In the best Shugak tradition this one goes straight for the gut and then kicks you in the crotch. Unlike other Shugak books this one spends more time from Jim Chopin's point of view than Kate's, but it gives a better feel for the action that way. Like all mysteries there has to be some difficulty in solving the crime and this time it's Kate and her grief. That is when it's not Chopin's emotional issues getting in the way.

I knew after "Hunters Moon" that the next book would be a real emotional wringer and this book did not let me down in the least. While the mystery here is easy to solve the reason I couldn't put down the book until I finished it is that Kate is so real and so spell binding.

I can't wait for the next one. I rate Dana Stabenow up there with Dick Francis and Kate Shugak with Travis McGee.

This was the first book I've read by Dana Stabenow but it won't be the last! I was captivated from beginning to end. I will definetly be reading the rest of the Kate Shugak series and anything else by Dana Stabenow I can get my hands on.

I didn't think I would be very interested in a story concerning the Russian Mafia, but Stabenow changed my mind. Although I missed reading about the folks back in Niniltna, the introduction to the people of Bering was a true joy. Jim Chopin has a prominent role here and the insights into his character are very reveling. I also enjoyed a surprising revelation concerning Kate's grandmother, Ekaterina. The descriptions of Kate's dog, Mutt (one of my favorite characters) are, as always, vivid and alive. A word of warning: if you are a big fan of the FBI, you should know that the two FBI agents in this story are not portrayed in a very favorable light. I have read all of Stabenow's previous Kate Shugak mysteries, so it was easy for me to pick up where the story left off last time, but this probably isn't where a reader new to the series should begin. For a true understanding of Kate, it would be best to start at the beginning (A Cold Day For Murder). It was easy getting into this story and it held my attention throughout. The ending was spectacular.

I knew James Dickey at the University of South Carlolina, and I later spent 14 years living in the interior of Alaska. His last novel is a stunning achievement, missed utterly by anyone hoping for "Hogan's Heroes." Critics who wrote at the time that the protagonist is "a sick puppy" were probably also offended by the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan." If you want standard Hollywood, and you buy Dickey, you will be disappointed.

To be a hunter, keen and alert, raised to know the life of the wild and the ways of the hunted, and then to be placed, as Muldrow was, into a world of aliens, each one a hunter, and to have all the usual means of becoming inconspicuous stripped away: that is the story. That was Muldrow's lot; what exactly was he supposed to do?

No one who hates this book can admit to even a vestigial smidgen of the feral in mankind. Dickey's unlikely and unwilling hero had it, and so when he appears to be camouflaged at the book's end, he really is: no one in the crowd who sees him understands what he is seeing--and that includes some readers.

This is one of the leanest stories I've ever read about such a complex character. The central conflict is simple and immediate and it doesn't let up until the very last sentence of the book. Dickey's prose is lyrical and captures the mind's eye better than any action/adventure novel I've found. There's virtually no dialogue as Dickey focuses on action, page by page, revealing the protagonist's nature along the way. You'll read this book in a matter of days if not hours.

I found To the White Sea to be better than Deliverance - the book Dickey will always be remembered for. It's both fitting and sad that Dickey's last book was his greatest.

This novel operates on myriad levels, and there is enough here to make you think for years. Multiple readings will only raise more questions, and/or cause you to rethink the conclusions you've previously thought solid. Merely for the fact that this is a book that makes one think and ponder and consider, it is a great book.

The basic story is that of a WWII bomber crewman shot down over Tokyo immediately prior to the great firebomb raids of Spring 1945. He is utterly alone on a hostile foreign island, likely listed as missing, presumed dead, with the book's opening pages promising a superior adventure as our protagonist struggles to stay alive and eventually repatriate. But, as the story matures and we gradually learn more about Muldrow, we see that repatriation has been only a fleeting inspiration. Mudrow has been freed, and he pushes north toward a place that is much more imagined than real.

