOTS and MARS PROBES. The tales run the gamut from afterlife to AIs to dreams (or nightmares depending on your perspective) that comes true etc. The writers provided a host of different perspectives so that the audience obtains a fun collection with no two stories alike and none weak. All new stories, Peter Crowther has put together a five star anthology that will enhance his reputation for editing fine off planetary collections.

Ordinary Springs
Lenore Hart
Berkley
ISBN: 0425200051 $14.00, 385 pp.

In Ordinary Springs, Florida, sixteen years old Dory Camber has lived with her father Owen, owner of a hardware store ever since her mother Vera deserted the two of them when she was an infant. Dory ponders that Vera vanished after reading a bedtime story to her. She questions to herself why her dad buried her mother's clothing and what happened between her parents and their neighbors, who are barely civil? Though her father shows no affection, Dory believes that he exclusively loves her since she has noticed how he ignores the overtures of the town female population. However, her belief that she is numero uno dies when the Yankee invaders move in next door. While Frank Fitzgerald is a bedridden veteran, his wife Myra and Owen make love in another room. Frank commits suicide with Dory's unintentional assistance. Not long afterward Owen and Myra agree to marry. Distraught and betrayed, Dory makes love with her childhood pal, steals cash from her dad's store, but, the sheriff arrests her for her assisted suicide role. Reform school is next for the pregnant sixteen years old. Though soap opera in theme ORDINARY SPRINGS is a delightful coming of age 1950s tale that brings across 1950s Florida. The story line stars a teenager whose grip on reality is weak, but further torn asunder when her dad turns to Myra. The support cast to include her first lover, her father, the neighbors, and her missing mother help the audience understand the demons that eat at a beleaguered Dory's soul. Fans of historical family dramas will appreciate this fine novel whose lead protagonist is the heart that makes the plot worth reading.

White
Ted Dekker
WestBow
ISBN: 0849917921 $19.99, 352 pp.

The older Thomas Hunter was killed by a terrorist who threatens the world with a virus unless the nations hand him full control of nuclear weapons. Only Thomas can save the earth from this madman, who has unleashed pandemic consequences, but he has been dead for three days; there seems no hope left for mankind. The younger Thomas Hunter lives on a much less technological earth than the one he has just died on. Here he leads counterinsurgency efforts against the Scarabs in an attempt to gain religious freedom for his people. However, war has put this earth on the brink of annihilation with disease spreading pandemic. In spite of terrific savior efforts by Thomas's fellow compatriots Elyon and Justin, this Thomas knows ultimately he must be the one to save his people here and go to sleep and awaken on the other earth to save that sphere. This is a terrific conclusion to the fabulous "The Circle" trilogy as Thomas continues his efforts to save two worlds against overwhelming odds. The action-packed story line is loaded with surprising twists as deadly chaos has become the norm on the two planes that the champion bridges through his dreams. A special love between Elyon and Justin adds a human element to the countdown of the seemingly end of days on the twofold earths. Ted Dekker bows out with a fabulous finale that will have readers of epic fantasy with Christian overtones demanding more such works as this author will be colored as one of the sub-genre's leading lights.

The Way Out: A True Story of Ruin and Survival
Craig Childs
Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316610666 $23.95

Craig Childs and Dirk Vaughn have trekked together the United States for ten years, but as they drive in Utah to their latest starting point feels different. The plan is to hike the canyons of the American Southwest deserts where practically nothing lives for two weeks. Both men understand theoretically the danger of this quest as they carry as much food with them as possible because living off the land is impossible as even vegetation is scarce. This is survivor at its fittest as Craig and Dirk know maps are not very specific, the terrain is unfriendly, and they have no exit strategy. On the wilderness journey, the men think back to what led them to this seemingly insane potentially deadly trip especially when they see early on the bleached bones of someone who failed to make it. Each reflects on their past: fights in bars and insane risk taking culminating with a need to prove themselves. Both the journey and the surprising flashbacks grip the audience who take each dangerous step along aside the two explorers. Displaying candor Craig Childs pulls no punches as he exposes himself and Dirk to the scrutiny of true life tale advocates for he could have hidden the background and told a tale of two intrepid men undertaking the quest in a Sir Edmund Hilary context of it is there. Instead genre readers obtain a powerful biographical adventure tale that will haunt readers when they follow the why of needing the cleansing of the souls.

Do You Come Here Often?
Alexandra Potter
Downtown
ISBN: 0743470338 $13.00, 384 pp.

In London, her live in fiance divorce attorney Spencer wakes up Grace Silverstein to wish her a happy thirty-first birthday forty-five valuable minutes before she has to get up to go to work. Spencer informs her that he is been busy on a case that goes to court tomorrow so he did not buy her a present; he offers her cash to purchase something from him. Grace wonders if after two years engaged and four years together if Spencer is Mr. Wrong for her. Also thirty-one half Indian half Irish journalist Jimi Malik questions whether he is ready for marriage though he is engaged to Kylie. Jimi and Grace meet; they immediately recognize one another because thirteen years ago they both of them had sex for the first time. As they begin to see each other and fall in love, Grace and Jimi know they must end their respective engagements, but also question whether they should commit to a new one. This engaging contemporary romance is more second chance at love than chick lit, but contains plenty of the amusing asides that are a staple of the latter sub-genre. The story line focuses on the likable Grace who ponders how Mr. Right seems more like Mr. Wrong. Adding to her doubts, besides the good intentioned but clueless Spencer's procrastination in his personal life, is meeting her first lover. The key support cast (Jimi, Spencer, and Kylie) are likable protagonists, but the amazing Grace will bring readers coming often to works by Alexandra Potter (see CALLING ROMEO).

