Farrell's book rises above the usual boilerplate standards of true crime writing. The style is literate, the narrative crisp, the results fascinating. I'm not surprised that this grisly episode has been hushed up for years in the san Jose area. I grew up close to the infamous Ludlow massacre of striking coal miners in Colorado circa 1913, and heard nothing about it. Civic pride can cover a multitude of crimes. What distinguishes this sorry episode is the generally respectable standing of the parties involved. Surprisingly, the kidnappers were local, middle-class non-itinerants, while the lynch mob - far from the usual redneck cast - comprised solid citizens of the day, including students from pious Santa Clara University. One wonders how many other gruesome murders occurred in that same area that failed to arouse even the passing interest of this same upstanding citizenry. Anyway, this is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in America's hidden past., and it should be noted that a riveting 1950 movie, "Try and Get Me", was based on the Hart kidnapping. It features perhaps the most dramatic lynch scenes ever staged by Hollywood, and is out on video.

This book was interesting from cover to cover. The author lays out the story well and gives you the real feeling of being there. Those who have spent considerable time in the Santa Clara Valley will be impressed with the references to specific landmarks, roads and events. Harry Farrell describes the politics and lifestyle of the area so well that the reader receives a local history lesson as well as a great factual crime story. It is obvious that the author went to great lengths to obtain accurate details of the event. This no easy task considering the time that has elapsed since the event took place. I highly recommend the book for those who enjoy crime stories and particularly for those who are fascinated by San Jose's past. -John Spicer, San Jose, CA.

I'm not ashamed to stay I stayed up all night reading this book. I thought I'd read a few chapters before bed and...well, I just couldn't put it down. Brooke's murder is particularly brutal -- I could hear his final calls for help inside my head. The description of the lynching is so vivid you feel as if you're there, shouting and manning the battering ram with the rest of them. My only complaint was that the "after the lynching" section seemed to drag a bit. All in all a wonderful book, which I would highly recommend to any fan of true crime.

Through his discerning eyes Roger's penetrating photographs reveal the richness of nature along the Carmel, Big Sur and Monterey Coasts and opens our eyes to our own backyards. A photographer who shows the soul of rocks, trees, leaves, caves, ocean, sand and sky. Bill's words call the soul of the world, drawing us into a fullness of life's emotions, triggering our own losses and hope and wonder...then reminds us of the gift of each moment through sound, sight and feelings. A poet with the courage to bare his soul and in so doing awakens our. These photographs and poetry bring the universe to our doorsteps. A treasure book.

Art should provoke response, should inspire action in kind. This book delivers a moving example of just that: photographer inspiring poet, poet guiding the artist's eye. Moore's captivating images are, on one level, a beautiful rendering of Monterey's allure. But like Sechrest, I see something else, something profoundly emotional, which Moore achieves straightforwardly, without artifice or manipulation. Be sure to share this book with your most insightful friends and enjoy their responses.

TIP: as the book's designer, I happen to know Moore will be publishing another remarkable book of southern Russian images in the near feature. Keep a lookout - Moore is definitely on a roll.

Roger Moore's photographic style is exquisitely unique, truly a fine-art master, and his choice of subject matter can't be beat. These elements combined along with Sechrest's magical and moving poetry take the reader on a virtual fantasy vacation to one of the world's most beautiful and unforgettable areas. The fusing of the artistry of both the photographer and poet gift the viewer/reader with the stirring of all of the senses and emotions. One feels as if they've stepped into the photograph, smelled the ocean, looked up at the trees, felt the feelings, loved as Moore and Sechrest have loved.

"Fat City" is a novel that delivers an uppercut of grit, sadness and human endurance to the reader. Harsh, powerful, and poignant this novel is beautifully rendered in taut prose. It is remarkable how in theme and style Gardner's writing resembles the paintings of the 1930's artist, George Bellows, who also depicts the struggles of boxers and urban poor both in the blood speckled ring and in tenement strewn wastes of American cities. Bravo Gardner, you have your equals in Selby, Melville and Hemingway! But one wonders why this talent has not come into the ring another time and graced his readers with another novel?

"Fat City" is a novel that delivers an uppercut of grit, sadness and human endurance to the reader. Harsh, powerful, and poignant this novel is beautifully rendered in taut prose. It is remarkable how in theme and style Gardner's writing resembles the paintings of the 1930's artist, George Bellows, who also depicts the struggles of boxers and urban poor both in the blood speckled ring and in tenement strewn wastes of American cities. Bravo Gardner, you have your equals in Selby, Melville and Hemingway! But one wonders why this talent has not come into the ring another time and graced his readers with another novel?

