If your looking for a great book that is going to teach you a leason as you read it than this is the book for you. The book tells a story of a family who is treated like trash because of their economical problems. If you decide to read this book than you will find how one of the children in this family has had enough of being treated like trash. And how his efforts to bring his family out of the gutters pitifully fails.

This book is very nice. You can certainly learn something from this book. James Lincoln Collier did write this book neatly. I would recommand this book to anyone who like lifestories especially about a childs life story.

Reliquary grabs you at the start and holds on for dear life until the last 50 or so pages. Please understand the whole book is great, but the ending appeared to be a bit contrived, almost as if the authors were tired and said "Let's just end this thing." I would recommend this book to anyone who is an adrenalin junkie ( and who isnt really). Not a book to be read at night or while alone. You will hear strange scrambling noises and smell goatish odors. Douglas and Childs have not received the recognition they so richly deserve. I know everyone says it, but they did create something to compete with Jurassic Park and then when they wrote this sequal, unlike Crighton and his The Lost World, they did bother to put in time and effort to keep their fans enthralled and scared witless.( Except for the end.) But hey, even with the ending being a bit disappointing the rest of the book is worth the cost of buying this book in hard cover and then after reading it, paying the extra charge on your light bill, because you wont dare turn off the lights for days. Buy it!!!!! Read it!!!!!! Scream for the movie!!!!

One imagines there are inherent difficulties in collaborative work, but Preston and Child are so successful that one hopes they've found some mutually satisfying solution, so that they never stop! RELIC was a fine thriller, set in the NY Museum of Natural History, a dark labyrinth of curious objects. This time the pivotal scenes take place below New York City, in the dark labyrinths of subway tunnels, sewer drains and abandoned egresses, while the characters are the same. This is a true sequel, so do yourself a big favor and read RELIC first. You'll find the same main characters: anthropologist Margo Green, FBI Special Agent Pendergast, police lieutenant D'Agosta and reporter Bill Smithback, and it's nice to see them because they're all interesting and intelligent characters. A new character is introduced, Sargeant Hayward, who is also intelligent and cynical about her idiotic and sexist superiors. She gravitates toward our group, in a sort of Ayn Rand meets Stephen King way.

This time out someone or something has been killing homeless people, and our protagonists must learn about and enter the frightening depths below The City. The plot intensifies as they realize that one of the victims is someone they knew during the events of the first book.

My only complaint is that the book took a while to get going, for me at least, and really only took off after page 100, when Pendergast showed up. From there it is a superb thriller, and I stayed up to finish it until 4 am, turning pages quickly, interested in all the story threads as they played out and converged.

Masterful, intelligent and thrilling, this is a great read -- but read RELIC first!!

I just finished reading Reliquary. This book is great! It is definately on my list of my top 10 favorite books. If you read Relic, you have to read Reliquary. Once again, Preston and Child have proven that they are masters of thriller/horror novels. Those of you who read Relic will enjoy seeing the return of Margo Green, Bill Smithback, Lieutenant D'Agosta, and the ever-so-cool Special Agent Pendergast. The plot is definately an interesting one: a potential race of mini-Mbwun murdering the underground homeless and some "surface dwellers" of Manhattan, and putting the city in the cold grip of fear in the process. Several of the underground settings are fantastic, and will leave you thinking about what is really going on beneath the streets. The incident with the subway train will make you think twice the next time your train stops in the middle of a tunnel. While reading, see if you can figure out who the "Mr. Big" of the creatures is; I did. Reliquary has it all: mystery, thrills, suspense, horror, action, and one helluva surprise towards the end. This book is a must for all of you dedicated thriller readers out there

I decided to buy and read "The Coffin Dancer" because I read a customer review of a Harlan Coben novel that said Jeffery Deaver's stuff is better. I was not disappointed, and I have to agree that, on the basis of "The Coffin Dancer," Deaver is a better choice than Coben.

In "The Coffin Dancer,", quadriplegic former police detective (now consultant), Lincoln Rhyme and his beautiful protege, Amelia Sachs, battle to protect three witnesses to alleged crimes by a multimillionaire from professional hits by an assassin known to them, because of a bizarre tattoo, only as the Coffin Dancer. The Dancer always seems to stay a step ahead of Rhyme and Sachs, at least until the dramatic and exciting conclusion.

It should be understood that this was the first of Deaver's books that I have read. Based on that limited exposure, I have no hesitation in recommending "The Coffin Dancer." The plot twists and turns, the characters are mostly believable, and the suspense builds to the very end. Sure, the story is contrived, but what suspense novel designed to keep the reader guessing is not? And sure the book was probably written with a movie screenplay in mind. Why not? The sale of the movie rights to "The Bone Collector" (a successful and entertaining movie) probably enlarged Deaver's account substantially.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Coffin Dancer" and look forward to reading other Deaver novels in the future.

