I read this book and couldn't put it down. I loved it. It took me to a world of fantasy and enchantment! I hope that everyone who reads this will enjoy it the way that I did! When I was finished with More Minds I went and donated it to the library so other people could read it like yourselves. I am planning on reading the entire series because of how good More Minds was!

This book and its prequel, Of Two Minds, are two of the best books I have ever read. Lenora and Coren are very believable people set in a world that is fun to read about. Get it because it is definately worth it.

More Minds is the sequal to Of Two Minds, with the same sense of excitment and adventure. Princess Lenora and Prince Coren together try and save the balance while, at the same time try to work around their doubles to save the kingdom before it comes to a fatal end. This is a wonderful story that should be read by all.

This is a beautiful story of love and commitment. In a world where so many couples get divorced for the sake of convenience, it's nice to read about a couple who stood by their vows (and each other) in the face of tragedy. Some of the chapters with Krickitt's journal entries get a bit long, but over all I loved it!

The Vow is one of the most amazing TRUE love stories that I have ever read. In our disposable society today, it is so refreshing to read about true love, faith, and commitment.

Kim Carpenter's wife, Krickitt, was not expected to survive massive head injuries sustained from a head on collision with a truck. Miraculously and against all odds, she did survive. Her faith in God, along with the unrelenting adoration and help of her husband and family (and of course all of the doctors!) helped pull Krickitt back into a functioning world. Unfortunately, Krickitt lost all memory of her brief marriage, engagement and courtship with her husband. Kim held on steadfast to his marriage vows and never, never gave up, despite the unsurmounting odds of their marriage ever surviving such tragedies.

It is so humbling to read of their devout faith in God, which pulled them both through some incredible life challenges, if not providing miracles in their lives, time and time again. Kim's heartfelt love for Krickitt comes through strongly and I do so admire his integrity, his devotion and the love he has for his wife. This story is a huge testament to the power and bond of love and marriage. I do believe that many men in his position would have walked out and not stood by Krickitt's side.

The Carpenters renewed their wedding vows for a second time, as Kim had to woo Krickitt all over again, as she had no memory of her husband at all. Their lives will no longer be what it was before the accident and Krickett is not the same person she was before, as is Kim. Both have grown and both have a deeper commitment and love for one another.

Living a nightmare in every conceivable way, the Carpenter's faith in God gave them the strength and will to persevere. God often gives us challenges in life and we do not understand why, and only later do the "lessons" or the meaning of all become clear to us. The messages imparted in this heart-felt story will hopefully ignite the love shared in all marriages and to help to heal those marriages in trouble and cement even further those solid marriages.

This story will have you crying and cheering as well as have you questioning what is "really" important in our lives and how faith in God can pull us through even the darkest nightmares. Love and undying faith is what it is all about!

Kim Carpenter you are one heck of a guy - the world needs more guys like you! Thank you both for a wonderful book - I recommend everyone read this book, especially couples that are engaged.

Imagine being young and in love, newly married with an exciting life before you when suddenly in a matter of seconds your future is shattered before your eyes. This book poignantly describes how Kim Carpenter feels as he emerges from a car accident slightly injured and discovers that his bride is near death. His life and happiness flashes before his eyes. The prognosis for Krickett Carpenter's survival is less than 1%, but miraculously she survives. When Krickett eventually awakens from her coma, her adoring husband, Kim, and her family is waiting anxiously by her side. The nurse begins asking the young woman questions . . .what is your name . . what's your husband's name? "I don't have a husband," she replied. Everyone thinks the young woman known for her wit is joking but then it becomes apparent that Krickett has no memory of her life the past couple of years including her husband and her marriage. This wonderful story beautifully told by the Carpenters with writer, John Perry, describes Krickett's journey back to her former life, part of which she has no memory. Not only does she not remember her husband, but she dislikes him intensely and doesn't want him near her. Through her brain injuries Krickett, a fun-loving laid back young woman now exhibits an intense anxious personality with a short fuse. Not only is Kim Carpenter dealing with a wife that doesn't remember him, but she is a different woman. Most men would have walked away at her insistence, but Kim Carpenter was a man of great faith and integrity. He had taken a vow so he was determined to win back his wife who is now a perfect stranger with a different personality. Read this unbelievable saga of a couple who took their marriage vows seriously and find the love; not the same love that they once knew but a deeper one that enables them not only to survive Krickett's accident, but their marriage. Fortuantely, Krickett is also willing to try it make the marriage work figuring she must have loved this stranger at one time and they seek counseling. A wise counselor recommends that Kim woo his wife back and they begin courting and get to know one another all over again. Ultimately after his second romantic proposal they are married again. This is an extraordinary couple from whom we all learn the true meaning of love, faith in God and commitment to the marriage vow. In this era when marriages are so easily broken, reading this story can strengthen one's own belief in the sanctity of the vow we take on our wedding day. I believe this book will inspire the marriages of all those who read this miraculous story about this remarkable couple. With God's ever present help, this couple lived through "sickness and health, for better for worse and as long as we both shall live!" You must read this book!

