Elin is a retiring novelist who lives on property which has been in her family since they emigrated from Sweden. A freak accident by the oil company blew up her house, and she has rebuilt a modern and comfortable abode. But when she returns from a trip to the Twin Cities, she finds her neighbor and former boyfriend, Neil, has been viciously murdered in his home next door:

"The sliding glass door to the whirlpool was open. She could hear the gurgling outside. The body was lying face down, partially covered with a white robe. Neil's body was completely still. The gash in his scalp was ringed with bone poking through the hair. The blood made a tiny hissing sound as it leaked from the wound, pushing pieces of brain out. As she looked at him, the stain around his head spread."

Erin finds herself working with a new homicide detective in town, Dean Nelson, and as Dean protects Erin from herself and all the evil which surrounds her, they find themselves falling in love. But Erin's search for the murderer of her friend reveals betrayals by the people whom she considered to be the closest in her world.

Ms. Belmonti has written a very promising first mystery. Her plot is well thought out; characters are compelling; and Erin's journey towards maturity and holding some of her demons at bay is a central thread which captures the reader's fancy. Ms. Belmonti is an obvious talent with oodles of sensitivity. Her tale is a bittersweet analogy to most of our lives.

Erin is a warmhearted heroine, whose blind trust in the people around her almost results in her own downfall. But she has wisdom beyond her years, and the tale which Ms. Belmonti crafts around her holds lessons both for Erin and for us all. Detroit Lakes Murder is a fine story, which introduces us to a new author who can only get better after serving up a very credible and entertaining first story. Her prediction of her books stocked in restaurants and bait shops could indeed become a reality. An excellent read!

Leslie Belmonti is a native of Minnesota. She developed her aspiration to become a writer while vacationing in the Detroit Lakes area with her family.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

This is absolutely a "must-have" for any Detroit Tigers fan! Not just a book of statistics, "Detroit Tigers Lists and More" is about every fascinating and obscure trivia you ever wanted to know about the Tigers. Everything from Tigers in other Halls of Fame to player nicknames to fantasy teams to miscellaneous info too good to pass up (like notable fights, forfeits and family relations) - it's here, all neatly cataloged and indexed for easy reference. Pick one up for your favorite sports fan!

Discovering Dinosaurs In The Old West: The Field Journals Of Arthur Lakes, deftly edited by Michael F. Kohl (Amateur paleontologist, Head of Special Collections at the Clemson university Library, and the discovered of Lake's missing journals) and John S. McIntosh (Emeritus Professor of Physics, Wesleyan University and a paleontologist specializing in sauropods), is a unique presentation of the original journal entries from 1877 to 1880 by geologist Arthur Lakes and presented with numerous annotations, clarifications, maps, black-and-white photographs and a great deal more. Enhanced with an informative foreword by John Ostrom (Professor Emeritus of Geology and Geophyiscs, Yale University) Discovering Dinosaurs In The Old West is a superbly presented and invaluable addition to personal, professional, and academic paleontology supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

It is a shame this book is out of print. The photography is breath taking. The diverse subject matter spotlights each little piece of the region and offers a comprehensive glimpse of life on Great Lakes Michigan and Superior. First introduced to the Upper Penninsula as a child, I was thrilled to receive this book as a gift from my husband. Each time I look through it is a like a little vacation, whether I am in the mood for summer beaches, wild life, the awe-inspiring force of the lakes, or autumn's first snow fall. Mr. Olsenius has a real gift in capturing peoples' personalities and nature's majesty on film. A beautiful book.

Earle has done a wonderful job of introducing readers to the joy of exploring both the oceans and personal goals. Earle uses a conversational tone with stunning photos in this autobiographical tale. Both children (9-12 is the target age and as a read aloud for younger children) and their parents will find this to be an excellent gateway into the underwater world. Budding marine biologists will marvel as their dreams (like swimming with whales) are described. They will finish the book with their own dreams reinforced.

Dandi is a well inspired author who really knows how to reach out to children. These books are so well written that they were enjoyable for adults as well. I found myself actually wanting to read to my children @ bedtime b/c I enjoyed the humor, the characters and the overall storyline! Thank you to Dandi for making my job as a mom more enjoyable!

Down Comes The Rain is an excellent book that introduces to young children the formation of rain and where it actually comes from. It also discusses the transformation of water into ice and also the evaporation of water. Children can understand the book through its simple terms and colorful illustrations. Rain is just one of the many things that young children often wonder about. It is a very good book that can be added to any elementary classroom when discussing a unit on weather or simply to have at home to read togther on rainy days! Many hands-on activities, such as putting a teaspoon of water into a saucer and coming back to see that it has evaporated into the air, can be done by using this book. I have added this book to my list that I plan to use in the classroom!

You won't find this information in even the most recent sciencetexts! You learned in school that all energy for life on earth can betraced back to the sun. This belief was revised after the 1977 discovery of deep ocean hydrothermal vent communities where populations of organisms owe their existence to hydrogen sulfide feeding bacteria. The book progresses from discovery to research into the geology, chemistry, and biology of this most interesting ecosystem. Numerous color photographs and detailed illustrations accompany the text. I especially enjoyed seeing the names and faces of the many scientists who have helped reveal the secrets of this submarine environment. This book would make an excellent supplement in a science classroom and no school library would be complete without it! Move over photosynthesis, chemosynthesis rules!

From the ocean surface to the seabed floor, aquatic life abounds ranging from the microsopic to the gigantic. Ceentimert-long arrow worms gobble balls of algae near the surface, while hatchet fish glow and giant squid battle whales in the darker waters thousands of feet belore the surface. On the bottom are to be found sea vents creating an opportunity for exotic marine to flourish. Each page of Down, Down, Down In The Ocean takes youn greaders ages 5 to 8, down another level of ocean environment, each a unique biosphere supporting life specific to its depth. Author Sandra Markle accurately cpatures the evocative power of the ocean with her Informative text, while arts Bob Marstall treats the reader to rich, vivid, fascinating, revealing illustrations.

I met Don on Canadice Lake yesterday. He has crafted a beautiful boat that is more than stable enough to fly fish while standing, yet weighs in the neighborhood of 120 lbs. His boat planes easily with a 9.9 hp, and is a real crowd attractor at the launch. Easily strip built in cedar and epoxy. A great getaway boat for remote lakes with primitive access.