Hit Reply
Rocki St. Claire
Downtown
ISBN: 0743486242 $13.00, 320 pp.

Twenty-eight years old Bostonian Amber Fleece is doing well at work but her personal life is lower than the Big Dig. Desperate and bored with the Ivy League crowd she has been seeing for eons, Amber decides to go back to her happiest moment with males: her prom night. She registers with classrunion.com seeking Gray McDermott though she learns he is blue collar. Stephanie "Stevie Wonder Woman" Hilliard used to be Amber's boss, but became an Orlando mother of two. She loves her darlings, but is bored especially since her husband Brent is never home always traveling with his young beautiful assistant. When she receives an interesting email from Tony Markoff, a blast from her past, Stevie begins an on-line affair, but wonders if that is cheating and if so is that equal to her husband's seeming fling. Amber's administrative assistant Julie Desmond is recently divorced while also suffering from empty nest syndrome as her son has left for college. She becomes independent as she grows on the job and meets a former boyfriend via the Internet. HIT REPLY is a powerful character study that looks at three women in varying phases in their lives yet with similar problems and the influence of the Internet on their relationships. The audience gets a first hand look at the prime trio through predominately their email exchanges. Fans will enjoy this instant communication winner that provides focus on what the Net is doing to people as well as asking psychological questions as to whether it fosters closeness and communication or isolationism and hiding. Rocki St. Claire has provided a fabulous look at the impact of the communication revolution on her three likable protagonists.

The Long Way Home
Sarah Storme
Five Star
ISBN: 1594143064 $26.95, 251 pp.

Allie Tate is stunned when her spouse Rick turns angry because she wants to work part-time. Rick makes it clear no wife of his will work before he storms off to his office. Feeling bad, Allie goes to visit Rick at Tate's Kids preschool, which he owns, only to see him naked with his secretary. Rick blames her for showing up. Stunned Allie flees ending up with a broken down car and stuck at the prophetic Last Chance Bar with no money or credit in Rocky Butte, Colorado. Veterinarian Sam Calvert takes a drunken Allie to his home. The next day he offers her a job assisting him, which she accepts. As Sam and Allie begin to fall in love, his fifteen year old daughter Tracy arrives from California for her annual summer visit. While Sam has relational troubles with his daughter, Allie knows she must tell her beloved that she is married; she fears his reaction because he strongly believes in honesty and divorced his first wife for cheating on him. THE LONG WAY HOME is an interesting contemporary romance starring two likable protagonists (though Sam may be a bit too perfect). The secondary characters are fabulous. His daughter is a struggling teen pulled in separate directions by her parents while Rick is the ultimate control freak. Finally the animals (especially a pregnant horse who commiserates with Allie) augment a fine tale of a woman finding freedom amidst the "hillbillies".

Pier Pressure
Dorothy Francis
Five Star
ISBN 1594142718 $25.95, 306 pp.

In Key West, Keely Moreno is the only foot reflexologist on the island; she takes patients in her office but for special clients she makes house calls. When Keely arrives at Margaux Ashford's house, she finds her client dead from a bullet, a gun in her hand. The police question Keely extensively but won't say if the rich civic minded woman was murdered or committed suicide. Keely is friendly with the children of Margaux's husband, Jess and Punt; the trio agrees to look for suspects. The matter becomes urgent for the reflexologist because ballistics show Margaux was shot with Keely's gun and the alibi of Margaux's husband fails to check out. Keely believes her abusive ex-husband is the guilty party because she and her grandmother saw him following her despite a restraining order. When a fire burns down the house she is living in Keely thinks her former spouse has something to do with it because she spotted him in the crowd and he left evidence behind. Punt isn't at all certain he's the perpetrator and insists they keep investigating, a move that almost costs Keely her life. PIER PRESSURE is a fantastic amateur sleuth tale with equal attention given to characterizations and the investigation. Keely is a vulnerable yet courageous woman trying to start life over after being beaten continuously by her ex-husband. Although he is stalking her, there is no direct evidence linking him to the murder so readers will wonder who the perpetrator really is and keep reading to find out. Dorothy Francis is a talented writer and this reviewer will be on the lookout for her next mystery.

Death and the Walking Stick
Linda Berry
Five Star
ISBN 1410402096 $25.95, 262 pp.

There isn't much violent crime in the Georgia town Ogeechee (pop 3,000) so when octogenarian Althea Boatright runs over Charles Sykes of Jesup, Georgia the police think it is an accident due to poor eyesight, poor motor coordination and her dog sleeping on the gas pedal. They yank her license but don't put her in jail. A few days later Althea is found dead in her home; chief of police Henry Huckabee concludes she fell and hit her head against the bathtub. One of Althea's friends feels that she was murdered because the walking stick she always used was nowhere near her body and the one in the house was not owned by the deceased. Police officer Trudy Roundtree listens to the women, especially her boss's mother and concludes they might be right. Althea was not on good terms with her son and daughter-in-law who feel they were cheated in his father's will because he left everything to his wife. Further investigation finds that the car accident might have been homicide; to find the killer requires setting a dangerous trap. Linda Berry has written a charming down home cozy that displays life in a small southern town. Trudy is a dedicated police officer who protects and serves the community but listens to the theory put forth by Althea's friends that she was murdered. When she believes they have a point, she convinces her boss to let her investigate and finds evidence to support their claims. DEATH AND THE WALKING STICK showcases the talent of the author whose tale rivals the best of superstars like Leslie Glass and Susan Wittig Albert.

