I truly feel sorry for anyone who is required to read this book. It is by far one of the worst pieces of literature I have ever read, and I read a lot of books.
I found there was no suspense to the writing, since from the beginning, the reader was able to suspect what the outcome was going to be, and was proven right by the time you read the last paragraph. I personally found the book boring to read, because I guessed what the outcome was going to be, and every chapter confirmed my suspicions. I found the plot development to be very poor, with stereotypes imbedded in several characters, especially the main character.
I don't wish to give away the ending of the book completely, but I will say this much-- when you base your whole plot on a madman, is there any plot at all? The author uses his "villian" as a crutch, using the character's lunacy as an escape route for any unbound plot threads.
I personally recommend you don't waste your time on this book, if you're looking for a some good classics, try "Jane Eyre" or "David Copperfield".

As a general rule I rarely enjoy the novels assigned in classical literature classes but I can usually appreciate the work for its merits. I was pleasantly surprised by The Law and the Lady because it is very readable, the first hurdle in making an assigned piece of literature more than just required text.

Though it is tame by today's standards, Collins presents the relatively new concept of the "amateur detective" and even goes so far as to make his protagonist a woman, very unusual (and almost scandalous) by Victorian standards. To make the novel acceptable in the time it was published, Collins is very careful to temper his progressive ideas with plenty of references to Valeria Macallan's feminine weaknesses and multiple uses of the phrase "only a woman" but he constructed a foundation that scores of female writers and characters have built upon. Keep your eye out for parallels to the classic "Oedipus Rex" story and how Collins treats the gender role-reversal of Valeria and Eustace.

All in all, not an unpleasant book to read if required to do so. Experienced readers will recognize that, despite its faults, The Law and the Lady was very provocative when written and really jump-started the genre of female P.I.s that is so common and popular today. Valeria could be considered the great-grandmother of Kinsey Millhone or V.I. Warshawski.

Many fans and critics agree that Wilkie Collins' writing talent declined after the gripping "The Moonstone," and his works in the 1870s and 80s are sometimes dismissed as misfires of once-genius mystery writer. Though part of the low estimation is reasonable (and some of the works in this era testifies to this opinion), many of them are still readable and interesting. And "The Law and the Lady" should be classified among those neglected pieces.

Probably the first full-length novel featuring female detective, the novel follows the story of heroine Valeria, who marries Eustace happily in the opening of the book. However, she discovers behind the happy marriage a terrible secret, which involved an unsolved murder case in her newly-wed husband's past, and soon she realizes that her husband is not exactly what she thought. To clear her tainted (and his) family name, Valeria single-handedly embarks on a job of amateur detective.

To fully relish the story, you have to remember several things: one of them is that the book is partly inspired by the real-life case of Madeline Smith, who, it was alleged, disposed of her lover with arsenic. Collins made use of this well-known, sensational case, changing the sex of the accused, and he deftly challenges many concepts embedded in morally strict Victorians. So, when Valeria appoints herself as a detective, her "job" (in Victorian society in which ladies are supposed not to work, with the possible exception of poorly-paid governess) starts to have another meaning. Collins, on the one hand attacking the insufficient laws of Scotland, which give its unique "Not-Proven" verdict to the accused when the jury cannot decide whether or not he/she is guilty, also challenges the morally rigid Victorian ideas about male/female concept. This is not to say Wilkie Collins is a feminist; but considering he never married (but, it is generally agreed, had two mistresses), his unique ideas about contemporary males and females are reflected in this seemingly starange work.

And as a detective novel, "The Law and The lady" has still power to entertain us. Though its beginning part is a little shaky because of implausible situations, the book gradually gets you into the thrilling adventure of Valeria, who overcomes all the barriars on her way to the truth. Though the fact that Collins' best work(s) is "The Moonstone" or "The Woman in White," this book is enjoyable. shows some version of Victorian ideas about the roles of males and females.

By the way, it is argued that the first fictional female detective (including amateur) is also created by Collins in his short story "The Diary of Anne Rodway." (1856) This short can be found in most of the collection of his short stories. But if you know another contender for the first female PI, let me know.

