Combine humor, family secrets and murder, and the resulting DIAMONDBACK by Elizabeth Dearl keeps this fast-paced mystery both entertaining and surprising to the end!

Mystery author Taylor Madison manages to wreck her prized Volkswagen when a rattler sudden appears on the highway and she swerves to avoid it. Her five hundred-mile journey ends in Perdue City, Texas, population 2,948, where she's soon aghast to learn that she's arrived just in time for a rattlesnake festival. Taylor's purpose for coming to Perdue City is to confront her estranged aunt, a woman whose existance Taylor only learned about a week following her mother's death. Taylor had unexpectedly come across a card tucked away in her mother's personal effects, suggesting that her mother had not been open or honest about her past.

When she hikes into town, Taylor's relieved to finally find an open hardware store to get warm. The owner apologizes that there's no taxi in town, but does offer the services of the local sheriff as chauffeur. The sheriff, Miles Crawford, takes a personal interest in her from the first moment he sees Taylor. First he drives her to her aunt's house, where she's quickly ejected from the home. Then he appoints her deputy sheriff to earn money for her car repair, and helps to secure a room over the hardware store while she stays in Perdue City.

The sheriff's kindness ends rather quickly, however, when his housekeeper finds him dead in his recliner. Since no one else was immediately available, Taylor is called to the scene, where she observes several inconsistencies that point, not to an accidental rattlesnake bite, but murder.

Who would have thought rattlesnakes could be funny and entertaining? But in Dearl's hands, the rattlesnakes and the ferret steal the show. With lots of rattlesnake lore, plenty of comic relief, and a generous dose of attitude, I couldn't put DIAMONDBACK down. I highly recommend it.

Janet Evonovich move over. Taylor Madison is a terrific heroine. She's spunky, likable, inventive and knows how to stir the pot. If you hate snakes, like I do, you'll feel like a well-protected voyeur as you slither through this engaging story. The book is very well written, a grabber from page one with a cast of characters you'll enjoy to the very end. I loved Hazel, Taylor's pet ferret. Made me want to run right out and buy one. Then I remembered they're illegal in California. Ah well, I'll just have to wait for the next Taylor Madison book. This is one of those books once you start reading you just want to keep right on going until you reach the end. If you don't have this book, it's a must read for mystery lovers. Put it on the top of your TBR stack and get started. You'll love every page.

I just finished reading Diamondback. What an awesome mystery! I loved it! Couldn't put it down. The characters, the dialogue and the setting are so real I felt I was in Perdue. Excellent and well-constructed plot! I had no idea whodunit until the end. The suspense kept me turning the pages faster and faster. The main character, Taylor Madison is one of the best and strongest female characters I have read in a long time. Very unique and original. And Cal, her new love interest, is such a cutie! I'm glad this is a series because I can't wait to read more about these characters. Oh, and it was so funny in places I was laughing out loud. What a wry sense of humor this author has! I also loved the heroine's pet ferret, all the interesting secondary characters, the creepy snakes...just everything. This author has incredible talent and skill. Count me in as a major fan!

I just recently re-read this book for the 4th time and it brought my close to tears again at the depths of Al and Sam's friendship. While it is not necessary, I would reccommend seeing the folowing epsiodes before reading the book: Starcrossed, M.I.A, The Leap Home, and Vietnam. It will bring more enjoyment to the book. Storm was able to play off these episode emotions throughout the book and she did a great job of keeping the characters true to the Ql universe throughout the entire book. If you are not a QL fan now, you will be after reading this book.

This was one excellent book! Out of all of the Quantum Leap books that I've read, this has to be the best. It really goes along with the series!

This is by far the best of the Quantum Leap novels that I have been able to read. I couldn't put it down. (I recieved a detention for reading it while I should have been working in class) I have always wanted to hear more about Al, as he is never really the focus of attention, and this is just the book I was waiting for. I reccomend it to any Quantum Leap fan, especially those of you who think Al should get some more recognition. The plot is involved and very well written. One of my favorite books ever!

In this book Matt Budd produces the magic of poets, artists of the first rate, and a few others: he gives us fresh access to ourselves as the material for making a life, and contributes to our skills for designing our lives.

Inevitably, and by design, this book appears in the tradition of "self help." It is that, and the combination of experiences, explanation of phenomena, examples, and exercises that the authors use to bring us the help is effective and beautifully done. However, the book is a lot more than that at the same time. For example, I put it alongside the great plays and the great poets as a source of reflection, insight, and inspiration into what I am doing with my life, and alongside meditation and prayer for creating space in my life to consider what is important, be grateful for life, and get ready to take action on what I am not satisfied with.

