Listen, I have been around a long time and read every true crime book on the market. There hasn't been a book in a long time which effected me as much as A Reason To Live. Beginning with page 1, the authors grabbed me and I couldn't let go, and I am telling you, it was like an emotional roller coaster from then on. I wanted to scream when Woomer and Skkar did the things they did and cry when Wanda Summers and the others suffered and died the way they did. At the end of the book, I stood up and cheered Wanda and Jimmy for not letting Woomer ruin their lives. My husband thought I had gone nuts, but I couldn't help it. This book is written so well it makes you do crazy things. A THOUSAND THANK YOUS goes to the authors for bringing this story to light. And I SALUTE THE COURAGEOUS HUMAN SPIRIT of Wanda Summers and the countless other victims who have suffered like her.

There were many expectations as to how Dale Hudson and Billy Hills would handle their second true crime book. After all, their first, An Hour To Kill, with all its controversy and popularity, would be a hard book to follow. It was no surprise however, to find that their new book, A Reason To Live, is filled with so much more than ever was expected.

In Hudson-Hills style, not only does the reader get an inside detailed and sordid crime story, but also an inside look at victimization at its finest. The story, which revolves around Wanda Summers is an inconceivable story of valiancy and determination. In 1979, Wanda Summers became the unfortunate victim of Gene Skaar and Rusty Woomer, two men with no consciousness. Wanda, along with her friend Louise, was kidnapped, brutally raped and then shot in cold blood, left to die. She and Louise were not Skaar's and Woomer's first victims however, they would be the last. Shortly after their crime spree, Gene Skaar killed himself before being apprehended by police, and Rusty Woomer was arrested and charged on numerous counts.

Hudson and Hills provide a spellbinding story by introducing the reader to Wanda's life of victim and survivor, which is a rarity in true crime books today. As many books mainly focus on the crime and criminal, once again Hudson and Hills provide readers with a different look at a crime through the victim's eyes. The reader has the ability to feel the emotions that Wanda has been going through years after the crime occurred. Not only the emotions keep the reader wanting more either, the facts of the case and the determination by Wanda to change victim's rights is truly an act of bravery; after so much endurance of pain and frustration through years of legal mishaps during penalty phases for Woomer.

While many readers of the true crime genre wonder what happens to the victims of violent crimes, A Reason To Live makes sure the reader is satisfied with the results of the victims afterwards, instead of leaving the reader unsettled. There is no doubt that this book will also catapult among the true crime genre population with great strides. A Reason To Live is poignant and courageous and will leave you ready to read Hudson and Hills next book.

Wanda Summers...what a courageous young woman. This is an incredible and inspiring story of a victim who wouldn't give up in spite of being raped, shotgunned and left for dead on a cold, deserted road in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Having been a victim myself, I can empathize with Wanda and her family, and know perfectly well what all she went through just to be normal again. America, when are we going to wake up and take notice of what happening in our society? Criminals get better

treatment than their victims. Thanks to the writing team of Billy Hills and Dale Hudson for bringing us another good story of American justice. They are carving a niche out in the true crime genre which seems to be read and appreciated by everyone. I will be first in line to buy their next book.

It is a truly wonderful book. Certainly an education for us in terms of the dimensions of relationships in a complex culture. It is multi-faceted, a touching examination of all of the relationships of black people: north/south, schooled and unschooled, young and old, relatively rich and poor, men/boys and women/girls---all with both historical and contemporary perspectives.
The book showed in dramatic fashion how children learn how to act, what to be, and what to hope for. Fortune wove a touching web of loyalties amongst family members, children to parents and vice versa...regarding life's ambitions.
Some of the issues were, of course, universal and we all will readily relate to them, too. But the others, those described from the black perspective, from those who lived it--the indignities, the pain, and the qualities necessary to be able to find joy in spite of it, and to survive the slow battle--not yet won. Those were the most revealing and poignant passages in the novel. I recommend it to anyone who has empathy with and goodwill for our fellow Americans.

