I found that it moved very slow. I had to force myself to finish it. This was the first book I have read by Dan Gordon, and I have to say it will probably be the last. If I could go back to the discount store and get my money back I would.

Sun and sand seems incompatible with the nightmare vision of noir, but as Dan Gordon shows in "Just Play Dead" that passion, lust and hate retains their full power, even in Hawaii.Running a fast 227 pages, with narrower margins and larger type than is usually seen, "Just Play Dead" speeds along with the pace of a Hawaiian vacation, and Gordon ties up the schemes a little too hurriedly and throws in some resolutions that were not properly founded. We don't know if Dani Kahane is a good cop, but he is a fascinating character, and before the last page, Gordon pulls one last joker from the deck that promises that the scheming will continue in the sequel. This is a fun read, with scheming and double-crossing in the style of "Ruthless People" and "The Grifters."

This book took a few moments to adjust to the tone and pacing but once I did, it was one of the most fun reads I've had in ages. The characters were devious, cunning and I felt lucky to be inside their sick but fascinating little world. Dani Kahane, the narrator seems as helplessly attracted to these people as I became... I walk around now feeling as though I know Nora and Jack Wolfe, Joan Chan and Danil Kahane and I miss them and their little world now that I've finished the book. If you're looking for a pleasant, quick read that's going to exercise your brain enough but not too much, this is one to pick up.

This item has been wrongly labeled as a paperback book. It should be better labeled as a map. And as a map it is extremely overpriced. The contents are in very small print which means that it is difficult to read The pictures themselves look like they were done on the cheap. VERY DISAPPOINTED. I was not amused when I received this item in the mail.

Although I rented a car while visiting Oahu, and did not use public transit, I found this map a useful - even essential - guide in helping me find my way about the island. My AAA map seemed almost useless, as it designated the roads by number rather than by name. Michael Brein's Guide highlighted many interesting places to visit, and made it a simple and easy task for me to find my way to them. Whether you use public transport, or rent a car, I highly recommend this guide.

If you are planning a trip to Honolulu/Waikiki or the rest of the island of Oahu, throw away all your other maps. This is the only one you will need. Pick the attraction you would like to visit and this map will tell you where to catch the bus, the number of the bus, where to get off the bus, how to get to the attraction once you leave the bus, and where to catch the bus for your return trip. Only a human personal guide could be better. The map is easy to read and packed full of information. I highly recommend it for your trip to Oahu as it will save you valuable time in planning your sightseeing. Michael Brien also has maps for other major cities of the world with the same easy to follow direction, please check them out too.

I just read this and several other Maui guide books in a local book store. It's terrible and so were nearly all of them. For example, one of the Rough Guide's restaurant recommendations was the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Come on, I can't even think of a more touristy chain restaurant than that. Anyway, don't waste your time with this one, take a look at Maui Revealed - that's the best guide I've seen thus far.

This little book really helped me get the most out of my Maui trip. It's restaurant and activity recommendations were right on the mark. It gives you a great overview without being overwhelming.

I went through many books on Maui before I picked this one up. Lucky me! This turned out to be the best ten bucks invested in my trip to Hawaii. This book is small enough to carry in your pocket, yet is chock full of detail. I was impressed when I took a trip to the southern edge of Maui solely relying on this book. Every shop, corner, and area of Maui matches the description in this book. It is very accurate and upto date. The tips included by the authors were very helpful. When we wanted to mail coconuts from Maui and were really lost, this book helped. A few hints for Maui travelers: some USPS offices in Maui have officers dressed in Hawaiian attire, so do not be confused and doubt if it really is a post office guy when you see him dressed like a Hawaiian beach bum! If you go to the southern edge of the island, you can actually buy coconuts at the post office and mail 'em too. Permanent markers that you use to address coconuts are awfully hard to find, so pack a Sharpie with your stuff! Overall, if there is just one travel guide you'd buy, pick this one. The book's binding is very good, and it held up after all the beating around and abuse that was showered on my copy. Don't let the small size fool you--this one is very detailed, and more importantly, very accurate (verified by us in Jan 2000). Highly recommended.