I have made four trips to Australia using various versions of this guide. You have to remember that it started off as a backpacker's/ alternative travel guide and has kept the strengths (in depth coverage of offthe beaten track areas) as well as the weaknesses (concentrates on low end travellers) of that approach. It needs to be not just revised and updated but also completely rewritten from scratch. The book is also geared to the traveller who is already in Australia. For example, it is extremely sparing in giving out email addresses and, after all these editions, still does not give the Australian postcodes for places. In its attempt to cover the entire country, it has also gotten very bulky and inconvenient.

I like Lonely Planet and its guides, but I think that it is time for them to either abandon or change the focus of this country-wide guide. In the meantime, I am relying on their series of Australian State guides for my next trip.

CHECKED IN THE STAFF WERE AMAZING VERY HELPFULL POLITE AND READY TO SERVE YOU AND FULL OF HELPFULL KNOWLEDGE ON ALL THE LOCAL TOURS IN THE AREA AS WELL AS OTHER TOURS IN AUSTRALIA CLEAN AND VERY AFFORDABLE GAMES ROOM TV/CABLE SWIMMING POOL THE BEST THING ABOUT THE HOSTEL IS THAT IT WAS ONLY FIVE MINSTO THE CITY AND THEY GAVE YOU A FREE MEAL EVERY NIGHT AT A RESTURANT COME NIGHT CLUB VERY GOOD PLACE GO AND HAVE A LOOK OR JUST PHONE THEM ON (07)40410249 FROM TWO HAPPY POMMS BACKPACKING AROUND THE WORLD MY RATING FOR THE PLACE IS 5 STARS

Because Australia is so big.. and there is just so much to see no single book can possibly cover the whole country. That's why lonely planet has published so many titles pertaining to this country.

I think the intention of this book is to give insight into what is available where... then select the relevant lonely planet guide for the area that most interests you.

A lot of people don't know what is where in Aus, as an outline to learn... I think this book serves anyone very very well.

It's much cheaper to buy this book.. and choose where you want to find out more about... than buying the complete series of lonely planet guides in the Australia range.

What I like about the book is that the author researched his subject, the Roswell incident. His writing style is captivating, but the main character, private eye Heller, comes across as a lame duck lacking in the finesse one expects from a detective. The characters in the story are historically authentic, except for fictional Dr. Bernstein, made out as evil as a Nazi must be betrayed; vae victis! With all the snooping going on, Mr. Collins doesn't bring his spy to a conclusion, and the story ends in a frazzle, which I found unsatisfying. The book is mildly entertaining. However, I will give this author another try, since this is my first read on him.

Surprisingly, my first in-depth exposure to what went on in Roswell in 1947 comes with reading this snappy crime novel. Oh, I know enough not to take a novel as gospel on realworld history, even bizarre history; author Collins does help a Roswell newbie like me by enclosing an "afterword" that separates fact from fiction, as well as listing secondary sources.

This was, incidentally, my introduction to PI Nathan Heller, who apparently has a habit of taking any case that relates to oddball historical events of mid 20th Century USA...an interesting angle for a mystery series, and one that no doubt requires endless and diverse research from the author.

Heller does what most PIs do in these "hard-boiled" novels (even recent ones like this): he visits nervous suspect after nervous suspect, he clicks with at least one sexy dame, he gets forced into the back of a car and pressured by at least one person, or group, or organization, that wishes him to Drop The Case, he is helped as much by hunches as by clues, and he spends time either feeling disgust over the low morals of the most ferrety members of society he talks to during a case, or feeling guilty over some of his decisions while solving a case, especially when he discovers that he has unknowingly assisted a criminal in his endeavors ("you played me for a sap, and I let you, but I'm onto you now...", etc.).

All of that is in this book, and I should say that I don't usually enjoy a mystery this much which relies heavily on the age-old formula. But Majic Man has a somewhat off-kilter approach to the routine, which helps it immeasurably. First, the murder is quite late in the book...which relates to Heller's feelings of guilt in the late innings; he's originally hired to protect a supposedly paranoid, disgraced politico, and it's questionable how great a job he ends up doing. And secondly, the whole Roswell connection makes everything just a bit eerie, and thus extra-entertaining. The touches of humour are appreciated too: I love the scene where Heller trips over, uh, the unexpected, while trying to escape from a military base with a sinister secret.

A three-star mystery with some solid four-star content throughout ...

I love the Nathan Heller Series. I find the blend of fiction with actual events to be great reading. The research into the past that Collins does makes the books totally credible. He is an author on my buy in hardcover list.

