I have read all of Jonathan Kellerman's books and this one is the most boring of the bunch. He takes forever to get to the point. His characters are bland and I don't care anymore about his love interest with Robin, which takes up half of the book. He needs to get on with his life. The mystery part and conclusion take up the last 5 chapters and even that is no mystery and not even exciting. I just wanted the book to end and it seemed like it never would. The book just kept driving around Hollywood and stopping at bars and street signs. I feel like I could drive in Hollywood according to J. Kellerman's directions. Too predictable.

Jonathon Kellerman continues to try to find new approaches to his long-running Alex Delaware series. Last time he spent half the book on a 3rd person profile of Alex's friend Det. Milo Sturgis, with the other half the regular 1st person Alex Delaware narrative.

This time out he again uses 3rd person narrative for part of the book, this time delineating the activities and further exploring the personality of Petra Connor the Hollywood detective of Kellerman's "Billy Straight". Petra has a new partner, the enigmatic Eric Stahl, and they are involved in working a murder case that becomes linked to one Milo & Alex are working. Someone is killing creative types, a musician & painter for openers, in acts that can only be described as ultimate criticism (and Jonathon gets to take a swipe or two at the mentality of the talentless wannabe). No offense to us Amazon critics, I hope.

This time out, I found the mystery revealed to me earlier than usual, but it may not be for everyone. Nevertheless, the details of the unraveling are still worthwhile, and Kellerman is still busy fleshing out his characters. Alex has lost his Robin, but has a new love interest. We are becoming more familiar with Petra and new dimensions are being added and her new partner presents a new character with depths and secrets that will probably mean some new Petra book down-the-line. Hope so anyway.

Always a pleasurable read, Kellerman doesn't break new ground here, but continues the life of his characters with some new wrinkles. And while this isn't his best, I always look forward to the new Delaware and hope to see a new Petra/Eric book sometime in the future. 3-1/2 for this one.

The style of A Cold Heart brought back memories of Billy Straight which was the book that got me hooked on Jonathan Kellerman. I last read The Murder Book and was disappointed with its plodding style but not with this one. The sharp, quick action moves along at good clip and yet still adds descriptions which create vivid pictures in the mind. This story brings together all the characters in the other books and weaves them around a case which is solved by their cooperative work. I finished it in two sittings and was sorry it was over. This is my idea of a good read. I am glad there is a new love interest for Delaware finally. The on again, off again business with Robin was getting very boring. I look forward now to what ever comes next. Thanks, Mr. Kellerman for a good story, well told.

For more recent information on this topic, the Pocono Record recently did a 3-day, multi part story on this topic. Sunday,Monday & Tuesday, August 12,13, and 14, 2001.

You can also read it online at www.poconorecord.com You can probably view it in the archives section or by doing searches on the archives there. Just search on items like Tocks Island or just Tocks, PEEC, Honeymoon Haven, dam, etc.. and you'll get the recent stories and other stories they've done on this topic.

The paper interviews both those whose families owned homes in the area, the people who rented those homes later, squatters, and other nearby locals. It also goes over what was originally planned (the dam and the surrounding park) and what happened later (the park and 209 becoming a 35mph road, leasing land and homes, PEEC environmental camp, etc.) Very worth reading if you're interested in this topic.

I don't know what stirred this topic in the paper recently. My husband and I stumbled upon it by chance, on the way home from my brother's wedding. We'd stopped in Sunday to ask a ranger at the Rec Area if they had a book or anything on the topic, and he happened to have a copy of the Sunday paper & a book with a chapter on the topic, which he kindly let us read while we were there.

This topic has touched many people's lives. It's good to see there's some info out there for those of us who are interested, but also to keep the history alive and those people's memories around..and to explain what happened to places you can't find anymore.

As a new resident of northern New Jersey I have heard many tales from long time residents regarding the land acquisition for the Tocks Island Dam. When I first found this book I expected a 'story' about what has occured over the last 100+ years in this area, and intead I found an extreme example of the government's ability to waste money.