Typically, I have a bias against abridged editions of literary works. Nevertheless, prudent editing and abridgement enhances the casual reader's appreciation of this literary tome. Undergraduates working a required reading list for English Lit classes are on their own. Anyway, Samuel Johnson was a noted author and editor of the 18th century English literary scene. Instead of an exhaustive study of Johnson's life as author and editor, biographer Boswell compiled a series of anecdotes, quotations, and correspondence that is held together by his friendship with Johnson. Boswell's purpose was to capture the essence of the man. Johnson was adept at articulating pithy remarks with surgical precision. For example, "...a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hinder legs. It is not done well; but you are surprized to find it done at all." The 18th century spellings, etc. remain intact. We have Johnson to thank for the familiar "...hell is paved with good intentions," and "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." Boswell takes care to portray Johnson as sexually moral. After the death of his wife, Johnson (according to Boswell) was apparently celibate. Johnson rebuffed "women of the town," and said he wasn't interested in their carnal delights. Johnson told David Garrick, the actor, that he would not go backstage at the theater because "the white bubbies and silk stockings of your Actresses excite my genitals." As an interesting aside, the editor's introduction speculates that Johnson's relationship with the widow Thrale may have been sexual, with bondage overtones. Who knows? The description of London coffeehouses, theaters, and gathering places are heavy with 18th century atmosphere. Bottom line, reading this book is interesting as a curiosity. Its relevance for 21st century readers may seem limited, but don't let that stop you from sampling the fare. ;-)

Boswell was not the obvious choice to write the best biography about Samuel Johnson, much less one of the greatest biographies in world literature. He had much less contact with Johnson than Mrs. Thrale, for many years a close friend of Johnson who spent much more time with him than did Boswell. In fact, Boswell spent perhaps 400 days with Johnson over a period of many years. He also was not Johnson's literary executor. Finally, Boswell was regarded by many of his day, and afterwards, as something of an 18th Century celebrity hound. He made a point of meeting every famous person he could (Voltaire, Rousseau), and went to great efforts to make himself famous. Nevertheless, in his Life of Johnson, Boswell succeeded in portraying Johnson and his circle so vividly that more than 200 years later they come across as real human beings. He did this by breaking the convention of concentrating only on the most favorable aspects of his subject's life, and instead describing Johnson's eccentricities of dress, behavior, etc. Moreover, Boswell did not neglect to include incidents that make himself appear ridiculous. The book is both extremely funny and moving. If you read this, you will want to immediatley get a copy of Boswell's book on the trip that Johnson and he took to the Hebrides.

Needless to say, Boswell's LIFE OF JOHNSON is one of the preeminent works of biography and should be read by anyone interested in Johnson or the genre. It is a great book (also great is W. Jackson Bate's SAMUEL JOHNSON [1st published 1975]which is a MUST for anyone interested in Johnson). But although I love the Everyman's Library, I do not recommend this edition of Boswell. Unlike the usual quality of the Everyman's Library, its Boswell is rife with typographical errors (there's even missing text!). Though it's the only edition of Boswell I've read, I regret that a correct edition is not on my bookshelf. That being said, if this is the only affordable hardcover version you can find -- and you buy only hardcovers -- go ahead and purchase the Everyman's despite the numerous and distracting errors.

