mostly factual as to actual events of these horrid crimes. That is until the author starts trying to convince the reader that these women were actually deceived by angels. Those of you who choose this book for interest in the crimes themselves, will not be pleased. There is also a lot to this story left out by the author. He seemed to base his entire book on some fact, and mainly what the convicted criminals told him. Having some knowledge of these women and their crimes, I was very displeased with the direction of the book.

A sad story about problems caused by misconceptions concerning angels and spirits. Although the author is not a very good writer, the story is spellbinding and would make a great movie.

this book is a true account of a prayer group that was deceived by demons. they were true sincere christians that were visited by angels that told them they wre chosen of God, and all sorts of other things that stroked their ego. they figured that because these beings were beautiful and said they wre from God, that they MUST be from God. long story short, the demons little by little snuck in a little like mixed in a world of truth. kind of like giving a thirsty person a big glass of water with a little drop of cyanide until the person dies.

over a period od time the demons posing as angels from God told them that they had to steal from people who were demon possessed (which the demons called totaled) for the good of mankind. this went on and and the demons told them to do increasingly evil things until they eventually killed people. then they realized they wre being fooled by the demons.

the point is that the prayer group forgot the key thing the Bible says which is Isaiah 8:20 - To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. those angels went agaisnt God's word, but the peopel figured because the angels were real to them that they MUST be telling the truth. everything that seems godly, ISN'T. thats why its important to stay rooted and grounded in God's word. the first thing satan does is attck the Bible. once u dont have your sword u are defenseless agasint satan.

in today's world where u have people like John Edwards talkng to demons posing as loved ones, we need to stay rooted and grounded in the bible. the Bible tells us enver to talk to the dead (Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:11; 2 Kings 21:6; 1 Samuel 28:3; Isaiah 8:19; to name a few). we need to know that the devil is out to decive us all. if he cant get u one way, he will get u another. remember everyone, satan is the FATHER of lies.

Thank God that as we abide in Him, love, and obey Him, we have nothing to fear. God has a covering over his children that protects even agasint the strongest strongholds of satan.

peace and God's blessings
Jobita
:-)

This seems more to be a book of psychology than actions. I found it difficult to become interested in the plot, which had continuity but lacked spark. Greene emphasizes the inner bitterness of the main character, but the personal transformation was not as touching or dynamic as it should have been. The grossness of Raven's deformity sticks with the reader, and the scenarios are painted expertly, as usual, but this one just lacks...Oomph.

Murder didn't mean much to Raven. It was just a new job. You had to be careful. You had to use your brains. It was not a question of hatred. He had only seen the minister once : he had been pointed out to Raven as he walked down the new housing estate between the little lit Christmas trees--an old rather grubby man without any friends, who was said to love humanity. -Graham Greene, This Gun for Hire

Raven is a hired killer with a harelip. His profession and his deformity combine to give him a passion for privacy. But when he's hired to kill a socialist minister who's active in the peace movement and ends up also shooting an elderly woman from his household staff too, he's suddenly one of the most sought after men in England. And when the man who hired him, Mr. Cholmondeley, pays him off in counterfeit notes, he becomes an easy man to track. In addition, his strong sense of professional ethics lead him to try and find Cholmondeley and whoever's behind him, rather than simply hiding out.

Through a circuitous set of circumstances, Raven is helped in his search by a young woman, Anne, whose boyfriend just happens to be the lead detective on his case. She recognizes how dangerous Raven is, but feels sorry for him and, with Europe sliding into war, thinks she can use him to strike back at the shadowy forces who wanted the peace loving minister dead.

Though it lacks the universal moral tension of some of Greene's better work, this is an entertaining noir thriller. The plot depends on a few too many fortuitous twists, but if you take it in the spirit of say The 39 Steps or a Hitchcock movie, the implausabilities aren't unbearable. Perhaps the most interesting reading of the book is as a forecast of the central ethical dilemma of WWII. Think of Raven as the USSR and of Anne as the Allies. She accepts Raven out of sympathy for his physical and spiritual deformities and assumes that he, despite his amorality, can be twisted to serve her own noble purposes. In the end, a lot of folks die as a result of her naiveté.