The Debt
Thomas Brennan
Five Star
ISBN: 1594142769 $25.95, 252 pp.

Horror author Carl Shaw joins New York Police Officers Steve Burnett and Sam Hollis on mobile patrol. When the cops stop for a sandwich at Lazzini's Deli, a robber shoots both cops. Carl takes out an illegal hidden gun and kills the criminal. Afterward, Carl tells Detective Mendez that he grabbed the gun from the ground where the shooter dropped it when Steve shot him. Mendez tells Steve that the gun was used in a murder of college student Sarah Westlake last year in Eastham, Vermont, Carl's hometown. Before talking with Mendez, Steve needs to know the truth. On leave, Steve travels to Vermont, but as he investigates the case takes a strange turns. Files are missing at the periodical Eastham Courier; the link between Sarah and Carl surface; finally he accidentally meets Carl's wife in a bar. Though still sore from his injury Steve seeks the truth because if Carl is the killer he must tell Mendez what came down at the deli; if he is not a murderer, silence is golden. More a private investigative tale than a police procedural, THE DEBT is an intriguing personnel drama as Steve believes he owes a great debt to Carl, but if the author is a killer does he turn him in or if he stays quite pay his tab. The action-packed story line moves forward rather quickly whether it takes place on the streets of New York or small town Vermont. The support cast (in both settings) consists of a fine secondary group, but this thriller belongs to the hero facing an increasingly difficult dilemma.

Maitland
James Patrick Hunt
Five Star
ISBN: 1594142726 $25.95, 244 pp.

Closing in on forty, Evan Maitland is co-owner of Collette's Antiques, a store that specializes in seventeenth and eighteenth century French and Italian furnishings. In spite of this being a younger man's game; Evan also works as a bounty hunter for Chicago bails bondsman Charlie Mead. Charlie asks Evan to bring back lawyer Barry McDermott who skipped the Windy City with a $300, K bond to free him from jail as he is charged with statutory rape having sex with a fifteen years old. Evan tracks Barry to Oklahoma City, but before he can bring the jumper home, the Jamaican Raetown posse of "Jim" Collins arrives to kill Barry and to recover the $800,000 he failed to launder. In a shootout, Barry and a Jamaican Richard Lawes die while Evan is wounded. Back home recuperating, Jim informs his other two posse members they must clean up the Oklahoma City mess by killing the surviving witness. MAITLAND is a terrific urban noir starring a tough in your face hero. He shows his grit and intelligence whenever he is chasing a jumper. The exciting story line is action-packed caused by the star; Evan is at his best bringing in those who have fled their court date rather than the exhilarating High Noon showdown with the posse. Hopefully, Maitland ignores his promise to his antiques partner Bianca to concentrate on their business and continues to chase down skippers. An anthology of his cases would make quite a plum for suspense readers.

With Violets
Elizabeth Robards
Five Star
ISBN: 1410402223 $26.95, 317 pp.

In 1868 in the Louvre, Berthe Morisot practices painting by copying the masters. Usually she is accompanied by her sister and her mother, but today she is alone except for her friend Rosalie Riesener. Another friend, Monsieur Fantin joins the two young women and introduces them to renowned artist Edouard Manet. He flirts with Berthe and even changes her drawing slightly though she lectures him for doing so. Berthe is attracted to Edouard, but is horrified to learn her new admirer is married to pianist Suzanne. The budding female artist also meets Edouard's brother Eugene; soon the siblings compete for the affection of Berthe. Will she choose the single brother, the famous married brother, or neither brother? WITH VIOLETS is an intriguing work of fiction that provides insight into an interesting late nineteenth century artist (Berthe that is) and her relationships with the Manet brothers. Berthe is the focus of the story line as she seems attracted to Edouard but ultimately marry Eugene. Did she love Edouard or was that hero worship? Genre fans will gain a taste for Left Bank Paris during the impressionist period as Elizabeth Robards paints a delightful portrait of an impressionist artist ahead of her times.

Witch Honour
Narelle M. Harris
Five Star
ISBN 1594142831 $25.95, 337 pp.

Although she was trained as a doctor, Magda and a shuttle pilot entered a nexus, emerged into another dimension and landed on a planet where magic works although the people are afraid of anyone who demonstrates they have the ability. Magda sets herself up as the healer in the town of Tunston. When Tephee's mother throws her out for being a witch Magda takes her in and she welcomes Sylvia and Leenan who are also witches. A troupe of players come to town and two of them Kiedrych and Tamalan served King Armand before he was disposed by his cousin Saebert and his paramour, the evil witch Zuleika. When Sylvia magically touches Zuleika, she realizes the witch has to be killed before she conquers more territory. They find Armand and encourage him to battle Saebert's forces while she and her three witch friends take care of Zuleika. There are four protagonists in WITCH HONOUR and all of them are treated equally so that readers know their strengths, weaknesses, and fears. Magda never had magic until she landed in this new land but there is something about it that allows it to flourish. Those who have it don't tread an easy path because of the animosity of people who have no magic. Narelle M. Harris has written some fantastic strategy sessions as the allies plot to dispose the usurper. The battle scenes are great and the secondary characters also play a major role in romance and comic relief scenarios.

Ghosts of Eden
T.M. Gray
Five Star
ISBN 1594143048 $25.95, 266 pp.

