Surrender has all the elements of a great story. It is a fast paced story and the characters are colorful and unique. If you love Amanda Quick, then you must read this book.

Victoria Huntingdon is an heiress who is committed to remaining single. She loves adventure but is limited in her exploits by the restrictions of society. Victoria has dealt with many men who thought they could marry her for her money until she meets Lucas Colebrook.

Lucas Colebrook, the Earl of Stonevale, is in desperate need of funds. He encourages a friend to find him an heiress to woo. Lucas sets his sights on Victoria.

Victoria has no interest in marriage but is open to participating in Lucas' nightly excursions into the life of the ton. Lucas takes Victoria to gaming hells and brothels to satisfy her craving for adventure.

Through a series of adventures, Victoria marries Lucas and realizes he is a fortune hunter. The couple strive to stay one step ahead of a mysterious threat to their happiness throughout the story.

Victoria Huntington and Lucas Colebrook, Earl of Stonevale, find themselves in the most unpreditable situations after agreeing to rendevous after midnight for a night on the town. Victoria Huntington considers herself 'an heiress at risk' with a deadly past to keep hidden. She refuses to consider marriage for any reason, believing that marital love within the 'ton' is impossible and refuses to submit physically, emotionally and definitely financially to any man!

Lucas Colebrook, an impoverished Earl, needs an heiress's fortune to refurbish his crumbling estate. So Lucas sets out to win Victoria's hand by agreeing to escort this 'wild child spinster' to the most undesirable after hour establishments (at Victoria's request) in London. But Victoria's thirst for adventure soon leads to a mysterious stalking and possibly haunting, murder attempts, and of course, the usual Quick wit, humor and comedy.

If you haven't read Amanda Quick before, you'll love Surrender.

Happy Reading!

That's all that I can think of when _Surrender_ comes to mind. A lot of previous reviewers are complaining that Lucas is too harsh of a hero and that no love is involved in his relationship with Victoria. I would like to strongly disagree. First of all, yes he did go after Victoria for her money... but that was before he met her and got to know her. Isn't that how most relationships start? Someone thinks something of their partner, but as they meet them and get to know them, their opinions change. At least, that has been my experience. Lucas was a very complex character. He was calus at first, but as you peel away his layers, the true man is shown, and it is a very caring, very loving man. I loved him because he was a change from the normal Quick hero. They are usually immediatly loving and let the heroine do whatever they want. Don't get me wrong, that works for a book, but Ms. Quick went out on a limb to have Lucas for her hero. He is more true to the times this book was written in. He doesn't let Victoria do whatever she wants, but he does let her be herself and he doesn't marry her for her money. Victoria was a lovely heroine... I found myself wishing I were her many times (even when Lucas was acting like the big bad wolf). She was spunky but down to earth at the same time. The added element of the paranormal was great spice added to the book, and I enjoyed hearing older beliefs about it. Mystery is Quick's strongest suit, and it is applied perfectly to _Surrender_. You are kept guessing at who the bad apple is while watching the relationship between Lucas and Victoria blossom. All in all, _Surrender_ is a wonderful book. It is a nice change from the normal romance.

Though by today's standard this book is quite old I found it very enjoyable. I have been extensively researching the topic of nuclear warfare for school and I found this book quite entertaining. As a teenager I am was privilidged enough to only live in the tail end of the Cold War and this book provides an insight to what might have happened if the you know what hit the fan.

The arms race takes a turn for the worst as a nuclear strike is accidentally started. The fate of millions depends on the diplomacy of the highest echelons of government and the act of one man. It all seems like a bad movie plot now but thirty years ago, this was the fear in the hearts of all. I read this book in 1982 when the nuclear threat was still quite real but nowhere near as intense as it was during the early 60's. You'll finish reading this book wondering, "Were we ever this close to the end of the world?". The greatest horror stories are the ones that could actually happen. As dated as it is, Eugene Burdick still manages to take you on a wild ride to the Apocalypse.

Although it is now close to FORTY years old, "Fail-Safe" puts today's crop of political novelist to shame. A more compelling story has not been written.