And there is more: the authors give us access to a group of thinkers who are not accessible to the general public today, because the foundations of their thinking are so recently built that they aren't even taught at most universities. The best examples are the radical new interpretation of language and action of Fernando Flores and the biology of Humberto Maturana. Each has written, but their books are difficult. Budd does a beautiful job of taking us simply and clearly into these new worlds.

A book not to be missed! Thank you, Matthew Budd, and thank you Amazon for making this kind of conversation possible for all of us.

This book provides a very valuable way for you to learn its lessons, through the sorts of exercises that Dr. Budd developed successfully in his clinical practice. These exercises include quadrants for self-evaluation, automatic writing, directed recollections, meditation, observation, body experiences, photos, autobiography, and writing biographies. The authors describe this as embodied learning -- helping you actually feel what you normally think and do, so you can begin to transition into better thoughts and actions.

To make the exercises more meaningful to you, the authors use 4 case studies of people who went through them to give you a comparison for your own responses.

The chapters cover some very interesting territory. In "My Black Bag Is Half Empty" the authors note that half of all physician visits are for 14 complaints, for which physicians find treatable disease in only 10 percent of the cases. Something more is needed. An early clue for Dr. Budd was in remembering how his grandmother would ask him what had caused a sick feeling. Then, he would feel better after talking it out. When he tried the same method while undergoing his medical training, he was ridiculed. Physicians usually are taught that the mind and the body are different territories. Through a series of experiences in seminars to explore human potential, Dr. Budd learned otherwise. The examples he uses are very compelling, such as the woman who stopped having an asthma attack at an Est seminar when the seminar leader shouted at her that he was not her father.

In "We Are Animals but We Have Forgotten" the authors explain how the environment triggers a reaction that we cannot control until we develop much better skill in choosing our responses.

In "History, the Sculptor of Our Being" you will learn more about how your repeat patterns were established at a young age, which often are harmful to you now.

"You Are What You Say" is a great stallbusting chapter. It explains 10 bad habits that cause problems in peoples' lives. An example is wanting something, but not requesting that anyone help you get it. You end up feeling resentful and isolated. Another example is agreeing to do whatever is asked of you, without considering the consequences. This leads to major overcommitment.

In "Reasons of the Heart" the book explores the impact that emotions have on us physically.

In "Putting It All Together" the authors explain how to use all of the elements explored in the book.

The focus is on making you more self-aware; accepting yourself, your circumstances, and your reactions; and taking more appropriate actions.

Use this wonderful book to overcome your stalled thinking about communications, human relationships, and how to treat yourself! You'll find that you accomplish more, enjoy life more, and other people enjoy you more, as well.

I am convinced from reading this book that Dr. Budd is articulating so clearly the sort of things about ourselves that many of us notice in more private or reflective moments, but are difficult to describe in words so that we tend to think we are crazy, or friends and colleages say we think too much. What makes a book like this so refreshing is that it acknowledges the inner experience of individuals (how things affect us) as being as important (if not more sometimes) as the the things that "happen to us" from the outside. For me, this is liberating because, as Dr Budd points out through stories of experiences with his patients, we are in a much better position to examine and alter our response to what happens to us, than we are able to alter external events that are beyond our control. The notion that we generate our own experience of life, is something that our culture is just starting to wake up to, and Dr Budd has been exploring this for decades. As a doctor myself, it is one of my favorite books to reccommend to patients, because it seems impossible that a person could read it and not be changed by the wisdom that, thanks to this book, will one day be common knowledge.

Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

"Enchanted April" is one of my favorite books. It is such a warm, witty, wonderful story, full of hope and romance. I hear it is going to be a Broadway show this April! (fittingly) I cannot wait... I know I'm going to be the first one on line for tickets, that's for sure. All you other "Enchanted April" lovers out there, I urge you to come see this show! I'm sure this will be one of the finest shows on Broadway in a long time!

Yay "Enchanted April!"

This is a delightful story...one of my favorite books! Gives you a little faith that even seemingly irreconcileable situations can be restored or transformed, that drastically different people can find common ground and become friends, and that people can change their lives for the better! A sunny read for a dark winter day!

The difference between LMM's delightful work and her hard life never ceases to amaze me. This volume of her journals (the others are well worth it, too) highlights the changes in her life in her late years. During this period she wrote "Mistress Pat", "Anne of Windy Poplars" and "A Tangled Web" (among others); stories that are a little less idealistic, but the real-life situations have a bewitching "tang". The changes occuring in her personal life must have had an effect on her work. The aforementioned books weren't among my LMM favorites before I read this volume, but learning about her life during this period made me more appreciative of an author who was already my favorite. Who would have thought that reading a someone's personal journal could be so fascinating? I feel much gratitude towards her surviving family members for allowing her journals to be published.

