Mystery Crime Books

The Rook by Steven James is the second book in the Patrick Bowers files. Take an FBI agent, Patrick, with the intelligence of Charlie Eppes from Numb3rs and the social miscues of Tempe Brennan of Bones (the TV series, not the books). Give him a beautiful partner, Lien-hua ala Michelle Yeoh and a Gothy-cute step-daughter named Tessa, and you have the makings of a bang-up book. Patrick and Tessa witness a mysterious suicide while on an arson case in San Diego, and they are quickly drawn into a wild ride involving a secret government weapon, sharks, and long enmities. Patrick specializes in a form of looking at crimes spatially that gives this series a little something different than the other forensics procedurals on the market. He and Tessa's relationship forms the heart of the book as they try to figure out where they stand with each other, but his relationship with Lien-hua is also mesmerizing. The chemistry between them begs for the silver screen. James writes the action scenes in a way that they are easily readable. I followed every punch and bullet, and believe me, James doesn't pull any punches when it comes to dealing with the bad guys. The final chapter guaranteed that I will return for the next book; consider me a new fan!

If you have the read the first book the series, The Pawn, then you know what to expect with this book. So you know you're going to stay up late trying to finish this, getting deliciously freaked out while you read it. It is not as gory as the first book. There are still many intense situations that will make you want to keep the lights on. The main villain though, while you want to scream at because you're so disgusted by him, is not as creepy as the villains in the first book. Interestingly, while there are times you want to hurt this villain according to the storyline, you can't. It's makes your mind boggle to think that.

It's a scary book, scary because it's painstakingly real. There are situations happening like this every day in the world. This is edgy Christian fiction at its best. We don't want to read about things that will make us uncomfortable and boy does this book make you feel that way! Beware this series is NOT for those who have weak stomachs or are expecting a light, airy read. There's actually not much, if any, mention of Jesus or Christianity in the books. However the battle between good and evil is strongly present throughout the entire book. I love seeing the characters grow in each book. Tessa wasn't my favorite person but she is growing on me. I am looking forward to reading more about Patrick and Lien-hua's growing relationship.

If you are trying to get a guy to read, this is the book to give to him. Non stop action, suspense, gore. I would not want to see this made into a movie because I'd be too scared to watch! This really is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. I really hope this book gets more mainstream attention because it has everything (and better writing!) that the NYT bestsellers have without having to resort to unnecessary sex or swearing. I cannot wait to read the final book in the series when it comes out next year. VERY HIGHLY recommended.

I loved the first book and this one was really good, too. I just didn't find it as addicting as the first one. I couldn't put The Pawn down, I read it in one day. This one kept my attention and the story was great and well written. It is worth reading if you liked the first one as it definitely continues the characters stories well.

OK, I'm not as well-spoken nor do I have the same insight as the rest of these reviewers, but I grade a book on a single criterion: whether I can (or want to) put it down. I am almost embarrased to say that I read this entire book in 2 sittings (at least it was a weekend).

Steven develops his characters well and you don't have to read The Pawn (the first in the series) to understand The Rook, but you certainly will appreciate it better if you do.

Very suspenseful. If you're looking for a thoughtful thriller, this is it!

Book 2 in the Patrick Bowers series finds Mr. Bowers on the case for an arsonist, whilst still trying to juggle being a father to an, adolescent teenager, an underlining love interest, and the introduction of a master nemesis known as the shade.
As I mentioned in my review of The Pawn (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 1), these novels are unusual for the Christian market. The Christianity is toned down, but the under current of it runs through the seam of this adventure.(Like real life) We are also confronted with the evil that so often makes the headlines in our daily papers, the motivation for such acts, and how we as human beings respond to such crimes. I love the detail the Mr. James brings to each novel, and the fact that everyone, whatever their world out look can relate to the issues and situations featured here. The pace really picks up towards the end of the novel, to the point that I could feel my pulse quickening: always the sight of a great thriller. I really enjoyed this, and look forward to 'The Knight, Patrick Bowers Book 3.

I love Kelley Armstrong's books. Imagine how disappointed I was to read the sample chapters on my shiny, new Kindle. I was ready to press the pretty BUY button when I thought "Hey, how about giving the previews a chance." Good thing, too - the book made little sense and I didn't like the main character...at all.

I love compelling beginnings, and with two murders in the opening chapters--one from the victim's point of view and the other from a hitwoman's viewpoint--I knew I'd be in for a good read. After her mission, Nadia Stafford returns to normal life as owner of a nature lodge in Ontario, unaware that a serial killer's creating more victims in American cities. This changes, though, when an associate shows up to ask for Nadia's help in stopping the "Helter Skelter" killer.

Authorities and professional assassins believe the killer's a hitman, which is causing a major headache for both sides. Hitmen are being picked up by cops, there's a work slow-down and worry that livelihoods will dry up altogether. If it wasn't for Nadia, I wouldn't care about the plight of hitmen, but author Kelley Armstrong has created such a unique, conflicted, and complex character, I had to know how Nadia would deal with the situation.

Other hitmen are recruited to help, but since these people aren't team players by nature, this leads to more interesting conflict, not to mention some memorable characters. With every chapter, the suspense grows stronger, relationships more intense, the hunt more dangerous, and the stakes higher. By the last third, it's nearly impossible to put the book down.