In this book we are taken to Roswell, and we follow Nate while he investigates the UFO rumors. As usual, we get to meet some real people from the past, and it's great fun.

Nate is a man's man, and a stereotypical PI of the times. And reading it is a real joy. And the beauty of this series is that you can read it out of order.

So don't wait, dive in!!!

Jon

The controversy caused by this biography led it to be banned by the Irish government for decades. Unique in its contemporary view of this important Irish leader, Frank O'Connor's biography suffers from a rather stilted approach. However, what it lacks in historical accuracy and readability, this account of Collins's life proves an enjoyable read and recounts many enlightening first hand accounts of the man.

This biography was fascinating to me because it was written much closer to the time of the events related than more recent books on Collins, and was written by a man who fought in the Irish Civil War (in which Collins lost his life)and fought on the side opposite Collins. The book is written in a novelistic style that can sometimes be rather offputting, but it is nonetheless an intriguing view of the most charismatic and, probably, most effective Irish leader ever. Certainly it reveals the great regard in which Collins was, and is, held by his countrymen, even those who did not support him after the Treaty which precipitated the civil war(which Ireland seems only now to be putting behind it).Anyone interested in Michael Collins and the tremendous impact he had on his country should read this book.

I remember reading this book in school in Ireland. Collins was a true patriot, but like most of us he had his faults. The book shows the good and bad at a time in Irish history when life was in some cases very cheap. Collins place in the peace treaty can never be discounted and the controvesy relating to the ambush and death will probably never be fully uncovered. I was and still am touched by his own words when he signed the treaty "today I have signed my own death warrant" a true giant the " Big Fellow ".

Flying Blind troubled me in ways that none of the other Nate Heller books have troubled me. (I've read a total of nine.) The most important source of my reservations is Max Allan Collins' portrayal of Amelia Earhart's sex life, which seemed speculative to the point of presumption. While historians and biographers have long wondered if she was bisexual or lesbian, that speculation is a long way from having Heller, in one scene, discover Ms. Earhart in bed with another woman. The mistake is aggravated by the fact that Collins doesn't use his interpretation of Ms. Earhart's sexuality to illuminate her character--the same night she's been with the woman she goes to bed with Heller, just like any of Heller's numerous other girlfriends. The two carry on an intermittent affair throughout the rest of the novel, even talk about marriage--but the subject of Ms. Earhart's feelings for women never comes up again, leaving the impression that Collins employs it solely as a sensationalistic plot twist. (Toward the end, in a passage that is less important but even more outrageous, Heller asserts that Ms. Earhart's favorite heterosexual position was woman-on-top. Exactly where in his research did Collins find that "fact"?)

Amelia Earhart is a genuine American heroine. She deserves better treatment than this.

In Collins' favor, the book resembles the others in the series in that he has done a great deal of research, most of it accurate, and often manages to render the atmosphere of Depression-era America convincingly. Occasionally, however, inaccurate or anachronistic details jar--another reviewer has mentioned a Packard's automatic transmission and Heller's 9 mm sidearm. My personal favorite occurs when Collins has James Forrestal, assistant secretary of the Navy, tell Heller that the Japanese are developing a carrier aircraft called by two names--"Claude" and "Zero." Historically, Claude and Zero (aka "Zeke") were two different fighters, a fact still widely known and easy to find out. That Collins gets it wrong undermines a reader's faith in his other research.

The Heller series started off as a chronicle of the detective's adventures in the politically-corrupt and mob-run city of Chicago, fertile ground for Collins' brand of historical fiction. Recent installments, however, have found the character evolving into a 1930s version of James Bond who takes his investigations to exotic locations like Hawaii, New Orleans, and the Caribbean. Heller's abortive rescue of Earhart on the Pacific island of Saipan is blatantly unbelievable, leaving me wondering when he's going to get back home. Surely Heller must have been connected somehow to Mayor Daley's Democratic machine and the electoral hanky-panky that won Illinois for John Kennedy in 1960. Surely Heller must have investigated the 1968 Democratic convention riots and the trial of the Chicago 7. How about future Heller books on those? They'd get him back where he belongs.

It's been a while since I've read a Nathan Heller novel. I loved "Stealing Away" and enjoyed the others I've read, but I figured that the more we saw, the harder it would be to swallow just how many famous mysteries Heller was involved in. And that's what happened here, especially since Heller is far more involved with Amelia Earhart than he's ever been with a client or a victim.