I took Gwendoline Fortune's new memoir-as-novel Growing Up Nigger Rich to read on the plane to San Francisco this weekend. Once started, I could not close it up to sleep, but read straight through start to finish. It is a rich and complex novel, well-wrought and fascinating, especially for someone like me who did not grow up in the South, or in America at all, but in Australia.
The story centers on Gayla Tyner, daughter of a respected Black doctor in Carolton, South Carolina, who comes back home to the painful task of confronting, and eventually overcoming, old hurts. As Fortune says, 'It takes a lot of weight to break open the stones.'
Gayla's story gives us a different perspective on growing up in the segregated South. It gives us the world of the educated, upper-class Black, showing us what it was like to feel equal, even superior, to the white people who, by reason of their whiteness, felt free to call her 'nigger coon,' 'jigaboo,' 'darky,' 'tarbaby,' 'old yellow thing,' a world where even the compliment of being asked to sing for wealthy white groups, 'who thought nobody could sing like "the Colored,"' was an insult, a world of dislocation, of not knowing 'exactly where we're from in Africa,' of 'white relatives who don't come to Christmas dinner.'
Gayla's world is richly peopled by characters who walk right off the page into the heart. Their stories wind in and out of each other, turning back to look behind, leaping forward to peer into the future, a kaleidoscope of past, present, and hoped-for all happening together, the way they do in all of us.
Much in this rich layering is dark, but the reader is not left in darkness. With her keen eye for the telling detail, Fortune gives us glimpses of the hope that has grown up since desegregation: a black hand in a white, a passing smile from white to black, a reference to the easiness together of black and white in her children's generation.
Running through Gayla's story is the story of her husband, George, a compulsive and eventually doomed philanderer, who 'loved women . . . Tall, short, light, dark, young, or a little mature. The only ladies George ignored were ugly ones.' Fortune shows him, a newly minted PhD, applying for his first real job, as an Aeronautical Engineer, and being redirected to 'Altman's Custodial Placement.' His story gives Fortune the vehicle to voice her concern for the plight of her generation's Black man who, 'knew how it felt to be invisible,' and as a result, 'can't move forward, and . . . will not move backward.'
Nigger Rich has a strong visual and tactile impact. Gayla's neighborhood comes alive with wonderful details of food and clothes and customs, the sound of voices. She gives us a place where dogs 'wag their tails in simple pleasure for a clear, warm day,' a place of old women, the 'grandmothers, who nurture all the children of their neighborhood.' Here is a funeral feast set out on 'the round, oak dining table, baskets of golden, hot, homemade rolls wrapped in large, white, starched, cotton napkins, a buttery aroma announcing their entrance . . . Silver platters high with home-fried chicken, cut-glass bowls of creamy potato salad edged with slivers of oily pimiento, and sliced boiled eggs sprinkled with paprika, lined the dining table and sideboard. Coconut, pecan, and sweet potato pies filled two card tables because there was no room for them anywhere else.'
Fortune spends some time considering the concept of how to name her people: Black? Negro? Colored? African American? She comes down to the delicious notion of 'People of Color.' What a lovely phrase, and so apt. Never have I read a story with such a feast of skin color: yellow, high-yellow, molasses, umber, caramel, black-as-night, coffee, honey, cocoa, taupe, bamboo-brown, copper, buttered toast, henna, ebony, tea, chocolate. It's like a poem, or as one of her people says, "There's nothing prettier than a roomful of us, all decked out . . . A flower garden with all the colors of the rainbow. Yes, ma'am."
Growing Up Nigger Rich is a lovely book: an engrossing story, an education, and a finger pointing toward hope for true and lasting amity between the races.

This novel centers on the story of one black woman's attempt to come to terms with her heritage and therefore also the stories of the many people who shaped her existence. It is especially important for the light it sheds on a stratum of black society that has been relatively ignored. With many characters and deftly handled subplots, it has the feel of a perceptive, big-hearted, and visionary memoir. It would take a stone to read this book without gaining sympathetic insight into the endless trying to find a way of being, the exquisite and exhausting sensitivity to the nuances of a dangerous environment, the poignancy of living as "reluctant refugees."

