This richly illustrated and clearly written book is a pleasure to read. Its author, David Levy, (discoverer of many comets, including Shoemaker-Levy which impacted Jupiter in 1994)is one of the great amauteur astronmers, and communicates his love of the heavens well. The star charts are done by Wil Tirion, the foremost celestial cartographer and author of many important sky atlases.

The book itself starts with a valuable historical perspective, discussing ancient astronomy and classical and modern astronomers. It progresses through a presentation of our place in the solar system and the universe, and discussons of planetary and deep sky objects. Various types of instruments for observing are also discussed. Finally, there is a section on each of the constellations, and the objects within them, enriched by historical information and even a guide to pronouncing some of the Arabic and Latin tongue-twisters one encounters.

The quality of the publication is first-rate. The illustrations range from ancient Chinese star charts through medievil earth-centric maps to images from the Hubble space telescope.

This is a book that will capture your interest, and supply many hours of pleasurable perusing on cloudy nights. The only drawback it that its hardcover, fairly thick format makes it less that ideal for the field.

I just bought this book and found it very easy to read, as well as helpful with using my brand new telescope.
It starts off by giving a very entertaing general history of astronomy, with plenty of illustrations.
It then covers astronomy concepts, such as star types, azimuth, etc. Also included is a section on telescopes.
Then it has 12 or so full scale maps of the sky, for every time of the year in both southern and northern hemispheres.
The best section is the constellation section. It has at least one page for each constellation, with a map showing a detalied view of it and surrounding stars/clusters/galaxies. It gives the history of the constellation, other interesting objects to look for nearby, and a photograph showing what the constellation really looks like (without the lines connecting the stars). Very helpful.

This glossy covered handbook is a treasure trove of information aimed at the beginner and amatuer astronomer. The quality of the production is what impressives me most. Wonderful diagrams and photographs throughout compliment informative text. The sky charts are easily accessible and make for a ready reference when identifying constellations. The other chapters include "Skywatching through the ages", "Stars and Galaxies", "Skywatching tools and techniques", "Understanding the changing sky", "A tour of the solar system" and "Probing the universe". This book would make an ideal gift for persons just starting out in astronomy, as well as the more experienced. Highly recommended and a bargain price to boot.

The only Latin language manual that even remotely compares to John Collins' "Primer" is the well-known "Latin for Americans" high-school and college text. If you want to jump right into the language, however, and simultaneously focus on predominately religious subjects, "A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin" is just the text for you.

Mr. Collins' book is extremely well put together. It is effective. It is clear. It assumes little or no prior language study. The author uses few technical terms, and when he does, he explains them. And while it's true that the book is only a primer -- i.e., you won't quite be able to read Erasmus when you're finished -- it does help the student to make a remarkable amount of headway into the language, certainly to an upper-intermediate level. Thanks to Mr. Collins, I am now able to read, in Latin, the majority of the New Testament, a sizeable part of the Old, and even the occasional selection from classical Roman authors with little or no difficulty.

And pleasantly inexpensive, I might add.

Those learning or teaching Latin for ecclesiastical usage are very quickly faced with the problem that most text books are intended to teach *classical* and military Latin, usually preparing introductory students to first read the works of Julius Caesar and then of the other classic writers. If this course if followed, it is then necessary to acquire later a new set of vocabulary, modes of expression, and pronunciation rules when one finally deals with ecclesiatical texts.

Collins' well written and organized book short-circuits this process, starting the student out immediately with eccliastical vocabulary and usage. I found this book when preparting to teach an informal class in ecclesiastical Latin at my parish, and I fully intend to use it again -- and more extensively -- the next time I do so.

I first learned Latin with this book in a graduate classroom, I have reviewed various points on my own numerous times with the help of this wonderfully organized work, and over the last few years I have even successfully taught Latin to adults and children using Collins' work. There is, I feel, no better text for ecclesiastical Latin on the market, and it deserves to be ranked on par with such academic standards as Wheelock or Henle (both of which stress classical, not ecclesiastical, Latin).

This 5th Edition beats the Oxford Spanish Dictionary. It is more comprehensive and polished. Collins has gone in the right direction with an expansion of coverage of science, technology, and business terms. But, there is still tremendous room for improvement in a dictionary that is supposed to be unabridged.