Although I had problems with one or two points of logic, EXIT STRATEGY is a suspenseful, memorable read, and I look forward to reading more about Nadia.

I love this book! I am a fan of Ms. Armstrong's Otherworld novels as well, but Exit Strategy is my favorite novel of hers. Although I am not usually a fan of crime thrillers, mysteries, or suspense type novels, I still adore this book because the characters are so well written and believable. I have read this novel several times now and it just never gets old to me.

I am also really excited because I just read on the author's website that the sequel, Made to be Broken, is coming out next year... I can't wait! :)

While the book opens strikingly similar to a Barry Eisler book, the rest of it is refreshing. I really enjoyed the 30-something female. Kelley Armstrong takes the time to develop the character and leaves you wanting more about her other character Jack. Jack's speech pattern is annoying, but that's part of his character.

A good read (for a non fancy book), especially if you're a fan of Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Victoria Laurie, etc.

Unbelievably, I think I loved this book even more than Bitten and Broken. And the only thing I want to know is, when's the next one?!?!?

These two authors are fantastic. I can't recommend their books too highly. Fantastic read, all of them.

I've read most of their work and Pendergast is one of my favorite modern day literary characters, but this was one of their weaker efforts. It dragged in the middle and seemed to sidetrack a bit too much and lacked the punch I usually expect. The end was very good reading and a setup for their next book Dance of Death which I have already picked up and will start on right away.

Brimstone was a fabulous, easy to read tale that is exactly what we've all come to expect from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I haven't read a Preston/Child book since Riptide and had forgotten how great their work is. Brimstone is a great tale that lets the supernatural-leaning part of your mind run wild with suspicions and a little bit of fear as the book reintroduces Agent Pendergast and Vincent DaGosta to us all over again.

Brimstone takes who from the frenzy of New York City to the charm of Italy. Our heroes are again pitted against some vile enemies as they attempt to solve two bizarre murders in New York and another in Italy. Brimstone allowed my imagination to run rampant as it led me skillfully through the story. With the back story always running, keeping my hooked, I have now picked up the books that follow Brimstone so that I can find out what happens.--That's it though, no more spoiler!

Brimstone is a great book, not only for fans of Preston/Child, but also for anyone who enjoys a good read and wants to get their head into a book and away from the world for a few hours.

Timothy Lassiter, author of Three Degrees of Separation and The Devil You Know

I took this book with me on a trip for a beach read. Being a Preston and Child fan, I looked forward to reading another Pendergast mystery. However, unusual for me, I had a hard time getting into this book. There was the initial hook of the first murder, but after that the book lost me for a bit and I found myself re-reading pages that I seemed to have skimmed over and not comprehended (I thought from boredom). But, I have to truthfully admit that the lure of the landscapes in Costa Rica probably played a large role in that boredom with a book! Once I knuckled down and paid attention to the storyline, it was a standard P&C effort, though in my opinion, not their best.

Another tale in the life of Special Agent Pendergast - and this time he's gotten quite annoying. In this book he really comes off as snotty and condescending, and his attitude towards Sergeant D'Agasta is borderline reprehensible. The basic storyline, however, was intriguing - until they started to throw in a lot of "side-stories" with the Reverend that really amounted to nothing but a bit a filler fluff to draw out the tension in the main storyline. The book would have been much better (albeit shorter) without this inclusion. I did like the fact that the book kept you guessing as to whether supernatural forces were truly at work, and was gratified that the answer, while fantastic and unlikely, was rooted in reality... of a sort. This book would have been much better as a shorter, more streamlined version of itself, but nevertheless was worth the read.

