If you're a beginner it might be useful, but you can get the same info written in a way that makes you really 'get' it, in a lot of other books. And you won't have to listen to someone telling you the plots of books you might like to read someday, and music he thinks you should hear - instead of this, try Jack Bickham's work, or Dwight V. Swain.

Anyone who gives this book 4 stars or more has to be an English teacher. There's no WRITING in this writing book!

Now, there are lots of writing books that all are presentation and are still quite good. Anson Dibell's "Plot" comes to mind. This book, however, features "workshops" at the conclusion of each chapter, so one might expect more hands-on work with plotting. If so, one would be disappointed.

The workshops are *not* about writing; they're about reading and analysis, where you take existing novels and analyze them for technique. Unlike other books on this topic, such as "Building Better Plots" by Robert Kernen, none of these "workshops" offer any opportunity for hands-on practice and experimentation with your own writing.

This is fine for an absolute beginner who has never written or for a reader of novels who wants to learn appreciation of novel structure. But there are no suggestions or guidelines for the novels you select for analysis, just "ones you like." Novels can vary enormously in application of various techniques and in how successful they are - or aren't - with those techniques. An absolute beginner would need more guidelines in selecting good material, knowing what to look for, and evaluating its success or failure.

For anyone with more experience, or who is eager to find ways to apply plotting techniques directly to their own writing, this book falls short.

I loved this book! I'm a multi-published author and a freelance editor. I've read a lot of how-to writing books and J. Madison Davis' book is one of the few that remains on my keeper shelf. I have a number of pages permanently marked for reference. It's a wonderful resource for any writer who wants to strengthen his plotting skills.

I give a book 100 pages or one day, which ever comes second, before I make the decision to give up or keep reading. I finished this book only because it took me less than a day to read. Hitchcock is barely detectable in the book, hardly the detecive as the cover implies. He does the hiring of the ex-cop main character and "exposes" the murderer at the end but not much else. As to the title, the connection to the film is barely noticable other than it being the film that Hitch is directing at the time. [....]

There were times while reading THE VERTIGO MURDERS that I got the distinct impression that the author was not expecting to get the required permission to insert Alfred Hitchcock into his story. Certainly the Master of Suspense has a very limited role in the book; he appears at the beginning and again at the end, while having only a handful of cameos during the bulk of the tale. During his brief appearances, he doesn't seem to be a terribly distinct character. Apart from dropping a lot of trivia about the films that he is busy with, one really doesn't feel as though we're dealing with the genuine article. Without Hitchcock, the book has very little to offer as compensation. It's entertaining for much of the duration, yet never memorably so, and there are several elements that pull this story down.

The book is heavily based upon the dime novels of the time in which it is set (the 1940s in Hollywood, California). Yet, interrupting this pastiche of the pulp genre are numerous raw (or perhaps "more modern" would be a better way to describe them) elements. Characters refer to female body parts in an explicit manner, discuss back alley abortions, and are occasionally more graphic than one would have expected had this actually been written during that era (this was published in 2000). Had these more realistic elements been seamlessly inserted into the narrative, then I think the effect could have been very interesting. After all, the advantage of writing in this style today is one can get away with discussing certain material that wouldn't have been permitted in that era. But in THE VERTIGO MURDERS, the attempt just isn't coherent enough to be truly effective. The modern elements are too jarring and distracting. One goes from cartoon violence, smack dab into intensely gritty realism, and then right back into the relatively innocuous world of pulp sleaze. It wasn't a bad idea, but the execution just didn't work for me.

The resolution of the story's big mystery comes as a disappointment. The ending makes logical sense, but it arrives completely out of nowhere. Really excellent mysteries often times will have the answer staring the reader right in the face. Clues work best when they're obvious enough for the audience to remember, but subtle enough not to give the game away before the final scene. Unfortunately in this book, the clues are buried in such a way that when the solution is revealed, one will be taking the book apart trying to discover the clues locked away in an obscure paragraph. While there are a few cheats where the author has kept some information hidden until the end, most of the facts are present; the solution just isn't all that satisfying.