"Fat City" is a novel that delivers an uppercut of grit, sadness and human endurance to the reader. Harsh, powerful, and poignant this novel is beautifully rendered in taut prose. It is remarkable how in theme and style Gardner's writing resembles the paintings of the 1930's artist, George Bellows, who also depicts the struggles of boxers and urban poor both in the blood speckled ring and in tenement strewn wastes of American cities. Bravo Gardner, you have your equals in Selby, Melville and Hemingway! But one wonders why this talent has not come into the ring another time and graced his readers with another novel?

Dunn must be applauded for his first book about our nations best police department, The LAPD. Strap on the vest, log on with control, and hang on because BOOT takes the reader to the streets Lights and Siren! The reader is taken from Dunn's rookie year through monthly progressions and we see him grow into a better officer. Dunn freely admits his Tactical errors in a humorous way. Doh!! The reader is taken on a Great Year filled with humor, pursuits, tragedy all the elements for a great tale. I only hope BOOT was not the authors only endeavor. Truly a joy to read!! I have read it and underlined it Three times already. Highly recommended to not only those in law enforcement but everyone who wants an insight into those guys going code 3. What are they doing, HOW are they doing it? What are they Feeling? Read BOOT and you are taken there.So throw down that food,"We take our back ups seriously down here..."

I have just finished reading "Boot" by William C. Dunn. This is an excellent book on police work and the perspective of a rookie cop. I am a sergeant, just shy of completing thirty years on the LAPD, and currently work with Bill. I am his supervisor. Bill's book is easy reading and well written. His stories are insightful, and brought back memories of my rookie year. I enjoyed reading his book. I sincerely hope he writes another one. If, and when he does, I will buy it and read it. His style of writing makes it so you don't want to put the book down, you want to keep on reading. Great job, Bill

Anyone with an interest in the LAPD or police in general will want to read this book. An absolutely excellent title that is well written and hard to put down. William Dunn has done an excellent job capturing the essence of the LAPD officer's rookie year and the difficulties of learning what they don't teach you in the academy - especially the art of dealing with people, both inside and outside of the department. The stuff on the interaction between the LAPD and gang members is top notch. I gave this one a ten because it's one of those books that I may actually read again at some point. The only thing I can give Dunn a bad mark for is the fact that he hasn't written another! NOTE TO THE AUTHOR: Please - write another!

This book is an excellent tour through history of astronomy and astronomers quest to uncover our place (and time) in the universe. Ferris goes into quite a bit of detail and does not treat his readers with kid gloves. There are many interesting anecdotes about various astronomers and Ferris sometimes gives mini biographies of the more interesting/eccentric of them. Ferris starts with the greek astonomers such has hypocratus, goes through copernicus, kepler, galileo, newton, and then onto the astronmers of the last 200 years. But in his final section, he also talks about how the geosciences, and the theory of evolution began to give us a better perspective of where we fit in the universe not just in space but in time. The last chapters are devoted to the cutting edge of science - quantum physics. Ferris reports discoveries up to the point practically that this book was published! All in all, a good read for anyone interested in science and particularly in Astronomy.

This book is an excellent tour through history of astronomy and astronomers quest to uncover our place (and time) in the universe. Ferris goes into quite a bit of detail and does not treat his readers with kid gloves. There are many interesting anecdotes about various astronomers and Ferris sometimes gives mini biographies of the more interesting/eccentric of them. Ferris starts with the greek astonomers such has hypocratus, goes through copernicus, kepler, galileo, newton, and then onto the astronmers of the last 200 years. But in his final section, he also talks about how the geosciences, and the theory of evolution began to give us a better perspective of where we fit in the universe not just in space but in time. The last chapters are devoted to the cutting edge of science - quantum physics. Ferris reports discoveries up to the point practically that this book was published! All in all, a good read for anyone interested in science and particularly in Astronomy.

One of the most enjoyable books I've read. Ferris has sparked my new-found interest in science and physics. I liked this book even better than "A Brief History of Time".

Just finished another interesting paperback book I bought thru Amazon.com titled
Three Cats and Two Dogs--One Journey Through Multiple Pet Loss by David Congalton. Copyright 2000 Publisher: NewSage Press

It is a story about a writer who is also a radio talk show host and his wife who lose all their five pets one night in December 1997 to an accidental fire while the couple was out. In the months that followed, not only were they grief stricken and felt a deep sense of loss but also felt a sense of guilt and great emptiness. Within months and after lots and lots of tears, they started to "move on" as best they could. Within two years they had rebuilt their fur family including among them several handicapped animals. At the end of the book, their family consisted of a grand total of nine cats, one kitten and four dogs and they couldn't seem happier although they will always think about the night when all 5 of their pets died.
This is a great book for anyone who has ever lost a pet and would understand the couple's grieving process. And happily the book does end on a joyous note.
Happy Reading.

