Mystery Crime Books

This story introduces the world to the Lacey Smithsonian series and we witness her metamorphosis from simple fashion reporter into a murder mystery detective. Lacey learns from her stylist, Stella, that there's been a murder in the upscale Washington beauty salon (Stylettos) of a young stylist, Angela Woods. Unfortunately, Angie is found dead in her chair with her throat slit and a vicious butt cut -all of her beautiful long hair has been cut off and is missing. As Lacey points out at the crime scene - "And they say you can't die from a bad haircut."! The police classify it a suicide. Lacey's no fool - she makes some keen observations right away and although she is at first reluctant to get involved, as time goes by and the clues accumulate, never mind Stella's nagging insistence; Lacey takes on the mystery and still finds time to write her Crimes of Fashion feature in the Washington paper, The Daily Eye Observer and tries to stay in the (almost) good graces of Mac, her editor.

We find out that Angie's murder may somehow be connected with her having made over a Washington political staff member who made headlines after being involved in a sex scandal - she was supposed to have been Angie's last client, but she cancelled at the last minute just before Angie's murder took place.

We get a glimpse into Lacey's romantic life and learn of her history with Vic, the cop-turned-security-expert that was unavailable when Lacey first met him and now he's back in town and she wonders if the time is finally right but it seems that there is someone else interested in Vic's affections and it's a fight to the finish to find out who will win his heart.

This is my first foray into mystery chick lit - I was curious to see how an author could present a story and get you to feel for the characters and at the same time pinpoint a crime; therein creating the mystery and still find time to provide hints and tie it all together and I must say that Ellen Byerrum did it very well! There were many twists and turns in this story as Lacey stays on the killer's trail - she's even attacked while walking in the park and we fear that Lacey may become the killer's next victim!

I also liked the way that the characters spoke, especially Lacey - staccato -like the street wise heroines of old movies. It was typical of the way that you might expect beat-cops to speak. I also loved the way Lacey dresses - her use of vintage fashions - again, a nod to femme fatales in the movies of the forties. Ellen Byerrum presents a lot of characters from the very beginning, so at first it was hard to figure out which ones to really concentrate on. However, the book was fast paced and kept me reading and in the end, I did enjoy a good story.

This is a fun summer read. Lacy Smithsonian is cute, smart and funny! I look forward to reading the rest of the books in these series!

It takes a lot to get me motivated to stick with a mystery series. This series is fun; has a strong lead female character; and, always has a great plot/storyline. The characters are real and very entertaining. There is romance and cute little excerpts about fashion. I would highly recommend this series.

While this book may not be great literature, it surely is funny, and kept my attention from beginning to end. It is a good mystery, as it took me a while to figure out the culprit, but then, it made sense. I liked the wordplay between the characters, and the way the protagonist inserted herself into situations where she knew she didn't belong, just to get information. Good read!

This book has a very slow start. I was more than halfway into the book before it started getting exciting. The romance part of the book never really takes off. The character names were just too silly. I was expecting more fashion oriented dialogue than the book delivers. Overall, it was an okay book.

Like some of the other reviewers here, I grew up on the Trixie Belden books, and I also dreamed of being a member of the Bob-Whites! Being a horse-lover, too, the fact that they all rode horses was an added bonus.

I agree that Trixie and the gang were "real" characters: they teased each other, had spats, screwed up at times, and each had a distinct personality, yet all were extremely lovable. I especially always enjoyed the bantering b/t Trixie and her know-it-all brother, Mart. Yet for all the teasing you knew they really loved each other. I was an only child, and although I did have a close friend like Honey, I would've loved to have brothers like Trixie's Brian & Mart, and Honey's adopted brother, Jim.

I am so happy that Trixie and the gang are not considered too "old-fashioned" to appeal to a new generation. These books are truly ageless and timeless. I still have my original collection from when I was a kid (won't say my age, but that was many, many moons ago). I cherish them, will never part with them, and I STILL re-read them every so often, and STILL enjoy them immensely.

There were many Trixie Belden books after the original six by Julie Campbell, but IMO the ones by Julie Campbell are the best.

Thirteen-year-old Trixie Belden couldn't be more shocked to believe that she's stuck in boring old Sleepyside for the summer, while her two older brothers are away at camp. But then a millionaire moves into the mansion next door, and he has a daughter Trixie's age, named Honey Wheeler. Soon, the two girls have embarked on an adventure to see whether a ghost truly lives in the house nearby which Trixie has christened, the Miser's Mansion. But what they find is really no ghost at all, but rather a teenage boy named Jim, whose runaway from home, and is looking for his great-Uncle, who just happens to be Trixie's miser. Now the two girls and their new friend are searching for a so-called fortune within the walls of the Miser's Mansion, and having a not-so-boring summer after all.