This is the best ( if not only !) book that teachs you the methods of programming . It tells you how to program as well as the basics of other programming languages ( QBASIC , VISUAL-BASIC , C , C++ and JAVA ). I recommend it to anyone who whats to write programs !!!

If you've been "dabbling" in programming, even reading a few books on various languages, this book is still pretty informative. Although the book starts VERY rudimentary (the first chapter seems to labor on the point that computers can't possibly take over the world) it quickly steps the reader through the history of programming and key programming concepts. The chapters on program design, program process, and program algorithms are invaluable and not found books that focus on programming languages (instead of programming style). Perry does a great job of giving enough background information to explain why the programming languages look and act the way they do, and explains the concept of object-oriented programming better than anything else I've read. On the down side, there is a definite bias toward microsoft, and the internet chapter could be expanded and updated to be truly useful. If you're new to programming or looking to fill in a few basic gaps, this book is an excellent resource.

Overall, I have found this book to be an incredibly easy to understand, concise starter course for the beginning programmer. Most books of its kind are large, cumbersome volumes, but this book was much smaller than I had preconceived. At 492 pages, this book does more than any other book I have ever seen.

When I first approached the book, I had no previous knowledge of programming whatsoever. I have found this book to be completely friendly to people such as myself... people who have never typed one program command but suddenly find themselves wanting to program.

This book focuses on the structure of programs and program design before it actually delves into the world of programming languages. I have found this section of the book to teach you invaluable design habits early in your programming knowledge, and basically to teach you how to design well planned-out, methodical, maintainable and easy to follow programs.
A large portion of the book focuses on a very good programming language for beginners, QBasic. As its name insinuates, this language is very easy to learn, and any beginning programmer can grasp the concepts of QBasic quite easily. After giving you sufficient practice with QBasic, it then moves on to give you a swift overview of Windows programming in general, Visual Basic, C, and C++. I found these chapters to be very helpful to me in my learning of these languages. Also, now that I am learning to program in Visual Basic, I have truly appreciated how much of QBasic actually transfers verbatim into the Visual Basic programming environment... my learning of QBasic has helped me inconceivably with learning Visual Basic. The sections on C and C++ also do a great deal for the two chapters they occupy. These two chapters give you a sufficient knowledge of the operators and algorithms of C and C++ to get you started on these languages if you would ever want to pursue them (which most programmers would, considering they are the most widely used languages on earth). The book then goes on to explain programming algorithms, ways to actually accomplish certain tasks with programs, such as sorting, searching, making comparisons and decisions based upon various circumstances, etc.. It then delves into the world of corporate programming and the various positions of programmers in today's society. But, me being only 12 years old, I did not have much interest in this aspect of the book since that aspect of programming is quite a ways off for me.

Well, considering this book now in its entirety, I truly and gratefully tip my hat to Greg Perry for the wonderful job he did on this book. And now, to answer the question surely in everyone's mind, "Does this book really teach you programming in 24 hours?" Well, the answer to this question is most assuredly... Yes.

Titan AE is a decent book, but written in the style of teenage fiction with adult themes. It is a fast read (3-5 hours max for avid readers), entertaining and action-packed. My only complaints are:

1. Weak premise explaining the hostility of the Drej toward humanity (which is supposed to be a major plot line). 2. Slightly immature narrative tone throughout. 3. The epilogue, which is totally juvenile and somewhat insulting to the reader's intelligence.

As seems to be common with recent Sci-Fi novels, movies, etc., Titan AE takes you on a wild ride, but doesn't really figure out where it is supposed to end up. I recommend it as an easy, entertaining bedtime story.

I cannot describe how good this book was. I thought nothing could be better than the movie and I was right, but this book is the closest thing out there. I feel that Titan A.E. is actually BETTER than Star Wars. The way that Cale's and Akima's stories tie in together is very intuitive and well planned out. I recommend this book to sci fi lovers and people who just like to listen to cool stuff happen.

