David Grand's noir mystery, set in the period between the two world wars, has a complexity of plot and character that makes James Ellroy's novels look like "Dick and Jane" stories. The trouble is that there's no real pay-off at the conclusion to justify the effort the reader needs to make to keep straight the various subplots. Indeed, the argument could be made that the book lacks a plot at all and consists merely of a complex system of subplots. Perhaps this is what readers and reviewers mean when they refer to the work as somehow "postmodern." It lacks a center.

Like Luc Sante, Leonard Gardner (Fat City) and James Ellroy, David Grand knows what makes us so weak and fallible. His ability to stare into our core, while weaving an amazing story is what makes him such a force in contemporary fiction. That, and his fierce, funny imagination solidify him as my favorite writer writing today. The Disappearing Body has everything a perfect noir should have and more. I don't think I've had this much fun with a book in years.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's drenched in dark Dashiell Hammett atmosphere but written with the fearless storytelling vigor of James Ellroy and, perhaps most appropriately, the clever joy of the likes of Jonathan Lethem (who has a great quote on the back of the book). The combination of all these things actually reminded me most of Nathanael West, of Miss Lonelyhearts and the Day of the Locust, but this is a much bigger book than either of those, much more elaborately plotted (a la Ellroy). I was worried that it was going to get too long, feel too thick and heavy, but there's a constant humor that keeps it lively and its filled with many different characters and plot twists, which gets pretty complicated but not actually confusing, mostly because none of the characters and storylines feel interchangeable --- they're all distinct and suspenseful in their own way.

The book is set in an unnamed city (that's a lot like New York) in the 1930s, just after Prohibtion. The Mob is just beginning to explore heroin trafficking as a way to replace their illegal liquor profits, and all of the politicians are more obsessed with Communism or anti-Communism. The three main characters are Freddy Stillman, who witnesses a murder but the body disappears before the police show up; Victor Ribe, who served in World War I with Freddy and at the beginning of the book is mysteriously released from prison; and Harry Shortz, who runs the Narotics Bureau but wants to be in politics and is set up for a fall. All their stories intertwine in a way that reminded me of the movie Traffic --- they're both about politics and drugrunning, and they're assembled in similar ways --- but Traffic if Quentin Tarantino had worked on the screenplay and Weegee had been cinematographer... that's not really fair, because if it feels like a movie, it feels more like classic '40s film noir.

It does sort of feel like a period piece, which I don't usually like, but it works here, probably because the city is never named so it doesn't feel like a history lesson. It's fun and serious at the same time. I highly recommend to anyone interested in contemporary writing who still likes a book to have a plot, especially a suspenseful plot.

I feel that this book didn't project the pastry that people are interested in today. Pastry is like a fashion show, you put your best most tasteful and fashionable out to the public. The fashion is not overpowered by the accessories.. The dessert should be able to project itself alone.. In this book the desserts were lost among all the garnish..

I agree with the previous reviewer this book is not for beginners. BUT what a book! The recipies are great, and presentations wonderful. The portions, sometimes serving 20 need to be reduced, and measures are in weight (took me a minute with 10 oz eggs). If you're a veteran baker you'll have a book that challenges-- and rewards with plenty of wow appeal at your next dinner party.

I highly recommend this book to pastry professionals and students, skilled amateurs, and aficionados of fine food photography. As the pastry chef of a large Chicago hotel, I am frequently asked to create elaborate showpieces and spectacular plated desserts for banquets and VIPs. Inspiration for these creations is sometimes swallowed up by production demands. A Neoclassic View of Plated Desserts has been an invaluable resource for ideas, presentations and techniques. The photographs are not only dazzling, they are also instructive. The recipes are well-written and tested (measurement are in grams and ounces, too!). The sugar chapter alone (by Ewald Notter) makes the book worth buying.

The author focuses too much on his late night partying and problems commuting to the airport and doesn't pay enough attention to the racing season -- from the start of qualifying to the checkered flag. He barely mentions Senna's crash, but instead keeps talking about how he needs to finish his bathroom. Information on the various chassis and their respective drivers will cause you to re-open the book the following night, as will his personal impressions of the various drivers, personalities, and egos surrounding the sport.

An excellent view behind all the press releases and posturing of an F1 team. Matchett gives details of what it's like to live the sport, spending weeks on end away from home, working through the night to prepare the car...and then having to fix it all again when it crashes. If you've ever thought about becoming part of "the circus," this book will give you an idea of what to expect.

A big bonus is that Matchett happened to pick the 1994 season to write about, so there is plenty of fascinating information from the team's side about all the accusations and innuendo that arose during Benetton's first championship year.

This modest book gives the Formula One fan an interesting look at the backstage of the Grand Prix circuit. We met Steve Matchett at the USGP 2000 and found him an unassuming guy with a wealth of knowledge and humor about F1. This attitude comes through very well in this book, which details the great season Benetton had with Michael Schumacher, current F1 champion. Lots of great vignettes about the people and work behind the garage door. A great gift for any race fan!

Sweet as cotton candy, and with about as much substance. Great if you want a feel-good book with no plot complications or messy details, but there's no real meat to it.

Always save the best for last seems to be the motto for the Sons of Texas series. Wade's character was introduced in the previous books, bu there he finally becomes a three - dimensional character. This is an emotionally charged book -- it brings laughter, tears, and finally a heart-warming end to Bitter End. Unlike many other books with a religious character, Wade's status as a pastor is part of his character and motivations, not a stereotype. Newcomer, Amy is a young woman struggling to find a home for her unborn child and Wade promises to deliver her three miracles - a place to live, a job, and a father for her child. Ms. Macomber delivers a miracle of her own in the final installment of the Sons of Texas. This is definitely a KEEPER.