I have been a fan of the NANCY DREW and BOBBSEY TWINS mysteries for years, so when I came across the TRIXIE BELDEN series in the store recently, I just knew that I had to try it out. Luckily, I am pleased to report, the series is as good as everyone said it would be. Trixie is an adorable character who is hardheaded, and brave, while sensitive and kind at the same time. Her vivacious personality brings the story to life, as do the quirky personalities of her friends, and the lovely black and white drawings contained within the book. Fans of NANCY DREW and the BOBBSEY TWINS will find themselves flocking to the new re-printing of the TRIXIE BELDEN books, and begging for more.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

This book is the best book I ever read! It is a wonderful book to start off the series of Trixie Belden.

This was my first time reading a Trixie Belden book and I enjoyed it immensely! In this book, Trixie meets a new friend, Honey, who moves in next door. While exploring an old mansion with Honey, they discover a runaway boy. He has runaway from his stepfather, who treats him cruelly.
These stories are cliffhangers! I love them and advise you to read them all, as I plan to do.

This story is one of my fave series because I love misterys so much. This book is about a girl and has nothing to do in the summer time in till she meats Hunny her best friend and thats the begining of the misterys! READ IT NOW!

Giving Powell every opportunity to pull out all his artistic chops, CHINATOWN gives readers of THE GOON some more backstory and a chance to see Powell cut loose. The Goon has always reminded me of early Popeye comics, with outrageous visuals and a rough hewn hero, (Of course Popeye wasn't a crime boss, who destroys zombies and people that annoy him, but you get the point.) but this book amps up the serious aspects of the comic and shows that under this kind of scrutiny the humor is a necessary component; The Goon as a melodrama doesn't quite cut it. For fans, it's worth the purchase for some answers to lingering questions about the character and to see some of Powell's best artwork. But this is not the place for the casual reader to start; it doesn't really give an indication of the outrageous humor that balances out the book's darker tendencies.

Chinatown allows us to flashback to the oh so tantalizing hints we have gotten in previous episodes about how Chinatown impacted the Goon and how he looks at the world these days. It also has a parallel story running at the current time, this one has a dame in it just like Chinatown did. In both, he is rebuffed by a woman who he tries to open up to or fall in love with. The title of this story could have been Dames and would have been an accurate picture of things. We also get to revisit some of his memories of his Aunt, the Carny who took him in as a child, perhaps the only woman in his life who never turned on him but ended up dead instead.
I have to admit I agree with all the reviews here, despite the fact that there seems to be two sets of thinking with the four I have read. This is a serious piece with none of the comedy elements found in every other Goon story I have seen so far. I like how that plays in relation to the entire Goon saga. Eric Powell has shown touches of emotional depth in previous episodes and this ones shows us even more about what has made the Goon who he is, but it still did not go far enough. Much of the "why's?" of what happens in this tale are still shrouded in mystery. We are educated, finally, about why Chinatown is such a dark spot in the Goon's history but we still do not understand the details. We know about as much as the Goon does in the end, as to why this woman or that did what they did, rather than gaining any further insights. Don't get me wrong, it still works here, because I appreciate the overall story quite a bit and this fits in quite nicely. It is not, as another reviewer stated, a good place for a newcomer to join in, because this certainly does not give a taste of what the Goon is normally all about, but for those who are fans, this tale definitely fits quite nicely in the Goon universe. Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The most interesting thing about Eric Powell's _Goon_ series is that every volume manages to explore new territory, happily mish-mashing genres and tones together into a rolling zombie horror gangster comedy surprise. The one thing he hadn't tried -- up until now -- was a straight up serious character drama without any of the trademark off-the-wall humor that's made the series such a success. Even the darker, more horror-laden and psychology-wrought tales, like "The Vampire Dame Had to Die," had extensive comic interludes. Adding to the challenge is that woven throughout prior volumes of the series, there have been on-and-off references to "Chinatown," all generally of the "at least that wasn't as bad as Chinatown" / "Don't even bring up Chinatown" variety.

So in telling the story of "Chinatown," Mr. Powell faced a dual challenge: he had to tell a straight-up dramatic story without the zany comedy that has been the series hallmark, and that story had to live up to six volume's worth of foreshadowing.

The challenge is met and exceeded. "Chinatown" lives up to the billing set for it in prior comics, and functions on its own, dramatically, as an exploration of Goon's bitter, driven personality. This is a must-read volume for any fan of the series.

