This book is the second volume in the Library of America set on American crime noir. I enjoyed the first volume so much that I decided to read the second one during Christmas break. Once again, the LOA has done a nice job of collecting a fine series of stories. These stories were written during the 1950's and 1960's. The book is nice to look at too; it's covered in red cloth with a cloth bookmark.

The first story is from the demented mind of Jim Thompson. This story, called The Killer Inside Me, is much better than The Grifters, a book by Thompson that I read some time ago. The Grifters seemed to be pretty one-dimensional with respect to its characters. This story is the exact opposite. A deputy sheriff in a Texas city has a terrible secret. He plays dumb on the outside, but inside he is a cunning sociopath. A long simmering resentment leads to a terrible revenge. Bodies quickly stack up as a result. This seems to be the story that Thompson is best known for and it's no surprise why. This is a dark, twisted tale with a grim ending.

Patricia Highsmith wrote a whole series of stories concerning Tom Ripley. The one included here is The Talented Mr. Ripley, probably better known due to the recent film with Matt Damon. This tale isn't as noir as I would have liked, but it still has enough twists and turns to keep anybody in suspense. Ripley is a low class conniver who ingratiates himself into a wealthy family who wants him to go to Italy and bring back their son. Ripley sees the potential for bucks and meets up with the kid and his lady friend. Of course, things take a turn for the worse and the bodies start stacking up. This story was probably my least favorite out of the entire collection.

The next story, Pick-Up, by Charles Willeford, is a depressing tale about two alcoholics who go bump in the night. The story follows the adventures of this alcoholic couple as they attempt suicide, check themselves into a mental hospital, and drink themselves into a stupor. After the female half of the couple dies in another suicide pact, the story switches to a prison tale. The end is somewhat of a twist, but really doesn't impact the story that much, in my opinion. Again, not really noir as noir can be, but still a fine story that can stand by itself.

Down There, by David Goodis, is a wild ride of a tale. Full of suspense and death, this is a great story that deserves to be included here. A family of ne'er-do-wells drags their talented piano-playing brother into their personal problems. The background information on Eddie, the piano player, is phenomenal. The tragedy that has struck him once is bound to repeat itself again. This story has great bit characters that really liven up the background.

The final story, by Chester Himes, is The Real Cool Killers. This is noir on acid: pornographic violence, massive doses of grim reality, and characters you're glad to see get killed. The story is set in Harlem and involves two tough cops named Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. Someone kills a white guy in Harlem and the cops try and track them down. This story contains one of the funniest descriptions of a person falling off a balcony that I've ever read (and I've read a few, disturbingly enough). The writing has enough similes and metaphors to give Raymond Chandler an apoplectic fit. A cool story that certainly deserves a place in this book.

If you like noir, read these two LOA novels. They are long (together they're almost 2000 pages) but it is definitely worth the effort. These kinds of stories are just a great way to while away some free time and relieve stress.

I gave it 5 stars based on the collection as a whole, rather than each story individually. I enjoyed all of the stories, in that they were a good representation of the genre as a whole, yet they were all stylistically different.

Individually, I would rate the stories in pretty much the order they appear in the book. "The Killer Inside Me" is the most powerful, in my opinion, and is a great indroduction to Jim Thompson if you haven't read his work previously. "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is also excellent, and is a must read for any fan of crime fiction. What I found more interesting was the contrast between the protagonists in the first two novels. Both are cold-hearted killers, but you couldn't find two more different voices. Its a tribute to both Mr. Thompson and Ms. Highsmith that you actually root for these people to get away with their crimes.

The other three novels are good, but they pale in comparison to the first two. "Pick-up" is a good study in a relationship between two alcoholics who know they are alcoholics and are okay with it. It takes awhile for the crime to be committed, but its an interesting journey. I didn't care for the twist ending, but that's just me. "Down There" was interesting to read, if only because it was the basis for a great movie. "The Real Cool Killers" was the only story of the five that I had trouble getting through. I think that was because I didn't really care (or even really believe) that A) a group of street punks would dress in the manner they were described in, or that B) a pair of street detectives would be as violent, feared, and given such free reign as the ones in this novel.

All in all, a good book to add to your collection, if only for the one-two punch of Thompson and Highsmith (by the way, that would be a great name for a law firm).

I usually don't like genre fiction, but this book is a great collection of "Noir" novels. Film buffs will be particularly interested in reading the novel on which "Shoot the Piano Player" was based, as well as the first "Mr. Ripley" novel (much nastier and darker than the recent film). Most highly recommended.