I have just reluctantly finished Mrs. Peterkin's book,"HEAVEN IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE." I found myself putting it down because I didn't want it to end and then being drawn back because I had to know what new inspiration I would find in the next chapter. Mrs. Peterkin has revealed her soul and I feel so privileged that she has allowed me to vicariously live her life and wish I had been living mine with as much love. Her love and acceptance of all people no matter how worthy or unworthy we may be, gives me renewed hope in my fellow man. I thank her for letting me share this part of her life.

This book is a must read for all ages! I had a feeling of sadness come over me as I finished because I realized my adventure with Mrs. Peterkin was over.

I have just finished "Heaven Is A Beautiful Place", by Genevieve Chandler Peterkin...it is a wonderful, wonderful story of South Carolina history at its best...you are 'right there' with tales Mrs Peterkin tells of Lillie Knox, Zacky Knox, her mother-in-law Julia and Mama...cringe at the ghost tales of Alice Flagg and others...the romance and marriage to Bill, then the birth of their only son, Jim...grieve at the lost of that young son...her faith in God that grew stronger and stronger as troubles came.

It was hard at times to lay the book down, while at other times you could not wait to see what happened.

I am now going to pass my copy of "Heaven Is A Beautiful Place" on to my 89 year old mother, who likes to read, as she says, 'something real'...

Hello-she's baaaaaaaack- that low country lovin, livin, writin, Dorothea Benton Frank.

As with her previous 2 releases, ISLE OF PALMS, is also set in the author's beloved birthplace region and is a tribute to everything from it's salty marshes to it's eccentric inhabitants.

IOP is the author's best book yet.Frank provides equal parts drama, southern heritage and razor sharp one liners(reminiscent of Jersey girl, Evanovich).

The character of Anna Lutz Abbot is richly layered and supported by an ensemble cast that is flawed,but,loving and loyal.Anna's narrative is truly southern as well as sassy!

After reading all 3 of Frank's books, I have added a much needed, soul feeding, low country visit to my 'things to do before I die list.'

The 2 days spent reading this book was a long over due treat and well worth the wait since PLANTATION. My only regret is I didn't have my feet and backside firmly planted in the sandy beaches of South Carolina while reading it!

This is the third book and the third time I was held hostage by this author's words! I loved this book so much that I couldn't get a lick of work done until I finished it! The characters are deeply defined to the extent where I find I am missing them. I want to go to the Isle of Palms and have my hair done by Anna herself!

Great story! I only wish there were more Jims in this world!! :::sign:::

This one called out to me, and after reading the book, I know why. This was one of the best tales from the south I have ever read. I could not put the book down for a minute! The author truly brought me to the Isle of Plams, so much that I was looking at real estate down there myself! Bravo!

Anna is an incredible woman, and who wouldn't want to have Jim as an ex.

I am not a fan of books going to movies, but if this was the script, I would totally go see it!

When reading literature on the American Revolution, it is rare to find a book placed in the southeast during that time period. Even more rare is a book dealing with a mixed race family of the time. Ann Rinaldi covers both topics well in her book Cast Two Shadows. The protagonist, Caroline, is a girl of both African and white descent, with a slave mother and white father. Her father's white family embraces Caroline as a daughter when her slave mother disappears, under strange circumstances.

When Caroline is fourteen, the Revolutionary War comes to the South. Her family's home is invaded by British soldiers, and Caroline, her mother, and her sister are put under house arrest. Her brother Johnny and father are away, fighting on opposite sides of the revolution. Johnny is Loyalist, the father, a Patriot. Word reaches the household that Johnny has been wounded. Caroline is released from house arrest to "fetch her brother home." Accompanying Caroline on her journey is her slave grandmother Miss Melindy. Caroline rarely speaks to her grandmother and has no idea how to deal with being in the woman's presence. On the course of the journey, her grandmother begins to tell her stoires, and Caroline learns about her heritage, her family, and why her slave mother disappeared. When Caroline returns home, many thigs have changed, and she is not the same person who started the journey. The book deals with the subject of mixed slave/white families very well. The Revolution is also covered well, with the focus on how the British soldiers treated families in the souhteastern part of the country and what resulted from the invasion. This is a great book to read for an unusual look at the American Rwvolution, and a side of the war that is often overlooked in history books.