Powell's The Goon has consistently been one of my favorite comics since I first discovered it in trade form. I fell in love with its wit and dark humor throughout and its ability to deliver a delightfully intense and serious story. What makes Chinatown stand out from the bi-monthly series thus far is its serious tone. The very first page states "This Ain't Funny." There is no other statement that could bluntly put how serious this book is and how much it refuses to be anything but. Powell went all out to describe the heartbreak that leads Goon to who he is today and how he acquired the scar upon his face. I enjoy the comedy that constantly spouts out within the regular series, but I have to say that Mr. Powell knows how to spin an amazing yard without all the humor that is usually my favorite part of the regular series. All I have to say is "Well Done" and I look forward to reading more of The Goon when it starts shipping again in January.

Eric Powell's Chinatown, the most highly anticipated and mysterious part of The Goon's story, is sadly disappointing. Powell brings out one cliche storyline after another cliche plot element to the point that the story gets weaker as it goes along. The ending is completely anticlimactic. Fans already knew that The Goon had women problems, and Powell simply seems content to reiterate that. (WARNING: SPOILERS included past this point.)
The only true mystery in this part of The Goon's narrative turns out to be the very worn out trope of a person who feels belittled by those who would keep him down and decides to take his misguided revenge on others for his life at the bottom rung of society. Mr. Wicker turns out to be nothing but a boy who, with no provocation and no buildup in the storyline, somehow finds a book of evil magic, somehow knows how to use it, and somehow loses the book inside The Goon's bedroom which is supposed to be the biggest clue in the story. As well as pieces of thorns found outside on the Nortons' doorstep. After The Goon dispatches the boy, we get him saying "I hate you" in a scene of pure Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith plagiarism and Mirna, who's had a love / hate relationship with The Goon for several issues, saying, "You killed my brother, you S.O.B." And I know The Goon's a tough guy, but there's no way he could have survived being burned alive. Powell asks his fans to suspend way too much disbelief in this sadly shoddy story. The women characters here are all shells. There's nothing behind them but sexiness, spiteness, and weakness. There is nothing more behind Isabella's betrayal of The Goon than an inexplicable decision to leave him for (another cliche) a greased-up, pin-stripe wearing Eye-talian with a hot car. These are a few of the many examples of how Powell, in my opinion, simply fails his reader. Personally, the most powerful part of the story for me, since I knew Isabella betrays The Goon (it's been hinted at in many, many issues), was why she is in Chinatown in the first place. Powell knows he has to speak to this. All we get is her saying, basically, that things went bad for her after the carny days and The Goon's joyful and hope-filled adolescent fling with her. And then the story goes on. So basically Powell builds up all these hints and references for a mere footnote annotation. It just doesn't work for me.
What does work here is the art and the book as a product. Powell's art is unparalleled. And the book itself is high-end production. From a beautiful cover sleeve to the bright red cloth cover with a nicely stamped Chinese symbol on the cover, to nicely ornate end papers and high-gloss paper for the main story, it seems no expense was denied in making the book itself.
In conclusion, there is little machination here: only petty criminality. There is little betrayal here: only inexplicable and weakly capricious turnings away. There is little magic here: only a kid with a book of evil magic and a decapitated chicken head. There is little of the human element that has defined Powell oeuvre up to this point. Perhaps the only character that arouses in emotion is Franky whose biggest moment in the book is quoting The Goon's words from Issue #3: "What about me?!!! I ain't got nothin'!" It turns out that The Goon just really doesn't care. At least not until he's burned up in the hospital and wrapped up like a mummy and needs someone to change his feeding tube. The line "pals stick" just doesn't. This book is getting rave reviews elsewhere, but, in my opinion, Chinatown hardly satisfies its buildup.

First what I admire: I couldn't stop reading this! It's fast, it's quick, it's clever, it's full of intrigue and suspense. The thing that impressed me most: I could not have written it! My book has sex, naked people in California doing things like jumping on trampolines and smoking pot, but no history, geography or visits to Swiss banks!

What I don't like: Well, the dialogue is often stiff. The writing is sometimes trite and full of cliches.

BUT, seriously, YOU try writing a novel that crosses borders, takes place in a major world museum, delves into religions and secret societies and keeps the reader turning the pages! It's hard to do and Dan Brown did it very well.

I found myself up very very late reading this book. The ending was ok, but overall a must read.

I read the Da Vinci Code because..., well, I was traveling and everyone seemed to be reading it. After I finished it, I felt as if I had had a lot of warm beer: bloated with empty calories, left with mildly unpleasant taste and a slight headache.

The fact that this book is a bestseller can make one question the value of universal literacy. It is really badly written. I didn't expect Updike or Vonnegut, but Dan Brown makes even Clive Cussler appear a decent wordsmith. To add insult to injury, the Da Vinci Code fails the genre and becomes predictable halfway through.

