Key West is a tropical plant lovers paradise and this book is choke full of color photographs of some of the most fascinating gardens there. Not only is this book full of great photographs but there are many fascinating stories concerning the histories of the ground where the gardens now grow.
If you like history and you like tropical plants this is the book for you. I also found many inspiring ideas for future landscaping and greenhouse design and I am sure you will too.

Key West Gardens And Their Stories will appeal to any with a special interest in Key West gardens and their histories. Enjoy full-page color photos of garden settings accompanying descriptions of the gardens and their histories. The result is a fine local history Florida residents will love.

Key West Gardens and Their Stories embodies author Janis Frawley-Holler's love of Key West's mystery, romance and tropical ambiance as revealed in its public and private gardens. Gardens on this two- by four-mile frost-free island-city are infinite variations on a theme: how one uses fountains and tropical plants (especially palms, crotons, orchids and flowering trees) to create private oases in cramped spaces. Frawley-Holler's 128-page book, lavishly illustrated with 173 color photographs by her husband Darrel Holler, goes well beyond a listing of plants in each of 57 gardens. Into the essays she weaves personal stories of individual gardeners, how and why they planted what they did and historical tidbits about Key West -- the wealthy 19th-century city at the end of the Florida Keys, whose independence, freewheeling ways and Victorian architecture continues to charm writers, artists and visitors. "Restful Respites Open to All" (public gardens) and "Gardens with a Past" (museum gardens) where anyone can wander at will, open the book. Here are not just tropical areas, but also St. Paul's Episcopal Church's rose garden, the Hyatt Resort's Turtle Garden and the Memorial Sculpture Garden. "Awaken unto the Gardens" (the rear gardens of hotels, B&Bs and other lodgings) are tantalizingly hinted at by the streetside landscaping. Here Frawley-Holler shows us the stress-free ambiance lodging owners create through profuse blooms, fountains, pools and shady restful nooks. In "Tiny Gardens and a Grand Collection", Gardens of Old Town", "Truman Annex" and "Gardens Out of [Old] Town" Frawley-Holler takes us into private inner sanctums, rich with textures, riotous colors and unexpected eclectic accents expressing the owners' personalities. Roses raised by a sea captain, jungle murals mimicking the surrounding foliage, whimsical metal sculptures -- even Ernest Hemingway's infamous urinal now a watering dish for the six-toed descendants of his cats. After four months of research, Frawley-Holler knew much more about tropical plants and Key West history than when she began. Even so, her sensory impressions take precedence over Latin names or historical dates. Holler's photos are a treat, for photographing gardens with their variegated sun and shade is an almost impossible task. (He took many photos at sunrise, he reveals). Each photo illustrates a garden's unique features, further emphasizing the infinite variations among tropical gardens. A special treat are the close-up shots of individual blossoms that winter visitors never see. The book is best dipped into, savored a few gardens at a time. Visitors to Key West may want to peruse the chapters on public gardens before mapping a route or setting out, or even take the book along. (A mention of those gardens that charge admission would be a helpful addition.) The rest of us, wherever we garden, will find Key West's Gardens and Their Stories an inspiring and delightful peek behind garden gates for glimpses into the most private, romantic aspects of America's Southernmost City. ##

Retired Navy aviator Jack Gallagher learns that his father Nick drowned when his ship the Sea Devil topsided. Jack has ambivalent feelings because twenty years ago Nick deserted his family to search for sea treasure off the Florida Keys. Though he originally planned on attending the funeral and immediately returning to Chicago, Jack thinks the recently changed will that provides him with ten percent of Doubloon, Inc. is a cryptic message from his dad. Jack decides to stay for now.

Key West Tribune reporter Josie Hernandez writes stories that imply that someone murdered Nick. At the same time that the Florida Office of Antiquities investigates Doubloon for tax evasion through the illegal sales of antiquities, the company's salvage license may be revoked by the state. As Josie and Jack make strange bedfellows, danger mounts as the duo is assaulted. Not long after, they close in on a special treasure with thugs wanting them eliminated, a step family that seems untrustworthy, a hurricane ready to destroy the duo, and dubious bureaucrats ready to dry-dock the pair.