I've compared all other unabridged Spanish/English dictionaries and found Harper Collins superior. It contains all of the following: extensive definitons; contextual references for each meaning; linguistic variations and examples between verbs for fine shades of meaning; excellent coverage of Spanish as found in North America, S. America, Central America; Language in Use section, unique among all, with copious examples; and excellent idiomatic coverage of real-life usage. Naturally, this dictionary is limited in some ways. One will not find "very slang" usage listed in general; nor will one find much coverage of very "regional" idioms. But this is normal; most dictionaries only list the most common idioms or phrases used. I am a fluent Spanish speaker and also possess an M.A. in Spanish and find this work to be the most complete on the market. Add to that the fact that this dictionary is updated every 2 years. Most are revised/expaned every 4-6. So...if you are looking for the best money can buy, ignore the others. This is the best in coverage and features that the market offers.

Harper-Collins has produced the best, most organized dictionary of the Spanish language out on the market. Excellent organization, classification, and regional distinctions (eg. where words are used among the various Spanish speaking nations of the world) has made Harper-Collins' dictionary series the best. Oxford, Larousse, and Penguin's dictionaries can't meet the organizational and thoughful research the Harper-Collins staff has done. This dictionary is worth every penny!

Are you out to become the next Bill Gates? Me neither. I don't want to found the next Microsoft or Coca-Cola, I am just thinking about starting my own business. Sure, I want to be successful, but I also want to have a life. A real life, where my work sustains me but does not control me.

So many books today are about dominating the world via internet or "how I burned through $40million dollars of venture capital" and lived to write this book. That's not me, and that's not the Startup Garden.

Tom Ehrenfeld has written a book for the rest of us. For the real folks with the motivation and the will to create a business of their own, but still wise enough to know they could use a little help, some sound advice and a shoulder to cry on now and then. This book offers all three.

Yes, I found the information well organized, the writing folksy and direct, the additional resources helpful but that's not enough. What's unique about the Startup Garden is it the first book I've read that treats the dream of building a business that reflects your passions and sustains your journey with respect. Truly, a worthwhile read.This author "gets it".

Most books that deal with startups or entrepreneurship focus on the formulaic sides of business; they include fill-in-the-blank business plans, spreadsheet templates that assume every company is the same, and a directory of financing sources that anyone could find on the Internet. Tom Ehrenfeld's "The Startup Garden" is the antithesis of these books, instead offering the reader not so much a series of answers to everyday questions, but rather a more thought-provoking series of questions which every entrepreneur should ask him- or herself before starting a business. Thankfully, this book is more about the journey than the destination.

As someone who advises a number of early-stage entrepreneurs, I am all too happy to suggest that anyone contemplating a startup should read this book before going too far. Doing so will cause the first-time or serial entrepreneur to consider all the facets of launching and running a company from both business and personal perspectives: a very worthwile introspective effort!

I picked up The Startup Garden based on a review in our local newspaper, and found it a wonderful read. Having been involved in several start-up ventures, including consulting for several 'dot-coms', I found Ehrenfeld's approach refreshing, honest, and practical.

Building a great business, from a local store to a large company, is as much about execution as idea. By focusing readers on the many different types of leadership needed to launch a venture, from knowing yourself to managing cash and employees, Ehrenfeld goes a long way in providing a full picture of the skills and qualities needed to successfully lead new ventures.

Reading his book is like brainstorming with a smart friend: it helps you think through all of the questions you will need to answer in order to go from idea to business, giving lots of very practical advice along the way.

If you are asking yourself "how can drowning be an art?" you have sensed some of the wry humor that he includes in his poetry. I've only read a handful of poems, but I can already sense the way he puts a plain style to an often comic end. He hasn't been "laugh out loud" funny yet, but he still offers more humor than most contemporary poets. This isn't by chance, either. He knows it:

I am swaying now in the hour after dinner,/ a citizen tilted back on his chair, / a creature with a full stomach-- / something you don't hear much about in poetry, / the sanctuary of hunger and deprivation. / You know: the driving rain, the boots by the door, / small birds searching for berries in winter. ("Osso Buco")

I think that is a wonderful description of much contemporary poetry which many people feel must stem from pain rather than pleasure.

