The book is too short! You want to read more about this family's discovery of how to make a difference in the inner city. Makes you wonder if you could do what they are doing .

This young man and his family live the life of love the rest of us only read about. The book sings with humor and creative narrative. It wrenches our hearts, then sends our hopes for these neighbors soaring. Perhaps because of this book there will be other Randys and Tinas and Josephs and Jamesons who are willing to journey to the center of the city and love their neighbors.

Port Silva is a small bucolic, visually quiet town in Northern California with a population of 25,000 which means everybody knows their neighbors to some degree. Patience Mackellar was married to a policeman when he caught a bullet and ended up in a wheelchair. Together they opened a private investigation agency, but now that she is a widow, she continues with the business because she enjoys it.

She also has a junior partner, her thirty-year-old daughter Verity who just returned home after her three-year-old marriage turned sour and brutal. Their latest client is David Simonov, whose wife divorced him to marry his best friend Dev Costello. David also gave up custodial rights to his daughter but now he thinks they may be in trouble and he wants them found. During the course of the investigation, Verity bounces from one predicament to another nearly getting herself killed trying to locate Lily and Sylvia.

Port Silva is the type of town anyone desiring to escape the big city would like to live in. Characters from the first book in the Port Silva series make cameo and recurring appearances leading to a feeling of continuity to this series. Janet La Pierre has written on entertaining character driven who-done-it that provides plenty of enjoyment for that cool fall night reading.

Harriet Klausner

This is a marvelous novel, complex and satisfying, and so suspenseful that it kept me up late into the night. Patience and Verity Mackellar are the most interesting team of sleuths I've read in recent years, and the author does a skillful job of developing their relationship, both as mother and daughter and as colleagues in a dangerous business. Even the minor characters in the book are fully developed, and the settings are so richly rendered that savoring them is the next best thing to a trip to the Northern California coast. Keepers is definitely a keeper.

In the Kids' Guide To The National Parks Of California And Oregon, 12 year old Jenna Sullivan and her 14 year old sister Laura effectively collaborate to write a thoroughly "kid friendly" guidebook to the spectacular parklands of California and Oregon. These include Redwood National Park; Yosemite National Park; Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks; Pinnacles National Monument; Point Reyes National Seashore; Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument; and Crater Lake National Park. These descriptive text covers the geology, vegetation, and wildlife of the parks, along with the young authors' insights into natural resource issues like air pollution, acid rain, fire ecology, wildlife habitat, plant ecology, and resource management. Very highly recommended for any family planning to visit these west coast parklands, the Kids' Guide To The National Parks Of California And Oregon is enhanced with an introduction, a conclusion, an index, author bios, and four color plates.

As I read these two sister's enthusiastic descriptions of a number of national parks, I found myself forgetting that they were only kids. I'm a habitual reader of travel guides (otherwise known as the armchair traveler), so I feel qualified to say that this one is very refreshing. In fact, if you're thinking of travelling with your kids to any national park, you should pick up this book so you can see what it's like from their point of view. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with park rangers who treated their thoughtful questions very seriously and added a needed perspective on many parks. I'm impressed that two young kids were able to put together such a professional book -- I can only imagine what their next project will be!

I bought several landlord's rights books and found that this book was really helpful and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book if you're a landlord in need of legal advice to protect your property.

This is a major component of my landlord/property manager library. I was not surprised to find, when I purchased this recent updated edition, that it is even better! (I noticed more excerpts of code.) Nolo Press has a deserved reputation for offering excellent legal guides for the lay person

LAPD is one of the greatest Motorbooks I ever read (and I read and have a lot of Motorbooks).

Unlike some Motorbooks, LAPD is a reader...not something you can read overnight. It took me a few days because it's pretty heavy on text...and a bit depressing too to see such rampant crime in a city.

Samuel Katz is truly a professional author and the way he describes information in this book is outstanding...every sentence is information, almost every page a case story.

Sam Katz also wrote "LAPD SWAT" in a 1997 Popular Mechanics issue and a Concord "Special Operations Journal #1" but his Motorbooks expands and covers many facets of LAPD. This Motorbooks is/ has the full story. Popular Mechanic's SWAT article doesn't.

Reading the book, you get a sense of how large and apparently dangerous LA really is. The book covers all the above sections but unlike some Motorbooks, Sam Katz doesn't just tell you what the cops do, but how, why, when, where, and for what reason. It's similar to a journal of where he went with whom...just like the "COPS" TV show from start to arrest. Sam keeps his opinions to a minimum and let's the cops do the talking which is refreshing since Sam is a visitor to the city of LA and LAPD.