This is the first novel by Jeffery Deaver that I have read. I decided to pick it up after seeing the Bone Collector (I wish I'd have read THAT before seeing to movie!) I finished it an hour ago & am now looking for more of Deaver's books to order. It is impressive, clever & fascinating. It keeps you guessing all the way until the last 50 or so pages. Very unexpected ending. I love the real feel of Deaver's portrayal of Lincoln Rhyme & the strength the character displays against his handicap. Although there are a few times when he shows frustration with himself for not being the able-bodied person he once was, the way he seems to have honed his mind into a razor-sharp weapon is inspiring. The charachter of Amelia Sachs is also a great addition. I like the way she never lets Rhyme get away with openly feeling sorry for himself & in return, he is teaching her to perfect her skills in forensics. They make a great team & I look forward to starting the next book, The Empty Chair, in the Lincoln Rhyme series. I love the two charachters & hope there will be more books in the series.

If you read "The Bone Collector", you'll be relieved that Deaver continues his streak f good fiction with the "The Coffin Dancer". Continuing to chronicle the exploits of Lincoln Rhyme and his beautiful assistant Sachs. Again they're chasing a creatively names villian (The Coffin Dancer).

The Coffin Dancer is the name of a very cunning hit man; hired to kill three grand jury witnesses. In all of his career, he has left only one survivor, who was only able to describe a tatoo that was on his arm, that of Death dancing with a woman in front of a coffin (hence the name Coffin Dancer...creative huh?). With the first witness dies in a airplane explosion, a FBI agent missing, and the grand jury deadline only 45 hours away, Lincoln Rhyme and his croonies have to hustle to find the Dancer before its too late, for once hired, the Dancer never backs down.

The body count in this one is high. The pace is intense, and the ever-changing narrative (from Rhyme to Sachs to the Dancer to the victims) keeps your mind whirling.

I liked the twists and turns in the novel, it was like an elaborate chess game (actually a comparison mentioned in the book). There was a sometimes strained attempt to add personal information into the plot (Rhyme's romantic past doesn't fit with the storyline and where it's thrown in sounds cheesy and soap opera-ish). Overall though, the race to stop the Coffin Dancer kept me guessing, and the plot twist at the end made the book all the better.

This is a book that puts Lincoln's address in the context of the times, corrects numerous misconceptions about the speech, and claims that the Address represented a revolution in thought and in style.

Both in the main text and in appendices, the author covers the actual Gettysburg event: who came and spoke and where. He attempts to piece together the actual writing of the address and to sort through various claims that particular drafts of the address were the final version. The author thoroughly debunks the notion that the address was a last-minute preparation.

The Gettysburg Cemetery was part of the nineteenth century's renewed interest in Greek society including the Greek interest in rural cemeteries. The two hour funeral oration by eminent Greek scholar Edward Everett at Gettysburg was typical for the times.

Clearly the most important aspect of the Gettysburg address was its turning to the ideas of the Declaration of Independence as the essential principles of the United States. The author shows that it was the "unfinished work" of establishing "a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" that Lincoln focused on. In his address, Lincoln made certain that the particulars of the Civil War would not intrude on his theme of a rebirth for a nation founded in 1776.

Lincoln was a noted scholar of language. The author dissects a number of Lincoln's earlier speeches to show his careful phrasing and choice of words. For the author, the Gettysburg address is the very epitome of an "economical, taut, interconnected" speech. He notes the repetition of words, the phrasing and sentence structure, and Lincoln's ability to cut out the extraneous. Though Everett was the principal speaker at Gettysburg, the simple brilliance of Lincoln's dedication remarks are what are remembered nearly one and a half centuries later.

The book is quite good in providing the context for the Gettysburg Address. There are quite a few Greek references but they are not so numerous as to present an obstacle for understanding. Though not the purpose of the author, it would have been interesting to see more substantiation of the transformative impact of the Gettysburg address.

The 272 of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are as significant today as they were six score and seventeen years ago. Garry Wills' explicates them and paints a picture that gives us the historical context of the President's speech. It was short enough for generations of people to remember, yet at the same time, long enough to have a great impact on the ways we think of America. Wills argues that through his speech Lincoln remade the American history in that Americans would interpret the Civil War, and the Constitution, through the kaleidoscope of the Declaration of Independence. It is an extraordinary argument that, with just two hundred seventy-two words, Lincoln changed the American history and forever altered the ways we interpret the American Revolution. With a rhetorical approach, Wills - like Lincoln - persuades his readers, through evidence and interpretation, to be convinced that at Gettysburg, Lincoln "revolutionized the Revolution, giving people a new past to live with that would change their future indefinitely."

Wills begins with a vivid description of the consequence of the three-day battle in early July 1863 that resulted in fifty thousand casualties. While Wills mentions that Edward Everett was the star of the ceremony in dedicating the Gettysburg, Lincoln - through a casual invitation - decided to make an appearance there. The casual invitation did not intend to offend the President, nor did he get offended. Of course, this was no accident. For Lincoln, Wills reasons, it was an opportunity. It was his chance to recuperate the political fences and elucidate the goals of the Civil War.