This was a very extensive explanation of the Tocks Island Dam project as well as the development of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It went into great detail regarding the rise and fall of, and the details of this project.

This book is not for everyone to read and it requires alot of concentration to read, however I enjoyed it thoroughly. I wish I had kept notes throughout to total how much money has been spent on a dam that has yet to be and hopefully will not be built. The countryside is beautiful as a National Recreation Area and a project such as the Tocks Island Dam would be devastating to the whole surrounding area. This valley should be kept as a treasure for generations to enjoy.

Okay, this book isn't for everyone. The price alone tells you that. But if you are a policy maker or an environmentalist interested in a success story, it could be a great investment. It is the tale of how one river remained damless, despite an authorized Army Corps of Engineers project. I liked the book because I am a canoer who has paddled the Delaware and a river activist who can use lots of tips.

The author, Richard Albert, provides an insider's perspective. Most recently, he was a supervising engineer and basin planner for the Delaware River Basin Commission. He's been involved in river studies for three decades.

The Delaware is a fairly small river, draining only four-tenths of one percent of the continental U.S. Yet almost ten percent of the nation's population relies on its basin for water, and Delaware Bay is within a day's drive of about 40 percent of the entire U.S. population. Various groups have wanted dams on the Delaware to provide water, electrical power and flood control. As Albert explains, no dams have been built because New York City, New York State, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware could never fully agree on a project. At the top end of the river, New York City wants to protect its drinking water supply, which is based on huge reservoirs near the headwaters of the Delaware in upstate New York. At the bottom end, fishermen and others want to assure clean, regular water flow, something that could be diminished by one or more dams. In between, there are many opinions about the potential impact of one or more dams on the river.

Albert provides a long historical perspective, beginning in the colonial era, when navigation was the primary use of the river. States along the river agreed to prohibit dams, and this perspective ruled until the early twentieth century. Water supply, hydrological power, flood control and recreation became important issues in the twentieth century, and Albert gives them detailed treatment.

His description of the 1960s and 1970s includes some bizarre twists to the story. Two examples stand out for me. First, there's eutrophication. That's the overproduction of algae and plants caused by too much phosphorus or nitrogen in water. It stinks, too. Environmental studies suggested that the large number of poultry farms upstream of the proposed Tock's Island Dam would turn the new reservoir into "one gigantic cesspool." I call this segment of the story, "How Chicken Poop Saved the Delaware." Second, the whole land acquisition process went sour. The Corps of Engineers began acquiring land for a huge National Recreation Area above and below the Delaware Water Gap in 1964. By 1970 the project was still on hold, and "hippy" squatters began settling on the new public lands. Local residents were already concerned about the impact of tens of thousands of visitors on their roads, water supply, power supply, etc., and they were none too happy to see Haight-Ashbury move its act into rural New Jersey. In the end, unpaid local activists played an important role in helping to achieve the 1982 "Good Faith Agreement" among the mayor of New York and the governors of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Everyone agreed to leave the river free-running until after the year 2000 - and then reconsider the dam as a water supply source.

A friend and I canoed from Port Jervis, New York to the Delaware Water Gap in August 1999, and we camped right where the dam was proposed. Those who want to enjoy the Delaware as a free-flowing river after 2001 might want to pick up a copy of this book.

You start this book with no concept that it's going to go to one of the most reprehensible areas of humanity--eugenics. But Kellerman handles this with great finesse and holds us spellbound right up to the end. Dr. Alex Delaware gets better and better with each book. And now we have a new hero, Daniel Sharavi, who makes a repeat appearance here and certainly warrants future books of his own. Kellerman continues to provide meaty, exciting thrillers with a very human quality that doesn't let you put the book down until you've lived each and every line right along with his heroes and heroines. This is a great one and well worth the time spent. It also leaves us pondering the ethics and morality involved and wondering if it's fiction or a very real dilemma of the very real world we live in.

After a couple of disappointing books, Jonathon Kellerman is back in top form in his latest: "Survival of the Fittest". This book is a real page turner: a fast-paced, strong plot and interesting characters. All of the regulars are in the book - Alex Delaware, Milo Sturgis, Robin, and, of course, Spike. The reparte between Milo and Alex is as enjoyable as ever.