DOUBLOON would be another run of the mill treasure seeker thriller except Jay Amberg has had a great time providing insight into various seafaring processes that his enthusiasm becomes contagious. Fans receive a taut albeit standardized thriller but it also provides insight into treasure diving and the state of artifacts in salt water (think of some of monuments like the Statue of liberty or Washington Monument needing a cleaning), etc. This is cleverly intertwined into the plot, but also done with such elation that many readers will consider a vacation off the Florida coast.

Harriet Klausner

Doubloon is an exciting thriller from beginning to end - whether you are into sunken treasure or not! Jay Amberg is an expert storyteller who opens up to his readers the world of treasure hunting in the deep blue sea. There's passion and greed, danger and deception, and a treasure to be discovered that is beyond anyone's imaginings. But is it all worth the price that is paid?
I'll let you decide. But definitely decide to read this book. You will discover that Jay Amberg is the real hidden treasure...

The diving section of the book is succinct; too much so in our opinion. Numerous divesites are mentioned, however little fine detail is there for the boater. You'll know which sites to ask the diving operations for. The rest of the book covers many of the tourism opportunities in the Keys. An excellent guidebook and supplement for our diving website!

I had the opportunity to participate in an in-water interactive program at the Dolphin Connection at Hawk's Cay Resort...the Insider's Guide recommended it as a stop off in our tour of the Florida Keys. The photo in the text does not give this program justice...you have to participate to believe how interesting and personal our time with the dolphins was. The trainers were friendly and knowledgable...and made us feel like we were part of their family, too. If you are planning a trip to the keys, this book is a MUST HAVE!

Excellent pictures of great Key West houses including addresses. No interior pictures. Book fell apart at binding after very little viewing.

I love this book. If you enjoy the unique look of Key West Conch architecture you will enjoy this book. Color full page and full page plus photographs fill the book. Most pictures are full close-ups of the front of the house. It is a nice reminder of time spent in Key West. If you are interested in architecture it contains examples of the various unique Key West styles used. I enjoyed looking at picture of the famous houses and reading about why they are famous. Almost forgot it, contains the addresses of the houses in case you want to see them for yourself.

Easy to read, but wow: talk about flat. Character development is almost non-existent. This is summer- beach reading at its trashiest. Inhabitants of the vaguely-described Key West village are too perfect, even with their authored "flaws". I would love to have friends like the men in the story: all handsome, womanizing ne'er-do-wells with hair that never musses on the windy boats Woods writes about. Fact-giving scenes are interspersed with sex-scenes that read as if the Publisher wrote "Put sex here, here and here" on the manuscript.

The Choke of the title is both the name of the hero's boat and his life-long demon; the expected pay-off of the title dribbles air like a forgotten balloon with a slow leak. So why was I satisfied when I finished the story? Maybe it was the goofy- cop pairing, reminiscent of so many TV detective shows. Maybe it's because the so-obvious plot twists actually twisted back in the latter part of the book, relieving my fear that I knew the answer at page 75. Maybe it's because I read it on the beach in hot sunshine, with the waves rolling ashore, while on vacation. Who knows. Maybe I'm one of the great unwashed, after all.

The book begins with Charles, a professional tennis player, choking during the final match at Wimbledon. What could be worse then that? He's about to find out when he meets Harry and Claire while teaching tennis for a small resort in Key West, FL. What are they hiding?

In typical Stuart Woods fashion, this book is gripping from the start. With boats blowing up and fast action, it was a good audio book. This is the first book in a month that kept me riveted to my car to a point I didn't want to get out when I arrived at work or at home.

Mr. Sanders (Narrator) did a fantastic job. He was able to use his voice to give characters different accents, and personalities. In addition, he is one of the few narrators I have heard in audio books who could actually do a fairly decent female voice. I truly believe this added to the book.

Fast paced with lots of twists and turns, this is a gripping novel. This is only the second book I have ever had by Mr. Woods. The other was Dead In The Water. Though being relatively new to Mr. Woods works, I found this book to be exciting, fast paced and hard to pull away from just as I did with Dead In The Water.

If you like mysteries or suspense drama, then this is a book for you. For other new comers to Mr. Woods works, don't hesitate to read or listen to this book.