Cast Two Shadows is an amazing book, quite possibly Ann Rinaldi's best. The story of the American Revolution in the south, this book is a definitely not a dull example of war fiction. Where many books are set in New England, and the characters all face similar problems, Rinaldi has created a unique novel about a young girl's inner conflict as well as the one in the world around her. You will be drawn in by the unique characters, and the vivid descriptions of a South Carolina plantation. Some of Rinaldi's books are tough to follow, as she attempts to explain events that, without prior knowledge, are hard to understand. Cast Two Shadows, however, portrays historical events with ease. The plot moves swiftly, without a boring moment, as you follow fourteen year old Caroline's struggle to understand the war, her family, and herself. 282 pages of adventure and heart-felt emotions, Cast Two Shadows is a historical novel everyone should read.

"Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South" was another great novel by Ann Rinaldi, and a very good novel on the Revolutionary War!

Caroline, 14, lives with her mixed Patriot/Loyalist family in South Carolina around 1780. Her life begins to change drastically then; her friend, Kit, is hanged for trying to attack Cornwallis, her father is in jail for being a Patriot, her brother, who was at war, needs her to help him, Loyalists are taking over her home, her sister is getting to be friends - very good friends - with a British soldier, and she's also beginning to know her slave grandmother.

This book told a good story, with quite a bit of truth in it, about the interesting times of the Revolutionary War. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone ages 12 and up wanting an exciting read! I'd also recommend "A Wolf by the Ears" and "Time Enough for Drums", two other novels by Rinaldi, and definitely the movie "The Patriot" as it is about some of these very places, people, and events mentioned in this book.

i just finished reading the Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. This book was an assignment for my 12th grade The Novel class. although this sounds geeky especially for a teenager to say, i love to read. i really and truly enjoy reading, but that will be our secret. although i enjoy reading, in the past i haven't always enjoyed the novels i'm assigned to read in school (sorry to all you scarlet letter lovers out there, but nathaniel hawthorne didn't really do too much for me) The lords of Discipline was a much needed change of scenery. i would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read and even to people who don't consider themselves to be readers. despite your reading status, you will love this book. Pat Conroy has an awesome writing style. His use of imagery, makes one feel like he's apart of the book. Once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down. you'll even risk being called a book geek over this novel. so if you are looking for something to read that will not only make you laugh and cry but also teach you life lessons, i definatly encourage you to try The Lords of Disciple. i promise it will be well worth your time, it was worth mine!

I am in a novel class at my high school, and The Lords of Discipline is one of the best books I have read so far in that class. Pat Conroy gives a vivid, harsh display of life in a military school and how it can change anyone, even in the slightest way. There is trust, brotherhood, love, tragedy, and betrayal, and when you can effectively work with all these things at the same time, you are definitely a fine writer. The main character, Will Mclean, goes from being a boy to an "Institute" man in a very difficult way. While trying to help the first black student to go to the Carolina Military Institute, he comes across a mysterious group known as "The Ten", who set out to rid those not worthy of the Institute. This ultimately leads Will to discover something about his school, his friends, and himself. All in all, Pat Conroy gives a realistic view of military school life with poetical and lyrical passages that are what every writer should try to emulate. From its humble beginning to its shocking ending, The Lords of Discipline is a book you will not want to put down as soon as you begin reading it. Take it from a Southern girl!

I've never been disappointed by a Pat Conroy novel, so I'm not sure why I waited so long to read "Lords of Discipline," but when I ran across the excerpt of McLean's "Great Teacher Theory" twice in a month, I decided it was time to read the book. Conroy's protagonists always resemble one another--but that isn't a fault in his books. I always feel like I'm revisiting someone I met before and wanted to know better. Regardless of age, they are Southern men who both fit and defy the archetypes. Their depth lies in their ambiguity. Will McLean is no exception. At least at the point where he relates his story, he is very self aware. He hates the system represented by the Institute--but he busts his tail to meet the standards it imposes. His attitudes on war, love, authority and friendship shift--but he doesn't quit examining himself. The only frustrations with the book was my realization, as I finished reading, that now I have to wait for Conroy to write another book.

