My first book by Luanne Rice and it was a pleasure to read it although it was somewhat sweet and lacked as much depth as both the characters and subject deserved. Others have summed up the story well so I won't do that here. I would like to say that I fell in love with her hero, Thomas X Devlin, and enjoyed the peripheral characters of Anne Davis's family, eg her niece Maggie and her sister Gabrielle and brother in law Steve and even the society on the unnamed island on which they all lived.

However, there were, in my view, some weaknesses here. In particular, her ex-husband was very one dimensional and Maggie's circle of friends were rather over-drawn.

The grisly accident scene at the end of the book was very well done but the way in which Matt, the two-timing ex-husband, appears to undergo some divine revelation leading to his reformation into a saddened and chastened husband was too much to bear. His grief was examined but not developed. Thank goodness Anne had already seen through him!

This novelist was at her very best in describing grief and loss and also in showing the path to recovery.

Homefires is probably the best book I have read about the dynamics of family and death. The reader is able to feel the devestation of Anne Davis and examine the life of lonely Thomas Devlin. Rice draws these two, very complicated characters together in a rather unique relationship. It is at this point that Homefires delivers certain reality...Devlin's son, Ned, must deal with his feelings about Anne. Anne's sister must work through the issues of her own family...and the envy of her sister. Added to this mix of mourning, jealousy, pride, and anger is Anne's troubled niece Maggie. Only in reality would one see a story of this magnitude played out. LuAnne Rice does a lovely job showing how each character takes on his or her own personal demons. I recommend Homefires to any reader.

Home Fires is the first Luanne Rice book I have read and I know that after finishing this wonderful book, I will now be seeking to devour all of her other books!!

Ms. Rice writes from the heart concerning what matters most in a family - love, tenderness and caring. She writes of tragedy and loss that will have you weeping but by the end of this book, you are smiling with joy at the realization of love and hope in this family in the midst of all of the tragedy.

I absolutely loved the tenderness, understanding, and compassion in the character of Thomas Devlin - (yes, Thomas, where are you? :-)). I admired the strength and courage in Anne Davis after the recent loss of her four-year-old daughter. She draws the reader completely into the depth of each character, from young to old, and you feel like you know them intimately and can relate to them all. You experience their pain, grief, and uncertainty and mourn their losses. Rice's ability to magically draw on the emotions and real life scenarios of family life is really amazing.

This book's message is indeed one of hope, trust and love. Luanne Rice lets you know that amidst the chaos of tragedy, love can find roots, grow sprouts, and blossom gloriously again - one just has to trust and let love in.

I love to see this book made into a movie! I highly recommend this wonderful book and eagerly look forward to reading more of her books!

The best thing about Kellerman's novels is the experience as a psychologist he brings to his writing. He creates characters who have complex motivations and surprising, often unguessable behaviors -- just like real people. This may seem an absurdly obvious compliment, but when you consider how often other writers rely on 2-dimensional, stock characters, Kellerman's gift becomes more impressive. The character of Lucy in this novel -- the girl haunted by nightmares -- is so fascinating that I continued to read, as much to learn about her mind and feelings as I did to learn about "what happened" in the mystery. Both were eminently satisfying and thought-provoking. Also, in this book, Milo Sturgis gets to add another facet to his well-drawn, sympathetic character: the unwitting crush-object of a girl who doesn't know his orientation. Kellerman keeps finding new ways to explore his characters' rich lives. The intriguing plot of this book, with its central device of recurring dreams and repressed memories, is a particular treat.

This is the fourth Alex Delaware novel I have read and it is as good as the others. Kellerman's books are extremely intelligent and well written. The novels are analytical rather than action oriented, with good, sometimes brilliant characters

I loved this book. Previously, "Bad Love" And "Private Eyes" had been favourites, but now this one in his great series has usurped both absolutely. These few books after "Private Eyes" seem to have achieved a greater maturity than some of his earlier ones, and it benefits them very well, lifting from five star great reads to ive start great books. He is [occasionally] able to create characters who seem so real and normal but have such great psychological depth that they are absolutely fantastic. In any other novel they might be dull, but because of Kellerman's probing and analytical style that become 3D and interesting.