This book did a pretty good job of covering restaurants and sights in depth, as opposed to the "Ultimate Kauai" guidebook. Unfortunately, it's out of date and not enough detailed in other areas. It was ok as a supplement to a better guidebook.

My family and I used this book on our trip to Kauai. The reviews were sometimes helpful but this island is changing so rapidly that a lot of the material is outdated. The maps are okay for general use, but don't use them to navigate. Pick up one of the free maps handed out to find your way, or you will get lost.

While this book isn't as flashy as others on the same topic, "Kauai Handbook" is packed with useful facts, thorough descriptions, and local insights. On several trips to Kauai, I've found this book to be useful over and over.

Bank Wright's guide to Hawaiian surf spots touches upon some nice areas, and has a few pleasant PC poems, but ultimately falls short of telling it how it really is. How many times do we need to be warned about dangerous reefs and riptides? Maybe he should have just given this warning once at the beginning and left it at that. But his south shore Oahu map is pretty thorough, and in a few other zones he does find (like a bumbler) some good spots. Overall though, he misses more than he finds, and thus 'Surfing Hawaii' is ultimately blind. If comments such as these upset you- let me ask you, where are the islands of Molokai and Lanai? Overlooking surf spots is excusable- as there are many in the Hawaiian Islands, but calling a book 'Surfing Hawaii' and then excluding two out of five ISLANDS? That seems gravely incomplete, does it not? And I know what you are thinking- "Yea well Molokai and Lanai don't have a lot of good spots." Yeah well from my experiencing scoring on those two islands, there are enough good spots to include in his guide, backwater locals or not. I mean, if Bank is going to hype up places like Tonggs and the east side of Oahu, the least he could do is mention Manele point on Lanai. So I found his poems touching; as for his guide to the waves- not too deep. His 'Surfing California', however, is worth five stars.

This is one for the coffee table. Cheap, and well worth a minor investment. Details a majority of the breaks out there, but does however, miss a few. Fun to look back into an era past.

Bank Wright covers all the Islands, and methodically goes around each, including an insightful one paragraph description of the major breaks, including the best time of year, typical size, etc. The maps included take a while to get used to as north is not always oriented to the top. A good reference if you're traveling to Hawaii and want some fundamental information.

I have always enjoyed Steve Allen's music and comedy. Now that he is no longer with us, I thought I might again try - after a long hiatus - one of his novels. Having completed the book, I can still confirm that Steve Allen's music and comedy were excellent. No one can be expected to excel in all the arts.

This was a very good book. Mr. Allen was a good man with a wide range in talent. His mysteries remind me of the Thin Man series of old movies with him his wife and sometimes his driver solving them. I have read all of his mystery novels and each one keeps getting better. After reading Murder in Hawaii I wanted to take a vacation there to see the beauty that Mr. Allen described in his book. Someday I will but till then I will re-read this book and enjoy the many plot twist. Light reading that is thrilling and witty.

Mr. Allen is something of a Renaissance man. Here, he has written an entertaining mystery, told at a leisurely pace, with care taken to get the complicated plot across. There are the additional pleasures of a showbiz backdrop, the Hawaiian atmosphere, and his casual expertise on any number of subjects. Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows go to Hawaii to guest star on the hot TV series in which the son of two old friends stars. The young actor thinks someone is stalking him. But things are a bit more tangled than that--the plot of the episode revolves around a well-to-do couple who are into polo, and reflects some secrets of some real people in the Hawaiian polo community. And a couple dead bodies turn up around the shooting locations. Leave it to Steve and Jayne to get to the bottom of things. Light reading with intelligence and wit.

