When Jim McCutcheon and his traveling partner Jake Penn ride into
millionaire
Abel Blain's spread looking for work, they hardly expect what greets them.
Blain, an old friend of Penn's, is a man burdened with a secret, a secret
he
will only reveal to Penn, much to McCutcheon's displeasure. Within moments
Penn finds himself with a job but without a partner--at Blain's express
directive--tracking down the rancher's kidnapped daughter and delivering a
half million dollar ransom.
Things don't go quite as planned on the drop, however, for despite all
attempts to keep the kidnapping quiet, word has spread throughout the
neighboring town and cutthroats are on the prowl for an easy payday. Add
to
that a ransom rider who is not what he pretends to be and things set up
for a
tense and deadly adventure.
Unfortunately the book never delivers. Readers would expect better from a
well-known western writer like Cameron Judd, writing as Judson Gray. The
action never quite lives up to its promise and the plot often seems
constructed on coincidence and unlikely character motive. Certain plot
points
are dropped completely, and the climax fizzles. The prose labors at
points.
One scene works well, that when Penn, a former slave, walks into a rowdy
barroom and encounters a drunken racist. How he gets out of it provides
some
tense and exciting moments, indicating the writer is better than the
majority
of this book indicates. This is the second in a series involving Penn and
McCutcheon, with an indication of more coming, since Penn is searching for
a
long lost sister, sold as a slave. The concept and characters have
potential,
but a bit more care with plot and character development would benefit the
series immensely...

This was my first book written by Judson Grey and I did not know this author wrote under the name of Cameron Judd. And I have read several of Judd's books and I think he is a wonderful author. Since that book I have read several of Grey and Judd, I found all of them very good. As a matter of fact I've ordered more of this author. He is a 5 star in MY OPINION.

The Age of Velikovsky is written by C.J. Ransom, a PhD in Plasma Physics who conducted research for General Dynamics' Convair Aerospace Division. It is important reading for anyone interested in the Velikovsky affair. Ransom gives an overview of Velikovsky's early life, then Chapter 1 begins with the events surrounding the publication of Velikovsky's first book in 1950: "The reaction to _Worlds in Collision_ by many members of the scientific community can provide research material to interested psychoanalysts for decades.... unscientific and unethical actions did take place, and no amount of rationalization can justify these actions... Many of the actions were personal asaults on Velikovsky, or others who happened to be in the line of fire. These actions were inexcusable even if Velikovsky were wrong..." Ransom is given to bursts of humor, as can be seen in the following: "*Before the book was published*, review articles... appeared [which] did not accurately portray the conclusions or the scholarship which led to these conclusions. Unfortunately... [s]ome writers never came closer to the original than a review article, and they wrote articles refuting what *others* thought Velikovsky might have said. Oddly enough, some of these same people claimed that Velikovsky did not use proper sources." (emphasis in original). So much pressure was exerted on the publisher by the scientific community that the book was transferred to another publisher, though it had remained the best-seller almost from the first day of its release. This attempt at supression of Velikovsky's work can be clearly seen as one of the darkest and shabbiest actions in the history of modern science. The author devotes almost 200 pages to showing many different aspects of Velikovsky's discoveries, with evidence that indicates their accuracy. There is the correction of history by over 500 years and the inconsistencies that are eliminated by the revised chronology. There are numerous characteristics of the sun, planets, and moons, realization of which were surprises to scientists, but had either been explicitly predicted by Velikovsky or fit his theory better than they did into existing scientific dogma. Then we read about the AAAS convention of 1974: "[it] was advertised as a scientific appraisal of Velikovsky's theory. But, at the opening of the meeting, the attendees were informed that the subject was not worthy of scientific discussion and the meeting was being held to point this out to any minds which had strayed from the uniformitarian fath. Several of the participants certainly lived up to the claim that they would not discuss the subject scientifically." Paramount among these was Carl Sagan. "His paper contained nothing which furthered scientific debate. However, his paper was presented exceptionally well, and his charisma added to the effectiveness of the presentation. Most of the audience did not know and, because of his captivating delivery, did not care that many of his points were irrelevant, incorrect, or misleading. His entrancingly arrogant delivery exuded the air of a great evangelist who had come to lead the people along the true uniformitarian path... Perhaps Sagan's most quoted statement from the sumposium was this: 'My conclusion will be that where V is original, he is very likely wrong; and that where he is right, the idea has been pre-empted by earlier workers.' Whether this lie was original with Sagan or was fabricated by an earlier worker, it is flatly untrue." In Ransom's conclusion he says, "We have seen that a number of irrational acts have occurred in the Velikovsky afffair, and that there are divergent reasons for these actions... However, it is time to look ahead. We could argue forever over what Velikovsky did or did not mean, what he did or did not predict, and miss the total concept he presented. Enough information now exists to show that his ideas are worthy of continued study. Whether he as an individual is right or wrong on some point is irrelevant. Velikovsky's work now belongs to the world, and the world will lose by continuing to ignore it." Wonderful reading if you can find the book!