The plot here is basically summarised thus:

Alex Delware is treating Lucy Lowell, having been referred to him by his friend Ilio Sturgis, a police Detective. Lucy was a juror in the trial of a vicious serial killer, and helped to put him away. Now, the horrid details of his killings are disturbing her, coming back to haunt her.

But, then, something far more sinister emerges during her therapy...She has been having a disturbing recurring dream - which Alex thinks is likely to have been stimulated by memories awoken by events of the trial - about a young girl, alone in the woods, a secret witness to three men disposing of the body of a young woman...

It's a cracking plot, it really is. Kellerman builds it up so that it's all very satisying. It weaves in and out of itself like a complex tapestry. The pace is absolutely perfect, and the reader is compelled to keep returning eagerly to the book after having put it down.

Delware is a good central character, and is keep nicely fresh because of the continuous movement of his personal relationship with girlriend Robin (soon, though, more than this will be required to stop him from going stale in a few books time, but, for now, he's quite quite safe).

I'd reccomend this to every lover of thrillers and crime/mystery novels. It's the best of the series so far, which means that it is absolutely excellent.

I completely agree with the reviewers who rated this book a two or below. Philadelphia Fox is one of the most ridiculous heroins I have ever come across. Annoying and unlikeable. Nicodemus Lightfoot, on the other hand, was the only redeeming factor in this book. He was a true Jayne Krentz character, a take charge kind of person. Unlike Philadelphia, he was not so indecisive.
Oh, I almost forgot to comment on the "relationship" between the hero and heroin. I saw very little closeness between Phila and Nick, other than in the bedroom. I can't understand how anyone could mistake that for tenderness.
This book is definitely one I would recomend you DON'T read. If you want a good book check out some of Krentz's others. Deep Waters, for example.

If you want angst go else where. But if you want well drawn characters, with witty repartee and sexy irresistible males, then JAK is your cup of tea. Her name on a book means a great time. From her silly names, to quirky characters there is no one like her. You don't read her books, you experience them!!

Philadelphia Fox inherited a mess when her foster sister Crissie Master died and left her shares in a business Castleton & Lightfoot. Run by two families for generations, they did not see the illegitimate daughter of Boyd Castleton as "family". When he died, he finally did right the daughter he never knew leaving her shares in the business. But then, mysteriously Cassie dies in a car accident. Phila does not believe it was an accident, but no one doubts the word of the Castles or the Lightfoots, so the death goes down to an accident and the two families would have dismissed the pushing outsider, had Boyd not left her a big chunk of their business.

Nick Lightfoot was CEO of the business till three years before when a nasty family situation saw him walk away, leaving his father marry his fiancé to save her reputation. And Nick, now an outcast from the family he knows and loves and from the business he should be heading, is out to change things. And he plans on using Phila's control of the stock to make those changes. He finds Phila's plans on using the shares to, if not revenge her foster sister, see justice done for her, so he scoops up the advantage of seeming to align with her.

Phila knows Nick is using her, once a Lightfoot always a Lightfoot, but he gives her an in to the tightly knit stronghold of the Boyds and Lightfoots. She is very attracted to Nick and he to her, but they both have agendas mapped out. Both are aware the other is letting themselves be used and using the other, but that does not stop the attraction. But can romance bloom in the middle of a nasty corporate take over, and will Nick stand by Phila or close ranks with the family when push comes to shove?

It's another Jayne Ann cat & mouse game with well drawn characters, snappy writing and two leaders and are engaging.

A super way to spend a rainy afternoon!!

I think I have read every Jayne Ann Krentz book and this one definitely stands out as my favorite. The characters are down-to-earth and believable (as much as I like the dark-man-of-mystery, I never really find him very convincing). The relationship is so carefully built, step by step. Truly a romance story, not just a series of lustful glances and bedroom scenes.

I think Vincent Lardo has done a wonderful job in taking over the Archy McNally series where Lawrence Sanders left off and I really enjoyed this latest book in the series. On the positive side, I was happy to see the wonderful descriptions of Ursi's marvelous cooking as well as Archy's eclectic wardrobe. On the negative side, I would have liked to have seen more dialogue with Lolly Spindrift and I was annoyed at how much he "dumbed down" Al Rogoff. Any true Archy McNally fans will be very disappointed at how stupid Al is portrayed in this latest novel and as anyone knows, Archy would never associate with someone that "low rent".

