As with all of Mr. Day's Sherlock Holmes' pastiches, I found this book to be a great read. The plot is intriguing, the voices are right,and the friendship between Holmes and Watson shines through.
Keep on writing Mr. Day.

"BAKER STREET REGULAR" OF CINCINNATI writes...

"I was taken by the book's description... 'It is London 1900 and Sherlock Holmes finds himself investigating a string of murders that have one common thread - each of them recalls one of his famous earlier cases and each of them implicate him. Has that great mind finally cracked - Watson wonders - and how is all this connected to Britain's latest secret weapon and the doings of the enigmatic Graf von Bork and the mysterious Society for Anglo-German Solidarity ?'

This is the third in Barry Day's Sherlock Holmes 'Murder' series and,much as I enjoyed the others,this is his best to date. The basic premise is an ingenious one and the author cleverly interweaves his tale with the actual history of the period.

Mr.Day conveys a great sense of period and gets better with each outing. I look forward to his next."

Something a bit different in the recent sea of Holmes pastiches. Here the situation faced by Holmes, Watson and Lestrade has a distinctly modern touch, but without jarring anachronism.

A psycho serial child killer named Algernon Clayton, convicted 20 years before, has been released from prison on a technicality and has become the leading exhibit in a questionable but popular social reform movement. It's almost routine today for brutal killers to be sanitized by the forces of Political Correctness and converted into saintly, put-upon targets of police brutality and social repression, suitable to be the figurehead of some large organization self-proclaimed to be Fighters for Truth and Justice, and--- it could have happened in 1895 as easily as 1995.

Naturally, the luckless Lestrade, who was only indirectly involved in the original case, has become the prime scapegoat of the reformers. Holmes is thus presented with a complex set of problems: if Clayton was indeed guilty, how can he be neutralized by evidence that will stand in court, before he begins another killing spree? How can Lestrade be protected from the press and the reformers? And what hope is there of finding new evidence in a case cold for two decades?

To say more would spoil the grim fun. At 140 pages this is just about right in length for a case in which Holmes finds himself doing fairly routine police work in hopes of turning up some lead by sheer chance and persistence. As you can see, this isn't your mother's Holmes pastiche, unless your mother's pastiche was written by Andrew Vachss.

You'll enjoy it, I think.

I'll admit I'm on a Sherlock Holmes kick, and what a delight it was to discover the writing of John Hall who effortlessly seems to mimic Conan Doyle while spinning a credibly Holmesian tale. Clearly an expert in the period, Hall writes with an ease and wit (I laughed out loud) truly reminiscent of the creator of Holmes and Watson - not a moment rings false in this quick-paced story of Holmes' efforts to clear his old friend Lestrade's name from a long past police fiasco, and to finally bring the truth of a horrible crime to light. Only drawback for me was that I personally prefer a bit more personal involvement of Holmes, but this was a real winner, and I can't wait to read the rest (this is apparently Hall's fourth Holmes pastiche.) A master - to be watched and savored!

Sherlock Holmes has been done and redone in print, on the stage, on screen, and on the radio. The first Holmes pastiche was done by William Gillette as a stage play around the turn of the century. Orson Welles redid Gillette's play on his Mercury Theater. Edith Meiser dramatized almost every one of Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories (and a few hundred Holmes stories of her own invention) for American radio, and a few of them survive to this day. Meiser could never bring herself to dramatize "The Final Problem." The classic radio Holmes, against which all other radio Holmes must be measured, is the Green/Boucher series of pastiches starring Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone. Radio drama died in America during the late '50's and early '60's, but it is still a staple of British radio over the BBC. Holmes has had a long and varied career on BBC radio, being done and redone with various actors.

The present series of stories represents one of the two latest Holmes attempts on BBC. The other is the Bert Coules series starring Clive Merrison and Michael Williams. Coules' series reprises the entire corpus of Doyle's work (most of which is available from Amazon.com), including "The Final Problem." "Sherlock Holmes: Radio Mysteries" consists of pastiches. The present work suffers in comparison with Coules'dramatizations, but compares very favorably with all other surviving radio renditions of Holmes. It has just the right Victorian flavor, and the stories are just as good as the Green/Boucher stories. Holmes-a-holics will have to add this work to their collection.