This is definitely the most interesting encyclopedia of facts out there. The cover makes this stand out alone with a hologram of a guy moving up and down stairs on his head. There's over 6000 facts in here, some you will have already seen if you've been to a Ripley's museum, but a lot you won't have.

There's stuff such as the sailing ship (Eclipse) that was hit by a meteorite out in the Pacific Ocean. The funniest entires in here are real life grave stones such as Here Lies the Body of Jonathan Blake, Stepped on the Gas Instead of the Brake. You'll also see photographs of stuff like the world's biggest broom and smallest violin as well as hotels shaped like elephants. Read about the guy who returned a library book his grandfather borrowed that was 145 years overdue and was fined $22, 646. There's so much to see and read in this huge encyclopedia. You have to own it.

My fourth grader received this book as a gift...you can imagine the initial disappointment in receiving a book and not a gadget. He has not put the book down! He keeps it on his bed. When friends come to visit they actually read! It has provided him with many interesting details and amazing facts to share with his classmates and friends. These reports are truly conversation starters. Presented with colorful photos and drawings and easy to browse paragraphs, this book is easy to pick up and enjoy for a few minutes before school or for an hour of reading. The reading level is appropriate for grades 4-6. Third graders could easily enjoy the book as well. This would be a perfect coffee table book if your child had a coffee table!

This book features standard Ripley's fare with more of an emphasis on facts (it is, after all, an encyclopedia) than on cartoons although quite a few of those as well as some photographs appear within this collection. Some of these facts are not things you are likely to find out about elsewhere such as the momordica, which is a fruit purported to taste like roast veal! This collection has over 6000 such facts and is fun to read at anytime of the day or evening.

Author Kimberly Ripley's mantra is "It's never too late to become a freelance writer," and she's absolutely right. I, too, was a "later in life" freelancer (starting in my mid-thirties as a professional writer). Her book is filled with straight-off-the-cuff hints and creative suggestions for turning a passion for writing into a writing career. I have read her book and used her ideas, and now have published more than 75 articles in newspapers and magazines within the past 20 months.

Her tone is conversational and her advice is professional. If you've even remotely considered attempting a career as a writer, you must read this book!

A WEALTH of information for the budding scribe (or flowering one as well). Don't let the number of pages fool you. Each page is packed with useful information; sans the fluff. Easy to read and lightly sprinkled with humor. You will want to reread it often. Tips, examples and gentle encouragement make this a must read!

Though you wouldn't know it by the youthful picture on her informative Website, Kimberly Ripley is in her late forties, and thus speaks from personal experience in her jam-packed new book, Freelancing Later in Life. Crammed with enough tips and personal revelations to last you long into retirement, this book has all you need to know to begin a second career, right from your very own home!

Unlike other costly business ventures, freelance writing is ideal for those unwilling to plunk down big expenditures for office space or equipment. As Ripley states, "It can be done. There are a series of steps to take, and what-ifs to consider, yet this particular career requires less in terms of investment and training than many other career change options..."

Let's face it, there are enough books on freelance writing out there to spend your whole career reading them, but Ripley's book stands out from the crowd because it is designed specifically for a very unique audience. An audience that, until now, has certainly been overlooked. Geared for folks who are looking for a rewarding career or part-time job with which to fill their golden years, Freelancing Later in Life explains how to start from the bottom up-and make it all the way to the top!

With insightful tips that leave nothing to chance, Freelancing Later in Life touches on such basics as how much to charge for an assignment, where to look for freelancing jobs, how to insist on a contract, and what to write about first. And, while it does include several hyperlinks within its value-packed pages, it avoids the "hyperlink hyperbole" that so many eBooks fall prey to these days. Instead, Ripley gives you just enough links to get you started, knowing that once you're out there in cyberspace, you'll find enough free information to keep you busy for hours!

Still not convinced that Freelancing Later in Life is for you? Why not let the author state her case herself: "Not everyone begins a new career in middle age, but lots of people think about it. I did it, and it was the best move I've ever made. From full-time, stay-at-home mom to full-time professional freelance writer and published author, my career change has afforded me opportunities I'd otherwise have only realized through dreams..."

As a freelance writer myself, I can tell you that I've read all the books out there on the subject. Freelancing Later in Life helped me to remain committed to this challenging profession, and even taught me a few new tricks I thought I knew-but didn't! Whether you're young or old, Freelancing Later in Life was written by a true professional-in hopes that you will be too!