After five years in a mental institution, Saxon Faraday returns home to Roquefort Manor in Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine. It is not a happy homecoming for the twenty-three year old woman because her father is dead, killed by Saxon in self defense and her mother is in Florida with no plans of seeing her troubled daughter. That is bad enough but she returns home knowing she must still battle the Serpent, an evil entity, who has made the house a magnet for ghosts and spirits. The Serpent is very much aware that Saxon has come home and is waiting to capture her soul along with the other seven he has in his possession. He is ready to molt and transform himself and he needs Saxon to make his metamorphous complete. Saxon is stubborn and intends to go to war with the Serpent; she has two allies to help her, a mentally challenged sixteen year old and a man nearly a century old. If they lose, Earth as people knows it will never be the same. GHOSTS OF EDEN is a very scary horror novel, one that would easily make a great movie. Readers hearts go out to the heroine who suffered so much yet is still willing to battle an evil older than time. The action starts almost from the very first page and continues at a breathtaking pace until the bittersweet finale. T.M. Gray has talent and will one day be one of the superstars of the genre if this book is any indication.

Danger-Close
John F. Merz
Five Star
ISBN: 1594142564 $25.95 300 pp.

Former US Air Force Commando Jake Thunder remains paralyzed during an incident in Somalia, but he believes he will one day walk again though the medical profession tells him otherwise. Using a wheelchair to get around Boston, Jake runs a private investigative firm. Beautiful and wealthy Mrs. Vanessa Patterson wants to hire Jake, but is stunned by his wheelchair and his sarcasm. Still she employs him to find out who killed her sister Melinda who was estranged from the family. The police have not anything done anything involving the case writing it off as not worth the effort. Jake with the help of his friend Homicide Detective Frank McCloskey, makes inquires starting with Melinda's sleazy boyfriend Don Woolery. This engaging private investigative tale stars a terrific unique optimist who refuses to allow his physical impairment from making the rounds and doing his job. The who-done-it is engaging as Jake cajoles his police pal to "help" him with insider information. Jake's wise cracking is amusing although how he keeps a client is questionable because who would want to pay someone tearing off your skin in double entendres. Fans of strong detective tales will enjoy this fine story due to the inspirational protagonist.

Creatures of the Empire
Virginia Dejohn Anderson
Oxford
ISBN: 0195158601 $37.50, 322 pp.

The underlying premise that Virginia Dejohn Anderson's terrific book makes is that animals have been key driving forces in human history; that argument has been used in other books such as Jeffrey Lockwood's LOCUST: THE DEVASTATING RISE AND MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF THE INSECT THAT SHAPED THE AMERICAN FRONTIER and GRASSHOPPER DREAMING. Ms. Anderson provides an intriguing and entertaining case that farm animals (cattle, pigs, and sheep) are as critical to American History as apple pie, Pilgrims, and Founding Fathers. CREATURES OF THE EMPIRE argues using historical references and interesting anecdotal examples that livestock changed the landscape especially the relationships between people. She concentrates on Colonial America as she makes the point that domestic farm animals in New England and Virginia were key segments of shaping society and led to conflict over land ownership between the settlers and the Indians. Besides making a strong case in support of her theory, Ms. Anderson's book is a well written easy to pick up and put down thought provoking volume that history buffs will appraise and then argue the fascinating premise over the water cooler.

The Motive
John Lescroart
Dutton
ISBN 0525948449 $25.95, 400 pp.

When the fire is doused in Paul Hanover's Victorian house in San Francisco the charred bodies of two people are found. Dental records show that they are Paul and his live in lover, but both died from a bullet wound. Inspector sergeant Dan Cuneo is assigned to the case and he zeroes in on Catherine Hanover as the suspect, in part because she rejected his sexual advances. Deputy Chief Inspector Abe Glitsky is asked by the mayor to oversee Cuneo's investigation because Paul was a friend and a heavy contributor to her campaign. Cuneo hates Abe and makes a run around him with the district attorney so they take the case to the grand jury where they hand down an indictment. Caroline asks attorney Dismas Hardy to represent her; he agrees to do so because she was his first love and because he believes she is innocent. He has his work cut out for him because the prosecution has an overwhelming amount of circumstantial evidence that shows Caroline had means, opportunity, and motive to kill her father in law and his lover. John Lescroart has written a fabulous thriller that starts with the intense investigation and ends with a shocking climax in a courtroom; thus this exciting drama contains equal parts police procedural and legal thriller. THE MOTIVE is a mesmerizing reading experience that will satisfy fans of both sub-genres. The courtroom scenes are particularly gripping; especially when Dismas cross examines the prosecution witnesses.

Hammered
Elizabeth Bear
Bantam
ISBN: 0553587501 $6.99, 324 pp.

In 2062 Hartford, Connecticut, former Canadian soldier Jenny Casey is feeling the impact of several decades of military service as her reconstructed artificial body parts show their age with the technology wearing out. The last of the fully wired warriors still living, Jenny, though only one month shy of turning fifty, feels death stalks her. Physically hurting and mentally weary, Jenny hides on the means streets from her former employers, calling herself the Maker. Razorface, carrying a HAMMERED teen, kicks at Jenny's door at just past three in the morning. Hyperex, a special drug made exclusively for the American and Canadian armies, has made it to the streets. Kids are dying and though Jenny would prefer to remain in hiding, she reluctantly makes inquiries on the mean streets and on the Internet. This brings her to the attention of those who want her dead and others who want to lab rat her. She has no hope of learning the truth, but Jenny has lived for decades without hope. Soon the investigation turns deadlier and seemingly reaches the higher levels of her government. This is a dark urban noir science fiction starring a fabulous anti-heroine who has no hopes, no dreams, and no future. The cast and the future Internet make readers believe that they are in the latter half of the twenty-first century. The exposing of the conspiracy is fun to follow although readers will have difficulty accepting how relatively easy Jenny obtains information since the highest levels of Canadian government is involved (who was on Cheney's energy taskforce?). Still fans of deep character driven dark futuristic investigative tales along the lines of Philip K. Dick will want to be HAMMERED by Elizabeth Bear.