After Coules finished the original Doyle stories, he dramatized a few pastiches himself under the title "The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," and they are very good. They are not available in America, but can be ordered from Amazon.co.uk.

I thoroughly enjoyed these series of stories. I love the radio plays style of "old time radio". It brings the story to life. I strongly recommend this to anyone who loves Sherlock Holmes. In addition, the manufacturer, TOPICS Entertainment, fully stands behind their products. Furthermore, they are one of the few responsible companies that I've run across. They donate 5% of their pre-tax profits to educational and environmental groups. That alone should encourage everyone to do business with this fine outfit. Buy this and you'll not regret it.

Although it is set in 1901, it retains the feel of the earlier-set pastiches and stories of the Victorian Era. The story itself is highly inventive and intriguing. There are plenty of adventures to be had, especially once Holmes is accused of harassing a young woman (and eventually her kidnapping). It is classic Sherlock at his best. For its length (only 150 pages) the book is rather pricey..., but when you're pressed for a high quality read, then I would highly recommend going for it-- you won't be disappointed.

Having read Jan Walker's remarks, I could sympathize with her. My own bookshelves are overflowing with second and third-rate Sherlockian pastiches which I've purchased out of sheer boredom. Been there; done that. There's nothing new under the sun.

But this book is clearly an exception.

And what a delightful novel this is! It clearly stands out from the rest. The story opens with a young lady's visit to 221B Baker Street, where she confronts and pleads with the great Sherlock Holmes to cease from persecuting and maligning her and her family. Speechless, Holmes denies he knows anything about this "harrassment." Gaining her trust, Holmes asserts his innocence and vows to solve this mystery. The plot thickens for it would seem that someone has been impersonating Holmes. Holmes soon finds himself running from Scotland Yard for the first time in his career as Lestrade & Co. try to collar him for burglary and murder. It's up to Holmes to clear his name and to solve the Singular Case of the Duplicate Holmes.

Complete with an intricate plot and some rather intriguing characters (such as the young lady herself and a villain from Holmes' youth), Jan Walker manages to capture even the most hardened Sherlockian.

This is a wonderful treat for any reader. Buy this book now!

I just received my Skillbuilding book and the drills are excellent, just what I need. But the book refers to "the "Skillbuilding software" which I think would be even more helpful. Where is it and how do we get it?

Anything by Dr. Klemin is top notch! Excellent for Keyboarding/Typing clases at all levels.

Virtual politics - Identity and community in cyberspace, is a collection of academic writings from American, New Zealand and predominantly Australian academics on the topic of virtual reality and it's implications in society. The book was published in 1997 by David Holmes who is a senior lecture in sociology at Griffith University on Australia's Gold Coast and is an associate at both Melbourne and Edinburgh university's.

The book itself is form a series of books called Politics and Culture which is described as 'A theory, culture and society series' dealing with major paradigms in politics, philosophy, international relations and tries to gain an understanding of citizenship, rights and social justice with a particular broad focus on globalization throughout the series.

One of the key themes of the book is that 'electronically and digitally stimulated environments offer an important metaphor for understanding social relations' addressing sexuality, community and many social and communication issues, and often describes the internet and virtual reality as an extension of existing social structures.
The book has varying articles which range from Cyberdemoracy dealing with The Internet and the public sphere to Disembodiment in new virtual worlds provided by virtual reality. however the book is divided into two sections Part one 'The self, Identity and body in the age of the virtual' and part two 'Politics and community in virtual worlds'.
I found the book quite difficult to read and quite indepth and very theoretical. Much of the book is predicting the way in which virtual reality is going to affect society. In the areas of virtual community this book very much explored options to create academic debate and did it from a social science perspective which made the book often hard going for an undergraduate such as myself, also the change in conributors every chapter made it difficult to get use to the stlye of any one contributor.