After using the very thorough NG traveler guides for Boston and New York, I found this one to be a disappointment. Many of the attractions in Hawaii are overrated and not as large in scale as the prospective tourist is lead to believe. It was also disappointing to find megabuck admission fees at locations where there was no warning in the book. Of course everywhere you turn around in Hawaii, someone wants to relieve you of your money. There also appears to be a huge auto theft and theft from auto problem in Hawaii. Everywhere you turn you are warned not to leave valuables in your car. National Geographic has and should do better than this guide.

I bought this guidebook and some others. What this has is great pictures, and some highlights. If all you need is something to start your planning, this is good. But if you want a guidebook that recommends lots of hotels, restaurants, and other outings, look elsewhere as well.

This book is GREAT!!! The color pictures are fantastic and are something that everyone can enjoy. This book also has detailed information about the history of Hawaii. Your travel agent probably could not give you this much info.

Henry C. Clausen was a special investigator for Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson during World War II, with authority to question anyone, anywhere, to get to the bottom of what happened at Pearl Harbor ... and, more specifically, to determine whether any military officials lied to the various Congressional investigations of the attack. He presented his boss with an 800-page report, later published as Volume 35 of the official government report on the attack. Five decades later (this book was first published in 1992), Clausen is still defending the approved, government-issue-circa-1946 interpretation of events.

Clausen himself identifies what's wrong with his book in his Foreword: 'In writing the behind-the-scenes story of my investigations at Pearl Harbor, I do so not as a historian but as an insider. I also do so as a lawyer... Facts are the nails that the prosecutor uses to seal his case for the jury.'

It's precisely because Clausen is (was?) an attorney and an insider that he believes he can render a 'Final Judgement' about the attack. Historians, on the other hand, recognize that history is never 'sealed.' Like any prosecutor -- especially a self-proclaimed insider -- Clausen's goal is to represent his employer, the government. This is particularly evident in the zeal with which he defends the government's decades long fingering of Admiral Kimmel and General Short as the men primarily responsible for the disaster on December 7.

Clausen's objectivity is also brought into question by his frequent praise of his boss Secretary Stimson ('one of the greatest public servants in the history of America' [p. 238]). How clear-sighted is Clausen likely to be when pronouncing 'final judgment' on circumstances where his mentor and friend played a key role and arguably bears a share of guilt?

To give credit where it's due, Clausen is a skilled attorney. The first-person story of his investigations is an interesting one, and a useful addition to Pearl Harbor historiography. Add his contributions to the larger picture of the attack, but don't let him convince you that he's come anywhere near a 'final judgment.'

This book, though informative, takes a very biased view of whom is to blame for the compounded blunders that led to the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The author, one of the original investigators, take a very warm and cozy look at the US Army's responsibility, while blasting the US Navy almost as severely as did the Japanese. Much of his "story" is anecdotal. It has some inaccuracies, though not very material to the overall content. Obviously Clausen is protecting General George Marshall at the expense of Admirals Kimmel and Bloch. Additionally, he casts a dark shadow upon the Magic intellegence personnel (Layton, for one), and does ignore other influences that led to the attack on Dec. 7th. Gordon W. Prange's (et al) books would be a better choice for those just starting to read about the Pearl Harbor attack than this one. Clausen takes too much of a subjective view (as opposed to objective). Quick to blame Kimmel and Short for the attack, it seems that there is personal annimosity against the navy and Admiral Kimmel, as well as General Short.

This book is misnamed, but otherwise an outstanding and essential work regrading the causes of and responsibility for the Pearl Harbor debacle. It sinks outright the majority of the Pearl Harbor conspiracy theories, and destroys most of the supports for the remainder.

Henry Clausen, at the time a major in the Army JAG corps, was appointed by Secretary of War Stimson in 1944 to reinvestigate the disaster at Pearl Harbor when it became apparent that the Army Board investigating Pearl Harbor received tainted testimony designed to prevent disclosure of the secret of Magic. Magic--information gained by breaking Japanese codes--was considered absolutely vital to the war effort and false testimony was given to prevent its disclosure. When it became apparent that these measures were distorting the proper evaluation of what took place at Pearl Harbor, Stimson ordered a new investigation by Clausen.