The story is simple: a mechanical error send a group of U.S. Bombers towards the Soviet Union. The President tries mightily to recall them, in an effort to avoid the inevitable Soviet retaliation. He has to make an incredible sacrifice to keep the world from World War III.

Forget about the incredibly complex turns of my favorite writer of this genre, F. Forsyth. T. Clancy 's interwoven stories and mind numbing detail does not even come close to this simple, chilling story. Could it happen? Of course not, because of the fail-safe system. Or so they tell us...

Like Coke, this is the real thing.

Yes, James Lee Burke is a terrific wordsmith who can bring the Cajun backwoods and bayous alive for readers, but this particular work is quite simply, a sprawling, literary hodge-podge. The story is loosely woven to the point of being chaotic--Dave Robicheaux skitters here, there, and everywhere, including TWO almost gratuitous mini-jaunts to Mexico. The characters are "colorful," but in some cases, such as that of Aaron Crown, the eccentricity deteriorates into cartoon-like caricature. There are various smalltime gangsters who are hard to keep straight, there is a politician's wife who turns up periodically to strip off her clothes, taunt Robicheaux sexually, and then disappear in a cloud of vituperative hissing. And there are more than a few digressions and sidebars to the story that don't ever seem quite justified--it's all a bit much, methinks, and overall it makes for a story that never really hangs together adequately.

Still, Burke is a good enough writer that it's a hard book to put down once started. I think he has done better in others of his mysteries, however.

Although Burke appears to have fallen into a formulaic trap with the Robicheaux series, this entry redeems itself with its intense plotting and the carefully wrought prose his readers have come to take for granted. While the plot involves one of New Iberia's "old" families, a woman with whom Dave once had a brief fling, and New Orleans' mobsters, all familiar ingredients of past books in this series, his addition of a 28 year old murder of a civil rights leader by a crusty old misfit added zing to an otherwise tired story.

The ending seemed to forewarn of more than an end to this novel, however, perhaps an end to the series itself. Soon James Lee Burke will introduce a new character with a setting in East Texas. Alas for those of us who have come to love the Cajun detective with all of his strengths and failings. Although Burke is such an accomplished writer that his readers will no doubt learn to love the new hero as well, I will miss the people and landscape of Louisiana

HAVING BEEN TO AND THROUGH LOUISIANA NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PAST 20 YEARS AND HAVING FALLEN IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING YTHE STATE HAS TO OFFICER, I WAS ENTHRALLED WITH EVERY WORD IN THIS BOOK, WHICH WAS THE FIRST OF THE ROBICHEAUX SERIES THAT I READ. I COULD ACTUALLY FEEL AND HEAR THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE SWAMPS, AND JAMES BURKE'S ABILITY TO DESCRIBE IS PHENOMONAL. HIS ABILITY ALSO TO WEAVE EXTREMELY DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHARACTERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE INTO A PLOT WHICH EVENTUALLY DETAILS THEIR INTERRACTION IS INCREDIBLE TO ME. HAVING BEEN A DEPUTY SHERIFF FOR NEARLY 13 YEARS, I WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY WITH MANY OF THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY DAVE, ALTHOUGH I MUST ADMIT THEY "DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY" IN LOUISIANA!! AFTER READING THIS BOOK, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS OUT- STANDING, I'VE GONE ON TO READ ALL OF THE DAVE ROBICHEAUX NOVELS, INCLUDING BLACK CHERRY BLUES, WHICH I ALSO FOUND TO BE INCREDIBLE. THE DEADPAN HUMOR OF DAVE'S, ALONG WITH THE TWO WORLD IN WHICH HE LIVES (ONE BEING A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND THE OTHER BEING THE OWNER OF A BAIT SHOP) MAKE HIM SO MUCH MORE REAL TO LIFE THAN ANY "DETECTIVE" IN ANY NOVEL I'VE READ SO FAR. EACH OF HIS NOVELS GIVES THE READER AN INSIGHT INTO HIS PAST LIFE (WITH REFERENCES TO HIS ALCOHOLISM, HIS WIFE'S MURDER, HOW HIS DAUGHTER CAME INTO HIS LIFE, ETC.) WITHOUT DWELLING ON THEM OR REHASHING FORMER PLOTS. AND HIS ABILITY TO WALK INTO ANY "DIVE" IN NEW ORLEANS AND DEAL WITH MOB CHARACTERS ON THEIR LEVEL IS FASCINATING, AFTER WHAT ALL OF AMERICA HAS HEARD ABOUT THE MOB. THIS WAS ONE OF JAMES BURKE'S BEST BOOKS, AND I EAGERLY ANTICIPATE DISCOVERING THE EXISTENCE OF A NEW ROBICHEAUX NOVEL.