Early in this section of the book we encounter the virtual community which is said to contribute to the speedy rise of the globalisation of information the book tries here to explain the virtual or cyber community specifically on the internet in relation to the social, political and technical conditions in info communities. One definition of a virtual community is that they are 'Social aggregations that emerge from the net when people interact for long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace' creating a global village in a way as described by Marshall McLuhan. Largely in the first few chapters the authors agree that there is a general social trend towards abstract communities and that human association is becoming increasingly abstract, With globalisation on the rise the likelihood in the business world for the need for more face to face meetings occurs and with migration and accessible world travel we may suppose the opposite of abstract global communities however because of the occurrence of these intercultural meetings in real life the need to stay in touch and keep up contact results in more of a abstract virtual community or relationship within which
a culture of its own develops and it becomes a real communitiy influencing society....

This book is a collection of articles, but each is essential. The main discussion in this book is that of the concept of community. It is no longer, in cyberspace, what it used to be : people meeting at the same time, in the same place with common interests. It has to be redefined and discussed : the casual meeting of people from different places at the same time (though it is not the same clock time for each one of them) with no immediate and environmentallly-imposed common interests but with common intesrests that are selected by them and having to do with the topics each one of them is interested in at that moment of meeting. But this is a real community. And many articles show how the exchanges between these casually-meeting people can mutually influence the definitions they have of the topic, clarify the understanding they have of the stakes of the topic, and even modify their points of view and hence their attitudes in society when they get out of cyberspace. Cyberspace communities are thus becoming a permanent school based on exchanges, discussions and direct influence from one cybernaut onto the other or others. This has a direct influence on the definition of the individual and therefore on the definition of politics, because debates and information become the basis of the elaboration of one's political ideology and positions. Cyberspace is democratic in that way even if it is not based on voting but on confronting and exchanging. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.

This book is sensual and romantic and the main characters are likable despite (or perhaps because of) their all too human flaws.
Holmes style is very similar to that of Kathleen E Woodiwiss' earlier work (as opposed to Woodiwiss' very ordinary recent work) - great plot, fiery heroines and lusty, handsome and enjoyable heroes. The background characters are well drawn out and believable, and add an extra element of enjoyment.
The romance that develops between Jason and his reluctant bride is taken gradually, but builds to an exciting cresendo.
I enjoyed this book a great deal, and wish there were more writers like Holmes around

The Wind-Rose is one of the highest quality romance novels I have ever read. It is a wonderful adventure into life in 18th century Maine, full of legend, suspense, and of course; romance! The title characters are well developed, and beliveable. I couldn't stop reading it, and in fact I stayed up all night to finish this one. Mary Mayer Holmes writes with a supurb flair for both historical authenticity and character development. Set among both the high seas and a New England winter this book is well reasearched with solid writing. If you can find this rare gem, don't pass it up!

After reading this book and working many of the exercises within, you'll know the basics of the Java language better than most Java programmers do. The authors don't waste time on explaining the basics of object-oriented programming or details of the Java class library. If you already know OOP and feel comfortable with reading the online documentation then this is the book for you!

This book is ideal for C++ programmers who don't know Java, but I'd also highly recommend it to programmers who already know Java but want to jump to the expert level or want to learn the new features of Java 2.

This book is not the first I'd recommend to someone who has never programmed before. Although there are some exercises in the text, the book has too much depth and does not contain enough code examples to be a full blown programming tutorial.

However, there is more to the book than simply explaining the technical facets of Java. The book contains good advice for the intermediate programmer on how to get the best out of the language, and discusses object-oriented practices such as designing classes to be extended, and times when it is wise NOT to extend a class.

If you have programmed before and are looking for an introduction to Java, then I recommend this book without reservation. It is not too heavy to carry around and enjoyable enough (for me) to read cover-to-cover, but it is also detailed and structured well enough to use as a reference.