Collins is also willing to be... well... quirky. Here is his description of the types of paintings he likes, from a poem called "Metropolis:"

I like the calm rustic ones: a surface of lake, / the low bough of an oak like a long arm, / a blue smudge of distant hills, / anything with cows, especially if they are standing / in a stream, their large, vacuous faces / staring into the warm nineteenth-century afternoon. / And if one has lowered her head to drink / and the painter has indicated with flecks of white / the water pouring down from the animal's mouth, / then the day, I feel, has achieved a modest crest. //

. . . . . . . . .

You can have that bronze sculpture by the elevators: / "Revolution Holding the Head of Error / and Standing Over the Cadaver of Monarchy." / My place is here, leaning forward, wandering / through the microscopic eyelash details of / "Still Life with Herring, Wine and Cheese," / "Still Life with Tobacco, Grapes and a Pocket Watch," / "Still Life with Porcelain Vase, Silver Tray, and Glasses,"

The line that begins "anything with cows" is as close as I've come to laughing out loud. I don't know why, but something about the honest incongruity I find funny. And I love the parodic title of the sculpture (I assume it's a parody) as a counterpoint to the simplicity of the still life pictures. I think it is clear that his poetry is more in the vein of the still life than the epic or allegorical, and I find his voice refreshing.

The best poem in the collection is "The Invention of the Saxophone" which brings together all of the concerns he develops in this wonderful collection.

What can one say? Except that Collins's poems in this volume are magnificent... the way they mix the ordinary with the profound, in conversational cycles, is absolutely exhilarating, and refreshing! Collins is the wittiest and funniest poet of our day, and now he's the national Poet Laureate!

These poems will take you in, change you, and release you before you're ready to be released!

I recommend this book to everybody.

Billy Collins's original voice is delightfully accessible, often blending comedy and solemnity in one poem, and always with something new to say. The playful tone of these poems can be misleading; whether he is writing about eating a good plate of Osso Bucco or his favorite museum rooms, there is always a pathos lingering in the silence after the last line. Most relieving is the absence of pretentiousness or haughty language. This is simply, as Robert Bly writes in his introduction to the best American poems of 1999, Collins's skillful ability to "bring the soul up close to the thing" in every poem. Books such as "The Art of Drowning" threaten to change the face and purpose of poetry in the 21st century. Let's hope there is plenty more to come from Billy Collins.

This dictionary is worth buying for at least three reasons. First, it contains simply-to-understand explanations of both words and expressions currently used in English speaking countries. Furthermore, it usually distinguish between a formal and an informal use of its entries, as well as among American, Australian, and British English. Finally, it provides English learners with some very clear examples of how to use every word and expression properly. Yet the Collins Cobuild has some blemish, too. For instance, I think the Editorial Team was in a hurry, when they decided the definition of "summary": "(Count noun.) You use 'in summary' to indicate that what you are about to say is a summary of what has just been said." The pointlessness of this definition is worsened by the references to "summary" contained elsewhere -- e.g., "to recapitulate": "(Verb.) ...You can say that you are going to 'recapitulate' the main points of an explanation ...when you want to draw attention to the fact that you are going to repeat the most important points as a summary." For this reason, in my opinion the Collins Cobuild Dictionary cannot be awarded five stars.

I learned English for many years and I used more than eight English-English dictionaries.

When I saw the Collins COBUILD English dictionary in a bookstore, I was very excited. I had been using English-English dictionaries for years and I had formed some expectations. This dictionary immediately impressed me as the best one so far. The best by far. I knew that I had been waiting for this dictionary for many years.

You can use this dictionary when you don't understand a word. You will learn its meaning through seeing this word used in sentences. The sentences use the word as it is used naturally by native speakers. The sentences are not artificial. They are real sentences.

You can use this dictionary to learn how to use a word in your own sentences. You can follow the example sentences which already use this word correctly. The dictionary is full of example sentences. Even the definitions are written in the form of whole sentences.

Reading correct English sentences is the most important thing for learning English. When you use this dictionary, you read many sentences in English. Therefore this dictionary is a good tool for learning English.

Since medieval times, dictionaries were crammed with cryptic abbreviations, special symbols, and the driest and most compact definitions possible. This dictionary is the first one to use the innovative "natural" approach to presenting the English language. Its definitions are not only easier to read and understand; more importantly, they are more precise because they portray the word in its actual contexts, with all of its slightest connotations and shades of meaning made obvious. Other dictionaries can only be used to look up a non-familiar word and, more or less, get to its meaning; this one if the only English dictionary that really allows you to master a new word in all of its aspects so you can use it as if you knew it from your childhood.

Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are best buddies who get into more trouble in this book than you would ever think possible. They are working as security guards for a chicken-processing plant, when Hap saves the life of a young woman who turns out to be the plant owner's daughter. As a reward, Hap receives a check and a Caribbean cruise. Of course, he takes along his best East Texas buddy, Leonard. Now the action begins when Hap and Leonard are left stranded in a small port, get mugged, saved by an old-fisherman, and quickly become involved in a plot that includes murder and revenge. What's going to happen to Hap and Leonard? How are they possibly going to get out of this predicament?

In this book, as well as the other books in this series about Hap and Leonard, there is plenty of humor, and lots of action for these likable guys. This series just gets better and better with each new installment. A terrific book that's filled with lots of twists and unexpected turns that will entertain you. Here's looking forward to the next adventure of these crazy guys.

Joe Hanssen

In CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS-the newest in the "Hap Collins/Leonard Pine" series-Joe R. Lansdale once again proves that he has no equal in the field of writing in the great state of Texas. He is to Texas what Stephen King is to Maine. Both authors have a particular style of writing that appeals to the "everyman" in its simplicity, yet forceful and soul-searching deliverance. If Mysterious Press/Warner Books put more money into promoting Mr. Lansdale's novels here in the United States, they would definitely have a New York Times best selling author on their hands. As it is, the world still hasn't discovered what a major storyteller and master craftsman this East Texas writer really is.
In this novel, the hilarious, dysfunctional, butt-kicking duo of Hap and Leonard return for another outing of outrageous bantering, not to mention going the distance to help those who are in trouble. Hap and Leonard (think Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson) are now security guards in a chicken processing plant. One night after work, while walking to his truck, Hap hears a desperate cry for help. He sees a man stomping the living daylights out a girl near the trees that border the plant and quickly goes to her rescue. Jumping a chain-link fence like an avenging angel, Hap charges the guy and swiftly finds himself in a fight to the death, using everything he's been taught in the martial arts to put this psycho down. After Hap saves the life of the young girl, her father (he happens to be the owner of the chicken plant) rewards him with the gift of a hundred thousand dollars. Accepting the money against his better judgment, Hap decides to take a vacation with his buddy, Leonard. They sign on for a cheap cruise down to Mexico and the Caribbean. As usual, Leonard's mouth gets them into trouble on the boat, and they eventually find themselves stranded in a place called Playa Del Carmen. When a group of muggers from a bordering town attack our two heroes with knives and a machete, wounding Leonard in the process, an old fisherman comes to their rescue. The fisherman and his daughter, Beatrice, allow Hap and Leonard to recuperate at their home. While Leonard is recovering from his knife wound, the fisherman's daughter uses sex to lure Hap into helping her scam a local mobster. Things, however, don't go quite the way Beatrice expects. Her actions lead to death on a major scale, and it follows Hap and Leonard back to Texas in the form of a giant killer named Hammerhead, who likes to skin people alive and then cut their hands and feet off. A close friend of the duo will be murdered because of what happened in Mexico. From that point on the name of the game is revenge for our boys. Hap and Leonard, with the help of Jim Bob Luke, will return to Mexico to take out the mobster and his henchman. A lot of people are going to die before the ending of this novel is reached; and, if Hap has his way, he's going to be the one doing the killing!
CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS had me laughing and crying. Never was a novel funnier; yet, at the same time, sadder. The violence is intense, and a lot of good people die this time around. Mr. Lansdale's prose is "mojo" writing at its best, capturing the pure essence that breathes life into Hap and Leonard, holding the reader within its tight grasp from the first page to the last. These are guys that will put their lives on the line time and time again to help others, risking everything to right a wrong and to bring a little justice into this mixed-up world. Even the secondary characters (Jim Bob Luke, Veil, Charlie Blank, Marvin Hanson, Beatrice and her father, Ferdinand, Brett Sawyer, and the Mexican mobster, Juan Miguel) are written with the same precise detail and strength as the primary ones. The twists and turns are more numerous than ever, offering surprises for the reader every few pages. CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS isn't just a novel; it's a grand adventure with two guys who love each other as brothers and who are heroes in the strongest sense of the word. This book will run you through the gamut of emotions, leaving you with an avid feeling of being alive and that the world isn't such a bad place after all. I can't thank Joe R. Lansdale enough for the books he's written, including this fabulous series about friendship, love, honor, and a willingness to put your life on the line for what you feel is right. I have to admit to a certain degree of sadness, knowing that it may be two years or longer before the next book in the series comes out. As I stated in a previous review, I only wish that Mr. Lansdale could write a "Hap and Leonard" book every year, along with one of his stand-alone novels. It's hard saying goodbye to friends like this for a lengthy period of time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