I really enjoyed CHOKE a lot. This is the first Woods novel I've read, and I plan to read more after this. The dialogue seemed a bit unnatural at times, but usually sounded realistic. The characters were good, and the twists were satisfying. I liked that the chapters were quick and cliff-hanging, keeping me turning pages. A fun book to read.

What a load of junk, and what a disappointment! I forced myself to finish this mess because I know and love Key West and have read most of the novels set there. But this one! The novel is purely plot driven. It's impossible to like any one of the dozen or so characters, barely even to know them except for stock identifying tics and cliches. This includes the "hero" Alex Rutledge. Much of the action occurs "off-camera," - even the ending is anticlimactic. This writer just can't come! There's no sex, but lots of innuendos. No women are fleshed out. Despite a familiarity driving the Keys and with Key West streets, bars and scenes, there is no authentic idiosyncratic KW life or fun, no surprise, no release, depicted in the novel, nothing whatever to contrast with the dumb and unlikely story. No love of the outdoors is there, nor of the water, the weather, the food, the music. Compare this to some of the great Keys writers - James Hall, MacDonald, Joy Williams, Carl Hiassen, Larry Shames, Randy White - and it's a pathetic attempt to sound tough and knowledgeable. Despite his vaunted job experience, Corcoran seems incapable of telling us anything but facts to flesh out an endless outline. Forget about it.

It's always a pleasure to become engrossed in a new author's first mystery: lose yourself in the intricacies of plot and characters; dawdle over the end, not quite wanting it to be over; and, finally, finish, looking forward to a new favorite sleuth's next case. Tom Corcoran's Alex Rutledge created indelible images of himself, his fellow Floridians, and of Key West itself. This was a fun, and highly recommended, read.

Tom Corcoran's debut novel adds to the lengthening shelf of mysteries and suspense stories based in Key West. John Leslie, James W. Hall, and Laurence Shames, to name just a few, have previously weighed in with lean, taut, evocative tales sited on the Floridian archipelago. How does Corcoran fare in such formidable company? This reader thinks he holds his own and, indeed, carves out a comfortable niche for photographer/sleuth Alex Rutledge. The book serves up a stew of Anglos, Cubans, Conchs, and cops -- most of whom are slightly bent -- crisp dialogue, and an ending with as many twists as an angry gator's tail. But its chief appeal lies in its author's fond embrace of a place renowned for its tradition of unconventionality. Corcoran effectively evokes the eccentricity and the heat, both of which seem inescapable in Key West. Whether he will choose to sustain this atmosphere in a second Alex Rutledge venture remains to be seen; but for readers of "tropical ! noir with occasional sunshine," Tom Corcoran's is a welcome new voice in the neighborhood. --Charlie Glide

At least in the West we don't tell people how to think, unlike Catholicism and Communism. Besides what has religion ever done for anyone on this planet anyhow? NOTHING! Fear of going to hell is the only thing which compels people to "believe" in Him. Also what kind of omnipotent God would create Satan? Wouldn't a perfect God know that Lucifer would turn evil before he created him, and shouldn't God be able to destroy him then? It doesn't seem like God is very omnipotent. Why did God have to instruct Noah to build an ark to save everyone, couldn't God have just snapped his fingers and made it happen? And how could Noah fit two of every insect, bird, clam, sperm whale, grizzly bear, polar bear, arctic fox, penguin, and whatnot on this planet into his boat? And how did all these animals find their way to Noah's Ark? And where did all these different races of people come from? Did Noah take a black man, white man, yellow man, red man, or whatever on his boat too? Lastly, what kind of fool would believe the Bible is actually God's word? The bible was written by people, and it's been hacked-up, edited, re-printed, and re-translated countless number of times throughout the ages. Bibles are printed in dirty factories and then later sold for profit at KMart, they didn't come from God.

To quote a certain philospher: "There was a time when religion ruled the world, it was called The Dark Ages."