Nearly 14 years ago, I learned C from a terse little book "The_C_Programming_Language" by Kernighan and Ritchie ("C by K&R") - principals in the creation of C. In similar tradition, I chose "The_Java_Programming_Language" ("JPL") by Arnold and Gosling (first edition) as the foundation for my Java learning experience. Mastering the fundamental philosophy and elements of any Language is crucial in understanding how (and why) to use it. In this way, "JPL" certainly does not disappoint. Basic "core" Java elements (java.lang, java.util, and java.io) are clearly explained in a terse style similar to "C by K&R". In addition, "JPL" correlates Object-Oriented Programming fundamentals that relate directly to Java (Chapters 2 & 3). However, previous or collateral exposure to OOP is generally considered necessary because the "JPL" is first a book about Java, OOP principles simply surface "by extension". Like "C by K&R", the examples in "JPL" are succinct and have meaningful correspondence to real-world programming. I highly recommend "The Java Programming Language" - especially for seasoned C/C++ developers who are new to Java.

This is the second in a series of books, detailing the investigations of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant/partner, Mary Russell. The first book in the series (The Beekeeper's Apprentice) is, admittedly, a tough act to follow. This second novel falls somewhat short. Even so, it is well worth reading.

In this second outing, Mary Russell is writing her thesis at Oxford, while eagerly anticipating the day she will turn 21, come into her inheritance, and rid herself of her horrible aunt and other assorted hangers-on. She happens to run into a friend of hers from her early days at Oxford. Veronica has given up the life of wealthy, pampered lady, and now works for an organization dedicated to helping the underprivileged women of London. Strangely, wealthy members of this group have been dying under mysterious circumstances, leaving money to this group. This, of course, piques Russell's interest, and she investigates the group, its leader, and the deaths.

The middle portion of this book is largely given over to study of the feminist leader of the group. She is both a feminist, and an untrained theologian. She gives public sermons that mainly center around the meaning of "love" and the unequal power balance between men and women. To be completely honest, I found a good portion of these sermons to be tedious and a bit muddled. Although I understand Russell's interest, since she is studying theology at Oxford, these meandering sermons and instruction periods really did nothing to advance the plot.

But persistence has its rewards. In the final quarter of the book, attention is returned to the mystery at hand, and it becomes a 5-star book again. Russell gets to do a wonderful bit of undercover work, aided by Holmes' training in the art of disguise. If only the middle had been as good as the beginning and end, the whole would have earned another 5-star rating. As it is, a solid 4 stars.

I had heard mixed reviews of A Monstrous Regiment of Women before I read it, directly after its prequel, The Beekeeper's Apprentice. I didn't think I would enjoy it nearly as much as the first one--I was wrong. For fans of Mary Russell, this is surely a book to be enjoyed. I read the Holmes/Russell novel for Sherlock Holmes, however. Though he isn't in the book much at this time, the scenes he -is- in are absolutely charming and unforgettable. Many people don't enjoy Holmes in this book--To them he doesn't seem to be the Holmes of Watson. Naturally, he isn't. He's seen from an entirely different perspective in Russell's narration, he's allowing Russell to take the case on her own, rather than stepping in and doing the work for her--And he finally has a woman astute and edgy enough for him to realize that women aren't always something to scoff at. This woman happens to be Mary Russell, thirty-nine years his junior with an intelligence, arrogance, and attitude remniscent of Holmes himself. Mary Russell is, indeed, Holmes as a young woman--including her own weakness to opium derivatives.

I'm not a fan of mystery novels as it is, so I found the character work in the King novels fascinating. Russell's narrative focuses on the people involved, and personal matters, rather than just the case. You get a sense of who people are and why they're involved, not who did it in the where with the what. In order to grasp all of this development, you MUST read The Beekeeper's Apprentice before this book.

A Monstrous Regiment of Women contains some of the best scenes in all of the Holmes/Russell series--Short passages between Holmes and Russell will jump out from the page. You can hear them in your mind and the characters will suddenly become real. Anyone who followed Holmes and Russell through the first six years will find true delight in reading this book.