As he struggles north Muldrow changes from serviceman to fugitive, from survivor to predator, from endangered hero to questionable protagonist to a perplexing and difficult-to-like principal character. To my reading, Muldrow is an unpredictable, dangerous psychotic, with only the regimen and discipline of societal interaction and military service having kept him in check during brief periods of his life. When in his element, out in the wilderness relying only upon himself, he is a nation unto himself, free to make any choice which suits his needs and his whims. We see it in the flashbacks to Alaska, and we see it in his maniacal odyssey to Hokkaido and the White Sea, and to a mental and physical place which of course does not exist.

In the end where does Muldrow go? This is as debatable as the nature of his character, the origins of his actions and thoughts, and his motivations. Dickey takes us from a strong, pulsing adventure narrative in the opening pages to a lyrical, poetic, almost mythical climax as Muldrow finally dies/transforms/transcends. It is a fascinating transformation for the character, for the narrative, and for the experience of the reader. I wholeheartedly recommend this riveting, expertly written book.

Easy to read, but wow: talk about flat. Character development is almost non-existent. This is summer- beach reading at its trashiest. Inhabitants of the vaguely-described Key West village are too perfect, even with their authored "flaws". I would love to have friends like the men in the story: all handsome, womanizing ne'er-do-wells with hair that never musses on the windy boats Woods writes about. Fact-giving scenes are interspersed with sex-scenes that read as if the Publisher wrote "Put sex here, here and here" on the manuscript.

The Choke of the title is both the name of the hero's boat and his life-long demon; the expected pay-off of the title dribbles air like a forgotten balloon with a slow leak. So why was I satisfied when I finished the story? Maybe it was the goofy- cop pairing, reminiscent of so many TV detective shows. Maybe it's because the so-obvious plot twists actually twisted back in the latter part of the book, relieving my fear that I knew the answer at page 75. Maybe it's because I read it on the beach in hot sunshine, with the waves rolling ashore, while on vacation. Who knows. Maybe I'm one of the great unwashed, after all.

The book begins with Charles, a professional tennis player, choking during the final match at Wimbledon. What could be worse then that? He's about to find out when he meets Harry and Claire while teaching tennis for a small resort in Key West, FL. What are they hiding?

In typical Stuart Woods fashion, this book is gripping from the start. With boats blowing up and fast action, it was a good audio book. This is the first book in a month that kept me riveted to my car to a point I didn't want to get out when I arrived at work or at home.

Mr. Sanders (Narrator) did a fantastic job. He was able to use his voice to give characters different accents, and personalities. In addition, he is one of the few narrators I have heard in audio books who could actually do a fairly decent female voice. I truly believe this added to the book.

Fast paced with lots of twists and turns, this is a gripping novel. This is only the second book I have ever had by Mr. Woods. The other was Dead In The Water. Though being relatively new to Mr. Woods works, I found this book to be exciting, fast paced and hard to pull away from just as I did with Dead In The Water.

If you like mysteries or suspense drama, then this is a book for you. For other new comers to Mr. Woods works, don't hesitate to read or listen to this book.

I really enjoyed CHOKE a lot. This is the first Woods novel I've read, and I plan to read more after this. The dialogue seemed a bit unnatural at times, but usually sounded realistic. The characters were good, and the twists were satisfying. I liked that the chapters were quick and cliff-hanging, keeping me turning pages. A fun book to read.

Camille Jameson and Zack Prescott met 2 years ago on a skiing trip. Their attraction for each other grew from several dates to a night of passion. Now they are thrown together to due Zack's father hiring Camille to redecorate their plantation home. It is a sweet story. I felt frustration towards Camille putting up with Zack's seeing an old girl friend while he is trying to recapture their passion and Zack putting up with Camille's lame excuse for their not being together. You can tell this is an older book of S. Brown's. She has so many better books out there-that I would probably recommend skipping this one - but if chosen to read, it is still enjoyable for a quick read.

i fell head over heels in love with Zach and I can see why Camille would too. I liked how the guy fell in love at the same time as the girl. It was so sweet how Zack never forgot about Camille and kept on loving her after she left him. The same for Camille. My favorite book by Miss Brown. I've read it more than once and still love it like it was the first time.