Wills persuasively points out that contrary to the popular myth that Lincoln wrote his speech on his way to Gettysburg on the train, Lincoln was a scholarly man and has always performed his work with shrewdness. The President did not do anything inadvertently and thus, "it is impossible to imagine him leaving his speech at Gettysburg to the last moment."

It is an intriguing matter that just when the readers think that Wills has delivered them with everything there is to know about the Gettysburg Address, the author merely begins to examine the national treasure for historical and cultural context. He argues that Lincoln's address "is made compact and compelling by its ability to draw on so many sources of verbal energy." Among these sources was classical rhetoric. The author illustrates the different ways both Everett and Lincoln used rhetoric to persuade their audience. He compares Lincoln's speech, especially, to Athenian funeral prose which often began with a praise for the dead, and closed with an advice for those who are alive. Lincoln modeled his speech on them to articulate his thoughts to his audience.

Wills entertains his readers by compelling them to be fascinated by Lincoln's use of language. In fact, he goes as far as dedicating an entire chapter to the revolution of the prose style in America that he argues is among the accomplishments of the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln was fond of experimenting with words and their usage, and he spent a great deal of his time doing so. Using the changes the President made himself to his First Inaugural speech - that was prepared for him by William Seward - as his evidence, Wills explains that Lincoln acquired a rhythmic pace that made his sentences smooth and coherent. Ultimately, Lincoln embraced the ideals of rhetoric and used them efficiently to make his speeches more powerful.

The author goes a step further and provides his readers with an analysis of the Gettysburg Address. He records that the speech is outstanding and abstract. Unlike Everett's speech, where he provides details after details of the Civil War, Lincoln avoids them in his address. The President did not mention Gettysburg- the battlefield, or the Union- the defender of the Constitution, or the South- the runaway rebel that had just been captured; nor did he mention anything about slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, or the future of the freed slaves. This was no accident at all. President Lincoln avoided mentioning these issues in his speech because, for one thing, they were the most controversial issues of the time. He did so, according to Wills, to look "beyond the wars to 'the great task remaining before us' as a nation trying to live up to the vision in which it was conceived." Lincoln wanted to put the war behind and move on to build a nation as foreseen by the forefathers of the republic. The Gettysburg Address focused more on the pivotal ideas for the nation and found a connection to the Declaration of Independence.

Throughout his book, Wills shows his readers that there exist a relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. According to Wills, Lincoln often referred to the Declaration of Independence when he argued that it was inconsistent to think that the American people could believe that all men had the rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness but deny the very rights to black slaves. Lincoln was determined to not let this happen; and so, the Civil War was fought. Eloquently, Wills pens that Lincoln was able to remake America in his Gettysburg Address because he had spent a great deal of time relating the most sensitive issues of the era to the Declaration of Independence.

Lincoln, as Wills writes, viewed the Declaration of Independence as the basis of the American nation. Thus, it is deeply embedded within the Gettysburg Address. The pivotal argument of Wills writing is that in the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln turned the attention of the nation of nations, the United States of America, towards its founding document, the Declaration of Independence. The President, with only two hundred seventy-two words, remade America on the most important principle of this sacred document - that all men are created equal.

Literary prizes are handed out every year, but true worth is manifested by actual readers going out and buying their books year after year. Nearly a decade has passed since Garry Wills won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Lincoln at Gettysburg," but the magnitude of his achievement is measured by the continued interest which book lovers have lavished on this thoughtful and debate-stirring work of history. Wills situates the Gettysburg Address in the Greek Revivalism exemplified by Edward Everrett (the forgotten featured speaker at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetary), as well as in the Transcendentalist movement of Theodore Parker and Ralph Waldo Emerson. He goes on to demonstrate the inherant radicalism of Lincoln's 272 immortal words, imbued as they are with the dangerous notion that all men are created equal. Wills argues convincingly that the Gettysburg address hijacked the narrow readings of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution put forward by the southern rebels; through his words, Lincoln succeeded in placing these founding documents on the side of the angels by insisting that liberty and equality rather than sterile legalisms about states rights were the true basis of the grand experiment of the founders. In so doing, America's greatest President changed the history of the nation forever, influencing politics and policy right down to the present day. Huzzahs to Mr Wills for disinterring the radical hidden within the Great Compromiser!! And thanks to the prize committees for getting it right for a change.

If you are picking up a Lincoln Rhyme novel for the first time; rest assured you are in very good hands. Jeffrey deaver has developed his character extrememly well over the three books and though some people crib about the ploy of using a quadraplegic detective; trust me, it works and how ! . In the Empty Chair; Rhyme is not only a fish out of water(out of his familar NY surroundings) but he also has to grapple with trying to convince Amelia sachs that he has to undergo a complicated operation which could leave him worse off but which could also give him some additional mobility if things go well but before that he has the local Police department asking for his help in locating 2 kidnapped girls and from here on, you are in classic Deaver territory; he piles on the chills and the thrills without ever sacrificing the characters in favour of the plot, the ending is a virtuouso tour de force and it was virtually impossible to second guess the outcome of the book. Garnett's obsession with Insects was a great touch and though like one reviewer mentioned ; it is a little reminescent of Silence of the Lambs; Deaver has managed to make that detail fit perfectly into place in the context of the book. I am not going to divulge the further twists and turns but believe me; if you start reading this book in the evening; you can be sure that you are going to have a late night trying to finish it. I would have given this book a perfect rating except for the fact that towards the end; great though it undeniably was, I could not help overcome the feeling that it was written to be made into a movie, it read too much like a screenplay. Don't let that stop you though, read it, it is one terrific ride and you are going to have a good time, Guranteed !