GRADE : B-

'A gun for sale' is considered a minor Graham Greene work, two years before his acknowledged first masterpiece, 'Brighton Rock'. Admittedly, the book is hugely flawed - the plot becomes increasingly implausible; the dialogue is sometimes false; the characterisation, especially in the central relationship between Raven the runaway hitman and Anne, sometimes doesn't quite ring true. But there is so much that is excellent - the mixture of dusty, fish and chips realism with almost whimsical fantasy, precise detail clashing with a nightmare-world of physical grotesques; the brilliant control of language, in which a deliberately limited vocabulary is used to imprison characters in a social and implicitely metaphsical destiny. The first half is a superb, almost intolerably nerve-wracking, thriller, and the second, as Raven seeks revenge during a practice gas raid, is dottily surreal. The allusions to fairy tales, history , poetry, popular music, drama, philosophy etc. open the book from its generic base, and makes it infinitely richer than it first appears. It should be read anyway by anyone who loves the cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville, who based his masterpiece 'Le Samourai' on it. A flawed, yet fascinating work.

Sherry's "biography" is saved only by its topic: Graham Greene, a man whose life was so interesting that even Sherry's ineptitude can't quite get in the way.

The flaws in this work abound but of import are the consistent failures by Sherry to dive into anything that would or could possibly reveal "too much" about a man that even Sherry admits, was notorious for not revealing much of anyhting to anyone.

Dreams that beg to be discussed are described and then abandoned as topics, health concerns (Green's hemorage surely deserves some comment, doesn't it? - or have I missed it amid the insesent repetions by Sherry that The Power and the Glory was Grenne's "best work" - understood that the first three times Sherry said it)and refrences to one of Green's acknowledged "masters" (Conrad) are offered up, and then, dropped like hot rocks.

To make matters worse, one is treated to such sparkling gems of "thought" as (to paraphrase) that the insurgents in malaya were fighting against the "benificent" British and their colonial puppets - surely, greene, a man on the side of the "underdog" (regardless of said dog's politics)had something else in mind? Or is this more of the ex-spys double-talk? Using Sherry as a source, one will never know.

Given Greene's penchent for opacity, it should come as no suprise to anyone who knows anything about the man, that having chosen his own "man in biography" that Greene should have played Sherry for his own purposes.

As a source-work for Greene's own material, and as an illsutration of what can happen to an author upon achieving "success" the book is useful.

Beyond that, stick to Greene's own work. You'll be far better served.

Sincerely,

A Reader

I have read very little of Graham Greene and I have not read Vol 1 of this biography. However I found this Vol 2 (1939-55) an enthralling read. It covers his life during the second world war and then later in Vietnam and Africa. There is a bit too much about his lovesick affair with Mrs Walston (a peculiar arrangment and a bit uninteresting at times) The record of his war service and his time in publishing is fascinating.I guess if you have read the books and are already a fan then this biography is even more valuable. The life of G.G. is a novel in itself,full of colour,sadness and bravery.These biographies can be turgid in the wrong hands but Sherry only uses the details necessary to tell a vivid story.His prose is excellent and flows along. A very enjoyable read and it made want to get reading the novels-and Vol3 which is due in 2000 I believe.

Norman Sherry did an excellent job of chronicling some of the most facinating phases of Graham Greene's personal and professional life. While I found vol. 1 to be a bit slow and often uninteresting at times, vol. 2 really gives great insight into the period of Greene's most productive and important years.

I'm eagerly awaiting vol. 3 to see how well Sherry tells the life of one of the more important authors of the Twentieth Century.

If I had a dime for every grammatical error in this book, I'd be a rich man. The editing was horrible, and made it difficult to read.

The information presented was, on the whole, good. It was nice that the authors made available material from numerous Italian sources. However, the work relies greatly on secondary sources, and aside from attempting to present a balanced perspective, offers little new to the study of the War in the Mediterranean.