Ms. Feather is a terrific author who writes stories that are well researched, full of intrigue and romance, history and engaging characters.

Except that each book that I have read she seems to have to include one character who is guaranteed to drive you to distraction with irritating characteristics. In this story it is the 8 or 9 year old daughter Pippa who positively cannot shut up. Pippa piped, Pippa fluted, Pippa trumpeted or screeched or shrilled, etc. etc. The Pippa dialog is so often and so aggravating that I found myself skipping whole paragraphs when she used the name Pippa. This is not good for one loses the continuity of the story.

On a positive note, I did enjoy the history of 16th Century England during the mercurial, hugely obese and clever Henry VIII reign and all his poor wives who could not seem to provide him with a male heir. I would have enjoyed more information on the Star Chamber and Thomas Cromwell who was a terrible villian according to recorded history.

Ms. Feather has a real penchant for strong, nurturing, rough edged males as her heros. Well so do I. However, once again she has given us a heroine who is drop dead gorgeous, hugely flawed, conniving and quite difficult to feel much sympathy for in the story line. It was nice that she made the Lady Guinevere an intelligent and learned woman despite her obstinancy and intransiegence.

All in all, the story is interesting and Ms. Feather is becoming more elegant and refined with each book. I very much appreciate her breaking from the mold of most of the other romance writers who seem to need to refer to the male anatomy in cutesy or military language, ie: swords, etc. She uses the correct biological term which adds a great amount of intellectual credibility as a writer.

She remains on my list of writers who are closing the gap in skill as great as the incomparable Guy Gavriel Kay.

This is the first romance novel I have read that is set during the reign of Henry VII. I have to confess it is not an era that initially appealed to me. The only reason that compelled me to read it was the name Jane Feather on the cover. I have read almost all of her novels, and I have rarely been disappointed. This was no exception. As usualy she manages to bring you up close to a distant past, almost so credible that you might think she'd actually been there herself.

The story itself is "grown up" compared so many other of the genre. Her characters are vivid, interesting, and can't help being infinitely likable. The heroin, Guinevere, is sympathetic yet with a mind of her own. The hero, Hugh, is perhaps not the stereotypical such as he seemed less the arrogant dominating male of most romance novels, and more like a man we could actually put up with in real life. You don't get to know him as well as Guinevere, though. The other characters in the book, mainly the children, are delightful and bring a more lighthearted feeling to the story as the rest of it is of a more serious character. The ending left me with a craving to know their stories, and it did indeed feel like it was open for a sequel.

It is probably one of the best Feather novels I have read, and I do hope she decides to let us know what happens with the other characters. Definitely a recommended read, especially if you're a fan of historical novels.

This was the first book of Jane Feather's that I have read and I have to say that I was very impressed. Ms. Feather's work is absolutely amazing... the very first chapter of _The Widow's Kiss_ pulled me right in and gave me a very entertaining read. Although it is not as strong in romance as some would like, I hardly noticed it. Ms. Feather's writing is first rate- her characters come alive along with the settings that they are placed in. She is a superb mystery/suspense writer and _The Widow's Kiss_ proves that she could make a living with her writing outside the romance genre. The research that went into making _The Widow's Kiss_ accurate is evident and makes the book all the more enjoyable. Guinevere was truly an amazing heroine that endears herself to you right away. You sympathize with her struggles for justice and I could not help but fall in love with her daughters. Although Hugh is a little rough around the edges when he is first introduced he redeemed himself latter on. The plot in _The Widow's Kiss_ is highly origional and very engrossing. I had this book with me when I had a three hour airplane layover in Hawaii and was dressed in heavy clothing without shorts and a tank top to change into. Reading Ms. Feather's work and losing myself in her tale was the only thing that kept me sane. I was sad to let this book go when I was finished and I can assure you that I will be searching out her work in the future. For those of you who think that mideval romances are too complicated to get into, I would suggest this book to you. It is a good intorduction to this sub genre of romance and will get you hooked. Bravo, Ms. Feather! _The Widow's Kiss_ is an amazing piece of literature and a must read to anyone out there.