What does the "R." in Joe R. Lansdale stand for? I've been reading this phenomenal East Texas writer for almost fifteen years now, and I still don't know. I suppose I could click the mouse a few times and get right back to you with the real answer, the right answer. But where's the fun in that? Isn't it better to imagine than it is to know? Back when I was a kid, when only dead flies were on the web, you didn't have any choice but to imagine. So here goes...

After reading Joe R. Lansdale's sixth Hap 'n' Leonard novel, "Captains Outrageous," I'd guess the R. might stand for refreshingly-readable (sounds like something made by the Keebler elves). Then again, it could just as easily stand for rip-roarin'ly-raunchy or rhapsodically-R-rated. What I'm getting at is that reading a Joe R. Lansdale novel is like going river-rafting through the rapids or roller-skating on the roof. You're in for a wild ride whenever you pick up a Lansdale book, so you better make sure your seatbelt is good and fastened.

"Captains Outrageous" is maybe the wildest-plotted yet of the six novels comprising Lansdale's East Texas series starring Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. Hap and Leonard are two well-meaning ne'er-do-wells living in the small East Texas town of LaBorde. Hap is white and straight, Leonard black and gay, but they're the fastest of friends-brothers without the burden of family. And yet, for some reason, whenever they get together, trouble is never far behind.

This time out, Hap seems to have some good luck shine on him for once. While leaving his job as a security guard at a chicken plant one night, the martial-arts-savvy Hap successfully interrupts a rape/murder-in-progress. The would-be victim's father is well-to-do and insists on Hap accepting a ... reward for his chivalry.

With some money in the bank, eager for some time away from the chickens, Hap decides to take a vacation. And who better to ask along than his best friend Leonard? Hap's good luck begins to sour somewhere around the time he and Leonard get on the bad side of their budget cruise ship's buffet bouncer. They soon find themselves stranded somewhere in Mexico with no way to get home. Things get considerably more complicated after they're nearly murdered and then rescued by a machete-wielding fisherman and his bad news femme-fatale daughter. Hap 'n' Leonard then get themselves embroiled in the dealings of a dangerous Mexican mobster who also happens to be a staunch nudist.

The wildness of plot and fierceness of humor that have become hallmarks of Lansdale's writing are out in full force in Captains Outrageous. Equally prevalent are the attention to character and richness of voice that keep Lansdale's books a few notches up from being merely entertaining (not that that's the worst of crimes).

Lansdale has always reminded me something of Mark Twain. Throw in bits and pieces of an old "Love Boat," some Hemingway à la "Old Man and the Sea," and you have an idea of what to expect from "Captains Outrageous." My only complaint is that the second half of the novel isn't nearly as inventive as the first. There's a restrictive symmetry to the book's revenge plot that makes the story arc more of a parabola than an ascending staircase. Still, "Captains Outrageous" is an immensely entertaining read. It's wildly funny, consistently well written, and deserves to earn Joe R. Lansdale new legions of fans.

You don't have to have read any of Lansdale's earlier Hap 'n' Leonard novels to enjoy this one, but you'll definitely want to get caught up afterward. So if you happen to like your books entertaining and well written, you'd be remiss to miss out on this rare and rewarding writer.

Jackie Collins has never written a bad book and she continues her streak with 'Deadly Embrace'. This book reminds me of my favorite Jackie Collins book, 'Chances'. It starts in the present and then goes back many years and keeps flipping from past to present until the story merges into a suspense filled page turning climax. The story is the third book with Madison Castelli, but instead of her being the star of the book it deals with her father Michael and his long time lover Dani. The book is filled wth sex, violence, drugs and many shocking twists and turns. This is certainly a book that is hard to put down has a satisfying ending. I hope there are more books with Madison and Michael Castelli in the future. Aren't we also due for another Lucky Santangelo book?