I first bought this book after seeing the movie back in June 2000. Titan AE really captured my heart as a movie, I just felt it was so well done and had such an interesting (and hardly seen) plot and characters, perhaps one of the best science fiction stories I've ever read or watched, and I felt really inspired me as a writer and an artist.

I raided the book store after seeing the movie and picked out this book along with both Cale and Akima's stories, and this one was, perhaps, one of my favorites. I think it's great that they did an adult novelization of it, because not all of us are ten year old boys whose only interests are the lasers and the big bad aliens. I haven't read the book in a long time now, being caught up in other books since I discovered the fantasy genre (Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings in particular), but in a way, I felt the novelization was /better/ than the movie, just in the extra depth it put into the stories and the characters. The novelization is based on the earlier version of the film, so it has some scenes that didn't appear in the movie, which are interesting to read.

I really enjoyed reading a novelization more on an adult reading level, and for sure I'd recommend this to anyone, even people who have not seen Titan AE yet, and if you haven't, I highly encourage you to. Don't let the box office fool you; this movie, for sure, was one of those small gems that just got out at the wrong time. It is highly unfortunate this movie didn't get the attention and credit it deserved (Disney exactly a year after Titan AE's theatrical release brought out the movie Atlantis, which I felt was like their imitation of Titan AE in both quality and style, though it didn't live up). For sure seeing this movie was one of the best things I've ever done, but it's all a matter of opinion. Find out for yourself.

If you're like me and you thrilled to accounts of pirates and blood and thunder on the high seas when you were a kid, this book will get your pulse racing. It's not only an intriguing tale of Black Sam Bellamy, one of the most fascinating buccaneers ever to sail the Spanish Main, but a modern adventure tale about the finding of Black Sam's treasure. Treasure-hunter Barry Clifford--a tough ex-athlete with a nose for lost artifacts--and co-author Paul Perry, a member of the expedition, lived out a story that will capture the imagination of any adult trapped in the blandness of a high-tech world. Clifford became fixated on finding the Whydah, an English slave ship commandeered by a pirate crew under Bellamy that had sunk in a ferocious storm off Cape Cod in 1717. It took Clifford years of struggle to do so--raising the money to back his venture, fighting with gold-crazed partners, dealing with so many failures that it seemed the ghosts of the dead pirates were out to defeat him. The book is packed with photos and drawings, recreating for the reader not only the swashbuckling era of piracy but the life of a present-day Indiana Jones who wouldn't be stopped until he plumbed the secrets of the deep.

A captivating account of the demise of infamous pirate Black Sam Bellamy and his treasure-laden ship, the Whydah and . . . an equally compelling story of one man's obsessive quest to recover the wreck and its riches more than 250 years later.

Barry Clifford with the help of co-author Paul Perry tells of Clifford's dogged hunt for the sunken ship overcoming bureaucratic, financial and legal obstacles along the way.

Repeated flashbacks to the early 1700s and the escapades of the legendary pirates provides a fascinating counterpoint to the author's modern-day battles.

While meticulously researched, providing a fascinating and informative glimpse of the pirate's life (I learned so many new facts) the book is also eminently easy to read. Illustrations and photographs make it a complete work.

A "must-buy" for anyone either interested in the exploits of rogue buccaneers of the early 18th century or the adventures of a late 20th century swashbuckling entrepreneur.

In my next life, I want to be Paul Perry.

Look at everything he has done: he has written a biography of Hunter Thompson, wrote "Saved by the Light" (one of the greatest stories ever told), and did all of those other books about near death experiences. And now this, a book about the only excavation of a pirate ship.

This is a great book for a lot of reasons. For one, Barry Clifford is such a colorful character, kind of a real world Indiana Jones. Born on Cape Cod, he was raised with the story of Black Sam Bellamy, a pirate who feel in love with a local girl named Maria Hallett and went off the find booty in the Caribbean. He found plenty of it, and loaded it onto a captured slave ship (the Whydah) before sailing home to marry Maria. He died in a storm that also took most of his crew and tons of gold and silver to the bottom of the ocean.