Anything by McComber is great!!! I never miss one. She is absolutely the best in romance. Love Comes Softly has always been my favoite.

Absolutely wonderful book! We read some of the stories out loud in camp during a private rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Some had us laughing, some had us crying but all were moving in some way. The artwork and illustrations are a terrific bonus. If you love rafting, outdoor adventure or just having an "armchair adventure"....get this book, guaranteed you will love it!

There's This River lets you see The Grand Canyon through the eyes of peolpe who love and know the river best. The men and women shair their stories weather tuching or funny they alow us to feel why the river is a special and wonderuos place. Tim Cooper, and the rest, really let us see why boatmen do what they do. They simply love the river.

It contains stories (and photos, paintings, and drawings) by the men and women who know and love the Canyon best. The stories are funny and touching and really give a sense of why the Canyon is such a special and wonderful place. The artwork and photos are a nice bonus. Raechel M. Running's portraits of the boatmen (a generic term: both men and women refer to themselves as boatmen) are particulary good.

Our family found this to be a good guide to Grand Canyon trails during our visit in August, 2000. The descriptions of the Bright Angel trail and South Kaibab trail were accurate. However, the Rim trail, which is described in detail in the book, seems to no longer exist. I don't know who's at fault. The NPS does a terrible job of marking its Grand Canyon trails. Don't assume that every trail described in the book will be there. Check with an NPS employee first.

For those folks looking for a handy guide to easy Grand Canyon trails they can't go wrong with this guide. Each of the 17 descriptions includes basic facts such as trail mileage, elevation change, water availability, type of trail, directions to the trailhead and other information. Each hike is described in appropriate detail including comments about the vegetation. Upon reaching the hike's destination the author has excellent descriptions of the views encountered. Adkison's writing style is clear and easy to understand. Each hike has an easy to understand map. For those wanting to pick out more canyon details I recommend the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Grand Canyon National Park Topo Map. His mix of hikes includes not only those where one would meet a lot of other people but those where one is likely to enjoy much solitude. Both rim trails and below the rim trails are included in the book. The handy small size of this book makes it easy to carry in one's pocket or pack.

I do not know any one of my friends who are ultramarathroner and I believe I also can speak for 99.9% of them that they also know no one who takes up this sport. So it is rather intriguing to read about the experience of the author. The first part of the book is witty and fun to read. But it gets to be a little bored at the second half as the encounters, the feeling and the races themselves are becoming routine.

For someone that is thinking of doing an ultra, you should read this book. It is from the point of view of a middle of the pack runner. Let you know alittle about what you can expect physically and mentallity

This book is well-illustrated by Peter Stevenson. That's what brought our attention to it. We have bought others in this series that were wonderful and loved. But this author, Allia Zobel-Nolan, suggests that we "wave good-bye to God" as we leave church on Sunday. If that is the impression you'd like your children to have of God, that He has no part in the beauty of creation and our daily life, then you will like this book.

perfect for a small child's hands, this handy bible's brightcolors combined with the child-like wording is wonderful. A great wayto introduce your child to Christianity.

I just returned from an 18-day private trip and found the "Blue Bible" worth packing in my day box for the whole trip. However, some storms have come through and many of the rapids are now misclassified. Anyone with a moderate interest in life around them should tote the latest version of this book along with them down the canyon; I was able to ID snakes, bugs and landmarks. But find a companion who has run the river more recently than Larry to tell you whether to scout the next rapid.

P.S. Hey Larry, if you need some help...

This is THE book to have for anyone taking a private river trip through the Grand Canyon. It's the only guide book that shows all of the camp sites and their relative size. It also rates the difficulty of all of the rapids. There should be one on every raft.

For those quiet moments in camp the book contains a lot of information about the history and geology of the Grand Canyon as well as a lot of other information.

The Ghost from the Grand Banks: I'd never heard of this novel before finding it at the library, and I quickly found out why. It's a rather self-indulgent outing by the master, spending more time demonstrating his erudition than furthering the rather thin plot, which involves raising the Titanic. He has some successful predictions in here (the Y2K problem, though he misjudges both its impact and solutions), and some unsuccessful ones (the Mandelbrot set as a fashion object). All in all, this is an uncharacteristically forgettable outing.

The Deep Range: Now this is more like it. The first sentence - "There was a killer loose on the range" - grabbed me, bringing me back to the days when I first read this book as I was just getting into science fiction. Here we have a future world where food is becoming scarcer, and whales and plankton must be harvested to feed the teeming millions. Into this comes Franklin, a traumatized astronaut looking for a new career. We cover the problems he encounters, both personally and professionally, concluding with the moral one of eating whales at all.

Still something of a rambling tale, but it's out of the classic days of sf, and it brought back fond memories for me, and I enjoyed it, regardless.

THE GHOST FROM THE GRAND BANKS was written more than a decade ago, telling a tale of an attempt to raise the Titanic in the early 21st century. It was only a few years later that James Cameron's TITANIC caused enough stir in interest for the old ship's future fate that such attempts to raise the old tin pot now don't seem so outlandish at all. This novel, written in typical Clarkean style, is filled with science and technology fitted to a spare and efficient fromework of a plot. Diversions into the world of mathematics via the 'Mandelbrot set' makes for a fascinating counterpoint to the main story.

In 1957, the year the Space Age began, ACC penned THE DEEP RANGE--about near-future undersea farming and exploration of Earth's "inner space." The author's love of the sea and it's creatures was prominently shown in this evocative novel. In the decades since it was published, the world has undergone a true revolution in attitude toward marine mammals and their habitats. Whale song has been studied, protective covenants established to preserve endangered species, and exploration of the seas continues. A classic tale that sometimes rankles the contemporary mindset, but exposing all kinds of future possibilities.