The story is inhabited by "comic strip" -grade characters bumping around, solving absurd puzzles placed there for reasons which make no particular sense. From time to time, a character stops what they are doing, leans against a wall, or stares into space and thinks "deep thoughts", through which the puzzles are solved and the premise of the book is laid out. These are sprinkled with what passes for historical and religious factoids, often researched poorly enough for the errors to be apparent to a layman like me.

Before I stand accused, I am not religious in the least. I don't find the book offensive (other than by being so badly written): in fact political correctness oozes from it, as does the author's apparent desire to be liked by everyone and sell to everyone (and this includes the good Catholics among book buyers:-)

If you want a well written and well researched "conspiracy theory through the ages" tale, get Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. For a nice travel crime story, pick up P.D. James.

As for the Da Vinci Code..., I have played computer games that have higher literary merit than this. Really.

Dan Brown hit a homerun here. This book has an awesome story line and really keeps you wanting more. The action is fast yet easy to keep up with. Brown has a great way of making you feel like you know what's going on in the story, but still surprises you in the end. Read the book first, saw the movie second, and the book was MUCH better.

Davinci Code had an interesting beginning. I liked how he drew the reader in with his introduction of the curator, langdon, the bishop and albino. Initially engrossing, but BEWARE, the last two thirds drag. He regurgitates a good deal of his plot twists as the novel wears on. I had his 'twists' and characters figured chapters ahead of time. I even guessed the last cryptic clue APPLE pages and pages before Langdon figured it out. These characters with their Ivy league PhD's should be able to outsmart me - but they didn't!

As far as the religious controversy. Any intelligent, practicing Christian takes it with a grain of salt. Obviously, those most vulnerable to this kind of tripe are people of little faith, minimal worship and study of Christianity. Brown is so repetitive in his love of pagan rituals, sun dieties, and feminine goddess garble that it turns the reader off completely. He seems to be writing for a less intelligent audience. Why else would an author insist on such redundancy unless he felt his audience wasn't smart enough to grasp his message the first time around? Yawn.

Overall, I'd give the first 150 pages four stars. Brown could have easily shaved off 100 of the last 200 pages and still made this a pretty good read. The last third (two stars at best) really dragged on and the ending was highly predictible (if your inferencing skills go beyond a third grade level).

Love these books, enjoyed each one, purchased and read all to date. Arrived promptly.

Amazon asks that we focus on the product in our reviews. Okay. PEE-YEW!!! Is that focused, or what? This was a big stinker. I didn't like or care about anybody but the dog. And if Goldy's wondering why business is falling off, I gotta tell her that if I phoned a caterer and some little kid with an attitude answered and there was a BIG DOG barking in the kitchen, I'd hang up. Talk about your health code violations. But after reading this book I realize that is definitely the least of Davidson's worries: she's lost it, and obviously having trouble finding it again.

This one was a good, fast-paced story, if a little transparent and definitely unbelievable towards the end, Not her best work, it seemed a little disjointed and jerky, but still a reasonably enjoyable mystery.

I agree with other reviewers there were portions of this book that I found a little unplausible. However being a big Diane Mott Davidson fan I was able to overlook them and enjoy my favorite parts of the story; Goldy in the kitchen whipping up something wonderful. What bothered me was the name of a charactor Todd Druckman's mother(Eileen)in Tough Cookie Todd's mother's name is Eileen, yet in The Main Corpse her name is Kathleen, quite a typo also, in Tough Cookie Eileen Druckman is a close personal friend of Goldy's I just think an established friendship could have been referenced or at the very least the characters name referred to correctly.

This was one of the most incredibly awful, unbelievably booooooooooooo-ring books I have tortured myself with in a long time. I listened to it on tape and, even though I usually enjoy listening to Barbara Rosenblatt and her versatile character voices and on-the-money accents, I found myself telling her to "settle down!" Her squeaking and babbling and up-and-down-the-vocal-scale made the book even harder to bear than the ridiculous, slogging plot did. I think she may have realized she was reading drivel and tried to dress it up with a regrettable amount of over-acting. Skip this one.

Edna Buchanan has brought Miami reporter Britt Montero page to the written page -- both on the pages of the newspaper and in this fast-paced and breathless mystery. She is starting anew without her beloved Kendall McDonald, but with a lot of new changes to her life and lifestyle. She ends up working with The Cold Case Squad on the murder of a less-than-good guy she interviewed years and years ago. She and her buddy Lottie uncover new layers to an accidental death. She and her former romantic KC Riley learn how to co-exist in the same city. It's very exciting to hang around with Britt!

It's also fun to read. Buchanan switches voices this time, alternating between Britt following up on the boating accident and The Cold Case Squad tying together loose ends about that death of Britt's old interview subject. The villains turn out to be colorful and original. The plot twists are believable. And I can't wait for the next installment -- I think I know what's going to happen next but I can't say without being a spoiler.