That involvement colored the rest of the book in a way that was a bit more cynical than usual and that made Heller a lot harder to take. I appreciate that the speculation about history's truth is just that, and that we can disregard the whole thing, but Heller's love for "Amy" makes almost every other character in a position of authority seem sordid if not evil. The result is a rather simplistic narrative. That Collins would treat Huey Long with more sympathy than any effort to spy on Japan in preparation for the inevitable war is perpelxing.

This is still a fun read, but it's just not the same as the earlier works. And after you've had your hero sleep with Amelia Earhart, what's next? Eleanor Roosevelt?

Having read all of Collins' Nate Heller casebooks, I would rank this one as fitting into the top 5 or so. Not as snappy as the early Chicago-based ones and certainly nowhere close to the pinacle of the series Stolen Away (about the Lindbergh kidnapping), this book still has all of the best features of these books: Great background, terrific characters, funny dialogue, ample sex (using charmingly veiled language without lapsing into cute-ness), and a plausible plot that finds our man in the midst of one of the 20th Centuries best mysteries. If you haven't read a Heller book, seek out True Crime and True Detective, then jump to Stolen Away and then come here. You'll be glad you did.

A few years ago my mother and I were out of state visiting her sister and I was a little bored because I didn't have a book to read so when my aunt showed me her bookcase with all of the hardcover books she got through her book of the month club I saw a book that said Rock Star by Jackie Collins and being a big fan of rock music it seemed like a book I would like to read so I read the book and when I was finished I decided that I just didn't like this book and thought it was stupid, just very trite and vapid.

I see some people picture the rock star to be based on Rod Stewart but as for me when reading the book I pictured Mick Jagger but I guess Jackie Collins could have based her character on both Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger.

i read this book some years back&was curious as to how Jackie Collins would speak on the Business.well this is cool in spots it is very Entertaining to say the least.

Reading this book is like having a box of Pringles potato chips right under your nose. Once you have one, you can't stop! I definitely couldn't stop turning the pages of this delightfully trashy book. The rock star reminded me of Rod Stewart as well. Not that I take this as a "serious" look into the music industry. It's got great entertainment value though.

If I am not mistaken the high school students helped in making this movie in Muscatine. I thought it could of been better. I also saw Mommy 2 and wasn't thrilled with it either. But it was a low budget movie so what can you excpect? I do like Patty McCormick though. I enjoyed her in the Bad Seed and often wondered why we haven't seen more of her.

The straight-forward, no-nonsense approach that serves Mr. Collins so well in his novels works just as effectively for his movie work, at least as demonstrated in "Mommy". This modest thriller doesn't try to wow you with flashy cutting, a pulse-pounding soundtrack, and other gimmicks, but rather draws you in with extremely solid acting, photography, and direction, as well as a decent story. Much care was also lavished on the DVD release, as it is clear Mr. Collins wanted to take advantage of the capabilities of this soon-to-be-dominant home-viewing medium. I especially liked the running commentary, where writer/director Collins seemed to re-assemble everyone except the on-site caterer to share anecdotes about the fun and challenges of putting together a movie in a rural Iowa setting not used to hosting many such productions. I also enjoyed the fact that the folks featured in the commentary were clearly all capable professionals, yet at the same time had almost a childlike giddiness about how they pulled off a particular shot, how an actor got an expression just right, where they got the new Cadillac to use as "Mommy's" car, and endless other little details. So, in short, this a both a fun movie and a fun DVD. I'm looking forward to checking out the sequel, which I understand is more of a straight mystery story than the thriller/character study/black comedy that is this first entertaining installment.

"Mommy" is an entertaining lesser known flick that is full of great acting and ambience. The acting by McCormack, Stevens, and the little girl was really good. McCormack was a joy to watch as the psychopathic "mommy". I also liked the low lighting, and realistic treatment of the tale, as well as the hispanic Sherriff. The janitor provided some comic relief, too funny when she says "yes'm". A winner.

The last book from Jackie Collins' L. A. Connections series goes out with a bang--too quickly ! Writing a part 5 would have been a wiser choice.