_Amanda_ was the second book I read by Kay Hooper. I had high expectations after reading _After Caroline_, and I wasn't disappointed. Until the last few chapters, I was never certain whether Amanda was indeed who she claimed to be or not. Ms. Hooper kept me guessing until the very end. I knew the book held a shocking secret, but nothing could have prepared me for the book's climax. _Amanda_ is a must read. Prepare for late nights.

I started this book with mixed feelings. The only other Kay Hooper books that I have read are her 'Evil' trilogy. I enjoyed them, but there wasn't enough romance for me, so that's what I expected with Amanda, but I still decided to try it. I was not dissapointed with this book. It had romance with just the right amount of suspense and personal conflict added in.

Amanda has returned to her childhood home after a thirty year absence. She was nine years old when her and her mother left in the cover of the night. She didn't expect a warm welcome from her 'family' and she wasn't dissapointed. She didn't think anyone would try to kill her though.

Walker is the Daulton family lawyer and he is paid to be suspicous of strangers showing up claiming to be the long lost Amanda Daulton. After all, there is a fortune at stake. He doesn't know what to make of this woman whom he is sure is an imposter. He feels desire for her, but at the same time he resents her for lying to him about who she really is and how she has spent the last twenty years.

There are other characters in this book that will hold you spellbound. Sully, Jesse, Kate, Ben, Reece, and Maggie. I've read that many people were surprised how the book ended. I didn't expect the twist it took at the end, but I believe it's fairly easy to figure out who is behind all the 'accidents' happening at Glory.

The end of this book is very satisfying and you will put it down with tears in your eyes. Don't miss it!

This is a great book. I have never read Kay Hooper before, but I found her name in the- "If you like this author, then you'll like..." section of Amazon. Well, I certainly did like Kay Hooper. Not only did I find this story to have an interesting & imaginative plot, but I found Kay Hooper to have an excellent writing style as well. This book is hard to put down. It is not overly suspenseful, but yet there are enough subtle hints & clues along the way, to keep you interested. And it has quite an ending! I would recommend Kay Hooper to those who like a little suspense, with a little romance thrown in. I am looking forward to reading another of her books.

After having read all the previous Mrs. Pollifax books I had been looking forward to reading this one, but found it rather disappointing. While the plot sounds like that of the other books the execution of the story is not up to the usual standard. It lacks the potential to identify with the characters, and even worse Mrs. Pollifax and Farell are both fairly flat characters. The new characters (Amanda and Joe) are a bit more lively, but still two dimensional. And the usual bunch of minor characters that give the other books their liveliness are either missing or just make a perfunctionary appearance. This book reads like a draft for the story before the characters get fully developed. Not a bad bad read, but not really worth buying.

Emily Pollifax looks like everyone's harmless maiden aunt, but in reality, she is one of the CIA's top operatives. The resourceful Mrs. Pollifax has risked her life many times while on assignment for her country. Mrs. Pollifax teams up with freelancer John Farrell on an investigation into the disappearance of Amanda Pym in Syria. Ms. Pym was a fifteen-minute media superstar when she allegedly stopped an airplane hijacking from succeeding. Witnesses last saw Amanda enter a vehicle that waited for her at the Damascus Airport.

Farrell and Mrs. Pollifax land in Syria where the government places a tail on the duo. However, they quickly elude their shadow in order to obtain information that provides them with the first clue in their hunt. They soon enter the Syrian Desert where they meet American archeologist Joe Fleming. Joining the two operatives on their quest, Joe and the two spies seek an elusive individual who seems to be undergoing a rigorous training for a mission that has world implications.