Cally's War
John Ringo, Julie Cochrane
Baen
ISBN: 0743488458 $25.00, 326 pp.

Cally O'Neal virtually grew up on the front lines of the galaxy war with weapons being her prime toys. Five billion are now dead and her father was never home leading the fight against the reptilian invaders. Now an adult, Cally has become a master assassin of the Bane Sidhe warriors while the Galactic Empire rebuilds civilization under the Machiavellian control of the elf like Darhel. After four decades of killing human supporters and puppets of the Darhel, Cally is tired of war and death, but has her new assignment to complete. On Titan Base, Cally is to masquerade as the recently assassinated by her teammates Captain Sinda Makepeace. However, this time the impossible occurs; Cally falls in love with the enemy. Though there is plenty of John Ringo's trademark military action, CALLY'S WAR contains a lot more dark romance than typical of the author (the Cochrane effect?). The story line is action-packed with the terrific Cally serving as the core of the tale as this competent assassin, who learned to cache whatever she needed by the time she was eight, struggles between the beliefs she was nurtured on and falling in love. Fans will appreciate this character driven return to the "Legacy of the Aldenata" universe where the war years are over yet trouble remains.

Windseeker
Charlotte Boyett-Compo
Amber Quill
ISBN: 1592799701 $16.50

After torture as a child and not knowing any nurturing outside of cruelty, Prince Conar of Serenia is loved and returns that deepest of feeling to his wife, Princess Anya "Liza" Elizabeth. Before meeting and falling love with Conar, Liza was a member of the Daughters of the Sea. Together they are a formidable team dedicated to the destruction of the Brotherhood of the Domination. Conar's twin brother Galen wants his sibling dead and Liza by his side. The Brotherhood of the Domination evil sorcerer Kaileel Tohre sees Galen as a pawn to use to regain control of Conar, as he once had when he subjected the lad to his abusive hegemony. He plans to lure Conar back to the Domination's Great Abbey where he ruled supreme over Conar the child. Liza will serve as bait for Conar will risk his life and his freedom to keep her safe even if it means completing the Rite of Passage to become "One of the Chosen" with the powers of the White and the Black Paths. The second tale in the "WindLegends" saga is a fantastic fantasy that as with the first tale, WINDKEEPER, the story line is character driven with an intriguing triangle. Liza and Kaileel "compete" for the "affection" of Conar while Galen wants him dead as he covets his sibling's relationships with the two of them. It is the love-hate that Kaileel and the hate that Galen bring to the plot that turns WINDSEEKER into a unique fabulous tale that can stand alone, but it would behoove the audience to start with the excellent WINDKEEPER to understand the fab four even better.

Dangerous Women
Edited by Otto Penzler
Mysterious
ISBN 044669584X $13.95

Only January and this may be the suspense anthology of the year. All seventeen contributions are top rate, but that should be expected by a virtual genre hall of fame. The title is the theme and these women are dangerous in different ways. Most interesting the tales seem to fit what one would expect by that particular contributor. This is a great collection as the all star list contains names that speak of quality much more reliable than a third party review, enough said. Ed McBain, Michael Connelly, Joyce Carol Oates, Walter Mosley, Laura Lippman, Nelson Demille, Thomas H. Cook, Andrew Klavan, John Connolly, Lorenzo Carcateera, J. A. Jance, Ian Rankin, Jay McInerney, S.J. Rozan, Anne Perry, Elmore Leonard, and Jeffrey Deaver.

Trouble in Paradise
Pip Granger
Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 1590581318 $24.95, 328 pp.

Most English are euphoric and celebrated the victory ending World War II. However, Zelda feels the war was a time of personal freedom and safety even when the Blitz terrorized much of the country. Her friend Dilly assumes that Zeld seems depressed because she never felt the impact of war since her Paradise Garden was untouched. Zeld knows that the Hitler's throwing in the towel means her violent spouse Charlie is returning to abuse her. The return of the vets impacts the workplace. New bosses place unreasonable demands on the "temporary" female replacement employees and returning soldiers are displacing women on the job. Thugs battle to take control of gangs with bystanders like Zeld's nephew Tony pulled to join or else. Healer Zinnia Makepeace obtaining singing lessons for Tony in Soho enables Zeld to meet Bert and Maggie Featherby. They provide an opportunity to escape her miserable life if she is courageous enough to leave Charlie. This is a terrific prequel to the fabulous NOT ALL TARTS ARE APPLE as Pip Granger paints quite a different panorama than the normal upbeat England of 1946. The story line uses the characters to provide insight as the war years simply are pushed aside by those who believe a return to normalcy ignores that women proved that they were the greatest generation; Like World War I did for third world people under European rule, World War II did for women; the legacy is their daughters and younger sisters becoming Supreme Court Justices and Prime Ministers. TROUBLE IN PARADISE is a pip of a historical character study that will have fans searching for more works by Ms. Granger.

Away with the Fairies
Kerry Greenwood
Poisoned Pen
ISBN 1590580222 $24.95, 250 pp.

