This is Ms Cobb's first novel and is a story about Bill Glasscock, or Fragile Dick to his friends. Bill wakes up at his girlfriend Sally's beach house on Splendor Bay and sees the city cops looking at a body on the beach that has diamond studs in his shirt. Bill being the good ex attorney and private investigator decides to wander down to the beach to find out the details of the John Doe that has appeared on his girlfriend's beach. Come to find out it is the Governor of the state, and said Governor is his ex or soon to be ex wife's boyfriend. His girlfriend also seems to be missing and Bill takes you on the search to find who did this to the Governor, because all fingers are pointing at him.

The dialogue in this book is very witty and I think it reminds me of the Robert B Parker Spenser series because of the sarcasm. I found it to be a very good, easy and fast book to read. Very likeable characters that you begin to really care about. A bit of a love story about how even though you have an ex wife, is she ever forgotten? Do you just stop loving her because you have found her in bed with the Governor? Do you stop loving the girlfriend because the ex wife that has just lost her boyfriend and tells you she still loves you? There is also your son of sixteen years to consider. Bill has been a bit of a bum for a while and what effect is that having on him. Should Bill get his act together and try and spend some time with Davey, or should he just let his wife worry about that.

There are lots of different twists and turns in this book and I found them delightful. I liked the interactions between Bill, his friends and extended family. I liked the fact of him being an ex-attorney on suspension and the dilemma about what he was going to do with the rest of his life. I would like to see this become a series, but my understanding is that she is in the in the process of having another novel published with new people. I for one will have to have a look at it.

I didn't want to put this book down after I began reading it. What I liked the most is that the story flows well and it kept me intrigued. The characters and story line are developed with just enough clarity that personalities or the plot didn't get foggy with excess detail. I was taken in by the main character, his sense of humor and approach to solving the crime, and all the ways he showed he cared about his family and friends. The end was good, because even though I tried to guess along the way what really happened, I wasn't even close.

Show me the way back to the sea...

In the ocean of life, Bill Glasscock finds himself tossed into the waves of crime in Sleepy Splendor Bay. A by-the-sea town with sparkling turquoise water, where cutesy-touristy restaurants serve homemade biscuits and gravy or a slice of strudel amidst glorious scenery.

On a day when the cornflower-blue sky looks down on the hulls of old boats and waves that lazily lap at the sand in a never ending cycle, something washes up on the beach covered with seaweed and spoils the view.

Bill is on a vacation from real life, playing out his fantasy as a part-time detective and part time knight in shining armor. He is on a journey to discover the true beauty of life while his own personal pain and loss seems to surround him. The turmoil of his own soul leads him down a path where he tries to drown the pain by drinking his life away.

As Bill says: "Things happen. Sometimes you have to ride the wave."

He is a victim of circumstance, having taken his focus off his life for what seemed like moments, only to return to find his wife seeking solace in the arms of another. Now he finds his wife's love interest, Governor Wallace Moreno, in the arms of the sea, tossed onto the beach as casually as he feels he was tossed aside by his soon-to-be-ex-wife Eleana, a government official.

State attorney Sally Solana has sought to rehabilitate him back to his former existence as an attorney after he was suspended for malpractice. When his wife and Sally disappear after the Moreno murder, he steps up to the challenge, all the while having to avoid becoming a suspect and therefore being detained.

L.B. Cobb's writing style takes full advantage of verisimilitude in a similar way many of W. Somerset Maugham's stories evoke a sense of confidence in the reader. She also uses those little twists and turns that keep you questioning and her chapter endings plunge you into the next page with a sense of undeniable curiosity.

The character development bonds the reader to the characters with heart-felt emotions and moral ambiguities, making them memorable and human.

"I heard the agony in her voice as the stainless blade of betrayal sliced into her heart. I closed my eyes and saw the crimson drops of heart pain, hers and mine. I said nothing. What could I say? That, in a moment of selfish, hurting need, I had betrayed her? That I felt her pain along with my own? That once I had pledged my love ... there wasn't any left for another? pg. 111

There are many moments of beauty and you will really start to love Bill for his thoughts. Be they the thoughts of a man in love or the conflicting thoughts he faces in trying to solve the mystery of his life. Or the humorous, laugh-out-loud contemplation of one witty guy who is trying not to take life too seriously, while learning life can be one serious game when those you love are in peril.