The book mixes serial murders with international intrigue. The (re)introduction of an Israeli police inspector (a character in a non-Alex Delaware Kellerman novel) made for some interesting interaction between the inspector and Milo. I hope that we see this character again in some future book.

It seems that in the recent past, Mr. Kellerman's books have all had sexual depravity as the motivating factor. It was a refreshing relief to read a book that was able to keep the reader's interest without strong sexual content. Keep up the good work, Mr. Kellerman. I am sure that there are many other interesting, nonsexual psychological theories and problems that would make fascinating premises for your future books.

I have liked all of Jonathan Kellerman's books but I would have to say that this one is now my favorite. This book has it all, it is exciting, thrilling, intelligent and very chilling. Kellerman brings back a hero from one of his earlier non-Deleware books (The Butcher's Theater), Daniel Sharavi. He along with a skeptical Milo and Alex try to solve a horrible murder of the daughter of an Israeli diplomat. Kellerman's characters are so well drawn and his attention to detail is as always superb! If you like a fast moving thriller this book is one of the best!
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Jonathan Kellerman's mysteries sell well and he's gotten some good reviews, at least that is what I recalled when my daughter gave me "The Clinic" recently. Unfortunately, the reputation does not translate for me into an enjoyable read. Lots and lots of talk, some of which could have been cut or put into exposition, bogs down the narrative. Some interesting psychological insights from Dr. Alex Delaware about the characters involved, but although some suspense is generated, the overall effect is more like a thud, rather than a splash. Kellerman apparently believes that each character must be described in considerable detail, but without providing any insights into the character through dialogue and action, the descriptions are useless. He also describes with some detail some of the settings. But again the writing is so, well, pedestrian that there is no evocative rush from the descriptions. Maybe Kellerman is better in other books. One hopes so.

Jonathan Kellerman's "The Clinic" was a very inspiring book to read. His books are long, but when you start reading it, time just flies by and you don't want to put it down. This is one of the first books that I have read by Jonathan Kellerman and I'm sure it won't be my last. In "The Clinic" the book gives great detail in many things, while Alex & Milo try to solve who killed author/professor Hope Devane. The book is a very good book to read and I suggest for everyone to read it, because you won't be disappointed.

The Clinic is the first Kellerman book I have read. Just finished it, and am left wondering why Kellerman didn't follow up on the whereabouts of the doctor (Cruvic). Is there no justice for him? Overall, the plot had a steady pace and makes the reader want to know the next link in the chain of evidence/next character's role in the mystery. I look forward to the next Kellerman and would recommend The Clinic as a first-time crime/mystery read.

I was a little disappointed in the quality of this book. The fact that the "running game" and the "passing game" book are faily identical in the beginning chapters was truly disappointing. I felt like a spent twice as much money on the books as I truly needed to. If your truly looking for information about the "wing-t" I suggest that you buy the Dennis Creehan books. I found them to be more informative and each book to be different so you're not spending money on the same information.

This is an outstanding book, even if you never plan to use the Wing-T formation. For those who want to incorporate the Wing-T Offense, this book is a definate must for fully utilizing the system. Most coaches use the Wing-T for its deceptive look and passing game, but the running game is equally important if not moreso.

The diagrams are very detailed with explanations and assignments for individual positions, hole assignments, techniques and the various looks that make the Wing-T successful.

One of the best features of this book is the extensive review of the playcalling system. It's straightforward and easy to remember...the system virtually eliminates confusion and miscommunication between the sideline and huddle, and makes it easy to fully train a player for a new position in a matter of minutes. The sheer flexibility that the system offers makes this book worth reading, even if you never plan to run a wing-t formation.

Definately on par with the other Art & Science of Coaching books, one of the best I've read.