Inspector Chen, hero of Qiu Xiaolong's novel Red Mandarin Dress, has a weak stomach. He does not like the odd delicacies offered at receptions and traditional Chinese restaurants, such as live boiled turtle soup and live braised monkey's brain. However, to trap his suspect into a confession, he sets up a horrible banquet with "cruel food", dishes to make even the greatest gourmand squirm. He toys with the suspect, stage-managing the scene, and finally revealing the strange and shocking truth.
AN INSECURE BUT SUCCESSFUL SLEUTH
Chen is a mesmerising sleuth. He is insecure, self-indulgent and prone to symptoms of anxiety. He likes poetry and literary analysis and his police department colleagues cannot quite understand him. "Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau was startled out of his dream by an early phone call...He had stayed up late last night night writing a letter to a friend in Beijing, quoting a Tang dynasty poet, to say what he found difficult to say in his own words." (5) But he is also kind-hearted, highly observant, intuitive, persistent and clever. No reader of a mystery can ask for more, other than a gripping plot and dramatic denouement, which the novel does possess.
MURDERS ON A CLASSICAL THEME
Red Mandarin Dress is the fifth Inspector Chen novel, all of which are set in present day Shanghai. A pretty girl is found dead, wearing nothing but a red cheongsam , a classical mandarin dress. These used to be worn by high society women and were made of silk, with small buttons, a high collar and a slit high up the thigh. While the police are tracing the identity of victim no. 1, another girl is found dead in the same type of dress, and then another. Fearing a serial killer is roaming the city, Inspector Chen is specially commissioned to trace the murderer.
As he follows the leads, the reader is taken into the hidden neighbourhoods, old buildings and traditional venues of old Shanghai, and the brothels, bars and restaurants owned by the nouveau riche of modern Shanghai. "Peng - nicknamed the Number One Shanghai Big Buck - was one of the earliest and most successful developers. Since party officials determined land price and allocation, corruption swarmed around like flies chasing blood."(6)
The clue to the mystery is the cheongsam dresses worn by the victims. This is one element which makes the novel idiosyncratically Chinese. Another is the pervasive party politics - Inspector Chen and his Department cannot make a move without the involvement of high-ranking party officials and informants. "That particular committee, a new institution under the Shanghai People's Congress, exercised no direct authority over him, but Zhang, higher in the Party cadre rank, had never contacted him before, let alone called him at home." (5)
PLOTTING AROUND POLITICS AND REVOLUTION
The plot is as much a political game as it is a game of hide-and-seek. Chen does not veer away from calamitous political events in China's history, such as the Cultural Revolution. Today, the Cultural Revolution is seen by most people inside and outside China, including the Communist Party of China and Chinese democracy movement supporters, as an unmitigated disaster, and as an event to be avoided in the future. Authors may avoid writing about shameful episodes in the histories of nations - especially when penning a jolly good thriller - since it could be seen as unfashionable, unpalatable and possibly even politically incorrect. Not so Qiu Xiaolong, who subtly and movingly connects his characters to the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath. Qiu suggests that the unwillingness to remember and commemorate this tragedy may result in repressed thoughts of revenge that could manifest themselves in murder.
The author's descriptions of the Cultural Revolution and the fear, humiliation and persecution that most Chinese experienced during that time has a personal foundation. The novel is dedicated to Qiu's "...elder brother, Xiaowei - but for luck, what happened to him during the Cultural Revolution could have happened to me."
CRUEL FOOD AND CULTURE
Another recurring theme is that of traditional cuisine, interwoven with the theme of classical Chinese literature and philosophy, subjects that were outlawed during the Cultural Revolution. "On his way there, a bought a Jinhua ham wrapped in the special tung paper, following a tradition as early as Confucius's time."(9) Chen, a former student of English literature, embarks on an MA programme in Classical Chinese literature as an excuse to escape being assigned an awkward case. His first study is on the theme of "thirsty illness" in Tang Dynasty poetry. Researching his paper, Chen - and the reader - come to understand the link between romantic love, obsession and the killer's thirst for revenge.
Red Mandarin Dress is not "un-put-down-able" but it is a gripping, quick read. The images which Qiu Xiaolong creates stay with you long after you have put down the book - especially the cruel food. The language is fluent, elegant, unfiltered by translation, and does not impede the reader from understanding the foreign and unusual settings and characters.

The Red Mandarin Dress is the fifth book in the Inspector Chen series and Xiaolong returns to the story and plot which made the first in the series such a good read. However, that first book, Death of a Red Heroine is still the best in this series. None of the follow up books equals its sense of time and place and more detailed characterizations. Yet this series of books is a guilty pleasure because of the characters and staging, Shanghai in the 1990s as China transforms itself from communism and Cultural Revolution to a kind of corrupt crony capitalism. In Mandarin Dress Xiaolong seems to make the assumption you have read previous books in the series as he spends no time on character introduction and I suggest you begin by reading each in order. The big failing here again is that Xiaolong spends little time in more fully defining the various characters and letting them grow. This book is almost totally a police procedural novel with a plot (killer) the reader can guess at long before Inspector Chen solves the case. But it has always been the getting there rather than the surprise that makes these books work. Xiaolong is not a great writer as he uses sharp sentences without much nuance to move the case/plot along. Yet Chen is still such an interesting invention, here he takes a vacation to write a masters thesis in literature only to be drawn into catching Shanghai's first serial killer. This series might be an acquired taste but I know I will be picking up the next book with the hope that Chen's partner Yu, Yu's wife Peiqin and Chen's new girl friend White Cloud are more fully developed perhaps with their own story becoming a more important part of the next case for Inspector Chen.

This book is more than a good read. It's psychologically intriguing and historically informative. Qui Xiaolong makes sure Inspector Chen's character never stagnates, that it changes from novel to novel. The red mandarin dress plot at the center of this latest thriller is seductive, disturbing and entertaining all at the same time. A great novel!

It's regrettable that Qiu Xiaolong ran out of credible plots two novels back, and started to substitute melodrama and sensationalism instead. Chen Cao was once a credible, and even likeable, character, but seems to have become an excuse for poorly contrived soap operas rather than detective novels with any convincing or challenging features. These last two novels have read like a badly written guide to recent Chinese history, mediocre cuisine, and the nasty habits of the Chinese entrepreneurial class. Too often, the "information" provided is gratuitous, does not move the plot forward, and leaves a sour taste in the mouth. A case in point is the live monkey brain dish that Qiu introduces in Red Mandarin Dress. Other than being revolting, it does nothing to advance the plot forward, and suggests an author who simply does not know how to construct an exciting mystery. Chen's conversations are increasingly pedantic monologues, while his insight into the Chinese femme fatale is so massively cliched that it is a joke to suggest that Chen is any sort of scholar. I'd suggest reading the first two novels in the series, and then forgetting the rest. Don't waste time on a writer who is peddling exotic Chinese soap operas rather than worthwhile, intelligent fiction.