I loved this book! I loved the part of them meeting again after 2 years of separation. I liked how they met in the first place at Snow Bird. I also loved the character of Rayburn, Zack's father. He reminded me of my grandfather...It was the most wonderful book!

Set later in the nineteenth century than most romances, THE PERFECT MISTRESS offers an entertaining glimpse of the upper crust underground. The novel features the daughter of a successful courtesan, a young woman who suspects that financial security lies in marriage rather than settling as the mistress for some lordling. In that sense, young Gabrielle may appear to be sensible and wise in rejecting her mother's plans for her future, but alas, she is actually prone towards hasty schemes and extreme measures. She initiates the action in this novel by escaping her mother's luxurious home to run wild on the streets of London and, what, meet her future husband?

Er, well, this is a romance. But before satisfying her longing for security, she ends up twice abducted by men expecting her to be your basic fowl-mouthed Haymarket prostitute. The first attempts to reform her against her errant ways, and then the latter seeks to gather evidence of the former's hypocritical interest in whores. At the conclusion of these encounters, she's been roped into British partisan politics, and she's found a pretend suitor in order to stave off her mother's matchmaking/pimping.

You can't expect everything about a book like this to be a breath of fresh air. The hero's dour mother threatens his inheritance, and, natch, he calls her The Dragon. The heroine launches a desperate crusade to win back the hero's trust. There are also a couple of variations on The Misunderstanding, but they don't overwhelm the plot, and seem fairly consistent.

Besides these minor faults, THE PERFECT MISTRESS has plenty of entertaining ideas. For instance, while "courting" Gabrielle, the hero encourages her to scout out those souls who responded to the advertisement that she placed in her quest for eligible and willing bachelors. This scenario plays out perfectly, both amusing and ratcheting up the stakes in their relationship. It will be interesting to see if author Betina Krahn can maintain this level of creativity in her other books.

So far I've read four of Ms Krahn's books (The Husband Test, The Mermaid, The Last Bachelor and this one) and I loved them all and look forward to reading more. I love her style, her sense of humour and of the absurd. She creates great characters with fun and interesting stories to tell. This one centers on Victorian views on morality, the role of wives vs mistresses, and the politics of Conservatives vs Liberals.

Pierce St James has heard it all, but is still surprised when Gabrielle LeCoeur proposes that he pretend to be her lover. She wants him to pretend in order to keep her mother at bay so that Gabrielle can look for a husband! You see her mother is a famed courtesan who believes that true love and passion cannot be found in the drudgery of marriage. But Gabrielle does not want to be a mistress - she claims not to have the "juices" i.e. passionate nature necessary for such a life. She simply wants a respectable husband and a respectable life.

Pierce, who always appreciates the perverse and absurd, agrees to this little charade thinking eventually he will seduce Gabrielle anyway. Besides, he plans to use Gabrielle to his political advantage against Prime Minister Gladstone, whose interest in prostitutes is cause for speculation among the political opposition.

But neither plans on the friendship, camaraderie and sheer enjoyment they get from spending time together. Eventually Pierce proves to Gabrielle that she does, in fact, have the "juices", and when things get serious, they also get very complicated. As Pierce pulls away from Gabrielle, she turns to her "advisory committee" which includes his mother, her own and some of her mother's courtesan friends, to find a way to pull him back. When nothing seems to work and things go from bad to worse, Gabrielle reminds Pierce that they were friends first and that she will be either his mistress or his wife - he only needs to choose.

The only reason that I didn't give this five stars is that I thought Pierce took too long to come around and that he was a bit unreasonable, stubborn, and ultimately hypocritical - the thing he claims to despise most! But she calls him on it and he finally wonders why he has to choose at all. Can't he have her as wife, mistress and friend? A radical notion for Victorian England!