In the last novel "Ice Maiden", we saw the love of Britt Montero's life (Kendall McDonald) killed in an explosion. Having finally decided to spend the rest of their lives together (Kendall effectively breaking KC Riley's heart), Britt saw only a bright and promising future. Now reeling from his death and returning from a self imposed exile, Britt finds herself on the trail of not just one story, but two. Having located a disposable camera with photos of a missing bride and groom, and finding that she was the last person to see a man (whose body was just discovered) years before, Britt is willing to go to even Alaska to right wrongs and solve the mystery. With KC Riley strugging to accept her loss (of McDonald), and Britt's pregnancy, it soon becomes apparent that they may have to come to an understanding or truce to survive. I really enjoyed this latest Edna Buchanan novel and look forward to the next one.

Buchanan has always been one of my favorite authror and with "Love Kills" she doesn't disappoint. It's fast-paced, hysterically funny in parts and kept me turning pages until the end. I can't wait for her next book to come out.

I loved having Britt back, especially paired up with the Cold Case Squad. The first half was so good that I was unable to put it down. By the second half, I felt like I was reading a Stephanie Plum novel.

When did Britt become so stupid? It must've happened somewhere between Baton Rouge and Minneapolis, when she and Lacey were running around acting like the Keystone Kops. The Britt I've come to know over the years never would've done half the idiotic things this one did.

I also don't care for cliffhangers -- if I like the author and the story interests me, I'm going to buy their next book anyway. I hate the ploy of leaving things hanging to force me to buy a book. I'll of course be buying the next one, not only to find out how all the loose ends were tied up, but because Edna Buchanan is one of the best authors out there. I just wish she hadn't resorted to so many gimmicks in this long-awaited book, and I hope that Britt goes back to being herself rather than some cartoon facsimile.

Britt Montero is staying on a blissfully solitary tropical island while healing from the death of her fiancé when her best friend, photographer Lottie Dane, shows up. Lottie and Britt go surfing, and soon after expressing the wish that they'd brought a camera to capture the glorious views, they find one in the surf. It's a waterproof disposable camera with three exposures to go. So, while Lottie fills Britt in on what's happening back home in Miami and at the newspaper they both work for, they snap a few shots.

Britt is intrigued to learn that the Cold Case Squad is looking for her. She is also suffering from cash flow problems, so she decides to head home with Lottie. They leave contact info with locals in case the camera owner appears, and then they fly on home.

Back at work, Britt persuades her editor to let her return to the police beat, although he seems reluctant. Lottie shows her the photos she's developed from the found camera. The pictures portray a vibrant, handsome young couple obviously in love, probably on their honeymoon. Britt can't help but feel sad; if Kendall McDonald hadn't died, the pictures of the tropical honeymoon might have been of Kendall and Britt.

At the police station, Britt discovers that the notorious kidnapper, Spencer York, has been murdered. York had been a kidnapper-for-hire for fathers without custody of their children, and his methods had been brutal. Britt had been instrumental in his arrest and imprisonment; she also had spoken to him right before he jumped bail. Now he is dead, and there are too many suspects.

Britt gets an even bigger shock when she sees a Coast Guard alert for newlyweds missing on their honeymoon. She recognizes the photos. It's the same couple whose happy faces had appeared on the film from the camera she and Lottie found on the beach.

Britt's personal story weaves through and between the two mystery plots --- and it packs some startling revelations. The characters in LOVE KILLS are fleshed out, three-dimensional and real, and they're surrounded by lots of terrific Miami atmosphere, capturing the flavor of the city. Edna Buchanan is masterly at pulling the reader along with clever cliffhangers; she also incorporates a chase scene that manages to be thrilling, frightening and crazily hilarious. Three plot twists truly surprised and delighted this jaded, seen-it-all mystery reader.

LOVE KILLS is pure enjoyment, and while Buchanan is a new author to me (where have I been?), I plan to read every book she has had published --- ASAP.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

I've read most of the Spenser novels, and I think PALE KINGS AND PRINCES is definitely one of the better ones.

In this novel, Spenser goes to a small town to investigate the murder of a journalist, and discovers that the town is effectively controlled by a mysterious drug lord. What follows is the typical Spenser plot: lots of funny dialogue, romantic interludes with Susan Silverman, and exciting action scenes with Hawk.

PALE KINGS AND PRINCES isn't a great book, but it's very enjoyable and far better than the two Spenser novels that immediately preceded it (TAMING A SEA HORSE and A CATSKILL EAGLE). So if you enjoy Parker's writing style, I'm guessing you will find pleasure with this one.

Three and a half stars.