If I haven't read Bone Collector or Coffin Dancer, I may give this a 5-star rating. This book maintains all the elements or a good fast thriller - distinguishable characters, tight plot, unexpected twisted, that will keep you to flip the book like crazy. But this one lacks the tightly woven complicated plot as in Bone Collector, or the much further character development (for Lincoln and Amelia I am refering to) as in Coffin Dancer.
Some reviewers argued that in the beginning, you have already known who the killer was. But if you are a veteran Deavers fan, you should know that Mr. Deaver will keep giving you surprises in his books. In fact, I think because I have become used to expect the unexpected, so that soft some of the excitement in reading his books lately. But there is seldom any author nowadays that can create such tension as Mr. Deaver does, so I still recommend this as to all thriller lovers.

Jeffery Deaver has done it again. If you're looking for a suspensful novel, filled with intrigue, twists and turns, you've found it.

"The Empty Chair" is a gripping story that takes you to Smalltown USA. Lincoln Rhyme is asked to look into a case of a local teen in a nearby town that has committed murder and also kidnapped two young women.

The story seems clear-cut. You've got the good guys and the bad guys. The Prime Suspect is really the culprit, the antagonist in the story, and all Lincoln has to do is find him before he murders the girls.

However, all is not what it seems. The book doesn't reveal everything about each character at once. It does this in layers. By the time you think you have it all figured out, Deaver removes another layer that undermines your confidence in anticipating what happens next, who the real bad guy is, and how it will end.

"The Empty Chair" is filled with suspense, intrigue and its riveting story will keep you guessing through the end.

In my 8th grade English class I had to read My Brother Sam Is Dead as a reguired historical fiction book. I read the book in class as well as out of class on my own time. My Brother Sam Is Dead takes place during the Revolutionary War in a little town called Redding. Tim, a teenager, is telling the reader his feelings of the war and how the war affected him. I think teh author choose to tell the story through Tim because he was torn between being a Loyalist like his father or a Patriot like his older brother Sam. Tim's father doesn't think that his family shoyuld be involved in the war and Sam thinks it's his duty to fight for his country. Irony, was what made the book My Brother Sam Is Dead interesting. A good example is when Tim finds out his father had died on a British Jail Ship. This was unexpected because he was a Loyalist and he died on British Jail Ship. I expected him to die on a Patriot Jail Ship. Once you read what happens, your like I didn't expect that to happen. The same thing happens to Sam at the end of the book, but in a different way. In My Brother Sam Is Dead there were three main conflicts. The conflicts were personal, political, and character. Tim was the character withthe personal conflict. He was trying to decide whether to be a Patriot or a Loyalist. Tim knew his father had his reasons for being a Loyalist and so did his brother Sam. Tim wanted to be like his father, but also wanted to be like his brother Sam. The next big conflict was the political one. England and The Colonies were fighting over who got to run The Colonies. England thought they should get to run them because they had founded The Colonies. The people living in The Colonies thought they should get to run The Colonies because they lived there and didnt' believe in England's rule. The last conflict was between Sam and his father. This kind of conflict is called a character conflict. Sam wanted to go to war and fight an the Patriot side, while his father didn't think he should fight in the war. Sam's father was also a Loyalist so he didn't believe in anyhting the Patriots did or thought was right. In the book My Brother Sam Is Dead there were many great parts that I enjoyed. One part of the book that really got me interested was when Tim and his father were ambushed on their way to Verplex Point to trade the cattle for supplies they needed for their tavern in Redding. An other part was when Tim finds out Sam took his father's only gun, Brown Bess, when Sam's father specifically told Sam not too. If I had to pick a theme for the book it would most likely be "Everything happens for a reason." To me, it was like everything that happened to Tim changed the way he lived, acted or even thought. My Brother Sam Is Dead was full of suspense all the way through the book. I could hardly put the book down since I started reading it. I also read a historical fiction book called, One Thousand White Women. It was great too! One Thousand White Women was written in a journal form and I liked that format better than the traditional story form of My Brother Sam is Dead. I hope you enjoy both of these books as much as I did.