"The Dutch, the Indians and the Quest for Copper" is devoted to the thesis that the "legend" of Dutch mining at Pahaquarry (New Jersey) in the 1650s has no basis in fact. About half of the book is concerned with the Lenape Indians of the area, and is totally irrelevant to the main thesis. Apparently this is all to support the thesis that (restated) "no damned idiot would be wandering around in the wilderness 100 miles from the nearest settlement to discover such a mine in the first place". Mr. Kraft ignores the fact that the French were all over the interior of North America by that time. While Mr. Kraft succeeds in demonstrating that the legend is at best exaggerated, his thesis ultimately fails. None of the evidence he provides disproves the possibility of Dutch mining on the site in the 1650s. Apparently one of his key points is archeological evidence based on digs he supervised-yet he never presents any results of those digs. Most of the chapters fail to met their reasonable objectives in many ways. For example there is a chapter on the history of copper smelting, that provides a nice summary of the prehistoric development, but does not extend up to 1650, to explain exactly what technology was available. A major point of his thesis is that the Dutch couldn't have smelted the ore anyway, but yet he fails to describe what technology was available to them and why that would have failed. Mr. Kraft also presents a brief history of mining technology-which would be unintelligible to anyone not already familiar with the subject, but also useless to such an individual. Mr. Kraft discusses subsequent mining at the site, but less adequately than magazine articles I've seen. Overall, Mr. Krafts book is of interest only to those individuals with a very specific interest in the legend of Dutch mines on the site in the 1650s. Everything worthwhile that Mr. Kraft has to say on this subject could fit into 5 or 6 pages.

The late Dr. Herbert Kraft was a renowned scholar of the archeology and history of the Lenape Indians of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While exploring Lenape sites along the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey, Kraft became familiar with the legend of the "old Mine Road," reputed by local folklorists to be the "oldest road in America." The road was allegedly built in the mid 17th century by Dutch copper miners moving down into New Jersey from Esopus New York.

Using historical and archeological sources, Kraft marshals a convincing array of documentary and technical evidence that succinctly demolishes the myth that the Dutch, or anyone else in the 17th century, built a road along the Jersey side of the Delaware River, and reveals that the story is of fairly recent origin. The burden of proof now lies with anyone who claims otherwise.

The book gives a good overview of the areas with many addresses. Anyhow I found it a bit too black and white. It gives useful maps, but no coloured pictures from the areas, which would make it a bit more pleasant to read.

I highly recommend this guide to anyone who will be traveling in the Northeast as well as Canada. This guide gives you everything from upcoming events for the year to where to stay & eat. The maps are easy to read and follow. I have been a reader of the Mobil Guide for many years and it is continuing to give the most accurate, up-to-date travel information. This is the MUST-HAVE for the Northeast traveler.

Generaly speaking, I enjoy the Alex Delaware series, but after reading this book I am looking forawrd to more non-Delaware books by Kellerman. Monster is well enough written, however the material isn't exactly exciting. It starts off decently enough, but starts going downhill about a quarter of the way in, and crashes in flames around the middle. The bulk of the story involves Delaware checking into the past history of a group of people from a small town which no longer exists. The main problem being is that these characters are pretty much all dead and have no place in the current context of the story, and you spend a couple hundred pages reading about people who you really don't have any interest in. On top of that, the story is so convoluted, by the time you get near the end, you have lost any focus, and interest, and really don't care what happens. Overall, it is a slow moving, uninteresting, implausible story that I would not recommend unless you are a diehard Kellerman fan. Hopefully his next book will be a non-Delaware book, as Alex needs a longer hiatus.

Monster is Ardith Peake. A psychotic, near-vegetable who's been locked up in a maximum security hospital for the last sixteen years. Yet suddenly, the Monster is predicting murders before they occur. Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis must try to unravel a mystery that goes back twenty years or more to the time that Monster wiped out a wealthy family in the small northern community of Treadway. But how does this ancient history tie in to the grisly murders being committed today?

I'm a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman and especially of his Alex Delaware series. I've read and enjoyed them all but this one seemed to lack the spark of the others. The premise is great and the book starts out strongly, but I didn't feel it was as captivating as some of his earlier Delaware novels. In fact, the end started to drag a bit.