Each section gets it's fair shake of information and presentation. Sam isn't biased. He doesn't spotlight SWAT and downplay K-9 for instance. Best of all, the photos are mainly action and go with the case stories Sam went along for the ride. Like Concord's book you'll see actual SWAT busts with Sam snapping the camera, K-9 posing for Sam, Sam's in the helicopter shooting photos, etc. The photos are not something pulled from a file and captioned "LAPD." There are some photos of weapons and vehicles but most is about the people and the cases. This is not a "LAPD Equipment and Vehicle" reference book but more of a "what happened crime-wise this 1997 week in LA?" journal.

Also, Sam's been many places with LAPD and the book takes you along. From the wealthy "too loud" parties in Hollywood to the dangers of Nickerson Gardens Projects in 77th Area. From Venice beach with its problems to the skies over LA tracking a carjacker.

All true battle stories about real cops and their suspects. The dialogue isn't filtered...only the swear words are bleeped out. The cops talk and so do the suspects...Sam writes their quotes all down in the book, preserving it for history and telling you the reader what the cops and suspects think.

A must read about the best cops in a dangerous city. One of the best Motorbooks I have. Worth every penny in text and photos.

Finally--a book that tells the true story of the brave men and women who protect and serve the citizens of Los Angeles. The author has, through top-flight original photographs and a no-holds-barred narration, taken us on a tour of the dangers and excitement of law enforcement in Los Angeles. This books is a must read.

Maggie Garrett is a struggling PI in San Francisco. Her best friend keeps trying to set her up with every single woman she knows and her best friend's partner has recommended her to psychologist's attorney. The psychologist is being accused of sleeping with one of her patients. First the attorney hires her, then her father wants to pay to get the information first, then the step-mother wants to pay to get the information first. She agrees to all of them and then the dance begins. Taylor reveals each piece of evidence to the reader as her character finds them. Nothing is what it seems to be. Garrett goes undercover looking for the perpetrator only to find other crimes being committed. Things become even more complicated when murder is committed. Now Garrett is searching for a murderer! Garrett is an interesting and finely drawn character. Her friends are just like yours and mine. If you like mysteries cozy and with a lesbian PI, this is the series for you.

Completely enjoyed The Last of Her Lies. It's a great read and I look forward to reading more of Jean Taylor.

I read this book a few years ago and despite the rather "airport novel" front cover, found that it had real depth and a definite emotional edge. I enjoyed it despite being born years after the era covered in the book and growing up in Scotland. A good, entertaining read which I'd recommend. It had a similar feel as the film "Big Wednesday".

I grew up and graduated from Taft High School along with the author, Pamela Jekel. She did an outstanding job of capturing that incredible era in California when everything was just perfect. Surfing, the Beach Boys, sex, drugs and rock n' roll.

Although Woodland Hills was not on the beach, it was the premier mecca for the whole sun, surf & sex during the mid to late 60's. If you want to know what it was like growing up during that era, California Girls completely captures the magic.

You know in Peter Pan, when Tinker Bell lays out all that magic pixie dust? Well Woodland Hills was just full of that stuff.

A great book for any age.

Lee Bailey writes gorgeous books, that's the first thing you notice, but once you've tried his recipes, and I have five of his books, you find that all you have to do is open the book, follow his straightforward directions and you have a terrific meal. I rarely even add salt, his recipes are that good. Always my go-to guy for important dinner parties, he outdoes himself in this book adding wine and California style. In this book, he visits top California vineyards to cook with their chefs and their wines. This book is organized with complete menus which is great and saves organizing time, but you'll find yourself picking and choosing anyway since the choices are so good. Get this book and have a party!

The receipes expresses creativity and imagination for the busies working women in today's society. His combination of simplicity and freshest ingredients is attractive. Also, Lee's pairing of food and wine leaves the guess work out of receipes. I've thoroughly enjoyed my cookbook over the past few years and looking forward to purchasing others in the future. Thank you

I have read this book and learned about San Francisco politics in a manner that could only be paralleled by an education at San Francisco State University. Highly informative and highly recommended.

If you are at all interested in the new role of cities in the global economy or San Francisco politics, this is the book to have. The most informative book on San Franicisco politics to date. Theoretically sophisticated and a readable case study at the same time

Liars was a great book and had a great stroy line, about a boy who could tell when someone was lying. Having his power caused him some prombles. One prombles was his friend didn't want to be around him that much because if they said a little lie, he could tell. While I was reading this book all I wanted to do was read and read. I suggest this book to anyone who likes to read for hours and hours.

I chose this review because this was a book that opened my mind. I learned that not everybody can be trusted and sometimes things you think you have are just not there. This is one of my all-time favorite books. Kudos to P.J. Peterson!