The author must have psychic powers and a clear, analytic mind. Oliverio's argument published in 1998 should have been read by U.S. foreign policy makers. She makes a cogent argument for considering the ways in which people and organizations of power use the concept of terror to hid their own uses of terrorism.

Although this book had been recommended to me by first class scholars, I did not read it until this week because I assumed the work would not be relevant after Septermber 11, 2001. The fact is it is more relevant now then ever before. In many ways, I interpret her to be saying that she loves her countries by loves justice more, much as Camus said long ago. Justice, an analysis of the politics of deviance and terrorism, a global perspective, and a beautiful analysis of the role of theater in the political arenas are only a small part of this poignant book.

Oliverio delves deeply into the roots of statecraft and how those roots intertwine with terrorism. Clearly the author finds the musings of an early Austrian, Machiavelli, sadly relevant to the modern scene.

This book is more interesting than the Titanic. The icing is the scholarly tone and the sophisticated literal agility of the Italian author.

Over the past few years, I have read several "cop books;" some good, and some not so good. I have been a cop now for almost three years, and I can honestly say that "Blue Truth" is the best book I have read regarding law enforcement...period. McDonald truly captures the emotions, fears, and predjudice that every cop, whether conservative or liberal, faces each day. Being a cop is not an easy job sometimes, and McDonald captures this wonderfully. Thankyou, McDonald.

i a ttended the broward police academy class 190 and cherokee was my report writting instructor and he was one hell of an instructor. he had told the class about his life on the beat and the things that he had been through during his carrer. well i purcased the book and read it and after that i have the upmost respect for mr. mcdonald. he opened my eyes to alot of things that could and can go wrong with your family life and the stress of the job pertaining to lawenforcement.

"Dreadful Lemon Sky," MacDonald's 13th in the Travis McGee series, is vintage McGee. I would put it right up there with the best of them, "Green Ripper" and "Bright Orange Shroud." It boggles my mind that MacDonald could write the abominable loser "Turquoise Lament" in 1973, and turn around and write this sparkling gem in 1974.

Carrie, a blast from the past, pays McGee a surprise visit aboard the Busted Flush with a suitcase full of suspicious money. She asks him to keep it safe for her, keep a $10,000 "fee," and if she does not return for it in two weeks, send it to her sister. Two weeks later and no Carrie; McGee goes out to earn his fee. Carrie has died in a car "accident." McGee mounts his white horse and vows vengeance for the lady. He finds drugs, danger, more action than even he bargained for, and meets a load of fascinating (if not righteous) characters. He discovers an all too happy singles only apartment complex apparently fueled by marijuana and presided over by a Big Daddy who is the benevolent landlord. A mysterious newly widowed Cindy Birdsong plays his Bond girl role, if somewhat diffidently. The locale is all Florida, purely Florida.

"Dreadful Lemon Sky" is superbly plotted with a surprising number of twists and turns for a MacDonald book. The character vignettes are sharp and right on the money. This is a Travis McGee not to be missed.

This happened to be the first novel of the Travis McGee series I read, back in the 80's, and I was instantly hooked. I grew up in Florida, and McDonald, as every reader familiar with Florida notices, knew the state intimately and paints that strange place with a master's touch. Travis McGee is probably the most perfectly realized character in series fiction, but what really grabbed me about this novel was the ultra-frightening villain. In fact, I think McDonald's greatest talent was the invention and development of his horrifying bad guys.

This analysis of injustice in the world system is important from sociological and political perspectives, but also impacts the ways in which real people live and act in the world. The ideas advanced in this text are particularly relevant in light of recent events (such as the war in Kosovo and terrorism in east Africa), and will be increasingly important as the world enters the coming millennium.

This book is at the cutting edge of alternatives to global, corporate, business culture. It's a serious analysis of how and why people are put on the margins of life, especially people who would be at the center of a just world. The chapters include straightforward issues of justice, including research on the Zapatistas in Chiapas, jurisprudence in North American, freedom and autonomy in Africa, fairness in Latin America, terrorism in the Middle East and Italy, and a thoughtful mix of diverse approaches to scholarship.

I've read that John D. MacDonald had 4 or 5 of the first McGee's written before he decided to publish them. As a result, these 1st novels in the series can be seen as experiments in developing a series character. In this, the 3rd or 4th published in the series, we see McGee in a situation as close as he will ever get to a classic mystery novel. Before he can be hired by Mona Fox Yeoman to free her and her money from the clutches of her husband Jass Yeoman, she's shot dead right in front of him by a desert sniper. -And the police won't start searching for a killer until McGee can prove she's dead. Seems her body disappeared while McGee was calling the police and she was always threatening to one away with her lover and weren't they spotted on a commercial flight getting away, and-. Eventually, Trav is looking for the killer for Jass, who may not be the tyrant that Mona described to McGee. McGee tracks down the true story, ending up unarmed against a pair of killers in the desert. Classic McGee with a "Ross Macdonald-ish" twist at the end as the solution becomes mired in the Yeoman past.

AS always MacDonald spins an enthralling tale.