Great read. Ms. Krahn is an author I recommend you investigate!

Just finished this book and it was definitely another of her best. Gabrielle is adorable and Pierce is typical of the era, a rake, a rogue and a die-hard bachelor. But he hasn't a chance with her innocent propositions. Between Mama Beatrice and Mama Rosalind he has lost the fight before he knows it. It is a great story, sweet, charming, but fantastic love scenes. I highly recommend this book to all romance lovers

I did not like this book at all. It seems to be typical of a particular genre where all the characters are rich and famous and wear only the best labeled clothing. The women are all glamourous, the men, model handsome.
This book caught my attention because its setting was the Cornwall of Daphne Du Maurier and supposedly its premise was similar to that of Du Maurier's great romantic classics. This could not be further from the truth. The characters in "A Cottage by the Sea" are utterly vacuous parodies; the time travel sequence is ridiculously unbelievable.
Instead of wasting your time and money on this book, pick up copies of "Rebecca", "Frenchman's Creek", "Jamaica Inn" and the "Scapegoat"; even if you've already read them, you will get more out of a repeat read than a first go at this. If you love time travel, try the Gabaldon Outlander series; although there are some improbable situations in these stories, at least they are entertaining as well as well-written with real characters who laugh, cry and speak as we do.

Ciji Ware has a wonderful way of writing historical novels that bring you to that place she is writing about. She can write a contemporary storyline and tie it to a storyline 200 years before and keep you totally involved. I found the historical story much more interesting and compelling than the contempory storyline. If you have read Island of the Swans and are looking for a conclusion to Jane's life, I don't agree this book gives it to you. My favorite book of all time is "Island of the Swans" and read this book looking for some resolution of Jane's life. What I got was several paragraphs that, although interesting, was definetly NOT a conclusion. Read Cottage by the Sea and enjoy it on its own merit.

A Cottage by the Sea is a fun, page-turning read. The feisty heroine charms, while drawing the reader further into the story. Her interactions with the past help to shape her plans for the present and future--a literary device Ciji Ware knows how to use to the fullest. There's a wealth of local color also, especially for gardeners and lovers of Daphne duMaurier. It's diverting and entertaining enough for an airplane ride or lounging on the beach, but intelligent enough to hold the interest.

David W. Shaw has given us a gripping account of the steamship Arctic, which sank in September 1854 while making a crossing from Liverpool. The book is informed by his wide knowledge as a seaman, and his grasp of the economic competition between U.S. ship company owner Collins and his British rival, Cunard. The steamship was traveling as quickly as its boilers could take it, even in inpenetrable fog, when it collided with a smaller vessel, the French steamship, Vesta.

Ironically at first, it looked as it the Vesta was fatally damaged, and Captain Luce of the Arctic had to make one of the toughest decisions a mariner must face: He had to try to save his own passengers and crew and leave the people on the Vesta to their fates. But it soon became apparent that the Arctic was sinking quickly, without nearly enough lifeboats for all the people on board. In the chaos that followed, all the women and children passengers were lost. Only the strongest and most agile survived, most of them crew members. As for the Vesta, although many suffered loss of life, the ship was able to limp into Newfoundland days later.

Shaw writes well, although occasionally his foreshadowing is heavily overdone. This can be partially excused, since we know the tragic outcome of the tale, but it gives his work an amateurish quality. Overall, this harrowingly sad sea yarn will hold your attention throughout.

I found this book to be a well written account of a tragic maritime accident. Captain Luce, the captain of the SS Arctic, comes alive on the pages. His love for his disabled son comes across strongly and makes Luce human across the distance of 150 years. The book introduces us to a time when the American shipping industry (taking advantage of the British being occupied with the Crimean War) led the world in transatlantic shipping. The author shows us how the competitive nature of the time to always be the fastest led to the disaster. When the tragedy strikes and the ship is damaged, the author brings the disaster to life as we see the crew abandoning women and children (not a single woman or child survived the sinking) as they steal the few lifeboats the ship carried. It is in discussing the events after the sinking where the book fails in my opinion. Nothing was done to punish the crew and the author doesn't really explain why the maritime courts never sought out the crew for punishment. Overall, however, the book is well written and informative.