This story haunted Clifford through the years, until he finally decided to search for the sunken treasure ship. He found way more than he bargained for, including trouble on land as well as sea. He also made discoveries that made the entire treasure hunting foray worthwhile: gold, silver, cannons, human bones, a piece of the hull and a textbook full of valuable information about the identity and nature of pirates.

This is a beautifully presented book, one that is written well and contains a wealth of photos and illustrations that are a feast for the eyes and mind of hungry readers.

My question now is this: What are you going to do next, Paul?

This past year in school my class studied "Pilgrim's Progress". Although it was less enjoyable because we were forced to read it, the book was still good. Studying it in class also helped me interpret the symbolism and archaic language better. Most Christians can probably relate to Pilgrim's odyssey. Often in my daily life, I'm involved with people who remind me of characters from the allegory. I reccomend this book to almost anybody on a spiritual journey.

I read The Pilgrim's Progress as a child and recently reread it in order to do a comparative essay on allegorical journeys for my english class. The other book I read for the assignment was Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, and I found that Bunyan's novel equaled or exceeded Conrad's in every way. While Conrad used far more symbolism and allusions, I felt that Bunyan still did a better job of making the reader identify with his character's journey. The Pilgrim's Progress is a wonderfully written story that inspires hope and confidence in God to help his people though their own journeys.

My Grandmother proferred this book to me at a very early and immature age in my lifetime. I struggled and persevered with it, using a dictionary to decipher most words longer than 6 letters! Eventually I came to the end with with a strong determination to face up to my life with the same courage as Christian! Unfortunately, like Christian, I lost my way,more than once in my later years, lingering in unseemly places,falling into pools of Despondancy,and loosing Hope at one stage. I cant really remember the entire ending to Christian's journey,but as a man of some years now, and finding life a lot less turbulent and more meaningful,then I graciously look forward to the final part of my journey. Praise be to God. Like the book of JOB,John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is impossible to rate with a few stars! I would suggest that such books should be purchased 'mainly' unabridged but nevertheless, intelligible to the reader.

An excellent work by an author who obviously has a tremendous love and fascination for American history. The book starts slowly with the family histories of the two main characters - Chamberlain and Oates. He does an excellent job of introducing the reader to two completely different character with completely different backgrounds without taking sides or displaying predjudices. Chamberlain, the hard working, devout, formally educated New Englander projected against the self educated rambler from Alabama. He then shows how the paths these men take lead them both to that infamous day on Little Round Top. The author also does a good job of setting the stage so the reader understands how easily the course could have taken another direction - Longstreet's counter-march and delayed attack allowing the Union to reinforce the critical position and maintain control of the good ground setting the stage for the ill-fated Pickett's Charge. I think that the only area lacking in the book is the Post Civil War period in the South. While Perry spends time explaining the obvious differences between the Democrats and the reconstructionist Republicans, I do not think enough effort was given to Oates' wavering political positions and how he was influenced. All in all, one of the best works on a very demanding and focused subject.

So many books have been written about the Civil War that Conceived In Liberty might seem to be more of the same. But the book clears new ground on Joshua Chamberlain, by noting that this "marble man" of the North had blemishes of his own -- as did his counterpart, Col. William Oates of Alabama (the other subject of this first-rate dual biography.

I have read a number of books on Joshua Chamberlain and have always thought that there was another side to the man: that he was not simply a great hero, but also a soldier who was thoughtful, and deeply disturbed by the conflict. Perry adds the balance that is so desperately needed to our knowledge of Joshua Chamberlain, then completes the portrait by counterposing his life with that of William Oates.

These two men not only met at Gettysburg, but they are symbols of the larger issues that consumed our nation in the nineteenth century. Filled with information and anecdotal accounts of the lives of both men (incidents that appear in no other work on either Chamberlain or Oates) Conceived In Liberty is not only well-researched it is a fantastic read. This book is long overdue.

Yes, Conceived In Liberty is controversial, but that is its value. Perry is a courageous writer and a first-rate historian.