I am 40 years old and have kept a journal for 29 years, therefore, the journal format fascinates me. I adore Lucy Maud Montgomery's works and in 1992, I made a trip to Prince Edward Island to visit all her old haunts with my daugter and my girlfriend and her daughter. I purchased the first two journals while there. If you, dear reader, would like to know what went on in Lucy's (called Maud by everyone) mind and heart from the tender, turbulent age of 14 until her mid-thirties, I highly recommend this book. It will transport you to a simpler time, an era where people read more, pondered in greater depth, made visiting one another a social art. There was no television, computers, internet and telephones had just come into existence. The automobile was invented during these years. The book is fascinating in a historical realm as well as entering Maud's mind and gaining a perspective on her outlook of life and those around her. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and anyone who is a fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery will relish this book and treasure it greatly. It added dimension to my life because people have always intriged me and what their thoughts are, and where they get inspiration to write about their ideas. By reading this book, it added music and dimension to my soul. She freely discusses her love life and her miseries and joys. Read it! You will never forget it. The following journals that were published were just as compelling to read. I own them all in my personal library. My thanks to the publishers: Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston.

Volume II is easily the best of Maud's journals; it is the one that I "dip" into whenever I have a few moments or need a bedtime book and consequently is starting to show some wear and tear. It covers the most dramatic points in her life--her marriage, birth of her sons, the discovery of her husband's mental illness, and the death of her best friend, as well as her most prolific years as a writer. She hasn't yet begun to hide as much in her journals, which makes the third and fourth volumes frustrating to read. Since anyone reading the second volume will probably go on to read them all, I should say here that third volume was rather tedious with the lawsuits and maid problems, and number four, though weirdly compelling, was painful to read as her imminent breakdown is all to evident--it is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I wonder if the journals of her last years will ever be published-- I understand that there are problems with people still living, etc.

Another exceptional historical from Elizabeth Chadwick! The writing paints a picture of medieval England in the time of William the Conqueror that makes you feel as if you are truly there. The story starts out with Ailith, a Saxon wife who suddenly finds herself a widow after her husband attends William's coronation. Her two beloved brothers have already been slain in the Battle of Hastings defending their country and King Harold. Additionally, to make matters worse, she has lost her feeble baby son to the grave.

With sweeping descriptions of the battlefield to domestic life in medieval England, relationships ebb and flow, with Ailith finding herself alone except for the newly met Norman neighbors. She reluctantly agrees to nurse their son as the Norman Felice is too weakened by childbirth. She then becomes Norman Rolf de Brize's chatelaine at his English estate, after having met him previously, and eventually becomes his mistress and bears him a daughter. Meanwhile, Rolf already has a wife and daughter in Normandy. Their love endures many twists and turns but cannot survive what Ailith considers the ultimate betrayal. Their child Julitta, after having been a cherished and indulged daughter, is taken away from it all and her love for Benedict, her mother's Norman friend's son, is fraught with many trials and barely endured hardships.

All in all, this book is a page turner that I found difficult, at best, to put down. It grabs your attention and holds it throughout the entire story. If you haven't read anything by Elizabeth Chadwick you are missing out on some great medieval historical reading! Do yourself a favor and read this and all of Elizabeth Chadwick's books! You won't be sorry!

When a comet appears in the sky over Englad in the year of 1066, most poeple see it as a bad omen. In October of that year, the Normans invade led by William and things are never the same again.

For young Saxon wife, Ailith, who is newly pregnant she wonders what the future will hold for her and her child. She has developed a friendship with her neighbour, Felice, also pregnant.

When Ailith's husband is killed in the Battle of Hastings, she is persuaded to become nursemaid to Felice's new son, Benedict. But her heart is heavy and she cannot reconcile her friendship with the fact that Felice's countrymen killed her husband.

This is an epic romantic tale, which just sweeps you away into the sights, sounds and smells of eleventh century England, where tensions are high and danger lurks around every corner.

I've been to Battle Abbey and the field where it took place, and it was amazing to see everything brought so vividly to life in the book. Ms. Chadwick has the gift of making history come to life.

Not to be missed.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Shadows of the Rose.

Ms. Chadwick writes a beautiful, romantic story with the Anglo-Saxon-Norman era as the backdrop. She has done an excellent job of historical research... from the vivid, graphic battle scenes at Hastings to the societal culture of the period. The love stories of Ailith & Rolf, and Julitta & Benedict would stand alone regardless of the time period. However, the setting of 11th century Britain makes these & all the characters that much more intriguing.