I had the impression from the dust jacket and other reviews that the book made far more use of primary sources. I was disappointed that this was not the case.

Standard short battle history. No new insight or information. could have been copied from Capt Roskill's wotk of the 1950s. If you read this you must read Sadkovich's work for balance and insight into the Italian war effort and why what the UK mediterranean fleet did was not always very inportant to the out come of the campaign.

This book was thoroughly and well researched on the subject of the naval war in the Mediterranean Sea. A wealth of footnoted referrence materials and books have been provided for further reading. The authors set the stage for the conflict in the Mediterranean theater by briefly describing the circumstances of Italy, Great Britain, and France during the 1930's, the Spanish Civil war and roles that all the major European powers played in that war, and the arms race that took place by these countries up to the beginning of conflict. Every battle is thoroughly covered ... with numerous detailed maps of how the fleets were laid out, when and how they engaged in conflict, and the outcome of those battles. The authors gave an almost hour by hour break down of each battle, and provided detailed information on the breakdown of each fleet, including the exact number of ships, numbers and sizes of guns, numbers of aircraft involved on both sides, and why the engagements ended the way they did. The book was very well balanced, providing a point of view from the Italian side, as well as the English and French (when ever France was involved). If you want to read about classic naval warfare in World War II, the Mediterranean Sea was where it happened the most; where major fleets collided and gunned it out, where submarines, mines, torpedo boats, convoys, aircraft and aircraft carriers all played a major role in combat. I couldn't think of a better book to bring this to you than this book. A must read!!

This book truly discribes the life of our president.

Since this Rookie Biography of Bill Clinton was written in 1995 it has little to say about his actual Presidency, so it does not have as much use today to young students as it did when it first came out. It will provide all the basics for how the boy born Bill Blythe became President Bill Clinton. However, in terms of politics, it is pretty much a toss up as to whether this book is naive or ironic (of course, I always go with irony). It ends with Carol Greene telling her readers: "Being president isn't easy. You can't please ALL the voters. Some are always mad at you. But Bill Clinton still cares about people and their problems. That should help make him a good president." This book is illustrated with both black & white and color photographs, including an enlargement of Clinton meeting President Kennedy in 1963. Most of the color photographs are from the campaign and after Clinton entered the White House. Final Note: The picture on the young girl with the Clintons sure looks more like Tricia Nixon than Chelsea.

The information given in this book is okay, but it is the information that is missing that concerns me. There is only one brief chapter on handling emergencies and it is sadly lacking. There is no mention of what to do in case of severe weather that occurs suddenly, a persistent stranger on the phone or is at the door, a child that is choking or gets burned, or any of a million more things that could happen. Future editions should add some of this practical information as well as include a checklist of things a babysitter should know such as the location of a flashlight, first aid kit, breaker box etc. Although it lacks the Christian emphasis, I think that "The Babysitter's Handbook" published by Kidbacks better prepares teens to cope with the realities of babysitting.

It has tips on being a christian baby-sitter, getting a job, what they expect, what you expect, The perqs, the kids, a bag of tricks, play time, story time, music, prayer time, discipline, emergencies, and even a prayer for you!

I was disappointed in the book. Just couldn't get much out of it. Not many detailed how-to's.....

"Creating Textures in Colored Pencil" is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to know how to create rough brickwork, soft, shiny ribbon, or any texture in between. Gary also gives the color pallets for each demonstration (including skin tones) and explains the different types of supplies. I've had this book for 5 years and still find myself referring back to it.

Excellent Step by Step direction by Gary Green. Basic life textures explained in simple detail, such as water droplets, wood, rust and glass. I would have rated it a five star had he included landscapes such as sky and those tough clouds. Don't confuse "textures" with scraping off layeres of wax. "Textures" described here are creating the look of textures such as rock, aged wood, and tree bark. His pictures of "shiny metal" are beautiful but his example doesn't show how to create that specific metal.