The Civil War was, in some ways, our own clash of cultures that ended up with us having a stronger, and more philisophically harmonic country than we had then. After the war we no longer were "Those United States" but "These United States".

While it took longer (and still has not taken root) for some Southern areas to accept that they have changed because of the war, this book outlines in a fascinating fashion why the American Dream was won in 1865.

Joshua Chamberlain and William Oates are both opposing personalities. Chamberlain was a professor, Oates a laborer. Chamberlain was a respected fellow before the war. Oates was much less.. even going into hiding at one point from the law.

What they had in common was a belief that they had gone as far as they could in their lives before the war. Chamberlain was forever going to be a professor. Oates forever a laborer.

Both faced each other in Gettysburg. While Chamberlain was the hero of Little Top in that battle, Oates eventually had a longer and more productive politcal life than Chamberlain.

Neither of these men won their positions by birth, wealth, or by the inner workings of a political machine. They won their positions by hard work, and the admiration of their men in battle and the people they fought for.

While it may have been possible prior to the Civil War for these men to have done so (Abraham Lincoln is a prime example) the fact is that the Southern philosophy was beaten in 1865, and the Northern philosophy of hard work, and position by trust and admiration rather than birth, and wealth won out and both sides reaped benefits and still are from that day.

This is the much-anticipated (by me) follow-up to "Butcher's Boy". It is a good but not wonderful sequel, as so many are, but still worth the read. But be forewarned: this also has a pretty implausible and coincidental ending. As in "Butcher's Boy", Perry has made our protagonist (here he is named Michael Shaeffer) a just-sympathetic-enough sociopath for us to be rooting for him without compromising our true sense of right or wrong. By accident, he is flushed out of hiding in England and instead of continuing to flee, he returns to the United States to meet his ghosts head-on. The will to survive in this killer is so strong, that it is possible to admire that element and distance oneself from the horror of what he does - but only just. It is never a comfortable choice and requires a full complement of justification. In telling this story, Perry takes us from England back to the States and on a grand tour of characters, locations, and techniques and the journey is never dull. One scene that is fixed in my mind is Michael's character-establishing encounter with a New York street tough. It is icily well written.

The specialist (from "The Butcher's Boy") is back. He's been laying low in England for the past ten years, when he is rudely thrust back into his old life. What follows is all based on one wrong assumption he makes. I was reminded of the time in the movie theater when the man in front of me got so caught up in the movie, he actually shouted at the screen, "Hey! You've got it all wrong. Wake up!". I was about to shout that that at this book, but I didn't want to startle the dog sleeping at my feet. I found the main character appealing even though he is an assassin. He is, after all, taking out the bad guys. There is lots of action and it's fun to see how he gets out of one scrape after another. I like the way Thomas Perry writes. As with his Jane Whitefield stories (she is a specialist too. She helps people disappear) he is clever, witty, sometimes even humorous, and he doesn't waste my time with unnecessary dialogue or endless descriptions. The ending was spectacular. You really got me with this one Mr. Perry.

I have now read "Sleeping Dogs" four times, and it gets better each time. It is so well-paced and compactly written that there isn't a wasted word. Everything else Perry has written pales in comparison. His "Butcher's Boy", which this is the sequel to, was very good as well. I only hope that a third installment is coming. In the hands of the right director this book could make a great movie.

Southampton Row is an enjoyable read. Ms. Perry's knowledge of the Victorian era is undeniable extensive and the rich tapestry she is able to weave intrigued me. Reading this novel, I experienced the sounds, smells, and sights of Victorian London, not to mention the political climate of the time.

In Southampton Row, Pitt is troubled by his duty to discredit the sly Sir Charles Voisey. He's much better at solving murders. Fortunately for him, and the readers of this novel, Pit gets to do what he's best at. Pitt is a likeable hero and a pleasure to read.