this book had dynamic characters. if you are a fan of sara craven you'll love thiis book,even if you arent you will,

I never had a Yorkie, but at least I found out all about them, and the pictures are nice, especially the show dogs. The info is also nice.

Eve's Ransom is a short (125 pages) novel concerning the efforts of a young man to, in effect, buy the affection of a mysterious young woman. Actually, he really is just trying to help "a friend in need". But the young woman leads him on, accepts his money, and in the end ... well, you know how these things turn out.
Yes, the story is simple. However any material from George Gissing is an interesting read, especially for those interested in the more social aspects of Victorian society. Money and greed are also common themes, and Mr. Gissing makes keen observations in these areas that are true even today.

Eve's Ransom is a must read for George Gissing fans. For those who have not read any of George Gissing's novels I recommend first reading New Grub Street. It is unfortunate Eve's Ransom is no longer printed. No, it's not George Gissing's best novel. But it is still a worthy read.

Finally for those who like the "man falls in love with Ms. Wrong"-type of novels, especially those set in Victorian England, I recommend reading Basil by Wilkie Collins.

Nancy is summoned by Lance Colson, handsome businessman to investigate the kidnapping of his nephew Hal. He's received a ransom note and believes that the gang of punk teenagers that Hal hangs out with at the mall are the kidnappers, trying to cash in on his inheritance. Nancy investigates and as part of her plan, gets George to go undercover as a punk in the group. Meanwhile, Nancy is faced with some tough happenings like someone trying to blow up lance's Maserati with her in it, Bess's crush on Lance and lance's psycho girlfriend's hatred for Nancy..Then the book takes some VERY interesting turns at the end and you will never guess what happens at the end and who eventually ends up behind bars..All in all, this book was not too cut and dry and nancy delivers some superb detective work as she always does..a must-read!!!

Young nine-year-old Stenny was used to losing - at everything! His interest in models, however, leads him to become a hero with his family and friends. The author, Candice Ransome, takes on a challenge writing about such a well known disaster but her research and storytelling skills will entice many young boys to pick up what could very possibly be their first historical fiction book.

Shelly O. Haas(illustrator) has hit the mark with her gifted illustrations. I found myself reading faster simply so I could turn the page to enjoy the next illustration. Definitely Caldecott caliber!

Warning Librarians! Have this book close by just in case a 9-11 year old relunctant reader comes in who might enjoy a story of a "less than ordinary boy" who witnesses one of aviation's worse disasters and learns how it feels to become a hero by helping others.

"Craig Abbott's definitive descriptive bibliography of John Crowe Ransom, a poet securely placed among the dozen or so twentieth-century Americans who have achieved permanence in the canon, supersede and replaces T. D. Young's excellent pioneering annotated bibliography.... What truly distinguishes this book beyond its excellence as mere record is the inclusion at the beginning of most A-section entries (separate publications) of detailed publishing histories...."--The Sewanee Review

This isn't normally the kind of book I read (it being a mystery), but I'm glad I did, because it really wasn't a mystery. More of a suspense or cop story. I like the interesting moral dilemma this book poses..would you pay a half million dollars in ransom for a child that is not your own? And what if paying this ransom ruins you? What would you do? I think McBain could have spent more time on this aspect of the novel. Also, this book contains some of the best dialogues I've seen. I could picture a couple of good actors acting this out on the big screen. The biggest problem i found with the book was McBain wrote it 'soft.' I would've expected more swearing and adult content from kidnappers, but all in all this book is a must.

Love's Ransom is the first Christian medieval romance I have read, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The main characters are Jane Lightfoot, who is a cook at Marchemont Castle, and Patrick McBeath, who is a doctor. Both have a past that they are afraid to reveal to each other. Unlike a lot of romance books that focus on nobility, this book concentrates mostly on the lives of the servants. Just reading about all the work it took to feed and care for the nobility made me tired. Also, there was plenty of storyline other than the romance that kept me interested. There was jousting, kidnappings, villains, secrets, and on and on.