This book did not rise to the level of its perfect-for-a-true-crime title. The three cases, all murders, were interesting, but there are some large problems with this book that made me wonder how true this purported piece of true crime was. There are pages upon pages of dialogue between characters that have no source for either the actual dialogue or the information contained within it; this entire book is unsourced, except for the statement on the flap that the author used old newspaper clippings, court documents, and even interviewed descendents of some of the major characters. What can someone's great-great relative tell an author about a crime that took place 70 years or more before they were born? Most true crime authors rightly list every source they consult in researching and writing a book.

This book is also overwritten; the author tried to write it like a novel, instead of simply stating the facts, and it does not work. The cases involved do not need any embellishment; they need to be simply told with some background information added to place them in context of the time and place they happened in. Two of the cases concerned minority defendents and there was not enough information about the status of minorities in this community or how their trials, trial strategy, etc. would differ from white defendents tried during the same time.

Overall, this book was a massive disappointment.

A fasinating trilogy. Fulker is able to give the reader just enough legal information so that the plot can be followed without an overdose of detail. It will keep you on the edge of your seat through the final hour of decision. The three cases included in this trilogy are true but due to the author's literary skills, they read like engrossing fiction. This book should be on everyone's reading list.

This book was terrible. The characters are full of emotional and social flaws and it is hard to connect with any of them. Dan Galindo, the lead character, is not the most unlikable, but almost. He can't decide which woman to love but doesn't mind sleeping with them in the meantime and stringing them along. Elaine McHale is supposedly a high power attorney but she is having an affair with a despicable married man. There wasn't one redeeming character in the whole shoddy book. The dialogue was trite, the plot totally useless and predictable. If you enjoy such hackneyed dialogue as this: "You have no right to tell me to do a damn thing"..... Hooper slammed a fist into his stomach. "There's my right, ...," then this is the book for you.

I almost put this down halfway through, but my husband was away for the weekend, and I didn't have another book ready to open. Now I'm sorry I wasted the time.

I bought this book on a lark and really wasn't sure what to think when I picked it up, since I had read a number of the Anthony & Gail books and was worn out by them: tired of the emotional roller coaster, tired of the crisis-driven plot, tired of two so-called adult attorneys behaving so boorishly. I found Criminal Justice to be a delight -- the plot was just snappy enough, the reactions and emotions realistic and for the most part, the dialogue true. I agree that the character development was lacking a bit (so, I went ahead and developed them on my own, mentally, while reading), but if that was the price I had to pay to avoid the overdevelopment of some of Parker's other characters, it was worth it. I will definitely seek out Parker's other non-series books.

Really a disappointing book. I had heard Edna Buchanan had some good mysteries, so searched for the first one she published. The characters were all unbelievable - from the homicide detective who takes home a crazy speeding driver because he is so attracted to her to the goofy parents who let the dangerously deranged woman be out on her own "hoping" she will get better. When the kitten was put in the garbage disposal, I knew I should put this book down. However, I continued on in order to see what Buchanan was all about. Terrible ending - every single main character meets a horrible disgusting demise. - I am debating whether to try one of her later books. With so many excellent mystery writers around, I am not sure I will bother.

As a big fan of Edna Buchanan's, I eagerly picked up this book and dove in. About a third of the way in, I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen and, despite that, I was dismayed at the ending. I felt rather gypped, because the main "hero" never had a chance at happiness. The three things that he cared about in this world met a grisley demise! And also, I think no one who loves another could be so dense, but that's just my opinion. But on a good note, Buchanan accurately portrays the South Florida night. If you're a big fan of hers, read it. If not, go to one of the better novels.