Mrs. Pollifax is the international equivalent of Jessica Fletcher. Her latest adventure, MRS. POLLIFAX UNVEILED is filled with warmth and wit that will send readers to seek previous novels in the series. The lead protagonist thrives on adventure and action yet retains calmness during the dangerous storms she encounters. Farrell retains his enigmatic personality that keeps fans wondering about him. The story line flows smoother than silk while keeping the audience's attention from start to finish. Although this is a long running series, Dorothy Gillman keeps her tale and its characters as fresh as if they are making their debut. This ability is why readers will want another novel starring Mrs. Pollifax and Farrell.

Harriet Klausner

Just when Mrs. Pollifax begins to get restless, Bishop comes to her home to offer her another adventure for the CIA. This time she and her old friend Farrell are asked to find a young girl named Amanda who rescued 200 people from being hijacked on a plane and then disappeared. There are the requisite number of chases, strange-looking people following them, adventures and misadventures for this book to join the others in the enjoyable Mrs. Pollifax series. The one thing that puzzles me is why Dorothy Gilman had her heroine marry Cyrus in one of the early books and then have him serve as background, always off on his own business when Emily does another assignment for the CIA. Perhaps she received negative feedback from readers when Cyrus accompanied her on one of her adventures, but it seems too bad to shove such a nice man into the background.

"Charm City" is Laura Lippman's second mystery set in Baltimore. (The other one is "Baltimore Blues.") In this effort, the city is excited about the possible return of professional basketball, and the savior is "Wink" Wynkowski, a business tycoon. The return of basketball is seriously jeopardized when the local paper prints a story detailing Wink's sordid past and current financial problems. Tess Monaghan, who used to be a reporter before her paper folded and who is studying to be a private investigator, is hired to investigate the article. As it turns out, the article was not supposed to have been published, but it seems someone used the newspaper's computers in order to print the story without authorization.

There seem to be two prime suspects, and they are the co-authors of the story. One of the two is a friend of Tess, and he seems to have used her as his alibi for the night in question--even though the two were not together. The other co-author is a young and brash reporter with some unsavory journalism techniques. When Wink turns up dead in what appears to be a suicide, the stakes have suddenly gone up, and Tess must worry about her own life. Throughout all of this, she also must deal with the beating of her uncle and the greyhound with bad breath that she cares for while her uncle is in the hospital. When men start tailing her, Tess must watch her every step lest it be her last.

"Charm City" fails in many ways. Sadly, it is not well written, and it certainly could have been improved by a good editor. Too often, Ms. Lippman says things she simply does not mean, as, for example, when she uses pronouns carelessly. At other times, the writing is simply bad. The grammar errors are only one problem, though. A more serious one is that the third-person narrator is not honest; Ms. Lippman has not played by the rules of the mystery (though it is not clear at all that the clues are there to begin with). Finally, the protagonist, who praises her own skills at the end of the book, does very little right and by all rights should have died but for a nifty bit of deus ex machina. All in all, "Charm City" is a disappointing effort.

I picked up Laura Lippman's "Charm City" because several of her mysteries had been nominated for awards and the locale was Baltimore--a city I have some knowledge about.

Perhaps this book, the second in the Tess Monaghan series, is not up to the level of Lippman's other offerings. For me, the mystery didn't work that well for several reasons. One was that Tess, the ex-reporter, and now an aspiring P.I, though without a license, seemed to be living rather well for one without, one assumes, much of an income. Her youthful boyfriend/lover Crow, a rock star, just didn't come across as much of a personality--though I admit that perhaps due to age I have my biases toward rock stars and their lifestyles.

Other points: the writing is sometimes ok, sometimes a graceful sentence; but mostly the prose seems jumpy and inconsistent. The plot holds some interest, though it takes most of the book to juice up interest. Mystery types also will be put out with the third-person narrator voice, and the lack of a logical ladder of evidence that would permit one to deduce the identity of the culprit.

Ms. Lippman does have Tess trip around many familar Baltimore spots, and her descriptions of what Tess eats indicates that the author enjoys food.

Perhaps another in the series might be a better read. But based on "Charm City," I think I'll look elsewhere.