Three Cats, Two Dogs is a beautifully written and moving book. David Congalton powerfully recounts the experience of losing his pets, and of how he moved through grief and recovery into new pet ownership. Congalton is a wonderful story teller. With clear, vivid prose, he describes his five wonderful companions and their tragic loss. The book is never maudlin or over-sentimental: the author confronts the emotional devastation of multiple pet loss with a clear eye and great wisdom. This isn't just a book about a sad event--it's about how we all learn to cope with death, and how we can take the loss of loved ones and grow to even greater love and understanding.

If you've ever lost a pet, read this book. If you've ever loved an animal, read this book. It will heal your soul, and bring you deeper understanding of the vital place of companion animals in our lives.

In the last year, my wife and I have lost our dog and cat, both to old age. We were devastated and I'm surprised by how deep our grief went. Close friends gave us various books and articles to read about pet loss, but I just couldn't bring myself to read any of them.

Then I came across "Three Cats, Two Dogs" by David Congalton at my local bookstore. I read it in one night; I literally could not put this book down. Here's a couple in California who lose five pets in a house fire in 1997 and guess what? They end up going through enormous grief, but then turn around and adopt ANOTHER set of animals, refusing to give up on their compassion for animals. You can't read this without crying, but then you're overwhelmed with admiration for this couple's courage.

I especially enjoyed the little essays in between the chapters. Apparently the author used to write for a newspaper and he shares some of his old newspaper columns about the individual animals who died in the fire. What a wonderful tribute.

When I finished reading "Three Cats, Two Dogs," I realized that it was more than OK to grieve for dead pets. Anyone who has ever loved a companion animal will benefit from this book.

When Sharon McCone's father dies, he leaves a request that Sharon be the one to go through his papers. When she does, she finds some shocking information about her past which plunges her into anger and disbelief and causes her to search for answers to questions she didn't know she needed to ask. Sharon has always known that she is part Shoshone Indian and her investigation brings her face to face with her Native American relatives. Greed, prejudice and corruption are all uncovered as Sharon seeks out her identity. Her lover Hy is at her side, as always, but the McCones oppose her quest. This book marks an interesting twist in the long-running Sharon McCone series, but watching Sharon try to solve her own mystery is not as intriguing as watching her solve other people's. Still, this is an important book for Marcia Muller fans.

Being a mystery writer whose first book is in its initial release, I have been fascinated by Marcia Muller's work and her evolving Sharon McCone character since I first began reading this series nearly two decades ago. Over the course of nearly two dozen books, Muller has allowed Sharon McCone to grow up and mature from a quasi-counter-culture twentysomething woman working as a PI for a nonprofit San Francisco legal clinic into the fortysomething owner of her own private investigation agency. Muller has pulled off this transformation more convincingly than I have seen in the works of any other mystery author.

In LISTEN TO THE SILENCE, Muller adds fresh twists to McCone's background. Upon the death of her father, McCone discovers why she is the only child in her family who appears to be Shoshone. The reason is simple and obvious. She was adopted by the McCones and her birth family's roots rest on a Native American reservation. McCone's discovery of her adoption launches her on one of her most fascinating investigations. I found this book engrossing, and I was once more amazed at how Marcia Muller manages to add new facets to one of the classic characters in contemporary mystery fiction. I recommend this book highly.

This distinguished series has been a favorite of mine for many years, but I found this novel to be the most rewarding to me. In other novels, Sharon McCone's character, wit, and action are stronger . . . but the underlying issues are much less fundamental. Here, she has to look squarely at the question of who she is in the broadest sense. To pull that off after so many novels is quite a feat. I heartily commend and thank Marcia Muller for writing this book.

I can't tell you very much about the plot without giving away things that will spoil the story for you. So I apologize for not giving you as much detail as I usually do.

Let me talk instead about how the plot is organized. Sharon McCone is off on a search for identity where one clue connects to another. So there is the usual mystery-unraveling aspect to the plot. The complications are above average in their extent, and provide satisfying revelations right up to the end.

As you may know from other Sharon McCone novels, Marcia Muller likes to work with mental dialogue as well as spoken dialogue. In this case, the internal dialogue is about listening for what people don't say, when they hesitate, or change the subject. From this interesting technique, you will probably become a better listener. Like most of us, Sharon McCone lets most of this information pass her by the first time she hears it. But upon further reflection, she sees missing elements. And then profitably focuses her attention on those. By this method, most of the plot is unraveled.