An expertly crafted mystery with a touch of sensual intrigue. Splendor bay will leave you amazed by the poetic justice of it all. The best mystery I've read, bar none. Told from a male perspective and sure to be loved by both sexes.

Summer reading at its best!

Also look for: ISBN 0970622406
Old Fashioned Recipes for Modern Cooks by L.B. Cobb

Promises Town due out in Sept, 2002
...and Port of Miracles in 2003

"Love is knowing you won't let go." ~Stevie Nicks, Trouble in Shangri-La

I'm a longtime fan of Ms. Jacobs and hope that
"Flashpoint" is the start of a new series.
This novel is just the right blend of mystery,
suspense, and social commentary.

Be sure to read Ms. Jacobs' other recent novels,
"Star Struck" and "Double or Nothing".

in this fast-paced page turner. Ms. Jacobs manages to make every word count in Flash Point, her latest mystery entry. Thanks to the author's keen eye for detail, the reader sees the characters come to life on the page. And what charming characters they are---it's a pleasure spending time with Susan Kim Delancey as she tracks down the serial arsonist. Well researched, the author sets the scene so realistically I have a new-found respect for the men and women who fight fires daily.

Susan Kim Delancey is the Governor's Special Assistant for Arson Investigations, a political appointment that has her serve as liaison with all the counties in California. Right now she is investigating a series of arson homicides that have taken place in Sausalito, San Francisco, Daily City and San Vincente. She is trying to find out if the same person is responsible for the four incidents.

In each case the victim was a single mother who recently gave birth to a baby girl. No trace of the babies is found leading the press to dub the crimes the "Baby Snatcher Murders". Susan and her understaffed overworked team find a common thread even as the killer targets someone Susan loves more than life itself.

Nancy Baker Jacobs has a winning new series if FLASH POINT is any indication. The heroine is impossible not to like as she races from one horrific crime scene to another to find some answers that will stop a killer before he strikes again. There are enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages until they find out who the perp is and why he is doing such terrible things.

Harriet Klausner

Hello, I am 21 years old and attend University Of Wisconsin, Madison and have found this book to be delightful in every aspect. The Author of this book, who I would love to meet, uses creativity in his writings rather well. I can relate to this book because I have been to Horton Bay, Michigan. For all of you who have not visited Michigan and who have not read this book, please do, you will find it outstanding.

Teddy's at his best with the high jinx of the Horton Bay crowd. A must read for those who like lite,ironic humor. An ernest Hemingway in his own mind. tom erber

a heartwarming and "fun loving" book; however, the two additional great bonus stories ("The Last Frontier," and "Once a Man, Twice a Child," had me crying all the way to the end. They were good tears though, the kind that cleanse the soul and make you feel all better when the reading is done and the book is closed.

Author Ted Walker seems to have picked up where Ernest Hemingway tales of the area left off. This is "must read" for those who enjoy Northern Michigan's colorful and charming personalities.

For any of you traveling this summer to Horton Bay (yes, it is a real place) stop in the Horton Bay General Store and hear about Ernest and Ted first hand from the locals who have been known, to "chew the fat" with strangers. If you plan to visit in the fall, catch the annual Ernest Hemingway Festival. Information on this can be found by writing the Chamber of Commerce Petoskey, Michigan 49770.

P.S. In the current issue of National Geographic Traveler, I understand their is an excellent interview with Ted Walker regarding Horton Bay and his unforgettable book, "We Eat Our RoadKill."

Although it starts out a bit slow, it is a well written and , for the most part, accurate. I worked at INCO and was involved in the early stages of the acquisition and can say that the description of events and personalities was very accurate.

The real story that reads better than fiction. The book gives a great background for the current activity that is starting again in one of the largest mineral discoveries in Canada.