Charm City, which is a nominee for the 1997 Edgar Award for best paperback original, is one of the top five mysteries I read in the last year. I really connected with Tess Monoghan, a young ex-journalist who is almost grudgingly turning into a private investigator. Just as fascinating are Tess's family and friends: Uncle Spike with his rampant malapropisms, the ravishing bookstore owner Kitty, Crow, a local rock star boyfriend who anybody but Tess would be protective of, and finally Esskay, a greyhound with an astounding capacity for pancakes and love.

Charm City's mystery is deftly plotted, with surprising twists and turns and an ending that was richly satisfying. But the thing that puts Charm City at the top of the mystery pile is elegant writing and such a loving rendering of an aged East Coast city that the author would be getting comparisons to literary novelists such as Anne Tyler were the book straight literary fiction. Luckily for us, Lippman chose to write mystery, blending her top-notch talents with a storyline that just won't quit!

I'm pretty stingy with my 4 & 5 star recommendations; so take that in consideration!

One of the most interesting aspects of this book - one quite surprising to me - was the subtle humor delivered deftly by some of the characters. Some of Slavko's thoughts and comments made me laugh out loud & share them with my husband.

I was fascinated & also repulsed by The Teacher - probably just as the author intended.

Well written, a QUICK read. I would have liked a little more character development with a few of the characters - makes me wonder if the author had a "page-thirsty" editor!

Sign me -- a 40-year-old avid reader

George Dawes Green, The Juror (Warner, 1995)

George Dawes Green wrote The Caveman's Valentine, which netted him the Edgar. He then followed it up with the euqally acclaimed The Juror, and proceeded to drop off the face of the earth, foiling a carefully-plotted career as a bestselling mystery novelist. Go figure. Based on the quality of his first two books, a whole lot of folks wish he'd come back.

Green's second novel introduces us to The Teacher, a part-time mob enforcer, Taoist, and grower of rare orchids whose present job entails tampering with a jury to make sure his part-time employer doesn't go to jail. Problem is, the Teacher starts getting emotionally involved the the juror, and the two of them end up doing a rather dysfunctional dance that ends up with a whole lot of people dying.

It's an absorbing novel, and a quick read. The characters are strongly drawn and identifiable, and the plot is excellently paced. The book's main flaw is that it relies a bit much on coincidences (of the "of all the gin joints in the world..." variety) that stretch credibility too far. But mystery novels rely on coincidence, and so we have to be willing to forgive Green in order to bask in the luxury of his writing. And it is certainly worth forgiving him, as the characters he creates here will be with you long after you turn the last page. *** 1/2

A brilliantly readable piece of work. Doesn't seem like only a second book Personally I feel the book is made more readable beacause of the brilliant chracterisation of the Teacher, the Mafia fixit man. His sheer brilliance and personality make u want to find out more and more about him What makes him Tick is what will keep u going. Buy it Read it and thank me later email at aptechch@giaspn01.vsnl.net.in

Anne Perry--certainly the "queen of Victoriana"--thrusts her inimitable duo, William and Hester Monk--right in the middle of the American Civil War (it's 1861) in "Slaves of Obsession. And with her usual writing abilities, Perry treats her readers to another exciting episode in this series.

Extortion is the subject here, as Monk, former policeman and now working privately, is hired to track down a killer who has fled to America, and, combined with murder early on, this investigation begins to have so many aspects that it cannot be called "simple." Perry is good at this, however, and never seems to lose track of her goal. She is also good at incorporating history into her police procedurals and pulls no punches as she addresses the slavery issue, arms shipments, and medical practices of the time (Remember, Hester was a nurse during the British Crimean War and now renders aid on the Manassas battlefield!).

Perry, using her standard powers of description and episode, readily shows the carnage, the butchery of the battlefield in readily graphic depictions. Her descriptions, as usual, are not for the faint at heart. By the book's end, of course, Monk has sorted out the convoluted paths to justice and sensibility. American readers may praise "Slaves of Obsession" as one of her best, owing to the locale; regardless, this book shows a maturity that perhaps was there in, say, "Cater Street Hangman." ...