This is that kind of book , that helps you to increase your knowledgement.
For every veterinary and student who work with Ferrets, Rabbits, or Rodents.

This book is the absolute best resource on the medicine of these species. The book is easy to follow and find specific information as necessary. Most illustrations are quite useful, although in black and white. The book is organized mostly by taxonomic groups. However, the book seems to repeat itself in some chapters as well as in different chapters, and sometimes, finding information may be indexed in more than one place only to find that they are all quite similar pieces of information. I HIGHLY reccomend this book, and its is the best amount of informtion at a very affordable price.

This book is a must if you practice exotic animal medicine, want to get started or you are a veterinarian that occasionally has one of these species come through your door. It has up to date information organized in a easy to read, easy to find format. It is written in a style that is informative but not boring and much of the information would be helpful to owners of these species as well.

If you adore smoldering, hopeless love, this is a book for you. Escaped from Newgate, Richard Maitland falls deep and hard for his hostage, Lady Rosamund Devere. Born a commoner from an undistinguished Scottish family, as well as believed to be a murderer, Richard is too proud to ever let a hint of his feeling ever show to Rosamund. And Rosamund, who's fallen in love herself, believes he sees her merely as his pass to freedom. How the two finally come to realize they are soulmates is heartstopping passion at its best.

The suspense story is fantastic as well. Thornton's villain (the man who framed Richard) was chilling, and the mystery of who he really was very well-done. I was completely blindsided by his accomplice, as well.

One of my favorite books of 2001!!!

I have read 5 of Elizabeth Thornton's books back to back within the last couple of weeks of "discovering" her. I really like her books. I didn't like Richard Maitland in Princess Charming, but I definitely fell for him in this book. I think this one is one of my favorites! Elizabeth Thornton is a very talented author. I like her combination of mystery, romance and humor. Her heros are sexy, tough and gentle. Her heroines are not irritating airheads. I would highly recommend this author! I just wish she would bring Harper his love mate!

This was my favorite Elizabeth Thornton book so far! She is a fantastic author. I had almost given up on romances because so many of them have little storyline and only sex, the heroines are empty headed, childish and irritating and the heros just not interesting enough. But when I picked up Elizabeth Thornton's books, I was hooked from the beginning. The Perfect Princess is the 6th book I have read so far (one right after the other) and it is definitely the one I like the best. I have enjoyed all of them, but this one was the most enjoyable. Richard Maitland was a fantastic, sexy, tough, non-perfect hero and Rosamund was one of the best heroines I have found in a long, long time. The interaction between the two characters was very enjoyable - from their fights to their lovemaking. I don't know how this one can be topped. Maybe if the author wrote a book focusing on lovable Harper. I don't really like reading books from this time period, but Ms. Thornton has done a wonderful job of combining mystery, romance, and humor that she has now been put on my favorite author list. This one - in my opinion - is a definite winner and worth the reading time.

Beautiful pictures depict romantic spaces with clear details, they helps me as an architect to re-create the Spanish living environment with many examples from different projects. The 20 houses in this book are gorgeous and inspiring -whether you are looking for ideas or merely relax reading. This is not a book showing only pieces of details for decorator use, it's an awesome architectural book as well as a perfect collection for my coffee table.

One of those books that is just full of great images of the Spanish Revival/Moorish style architecture of So. California. While not heavy on text, this book is a very important visual reference for designers, etc. who want to see how it used to be done. Many photos are of the interiors, but most are of the gardens.

If interested in the glazed Malibu tiles seen throughout the book, check out "Ceramic Art of the Malibu Potteries: 1926-1932" by Ronald L. Rindge.

This is a gorgeous book full of color photos and description of Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture in Southern California. The beginning of the book provides a review of the style with information on stylistic influences and historical setting. As another reviewer mentioned, the homes in this book are mostly huge, and it really would have been nice to see some well-done modest homes (i.e. the 1000 or 1600 square foot variety). Nevertheless, this is the ONLY full-color book I have been able to find on this style, and I do think it provides helpful elements for use in smaller houses, but one needs to be imaginative to find them. If you are living in a smaller house, you can't just lift a whole room out of this book. For example, the cover photo features a huge staircase and fountain. It is very difficult (and would be inappropriate) to duplicate this type of thing in a smaller home, but I might notice that the decorative tile on the stair risers and the saltillo tile on the steps could be used on the steps up to my own modest front porch, for example. We have used a number of individual elements from this book in our own home, and we've used the photos to get an idea of what "works" and what doesn't in this style. I do really wish, though, that there was a companion book that showed how this style can be used to advantage in smaller homes, since the vast majority of homes of this style are in the 1000-2000 square foot range.

Overall a beautiful and helpful book, and I do think it was worth the money.