There are many interesting facts in this book that people of any age will enjoy. Kids will take great delight in reading the book and then telling you facts while you drive.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! have produced classic facts for many years and this one is no exception.

This book isn't the best choice for a fiction lover. All the facts are true. I liked it because I like all Ripley stuff. If you've been to a Ripley museum and enjoyed it, you'll probably like this book. These facts are written, drawn, and proved by the Ripley people. I do suggest this book; it can teach you what you didn't learn in school.

People who like nonfiction might like this book if they don't mind facts jumping from moose to shark to turtle.There are 124 pages of true entertainment written, drawn, and proved by the people at Ripley's.It doesn't really that many facts on reptiles though. If you're interested in reptiles, you may want to check out another Ripley book, Reptiles, Lizards, and Prehistoric Beasts. Wild Animals is a good book to spread the word about, whether you tell 1 fact, the whole book, or just tell someone to get the book. If you love fiction though, you may not like this.

I wish I knew Kimberly Ripley personally, as I think she'd be a great therapist for moms in the throes of parenting teens. Just when I thought I was the worst mom in the world, I read this book and found out I wasn't alone. Lots of teenagers pull stunts like the author's and mine! And with Kimberly Ripley's humorous perspective---both she AND her teenagers survived the years of teen angst.

Got teens? Got friends with teens? ANYONE with teenagers HAS to read this book. It's hilarious!

This collection of hilarious and insightful essays is sure to thrill the parent in all of us, whether we actually have children or not! Mrs. Ripley's mastery of the tongue-in-cheek style that is obviously so necessary to not only parents, but family writers in general, is evident on every page of this enthusiastic and enjoyable collection of essays. A must for any parenting bookshelf, it would fit perfectly between Dr. Spock and Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul, it's also the perfect gift for parents of teens-to-be. Far from scaring them off, however, this collection of touching tales will only convince them all the more that the teen years are so very special and precious. (If only they could do something about the smell . . .)

Every nook and cranny of modern family life is closely examined under Ripley's keen eye for observation and unique habit of catching perfectly the understated hilarity of everyday conversations. From dirty rooms to music recitals, from student drivers to telephone wars, Ripley evokes the lighter side of family life that no doubt has her own children blushing to this day!

Don't believe me? Try the following examples on for size:

"At that moment I wanted to fall off my chair and slither away like a snake. What I had expected to be a mother's proud moment was a nightmare. And I still had to go home and write the review!

"When the show ended the music director congratulated parents on their children's wonderful performances. I got a cold hard stare."

-An excerpt from the story "Bacteria"

"When our older daughter is in the house simultaneously she and Jim wage what we refer to as phone wars.

'Jim, I need the phone,' Judy will demand.

'Judy, I just got on,' is the standard reply.

"Of course he's been on for so long the receiver imprint on the side of his head has grown purple, but he won't relinquish his prize body part without a fight!"

-An excerpt from the story "Is Jim There?"

"Her room, in addition to housing my daughter and whichever girlfriends she hauls home for the evening, is also home to three large pet rats. The caged little darlings peer at me with their beady eyes, and slither their nasty tails at me each time I enter the room.

"As they slithered and I ransacked, I was aware of their impervious aroma wafting throughout the supposedly "clean" bedroom. Their beady eyes watched me as I confiscated eleven half-finished bottles of caffeine-free Pepsi, eight damp bath towels, nine dirty socks, and more pairs of dirty undies than I could count. There was no partridge in a pear tree. She doesn't own a pear tree."

-An excerpt from the story "Unnatural Disasters"

Though I'm not a parent, as an ex-junior high school teacher in the public school system, these poignant and pointed stories had me rolling with the memory of past students and relived scenarios. When the stress and emotional roller coaster of raising a modern teenager gets to be too much, reach quickly for "Breathe Deeply, This Too Shall Pass" and give yourself an unexpected treat. Your only complaint will be that each story ends too soon!

Bunny Bainfield, like her namesake, is a gardener's nemesis. More specifically, a nemsis to the professional gardening industry including academia, publishing, TV, distributors, and designers. Bunny's talent for self promotion, lack of scruples, and comfort with flaunting her sexuality add up to a formidable competitor who is beginning to dominate the gardening industry. She seems unstoppable, even acheiving a relationship with the new First Lady based on a mutual interest in native plants. Unfortunately for Bunny, she meets up with an enemy unwilling to stop at anything, including poisioning Bunny at a state dinner.