All in all, this was a bit of a disappointment. There were certainly some fun parts of the book, and the journey that the investigator took was fairly interesting at times. But the plot was stretched far too thin for the amount of pages that it took up. While the book boasted some huge margins and large spaces between lines (it almost looks like double spacing), it could have done with a handful of major edits to get rid of some of the excess material. On the other hand, I did like the team of Hollywood director and ex-cop that was set up at the end. I wouldn't mind reading further mysteries and adventures of this pairing (the ending certainly sets up the possibility of there being more to come from these two), I would just hope that the plot and story that they find themselves in would be better thought out.

I have to agree with the others who reviewed this book, that there isn't enough Hitchcock in the story. In a way it is misleading in the sense that you expect Hitchcock to do a lot of the detective work instead of the ex-cop but it is still a great book and I don't regret buying it!!

This book could not have been written by a Seattle native - it simply contains too many errors and ommissions. Several items are mislabeled and the dialog for each picture is vapid.

Additionally, it would not have been that difficult to match the "now" to the "then" photos. Many of the "now" pictures were taken at different angles and with the wrong lens.

A good concept but poorly executed.

I bought this book for my daughter. We both enjoy it. We have spend serveral hours together pouring over the book.

The book shows pictures of Seattle then and now covering a lot of areas like Pioneer Square, First Hill, Belltown, Fremont and some of the water front. Though I wish more of the water front would have been covered. There are a lot of historical buildings that are no longer there shown in the book. A description is given for each picture of what area it is, what the pictures is of and when it was taken. The book shows a lot of change that has occurred in the city and that fact that the Brooklyn has probably changed the least. It's a fabulous coffee table book and a great conversation piece.

This was a wonderful idea for a book, ruined by editor Bob Madison.Throughout almost the entire book, the pompous, self important Madison lectures his audiences as to what they "should" and "should not" enjoy, which becomes VERY annoying.Madison's dislike of Dracula portrayer Christopher Lee is so extreme as to be cartoonish. When contributors to the book try to say something positive about Lee, Madison jumps in mid-sentence to contradict them.All in all, I'm sorry I bought this dreadful waste.

Bob Madison has brought to the public a fine piece of literature, and just an all out fun book!

REED DESPERATE FOR IDENTITY. THERE COULD HAVE BEEN 7 OR 8 MEN, ALL DESCENDED FROM FIELDING JEFFERSON, WHO MIGHT HAVE FATHERED ESTON. ALL HERESAY, WHICH VERY CONVENIENTLY DISREGARDS THE TESTIMONY OF EDMUND BACON, THE CHAP WHO GAVE EYE WITNESS TACCOUNT TO WHO LEFT SALLYS ROOM IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING ON MANY OCCASIONS. GO READ THE THOMAS JEFFERSON HERITAGE SOCIETY BOOK CALLED THE JEFFERSON- HEMINGS MYTH AND GET INTELLIGENT INFO. REED'S BOOK IS ABSURD, AND MOST CERTAINLY A SHAM. NOT THE SCHOLARLY WORK ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM A PERSON IN HER POSITION.

Let say that for those interested in the communications of the founding fathers, this is one of the books needed to understand that communication.

This book focuses on Jefferson and Madison both intellectual giants in the founding the United States. Jefferson most for his ideas and Madison for his valued sounding board to Jefferson and his finesse taking those ideas and making them part of the way of life as we know them today.

It is always a pleasure to read the letters that transpired between these two people. Most of us do not have the privilege of reading these letters first hand and have to rely on others for their interpretation. I find that this author does a fine job of this and offers good background to the letters of the time that they were written.

Those that are studying the founding fathers and especially Jefferson and Madison will like this tome, I did and I recommend it.

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights, The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, and the heart warming chapter Take Care of Me When Dead were my favorites.

Again a must read for understanding these two men and the times they came from... I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

This company no longer exists - no one should buy this book.

I was so excited by the description of the company that I knew it was the firm I wanted to join. Through the help of other guides, particularlly Ace Your Case, I got the Business Analyst position at MMG and found the book to be very accurate right down to the compensation. I have been very impressed with the quality and detail of this guide as well as with the "fun" style of writing. I find that what really differentiates companies in the same industry tends to be it's culture and the people who work there. And this guide provides a comprehensive account of the culture, the personalities that drive the firm, and the type of work at MMG.