Renowned collector Deci Fortesque hires Palm Beach private sleuth Archy McNally to find an alleged original complete text of Truman Capote's Answered Prayers. Archy quickly learns that Claudia Lester asserts that she possessed the manuscript, but her former lover Matthew Harrigan stole it from her. Matthew insists he took nothing and that Claudia is just a former lover causing him trouble.

Antiques dealer Rodney Whitehead informs the sleuth that neither Claudia nor Matthew is credible not that Rodney is any better. The search turns nasty when the supposed owner of the Capote manuscript is found dead in the sleazy Crescent Hotel not long after Archy visited the place. Police Lieutenant Georgia O'Hara knows Archy is holding out on her, but he refuses to reveal anything that might interfere with completing his client's assignment as the fee is too good.

When Lawrence Sanders died a few years ago and Vincent Lardo took over the McNally franchise, this reviewer howled about another series of lite books. Several novels later, this reviewer still howls that Mr. Sanders would have been proud to claim the Lardo books as his own. The latest MCNALLY'S ALIBI is a strong novel containing an intriguing investigative story line and three women making Archy's life miserable in different ways. Fans of Mr. Sanders, McNally, or a strong private investigative novel will want to read Mr. Lardo's latest take and like this reviewer demand early release of another Arch book ASAP.

Harriet Klausner

When confidential investigator Archie McNally is hired to deliver a blackmail payment, he figures it is money in the bank. But Archie hadn't been counting on ...

Fans of Archie McNally will be overjoyed to see him back in action. His off-again-on-again relationship with the beautiful Connie is more off than on in this novel and Archie continues to battle with the question of his single status. That Archie got a little bit back from his co-workers and friends kept McNally's Alibi from being as smug or superior as some other novels in this series.

Author Vincent Lardo delivers a fast-paced and enjoyable read. Archie's observations on the personalities of Palm Beach, Florida, the foibles of the rich, and Archie's own reasoning to wear another pink shirt add to the depth of the novel.

I am an avid audio book listener. Granted, I'm spoiled by George Guidall's excellent reading of the vast majority of Braun's "Cat Who" series. But Van Patten is a sad failure. Apparently Dove's editorial staff feared correcting him. He pronounces everything wrong: "Klingen-shone" instead of "Klingen-shane," for instance. He pronounces Nick and Laurie's last name "BAMba." The first syllable rhymes with "Tom," not "Pam." Twice he calls Euphonia Gage "Euphoria." He says Qwill will do his one-man Pickax history show for the Senior Care Faculty! He misread "Facility," and no one stopped the tape for another take. He inflects all wrong! He said Qwill "carried the cat coop-out" (meaningless) instead of "carried the cat coop out." What a disappointment for a Braun audio fan!

Qwilleran and the cats rent a house with a lot of closets. Koko is finding skelatons in the closets. An exciting story of murder and crime for unobvious reasons. Qwilleran is burdened with office tasks already, and a few surprise tasks, and now it seems there was a murder. Find out who did it when you read, "The Cat Who Went Into A Closet".

This is the 15th book in the series. I've read them in order and they get better every time. In this one, Qwilleran (and his cats) are looking into two deaths, one of which took place far away in Florida. Of course by the end everything is solved. With some mysteries you can figure out what happened early on but this keeps you guessing and you're solving it right along with Qwill. (Sometimes I pay more attention to Koko's clues than he does, though!) Good light mystery reading for those of us who DON'T like thrills and chills.

This was one of the most gripping and interesting stories I have ever read. It was riveting and never boring. This was the first Berhardt book I have read and I now am looking for all the rest. I am in the service, presently in Kuwait. I found this book in the PX. Much to my disappointment, it was the only William Berhardt book they had. I WILL read the whole series and anything else William Berhardt ever writes. Keep them coming

This was reccomended to me by a local bookstore and my first time to read Bernhardt. Wonderful. I am going to be a big fan. Ben Kincaid is some kind of attorney. I went out yesterday and bought his first book, Primary Justice, and finished it today. Unbelievably good for a first book. I found several of his books in Amazon and will try to find all of his books to read in the order they were written.