As a lapsed fundementalist, I read this book with some detatchment yet not without interest. I 100% agree with martin's analyis of Marxism/Leninism which is not dead but has for some time now been operating on a cultural front. Martin's take on the reforms of Vatican II, likewise was enlightening --I had only heard about them through the media. I find nothing controversial about this book. If the Christian faith is true, it is to be expected that duplicity and falsehood and worse come with the territory; was not Judas one of the twelve? If on the other hand there is no God then the Roman Catholic church (heirarchy) is the prize, for as Martin suggests it is the sole organization capable of uniting the world. Consider the example of Auguste Comte, one of the founders of sociology and professed atheist, he promoted 'science' and hated the christian religion yet at the same time, he venerated catholicism. (Dostoyevsky's Grand Inquisitor (the Brother's Karamazov)also comes to mind regarding the Roman Catholicism's unique position in the world. Reading this book has not only, increased my admiration for Pope John Paul II, but I also am thankful for the author.

Malachi Martin's work is a veritable "tour de force." With authority (he was one of the world's foremost Vatican Scholars), skill and erudtion he meticulously traces the geopolitical ambitions of Rome from beginning, i.e. Christ's alleged comments to Peter that upon him the church would be built, to end where the Vatican winds up in charge of the One World Government. Martin posits that anyone who was under the age of 70 at the time this book was written would be alive to see the day when the nation-state, as we know it, would cease to exist.

What will be most surprising to most readers is how intimately involved the Papacy is in world politics, all for the purpose of establishing the Catholic Church as the One World Government. (See Revelation 13, 17).

Whether or not Pope John Paul II turns out to be the eventual ruler of the One World Order is irrelevant. Dr. Martin's book goes into exhaustive detail how this Pope, more than any of his predecessors in this century, has worked feverishly to keep the Vatican on the world stage as a major player. Karol Woytila has had a clear-eyed view of what the church's role should be in world affairs dating back to the time when he was a priest during the Second World War working undercover for the US Government. He learned well at the feet of the master in this regard; Stephen Cardinal Wysinzski took the young cleric under his wing during the formative years of his priesthood, and the account of his tutelage of Woytila is spellbinding.

Readers will be fascinated to learn just how much the Vatican was behind the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, and just how closely the US and Vatican work on foreign policy issues.

This book could very well be subtitled "Prophecy Made Clear by Modern Events." John Paul II is the "Servant of the Grand Design;" papal hegemonist ambitions are in plain view. A blockbuster!!

....

'Mangrove Squeeze' is my third Laurence Shames novel (after 'Florida Straits' and 'Sunburn') and is easily the worst of the bunch. Yes, it has the same south Florida setting and similarly quirky characters. But the plot fails to ignite, and the laughs are comparatively few.

In 'Mangrove Squeeze' we have big crime by the Russian mafia in small town Key West. A nosey do-gooder from the local weekly newspaper gets herself in trouble with these guys, gets her boyfriend caught in the middle of it, and ... so the story goes. As a previous reviewer has noted, 'Mangrove Squeeze' does pass the time rather nicely. But otherwise it is forgettable in every way.

Bottom line: useful beach-reading material. But you won't want to keep it on your bookshelf.

as with virgin heat, shame's once again deliver's a bunch of offbeat key west characters and a story that you don't want to end. suki sperakis is a keeper. it was great to read another chapter in what is quickly becoming the 'bert the shirt' series. shame's is as adroit at 'floridian mysteries' as are carl hiassen and james w. hall. his book's are always fun and perfect for a day on smathers beach. laurence brings margaritaville and all it's kooky inhabitants to vibrant life!! can't wait for his next one!!!

LAURENCE SHAMES JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. GREAT NEW CHARACTERS. PINEAPPLE AND HIS BUDDY AND THERE "HOME" ARE JUST HILARIOUS. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND READ IT THIS SUMMER.

I was dragged deeply into the chaotic mindset of the protagonist Thomas Skelton in the book, identifying strongly with the youthful desire for fulfilling a career dream, no matter how offbeat. I found the story to be much more strongly constructed than the previous novel of McGuane's I've read, Panama. While I liked Panama for its dream sequences and derailing of any sort of generic plotlines, I was surprised to find myself clinging to the Dance/Skelton/Carter main storyline and thrown off by the sub-plots. Kind of an opposite reaction with this second novel of his. (I am looking forward to my third McGuane novel, Keep the Change.) I found the segements with Skelton's grandfather particularly confusing. Not an easy read, but very rewarding.