To the ranks of such modern-day fictional detectives as Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko and P.D. James's Adam Dalgliesh, add Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen. RED MANDARIN DRESS presents Qiu's irrepressible Shanghai police inspector in his fifth crime novel along with his familiar cast of side characters from those earlier works. Like Arkady Renko, Chen is a loner and a thinker, a dogged deducer and a clever intuitionist whose case approach marks him as idiosynchratic among his peers. Like Renko, Chen lives alone, dresses somewhat lackadaisically, appeases his superiors just enough so he can ignore them, and generally follows the proverbial beat of his own drummer. Like Adam Dalgliesh, Chen is a literary detective, well educated and given to studying and writing poetry.

RED MANDARIN DRESS opens with the appearance of a young woman's murdered body, found posed in a flowerbed on a very public Shanghai street. The dead woman, Jasmine, was a hotel worker, living an utterly nondescript life, but she is found wearing a torn red mandarin dress, usually called a qipao or cheongsam, in the classic Chinese style: high collar, full length, body hugging, side slit to the thigh. Hers is a vintage design, however, dating back to the days before the Cultural Revolution. Exactly one week later, another young woman is found murdered, dressed the same way and left in another very public Shanghai location. Another week passes, and a third body appears, and then a fourth, one of Chen's associates who had agreed to work undercover. At the same time Shanghai is gripped by its first publicly reported serial murder case, Inspector Chen is asked to follow another case involving public corruption in a real estate development. He is also experiencing a sort of dual existential and career crisis. Should he continue as a police detective or return to his first intellectual love, Tang Dynasty poetry, for which he is trying to write a paper analyzing the treatment of women in three such poems?

As the detective story moves inexorably toward its climactic face-off between Chen and the murderer, Qiu treats the reader with a fascinating introduction to Tang Dynasty poetry, a core element of Chinese culture. He juxtaposes Chen's paper's theme of "thirsty illness," a literal reference to diabetes but a metaphorical reference to romantic love, with the killer's own thirsty illness for revenge. Along the way, Qiu inserts additional elements of decidedly non-Chinese Freudian psychological theory into Chen's search for a serial killer's motives. Chen is no Sherlock Holmes, magically pulling a rabbit out of a hatful of clues; rather, he is more bloodhound, catching a faint scent and following it determinedly to its eventful conclusion.

What makes Qiu Xiaolong's stories stand out as more than just mystery novels is his exemplary folding of Chinese history abd culture into his work. References to Tang Dynasty poetry and the mass criticism of Wang Guangmei (as wife of President Liu Shaoqi, China's "First Lady") during the Cultural Revolution bring elements of those eras to life and introduce the reader to their place in the Chinese psyche. Inspector Chen's interactions with other characters exemplify such fascinating aspects of Chinese life as the importance of connections (guangxi) and the exchanging of favors. Qiu delves as well into the mystique of Chinese/Asian women as threatening to men, the predatory femme fatale. The role of food in Chinese culture also plays a major role in RED MANDARIN DRESS, including the book's climax that takes place over what has to be one of literature's strangest dinner menus.

Readers may want to take special note of this book's dedication: "To my elder brother, Xiaowei - but for luck, what happened to him during the Cultural Revolution could have happened to me." It is more than coincidental that this line repeats itself at the end of Chapter 30. Qiu Xiaolong, who has lived in the United States since 1989 and writes his stories in English, lived through those dark days of Mao's rule. As he writes on his website, his family had a 1960's magazine with a photo of a young boy and his mother, dressed in a red qipao, looking off into a glorious horizon above the caption, "Mother, Let's Go There." Qiu notes that he sometimes identified himself with the young boy from that picture and later wondered what happened to mother and son during the Cultural Revolution and beyond. Thus the kernel of the story line for RED MANDARIN DRESS, as much a fascinating literary and cultural study of past and present China as it is a first-rate mystery novel. Highly recommended even for those, like me, who are not avid fans of mystery stories.

I love Encyclopedia Brown books! I got hooked on them in 5th grade and I still love them!

This is an awesome book. It comes in hardback for a great price and it is huge. I already owned the 1st volume of sherlock holmes too.
The only dispute I had was that this volume and the first volume overlap.
So up to page like 400 or something were stories I had already read in the first volume. But, the second half of the book were stories I had never read, and all in all it was a satisfactory product.

It is a very good idea to publish all Sherlock Holmes' adventures in a
single volume.
Everyone who likes to read about solving crime mysteries in Victorian
England will be delighted.
I strongly recommend this book.

As a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I really liked reading the four novels and fifty-six short stories contained in this book. However, the type is smaller than I would have liked so if you have poor vision I would advise you purchase the novels separately. Also, after reading through the book a second time, the binding started to warp and a few pages came out. Therefore, if you plan to give this book a lot of use, it might not last.