William Bernhardt has written another good book. I really wish the world had a lot of Ben Kincaids in it, but I doubt it does. Ben is defending an retarted man who is accused of killing a woman ten years ago. The story also includes another man who is taking young boys and making them do sexual things before he kills them. How do these two things connect?? Have to read to find out but you will. Ben, Mike Morelli, Christina McCall, Jones and Loving are all involved. The story will hold your attention from beginning to end. The court room drama is very good. Morelli is, as usual, a very good detective. The ending will surprise you, or it did me, anyway. Ben even gets closer to his Mother in this one. This is book five, would suggest reading them in order, if possible, they will make a better connection.

I don't know how I managed to go this long without being aware of James W. Hall, but I did. I was a huge Travis McGee fan and, although Hall's Thorn character is quite different from John D. McDonald's wonderful knight-errant, it was great to return to south Florida for a terrific story. Thorn is a much more gritty character than McGee, and Hall's writing style is also grittier. Thorn is a hermit-like eccentric with a troubled past who earns a living in the Florida Keys making bonefish lures. He winds up in the middle of a mystery that he decides to resolve himself. Hall describes his setting beautifully and fills his version of the Keys with some odd and quirky characters. All of his characters, even the minor ones, are rich and well fleshed out. The story flows smoothly and the pages fly by. I'm looking forward to reading all of Hall's mysteries, especially those featuring the Thorn character. Very highly recommended.

Having recently read the latest volume in the Thorn series ('Blackwater Sound') to my great satisfaction, I decided to pursue reading the rest of the novels, this time in more orthodox order. I began this first book expecting an enjoyable, but slightly less effective story and discovered instead that the Thorn tales start right out with a tour-de-force. James Hall has been writing for a while, and it is a bit embarrassing to have to admit that I somehow managed to miss a writer of this caliber.

'Under Cover of Daylight' is about revenge, to put it plainly. Fifteen years earlier the 19 year old Thorn killed Dallas James, the man whose driving caused the death of Thorn's parents before Thorn had even known them. Now 35, Thorn has yet to integrate that death and accept himself, to get his life past that awful moment and back on track. These hidden feelings interfere in his current relationship with Sarah Ryan, a Miami lawyer, who is also the close friend of his foster mother, Kate Truman. Kate and Sarah share another interest, a deep desire to keep commercialism from destroying the Florida Keys.

Suddenly Kate turns up dead in her boat... Deeply stricken, Thorn is once again compelled to take justice on himself. One more time he seeks revenge. The two quests, one by a 19 year old boy and the other by a mature man, play against each other. Thorn seeks a more complicated blood price this time... All of this is threaded together by his feelings for Sarah, for a relationship that takes as many twists and turns as the complex plot of the book.

I was surprised again by the depth of Thorn's character. It would be far easier for Hall to make Thorn into a good-guy heavy, but that never happens. Underneath the seemingly unambitious and directionless maker of fishing lures are surprising facets of character. Hall's facility with character is not limited to Thorn. Sarah, and Sugarman, Thorn's closest friend also manage to avoid becoming stereotypes. Perhaps most surprising are the killers themselves, who spring to life - unpleasant, tormented, and psychotic, but totally fascinating.

This is a treat of a book, from its eccentric actors to the details of fishing and life in the Keys. It creates a Florida that you want to go down and touch. To see if it might just be real after all. You will find much violence, but little of it excessive. There is a fine sense of what is needed to bring the story home without the need to disgust or offend the reader. I am looking forward to the remainder of this series. You should too.

This is the novel where Hall introduced Thorn, his anti-hero protagonist. This is the best of Hall's novels - it's the template after which all of the others are patterned. It has all of the elements that make hall's work exciting - the lazy Florida Keys setting, the quirky characters, the complicated plots, and the brilliant prose. This book also has an intensity the later ones lack - Thorn is like a force of nature, and in this book, you really FEEL that. This is the single best crime novel I have ever read.