There's no use trying to use a Spenser novel to conjure or cajole the sandman. Similar to TAMING A SEA-HORSE (#13 Spenser); PALE KINGS AND PRINCES (# 14) kept me up a couple hours in the middle of the night, beyond a silly hope of returning to sleepiness through a short time of reading.

PALE KINGS opened again with the standard realism of the detective doing his walk-alone-deal, accompanied by shiftless boredom and justifiable frustration. In this case, since the food in the rural community in which Spenser was detecting was so limp, and the clue extraction so dentally daunting, the private eye was able to drag/push himself through his solitary shuffles for only 1/4 of the plot before he called in Susan for a weekend visit of Salmon Loaf or Polish Platter at the Reservoir Court motel in Wheaton, Mass.

I was intrigued with Parker's feature in this one of how an individual gets himself seen as such, as a person instead of a thing. His technique of having Spenser gradually thaw out Wheaton's finest citizenry seemed similar to me to his methods of drawing readers into Spenser's games. This time, those games were a town's economic rooting into Columbian Coca/Cocaine, and the class spits accompanying the resulting population stew in Wheaton. As usual, I was mesmerized with Spenser's repartee with criminal codgers, which in this case were the top-of-the-food-chain of Colombian Drug Lords. I was especially impressed with the way the P. I. humanized these guys into seeing him as a worthy person, actually more easily than he set the standard-of-his-humanity with Wheaton's police presence, barkeeps, waitresses, librarians, and regular Joe's.

I wondered if that humanizing ability might be one of the mesmerizing character traits which has kept Spenser cozied within the reading hearts of so many faithful fans. Spenser dedicates himself to making everyone see him as a warm-bodied person, instead of as a bloodless character-stick in a plot of a novel.

Especially in the first scene with Esteva, the Columbian King Pin, PALE KINGS solidified for me one of the main reasons for Spenser's appeal. He's real. Duh? He works on each person in his presence (including the reader), until that person sees him that way.

I've noticed several times in this series (and more so in PALE KINGS), that exchanges between Spenser and his dialogue collections had him describing a person looking away, purposely not looking at him, until he wormed that person into his scene. Now I recall how often Spenser has noted the "covert looks" which Hawk draws out of people. Hawk, too, is real; his essence demands to be experienced as a person of potence as well as presence.

Is this part of what charisma is, a person who sees himself as significant, and therefore causes others to see him that way; a person who won't quit radiating and/or badgering, focusing on others until they LOOK at HIM and SEE him? Maybe, charisma also involves a person like Spenser or Hawk actually SEEING everything they look at, which in turn causes the "objects" or persons of their observations to connect to them as human beings as well?

Reading this novel began to congeal some of the illusive reasons I've searched for to explain my addiction to this detective novel series, especially since I've rarely been drawn, by natural preference (in the past), to read even the best examples of seriously authentic, male private eyes. Along with the mutual-personalization-syndrome noted above, and the mesmerizing ability of the literary style and perfectly-paced-plot drivers which keep me reading in the middle of the night; my addiction seems to involve the philosophical strands of golden threads which labyrinth through Spenser's sensual, sensitive, poetic soul. Each book I read brings up the question, "What key about life's purpose might I be surprised by in this one."

Yet, thankfully, the philosophical, psychological tapestries in the series do not diminish the dedicated dramatization of the basic detecting lifestyle, with its normal daily routines which are often uncomfortable, deprivation-intense, soul-leechingly boring, and inconvenient ... 90% of the time ... with the other 10% being "hairy" with high risk of deadly harm. In this case, the snow-challenged, dangerous denouement scenes in PALE KINGS were unusually complex and hairy, with Hawk, Susan, Caroline, Juanita, and Lundquist (a fantasticly heroic character) adding race, gender, color, Cause, and Creed to Spenser's righting of wrongs, during which we're privy to mesmerizing details of the process of a psychologist (Susan) doing a therapy catharsis.

Another part of Spenser which I came to understand more precisely here (and which I usually welcome with a whoosh of relief) was Spenser's clean means of sidestepping any character's effort to draw him away from true issues in percolation, into potential-black-hole-passions of politically correct causes. As usual, he sidestepped abruptly and adeptly, without dismissing or undermining the actual values in those causes.

Yeah, I suppose Spenser has it all, at least all that I require to continue following a pair of footsteps, in a process somewhat like a P.I. trailing a suspect or a clue.

Sometimes, I do have one.

Linda Shelnutt

In this entry in the Spenser series, he is hired by a newspaper when an up-and-coming young reporter - Eric Valdez - is murdered while investigating the cocaine trade in Wheaton, Mass - a small town with a big reputation of being the Miami of the North. When Spenser starts asking around, he finds that no one knows nothing and that the police seem to be spectacularly unhelpful - and they, especially, seem to want him gone. They insist that Valdez's murder was due to his sexual peccadilloes and nothing else, pointing to the bodily mutilation as proof.