Anne Perry is an exqusite writer. Her prose is beautiful and she evokes the era of Victorian England in a wonderful and believable way. In the latest book of this series William Monk and his bride Hester are invited to dinner at the home of Donald Alberton, an arms dealer. An unpleasant scene occurs when Lyman Breeland, a passionate supporter of the Union discovers that Alberton has already promised a shipment of guns to Philo Trace, a southerner. Alberton's daughter, Merrit, is in love with Breeland and she argues with him for her father to support the anti-slavery stand. Alberton claims that he has promised the guns to Trace and cannot back out of the deal, despite his personal feelings about the war in America. Breeland and Merrit flee and one of the main characters is brutally murdered. Breeland's watch is found near the murder scene, which puts the suspicion squarely on him. The rest of the book shifts to American Civil War battlefields and then to a courtroom in England. The identity of the murderer is elusive and is twisted with personal and political motives. As always, Perry provides a very good read.

It's no wonder Anne Perry is a writer whose work I look for. Her main characters are so human, and so lovable. The way she incorporates history into the story, you can believe that the tale is an actual part of the true history. She is so talented and creative.

Slaves of Obsessions evolves with the guns needed for the Union and Confederate States of America to fight the Civil War. You will find a devoted family, the Albertons, in the center of it, complete with an idealist daughter passionate on the subject of slavery. There is a triple murder, the daughter disappears,and guns are stolen. Mrs. Alberton hires our heroes, William and Hester Monk, to find answers. The case takes them to the battlefields in America, the trial in England, with another hero, Oliver Rathbone, as the guy with the right questions. The story has Hester running for her husband's life, bringing the good guys to the rescue in the nick of time. And thank God, we do not want to be losing the Monks. There are more mysteries to solve.

I got this book as a gift and was skeptical about it. My daughter was born in China and I adopted her a few years ago. The author did an excellent job capturing the day to day life of China. The story itself was fast paced and heartwrenching. How much "truth" spurred this story on is suspect and that bothers me that some people will think this "really" happened. If people are reading this as a guide to international adoption it would scare everyone away. That being said, this FICTIONAL story was grand. Had powerful emotions and drama, it was a quick read and one I did not want to put down; but I did several times as it got too close for me. I kept thinking what would I have done if that had been me, after having my baby girl for 5 days what would I have done if a Chinese official had requested her back? The thought of running in a country such as China is mind boggling. But the thrill of the chase was great and exciting. But at the end of the story, I went into my sleeping childs room and gave her a big hug!

China Run sets in Suzhou, China (some 250 kilometers west of Shanghai) where the government told 6 American families the babies whom they just adopted was the wrong babies. The Chinese law requires adoptive parents have to be at least 35 and have no other children at the time of the adoption application in order to qualify for healthy babies. Otherwise they will only qualify for children with special needs. Allison Turk has come all the way to China with her 9-year-old stepson Tyler to adopt Wen Li. On the morning the Americans supposed to return the babies to orphanage, Allison decided to keep Wen Li and ran away with Nash and Claire Cameron and Ruth Pollard who were determined to keep their babies as well. The Americans set off to seek help from the American embassy in Shanghai with the help of Yi Ling, their Chinese guide.

The disappearance of the Americans quickly alerted the government which immediately dispatched the "gong an" (security) officers to hunt them down. They set up roadblocks and checkpoints on major highways while PSB interrogated Yi Ling's family and whoever might have helped the Americans escape. No sooner than they boarded a ship that belonged to Yi Ling's uncle Yang Boda on the Yangtze than some smuggler boat hit them... A fisherman Ren Kai and his wife Mei Ling sheltered the fugitives, namely now just Ruth and Allison, and tendered Tyler and the babies. Knowing that the whole world is collapsing about her ears, Allison was determined to keep Wen Li and by all means dodged the police. The rest of the book was about her hiding in the truck, walking in the bushes, and dodging those who were after her in her venture down south to Guangzhou (180 kilometers northwest of Hong Kong).