I haven't read a whole lot else of Mcguane's material ,but having spent a some time in the region described, I feel that he has captured a sense of the harsh allure of the "back country" of the Florida Bay mangroves, as well as the rugged eccentricity of the old-time Key West "Conchs" and resident/refugees from other parts of the country. I'm not sure that I ever really grasped why it so important to the protagonist to become a bone-fishing guide that he would risk death at the hands of a comptetitor, but he seemed to be controlled by Destiny in a manner reminiscent of a hero of a classical Greek tragedy. I'd call it a good beach book, but anybody who has been to the Keys knows that the beach activity is a bit limited. Find yourself a nice courtyard patio or take a trip to Bahia Honda, cover yourself with sunscreen, and go to it.

Not only does 92 in the Shade sum up an entire generation, but it gives serious fiction readers the opportunity to read the language of a genius. Tom McGuane once told me in an interview that he made more money investing in real estate than in his career as a novelist. That sad statement amplified itself several years later when I was seeking a literary agent for my own pursuits. The first one I approached told me she had never heard of Tom McGuane after I explained that he was one of the few American novelists I really admired.(I didn't hire her.) 92 does an excellent job of illustrating the troubled fishing guide's state of mind, the lifestyle of the denizens of Key West, and the pathetic state of the country at the time. His brilliant prose provided me with an engrossingly twisted story. The style is distinctively McGuane who is a master of language and tough guy dialogue. He lives in a world all of his own. Many people don't understand his cynicism and negative take on every day happenings. All of which makes his work better that most others. I reread at least part of 92 each time I go to Key West, still, despite its commercialization, one of the greatest zany hang-outs in the history of the world.

I'm a big fan of Lee Child. His first book, "Killing Floor", was an excellent read. His second novel, although not as good as his first, was still a book I couldn't put down until I had finished it. However, on reading his third book, I was extremely disapointed to find that Lee Child seem's to have gone all "Hollywood" and "mainstream" in that he seems to be reaching for the female readership at the expense of his loyal male following, whom his first two books were aimed at.

Jack Reacher is Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry. A Charles Bronson or Arnold Swarzennegger. Alas just as Swarzenegger sold out in order to reach the female audience with his kiddie films etc, Lee Childs has turned parts of his third book into a slushy, soppy romance. Not only do we have the obliqitory "Hollywood" sex scenes but the excitement and anticipation of this action thriller stops and starts because action hero Jack Reacher can't stop thinking about his girlfriend whom he falls in love with. This is extremely disapointing. It really spoils the book and dilutes the main character.

In the first book Jack Reacher was a "John Rambo", a drifter with no emotional attachments wandering from town to town trying to make some sense of his life and his past. In this book, Lee Child has lost his sense of direction with his character.

I hope that Lee child doesn't start borrowing his mother's bedtime reading otherwise Jack Reacher might start changing nappies, denying his masculinity and want to search for his feminine side. Worse, I fear that Lee Child may turn into a male version of Babara Cartland.

I literally just finished reading Tripwire, and it was a good book, easily up there with Lee Child's other Jack Reacher books, but still not quite as "oh my god" awesome as Killing Floor. The villian this time was (without giving anything away) a fairly common type of character, whose true nature I saw coming well in advance of the final couple of chapters. Even so, this was a good novel, but not quite the "can't put it down to go to sleep" type of read that Killing Floor was. Maybe Lee Child will be like William Gibson, in that everything he writes after his first novel will be damn good, but just never able to measure up to that first work. That said, I'll still keep buying everything the guy writes.

Lee Child writes some amazing books! I first read The Killing Floor and really couldn't put it down. I tend to read things out of order (even though I really don't plan it that way), so I've now read Tripwire before the second Jack Reacher novel. However, that one won't be far behind!

I made the mistake of reading some of the reviews here while I was in the middle of the book. I was fascinated by the plot twists and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. Then I read about all of the "factual errors" in the various scenarios. That sort of soured me on the book a bit, and then I realized that even though there ARE factual errors in the book, the book is FICTION and doesn't have to be factual. All in the all, when you get to the end, I think you'll see that what Reacher finally discovered COULD have happened.

I don't ordinarily find books that merit 5 stars, and I do read a lot of books, but I have to tell you, if you can get past occasional wordiness in descriptions and certain inconsequencial factual inconsistencies, I believe you'll enjoy watching the drama unfold and wend its way through a stunning conclusion!