James McKenzie is still grieving over the lose of his wife Naomi and daughter to disease and feels like his soul was buried with them. He has thrown himself completely into the confict between the Army and the Seminole Indians with no distractions until that one evening when his sister-in-law, Tara has convinced him to stay for a birthday party at Camaron for his brother Jarrett. (1 of my favorite scenes in the book!) After dressing in his finest, he spends time reflecting while staring into the fire place putting his back to the staircase..... Teela Warren is the step-daughter of the notorious Indian hater and military officer Michael Warren. She, herself, has been forced to live a strict military life, as well as received the blunt end of the whip at times when she has not conformed to her step-father's way of thinking. Having been brought by force from her home in Charleston with military escort to join Warren, Teela is to meet him on the neutral grounds of Camaron. As a guest at Camaron, she has been asked to join the celebrations of the evening. Dressed elegantly, Teela stops at the end of the staircase to admire the gentleman whom has his back to her thinking it is her host, Jarrett McKenzie- until he turns around and their eyes meet... Hey, I felt like I was there in the room with them. I enjoyed the book and it was a lot of fun reading more of Tara and Jarrett. I have already read Rebel and wished I had not skipped Captive. I highly recommend reading this series in sequence - I think you will enjoy the characters even more. Good Readin!!!

James McKenzie's wife is dead but his daughter Jennifer, lives. A man who slaughter's Indians has sent for his step-daughter. From the moment James layed eyes on her at a party the fires were lit, but were slowed and almost burnt out when he found her real identity. The book was excellent and you would sit turning the pages just waiting to see what would happen next, or at the next meeting of the two as they slowly fall in love with each other.

Heather Graham makes her characters and the story come alive. From James and Teela's first meeting sparks fly. You just don't want to put the book down waiting for their next encounter. Definately one of her best.

I must say that I was somewhat dissapointed with this book. I expected more depth from the characters than what they could give. I miss characters like Lipsha, as complex as the stories of which they were a part. As usual, all the characters are tied to one another in a knot which has no beginning or end. Unfortunately, the depth which they lack makes this, as another person commented "hard to follow". Erdrich ties them together for the sake of having them tied; many of the connections among them are forced at best. The big, loose, loopish, way in which the story is written makes this the most authentic piece of Native American Fiction Erdrich has ever written. Had the characters been more developed, it would have been one of her best.

Lousie Erdrich's writing wraps the reader in intricate strands of symbolism, characters and shifting time and place. Stories are woven, questions are raised and as time passes answered. The strands begin to straighten out and make sense. Re-reading the book to get it all straight is a treat and a gift. I will gladly settle into Erdrich's writing over authors who leave no question marks or connections to ponder any day.

The power, danger and wonder of intense love is but one of the journeys the reader will take in this book.

This is definitely one of her best works yet. It is a spellbinding and powerful book.

Lawrence Block is one of our most talented mystery authors. In the Bernie Rhodenbarr series he explores how an ordinary, but intelligent, "honest" person might go about pursuing a life of crime as a fastidious and talented burglar who isn't proud of what he does, doesn't like to hang out with criminals, and really gets a big thrill out of breaking and entering . . . and removing valuables. As you can see, there's a sitcom set-up to provide lots of humor. But the humor works well in part because Mr. Block is able to put the reader in the Bernie's shoes while he breaks, enters and steals . . . and evades the long arm of the law. To balance the "honest" burglar is an array of "dishonest" and equally easy-money loving cops. As a result, you're in a funny moral never-never land while your stomach tightens and your arm muscles twitch as tension builds. To make matters even more topsy-turvy, Bernie at some point in every story turns into an investigator who must figure out "who-dun-it" for some crime that he personally didn't do. It's almost like one of those "mystery at home" games where the victim comes back as the police investigator, playing two roles. Very nice!

So much for explaining the concept of the series. The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza is the fourth book in the series. I strongly suggest that you begin the series by reading Burglars Can't Be Choosers and follow it up with The Burglar in the Closet and The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling. Each story in the series adds information and characters in a way that will reduce your pleasure of the others if read out of order. Although, I originally read them out of order and liked them well enough. I'm rereading them now in order, and like it much better this way. The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian comes next in the series.

Bernie's friend, Carolyn Kaiser, the dog groomer at the Poodle Factory has a hot tip for him. Wealthy dog-owners, Herbert and Wanda Colcannon will be out of town breeding Astrid, their Bouvier des Flandres guard dog, who normally keeps burglars away from their possessions, which includes Herbert's famous coin collection . . . and which Bernie is already impressed by. Carolyn discovered a taste for breaking and entering while "borrowing" a Polaroid camera in The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling, and now she's a full-fledged partner who insists on joining Bernie in the burglary.