Tremendous read for anybody who has an interest in this sector, or for that matter good business books. Good insights on the tactics used in making a deal for a world class deposit (at least in a seller's market). I started yesterday morning and couldn't put it down all day. My wife did make me walk the dog, and I took a few trips to frig, but was so engrossed I finished it all yesterday. That's saying something because I usually only finish about a fourth of the books I start.

I bought this book for my daughter to take to my mother's house. I can't sing and so the book isn't much fun when I read it. My daughter loves to hear my mother sing though. She will ask my mother to read the book several times a day when she is visiting.

Again, here is another great Read/Sing book. If you love to sing or are a music educator this book is for you. Rich in American folk heritage, this is one of the many songs MENC recommends that all children know. This song can be sung in echo format or as written in the back. My students constantly want me to read it again. They think the verses are hilarious! As I have said in other reviews of books like this, it gets you away from the piano so you can focus on your students' vocal development!

A very easy sing along!

This book is so much fun. At first I just read it because I didn't realize it was a song. Then I noticed it was a song and I played it and got the hang of it so I started to sing it to my daughter. She loves it. She laughs at the silliness of it and we sing it when we are out. I make up my own verses and made it into a game of rhyming. It is such a fun little book.

I was on my way into Toronto and my car over heated leaving me stranded for some time to look at secondhand bookstores, i started looking for the bell jar, they didnt have it so i went to the occult section i found a book called Being of the sun, by Alicia as well... very interesting, talking about appreciating foods, choowing your food, i bought it and found that it was a sequal, so the same day i headed to the store to get Living on the Earth,,,, i am sure that this is a great bible for the earth! a must read if interrested in bohemian life, wicca, or just hippy sensations,

What an amazing book. I found it at a used book store a few years ago. The line drawings are beautiful,and the recipes and crafts on each page are easy to make. This book makes me want to go live in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere every time i read it! It's a definite YES for anyone who is into making their own "stuff".

i found this book as a young teenager up on a shelf. it was my mother's, left over from HER hippie days. i took up the reading as well as practicing of the book and have become a better person for it. this book should be read by all. it is so simple and yet beautiful and eloquent. i highly recommend it.

Whether real or imagined I seem to be reading more work by writers and stories about Newfoundland. This is the first novel by Michael Crummey and, "River Thieves", is a very strong debut. The book has been compared to, "Cold Mountain", that I have not read, and to, "In The Fall", which I very much enjoyed. This work is not as sweeping a story as Jeffrey Lent's first book, however if you enjoy his writing you will enjoy this tale as well.

This story takes place primarily in the very early 19th Century although there are references to years that bracket the story. The atmosphere I take to be absolutely on point, as the author was borne and continues to live in the same settings on which his book takes place. This leap of faith is difficult to make when the reader has never been to the locale of the book, but Michael Crummey makes the presumption effortless.

The story is ostensibly about the demise of the, "Red Indians", or "The Beothuk". The reasons for the near extinction of these people is the result of the same effects felt throughout the Americas that settlers from Europe either brought with them, or practiced, disease or their desire to take the native population's land. Had the author restricted himself to this review of history, the book would have been too familiar. Instead the author gets deeply involved with a variety of players, and by sharing their stories reveals the fate of the Beothuk as well.

Included are settlers, criminals from England that have been transported, as well as the government officials that were the rule of law. The author also departs from attitudes and the people who hold and act on them. Governments have not been traditionally sympathetic to the indigenous people they found on new lands they claimed for King/Queen and country, Crummey changes that. He introduces, "Indians", which have become a part of the European community with a variety of results. And as he brings his tale to a close, it is not just governmental policy that shapes the fate of people and new nations, but often the people that hold a variety of positions, either governmental or in their communities, that can shape history as well.

The poet in Crummey is very much in evidence throughout this book. His prose (which makes use here of arcane words and expressions unique to Newfoundland, as well as some of the surviving nouns of the Beothuk language) is as strong and often bleak as the island itself in his narrative of the early 18th century inhabitants and their violent relationship with the (literally) red indians, the Beothuk.