Louise Eldridge is a gardener of a milder type, with a gardening program on Public Television and a warm and loving family. Louise has dabbled in murder investigations in the past, and jumps right into this case. As part of the investigation, Louise finds herself questioning old friends and new, and seeing her relationship with her peers change as suspicion and unease with the police begins to rise. Ultimately, Louise comes face to face with the killer, and finds herself questioning her own preconceptions.

"The Christmas Garden Affair" is made special by the intertwining relationships between people in the somewhat insular gardening trade. Louise Eldridge is a delightful heroine, and even non-gardeners will find the dicussions about native plants interesting. I recommend this book for anyone that enjoys cozy mysteries, female sleuths, and / or gardening.

There have been no recent homicide investigation in Louise Eldridge's life, but the TV personality has seen her ratings on her PBS gardening show plummet since the vivacious and sexy Bunny Bainfield hosts the same kind of show in the same time slot though on a different channel. Both Louise and Bunny are invited to the new First Lady's Christmas Garden Gala, along with other knowledgeable garden experts who Louise wants to line up to appear on her show.

From the time she arrives at the event, Louise hears one person after another bad mouth Bunny. She has alienated everyone in the plant and flower world so it really doesn't come as much of a shock that somebody hates Bunny enough to poison her at the eve of the conference. In her own subtle way, Louise starts an investigation, independent of the police, to discover who killed Bunny. Louise always seems to forget that she puts her life in danger when she plays detective and this time it is no different.

THE CHRISTMAS GARDEN AFFAIR is an invigorating cozy that is character driven. The heroine uses her intellect to weed out some suspects and add others but all the time she is trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It's hard for Louise to quickly finger a suspect because there are so many suspects with viable motives, which means the audience, once the reader overcomes the shock of Louise budding in, has an entertaining amateur sleuth tale filled with gardening tips.

Harriet Klausner

this book can be ordered from Amazon.co.u

I have been trying to locate this book and am having a hard time. If you know anyone with a copy please write. pisikrisi@aol.com

The story is fun, the writing first class and the gardening essays made me want to race out and start planting. I will admit, however, that toward the end I did skip over the essays to follow the mystery line. My curiosity appeased, I was then eager to go back for the essays. I did read the paperback version and the cover doesn't do justice to the story or the writing. Also, one minor point. For me, Louise "felt" much older than forty and it threw me when references to her age were mentioned. I fear this is a publisher issue in that there is some fear readers won't want to read about a mature woman. Wrong! I don't know if this was actually the case or not, but it seems likely, and that is my only quibble with my first Louise Eldridge Mystery. This is a very talented writer with much to share with her readers and I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

After Ann Ripley so cleverly blended stories together in the first three Louise Eldridge stories, you think her ability to weave paths together in Death of A Political Plant couldn't be beat; then you read The Garden Tour Affair. The story changes the setting from the capital to the Litchfield Falls Inn in Connecticut. A quaint setting is the perfect foil for the hustle and bustle of the three first novels set in Washington. Our heroine Mrs. Eldridge takes the first major trip for her PBS show Gardening With Nature to a house of quarrel between members of the Seymour family. Halfway through, you'll think you have it all figured out, and then the story takes another twist. The fast paced action continues right up until the last page. Ripley can truly do it all, between her masterful storytelling ability to her knowledge of gardening and wonderful use of allusions in her literature. An entertaining read, the best so far from Ann! 5 stars.

