Reading this collection of letters by the author of "The Maltese Falcon" and other great mystery novels provides a revealing insight to the thoughts and feelings of this intensely private man. Peppered with delightful sides of humor it is easily readable. One can dip into one or another of the phases of his life: the early short story years, his service in World War I, fame and fortune in books, radio, and film; marriage, fatherhood, divorce, romances, chiefly with Lillian Hellman, service in Alaska in WWII, his jailing for defying the anti-communism of the 50's, his final illness, poverty, and death. In letters to Hellman, and his own daughters, Mary and Josephine he comments with a a few words on hundreds of books he read. A compendium of the books fills five and one-half pages at the end of the book. There is no explicit explanation of why his voice fell silent after his brilliant novels, but the perceptive reader is given clues in the man's own words, written with no intention to have them preserved for history but fortunately available to us now.

This second "Eerie" novel by John Peel (the famous UK DJ??? OK, probably not) is a vast improvement on "Burea of Lost" (Eerie #2). The story is witty, fast paced, entertaining and, for once, not modelled after an episode from the TV show.

One complaint: For a series that I've noted before as being incredibly faithful to its source material, I was disappointed to see that Peel got one detail wrong here. Dash is identified at one point as "Dash Check" whe in the series his name was "Dash X" (he got his name from the markings on his hand which read X and -). I know, I know...no big deal but this seemed like a pretty sloppy error to me.

None of William Marshall's Yellowthread Street mysteries can really be described as quietly down-to-earth. There's always a certain amount of the delightfully absurd, a certain amount of frenzied energy which, along with what is usually an offbeat, archer-than-life plot, creates a feeling of the not quite real. Oh the underpinnings of each mystery make sense--could maybe even happen--and yet there is the charming, contradictory feel of the not quite real mixed with the completely believable.

That said, compared to an entry like, say, Thin Air, Sci Fi, or even Inches, Skulduggery is slightly more grounded, less over-the-top than the others. We have one identified skeleton, admittedly found floating on a raft along with a collection of odd and eerie items. And, it's deliciously true that in one chapter the skeleton must be George Edward Putnam, and then in the next chapter, there's absolutely no way it could be George Edward Putnam. And back again. Plus, of course, we have Detective Auden off on his own, investigating an impossible crime: people riding an elevator in an apartment complex are being mugged when the elevator door opens on the third floor and a vicious assailant swoops in and attacks; just one problem...the elevator door absolutely does not open on the third floor. There are also the trials and tribulations of Det. Spencer, staked out in the back of a foreign-currency exchange, trying to nab the "Deaf and Dumb" gang of robbers, who only seem destined to come in and wreak havoc when Spencer is completely ill-prepared (Spencer is engrossed in reading material that prompts serious thought about a career switch-over to the exciting world of finance, or has disassembled his shotgun and lost a piece just when robbers flounce in; these things happen...). So. Okay. It's still all a bit crazy.

But the resolutions are, as usual with Marshall, satisfying and tidy and even fair to clue-hunters. True, the novel, like all Yellowthread Streeters I've sampled, does, in an attempt to generate satire, descend to the level of a sitcom very often; Auden's shtick this episode is to decide he is a master detective at the level of Poirot, once he begins to dope out the whole impossible elevator crime, and he gets a bit pompous about his place in the squadroom. This likely would not carry through to the next novel, in the same way sitcoms deal with aspects of character for half an hour and then feel free to drop it in favour of new absurdity. And when Spencer spars with sanctimonious money-changer Lee, the cyclical dialogue is definitely played for laughs, as Lee, equipped with razor-sharp tongue and a political stance that is not sympathetic to cops, just can't believe how completely incompetent Det. Spencer is.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Feiffer, frequent star of William Marshall's Yellowthread show, collects nothing but contradictory clues about the skeleton of impossibly-dead, impossibly-alive George Edward Putnam.