It's always refreshing to find a book that tells me about a little known incident in American history. This book, concerning the 1854 sinking of the steamship Arctic, is one of those books. As an added bonus, it's extremely well-written, reading almost as if it were a novel. There are a lot of nautical terms thrown about, but there is a glossary to help those, like myself, who are unfamiliar with them. We get a capsule history of the Great Race across the Atlantic between competing British and American companies, and a bit about ship design 150 years ago, when most were wooden, with side paddle wheels. The story about the collision of the Arctic with another ship, and the subsequent tragedy that happened because many crew members ignored the adage "women and children first" is heartbreaking. The astonishing survival of some of the folks from the ship, including the captain, is quite riveting, in large part because of the excellent writing involved. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to others.

This is an ambitious attempt by Edgar Winner Mary Willis Walker starring Molly Cates for the third time. For the most part, it was a first-rate effort of combining politics, homelessness, and a 28-year-old unsolved mystery.

I found no part of the novel far-fetched. I might have done so before April 19, 1995, (Oklahoma City Federal Building explosion), but no more. A well-designed plan to release lethal nerve gas in the State Senate Chamber was shocking, but by no means unbelievable. The chilling non-personage treatment of homeless people is an everyday occurrence. In Texas, unusual politics is politics as usual.

The characterizations are superb, and the story is tightly plotted. Balancing two main stories, the homeless Sarah Jane and Molly's self-mutilating investigation of her father's death 28 years ago, is a tough assignment, and is not always successful. I found myself deeply involved with homeless Sarah Jane who seemed to me more interesting than Molly. It could be that crimes committed 28 years ago lack in immediacy. I would find myself drawn back to Molly's story by the repulsive former Sheriff Crocker. The worst part wasn't his disgusting persona, it was that it was so familiar. We have all met a Sheriff Crocker, and been far the worse for the encounter.

The story was taut, leading to an unbearably suspenseful showdown. Even if the house were burning down, you wouldn't move till you finished the last ten pages.

For the past twenty-eight years, Molly Cates, a Journalist on the Lone Star Monthly Magazine, believes her father was murdered and not a suicide victim as the official position states. While working on two stories (on the homeless and a bill allowing the concealment of weapons), Molly comes across new information on the death of her father.

While digging up her own past, a homeless person, the "Cow Lady" tells Molly that she overheard a plot to kill everyone inside the Texas Senate building when the gun bill goes on the floor for a vote. While Molly and the "Cow Lady" try to save lives from a militant gun group, she also learns the truth behind the death of her father.

Mary Willis Walker has won numerous awards for her mystery novels (ZERO TO THE BONE, THE RED SCREAM, etc.). Her latest book, ALL THE DEAD LIE DOWN is a good story, but not on the same quality level as the previous tales, thereby, leaving many readers disappointed. Still, many readers will enjoy the self-examination of the protagonist even as they will be a bit disappointed over the slow moving story line which takes a back seat to the wonderful characterizations.

Harriet Klausner

With an intriguing blend of Capitol mayhem and capital murder, Edgar Award winning author Mary Willis Walker returns to the scene of her last thriller, Austin, and to her previous protagonist, Molly Cates, an investigative journalist for "Lone Star Monthly.' Imaginatively conceived, All The Dead Lie Down offers seemingly parallel plots which eventually converge in a frightening yet exhilarating finish.

Sarah Jane Hurley, an alcoholic derelict known as Cow Lady because of the black and white spotted coat she wears, is huddled beneath the deck of an outdoor restaurant when she overhears a mephistophelian plot - the detonation of a poison gas bomb in the Texas State Capitol building. "Yessir," she hears. "...You're going to turn that Senate chamber into a gas chamber."