Here, in a single volume authorized by the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, are the definitive versions of the 56 short stories and four novels about Doyle's most famous literary character, Sherlock Holmes. Together, the stories and novels comprise what is still the finest collection of English language detective fiction in existence. Sherlock Holmes, whose first appearance in print was in 1887, continues to fill the public mind as the iconic private detective. Holmes and his friend and collaborator Dr. Watson enjoy a continuing existence in various film adaptations of the original stories, most notably Grenada Television's recent series starring Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke.

This volume opens with an excellent introductory essay by Christopher Morley, which puts both the Holmes legend and his creater in perspective. Following is the initial Holmes story, "A Study in Scarlet", which introduces us to Dr. Watson, formerly a medical officer in the British Army, now on half-pay convalescence as a result of a wound suffered in Afghanistan. Dr. Watson needs a roommate. A mutual aquaintance introduces him to one Sherlock Holmes, a self-styled consulting detective. Watson becomes interested in one of Holmes'cases, and we the readers are off and running. After "The Sign of Four", the "Adventures" and the "Memoirs", Conan Doyle tried to kill off his very popular character to make room for other literary projects. Popular pressure compelled Doyle to resurrect Holmes, who went on to star in the "Return", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "The Valley of Fear", "His Last Bow", and "The Casebook."

The formula is familiar to Sherlock Holmes fans. A card, letter, or visitor to 221-B Baker Street typically introduces a new case with some unusual or bizarre element worthy of the eccentric Holmes's special skills and collaboration with Dr. Watson, his endlessly patient friend and nominal biographer to the British public. The story settings are typically London or some private home or school in England; two stories have flashback settings in the United States. If the stories are very much set in late Victorian and Edwardian England, they continue to translate well to a modern audience.

For this reviewer, perhaps the quintessional story is the short novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" with its plot of a ancient family seemingly haunted by a deadly curse involving a spectral hound that turns out to have a very real presence in the physical world. This novel nicely balances first person and epistolatory narrative by Dr. Watson, building from the initial scenes in London to a thrilling climax on remote and wild Dartmoor.

This complete collection of Sherlock Holmes is very highly recommended to fans of the famous detective and to those persons who so far know Holmes only through movies or the TV series.

This is a classic. Sherlock Holmes is my favorite detective of all time and this book will have a permanent place in my library. I do not mind the small print. I love the convenience of having all his works in one volume.

This is the final Martha's Vineyard mystery written by Philip R. Craig and it contains an intriguing story about murder on the idealic island. I have read the entire series and looked forward to each new publication. This last tale does not disappoint except for the sad realization that the joy of author Craig's wonderful stories about the Jackson Family have come to a close. It's like losing a dear friend. I recommend for anyone unfamiliar with this series to start at the beginning with the books written in the 1990s.

The last of a great series of Craig books. The reader truly feels as if the characters are a part of their everyday life.

The death of Philip R. Craig leaves a big void to those of us who cherished his Martha Vineyard Mystery Series. However, even though he wrote this during his final illness, he didn't disappoint. His story, his characterizations, everything was pure Craig, down to the treasured recipes he always included at the end of his novels. I will always miss the further adventures of J.W. Jackson and his family, friends, neighbors and cohorts but "Vineyard Chill" was a good ending to this series....if it had to end.

VINEYARD CHILL is Philip R. Craig's last submitted manuscript prior to his death in 2007. It is my first acquaintance with Jefferson W. Jackson and this engaging cozy series. When I finished reading it I ordered the first two--maybe there will be another from this fine author.
The pace is swift and the sleuthing is subtle. The crackling dialogue between the characters make them someone you'd enjoy joining for a beer even if you can't stand the taste.
I enjoyed the quite references to characters and other works, it gave me that kinship of visiting with old friend around a blazing fire in the dead of winter. The side trips into family life for year-rounders when all the tourists and weekenders have returned home makes me want to share my copy with neighbors.
A great read for a warm September. I finished it on the front porch with a glass of ice tea.
Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

Jefferson ["J. W."] Jackson has been married to his second wife, Zee, for ten years. [As he says, "Zee and I had both been married before but had survived to try again, successful examples of the triumph of hope over experience."] They have a ten-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter and two cats ["Oliver Underfoot" and "Velcro"] and live year-round in Martha's Vineyard. The novel opens in mid-winter, a time when the area is quiet, with the usual hordes of tourists nowhere in sight. J.W. receives a call followed by an equally unexpected visit from his old friend, Clay Stockton, an "adventurer" looking for a safe place to stay after being involved in some less-than-legal activities in the States. His arrival portends an end to the uneventful winter.

Also livening things up - not in a good way - is the discovery by J.W.'s friend, Bonzo, of a bird's nest apparently comprised of human hair, and the suspicion is that it is that of a young woman who had gone missing nearly a year ago. Nadine Gibson was a beautiful twenty-two year old who worked with Bonzo and who had last been seen when she left for home one night after work and apparently disappeared. Bonzo is described by J.W. as follows: "Long before I'd met him, he'd gotten into some bad acid and had doomed himself to a life of gentle preadolescence...I wondered, not for the first time, if he was really worse off for having taken the bad acid that changed him from a promising young man into an eternal child. His life was simple, his emotions fresh and innocent, and his innate goodness was never altered by the random evils of life. He remembered the good things and, for the most part, forgot the bad." But he becomes a suspect, and J.W. decides to investigate. He is a former Boston PD cop who retired after deciding "to let somebody else save the world," so has the knowledge and experience to do so.