Yeah, as I was saying, a good thriller but a average one at that. Buchanan's prose is very much like that of a cheap romance author's, but that in itself brings about a few good things (and some bad ones too). The Good and the Bad:- Buchanan's debut novel is well written. I mean that it is very simple and straightforward, no need to re-read passages and flip back to the front to really 'get' the meaning. Some parts ARE a little too flowy and quick to qualify for a 'true-detective-novel'. Detail, sometimes, is king as evident in other great books out there. Anyway, the plot is quite good although very ... umm, very IMMATURE. Buchanan shouldn't have made it so evident so near the beginning of her novel that Laurel had problems and that she was a little 'off the top'. It was fun while it lasted but when I got to 1/4 of the book, I was already screaming out the murderer's name(s). There are too many sex scenes. Okay, I know, I should be accustomed to this already (and actually I AM - my collection of J.Collins is quite pristine!), but I feel that as a detective-cum-thriller book, they made her book seem like something out of a Mills and Boon speciality shop. Read the book if you want something light and easy.

Even children would find this book simplistic and moronic. Who exactly is this author writing for? I see that her next book (Fleeced) has had its publication date delayed.... maybe her publisher finally wised up. It's a shame that Carol Higgins Clark has to trade off the good name of her mother, Mary Higgins Clark. Snagged tries to be funny but falls flat. The plot is paper thin and you feel like you've ingested junk food after wading through this clunker. And these one word titles (Decked, Twanged, Snagged, Fleeced) smack of some big marketing promotion to lure us into a purchase that we normally wouldn't make.

Was this supposed to be a children's book? It's so juvenile and simplistic that even most kids would find it boring and insulting. It's frightening to think that there may be an adult market out there somewhere for this type of drivel. I see that this author's next book ("Fleeced") has had its publication date delayed until the end of next year. This is good news, since it will prevent unsuspecting readers from getting fleeced for a while. This author's mother (well-known mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark) should convince her daughter to change her name! I've never heard of "brand extension" in publishing before, and this example is hurting the mother's well-earned reputation.

Carol's books are hit or miss... Snagged has to be her best yet, Snagged mixes the right amount of fun with humor.

This book was a joke... Fabio should just stick to his... "I can't believe it's not butter" commercials... I would give this book a half a star if possible. I would also give a longer review if I didn't find this book to be a utter waste of my time and money!

I can't believe it's not butter? I can't believe this guy is a writer! The characters don't make any sense, they are all two dimentional, predictable, and have no motivation beyond their own carnal desire. Real people are not like this, and yes, I know, it's fiction...but as Mark Twain once said, "fiction has to make sense". Nothing about this book did.

I've heard friends say Fabio should make a movie out of his books, yet this will not be the one. The characters are flat, and the villians have no complexity behind them at all. I knew from the begining how it would end, and that is not romance. Really disappointing work.

This text is very poorly written and proved to be an impossible study guide in my initial medical transcription course. I would not recommend it to anyone.

I too found this book to be hard to understand at first. I thought I'd never get done with it. I decided not to let a book get the best of me so I really applied myself and soon I had the hang of it. The only thing I would have added to the book is more tests at the end.

Heidemann often shows a true passion, almost an obsession, when photographing his models. He usually brings out the sensual and passionate moods of all his good-looking models. I was a little disappointed with this collection of color male-nude images of the "Boyz of Miami". First of all, there's not a boy in sight, most are mature men. Second, there seem to be a lack of emotion or passion in these shots. I am surprised, as he usually captures more feelings and sensuality when photographing his male models. I think it may be the angles, the choppy images, the heads cropped out, the extreme close-ups, and the bland shots of the models not knowing how to pose that leaves a lot to be desired in this collection. Heidemann has great talent, but whoever selected these images, should have left them by the wayside. Hopefully, the next collection of his images will be better.

Joe Hanssen

As I mentioned, I've an advance copy of this, so I don't know whether it was ever released to the general public. The fact sheet said Disney had already optioned it for film. It might have actually made a good one; as a novel, it pretty much stinks.

Sherry Estabrook is a Harvard-educated journalist working for a large newspaper in Miami. She meets Manuel Velo, a sixteen-year-old high school student who claims to have been the triggerman for eighteen unsolved murders connected to the Lopez cocaine ring. Sherry, and her superiors, start seeing Pulitzer Prize nominations everywhere they go, and Sherry gets drawn far too deep into the case when she realizes Manuel is in love with her.