In order to circumvent the veil of secrecy around Magic, Clausen was granted access to Magic and permitted to carry certain pertinent Magic documents in an incendiary pouch to aid in deposing witnesses in his investigation. Presentation of the documents as Clausen's bona fides of being in on Magic club permitted witnesses to speak freely to him. But Clausen found not only lies designed to protect Magic, but to cover up individual failings.

What Clausen does best in this narrative of his investigation and testimony before the Congressional Pearl Harbor investigation is explain why General Short and Admiral Kimmel lack any semblance of a legitimate defense. Having had access to Magic, as well as War and Navy Department communications logs, Clausen lays out in sequence the warnings that Short and Kimmel received from their superiors, but later claimed they had lacked. He clearly draws an analogy between their performance of their duties and those of a sentry asleep at his post. This very effectively yanks the rug out from under the growing sympathy campaign for these two historical figures.

Clausen then goes farther and identifies twelve more individuals who contributed to the debacle, uncovering some little-known details of certain persons' roles and actions. He is on target in these evaluations which set on edge a number of revisionist "truths" that have come to light in recent years. The credibility of the late Rear Admiral Layton is particularly damaged.

However, although he cites Colonel Bratton for his failure to ensure that his deputy, Colonel Dusenbury, performed properly, Clausen fails to take the point far enough and misses a few contributory players. This might be a result of Clausen's freely admitted status as "a civilian lawyer in uniform" with no military officer training. As a result he misses the larger application of the principle he applies to Bratton, in which officers at higher levels of organization bear responsibility for the proper organization of subordinate levels.

Thus, General Marshall, General Miles, Admiral Stark, Admiral Noyes, Admiral Wilkinson, and Admiral Bloch escape Clausen's list of parties whose contributory negligence helped make the disaster through poor organization of the War and Navy Departments for war, and more particularly the poor organization of their Intelligence, Communications and War Plans divisions. However, he does successfully demonstrate that General Marshall and Admiral Stark were not guilty of any criminal negligence in the fashion of Short and Kimmel, both officers having transmitted appropriate warnings to their subordinates in Hawaii.

Hence, Clausen's work cannot be the "Final Judgement" claimed in the title.

It does, however, admit a breeze to clear away some of the smoke that obscures the truth about Pearl Harbor and permits conspiracy theories to thrive. It graphically demostrates that Pearl Harbor resulted from a systemic gaffe, personal failings and mundane events. By ordering and condensing the information received by Short and Kimmel, it becomes readily apparent exactly what they received in the way of warnings. By including previous correspondence discussing the hazard of air attack on Pearl Harbor, and anxiety about the issue,from the War and Navy Secretaries down to the Hawaiian commanders, Clausen dispels the notion that such an attack was inconceivable to the American leadership. Rather, it was a foremost concern.

Clausen also brings out the essential irrelevance of the "Winds Code Messages" by revealing that they governed a contingency that did not occur: disruption of communications with Japanese diplomatic posts before the onset of hostilities. Thus, looking for the Winds Code activation message as a precursor for war was faulty logic. Communications with Japanese diplomatic posts were not disrupted before hostilities and therefor there was no need to transmit the activation message. This did not, however, prevent US command and intelligence personnel from fooling themselves into looking for said message as an essential precursor to war.

Clausen also exposes the awkward arrangements made for decoding intercepted messages and the even more amateurish method of their distribution, tracking and routine destruction for security reasons. He further reveals the extent of stove-piping in the Army and Navy Intelligence divisions and the inter-service politics and rivalries that impeded the proper sharing and dissemination of priceless Magic-derived information.