The writing in this book is completely enchanting, the delight in reading it overshadowed frequently by melancholy knowing that of the nineteen novels in the Martha's Vineyard Mystery series written by Philip R. Craig, this was unfortunately the last: The author passed away in May of 2007. [Mr. Craig also co-wrote three books with William G. Tapply.] All lovers of language are urged to read as many of these as they can get their hands on - they are all gems. Of J.W.'s friend, Clay, the author says: "...among his other talents, he had that of a teller of tales, who could weave words into a web that captured his listeners and held them until his story ended." The same can be said of Mr. Craig.

When I'm into a good read, I will have that book by my side until it's finished.. I put this book down for 5 days and nearly forgot about it! If that tells you much..
I have been caught in a spell of finding horribly boring books lately, where this book was recommended as "an amazing story." How could you go wrong with that?, I thought. Yeah well, to my disappointment, I was bored through this entire book. There were so many different characters and names to remember, I got lost a nearly gave up in the beginning. Forcing myself to finish the book, I was hoping for a possible twist ending to wake me up, but that never happened. I ended up skipping about 30-40 pgs to get to the last chapter -just to see how it ends (so I could start on a real page turner). Little to my surprise it was a depressing ending. How do books like these get published? Honestly!?

He makes the books very exciting and I just want to hurry and read it so I know how it ends. To keep a person attached to a book like that takes a lot of talent, and he's got it.

This book was better than Dark Harbor (the first and most recent book I have read from this author), but not much better. I like Woods' style of writing, it is quick and to the point, but his plots are so ridiculous, it's hard to get through. His books should be half as long because all his characters go around in circles about a dozen times. He's got to come up with some better names: Stone? Arrington? Dino? Ippolito? Barrington? C'mon, buddy.

What else can I say, it's slightly less stupid than Dark Harbor. Stone really needs to dump Arrington and get a better friend than Dino.

This book doesn't have any plot twists or multiple suspects to care about. And the direction he gets the reader to go in from the beginning is never touched upon until the last four pages.

Stuart Woods can write really good novels like "Chiefs", but this is not close to that quality. However, it is an entertaining and moderately exciting read. Not the author's best, but readable and enjoyable.

Wow, what an amazing book - it starts with a splash (literally) in the prologue, where we find Stone Barrington, bound with duct tape, being chained to an anchor, then summarily thrown into the Pacific. Flashback to New York: he receives a phone call from Vance Calder - Arrington is missing, can Stone come to LA right away? At first Stone demurs, then Vance throws in the kicker - Arrington is pregnant. Whose baby is it? Not even Arrington knows. When Stone gets to LA, however, Vance is behaving a bit peculiarly, and suddenly Stone finds himself being distracted from the case - first by being abruptly cast for a role in the movie that Vance is filming (much to Stone's horror and embarassment!), then by Vance's secretary . . . then by a girl he finds who looks a great deal like Arrington and who, strangely, is driving Arrington's car. The twists and turns keep coming as Stone runs up against some major Mafia movers and shakers without even knowing why (and his reaction - and revenge - is hysterically funny).

This was a page-turner, no doubt. I enjoyed watching Stone enjoy himself out in La La land (as he called it) and hope to see him make another trip "out west" again in the future!

I like Robert Parker's Spenser novels, and have read almost all of them. The early ones are quite good, but the ones after 1990 or so are pretty much a mixed bag.

STARDUST is pretty much a by-the-numbers effort, about Spenser's attempts to bodyguard an incredibly famous TV actress, who just happens to be the most neurotic, promiscuous woman on the planet. This book is mildly funny and entertaining, but not particularly original or exciting. It doesn't help that the TV actress character isn't the least bit sympathetic. The dialogues between Spenser-Susan and Spenser-Hawk are pretty much the same old stuff Parker has written many times before.

There's little in this novel you won't find in other, better Spenser books. My advice is to try those books and forget about STARDUST.

I usually enjoy the Spenser books, but "Stardust" was really disappointing. I didn't like the Jill character at all, so it was impossible for me to care about her and/or what happened to her. Too bad Spenser didn't walk away from this case at the get-go.

Also, is anybody else sick of Susan's perfection? And the way she eats - or doesn't eat, I guess would be more correct - makes me cringe.

I'll go on to the next Spenser and hope it's better than this one, and also hope that Spenser and Susan don't go to any restaurants.

Spenser is hired by Zenith Meridian Television to protect their star television personality, Jill Joyce - who says she has been receiving harassing telephone calls and letters. When Spenser tries to find out more about these calls, Jill refuses to elaborate - insisting, however, that he protect her from "Him," as she calls her stalker, while all the while refusing to answer any questions relating to details about the problem, her past or pretty much anything at all and at the same time alternating between trying to get Spenser into bed and drinking herself into a torpor. Finally Spenser leaves her in Hawk's care and sets out to find out what he can on his own.

Jill is probably one of the least appealing people Spenser has ever set out to "save." He, however, sets out with great patience nonetheless, to do just that. He follows every lead, steps on toes from the East to the West coast in the process, has his life threatened several times and finally gets to the bottom of the situation. It ain't pretty.