The book is a thriller (it doesn't seem to be the case when I read the first chapter) where almost two thirds of it is about the cat-and-mouse chase for the fugitives. It's a page-turner until the last few chapters where the author rambles on and on and makes an effort to drag and twist the story somehow. While the author does excellent and thorough research on places and the reality issues of China, he does expose some of the most repugnant problems in China: the black market of healthy human organs and the extraction of such organs from deceased children in orphanage. Corrupted government officials (such as orphanage director and public security officers) collaborated with gangster rings in smuggling the organs that promised a lucrative business. No less striking was how Xinhua agency (the official government newsagent) often by all means covers up the truth of such vile trades.

I realized the book was based on a true story shortly after I finished it. David Ball had managed to fictionize the real-life incident and its characters. At that point I felt somewhat relieved and beamed at the fact that despite the relentless Chinese government there were good-hearted Chinese people who possessed a good conscience. In a country where one's furies stayed tucked neatly beneath the skin, Yi Ling had stood by the truth of her feelings and risked her life to save the babies, to help the Americans escape. She was confronted face-to-face by her own conscience as she encountered Allison escaping on the hotel hallway. It was that split of a second when Yi Ling made the fateful decision out of her heart and not duty. Allison had touched and changed the lives of Ren Kai and his wife Mei Ling. Ren insisted on helping the Americans since he had come this far with them (picked them up in Hokou after the ship collision and took them home) against all odds. An interesting vignette was how well 9-year-old Tyler got along with the Chinese with whom he shared nothing in common. In the midst of touching moments and outrageous adventures, I question the validity of all the events in this book. David Ball might have forged some of the extra thrilling details here and there to touch up the actual incidence. Whatever the case is, this is a different kind of novel about China. It's a quick-read good for an afternoon in the weekend. It also contains sporadic prose on Chinese scenery. 3.6 stars.

When I first received the book, I opened it and read the prologue and wept. The story of a woman's suffering through pregnancies and abortions and difficult choices presented by a one-child policy and family pressures has more than a ring of truth to it.

Fortunately, that is where the truth ends.

Yes, this book is 'fiction' but the wording on the fly leaf indicating it is based upon a 'true' incident will mislead people into thinking there is more truth here than fiction and that is NOT the case.

The 'true' part of the story is that international adoption from China used to be run by more than one governmental agency, and in the late mid-1990's this process was changed in order to tighten controls and eliminate irregularities in processing of applications. There had never been even any hint of baby selling or organ-farming, and the implication that there may have been, while titillating, is a creation of the author's imagination.

During the transition period of the re-org, there were families who had been 'matched' and notified of their referrals, only to have their referrals changed later on - most prior to leaving for China. At the end of the re-organization, CCAA became the sole governmental arbiter of all things related to adoption in China. The China program of international adoption is a well-run program, resulting in the placement of approximately 6000 children into loving homes around the world each year.

So the 'true incident' mentioned on the book cover in no way resembles the story as written. In fact, the incident in the book never took place. The author's story is an extrapolation of the re-org into a HUGE 'what if' scenario.

And, as far as that goes, that is fine - because this is, afterall, a fiction novel.

However, the book does make interesting reading, and it is unfortunate that the fly leaf does not provide more details about the 'true incident' because the statement that it is 'based upon a true incident' misleads readers into thinking that the story is more true than it is. And, as we know that many people only think as far as the end of their nose about these things, it presents a very wrong, and therefore potentially VERY harmful, impression about China, Chinese government officials, the adoption process and adopting parents.

What makes the situation even more maddening for those of us who have gone through the process or are in the midst of the process, is that the author is also the Dad of a daughter adopted from China. This not only makes some of us feel betrayed, but also angry, as it lends a level of veracity to the fictional story that is neither warranted nor wanted.

All that being said, you will easily get caught up in the action and emotional turmoil of the adopting parents, especially the protagonist - an adopting mom who has been told she must give back her daughter, and runs, with her 9 year old stepson in tow, for their lives.

Mr. Ball's writing about the Chinese countryside and daily life is on the mark, and very well done. Having been there/done that twice now (I am Mom to 2 daughters from China), I was easily transported back through the images described in his writing. I could 'see' things, 'feel' things, even 'smell' the markets and cooking scents. The book is rich with images that evoke a strong sense of place, and add much to the story.

As a work of fiction, I have found myself recommending the book highly -- much to my surprise.