But the development of what a family is makes this a remarkable mystery. In this one novel, Marcia Muller looks at intergenerational relations, the implications of adoption and remarriage, male-female relations with and without marriage, and clan relations as well. Few novels have this scope, and I hope you will look for this element and think about it as you read this rewarding novel.

For Sharon McCone fans, this book is going to be very exciting for another reason: The elements in this book create vast potential for developing new and expanded themes in future books in the series.

If you have not read any of the books in the series, however, I suggest that you not start with this one. A lot of its appeal comes in the surprises that you will experience as the plot unfolds. I envy you the chance to start in the beginning and read all of these books in order!

Overcome your complacency about thinking you know what is about to happen in your own life. Use this book to identify a single assumption you are making about your life which, if changed, would refocus everything you do. Then consider whether your assumption is really a good one. Who knows what you will discover?

Enjoy!

Whenever I feel down and out. I pick up anyone of Ms. Cooper's books and feel instant inspiration. I realize that life is not too hard and that others have had it just as bad. She feel like she is a friend that just wants to talk to you and lead you in the right direction or put you back on track. I like this book because it applies to life in the 90s and there are still women and men out there acting the fool. When you are looking for love, she tells you how to go about it the right way. I recommend her books to everyone because they can be understood by anyone regardless of sex. I also loved her book "A Piece of Mine" but I see that it is not mentioned here and it's another great book worth mentioning.

I read J. California Cooper's In Search of Satisfaction. I enjoyed it so I now read everything that she writes. This book helps those who have become disillusioned with life and love. She shows examples of what can happen in the name of love and because of love. She colors the reality of love by showing human weakness and strengths. Sometimes we need a reality check and Copper has contributed this to all who are interested.

This is my first j. california cooper book and it is now officially one of my favorites. She had me laughing out loud, giving real thought to my life and relationships and also really inspiring me and making me see love in a different but very hopeful and realistic light. The stories were dynamite. The voices she uses for her tales are terrific and make you feel the character's plight. She is now my favorite author.

No other book about Baja California has ever eaten into my soul as Gene Kira's "King of the Moon." I have known and traveled throughout Baja for many, many years. I saw these people. I spoke to them. Through this book, Kira has brought composites of all of the people of this remarkable Mexican peninsula.

What a find! King of the Moon is that rare book with the power to change lives. This haunting and often harrowing story of life in a Baja fishing village is packed with intense imagery and colorful characters. This book is so satisfying I didn't want it to end. (I struggled to pace my reading to make the experience last longer.) It's a beautiful and bittersweet story written with consummate skill and filled with profound insight into the human condition. A treasure.

Gene Kira's "King of the Moon" is one of the best fictional books on Baja to be published in my lifetime. The characters jump off the page to give you a vivid feel for the country and its people as they accept what the land and life gives them and struggle to make the best of what they are given. You will begin to understand why there are people like myself who have come to love the country and its stoic, warm-hearted people. For a real insight into Baja, try "King of the Moon".....Gary Graham, Baja on the Fly.

I have been a bit
disappointed with this book. It's a great starting point for finding
places that are dog friendly, but I wouldn't rely on it solely. For
example, I found the information on Santa Cruz County to be pretty
inaccurate. Contrary to what the book tells you, New Brighton Beach
does allow dogs on leash ($1 fee) on the beach; and the
"trails" mentioned are just paths between the campgrounds
and the beach itself.

We stopped at a local gas station and picked
up a map with all parks indicated and it was more accurate about which
places allow dogs and on what terms.

Perhaps the author does a
better job in the more specific "Dog Lover's Companion to the Bay
Area".

We have used the California Dog Lover's Companion for travel all over northern, central, and southern California, and it has never let us down. All recommendations for lodging, outdoor activities, restaurants have been completely accurate in terms of quality and price -- unlike some other books we have used. Also, the author provides charming anecdotes about her dogs which make the book an enjoyable read, and not just a dry reference tool. We actually wore our first copy out (our dog ate the first few pages, and then it got all wet from a romp in the snow), and had to order a second!

In our opinion and our dogs', this book is truly the best thing that ever happened to dogs, at least California dogs!!! It's written with such a sense of humor and a love of dogs that sometimes we just read through it like it's a regular reading book, not a guidebook. Our dogs want to meet the author one day and shake her paw. We took a coastal vacation, staying at only places in this book, and the dogs were in total heaven, from Mendocino down to Santa Barbara. No other dog travel books compare.