My Brother Sam Is Dead,by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier is the most exciting book I have ever read.I love to read about history and I learned a lot about history from this book.
It's 1775 and the Revolutionary War is about to begain.In a Tory town called Redding there is a family with two children named Sam and Tim.Sam is 16 years old and going to a college named Yale.He is a soldier for the Patriots,but his father is on the British side.
I loved reading this book.It was interesting and sad at the same time. I could not believe how much of the book was actually true.I felt surprised because it was so sad.I felt like I knew what the charactors felt like.In the beginning I didn't want to read the book,but when I started I didn't want to stop.I don't like reading about killing,but it got so interesting I just kept reading.Finally in the middle of the book it got really interesting.
The book discribes how brave all the soldiers really were.They would get killed just to save their country.I don't think I would be that brave to do something like that just to save my country.I would like to read another book about the Revolutionary War soon.

In 1775, Tim Meeker was 12 years old and was living in a family owned tavern in Redding. Sam, his older brother decided to join the Rebel Troops, even though the rest of his family was Tory. When Life,Tim's father,was making his annual trip to Verplank's Point Sam was not able to go so father had to take Tim instead. They went to get supplies when a gang of cowboys took father on a prison ship to die and he does. This leaves Tim and his mother to take care of the tavern. Meanwhile prices are going sky high. People have little food as it is because of the war. The war is getting closer to Redding. The British are coming into Redding and killing all of the Rebels. Mother refuses to accept all that is happening right around her.

When Sam is in town he visited his family. When cattle thieves steal cattle Sam is framed for it. The General sentences him to death. He was shot about a month later. It amazes us that he was killed for something he did not even do.This can't be justice.

The not-so-incredible billionaire wants the largest meteorite ever found transported from an island off Tierra del Fuego to his state of the art natural history museum in New York. The first thing you have to wrap your mind around is the incredible estimated weight (10,000 tons) of the meteorite. The second is the proximity of Tierra del Fuego to Antarctica. I was grateful for the map, because I had difficulty grasping the idea that where they were going is very cold indeed!

Preston and Child deliver on this thriller. The characters are three dimensional, particularly the billionaire. The engineering feats are well written for the laymen. The storm at sea is stupendous; you have a true feeling of doom at your doorstep.

However, I subtracted two stars. The first because the book is a slow starter. It took 150 pages to set up the story. The second star is withheld because of the ending, which is reminiscent of a '50's horror movie. I wanted to say 'oh puh-leeze!' These two faults are not a major deterrent; it's 60% fine entertainment.

At this point, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have refined their formula for writing bestsellers: (1) an sometimes eccentric, usually obsessive person (2) wants to achieve some goal (3) which requires that a team of highly skilled professionals (4) equipped with super high-tech toys (5) and brimming with (over)confidence (6) go into the wild and face Mother Nature, one another, and Big Science, (7) and although every contingency should be planned for, (8) things go wrong.

"Mount Dragon" was about microbiologists dealing with a killer virus, "Riptide" was about treasure hunters, "Thunderhead" was about archeaologists, and "The Ice Limit" is about engineers and a geologist on a meteor hunting expedition.

Preston and Child actually care enough about the characters to imbue them with more characterization than usual for thrillers, although the breakdown in one of the central characters isn't hard to predict. There's some science of meteorites, a naval skirmish, something of a love affair, and a lot about engineering. The gore level is relatively low, although there are a number of deaths. Like "Riptide," there is a mystery buried within the adventure story, and the reader is kept guessing to the last page.

Among their books, I would rate "The Ice Limit" on a par with "Riptide," just below "Mount Dragon," and above "Thunderhead" and "Reliquary."

"The Ice Limit" is an astounding book, one that leaves you haunted and mesmerized. The team of Preston and Child have written some great stories, and ironically, this one is the most "different" of their tales. The concept is typical Child/Preston: give us a huge cast of characters; a seemingly impossible challenge; a truly nasty villain; and some breathtaking moments of action and suspense. The story is fairly simple: a huge meteorite has been discovered on the Isla' Delacion, near the end of the world (Antarctica). Fanatical billionaire/trillionaire Palmer Lloyd wants the meteorite in his own private museum, and so hires a remarkable team of specialists to transport the humongous meteorite back to New York City. Wow, what a challenge! The pacing of this book is much more deliberate and methodical than previous Child/Preston books; and that's not negative in the least. We're given some complex characters, human and imperfect. The scenes in the little village of Puerto William are awesome in their descriptive power. Never has a book so enthralled me with its ability to transport me into a world I will probably never see, but find fascinating and spellbinding. The scenes depicted on the stormy and icy seas are truly nervewrecking and draining.

What makes the book work, however, is its characters. First and foremost is the fascinating Eli Glinn; not a villaint/not a hero, just a perfectionist whose brilliance is unmatched. It is his inability to accept failure that makes him such a tragic character; Rachel is a beautifully drawn female character, with definite hangups and frailties, but she's marvelous; Sally Britton, the indomitable captain with her own history of failure, is likewise remarkably drawn. The Chilean Villain (nice rhyme?) is despicable and you can't wait for him to meet his just desserts. His manic drive to revenge the death of his first mate, so to speak (no plot giveaways here), is frustrating and unnerving, because you can't believe how close he comes to his goal.