When Marcella Lavender dies, a guilty Detective Inspector Jack Robinson asks private detective Phyrne Fisher to determine whether she died of natural causes or was murdered. Marcella came to him a few weeks ago, showing him threatening letters she received and he told her not to worry because poison pen letter writers usually don't do anything violent. Now he is second guessing himself and wants a second opinion and there is no one he respects more for getting to the bottom of things than Phyrne. Miss Lavender was a writer who produced many books about fairies and was the advice columnist at a progressive woman's magazine Women's Choice. She also has an unexplained monthly income from the Marshall & Company. Nosing around Ms. Lavender's work place and apartment complex, Phyrne learns that she was not well liked and when the autopsy reports show she died of cyanide poisoning the sleuth dives into the investigation with enthusiasm in part to get her mind off her lover Lin Chung who is in a dangerous China currently wracked by turmoil. AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES takes place in 1928 Melbourne starring a rich, young independent heroine with an adventurous spirit who doesn't believe that women should be held down because of their gender. She has the respect of the crusty Detective Inspector and mixes with people of all social classes. The brilliant private investigator makes this tale hum as historical who-done-it readers will take delight with her inquiries into an unpopular victim with several individuals having motives and opportunities but without knowing which one would actually kill. Kerry Greenwood makes it impossible for the audience not to like the charming Phyrne or her investigations.

Homeward My Heart
Judith Pella
Bethany House
ISBN: 0764224247 $13.99, 460 pp.

By 1946, the euphoria felt by World War II ending has changed to dread as a Cold War has gripped the globe. Churchill describes it quite well with his Iron Curtain speech splitting Europe between western democracies and communism. People deal with the aftermath of the global conflict and the new confrontation in different ways. American Cameron sits in a restaurant in Nuremberg, Germany while her beloved husband Alex does likewise in Moscow pretending that they are dining together. The US Embassy has served as an intermediary, but soon afterward Alex is imprisoned in a Soviet prison. Her sister Jackie raises her three and a half years old daughter Emi by herself as her Japanese spouse died during the war. Friends and even family have cut off Jackie and Emi because of the Japanese connection that remains raw. The third sibling Blaine cannot cope with a half-Japanese niece as Emi reminds her of being tortured in the Philippines leading to a miscarriage. However, the three sisters band together with the common goal of freeing Alex from his Soviet prison. HOMEWARD MY HEART is an exciting look at the beginning of the Cold War and the aftermath of World War II on an American family. The story line grips the audience once readers understand that Cameron and Alex are dining "together" at a distance that parallels the coast to coast of the United States. The sisters are delightful as they struggle to find a commonality, which turns out to be the rescue of Alex. Though there are some unrealistic twists, everyone will agree with the siblings of his father when he toasts his wonderful daughters and their melting pot spouses.

Forgotten Justice
Lois Richer
Heart Quest
ISBN: 0842364374 $10.99

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police found John in at a roadside badly beaten up. He has no memory who he is or anything else about himself. Since he is not injured besides some bruises and amnesia, the cops take him to Camp Hope where he can recuperate. At the camp, John Riddle as he is now called displays incredible computer skills. He is also attracted to wheelchair bound Christa Anderson, sister of the owner of the camp. Christa announces to John she will be leaving the camp to end her years of dependency since her teenage accident left her a paraplegic; he is stunned by her determination and courage, but also hurt because she is his hope for the future. Still he encourages her to go. John looks at a hateful Internet site the Society for Order and thinks something bad will happen on October 29 less than two months away. John would rather die than bring anything dangerous from his past on his beloved Christa and her family, but he may be too late. FORGOTTEN JUSTICE is an engaging romantic suspense in which the danger subplot comes in late, but readers will not care as the romance between the two lead protagonists is brilliantly and simmering established so that the audience cares about this likable pair. They and her brother and his wife are a fine group that deserve the best out of life, but will soon find out the menace that a despaired John fears he brought to Camp Hope. Lois Richer provides a delightful contemporary tale starring two intrepid walking wounded refusing to allow anything to interfere with their love for one another.

Convenient Disposal
Steven F. Havill
Dunne
ISBN: 0312324049 $23.95, 260 pp.

In Posadas County, New Mexico following a volleyball game, middle school students Carmen Acosta and Deena Hurtado got into a fight over Paul Otero. Both fourteen year old girls were suspended. A few days later, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman lectures honor student Deena, but also confiscates a potential weapon a sharpened six inch hat pin. Estelle reads Deena the riot act; case closed. Not long after that, Carmen is beaten unconscious with a stab wound to the middle ear that came from a honed hat pin. Estelle has doubts that a skinny young teen could have inflicted the brutal beating. While Carmen is in the hospital, her neighbor County manager Kevin Ziegler vanishes. Estelle notices discrepancies between the image Kevin portrayed to his constituency as effective and efficient on the job and health living off the job; yet she finds evidence that he probably smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol or someone with him did. As Estelle continues to search for the missing administrator she wonders if the vicious teen thrashing is linked to Kevin's disappearance, but how seems elusive. In her third appearance as the lead (retired Sheriff Bill Gaston still makes appearances and provides advice), Estelle proves she is a superstar in her own light as she easily carries the tale. Perhaps the New Mexico setting that Steven F. Havill brings so vividly to light made the transition so smooth; but more likely it is simply the author's talent. The story line is actually different than previous tales as the plot goes into hyperspeed and stays there throughout the action-packed thriller. CONVENIENT DISPOSAL is a terrific refreshing entry in one of the best police procedural series around today.