Cow Lady ignores this frightening revelation, seeking only drink with "the glow in her blood, the numbing buzz in her brain as it begins to work its magic."

Not missing a beat the rapidly pace narrative then switches to the legislature where Molly Cates is researching a story on the concealed handgun bill. Molly is as plucky and stubborn as ever, but misguided - obsessed with the belief that her father's death some 25 years ago was not a suicide as judged but murder.

Constantly reaffirming the links between an idealized father and herself - he was a writer, she is a writer; he loved the lake; she loved the lake - she has been consumed by her desire to solve what she believes was his murder. The result of her fixation has been the dissolution of her marriage and this distancing of her only child, Jo Beth, who has been raised by Aunt Harriet, her father's older sister.

Access to the Cates family archives eventually leads to unraveling the questions about her father's death. The answers, both unexpected and unwanted, force her to realize that her father was not the icon she believed him to be and enable a wiser Molly to say, "My father was grievously flawed. He is closer and dearer to me now than when I chose to believe him perfect."

Yet it was Molly's chance meeting with Cow Lady that irrevocably changed and endangered both women's lives. When a fellow street person wearing the trademark black and white coat is brutally murdered, Cow Lady realizes that the plotters know they were overheard and, once they realize they've killed the wrong woman, she will be next. Molly is the only person she can think of who might help her.

Unwisely responding alone, the journalist finds herself joining Cow Lady as the doomed prisoners of two avaricious sociopathic killers who would sell their sisters for a sou just as they've sold Cow Lady.

Thursting into overdrive the story takes a hariraising turn as a weakened Cow Lady and bludgeoned Molly try to escape execution style deaths and interment in Austin's city dump.

Mr. Willis' command of street patois adds authnticity to her tale, while her rich characterizations raise All The Dead Lie Down above conventional thriller level. Faces given to the homeless : Tin Can, a retarded woman with "baggy jeans rolled up on her stubby bowed legs" whose only companion is "Silky" a stray calico cat; and Lufkin, "his long, bony nose and thin red mouth just visible in the nest of his long black beard, streaked with gray," who always sharres his scrounged bounty.

Their portraits are vividly painted for us through Molly's eyes: "She glances at Sarah Jane and it occurs to her that this is where this woman lives all the time...inside this crack in the world where you become invisible, where the default mode is brutality and eventually a mean death." The plight of these people is memorable.

Ms. Willis has penned a seductive mix of family history and mystery - prime diversion on home ground, from the streets of El Paso to the plains of Lubbock (although Lubbockites may not care for the description of their fair city) to the shores of Lake Travis. Absorbing and suspenseful, All The Dead Lie Down is a first rate mystery thriller.

I just finished this book. I couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since I've read a book that brings the history of an era so much alive as Susan Carrol did in this one. I would love to read a sequel to this book. Jenny's character was so well established in this story, that you can't help but wonder what kind of woman she would grow up to be. She was already so much like her father. A story about a woman with the same strength, convictions, and disposition that Jaufre had would make for a very exciting story.

Very rarely do I find a book portraying this time period, yet alone doing a good job with it. Most writers concentrate on The Norman invasion and some "pet" of William the Conquerer. Ms. Carroll's book, Winterbourne, deals with a later period, that of King John and the Magna Carter. Such an important part of Western history and politic thought. Seeing our hero struggle with the dilemma of following one's pledge or one's sense of "justice" is interesting. I felt that the story was a bit harsh, but then, so was the time period which this was written about...it gave the plot a sense of realism.

I have but 2 criticisms. First, the time jumped so quickly I didn't get the correct feeling of elapsed time. Jaufry was gone for such long perids of time (which warriors of that time period would have been required to do)yet becuase months passed from the end of one chapter to the beginning of another, I didn't get the feeling of separation. Another example is when our hero saves or heroine, we know they are going to get married, but the next chapter begins with the birth of their first child. No passage of time, no stories of dealings of them spending time together trying to build a life. Second, I didn't like the way in which Ronald's story (Jaufry's bastard son) ended (or didn't end). It seemed lame, and I kept wishing to see him "pop up" again.