In reading the book, it was amazing. I wanted the team to succeed; sure we have our typical crazy wealthy man sacrificing human life for his own needs, but the characters are so committed to making it work, that I felt like I was right there with them.

It's amazing: Preston/Child give away the novel's "secret ending" early on in the book, but you don't know it until you reach the end. And, oh what an ending. I should have known----it needs a sequel! They can't just leave us hanging, can they? Let's hope not.

"The Ice Limit" is unique in its exploration of human drive, determination, and refusal to give up. Although tragedy certainly results and some memorable people are gone, the spirit of success and adventure far outweigh the greed and manipulation.

Read this for an interesting change of pace.

After reading this book, I was left with the impression that the Lincoln Rhyme series may be,getting long in the tooth. This novel does nothing to put a spark back into a series that is one of the best of all times.

The story focuses on the Ghost, a man who leads a human-smuggling operation out of China. He is accompanying a group of his 'cargo' on this trip to the U.S. He doesn't realize that the FBI and the INS are using Lincoln Rhyme, the foremost criminologist, to help track the ship and capture him. As the Coast Guard closes on the vessel, something goes wrong, and the Ghost escapes. He pursues the Chinese 'undocumented',while evading the law and the team of Rhyme and Amelia Sachs.

The book reveals interesting tidbits about Chinese culture that I was unfamiliar with. Mr. Deaver also leaves the reader guessing and curious about the identity of the Ghost's bangshou, or spy. But the majority of the book, is a general rehash of most of the other Rhyme books: Lincoln 'walking the grid' through his partner and lover Amelia. Someone on the case will be resentful and doesn't want Rhyme heading the case, the dialogue between Rhyme and his caretaker Thom, some plot manipulation, and other things that I don't want to write, because of their spoiling effects all are typical of these books.

Overall, not a bad book. And, if you haven't read a Lincoln Rhyme novel before, then this is a fine one to read: it is a good gauge of what you will get in the others. It's quick and easy. But, as a long-time Rhyme reader, I felt this installation did not advance the characters any and was only mediocre for the series.

Jeffery Deaver is probably my favorite fiction author of the mystery/thriller genre. On the whole, I find his writing excellent, his characters well-drawn, and his mastery of suspense and plot twists superior.

The thing I found so interesting about Stone Monkey is that it has a unique subject that was new to me--human smuggling. Specifically, the smuggling of Chinese immigrants (mostly dissidents) into America. There is a whole new world to learn about in this book...on top of the good writing and suspense. There is not only the world of human smuggling to learn about but Asian culture. I'm sure Mr. Deaver used some dramatic license in relating some of these facts, but I was still quite impressed at the research he must have done to write this book.

The character of Sonny Li, a Chinese detective who comes to America undercover as an illegal immigrant to try to catch the notorious smuggler The Ghost, was a breath of fresh air. He was funny and brash and smart, and I loved that he spoke his mind and didn't treat Rhyme as either a fragile flower or a god. I came to really admire and care for this character.

I wouldn't say this is Deaver's best work, but it's still an excellent book and I think that the unique and interesting storyline really adds a lot to the reading experience.

Simply put, Jeffery Deaver is one of the best suspense novelist writing today. No other author can match his plot twists or attention to intricate detail. Best of all, he seems to be improving with each novel he writes, particularly with his Lincoln Rhyme series of books. The Stone Monkey is no exception.

The Stone Monkey is the fourth book in the Lincoln Rhyme - Amelia Sachs series (the others are, in order, The Bone Collector, The Coffin Dancer, and the Empty Chair). Rhyme is a quadriplegic and a famous forensic scientist. His partner, Sachs, is a redhead who acts as Rhyme's legs, 'walking the grid' at crime scenes. Together, they make a formidable crime fighting team.

The Stone Monkey picks up with the Coast Guard closing in on a ship filled with illegal immigrants trying to enter the US. Rhyme has found the ship and the police are trying to apprehend the notorious human smuggler known as the ghost. After blowing up the ship and killing most of the passengers, the Ghost escapes. Rhyme must find him before he kills the two familes that survived.

From this point, the plot rides like a roller coaster. The trademark Deaver twist are present and nothing is as it seems. The characters are well developed and interesting. Sonny Li makes a great addition to the team and provides some comedic relief. As readers have come to expect from Deaver, the ending is great as well.

Highly recommended to fans of Jeffery Deaver, James Patterson, John Sandford, and anyone else looking for a suspenseful thriller.

This is one of those special books that genuinely deserves its New York Times bestseller status. April 1865 is fresh, thoughtful, extremely well-researched, and exceptionally well-written. Jay Winik takes events we all think we know and suddenly makes us understand that there was nothing inevitable about Appomattox or the country surviving the Lincoln assasination just five days later. His portraits of the central players -- Lincoln, Lee, Grant, and Sherman -- and many others give you a powerful sense of the men and the era and what they all had to overcome. As a Northerner transplanted by work to the South, I have gained a far better appreciation and understanding of my country after reading this book. You can enjoy it if you are a devoted Civil War buff or a novice reader, like my wife. April 1865 is destined to become a classic, while at the same time being one of those rare books that is a true delight to read. If I had had professors like Jay Winik, I might have been a history major -- but this book almost makes up for that. Highly recommended.