I bought this book at a time when I could see that we were going to have to find a new, safe place for Mother to live. However, she resisted the thought of moving to an "Old Folks Home", as she put it. She had also fallen into the "I don't want to go anywhere, because it takes too much effort" routine. Since she has always been a very sociable person, she fell into a deep depression. As I read this book to her, we both saw that there was a better alternative for her, as she was not so far along, physically and mentally, as to need a nursing home. After she moved into The Reunion Inn, in Marshall, Tx., I started reading to the residents from this book on a weekly basis. I am scheduled on their monthly calendar as "The Whimsical Reader." The book has allowed the residents to recall a lot of memories, as well as opening their eyes to the humor around them. It has also given them ideas as to how The Reunion Inn can be improved for their convenience. They really liked the idea of the benches across from the cafeteria line. Reading to the residents has given me the opportunity to get to know them better than I probably would have otherwise. This book has given such pleasure to all of us that The Reunion Inn is going to buy the rest of the books in the series so that I can continue reading to their guests. I recommend this book to anyone facing the possibility of moving into or placing their parent in an assisted living facility. It certainly made the decision easier for us.

Mrs. Wilder has given all generations a delightful and easy to swallow book about aging. The main character, Hattie, is into everyone's business, but in a kindhearted way. Through her eyes the reader can see much of the pain and joy of being older. Leaving your home and moving into a retirement home is never an easy choice, but I think Hattie shows us that if done with grace, it can work out to be a fairly good life. The book is a joy to read, offers lots of laughs, a few tears, and some good hard lessons about life. I look forward to sharing this book with my "adopted" eighty-four-year-old grandmother.

In this, her first book, the author uses her own experiences in a retirement home to illustrate her story. Her main character, Hattie, is a lovable & outgoing busybody, a habitual eavesdropper and journal writer, recording the day to day activities with a sense of humor and sometimes with a touch of sadness. She shows us that 's it's still possible to have a rich and meaningful life, no matter what one's age, with the right attitude. A good, clean book ( I especially enjoyed the humor and the light poetry).

This epistolary novel is probably not for everyone. But if you enjoy sophisticated language and language manipulation (read: English majors), this is a wonderfully creative book.

Dunn creates an idyllic island nation, Nollopton (formerly Utopiana), that quickly descends to a military state reminiscent of Orwell's 1984, with neighbor turning in neighbor and students reporting teachers when letters from that famous panagram, "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog," start falling off the statue to honor the sentence and the man who created it, Nevin Nollop. The High Council, politicians elected for life, take this as a sign from Nollop himself, disregarding the fact that the glue that holds the letters on is over 100 years old.

And so, the people of Nollop, who because of inconsistent phone service are a letter-writing people, must, one by one, eliminate letters from their lives or face serious punishment, including banishment for the third offense. The letters become truly hilarious as more of the alphabet disappears--just imagine a world with no "D"! Dunn manages, despite all of this alphabetical mayhem, to build in love interests for the two young cousins who most consistently write to one another. A completely enjoyable afternoon read that I think has found a place as one of my favorite books.

ELLA MINNOW PEA is the masterpiece of a very creative mind. I approached this story thinking that perhaps the book was meant mostly for English majors or those individuals who just love words. I was right and also wrong. This is a very clever story filled with interesting word play that everyone can enjoy. It's also an imaginative fable that is told in the form of letters that are written in lovely prose.

The story takes place on the fictional island of Nollop that was named after Nevin Nollop, the author of a very famous pangram sentence. Mr. Nollop is revered by the islanders and most especially by the officials who are members of the town council. On the island there's a monument to honor Mr. Nollop and beneath it the famous pangram is printed. THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG. One day the letter Z falls of the word LAZY and as time passes more letters continue to fall from the monument. The council members decide that the voice of Nevin Nollop is speaking to them from the grave and telling them to discontinue the usage of the fallen letters. Severe penalties are issued to the islanders if they use any of the forbidden letters in dialog or in print.