I have read all the T McGee books except one, and for some reason this one sticks out as my favorite. John D MacDonald is a superb wordsmith. Just ask Sue Grafton! MacDonald used colors, Grafton uses alphabet. It is tight, well-written, as descriptive as it needs to be and I didn't want to put it down! MacDonald is masterful in so many ways. He never resorts to profanity and he gets away with it. Unheard of, by today's standards! For those of you who've not read about Travis, I surely do envy you! Some great reading awaits you! Larry 'Possum' Ronnow

I think a better title would be, "How To Change Organizations." Lauderdale clearly describes a method to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of any organization and then provides an action plan for change. We have used it in our manufacturing and sales units; so here is a useful import from the world of bureaucracies!

The work is on the cutting-edge of real government---what government could be if bureacrats and politicians would move over and allow scholars to create a fair system.

This book provides an excellent view on the life on all classes of people living in Brazil throughout the eighteenth century. Well doucumented, easy to read, and fascinating.

Enchanting. Enlightening. Beautiful! Henri is a marvelous portrait painter.

Aside from the first Travis McGee story, this (the 11th in the series) may be the best. Here Travis and his buddy Meyer are driving on a remote road through the south Florida Everglades returning from a friend's duaghter's wedding, when trouble erupts. A girl runs across the desolate road, causing McGee to swerve and rollover into the swamp, and before McGee has gathered his wits he and Meyer are being shot at, and ultimately locked up and charged with murder.

The local sheriff, a "by the book" lawman with a history of deep personal loss, lets McGee out of prison while he investigates the case, confining McGee to the local county. Before we know it, McGee is bedding down a lonely but optimistic waitress, uncovering secrets about this sleepy little Everglades town including a call girl ring.

McGee is confident and clever, but there is a sense of vulnerability about him that is refreshing for a mystery series since you sense that he realizes the trouble he is in, as the bodies start piling up. I also thought some of the minor characters in the book, including the waitress Betsy Kapp and the evil Lilo, were very skillfully drawn. Without giving away any of the story, let me just say there were a handful of great twists and turns in the plot, with MacDonald building the suspense nicely. This is not War and Peace, but I give it 5 stars as one of the better mystery novels I have read in awhile.

I'm constantly amazed at the hold that MacDonald asserts over me as a reader, certainly with this character. The beginnings always seem to jump right off, even when they also seem to ramble, like in this one (McGee talking of late night rides, fishing, his old Rolls Royce truck) or the McGee novel that starts with McGee and Meyer fishing by the bridge. There's hook there, yes--a bit of action occurs within the first three pages that sits the novel rolling--but it isn't the immediate hook of the short story or the long rambling set ups of most novels (I'm thinking of the info dumps that start most SF/F/H novels).

The hook isn't the only thing going for MacDonald, though. The sentences and chapters seem to flow, to beg to be read. Since I was reading this novel on breaks, at lunch, and other different odd times, I tended to read only a chapter or two at a time. Rarely did I end a chapter when I didn't find myself unconsciously moving on the beginning of the next. Part of this is due to the standard technique of cliff-hanging chapters, which MacDonald has down well. But MacDonald's cliff-hangers aren't just situations, it seems to me, but the words themselves. I need to examine the chapter endings to see if I can identify what he is doing. Since I'm reading the McGee novels in chronological order, I'll try to do it with the next.

Take a night drive on a lonely highway in the everglades, and your life turns upside down when you swerve to miss a girl running across the road. This leads to attempts on your life, and then suspicion by the local law. Is somebody in the sherriff department working for the wrong side of the law? Travis must find out as he sorts his way through a cast of mysterious women in this highly entertaining tale. Our hero is stuck in Cypress County, by order of the sherriff. Somebody in the department almost beats the life out of Meyer, putting Travis into early revenge mode, and motivating him to get involved in a mystery where nobody requested his services. In the end, I was pleased and stunned by several facets of the solved mystery, and Travis weaves his way through many harrowing experiences to stay alive. This is clearly one of the best 3 McGee books (along with Amber and Green).

"Bright Orange for the Shroud" is the first novel by John D. MacDonald I've read. It certainly will not be the last. This is a thoroughly enjoyable story. Written almost forty years ago, MacDonald was ahead of his time concerning the observations he made about booming Florida and America. If you are looking for a good thriller that is probably better than 90% of what's being written today, don't hesitate to pick this one up. I'll be getting the first novel in the Travis McGee series shortly. BTW, this book has one of the hottest sex scenes I've ever read, written before the days of sexually explicit language. Believe it.

Travis McGee promised himself a trouble-free summer. But when the local nice guy turned up after having been nearly destroyed by a professional black widow, McGee reluctantly agrees to help. A tennis-playing brunette with a slightly shifty husband turns out to be more bait than anyone expected, and McGee goes hunting for True Evil in the form of this book's villain.

One of MacDonald's best McGee books, filled with the Florida detail and cynicism that are the series' trademarks. What makes it special is the almost unwilling belief in good that the main character nurtures in the face of so much human failing. One of those stories where nearly everything clicks.

All the ingredients of a great McGee tale are present here, including the essential South Florida locale. It's hard to believe these stories were penned almost thirty years ago, and the rare "tells" that crop up are pretty funny. The typical is a wardrobe description replete with dacron sailcloth slacks, white denim jackets with wooden buttons, and the omnipresent pale yellow ascot. Of course, money matters are a giveaway. Like a wealthy murder victims toney "$30,000 home".

That said, few authors nail a modern detective yarn quite like John D. Read this book, or any other in the series, and you'll see what I mean.