A few years ago I read an account of the five days in May 1940 that may have determined the course of the second world war. It was a good book, in part because of the decision to focus on a few fateful days and the key decision makers that forged history. With "April 1865", Winik uses the same approach, covering a span of thirty days, and achieves a marvelous result. This is a great book.

Casual readers of history (meaning few Americans) are not likely to be fully cognizant of the slender thread that held the nation together in the last month of the war, with Lee's surrender on in early April and Lincoln's death a few days later. Even fewer Americans know just how delicate the situation became as the war came to a close. Other events stormed around these historic memories. The egos and decisions of generals Grant, Sherman, Johnston, and Mosby played a large part in the end of the war and the start of the peace. And the politicians, namely Lincoln, Johnson and Davis, had to work very hard that the peace was not more disruptive than the war.

Winik asks and adderesses basic questions about motives in the North and in the South. What role did emancipation play in the North and in the South? What plan for peace did Lincoln have? What made Lee fianlly choose to surrender? Why didn't the South extend the battle into a guerrila war? Why did President Davis decline to give up after Lee surendered? What might have happended had Lincoln survived?

Winik makes a compelling case that small events, basic decisions, and the character of people can color great events and make for a better world. A few good maps and integrated, thorough endnotes make "April 1865" easy to read. His 'thumbnail' biographies of the key players provide good explanations for the complex motives that produced peace at the end of four years of terrible war. And that color our national culture to this day.

Every American adult should be forced to buy and read this book. In developing his thesis that the manner in which the Civil War ended created modern America, Winik cites many historical events which we either did not learn in school or forgot. For example, who knows that the Confederates were seriously considering emancipating any slave who would serve in their army? Who knows that atrocities were committed in Missouri and Kansas that differ little from those in Rawanda and the former Yugoslavia? I was shocked to learn African-Americans from Louisiana fought for the Confederacy and one of the great Confederate armies and the last to surrender was Indian and Indian led. Winik leaves the reader with an appreciation for the complexity of American history. Ultimately Americans are fortunate that the United States made it through April 1865 even if there are a few skeletons in the closet.

Summary: Baigent completed an interesting review of Europe's Royal Bloodlines (Merovingian). His writing style makes the subject come to life and appear to be accurate. However, his ultimate hypothesis rests on very weak and inaccurate biblical quotes demonstrating a cursory research and knowledge of the bible. This issue renders his final hypothesis highly doubtful and his base genealogical research of the Merovingian bloodlines fully under question.

Recommendation: I would recommend Baigent's book as interesting and thought provoking reading, while encouraging self-research and skepticism by the reader. While I found Baigent's book useful in understanding what family the anti-Christ derives from (that is, the lineage of the serpent/dragon that dwells in the "sea"), the average person can be deceived into believing biased suppositions and allegations lacking appropriate research. Overall, it seems as if Baigent is a dupe who has been supported to spout whatever stories the Merovingians need to support their own questionable objectives.

Review: Although, highly offensive to Christians, the book can be relevant to biblically knowledgeable people IF his genealogical research of the royal families from 400 BC forward is accurate. The bizarre myth of the origination of the Merovingians (a pregnant woman being re-impregnated by a serpent/dragon while swimming in the ocean) can be re-interpreted from the bible and its symbolism found in the books of Genesis (Gen 3 - the Serpent) and Revelation (Rev 12 - the dragon). This is the myth that the Merovingian Dynasty relies on in order to re-acquire the throne of Europe leads Christian's to interpret the Merovingians to be the ancestors of the still prophetic world leader (commonly known as the anti-Christ). Further, Baigent touts that this royal family heir should be able to solve the religious problems and bring together the Jews, Christians, Moslems - another Christian prophesy specifically regarding the anti-Christ.

Examples of Feeble Research:

1 Re-interpretation of Catholic Church History

Baigent seems to enjoy re-interpreting the Catholic Church's actions into supporting the tenants of the Merovingian Blood line. But, offers no proof. Numerous times Baigent notes that the Catholic Church "backs" down when "presented" with the Prior de Sion "secret information. However, Baigent never confirms the information presented to the Church, and never provides supporting material to explain the Church's actions and decisions. His only explanation is theory based on conjecture based on assumption based on supposition. The Catholic Church may have many reasons to (correctly, or incorrectly) to make a decision on. The least of the factors affecting the Church's decisions would be information that is not demonstrable, not confirmable, with no sound basis to support a change in Church Doctrine and specifically supports the Church's own prophesies of the Anti-Christ.

This feeble research weakens "Baigent's" base genealogical research. NOTE: This review is not to be interpreted as a defense of the Catholic Church - it stands in its own beliefs, blessings, blood and sins. Nor, is this review a blind defense to Christianity - it is based on valid study of the bible and its text that is verifiable to all readers.