Of course, you'll have to read the book to find out what happens.

I enjoyed this story, mostly because the character dynamics were so interesting. Jill Joyce was so terribly unpleasant, yet at the same time she engendered great sympathy and loyalty among so many people that it was really unbelievable. As one character remarked, she had a "quality" about her, something deep inside her that got buried under the booze and drugs. Parker did a good job with his writing skills of showing that vulnerability as well as the prickly and unpleasant exterior. Very good job. Strong recommend from me.

Two stars because Parker is able to write, zero for plot (what plot?) characters(Puh-leeze). I tripped over this in the library needing an easy read. What amazes me is that this was apparently a popular series in the 80's. So much for the 80's. Spenser and Susan are so superior to the rest of the human race we should all be ashamed. They are witty, they are sensitive, they are honest, they are loving, they are perfect. As a natural offshoot of this they are tiresome, they are snide, they are racist, they are class-driven in their outlook and tastes. They are, frankly, very creepy. Anyway I guess something happens in the novel, I was too sick to stay around.

What might burn to what purification and perfection, within the ashes of impoverished beginnings ...

Again, a Spenser novel kept my focus away from the snow-packed, icy curves of a Rocky Mountain corridor over the Continental Divide on Colorado State highway 50, edging the high, steep cliffs over Monarch Pass. If any feat would recommend the ability of a novel to hold a reader captive, that should.

The fascination in this # 17 in the series seemed to pivot around a flickering disgust Vs appeal of the Star of the plot, Jill Joyce, as those dark/bright flashes played through Jill's evolving relationships with Spenser, Susan, and residual characters, who mostly viewed "Jillie" as a "high-octane pain in the ..." (quoting one the book's descriptive terms of her). Parker worked an amazing double-sided realism into the plot, contrasting Jill's spoiled, impatient, sour personality; to her youthful vulnerabilities, her having not one true friend, and her carrying the weight of the job title's specific and actual demands. With drunk, druggie, an nympho added to the liabilities in this Star's aura, the scales slipped south, and provided Spenser with a challenge he couldn't refuse. I may have left out a couple descriptive terms of the down side of Jill Joyce's personality, but guessing what they might be would be a snap.

STARDUST is a classic character study, and an excellent example of fine writing, especially given Parker's vivid, delightfully sardonic descriptions of various settings, descriptions based on weather conditions and wealth divergence, contrasting Boston and surrounding areas with the San Diego and LA extended environments.

During the writing of my previous review on PLAYMATES, # 16 in this series, I began noticing an edge of embarrassment about my ongoing compulsion to write reviews on each novel in the Spenser series. Therefore, I seem to be pushed at the moment by a nag from my Left Brain to explain personal and professional motivations in feeding the continued pursuit of this "study." Actually, that's precisely what my dedication to reviewing this series has become, a study. I feel blessed to be able to observe three decades (and counting) of cultural evolution through Parker's liberal notations of styles of dress, tastes in food, ways of thinking, repartee dance-steps, etc. Yet, I'm making note of much more than that.

I'm observing the steady, methodical, dedicated evolution of an author's voice, talent, perspective, and ethical philosophy ... over thirty years of annual production in a sequential offering repeating characters, locale, and genre.

I'm observing "current" events unfolding within Parker's plots. I'm noticing subtle publisher presence and reader preference as that backdrop appears to play into Parker's choices of subject, theme, and style variances in each novel in this chain adding links upon links of evolving ethical considerations.

My interest was maintained well in STARDUST as my curiosity grew about how Spenser could save this child, who was screeching in repulsively offensive ways, for someone to take care of her, someone, anyone to care about anything in her, qualities beyond beauty, which might lie more deeply and lastingly in Jill's soul... someone to care about more than her capacity to draw in dollars. As a prostitute to overwhelming demands on her presence and physical perfection, given nothing truly refueling of self in return; Jill reminded me of Spenser's April Kyle, clearly showing that money, fame, success, and adulation are able to starve the life out of a young heart needing TLC, compassion, and a savior.

As has become Parker's relished signature, several scenes of dialogue exchanges in STARDUST were highly satisfying. One of the cheer inducements I regularly enjoy in a Spenser novel is his ever-growing-repertoire of ways to burst odorous balloons of pompous buffoons who overrate their importance by metaphoric measures of mountains of compost heaps. (See Marty Riggs in this one, especially the scene in chapter 29 with Quirk, regarding Jill having been misplaced. And, for a story about mountains of coal dust and a young Mom starring in a bull-dog win, see Coal & Coca-cola)

And then, we had here the entrance of Victor del Rio and gang-of-two, Chollo and Bobby Horse. Yep, another fascinating bad, bad, bad dude ... with a couple honorable qualities, who related well with Spenser in scene after engrossing scene.

My favorite scene in STARDUST, though, was the one noted above, with Riggs, Quirk, a collection of big wigs at Zenith, and Spenser. Quirk gives Riggs a prime-spot-comeuppance to either kill or die for. Parts of that chapter I had to read aloud to my husband. After I had read a couple paragraphs, then asked a few minutes later if he wanted to hear more, his positive pose slid immediately into an ear-toward-my-direction.