Clausen's work is an essential one for understanding what happened to make Pearl Harbor an easy target. Do not be put off by its seeming Army-bias at times (Clausen's actually very fair if you read him impassively), or Clausen's causal and almost flip narrative, or Lee's imperfect editorial effort: pay attention to the facts being laid out and the conclusions being drawn. Then ask yourself if they make sense. I suspect after reading this work, you won't give a Pearl Harbor conspiracy theorist the time of day.

Also recommended: Prange's "At Dawn We Slept" and supporting volumes by Prange and his research staff, as well as Lord's more poetic narrative "Day of Infamy" and Layton's sometimes self-serving insider perspective "And I was there..." Toland's "Infamy" can be read for familiarity with the underpinnings of the conspiracy theories. ....

I bought this book in Hawaii because it was the only bird book I could find. It at least showed me some of the birds I would see, but the organization (if there is any--can't tell) is horrible. Next time I would go online ahead of time and buy an actual field guide to birds. It is a nightmare to find a bird in this book, and it doesn't give any information about them, such as their size, or male/female differences; also, it lists some birds more than once--weird. This book should be named differently...perhaps, "A glimpse into the history of birds in Hawaii." Overall, it did help me identify the birds I saw, so was better than nothing, but I would definitely not choose it again.

This book is intended for the casual observer of birds, not the dedicated birder. (Serious bird-watchers should use Pratt's Field Guide to the Birds of Hawai'i and the Tropical Pacific together with his Enjoying Birds in Hawai'i or Rick Soehren's Birdwatcher's Guide to Hawai'i.) But within its limits, this is a fascinating and readable book. Pratt discusses the native birds, especially the endemic passerines, and illustrates the evolutionary processes which produced their astonishing variety. Then he describes the introduced birds, including their effect on the native avifauna when that is significant. The result is a clear though brief analysis of Hawai'i's avian world.

Pratt is a fine photographer and bird illustrator, and Jack Jeffrey is a true master of avian photography. The result of their collaboration is one of the best-illustrated books on birds I know.

Pratt's writing style is direct and clear. His straightforward narration of the destruction of a large part of the native Hawai'ian avifauna is heartbreaking in its simplicity.

This is an excellent introduction to Hawai'i's birds.

I need the scientific names, that unfortunately were not listed in the book. The development in the bird changes is also so quick, ( I did not see Frigate Birds over Waikiki. Also the colony of Laysan Albatrosses on Kaohikaipu Island deed not seem to be mentioned, even there was a picture of the island in the book. Maybe the colony is new???) that some changes should be maid, or foreseen in the possible next edition. I also saw a bird that was not listed in the book. I wonder if that could have been an apanane female. But the book does not indicate whether male and female are alike or not. The bird I saw was very alike the apanane in shape an bill. Bill a little shorter grey top of head and green on side. What bird could that have been? Seen in Hosmer Grove. The bird list in the back should be a clean bird list, which ought to be complete. (Ex. Mallard is not in the list. Geografic names should be kept in another list.

If you read this yourself, mr. Pratt, could you please forward the scientific - english list to my e-mail adress - see above. That would be appreciated very much.

Lori Copeland's editors did her a disservice!! How could they let her publish this book without reading it first? There are several problems with the book! The ages and pasts of some of the characters just do not add up!

I had to keep going back pages to see if I was confused or if it was really written that way!

It's not like it's a very long book either - you would think you would remember that the character says her husband had the home built and then later in the book she says the home was her mothers...WHAT???

Despite a few mistakes within the book, I loved it! It was a nice light and relaxing book to read and a great story. I truely enjoyed reading it....a wonderful romantic comedy!

I didn't expect much from this book from the reviews, but once I sat down with it I finished it in one day! I wish I had my own copy, I had my library chase this one down outside the state! I'll never forget this book and may purchase my own copy. The adventures of Tess and Carter in Hawaii are tops on my list of reader interest! Great book!