Song of the Earth
John R. Dann
Forge
ISBN: 0765311933 $26.95, 384 pp.

Circa 30,000 BC (plus or minus a millennium or two as only word of mouth records handed down by generational storytellers exist) the Young Grae became a great chieftain due to Erida at his side (see SONG OF THE AXE). His father Eagle needed Flower and his grandfather Old Grae had the seven daughters of River Woman to aid him. The seven sisters, sired by different men, were the only friends of the weird looking and constant jabbering Old Grae when he was a child. Having learned to swim when their mom tossed them into the nearby river, the sisters saved Old Grae when a volcano destroyed their Eden and almost led to his drowning. The tribe splinters with Old Grae taking one group with him that includes three of the magnificent seven (Spirit Dancer mother to Eagle, Sun Hair, and Lilith) on an Exodus through the wilderness guided by spirits talking to him. As three consecutive generations wander northward, they battle with tyrannical tribes threatening their existence. Old Grae never sees the promised land, but his ancestry the Tribe of Grae continue the quest seeking a land of milk and honey to call home. This prequel is a terrific look at prehistorical society done with a biblical context. The story line grips the reader who obtains a deep look at the wandering tribe's struggle to survive in a harsh environment. The biblical references add an odd intriguing spin, but also slow down the action when enhanced by insightful anthropological concepts on wandering life in 30,000 BC. Still fans will believe that Old Grae, his peers and his ancestors existed in ironically a well written prehistory tale.

The Covenant Rising
Stan Nicholls
Eos
ISBN: 0060738898 $14.95, 416 pp.

Bhealfa is a caste society in which magic defines status. Authorities use spells to keep the masses in line and watch everyone through all-seeing scythe bowls. While the eccentric Prince Melyobar and his retinue sail in his movable dwelling to avoid Death, the Gath Tampoor Empire uses the Bhealfa citizenry as it has for twenty years as sword and sorcery fodder in its war with the Rintarah Empire, the previous conquerors and wasters of Bhealfa populace. Reeth Caldason seeks magical relief from the curse he suffers from that turns him into a blood raging mass killer if not chained, but learns the wizard he seeks is dead. The wizard's apprentice Kutch Pirathon mentions the Covenant, which gives the beleaguered Reeth a sliver of hope. Another visitor Dulian Karr, paying respect to the deceased, wants to liberate Bhealfa from the two empires that rotate subjugation; he suggests that Kutch and Reeth team up as they seek the same requirement, a master mage. The epic adventure for freedom has begun. In many ways THE COVENANT RISING is a typical epic fantasy, but is also much more. The story line contains the usual sword and sorcery elements throughout, but Stan Nicholls blends them into an intriguing societal arrangement sort of like India's caste society within a magically based Orwellian 1984. Reeth and Kutch are terrific protagonists with neither trusting the other though needing one another if they are to gain their wish. The freeing of incarcerated female military captain Serrah Ardacris, whose imprisonment adds to the feel of a real society, increases the unease of the "alliance" between this dynamic dual. Thought provoking, Mr. Nicholls furbishes a terrific opening tale in his Dreamtime trilogy.

The Strong Silent Type
C. Kelly Robinson
NAL
ISBN: 0451210379 $13.95, 288 pp.

Not quite thirty, Deacon Davis failed in his attempt to leave behind his glory days as a Pittsburgh Steeler star defensive back to direct the American Dream Party when he stuttered on Fox TV News. His beloved cousin tells him that "George Bush sounds more articulate". Feeling depressed for his recent string of failures including a divorce that culminated with the on air fiasco, Deacon still has one obsession that keeps him fired up. He wants to foster the civil rights legacy of his renowned late father who died in a mysterious DC hotel fire. He knows he must work on his stuttering problem when he has difficulty speaking at a school meeting involving his high school aged son Dejuan who is in trouble for dissing females. Deacon meets speech therapist Maria Oliver at the adult Speech Recovery Clinic. As she helps him with his impediment, an attraction explodes into a one night stand that breaks ethical rules. Yet both want more, but will either risk the chance of rejection. THE STRONG SILENT TYPE is a terrific contemporary tale that grips readers with its deep cast especially the title character who struggles to enhance his father's legacy, but feels somewhat helpless of achieving this objective due to his stuttering. Deacon is a fabulous protagonist whose woes to include falling in love make for a fine novel; Maria is his ideal counterpart with her own baggage especially her need to tell her biological son, raised in love by a married family member and his wife, who she is. The lead couple's relationship is THE PERFECT BLEND for fans who appreciate a poignant insightful modern day character study.

Magic Time: Ghostlands
Marc Scott Zicree and Robert Charles Wilson
Eos
ISBN: 0061050709 $25.95

The experiment Source devastated nature by destroying electric energy and changing people by enhancing their key traits into a caricature like magical essence. Many have died including those who have trusted weary former attorney Cal Griffen; he feels he failed them all in the end though none would fault him. Still he has no time to mourn as his evanescent younger sister Christina the ballerina vanished to wherever the storm floated her like a bubble. His quest to find Tina took him from New York to Chicago where Magritte, one of the people Cal feels he failed died. The journey for Cal and his pilgrims continue westward through deadly cities where the Source holds sway with magic that threaten to destroy the earth. Cal's band of brothers, sisters, and other essences enter the dangerous Ghostlands reaching Mount Rushmore, pivotal foci of the Source. The troupe faces their worst magically enhanced customized nightmarish fears in this last stand to save human existence on this plane; to succeed against the overwhelming powers of the enemy, they need Tina on their side and not part of the Source. Fantasy fans will devour the final Magic Time tale that is a terrific confrontation between the remnants of metamorphosis humanity vs. the offspring Source. Interestingly the theme is not a simplistic good vs. evil scenario, but instead is more along the lines of the Frankenstein warning. The story line is action-packed from the first pyre to the final fire, but never neglects the key characters as their characteristics remain critical to the entertaining story line. MAGIC TIME GHOSTLANDS can stand alone, but is further enhanced with reading the previous two novels, MAGIC TIME and MAGIC TIME ANGELFIRE.