Fact and fiction are seamlessly woven into a fascinating study of the bleak beauty of the place and the difficulties of the trapping/fishing lives of the residents--most of whom have found their way to the island from Great Britain. These "newcomers" are at great odds with the indigenous peoples: the Mi'kmaqs and the Beothuks; and the Mi'kmaqs consider themselves to be far superior to the Red Indians. The eternal pecking order.

What makes this book so fascinating, aside from its fully fleshed, very human cast of characters and the neverending labor of their daily lives (as well as the wretched weather), is the decimation and, ultimately, the complete eradication of the Beothuks. From the modern perspective, genocide is an ongoing horror. But for those arriving on foreign, North American shores, it was a matter of killing to stake a claim to the land, killing out of fear or contempt, but killing and killing until those with the most legitimate claim simply ceased to exist.

In dealing with many perspectives, the author gives us an insightful view of the rationales operating for every one of the characters in this book. It's a tour de force of collective viewpoints woven together to form an historical tapestry.

Beautifully written by a writer with great feeling for his characters and for history, wrenching and sad, River Thieves is a splendid book.
Most highly recommended.

"River Thieves" by Michael Crummey captures the landscape of Newfoundland with poetic brilliance. The characters are misty and intense. The plot is a wonderful mix of Newfoundland history, adventurer's biography and beach book. I can't wait for the sequel.

As someone who lived on the island of Nantucket for 10 years, as one of the working people who cleaned the summer people's houses and worked three jobs in the summer, I know all too well the life that the author describes. But although it is a hard life, it was a wonderful one and I don't regret it. This book made me very nostalgic for that life. The author has a dream-like quality in the way that she writes. I hope she writes another (and longer) book.

Seldom do we get the chance to read a book that feels like the author is sitting next to you and telling her story, but not in a "oh, enough about me! How do you like my dress?" way.Nope, Carol Wasserman seems like an old friend.Simply put... This book rocks! It is funny, it is familiar, it is warm...the perfect after the holidays book, a perfect anytime book. I did not want it to end, but I finished it with the hopes that when I finished it, I'd hear she just published another.

More, please. And, Thank You.

While the book really grabbed us due to it being vaguely Parallel to mine and my wife's lives, that's not the point. If you live in the rental from hell a.k.a. "A Winter Rental" and you survived, well then this is a must read. I remember years ago whe our kids were young. As the spring came the kids could play outside. The property owners would show up and start working on the house. How comfy is this when you're a little late on the rent? Carol's description of this exact situation made me cover my face with a pillow and sob. She describes the exact gut wrenching feeling that happens to all winter renters! That and her yearly visit to town hall to show Aubrey is still indeed dead are some of the most powerful moments I've seen in literature in a long time. This is such a great work that it must be spread so others will do it!

It makes you laugh out loud. Hail the apostles Bellingham! From Nigel, the rabbit - to Susan, the estranged wife - Looking at life through rose coloured glasses indeed.Why hasn't a daily picked this guy up? Bellingham, a man in love with his adopted city of San Francisco. Not a bit of underdone potato - as saterical writers tend to be. Curmundgeons have a hero - a passionate one at that.

WARNING: DO NOT BUY ONE COPY OF THIS BOOK! You will need at least two copies whether you buy it for yourself or for a gift. Don't think you can pick this up as a gift, browse through it to pick up the highlights and then pass it along, no, you're going to want your own copy. And if you do pick it up for yourself, you will undoubtedly add it to your Christmas gift list. It's a great book for anyone; they just have to have a sense of humor. What makes it a keepr, though, is Bellingham's jabs are as insightful as they are funny, his one-liners are as timeless as they are topical. His slice of life encounters with various celebrities give the reader a fun account of the media scene in everybody's favorite city by the Bay. I practically read this book in one sitting because I kept saying, "just one more chapter" (they're short). It's that kind of book, a pick up and read anywhere book, a great "airplane book", if you will. Check it out for chuckles.

"Bellingham by the Bay" is relaxing reading -- and entertaining. It's something I keep by the bed. I'm a retired English Lit teacher and when the world grows too serious, I keep returning to "Bellingham" for its good writing and witty, irreverent insights. At my age, laughter is a great elixir. Try it!