From the Publishers: Carefree Press It Takes A Parent.....To Raise A Child Robert E. Ripley, Ph.D. and Marie J. Ripley, M.A. ISBN 0-962-1133-9-5 This book contains what parents want to know about raising their children to be successful, effective adults. This is a monumental, practical, easily readable, unique, breakthrough parenting book. The authors are experts with both knowledge and experience, as compared to most writers on parenting. Dr. Ripley earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Child Psychology. He was a university graduate school merit professor and taught at such prestige universities as the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University and Arizona State University. Marie Ripley has earned degrees in Architecture, Art Education and a Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling. She has been a classroom teacher, home designer and builder and president of their consulting firm. They have been consultants to international Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Office of Education and Department of Labor as well as state departments of education and labor, public, private and parochial schools. They are active parents and their children are now 22 and 24 years old. They home schooled one of their children for three years. What is different from most other parenting and child development authors is: they have been there and done that. They have extensive research, writing and practical hands on experience. They are also international, award winning authors. A large portion of the analysis of the successful, effective adults is based on their own research of thousands of adults in many occupations over a 30 year period of time. This book is unique in that 95% of the content is original, has not appeared in other books and yet contains the material that parents and educators have been wanting answers and discussion about. This book can help reduce teen pregnancies, child abuse, child and teen violence and the creation of unsuccessful adults who are a burden to themselves a! nd society. The book is 520 packed pages where the total parenting areas are broken down into 11 Dimensions with 192 Factors. All topics in the book are cross referenced with related topics, so the reader can begin anywhere and will be referred to other areas in an easily readable manner. The book also contains more of the "Marie says", one mother's opinion and comments about their children's growing up. These are scattered throughout the book, having first become so popular in the Your Child's Ages & Stages books. The book also contains, in Appendix A, a new theory and practical approach of how children and adults learn. The authors have titled it Levels of Learning, and anticipate that it will be a great aid for teachers and parents. In Appendix B, the authors also present a condescend guideline titled Personal Empowerment And Personal Success. Every parent needs to read this to have the knowledge of the known original components of personal success. Then to complete the process of this "must have" book, the authors finish with a complete matrix correlating this work with their three child development books. In the development of the child from birth through age 18, various combination of facors are most critical at any one stage for creating a successful, effective adult. This book, along with their other currently published book: Your Child's Ages & Stages: 0 to 6 Year Old: The Basic Imprinting Stage and their forthcoming books this year; Your Child's Ages & Stages: 7 to 12 Year Old: Values Acquiring Stage and Your Child's Ages & Stages: 13 to 18 Year Old: Era Impacting Stage provide a fairly comprehension framework for understanding and raising a child to become a successful, effective adult.

The Publisher can be reached at: CarefreePr@aol.com.

This comprehensive guide to child-rearing issues includes the characteristics of effective adults. This book shows how to create and retain these behaviors in the child, such as responsibility, fairness, determination, sympathy, and leadership. By defining these behaviors and characteristics of effective adults, the authors demonstrate how lack of this knowledge leads to failed parenting: drug abuse, delinquency, violence, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, and school dropout. Since society has inadvertently shortened the length of childhood, the authors encourage parents to allow typical ages and stages to develop more fully and normally, not forcing the child into early stunted adulthood. The authors show how arrested emotional and social development can occur and how to remedy the situation. The best parents are seen as ones who do not confuse the immediate satisfaction of the child's desires with the child's ultimate happiness. There are three excellent appendices. One is a complete understanding of how the child and adult learns, the second is a presentation of the laws of success and the third is a matrix that provides a comprehensive overlay of the factors presented in the book to the ages and stages of development when that behavior is most dominant in development. The "Marie says" are one mother's personal stories and opinions on the various childrearing areas. These are worth the price of the whole book. The book recognizes that parenting is a difficult endeavor but that by knowing the 192 factors within 11 dimensions the parents can help create a self-controlled, inner-directed, personally empowered person.

This was a very good historical novel with likable characters and for the most part an intriguing plot. I never knew that Southerners and the English could be so scandalous! Chess is one of my favorites heroines ever, and Nate was interesting as well. I was so pleased with the ending, and any reader will be as well. I was a little displeased with Chess's behavior with Randall, not because she was having an affair, but with the utter consumption it had over her. And that Lily, wow, typical religious child gone wrong. Personally, I thought Ripley's Scarlett was superior, but I plan on reading her novels in the future.

Alexandra Ripley is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. From Scarlett, to On Leaving Charleston, and now From Fields of Gold, Mrs. Ripley has certainly gotten my attention. If you love an author who can mix drama, passion, humor, and reality with broad strokes of historical detail and intriguing dialogue then you'll love her novels. This one in particular tells the story of a lonely woman, Chess, from the post-Civil War ruins of tidewater Virginia who is so desperate for companionship that she agrees to give her grandfather's patent on a cigarette machine to a man that will agree to marry her and give her children. Boyishly handsome and crudely competitive Nate is the man that takes the deal and leads Chess into a life of triumph and turmoil. Follow Chess as she fails and succeeds in the attempt at finding her true spirit among all of her trials and tribulations. Ripley gives you a character with the strength and passion of Scarlett O'Hara, but the honor and heart of Melanie Wilkes.

This is by far one of her best books. I have read it twice and enjoyed it thoughoughly both times. Every time I read it I still can't put it down. The characters and plot are great. I love the ending and especially the clever last line of the book. Anyone who hasn't read it is missing out!