Okay, so far so good. Or would be, if any of the characters whatsoever were believable. (This is why I think it'd make a good movie-- Hollywood doesn't care about movtiation.) This is another in the seeming series of books I've been reading (all first novels, not surprisingly) where the characters change emotions like underwear, allow themselves to be convinced that something is correct when it's obviously not at least once per page, blah blah blah. There wasn't a single believable, likable character anywhere in this book. (I had some hopes for one of the police officers, but he blew it in the end.)

So why did I allow myself to finish turning the four hundred fifty-two pages? Because it's actually a pretty good storyline. Despite the fact that you know where this is going by the time you hit page 200, Wetlaufer manages to keep adding niggling little details that keep the reader wondering what's going on right up until the last chapter. Of course, you can't have two hundred fifty-two pages of niggling little details, and there's certainly a lot of filler to get mired in. But they're paced quite well, and the muck never gets too deep under the shoes before something intereting pops up.

If you think of it as a story being told you by the drunk on the next stool, who's attractive enough that you're willing to listen, it's kind of readable. If you're looking for the next John Grisham potboiler... well, you could do a whole lot better.

We love other DK "Eyewitness Guides," but this one didn't cut the mustard. It worked well as an travel overview of the region, but failed to mention several important points such as days and hours of operation and entrance fees to attractions, which we were stung by several times. A specific example was their recommendation of snorkeling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The book lists it as one of the best snorkeling spots in the U.S., but failed to mention that in order to see anything other than sea grass and the occassional crab, you are required to make reservations on a guided snorkeling boat. The guide also lacked directions. The maps that were included were insufficient. The restaurant recommendations we tried were fine, though, and we appreciated, as usual, the fine photos and "streetsmart" section.

This book should NOT be sold as a new book - its information is obsolete.

I used this book several weeks ago and got into trouble because every I-75 exit number in the book is incorrect. This is the case on all the Georgia maps and coupons. Georgia changed its exit numbers last February (it announced this change 3 years ago) and removed all the old numbers. This book shows only the old numbers and was therefore no good to us.

I paid good money for this book and didn't expect out of date information.

You can read the other reviews and they are scathing, but accurate. I live in Georgia and use I-75 to go south to Florida and, yes, every exit number in Georgia is incorrect and with a publishing date of May 1999,and a three-year-old state announcement that in February 2000 all the exit numbers would be changed, this is a significant faux pas on the part of the author. And, with all the coupons and advertisements in this book, it does feel like one of those motel discount publications that you can pick up at truck stops and gas stations in every state. The print quality, paper and really small font size (pica 6!) are a significant distraction, but this is not all the author's fault, there was a publisher involved in this too, eh?

So what is there about this book that is redeeming. What does Christine Marks have that you can't find in a USA Guide, or State Guide? I was impressed by information on various locations, communities and counties. Christine Marks did a lot of digging to come up with some very interesting and provocative vignettes. County information, cultural insights, historic blurbs that were NOT in my other state travel guides. I am a Bar-B-Que afficionado and I did not know that in October, in Vienna, GA, there is The Georgia Barbecue Championship! Or that Fried Green Tomatoes are found at the Whistle Stop Café in Juliette, Ga. I like these tidbits of information and this, and this alone, makes the book valuable to keep. I also like the concept of the guide following a route, providing information with maps that break the journey down in bite size portions. These two aspects, especially the unique information, makes me keep this book. It is my hope that Christine Marks pushes this forward, gets the right exit numbers, larger readable fonts, better paper and printing, and dumps the blatant trashy advertising. With the number of cars that roam up and down this huge stretch of highway there is a market for good guides. Conditionally recommended.

In response to the "un-generous" comments previously written about this book, I would like to submit a counter argument that the book isn't all that horrific. And how can one with any common sense compare a new author with Dave Hunter who has been around for several years. Also, I honestly doubt his first book was of the quality that he offers currently....did you ever hear of giving someone a chance?

signed, Frustrated in Windsor