I,as an avid reader of all Victoriana,was enchanted by Laurie King's Beekeeper's Apprentice. Her grasp of the Victorian world is quite remarkable. Upon reading the next in the series,A Monstrous Regiment of Women,I was ,once again,transported into the world of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. A reader of Holmesian fiction,but not an absolute purist,I was engaged by seeing Holmes in situations not entirely of his own making. The age difference between Holmes and Russell was not uncommon for the Victorian period and,so,was not as uncomfortable for me as it has been for some readers. Their involvement with aspects of the women's Suffrage Movement was interesting in that Holme's views on women have always been somewhat misogynistic. To plunk him down in the middle of the Movement presented some interesting moments. Some of the plot devices were predictable but it was still a book with enough twists to make me keep turning pages long after I should have been asleep. I recommend it to anyone interested in the Victorian period as well as those who can take their Holmes with a grain of salt.

If you are looking for a Cliff notes summary of Dante's Inferno, the Dante Club may be a good choice. Though called "A Novel" it reads more like a play with a small ensemble of ready made characters and with all the action centered at the Craigie house. The Nicholas Rey character seemed out of place and while it may have helped set create the atmosphere in Boston during that time, he doesn't contribute anything critical to the story. Like Rey, the rest of the cast fit the formula for mass-market mystery novels. The story lacks its own Virgil. It needed a Beatrice or Francesca to create tension. Figuring out who was behind the murders is obvious from the time of this character's introduction. In summary, it's an okay book for a quick read but wait until it comes out in paperback or they make the movie.

"The Dante Club" is a meticulously researched historical novel. It is based on the true dante club, a group of scholars in Boston in the mid 1860's who met to translate Dante amidst much resistance from the academic and religious communities. These individuals-who included Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Longfellow, James Russell Lowell-come alive in these pages. Pearl has done a magnificent job in blending a number of facts about these individuals-for example, Longfellow's mourning over the death of his wife Fanny, his correspondence with a young woman he had met on a summer sojourn-into this book. You will learn a lot about these individuals.
However, you will also learn a lot about Dante, about Boston and Cambridge and its rigid social structure, about the politics of Harvard University at this time. And it's all fascinating.
The plot concerns the efforts of this group to track down a killer who has modeled his murders on Dante's Inferno. These murders are gruesome and grotesque. The "Club" realizes that they, and perhaps only they through their intimate knowledge of Dante, possess the power to solve them. And so they do with the help of the first African American policeman in Boston.

My problem with this book lay in the pacing and the awkwardness of the dialogue at points. Now I realize that he was trying to achieve a 19th century voice in this book; however, at times, it seemed as if he was trying to cram his research into the mouths of his characters. His narrative voice-as has been noted by other reviewers-also was uneven. I sometimes winced at the awkwardness of phrases even though all were well written.

I would recommend this book to lovers of Dante, of the Italian culture, of Boston history, of mid 19th century Harvard. I also would recommend this book to individuals who appreciate historical fiction-this book is a tougher read than The Alienist-but you should be able to appreciate his research.

I look forward to Pearl's future work and to his maturation as a writer.

This was a fast-paced, action packed and very compulsive read!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and James Russell Lowell team up with 19th-century publisher J.T. Fields to catch a serial killer in post-Civil War Boston. It's the fall of 1865, and Harvard University, the cradle of Bostonian intellectual life, is overrun by sanctimonious scholars who turn up their noses at European literature, confining their study to Greek and Latin. Longfellow and his iconoclastic crew decide to produce the first major American translation of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. Their ambitious plans are put on hold when they realize that a murderer terrorizing Boston is recreating some of the most vivid scenes of chthonic torment in Dante's Inferno.

What a talent Matthew Pearl is. He's managed to combine the traditional academic themes with a more convential mystery story to great effect. You really get a feel for the four main protagonists, and you are placed right with them in their search to find the killer. I new very little about Dante's works before I read this, but it doesn't matter. You can read this book on SO many levels. This a first-rate thriller, with a deft and elegant plot, and I sincerely hope that we hear more from Matt. Pearl in the future.

A must read!