However, all that said, Jonathan Kellerman still is a strong presence in the psychological thriller genre. He can write with authority when he discusses medication side-effects, neuroses, and psychoses since he really is a psychologist himself. All this information may sound boring but it really isn't. It all ties in to the plot and plotting is where he usually excels. I just felt the plot ran out of steam toward the end of the book. Still a good book from a good writer. Head and shoulders above a lot of what passes for mysteries these days.

Dr. Delaware, serves as a psychiatric consultant to the police department. He and Detective Milo Sturgis set out to solve the crime of a psychologist who worked at a hospital for the criminally insane. The head of the facility tells them that the Dr. was safe when she was there--it was in the outside world that she met her untimely end. The victim had been working with Ardis Peake, a young man who had brutally murdered his own mother and another family many years ago. Her interest in him was spurred by dark family secrets in her own past, which are uncovered as the plot proceeds. More murders occur which bear a grisly resemblance to the Dr.'s murder and which are eerily foretold in the psychotic mutterings of Peake. There are many twists and turns until the final solution is revealed. Kellerman writes of the inmates with stark realism, but also with a great amount of understanding. An interesting book!

As one who fishes the Delaware, I was hugely disappointed by this "book." There is no new insight, the text is lame and rife with grammatical errors and the photos are horrible. The whole first section is a quote from Schweibert's "Trout." Pretty lazy. I can't believe they charge [$$$] for this. Save your money for flies.

Filled with colorful anecdotal stories, George Spector's River Journal: Delaware River is a superbly presented fly fishing guide that includes a detailed river map, color fly plates, a suggested list of flies, and a invaluable wealth of experienced "tips, tricks & techniques" for trout fishing along the Delaware River system of New York and Pennsylvania.

This is a extremely well researched book. While not a "can't-put-it-down" book, it is written in a style that keeps one interested. It doesn't have the more exciting style of, say, The Frontiersman by Allan Eckert, but it is a good read non-the-less. There is plenty of history here, plenty of information about the Indians of the time, politics, characters, etc. However, so much history is covered that it is impossible to cover any part in great depth which makes it difficult to feel that one is part of the action. Instead, the book is more of the typical history book where one feels to be on the outside looking in.
I live near where much of this history takes place in Ohio, so I find the history of this area more interesting than some, and I don't understand why David Zeisberger doesn't get more mention in history. This is a fascinating person. Fascincating enough that his history could be written in a more exciting style by the right author. However, this isn't a put down, as this is the best book on the subject I have read.
The book starts out with the childhood of Zeisberger, which is a little slow reading. This information is important, though, as it shows what environment Zeisberger grew up in and how it affected his life later.
However, I was more interested in the years between 1740-1782. This is a wonderfully exciting time in Ohio history, and Olmstead covers it well. Because of the focus of the book, Olmstead covers events such as Braddock's Massacre in only a page or so, whereas there are entire books written on just this one battle. However, the book is about Zeisberger, and Olmstead relates how events such as these affected the lives of those around Zeisberger and the Moravian missions. The book takes us through the French and Indian War, into the Revolutionary War, and ends with the massacre of Christian Indians at Gnadenhutten, Ohio in 1782. Olmstead's history shows us how these peaceful (and not so peaceful) Indians' lives were affected by the events happening around them and to them.
This is a very "neutral" book. By that I mean, the book doesn't offer a slanted judgement of one side against the other; it simply tells what happens. For example, both the good and the bad of the Indians are pointed out, giving us a true view of the Eastern Woodland Indians as real people, not just some distorted image of the "noble savage" fighting against the evil white men trying to steal his land.
Another book by Olmstead, "Blackcoats among the Delaware" covers Zeisberger's life after the period of this book, but I really think this is the better written book (of course, since I am more interested in the 1750-1780 time period, this may just be prejudice on my part).
Even forgetting David Zeisberger, this is a decent book on "Indian-Colonist relations," and how one event could influence another event many miles away. I don't think anyone could be disappointed in this book if they are interested in either the time period or David Zeisberger. As a book on Zeisberger, this should be a 5 star, but as a book in general, a 3 is about it.