Most of the residents think that taking letters out of the alphabet is ridiculous, but since the penalties are harsh; they try to obey the new laws. As time passes, the people become desperate and begin to look for a way out of the miserable repression that had become their lives.

This book was very entertaining and it was also amusing to see the various words that people would come up with in their messages to one another. For instance, when many of the letters that would be used to spell chicken were forbidden, a man wrote a note to his friend thanking her for "the thermos of pullet soup" that she had sent to him.

'Ella Minnow Pea' is a delightfully diverting novel filled with wit and imagination. Its lovingly crafted structure is a real breath of fresh air -- one would be hard pressed to find another book like it out there. One must admire Mark Dunn not only for his lively imagination but for his awe-inspiring power over words. It is fun to see how he manages to continue telling his story while avoiding use of a growing number of letters in the alphabet. Never once does his prose sound forced or simple, even after he must resort to using his remaining letters to phonetically sound out his words. The plot (citizens on an island off the coast of the US rebel after their government begins restricting their use of the alphabet) could have easily been silly, cliched and like a poor man's 'Animal Farm' but instead forges out its own solid identity and endears itself to the reader through its inventiveness and wit. One can't help but enjoy 'Ella Minnow Pea'. I read it in one afternoon and my only complaint is that it had to end.

The racial double entendre couldn't have been lost on John Connolly, surely one of the most talented new voices to come out in the last four years since fellow British scribe Boris Starling. And it is racial relations that the always-savvy and canny Connolly explores in this book that is reminiscent of Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and Grisham's A TIME TO KILL.
No one is perfect and writing great books takes craft as well as skill. However, I believe that John Connolly's almost invisible hubris will never allow him to write a bad novel and THE WHITE ROAD never gave me the impression that he had written it to keep the series going. We're treated to some welcome backstory regarding Angel and Louis, including how they met, and a story told by Louis to Charlie Parker in THE KILLING KIND becomes the basis for the beginning of the book.
However, that's where Connolly's narrative falters. The burning alive of a black man in the 60's does not seem to have any bearing on the main story, which is about a young African-American man charged with the murder of a wealthy white girl. Another thing that does not fit is the paranormal child prostitute who appears a few times and disappears into a car.
But these seeming anomalies notwithstanding, Connolly gives us another Parker mystery that for once doesn't give us a fascinating and ingeniously flawed serial killer like Mr. Pudd, the Traveling Man or Caleb Kyle. Hunchbacked Cyrus Nairn could've proved to be a much more fascinating character than Connolly actually made him but he's creepy enough and the Rev. Faulkner makes an all-too sparing but welcome return.
Reminiscent of THE CHAMBER and Troy Soos's HANGING CURVE, Connolly embroils his detective in a battle of wits with the KKK and the usual assortment of physically deformed henchmen. His humor is as biting as ever (his brief but bullseye take on Fred Durst is priceless and is alone worth the cost of the hard cover).
The plot anomalies are easily overcome by the usual vivid characterization, dialogue and attention to detail in all things that sets Connolly head and shoulders above all but two or three of his peers in the mystery genre.

This is the best of the four. Every Dead Thing was a good read, but overcomplicated with too many characters and plots. Dark Hollow was much better. ANd even that warranted five stars. Then came The Killing Kind which was stupendously excellent. The best thriller of 2001. Even better than Dark Hollow. But now comes The White Road. And it's even better.

John Connolly's prose is simply wonderful. It is superbly lyrical, and his descriptions are superbs. I was in awe when he described a world as being "painted on glass". He has many sentences like that, which stop you in your tracks and make you realise how truly [darkly] beautiful his writing is.

Charlie Parker is back, and fighting for his life, and thst of his lover and unborn child. the demonic preacher Faulkner is out for revenge, the instruments of which will be horrfying killer Cyrus Nairn, who keeps his secrets buried by the riverside. At the same as Parker is investigating the rape of the young daughter of the wealthy Earl Larousse. Accused is her black boyfriend, Atys Jones. But deep in the nearby swamps something lurks...something connected to a long ago crime, and it wants vengeance...

