Another good kids book from the Hardy Boys Casefiles series. It's full of chess champs, spies, and plenty of fast-paced action.

I have found this book to be useful and user friendly. It covers not only the typical grammar and punctuation questions, but information on document design and formats. It also includes model documents for letters, memos, and others. One table of contents lists subjects alphabetically and one lists them topically. Everything in the book is listed alphabetically: Bias-free Language comes right before Bibliographies. The beginning page of each entry includes a light blue box with the rules listed. Then each "rule" is expanded in a clear way with examples. I have found the answer to almost every question I've had. And they have been so much easier to find than looking up each mention of a topic from the index as you have to do with some style manuals.

It's not the best hardy boys book out there. Most of the action takes place in the desert, unlike the fast-paced city action that makes the other books stand out. They have a firm idea of who did it at an early place in the book, and there's no real suprise villain in the end. As for excitement it's ok but not as good as Dead on Target or Power Play.

Greed for ois and timber, giant alligators, killers, and death threats. Just another Hardy Boys book. I recommend it to all fans of the Hardy Boys series.

Although the book's organization resembles a textbook too much, the information is invaluable. Given that there is a mountain of books available on China it is extremely helpful to read something about the first Chinese democracy. While I enjoyed the book as a whole I was particularly interested in the story of Taiwan's evolution from dictatorship to democracy. This is especially cool because Taiwan is still strengthening its democracy. No other book examines Taiwan in such depth, which is not as great a compliment as it sounds since only a handful of books really examine modern Taiwan.

As a professional appraiser in Antiques, Decorative Arts & Residential Contents for many years, you never know when you may find a so called thorn among a bed of roses. This book bridges the gap between the most mundane items to books with the finest. My obligation to my clients is one of identification and value, no matter the value. This book completes a library that every appraiser needs. Every home has items that are included in this book. Buy this book and you will be glad you did.

Waldo H. Heinrichs is currently a professor of hisory at Temple University. In addition to writing Threshold of war he wrote the highly regarded American Ambassador. Joseph C. Grew. Threshold of war is regarded by many historians as one of the first modern comprehensive reviews of America's entry into World War II. In addition to looking at our entry into the war Heinrichs looks at American foreign policy and history in a broad global context, that examines both Asian and European diplomatic pressures and military strategies. Heinrich wrote his book because he believes that there are many views on how America entered World War II, but that a better understanding, and a more comprehensive look was needed. Heinrich also has a differnt view on how and when America became involved with World War II. He claims that the War actually started before Pearl Harbor with a string of events, starting with the stock market crash of 1929 and ending with Hitler's violation of the Munich agreement, and Japan's invasion of Indo China. Heinrichs also portrays Roosevelt in a very good light in his book. Heinrich uses a narrative writing style that is obviously directed towards the non historian. He presents both his views and his facts in an easy going style that was very enjoyable to read. One draw back however, in my opinion, was that he jumps from one event to another. Over all the book was well written, well researched and very enjoyable. Heinrichs does an excellent job at portraying the tension and problems Roosevlt faced in the months leading up to War. The bibliography is also a wealth of information for history students.

The Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe, along with their girlfriends, Callie and Iola, are vacationing in the tiny Caribbean island country of San Esteban. The action starts from Chapter One when their rented plane almost crashes! When they finally arrive at their destination, they are beset by numerous calamities, such as an escaping bull, deadly insects, vandals and a local glad-handing politician!
There's plenty of action in this story (every chapter ends in a cliff-hanger) but the mystery itself is ill-defined. Everything finally gets rolling when a fierce tropical storm hits the island and our heroes are pursued by a blow-dart wielding thug into a network of underground passages. Naturally, the Boys overcome all obstacles and solve the mystery in a surprise ending.

This is Patrick Franklin's only published book - to my knowledge - a collection of short stories culled mainly from such high-profile "men's magazines" as Advocate Men and Blueboy. With that as the original market for these tales, it is not surprising that the plots of the stories very often end in scenes of explicit sex ("Splendor and Black Wool", the story of a nun's brush with harmonic glory which her superiors mistake as blasphemy, defies that generalization). But Christopher Street, for years the preeminent gay literary journal, also published at least one of Franklin's stories earlier, and that accounts for the consistent literateness of the writing.

Franklin, who published work under various pseudonyms, displays a welcome variety and originality here. This is not pornography, although the stories are genuinely erotic. There is science fiction here, humor, nostalgia, and whimsy (e.g., the mischieveous gay leprechaun in "The Luck of the Irish"). The book opens with "Stale Beer and Flowers", a marvelous evocation of the narrator's Kentucky boyhood, in which he learns a lot about life and love. Franklin gets the details right here and elsewhere. He describes with unfailing sharpness: we get a clear picture of whatever he presents us. "Love Under Glass" has a bizarre (though not entirely improbable) concept that works because of Franklin's skill. "Catalytic Converter", one of the book's two longest stories, is simply knockout erotic; you'll twitch and squirm as you read it. "New Clothes" has an O. Henry-type twist, and the title story features revenge as its central theme, and it is a finely orchestrated tale.

Patrick Franklin has apparently disappeared from the scene. I hope he is stashed away in some room somewhere writing more entertaining stories, perhaps under another of those numerous pen names he adopted over the years. If not, he can rest with assurance that he left the world of writing with a most accomplished little book of stories.

The Hardy boys are in Tennessee reenacting the Battle of Shiloh. We're in for some history, not to mention mystery and excitement when the historian that invited them gets shot down with real bullets.