I've finished almost every book I've ever started reading, although every few years there's one that's so tedious that I can't make it through. I may hate 'em, but I finish 'em. I never imagined I'd not be able to finish a Marlys Millhiser book. I loved her earlier books and had been looking for more by her for years. This one is both boring and irritating, and I just can't continue with it. So far there's a plethora of characters without any personality who are gleeful that the only character with any personality has been murdered, and so far there's nothing to indicate why we're expected to hate the dead victim and sympathize with the brain-dead boors. I got to the part where the protagonist is disappointed that people are discussing the murder rather than her latest business deal, and where she casually plans on getting rid of her daughter's pet cat. (I can only suppose it had too much personality.) I don't know how it all turns out, only that I know as much about Charlie Greene as I can hack.

This was a good book...very entertaining. This series amazes me somewhat because I lived in Long Beach where Charlie lives and in L.A. a few years ago, and never met any characters quite like she has in her stories. I must have led a sheltered life. Or Marlys exaggerates somewhat. Whatever! This book kept my attention til the end.

Charlie Greene has perhaps the most annoying daughter in the mystery field. And I like her because she obviously loves this annoying brat. An interesting setting, good characters, humor, a murder and a soupcon of the paranormal. It doesn't get much better than this

Lackluster is exactly how I would peg this. And I felt the heroine did come off as premature. But! If you are into egocentric step-fathers, elude being the ton on-dit with a quickie marriage to the stoic mis understood Earl (or was he a Duke?), the typical foolish situation to bail out your idiot brother then by all means get this book it's a light easy read.

This book was mediocre at best. The writing is excellent and the characters are consistent and likeable, but the plot is incredibly old and worn out. We have so many used Regency plot ideas: the marriage- because-of-compromise, the unconsummated-marriage-until-love-is-found, the spousal misunderstandings, and even the-pawned-jewelry-to-help-the-brother-but-don't-go-to-the-rich-husband-for-money scene. This book contained no surprises and ended as predictably as you can imagine.

This is the type of story that is hard to put in the down and continued to keep on reading! I felt very sympathy towards the main character, Allegra Temple as she struggled to capture the love of her cold husband, the Earl of Wyndham. I really love this novel!!!

"The Man Within" by Graham Greene was Greene's first published novel, and, I think, the reader can tell. The story centers around a man, Andrews, who has been involved in smuggling with some blackguards, and who has fled the group after a crime was committed. He flees right into the home of a woman, Elizabeth, who is in the process of burying the man who has been her guardian of sorts. She convinces him to testify against the other smugglers at the trial, and he goes to the city to do so. When he returns they profess their love for each other but face further dangers together. In the end, Andrews must face the negative influence his father has been on him in his life and the actions he has committed in reaction to that influence.

While there were some interesting facets of the book and its characters, I took a long time to get into it. The beginning, particularly, is VERY slow moving. The novel lacks the things one loves Greene for; the subtly written yet overwhelmingly powerful struggles the characters engage in with morality and/or religion, as well as a narrator who is unreliable and yet sympathetic.

*The Man Within* follows a fellow named Andrews through his horrifying experiences of paranoia and self-doubt, made all the worse by the fact that some people want to kill him. Andrews is wanted by the police in connection to the murder of an officer, pursued by his former co-smugglers because of his betrayal, and loathed by the locals because of his testimony against a group of popular criminals. There is only one person - the angelic Elizabeth - who provides him with any support, but she also creates for Andrews his biggest dilemma: to face death for someone whom he may never be able to love, or to find a new life, but without the one person who would make it worth living.

The writing does not show Greene at his peak, but it does demonstrate an early ability to craft brilliantly complicated characters and problems of morality in a manner similar to Dostoevsky..

The Man Within is a fantastic book about love and fear. It has elements of action, courtroom drama and good old-fashioned romance. The main character constantly assures us that he is a coward and unworthy of the love given him by the farm girl Elizabeth and also of his former associate whom he betrays in the begining of the book, yet he continues to perform uncharacteristic acts of bravery. His motives for these acts of bravery bring into question the true nature of courage and greatness. This book is surprising at every turn and yet every event, and every conversation makes total sense. It's a difficult book to put down, and you'll probably want to read it again.