Although the male characters are well written, what fascinated me most about Southampton Row are the female characters. Pitt's wife, Charlotte, is portrayed as a reluctantly obedient wife, but the other female characters are strong and individual, not stereotypical. Pitt's sister-in-law, Emily, is an intelligent political figure. Vespasia, Charlotte's great-aunt, is a pillar of strength and influence. Mrs. Underhill shines as the discontented, but dutiful, wife of the Bishop. In fact, all the female characters in Southampton Row are portrayed in fantastic detail. Ms. Perry gets inside the mind of every woman in her story. After reading the novel, I felt as though I knew all these women personally, like old friends.

Southampton Row is only the second Anne Perry novel I've read so far. It will definitely not be the last.

This is a sequel to the previous novel, "The Whitechapel Conspiracy," which should be read first to fully understand the characters and background. The book possibly gets a little heavy into the position of women in society, etc., but otherwise is a good mystery. Charles Voisey was thwarted in his attempt to seize the government, but now is knighted and seeking a seat in the House of Commons. Thomas Pitt has been sent back to Special Branch, and the Inner Circle still exerts an evil influence on events. Some people have a lust for power and are willing to commit crimes to gain their objectives.

A spiritualist is murdered. Her death may be connected to the politics of the coming election. Pitt must send his wife and children off to the country on their own when his vacation is cancelled. Investigations lead to some surprising connections between individuals, and Pitt finds his reputation threatened before the case is finally resolved. Politics breed strange bedfellows, and Pitt's brother-in-law finds himself in an awkward position where he must decide between a friend and his own career in politics.

It is better to deal with an enemy you know rather than one you don't know. Crimes sometimes go unpunished, even murder.

This latest Thomas Pitt mystery is definitely a page turner. From the glittering drawing rooms where politics is discussed and policies decided, to the country side of Dartmoor, Anne Perry weaves a tale that is compelling and absorbing. And while I was disappointed that Charlotte Pitt and Gracie (the Pitts enterprising maid) did not figure prominently in this installment, I liked that Emily Radley (Charlotte's younger sister) had a bigger role in this novel -- she has been somewhat sidelined in the last few books, and I missed her character dreadfully.

In the previous Pitt mystery novel, "The Whitechapel Conspiracy" Pitt defeated the Inner Circle's plan to replace the English monarchy with a republic. This feat earned him the enmity of Charles Voisey, who was to be England's first president. Now, Voisey is running for the south Lambeth seat in Parliament on the Tory ticket. Meanwhile Pitt, who instead of being able to return to his previous position at Bow Street, has been seconded to Special Branch -- a department within the police force that deals primarily with the terrorist threats of the Irish Separatists. Now, Pitt's brief is to keep an eye on Voisey, and to see if Voisey is doing anything underhanded to ensure that he wins the election. But from what little Pitt can see, Voisey seems to be doing nothing nefarious in order to sway the voters -- save being a rather charismatic speaker. And then Pitt's superior commands him to investigate the murder of the clairvoyant, Maude Lamont. Pitt discovers that Voisey's Liberal opponent for the Lambeth seat is Aubrey Serracold and that Serracold's flamboyant and outspoken wife, Rose, was one of Lamont's clients. There is the fear that either Rose had something to do with Lamont's murder, or that Voisey will use this bit of information to discredit Serracold. Pitt is determined to bring the murderer of Maude Lamont to justice, no matter who he or she is. But the question he fears is if his superiors at Special Branch will allow justice to be done, or if they too, like the Inner Circle, have their own agenda, and if they will do whatever necessary to break the Inner Circle, no matter the cost.

Against the backdrop of the political questions of the day -- Home Rule for the Irish, the fear that a disintegrating Empire could mean the fall of the British economy and the massive loss of jobs, and the demand for eight hour days -- the clash between the Tories and the Liberals; as well as the swirling human emotions of fear, ambition, grief and pain, Anne Perry has worked her magic again to produce a novel that is compelling as it is intriguing. (I really love the manner in which she makes all her characters real -- flawed yet tragically human. It's a no mean feat, and I've practically never really come acorss anyone else who can do this.) I didn't expect that the next Pitt mystery novel could top or equal "The Whitchapel Conspiracy." I was wrong: "Southampton Row" is a moer than brilliant follow up to "The Whitechapel Conspiracy."