This is a great book if you have zero understanding of science and are willing to accept anything to build up a story to support unfounded beliefs. It is probably acceptable to discredit science entirely and then adhere to a literal interpretation of genesis 1 and 2. However, it is absolutely sinful to call it "science" and thereby make Christians look like fools. The authors of this book clearly understood the science they were converting into voodoo. (See the section on thermodynamics and entropy.) Shame on them!

This is a fantastic set for anyone who doesn't wish to be whitewashed by the the education and "science" establishments regarding the origins of mankind. Piece by piece, these three books dismember the straw man that is evolutionary "theory."

Where other books, such as Phillip Johnson's "Defeating Darwinism," lightly touch the tangle of evolutionary theory, these delve into it in depth. Nevertheless, the uninitiated will have little trouble understanding that the evidence (as presented by evolutionists, mind you) really favors the creation model.

Perhaps the most honest of the creationist books Morris has published, The Remarkable Birth of the Planet Earth makes it absolutely clear creationism is actually nothing more than fundamentalist Christianity masquerading as science. Consider the following quote from the book:

"The only Bible-honoring conclusion is, of course, that Genesis I-II is the actual historical truth, regardless of any scientific or chronologic problems thereby entailed." -- Henry Morris, The Remarkable Birth of the Planet Earth, p. 82

In other words, no scientific fact is allowed to take precedence over Morris's interpretation of the Bible! That works in church, but it isn't science. In fact, Morris himself argues that scientific investigation is unnecessary when the Bible already has the answers!

"The only way we can determine the true age of the earth is for God to tell us what it is. And since he has told us, very plainly, in the Holy Scriptures that it is several thousand years in age, and no more, that ought to settle all basic questions of terrestrial chronology."-- Henry Morris, The Remarkable Birth of the Planet Earth, p. 94

It's truly remarkable that anyone could call this kind of thinking science, but this is exactly what "scientific creationism" is all about. This book belongs on the shelf of everyone who wonders if there is any science in "creation science." A quick re-read will quash any doubts.

As a student of Creation vs Evolution, I have read many books, documents, etc., about this subject. The Remarkable Birth Of The Planet Earth by Henry Morris demolishes Darwinism and proves it to be mathmatically and scientifically IMPOSSIBLE!! Get this little book before it's too late. Read it, read it again. You'll be glad you did. Signed Dean Flowers

Post-Modern posturing and hocus pocus masquerading as mysticism and eschatology. Larkin is the closest thing to an interesting character this book presents, and its pacing makes frozen molasses seem to run like quicksilver. No need to mention plot inconsistencies and outright gaffes by the author. The editor should be shot.

A brief look at the list of writers that have sharpened their pencils at the Iowa Writers' Workshop shows how outstanding the talent is that goes through this institution. Writers as diverse and eloquent as Raymond Carver, John Irving, T.C. Boyle and Pinckney Benedict have learnt the tricks of the trade at the Ur-workshop of all creative writing schemes. Madison Smartt Bell has taught there.

Waiting For The End Of The World, his second novel, is a whole lot better plotted and constructed than his already quite promising debut Washington Square Ensemble, delivered at the tender age of 26.

Set in the valleys of Manhattan and Brooklyn, Waiting For The End Of The World is a modern day tale, a dark and doomy epic of Russian proportions. No other book - of the nine novels and two short story collections - that Bell has written to date has even been close to the boiling dark atmospheres, layered and set into deeper and even deeper, unknown systems and tunnels of the ultimate urban landscape that is New York City. Nothing compares to this helter skelter with its seemingly random anecdotes, a definitive plot, and tales of utter lunacy.

As ludicrous as it will sound, Waiting For The End Of The World is a classic on a par with Dostoevsky's works (which did indeed serve as some serious inspiration)

This is not a scholarly book, its analysis is non-convincing, and it obviously relies mainly on secondary soources. But the innately intersting nature of the story it tells makes the reading enjoyable.