Of course, when people want Spenser gone - or when they want him to quit asking questions - that just makes him stick around and ask more questions.

When first the sheriff and then the sheriff's son are murdered - after Spenser catches the son smuggling cocaine, apparently for the town's biggest produce warehouser, named Felipe Esteva - the action begins to really heat up.

Was Eric Valdez killed because he was getting too close to the truth about the drug trade in Wheaton? Or because he was having an affair with the wrong woman? Why were the sheriff and his son killed?

This was a multi-layered and very satisfying book. Things that seem obvious turn out to be red herrings - things that appear to be obvious red herrings turn out to be truth. I loved it. Strong recommend from me!

An enterprising investigative reporter is killed in Wheaton, Massachusetts, a town known to many as the hub of cocaine traffic for the Northeast. The owner of the paper the reporter worked for hires Spenser to investigate the murder. He goes to Wheaton and gets nowhere at the start. Local police are obviously being bought off and when he asks questions the universal response is "nobody saw nothin." It is obvious who the drug lord is, so in an attempt to move his investigation forward, Spenser hijacks a major cocaine shipment. The son of the police chief was driving the rig, so his actions are of interest to more than just the drug dealers. Spenser then goes to the kingpin and offers to sell the cocaine back to him.
After the police chief and his son are both killed, Spenser befriends the grieving widow and enlists Susan to help her cope with her losses. Hawk is also recruited to help even the odds against Spenser. There is a final battle with Spenser, Hawk and an honest state trooper on one side and the drug dealers with their corrupted cops on the other. In an interesting twist, Hawk has a battle with a man (Cesar) that clearly was his physical superior, had he not held a small gun inside a mitten on his hand and shot first, Cesar would have killed him with his bare hands.
Once again, Spenser wisecracks his way through danger and remains noble in the completion of his job. When the drug lord kills the son of the police chief after Spenser hijacks the cocaine shipment, Spenser personally confronts his mother and only Susan can console him. She makes him understand that it truly was not his fault that the boy was involved in trafficking drugs and she will do what she can to help the woman. In terms of action and intrigue, this book doesn't have as many exciting moments as other Spenser novels. However, the dialog is excellent as always, which is why it still deserves four stars.

This one is definitely back on the track. Parker's last two Spenser novels just plain stunk. This would be better if he had managed to lose Selfish Susan permanently, but oh well.

Dostoevsky has crafted a monolithic work of literature in every respect here. This book contains all the elements of vintage Dostoevsky--unforgettable characters, a gripping plot, layers of meaning, captivating style and poignant sprinkles of humor. The book is broad in its scope, exploring numerous themes--alienation from society, criminal psychology, poverty, benevolence, confession, spirituality, redemption, love and more. As typical of Dostoevsky, however, it is the spiritual journey of one character that provides the central focus of the narrative. If you don't know much about Dostoevsky, I advise reading some about his life before beginning this novel (a good starting point is wikipedia.org/wiki/Dostoevsky). This novel will take you on a thought-provoking journey about the human heart and experience that you will not forget. Highly recommended.

The book arrived in excellent condition. I have not read it yet, but am anxiously waiting to read it. I am very happy that it had arrived in plenty of time.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment is one of the greatest novels of all times. I love this book!

Raskolnikov, the main character in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, is presented as a pure nihilist. Dostoevsky, through his telling of Raskolnikov's inner struggle and his first encounter with love and compassion, is clearly rejecting nihilism. The murder committed by Raskolnikov might be an act related to utilitarianism, but the great agony and guilt that the main character suffers is Dostoevsky's idea of real punishment that leads the final conclusions that good beats evil, religion beats atheism, and right overpowers wrong.

Granted, Crime and Punishment is considered great literature devoted to the psychology of criminals and their imprisonments within their own guilt. However, the novel is an immature way of stereotyping criminals and simplifying a very complex human puzzle. Dostoevsky attempts to show us that only love, redemption and righteousness will rule, but he over simplifies and generalizes.

Crime and Punishment is another way that Dostoevsky tried to resolve his feelings about chaos and corruption in his society, and solve all dilemmas and conflicts by turning to God, or accepting Christ as Dostoevsky did in reality.

Truly one of the greatest books of all time. This is definately something that is useful in almost everyday life. The struggle between the grand and the ordinary is something that most of us can relate to on an individual level. The translation left a little to be desired but do not hesitate to read this work you will be glad that you did.