Still, Collins delivers the goods. The identification of the killer (!) is a winner, as well as the character of Madison Castelli, whom the author should bring back in another series or novel. Her though cookie attitude is A-1. So is her fate, written in a realistic and appropriate manner. Ditto for call-girl Kristin Carr, for her character is exactly where it should be. Collins deserves top notch for creating true-to-life endings.

Too bad she didn't expand the series. It would have given her more room to breathe, and more time for us to digest everything.-- M. Boucher

the book is true to jackie collins style.

each of her books is better than the last. she is an excellent writer.

How many times do we need to see Jackie Collins novels. If you pick up one, the rest are the same. Enough is enough. Why doesn't doesn't Jackie Collins write about something new, and not repeat herself in every novel she has written. The bottom line about Jackie Collins, she doesn't understand emotion, and never will, so this is as smart as she ever will be. Another Jacqueline Susann, she is not.

The reader is warned that this book is written based upon the views of Theravada Abhidhamma secular anti-foundationalism/nihilism. Amazingly enough, Steven Collins makes the fallacy of composition from sutra that since ABCDEF is not X (Soul), therefore Buddhism denies the Soul. This entire book is 99.999% opinions, and the very very few citations Collins provides does not support his claim in any fashion that Buddhism denies/negates the Soul.

One can only presume that Mr. Collins has never read the Sutras themselves but has rehashed anti-foudationalistic dogma as espoused by Theravada which technically post dates the Nikayas by almost 700 years.

Collins purposely forgets to mention that Indian neti neti (not this-not that) via negativa is common to BOTH Buddhism and Upanishadic/Vedantic methodology wherein the absolute is posited by the negation of all phenomena which are not-Self/Soul (anatta). Collins leaves out the most important aspect of Sutra in his book "Selfless Persons" by forgetting to mention that of the 572 occurances of anatta (not-self) in Sutta, all occurrences are adjectives, wherein 22 things are deemed anatta. There exists ( unmentioned by Collins) nowhere in sutra a "doctrine of no-Soul", but rather 22 things which are deemed devoid of the Soul (attan). Collins wins the award for writing 100's of pages of opinions about how Buddhism is really a materialistic/empirical/anti-foundational dogma in his view, which is contrary to the few among many passages below refuting him as found within Sutra. Here are but a few of many 1000's of passages Collins omits from his myopic examination of Buddhism read thru Theravada nihilistic rose colored glasses.
"The Soul is Charioteer"[Jataka-2-1341]
"The Tathagata is without the mark of all things, he dwells upwards within the signless inflexured mind (citta). There within, Ananda, dwell with the
Soul as your Light, with the Soul as your refuge, with none other as refuge."
[SN 5.154, DN 2.100, SN 3.42, DN 3.58, SN 5.163]
"The Soul is ones True-Nature (Svabhava)" [Mahavagga-Att. 3.270]
"The Soul is the dearest beloved" [AN 4.97]
"The Soul is the refuge that I have gone unto" [KN Jatakapali 1441]
"To be fixed in the Soul is to be flood crossed" [Mahavagga-Att. 2.692]
"The Soul is Svabhava(Self-Nature)." [Maha'vagga-Att. 3.270]
"The Soul is the refuge to be sought" [Suttanipata-Att. 1.129]
"Having become the very Soul, this is deemed non-emptiness (asuñña)" [Uparipanna'sa-Att. 4.151]

I think that some of the other reviewers of this book demonstrate how attachment to the concept of "self" or "soul" can lead to suffering. Smile, you're "you" is just an idea :)

Steven Collins' 'Selfless Persons' has changed the way I look at the Theravada tradition. He is one of the few non-Buddhist scholars critically approaching the Canon and uncovering hidden presumptions and 'unmasking' Buddhist specific rhetoric (the subtitle is 'Imagery and thought in Theravada Buddhism.) For instance, Collins writes (p. 77) about the anatta-doctrine that 'one might well describe it, [... ], as a linguistic taboo in technical discourse.' Such statements are rare in Buddhological scholarly works and illustrate the critical distance scholars as Collins can and need to take from the material. The texts are quite dense, but it is an Aha!-Erlebnis to come to the insights Collins provides us. A lot of Buddhist will find the book 'blasphemic' because of it's sober approach, but it's incontestable that it has paved a new way for critical analysis of the Canon. The book was presented as a doctoral thesis and it was a good idea indeed to publish it. I wished more of such works were published.