Quickly inside the Colcannon's West 18th Street brownstone, they find the place a mess. "Burglars," Bernie announces. But the first burglars mainly made a mess . . . and couldn't open the safe. But Bernie does and finds some jewelry, a Piaget watch, and a nickel. The main coin collection must be safe in a bank vault elsewhere. Carolyn's more pleased with the Chagall lithograph that she takes for her apartment. So far, so good.

They retire to visit Bernie's charming fence, Abel Crowe, who had survived being an inmate at Dachau. Bernie knows that Abel is more likely to be generous if he's in a good mood, so Bernie brings Abel a little gift, a 1707 English edition of Spinoza's Ethics, bound in blue calf. Everything goes smoothly until Abel examines the nickel. "Gross Gott!" he exclaims. Bernie has brought him one of five known specimens of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel that the mint denies ever having made. It's worth a fortune. Abel offers a small sum in cash now . . . or to split the proceeds from a more leisurely sale. Bernie and Carolyn agree to wait on their money, and leave happily.

By the next morning, everything has gone bad. Unless Bernie finds out what really happened, he's scheduled to be the fly in the soup.

I didn't enjoy the mystery to be solved nearly as much in this one as in The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling. In fact, this is my least favorite of the books that Mr. Block wrote in the series. I was disturbed by who Mr. Block selected to be his victims, and found all of the coin collecting details to be not nearly as interesting as the bibliophile content of The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling. Although I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that you skip this one, I suspect that you will be disappointed compared to other books in the series even though the humor and dialogue are wonderfully strong and engaging. But stick with it, the books get much better from here in the series.

This book's theme is being careful about whom you trust. Take nothing for granted . . . including loyalty!

Donald Mitchell...

Bernie Rhodenbarr is at it again in Lawrence Block's fourth "The Burglar Who..." series. In this fast paced novel "The Burglar who Studied Spinoza," Bernie has to turn sleuth once again to prove he is not guilty of anything worse than entering someone else's apartment with his trusty burglar tools and taking valuables easy to carry away and fence them for a quick turn over. This story involves a very rare coin, a 1913 Liberty V nickel. Our favorite reoccurring characters, Carolyn Kaiser who runs a dog grooming parlor, and Ray Kirschmann the best cop money can buy also make play their roles as they have in previous "Burglar Who book..." Lawrence Block does an excellent job telling of burglaries, murder and mayhem. As with other books in this series he does it with a great sense of humor. That's what makes these stories of a burglar who also owns an antiquarian bookshop in New York Greenwich Village fun to read. They are light reading, just right for a cold winter's night in front of a fireplace or a bright summer afternoon at poolside. I'm a true Bernie Rhodenbarr fan and look forward to reading the next on my to read list, "The Burglar who Pained Like Mondrian." When I do a review will surly be posted here.

Used book store owner Bernie Rhodenbarr is not only tired of losing money at his Greenwich Village establishment, he is inanely bored. Bernie knows that it is time to spice up his life with some excitement by employing his better skill, stealing, this time rare coins. Bernie's marks are the opulent Hank and Wanda Colcannon, who he learns from his friend Carolyn are leaving town.

When Bernie arrives at the Colcannon place, he quickly realizes that a peer has already been there. Still, Bernie finds a few interesting items, including a 1913 V-nickel, which he takes to his fence Abel Crowe to appraise. Abel values the rare coin at $500K and willingly accepts it because Bernie is a pal who gives him philosophy books. However, everything falls apart by the next day when the cops come to accuse Bernie of murdering Wanda and Abel, and stealing the rare coin, which has been re-heisted. Bernie knows he has been set up and only he, with the help of Spinoza, can clear his name of the murder charges.

THE BURGLAR WHO STUDIED SPINOZA is a reprint of the fourth novel in the Rhodenbarr series which is now up to eight. Even after a dozen years (think Reagan), the story line remains remarkably refreshing as it highlights Bernie's best (and worst) traits and showcases the City at its most intriguing and frustrating self. Lawrence Block may have been at the top of his game with this wisecracking, absolutely fun tale about a professional thief turned sleuth who seems to spend a lot of time clearing his name from a couple of murder raps.

Harriet Klausner