Thus saying, all in all I felt this was a wonderful story and would reccommend it to anyone.

I love to read a really good book with a lot of adventure and this had it. The characters were great. Melyssan, the heroine, was a little teary eyed but that is how I would have felt if haveing to face a lot of what she had to go through. Jaufre, the hero, made me feel as if I knew him personally with all the depth on his feelings towards a lot of situations on his beliefs. He was a little crude but when in depth on how he really felt it was understandable. Genevieve, the daughter, was the best character of all. I rarely find a book that shows that much attention towards the daughter of the hero and heroine and Susan Carroll had me thinking and relateing to my daughter as well a lot as if it was my own child. After reading "The Bride Finder" I wasn't so sure if any of her other books would be as execellent but this was definitely a book I would read again.

I've recently read a good deal of Baroness James' work, and found much to admire if not a lot to like. While clearly and intelligently written, her works all too often come perilously close to sinking under their own High Moral Weight, and, I am afraid, are very nearly humorless. Adam Dalgliesh's gloom can get rather oppressive, and I was often moved to suggest that he get some Prozac.

The Skull Beneath The Skin, however, is the exception to the rule. Dalgliesh is nowhere in sight. James brings her other creation to the forefront, a woman named Cordelia Gray, last seen in James' An Unsuitable Job For A Woman. Cordelia runs her own detective agency, and at the start of the novel is hired to protect a neurotic actress from a series of poison-pen letters during an upcoming amateur theatrical production to take place on a secluded island.

James seems to be taking on the classic murder mystery, complete with despicable victim, exotic locale, small number of suspects each equipped with a motive, and finally, a rather bizarre murder weapon. The story moves swiftly and entertainingly, the characters live on the page, and if the denouement is rather unsatisfying, well, I think that is very much the point that James is making. Those classic whodunits are not about life, they are more about creating a puzzle for the reader to solve. James, however, wants to make us think about the realities of her situations, and to see her characters as living people, not just as cardboard types. In this book she James takes the genre out for a ride, and manages to have some good mean fun with it.

To the best of my knowledge, P.D. James only wrote two books about her young female detective Cordelia Gray. That's unfortunate, because I enjoyed both of them very much, especially this one. It has all of the "classic" elements of the British murder mystery: the castle, an island, an oddly assorted company, a butler, an interesting wealthy man, assorted relatives, and a grisly murder. Cordelia must sort out everything in the end, and even though the ultiumate outcome is somewhat in doubt, there's rarely a dull moment throughout this book. You follow Ms. Gray's progress avidly, and try to keep up with what's going on around her to gather your own clues about the murder. I'll admit that I was shocked at the resolution of the mystery, and that's one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much. If you haven't read Ms. James, start with "An Unsuitable Job For A Woman", the first Cordelia Gray mystery, and then progress to this work. You won't be disappointed!

I first read "The Skull Beneath the Skin" eleven years ago and, after more than a few re-readings, have had to purchase a second copy. (Yes, it's that good!)

In the sequel to "An Unsuitable Job for a Woman" (which probably should be read first), Cordelia Gray is still struggling to maintain her detective agency. In some ways, she has attained a greater measure of independence (she now has her own flat and even has a couple of employees), but in some ways she is more self-doubting than ever (is finding lost pets really a worthy endeavor for a detective agency?).

"The Skull Beneath the Skin" probably isn't the best of P.D. James's works from a novelistic standpoint (her subsequent works, such as "A Taste for Death" and "A Certain Justice" explore deeper themes), but it remains my favorite of her books because the juxtaposition of country-house (well, Victorian castle) murder and Gothic horror is simply great entertainment. The characters are profoundly sympathetic and well-delineated, and the conclusion is both affecting and disturbing.