I'll Be Watching You
Andrea Kane
Morrow
ISBN 0060763329 $21.95, 352 pp.

School psychologist and talk show host Taylor Halstead is dismayed to see her roommate and cousin's boyfriend Gordon Mallory in their apartment when she gets home from work. Her shock turns to terror when he attacks her. He stops when her cousin Stephanie buzzes him in the lobby that she is ready to leave. He tells Taylor he'll be back to finish what he started. She reports the attack to the police but before they can investigate, the boat Gordon and Stephanie is on blows up, killing both of them. In the course of settling her cousin's estate, she meets Reed Taylor, a sexy attorney who makes his attraction to her obvious. She also meets Gordon's identical twin Jonathan who makes it very plain that he too is attracted to her. During this same period, Taylor realizes she is being stalked by a very dangerous man whom she believes is Jonathan. Reed becomes her protector, but when Jonathan is arrested for a double homicide Reed agrees to defend him. Taylor doubts whether their relationship could hold up under the strain because the stalker is getting more threatening. Andrea Kane's hardcover debut is a smashing success, establishing her as a powerful thriller author. There's a growing sense of foreboding that readers can actually feel as the strange e-mails, and terrorizing phone calls hint that this stalker will not be stopped until he accomplishes his goal to have Taylor. The romantic sub-plot between Reed and Taylor is beautifully developed and plays out believably. Readers will be watching Andrea Kane after this delightful new year treat.

Singing Bird
Roisin McAuley
Morrow
ISBN: 0060737883 $24.95, 312 pp.

Twenty-seven years have passed since Lena and Jack Molloy adopted Mary, who has become a famous opera singer. Sister Monica of Saint Joseph's Home calls out of nowhere insisting she is tying up loose ends before retiring and just wanted to check up on her "babies". Lena's stomach pinches as she has not heard from the nun since the adoption, but apparently the call was innocent. With Jack on a business trip and Mary in Dublin for a performance, Lena decides to travel from California to West Ireland where they adopted their child. She always regretted not knowing her own biological parents having been adopted herself and rationalizes the trek by convincing herself she will be doing Mary a favor. With her friend Alma accompanying her, Lena begins making inquiries into who were Mary's parents, but her fist inclination challenges her deep rooted Catholic beliefs while further evidence confronts her moral family values. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. SINGING BIRD is an interesting social drama that leaves the audience pondering difficult ethics questions that run the gamut of some of the deep social issues facing society today. Through her heroine, Roisin McAuley raises questions about the sexual promiscuity of priests and nuns, family values, truth, and adoption. Though solutions seem intended to fit book size so are too straightforward for the complex questions raised, readers will obtain a deep character study that entertains yet challenges the audience.

Valley of Bones
Michael Gruber
Morrow
ISBN: 0060774533 $24.95, 448 pp.

Miami Police Officer Morales was just leaving the Trianon Hotel after responding to a hoax call of a disturbance when he saw the man fall from the tenth floor balcony. Though he wanted to vomit, he first called in a homicide and held back his physical need so as not to compromise the crime scene. Not long afterward renowned Detective Paz arrives to take charge of the investigation. They head up to room 10D to learn more about the victim Jabir Akran al-Muwalid to decide whether a suicide, an accident or a murder occurred. Inside the room in some form of a trance is Emmylou Dideroff who insists that she was talking with the dead Saint Catherine of Siena before she fainted. She also says that Mr. al-Muwalid is a mass murderer slaughtering thousands from her tribe and others with his death squad in the Sudan; she swears she came to forgive him not kill him though the murder weapon belongs to her. Above are just the first few pages of an excellent crime thriller that plays out on three interconnected fascinating story lines. The obvious is Jimmy Paz's investigation; then there is the extracts from the book Faithful Unto Death: The Story of the Nursing Sisters of the Blood of Christ by St. Benedicta Cooley; finally the handwritten bound notes dubbed The Confessions of Emmylou Dideroff that the wild protagonist furbishes to Paz. Fans of deep police procedurals with two intriguing twists (the other sub-stories) starring a wonderful protagonist and a weird but intriguing suspect will take immense delight with Michael Gruber's return of the Paz (see TROPIC OF NIGHT).

Road to Purgatory
Max Allan Collins
Morrow
ISBN: 0060540273 $24.95, 288 pp.

A decade may have passed since Capone killed his family, but Michael Satariano nee O'Sullivan never forgot even when he though he was lovingly adopted. Now twenty, Michael is on Bataan where he wipes out a Japanese division, loses an eye, but is a survivor of the death march. Michael receives the Congressional Medal of Honor and an honorable discharge. Back in the States, Michael believes it is time to become the avenging angel of death. Through Papa Satariano, Michael meets Capone's Lieutenant Frank Nitti, who hires him as a welcome addition to the Outfit. Eliot Ness thinks he is exploiting Michael as an insider breaking up Capone's Outfit. As Michael causes destruction, mayhem and death

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