The last line in this one could serve as the beginnings of purification of poverty, if not an outright activation of alchemy.

What is Hope,
Linda Shelnutt

Another lively book in the Spenser series. Not great, but very good.

This short novel was the typical Spenser which is to say very good. I enjoy the mix of intellect and toughness of Parker's charachter. A good read as usual.

Great book - I highly recommend it. The vendor sent it very quickly and was in better shape than I expected.

This one played the neon-light-blink, moaning-blues song of the lonely P.I., but with a sugar plum twist of Spenser's ideal of Romantic Love oozing out-of-the-funk. Susan cast a long shadow in the background until Spenser drew her into his Spotlight midway through the plot. Prior to Susan's entrance, The Master P.I. had walked alone. Not even the Hawk had flown there, except for a cool cameo in the plot conclusion. Spenser narrated the soliloquy scene so well at times that the style in THE WIDENING GYRE, # 10 in series, read like a diary dealing with the sad refrain of "Susan's away" (she was in Washington DC, getting her PhD, developing her "Me").

When Susan did arrive in plot ... actually Spenser went to DC were she was solidly steeped into her "schooling"; stuck-in-the-mud of its professional status of mining/mixing ... she and Spencer exchanged a few thought provoking conversations, doodling boarders around Cynicism and Romantic Love. With interesting irony, Susan was the cynic, interpreting each human action/feeling as self-serving. Those conversations, containing several pages of quotable-keepers, set a large segment of the baseline for the evolving Silverman/Spenser mystique. (See chapters 19 & 22, in particular.)

Well prior to those scenes, eighteen-year-old Paul had arrived at Spenser's apartment to share the Thanksgiving holiday, and zinged Spenser with a few passages of "blow-your-socks-off" wisdom about intimacy breaking down Spenser's previously well-contained-and-clearly-coded "me-ness." If nothing else had given me a clue, I would have known Spenser was in a MOOD in this one (entertaining to the reader though not to him) by the dull description of food available, and resultant location of the "Be Thankful" dining event.

I'm glad I didn't miss the touching (and telling) comment Spenser made to one of the Grannies involved in the voyeurism scenes, as he walked away from her after having "saved her bacon" (though no cast iron skillets sizzled in this one).

I enjoyed riding along through Spenser's daily diary submissions about booze and caffeine, describing the ticking of minutes as he struggled to stretch the timing and flavor of his culinary "vices" ... which The Experts had proclaimed bad one year (or decade), good the next. This series is a fascinating vehicle for recalling the years when certain habits emerged with stamps of sanction or sacrilege. From my observations, the 70's were the time of shuffling every card of "Do" and "Don't"; sorting and re-sorting the ups and downs of each trump of life-and-taste, until Flavor Itself, along with Human Nature were condemned as Ultimate Evils.

Such a deal. And that makes sense why?

Sigh. Maybe a decade will arrive in which sanity, or even a useful sentience will emerge from the abused bowels of the human race. Maybe the pseudo varieties of Science will slither down the drains in the dungeons of drudgery, and what's left to pick up from The School floor will clean up into something based on truth instead of in alternate fad pushing (with punishment, $$$, and fame the partially hidden intents).

(An informative, intriguing series of Amazon Shorts is currently available which addresses evolutions around some of this thinking, which was upchucked and overturned in the 70's, then poked and picked to death in the 80's and 90's. In the 00's, we seem to be in a stupor of gyration to the sloshes of aftermath. Is it any wonder this is the outcome of the age which coined "Duh"? The series of which I'm speaking was presented by scientists Gregory Benford and Michael Rose. I've recently reviewed the first 5 of their series of Amazon Shorts.)

I was intrigued by Spenser's play on "Gyre" in his book-front-dedication and quote from William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming." Parker asks, "Can the center hold, or not." That was the question. Spenser seemed to be dramatizing that it can. He added a how and why.

WIDENING GYRE was a classy offering in this cultural landmark of a series. I very much enjoyed the slight-lime-twist on the classic "voice" of the low-key, poor-me, lonely P. I. My thanks to Parker for staying true-to-soul and avoiding another same-ole detective series. That well-established, long-trod genre has abundantly and sensually filled a void with lip-smacking (and bone-shattering) satisfaction. But for me, The World's need for Spenser was/is like its need for gravity.

Bless the same-ole, along with the unique (maybe they need each other),
Linda Shelnutt

Spenser is hired to watch over a Senatorial candidate in this short book. Meade Alexander is a true-blue fundamentalist Christian and his adoring wife is the perfect politician's wife - beautiful and poised. But, as it turns out, she has a dark secret. She tends to get drunk and commit . . . indiscretions. Meade, as it turns out, is being blackmailed, and he asks Spenser to find a way to stop it. Meade does not want his wife to ever know about the blackmail, or even to find out that he knows about her indiscretions.

Spenser unravels the threads that lead him to a drug ring and what appears to be a flourishing black-mail circle. Pulling on the loose threads brings him, unfortunately, to the attention of some very dangerous people.

Spenser is off-balance through a good deal of this book, as Susan Silverman is away, working on her doctorate and this leaves Spenser feeling like he is without his center.

A strong showing in the Spenser story line.