It wouldn't be summer, without a Jackie Collins' book to read. Although I'm still hoping she will write another book about the Santangelos, Deadly Embrace did not disappoint me. Once again, her colorful characters come to life in this fast paced story. I enjoyed it very much. If you are a fan of Jackie Collins, you will not be disappointed......

This is another hit for Ms. Collins. Madison Castelli is the heroine in this story as she is involved in a hostage situation. Being a reporter, she is able to help the others and herself in this situation. As the gunman told her, "You have balls". Being the daughter of Michael Castelli, of course she does! Her handsome father, is accused of two killings, Madison's mother, Beth, and Stella, the woman who left him for a younger man. Michael has also gotten involved with people you don't say no to, the mob. His former boss, Vito Giovanni assisted him as he was acquitted of Beth's murder. As he made various trips to Las Vegas, he met a chorus gal, Dani, and they have had a distant relationship. Dani also has a son, Vincent, who is also Michael's son, but he doesn't find out until seventeen years later. As Jackie Collins has done so well in the past, she goes back and forth in time with the various chapters as we, the reader, put it all together. There are also at least five plots going on in the book, and somehow, everything fits together. There is enough of each story to keep you reading, and in Jackie's style, lots of sex and drugs. As usual, I could not put this, yet another great Jackie Collins' book down. This was 517 pages of great reading.

Eamon Collins provides an unflinching look at the life of a modern day IRA gunman. The controversy created by this brutally honest look into the inner workings of this complex and secretive organization cost Collins his life at the hands of an IRA assassin. Collins sets out the reasons for his involvement in the IRA as well as detailing the horrific results of his and his fellow gunman's actions. The author also provides a detailed and unprecedented look within the British interrogation chamber, and an inside story of the "Supergrasses." An important work and must-read for anyone interested in the modern history of Northern Ireland.

This book was hard to put down. The author, Eamon Collins, was murdered shortly after the book was published. Collins touches every emotion as he takes you inside of the inner workings of the IRA. Not only do you learn how the IRA plans and carries out its missions, you receive a great deal of insight into human nature and the political conflict that has held Ireland in a grip for hundreds of years! I highly recommend this book. My copy has already been loaned out to a friend.

"If I had to choose between my country and my friend, I hope I would have the courage to choose my friend" EM Foster. Collins chose the 'siren call' of tribalism, or country, and ending up killing at least one man who could have been his friend. He later hauntingly meets the man's daughter briefly. He admits that his Protestant neighbours had more in common with him than the Southern Nationalists with which he was supposed to be trying to unite. A deeply moving book, that makes one uneasy with what one thought were the certainties of Northern Ireland. One cannot read this book and come away thinking the IRA campaign justified, whatever the grievances suffered in the 1960s by Catholics in Northern Ireland. As good a memoir of a 'dirty war' as 'Despatches' about Vietnam, made worse by happening among Collins' workmates and in his home town.

I read this in one sitting and I have to say that personly ...I didn`t enjoy as much as the Sonja Blue novals . I love when authors try somthing different , but there are times where trying somthing different is not always going to work . This book is inbetween that notion . It went too fast . As I read this book I could almost see as a cable movie . That`s what it felt like to read Angels on Fire . I love Nancy Collins works , yet this book just dosen`t capture you as other writings do . Yet all in all it was a a good book . But this is my opinoin .

With the deluge of gawdawful films concerning angels who fall in love with human women and struggle with the dilemma of becoming human, Nancy A. Collins rises above the Hollywood crapmongers to show us novelists have the best ideas. This was my first novel by her, and frankly I fell in love with her narrative, characters, and plot. Instead of using traditional Christian concepts, Collins creates her own universe of angels who range from drones to overseers. I'm currently reading the Sonja Blue novels, and so far I'm having the same reaction. Too bad Collins is married...I think I'm in love!!!

Another great book from Nancy Collins (most of her stuff is great). I was a little skeptical on buying this book but wanted to read everything I could get my hands on at a reasonable price. It strayed away from her vampire and werewolf books, not that their's anything wrong with those books. Angels on Fires ties together what happens when on of the pretenders dies, the whole Heaven and Hell thing. Great book for all of us who are Nancy Collins fans and will make a fan out of you if this is your first novel by her.