2 Two Genealogies of Christ

Baigent accounts for the differences between the 2 genealogies in Matthew and Luke as demonstrating "mistakes" in the bible. However, the issue is readily understandable: Matthew and Luke present Christ's genealogy for different purposes, and from different perspectives.

Matthew communicates the gospel from viewpoint of Jew - Christ is presented as the Lion of Tribe of Judah. For this, Matthew starts Christ's lineage with Abraham progressing through David and Solomon, then progressing through Christ's legal father, Joseph, and finishing by presenting Christ as the Messiah - the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Luke's genealogy is specifically a very different genealogy, but it states it is of Jesus the "supposed" son of Joseph which is the son of Heli.... and on. This is not a "begotten" genealogy (bloodline), but a Mother's genealogy that is represented in accordance with the Jewish custom - Hebrews did not permit the name of a woman to enter the genealogical tables, but inserted the husband as the son of him who was in reality the father-in-law. That is, Heli is Joseph's Father-in-law. This is consistent with Old Testament lineages of David the show Boaz as David's ancestor, but does not mention Rahab, who is also significant and mentioned in other passages.

Luke was a physician and was preoccupied with presenting Christ as the Son of Man - in his humanity. He showed that Christ was God incarnate. Borne of a Virgin into humanity. Luke starts Christ's genealogy from 1st man - Adam - to King David. However, Luke goes through David directly to David's son Nathan - Solomon's brother. His genealogy is then traced through to Heli, Mary's Father. This demonstrates the actual Blood line of Christ.

Second, these genealogies are very significant in that they comply with every requirement of prophecy and law in the Hebrew scriptures. Including in Genesis 3, where the Messiah had to be born of the Virgin. Second, Jeremiah 22 states that God placed a blood curse on the lineage of David from King Jeconiah forward - that is no one of Jeconiah's descendants shall sit on the throne of David. Joseph was of this bloodline and lineage and therefore disqualified from sitting on the throne of David.

Luke's lineage of Mary (Luke 3) goes through David and not through Solomon, but through Nathan, a branch that avoids the Jeconiah blood curse (Jeremiah 22) "None of His seed will prosper". Thus, Mary, who is the blood "Virgin" parent of Jesus was not cursed and therefore the proper blood forebear of the Christ, while Joseph was the legal heir to the throne, but, not the blood heir of the Messiah.

This issue is in stark contrast to the Merovingian bloodline which requires Joseph's and Christ's bloodline to support its dynastic ruse. The Merovingian genealogy goes through the bloodline of Joseph and therefore is accursed by God (Jeremiah 22) and will specifically never sit upon David's throne.

(Other Genealogical Notes for the Curious) John unabashedly focuses on Christ as the Son of God - Deity - and includes things in his gospel that are quite different than the other gospels. John's gospel demonstrates the genealogy of the pre-existent one who was before all else. He created everything and everything was created by him. Christ pre-existed all of creation. John uses the term "fulfilled" 38 times to focuses on who he was as prophesied in the old testament. Baigent fully misses this genealogy and its full significance of demonstrating Christ as God.

Mark presents Christ as the Suffering Servant who came to earth to serve mankind. Mark does not give Christ's genealogy because no one cares about the bloodline of a servant. Mark continually demonstrates Christ's works, or services to his people - those with faith.

The four gospels are very consistent in how they show Christ and his genealogy as the Messiah in accordance with the Hebrew scriptures: Matthew, the Legal Heir to the Throne of David; Luke the lineage of a man from the first man, Adam; John the lineage of God, who came down as the Messiah; and Mark which shows Christ as the suffering servant, and as such a servant, does not have a lineage.

By now it should be clear that this book raises controversy. Read it as a novel and you have a detective who follows clues from present time to Jesus time and back to the present. In the process Free Masons, Templars, and other secretive groups are tied together with the faith of Jesus. Read it as facts and you have a historical interpretation based on a lot of unorthodox research and conjectures. Other reviewers have pointed out some of the shortcomings according to established science, and the authors admit to their controversy in the beginning of the book. In the end their conclusion questions the faith of Jesus as described in the New Testament, which forms the basis for Christianity. It is up to you to decide what you take for facts and for fiction.
Never the less as a person with Christian background the book made me for the first time look into the history of Christianity and raised questions of as to why certain scriptures were chosen to be included in the New Testament and more important why were other left out. The book mentions the fifth gospel but we can only assume that the editors of the New Testament had a larger collection of material.
Read the book with an open mind, question the author's conjectures, and enjoy the ride.

I read this book a few years ago, but I remember that, on completion, I had a sense of something having let some light in. It made a lot of sense, and answered a lot of questions that I've had in my mind about the history of Christianity and the happenings at the time of the crucifixion. It may, however, be disturbing to some narrow-minded Christians. You MUST read "The Messianic Legacy" by the same authors. This will fill in some of the background information that the authors used in their investigation, and assumed that the reader was aware of. It covers a more educated interpretation of the New Testament based on knowledge obtained from the Dead Sea Scrolls, and fills in some of the political and social issues at the time of Jesus' life