This is a stunning novel. The darkness of it is haunting, and its complexity astounding, but JOhn COnnolly manages to tell you the tale in an easy to undderstand way.

It is truly chilling. The way Connolly blends subtle elements of horror in with a crime novel is awe-inspiring. And with this book he has created his most dark plot yet, yet it seems to contain a tiny snub of light shining through at points. At times the darkness becomes too much, and the light disappears as if gone forever, but at others, it reappears, burning brightly anew, and you can hold out some hope for Charlie Parker and his quest.

I cannot praise this novel highly enough. The resolution, and the way in which it is all brough together is brilliant, and the final solution shocking.

Connolly, with this book and the last created possibly the most chilling villain in the religious fanatic Reverend Aaron Faulkner, and in this book he is even more chilling than before. He simply oozes evil. This time, he is out to get Parker, and he is going to use killer Cyrus Nairn, recently released from the wing of his prison, to execute that revenge. It is a truly chilling book, with a wonderful plot, and a colourful cast of characters, including Angel and Louis, who are back in full force. This time we learn a little about why they are who they are.

From the excellent prologue to the epilogue this book is a sucess on every level. Connolly just gets better and better. If you haven't read him yet, you're missing out.

South Carolina lawyer Elliot Norton calls his pal Charlie Parker to help him with a case in which his client a black man has been accused of murdering his white girlfriend, the daughter of wealthy powerful parents. Charlie would like to help his friend, but is concerned about leaving his pregnant girlfriend Rachel alone. He fears that their enemy Reverend Aaron Faulkner will retaliate for the deaths of his murderous son and daughter though he is standing trial for killing his congregation members and other people.

Charlie reluctantly travels to South Carolina, but arranges for Rachel's protection while he is away. In the South, Charlie becomes involved in a world where hatred is the norm and the pretrial may prove deadly for the defense team. Though perilous, Charlie investigates the case that leads him to several other murders and a trip to hell down THE WHITE ROAD coaxed by a malevolence beyond anything he ever faced before even while evil stalks Rachel back in Maine.

John Connolly provides an exhilarating Parker tale as the audience receives more than an investigative novel. Readers obtain a taste of the historical South cleverly interwoven into the drama as well as a powerful crime story occurring in two states. Parker is at his best as he tries to solve a mystery, stay alive, keep his friend and client safe, and struggle with being in two places at the same time in order to insure no harm comes to his beloved. Readers will want to travel THE WHITE ROAD and when attaining the final destination will look for previous Parker treks (see THE KILLING KIND).

Harriet Klausner

This book really captivated me because it was so real. The main character Marietta, was a phenomonal character because the book talked about her struggles. Straight used many different techiques to point out her trials and tribulations throughout this book. it talks about her going through womanhood, pregnacy and life. Marietta was a caring yet comforting person to be around. I would recommend this book for all people to read becase takes you through a lot of emotions. Crying, shouting and thinking all at the same time. So go and buy this book , read it and really try to learn something from it.

I finished this extraordinary book a few days ago and just can't let go...I actually found myself speaking in the Gullah dialect for a time,I so loved Marietta("such a feminine name for such a big old girl...makes me think of Lemon Pie...")I kept thinking the whole time I was reading that this should of been an "Oprah" choice.Susan Strait is white,which is fascinating to me...I too am white...but it seems to me she writes the black experience with so much feeling.All race issues aside,this is a womans story (a "Large Woman's"story, which I have never seen done so well) and a single mothers story...From the great title to the wonderful ending...if you read nothing else this summer...take this one along to the beach....and stop for fried catfish on the way!!!

What an extraordinary book. I Been In Sorrow's Kitchen And Licked Out All The Pots is a froce of nature. Marietta Cook, is a tall, blueblack girl, who grows up wehn she finds herself pregnant with twins. She is about strength and beauty. She develops an inner strength at a time when the world seems determined to desstroy it before it can begin. Raising twin sons, she sets a path for them to become successful through football. A moving book that is bound to ring the bell of your soul, it should be read and read again. A masterwork from a brillant writer.