Don't read any William Marshall series mystery to watch the regulars--Feiffer, Auden, Spencer, O'Yee--grow over time as characters. But they do stay in character, and they work on some pretty facsinating cases, like what goes on in Skulduggery. There's also Marshall's unique style to contend with--lots of exclamation points, fragmented dialogue, unfinished thoughts (as the reader gets to try and figure out what has stumped the detective having a brainlock), short verbal interchanges of repetitive wordage (again, the reader knows something is being emphasized through all the frenzied chatter, and must figure out what), but William Marshall is definitely an acquired taste delightfully acquired.

Great fun again.

A must have for all Buckeye fans out there!! Concise, clear, written ideas, and bright energetic pictures. Kids and adults alike will enjoy reading about the qualities that make up a TRUE BUCKEYE!!:) Go Bucks!

Something is going on in Logan's family and Cass can't find out. And why is Micah so quiet. And does Kira have a boyfriend.I don't want to spoil it for you but all of the series are great.You should read this book it is really good and you should read all the other series too.

This book is a continuation of the series that up dates the latest developments. Most of the information in it is useful and needed. The only reason I rated it down to 4 stars is because of chapter 16, the evaluation of the new personal defense ammunition. I feel like they are backsliding on their original opinions of ammunition in this chapter. My opinion of this ammunition is not nearly as high as theirs. I believe that the muzzle velocities are too slow and the resulting energies are too low. The Fuller index gives ratings that are way too low which shows that it is not properly designed for personal defense. The chapters on shotgun slugs and Triton ammo were excellent. As usual, the was no information on the distance at which the ballistic gelatin was shot. This is a needed addition to the series. A section on effective ranges of the listed cartridges would be most helpful. As it is, all of these books only give evaluations on point blank range. Overall, this book is a needed update and is well worth the money for students of terminal ballistics.

One of my favorite pasttimes is hiking, and I have always wanted to try the whole Appalachian Trail . . . I also have a degree in English from Penn State, so when I heard that a PSU professor had written a book on my two favorite subjects, I just had to have it. Anybody who has hiked the old mountains of the mid-atlantic can appreciate the vivid descriptions and thoughtful insights that Story Line offers. One of my favorite parts of the book postulates a meeting between Thoreau and Melville, noting how the shapes of the mountain near Melville's home looked like a whale, noting similarities of otherworks, and knowing that the two men did, indeed, hike the same path. If you like the outdoors and have a passion for literature, this is money well spent!

An informative and engaging account of the history of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. This is the sort of book that whets your appetite for more research and funding as well as for more information on the subject. I was particularly impressed with their style - clear, entertaining and thorough. It made me want to read more of their books, whatever the topic. A highly recommended book for folks interested in science but afraid of the math.

This book should not be read by those who only have a low-level interest in information warfare, and more specifically, information in warfare. This is an academic document for policy makers and the defense establishment, as commissioned by the Air Force. The focus is on the information-based processes and weapons and their interaction. I found valuable concepts and ideas throughout the book, especially in one of last chapters about lessons the DOD can learn from business. For those in defense with a need to discover the wide aspects of IIW, this is for you. But only if you are in a mid- to high-level position or thirst for knowledge of greater concepts.

The transcendentally goofy charm of James Marshall is the only thing that holds this "novel" together, but that's plenty. At the raw end of winter, Emily the pig and Eugene the turtle are trying to cheer up their sick and grumpy friend Carruthers the bear. Finally Eugene succeeds with a story about the three of them taking an imaginary summer boat ride down the river. The encounters Eugene describes are funny and vivid. Although his tale doesn't add up to a real story, Carruthers and Emily don't appear to mind. My kids (7 and 3) didn't mind, either; the three of us loved the book. Still, I couldn't help thinking it was all an elaborate inside joke. The incidental characters are drawn with remarkable sharpness, and their behavior has a kind of real-life untidiness. They sound like caricatures of people we don't know -- but would recognize on sight. In one chapter we meet two mole sisters who have somehow gotten stranded on a rock in the middle of the river, and the three friends help them to shore. "'We never found out how they got to be on that rock in the first place,' said Emily, when they were once again on their way." (page 53) If you figure it out, please let me know.