The good Senhor Garcia-Roza's done it again -- in spades! Having been to Rio a few time, walking the very same streets and reliving the wonderful life in Ipanema, Leblon, Cocapabana and the Lagoa, this writer is an amazing master-of-the-understatement. Have read all his books, so far, and along with the great novelist Jorge Amado, Brasil's given the world muito entertainment! Theatre of the mind? You stop reading, smile, analyze, and go on; he's fun. Incidentally, it's great having some Tom Jobim on the stereo, along with Quarteto em Cy, Oscar Castro-Neves, Os Cariocas, Celia Vax, Joao Donato and even the transplanted musicians like Idriss Boudrioua (from Paris originally, featured quite often at the Allegro Bistro on Ribiero) supplying background music as you read. Good stuff!

In Copacabana, Brazil, Detective Welber calls 12th Precinct Chief Inspector Espinosa to inform him an apparent homeless beggar with one leg was shot close up in the heart at the end of an affluent cul-de-sac. Espinosa goes to look at the corpse on Sao Joao Hill, but the murder makes no sense as there seems to be no motive to rob an indigent man incapable it appears to cause any harm with no witnesses since it occurred during a heavy downpour at night. Welber and Inspector Ramiro wonder why such an efficient professional hit on a helpless beggar timed to occur during THE SILENCE OF THE RAIN.

Still Espinosa refuses drop the case because three decades ago when he was thirteen he nicknamed this place Otto Street; the same spot where the murder of "Skinny" as they call the victim occurred. After talking to the night doorman of a nearby complex who found the body, Espinosa hones in on wealthy dinner guests who dined near the murder scene. He knows they are hiding something so he with his two associates exposes their cover-ups, but makes no progress on the homicide even as Espinosa knows the victim is not important to the brass to waste any more manpower on. When another more renowned homicide occurs, Espinoza believes there is a tie to Skinny, but even the Chief inspector concedes both murders seem to lack motives or witnesses.

BLACKOUT is a superb Brazilian police procedural, in which through Espinosa's dogged PURSUIT, readers obtain an insightful look through a WINDOW IN COPACABANA. The story line is terrific as the Chief Inspector uncovers clues that are either unrelated to his case or muddle the inquiry. Fans of the series will relish this strong entry as Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza continues to provide some the of the sub-genre's best whodunits.

Harriet Klausner

"Blackout" is an excellent psychological thriller set in Rio de Janeiro that takes the reader on an extended and evocative ramble through one of the world's most interesting cities. The book's protagonist, Chief Inspector Espinosa of the Copacabana police district, is the star of the show and is interestingly presented as a sensitive/macho type, reluctantly moving into early middle age, but with all personal equipment--mind and body--functioning superbly.

The story begins with the unexplainable murder of a one-legged beggar on a rainy night in a part of town where the victim should not have logically been. No one knows who the man is, but early in the story it becomes clear that his death may have something to do with an upscale gathering of wealthy Cariocas in the same neighborhood. And thus begins an intriguing and zig-zagging investigation that features not only a satisfying procedure, but a terrific series of character profiles that include the protagonist, his police colleagues and an ample number of murder suspects. There is a second murder that is, if anything, considerably more shocking than the first (this is someone that the reader has come to know rather well by the middle of the book.) To say more would compromise the plot.

This is an altogether well done story with first rate characters. The bulk of the book is so good in fact, that I was left feeling that it deserved a somewhat better closing. For me, there weren't quite enough answers provided as to motivation for the killings. Other readers would probably disagree. If you enjoy international crime thrillers, you'll probably find this a very good read. A bonus here is that it is part of a series that seems destine to continue.

I've read every book in the entire series and I highly recommend them. They are interesting, entertaining and often make me laugh. This book lives up to the rest. When the next one comes out, I'll be one of the first to order it. Check this series out. You won't be disappointed.

An excellent story just like the previous ones. My only complaint is that Roberts needs to write more, as in, bigger books and more of them ! His characters are not so deep that you feel buried in the persons minutia, yet they are extensive enough that they are not two dimensional. The gradual progression of the main characters career gives you an overall experience of what is was like to travel the 'cursus honorum', and live in Rome during the transition from Republic to Empire. I am looking forward to future books.

Once again John Maddox Roberts has fulfilled the expectation of his loyal readers. The SPQR mysteries may be the most consistent historical novels available as each one balances humor, historical accuracy and unexpected plot twists without banality or cliches.

This is the best pure mystery of the buch and perhaps the best book in the whole series which is saying something. The characters are captivating, the plots hang together and the reading is fun and easy.

The entire series of these well-written historical mysteries has been enjoyable, and this is one of the best yet. The combination of history, humor and mystery is excellent. I particularly enjoyed the way Julia and Decius worked together as a couple. I hope that aspect of their relationship continues to be developed by the author.
It was also fun to encounter characters such as Marcus Tullius Cicero and his friend and former slave, Tiro. I originally got this book at the library, but enjoyed it so much that I have decided to buy my own copy.