At the bottom of the second page I grew weary of O'Kane editorializing - IN FICTION, YET! The author has little grasp of showing a story and a monumental grasp of throwing in numerous, excessive, ridiculous adverbs and adjectives (just like the ones in this sentence).

I do not recall reading this kind of puffed up "LITERATURE" since the last time I accidently stumbled on a 19th century young adult novel.

The editor of this great waste of my time should be fired.

Don't bother. There are much better novels out there.

I must say that I liked this book. Her previous ones with this sleuth were a little bit weak, but she has really done well with this story. Now she just needs to give Molly Masters a back bone and a plot to work with.

In addition to rock-solid plotting with an always-involving premise, Leslie O'Kane has a rare talent for creating delightfully feisty heroines whose unusual occupations provide additional dimension and interest to her novels. It's always a pleasure to share freelance fax/greeting card designer Molly Masters' world, but when Ms. O'Kane introduced canine therapist Allida 'Allie' Babcock in PLAY DEAD, this dog-lover found herself completely caught-up in the technicalities of behavioral modification that Allie employs during the course of her investigations and loving every minute of the time that we were spending together.

Allie's third adventure in crime GIVE THE DOG A BONE may well be her most intriguing and complex outing to date. Off to a rather rocky start, her consulting business is finally solidly in the black; her somewhat up-and-downish relationship with her dogaphobic office-mate Russell seems to be working itself out nicely, and her datebook of problem pooches is satisfyingly full. However, when eccentric millionaire Ken Culberson and his charming but utterly undisciplined golden retriever Maggie arrive in her office, she finds herself trying to cope with "six impossible things before breakfast". Ken is absolutely convinced(encouraged by an unscrupulous psychic)that Maggie's misbehaviors are occuring because she is possessed by his dead ex-wife Mary whom he's equally convinced that he's killed, albeit by accident. A threat that Maggie's running wild in his trailer park may lead to her incarceration by the Animal Control League achieves what neither his psychiatrist nor his social worker have been able to accomplish and brings him to Allie, begging for help. Dubious about Ken's sanity but a [turkey] for a dog in obvious trouble, Allie agrees to make a site visit where she discovers that the bones that Maggie's been gleefully draging home recently probably aren't animal bones and calls the police. Before he's taken to the station to discuss the matter, Ken asks Allie to assume temporary charge of Maggie and emends his will (which names Maggie as sole heir to his millions) making Allie her legal guardian. While the police are still investigating the matter, Ken is released and then murdered. Suddenly Allie is confronted with a plethora of equally unsavory claimants to Maggie's paw and fortune...one of whom is probably Ken's killer. Finding out which puts her own life on the line in the chilling denouement to this thoroughly satisfying, delightfully whimsical whodunnit.

The title promises this will be about the Rush to Colorado, but it is more like a slow crawl. In his introduction West quotes a friend as saying, "(he) couldn't comment on a new traffic light at Maple and Arkasas without starting with the Magna Carta," unfortunately this is all too true. In his lead up to the gold rush the author goes back to 10,000 BC. Not only was this unnecessary in dealing with the topic, but these early migrations of native peoples have already been treated much better by Hyde, Grinnell, and others.

West's thesis is that the gold rush not only affected the areas immediately around the strikes-the places the immigrants went to-but also the areas they passed through, thus transfoming the entire Plains Region. He also maintains that it was the competition for vital resources, such as grazing land, water and timber that brought the Indian nations to their knees, long before the actual military campaigns.

West's points are interesting, however, he makes them early and then spends the rest of the book reiterating them. There is little new here in terms of factual information, and while his treatment of the Indians in the first part of the book suffers from too much detail, the second half suffers from too little. There is not much information given about the Indians and their reactions except for that surrounding their encounters with whites.

This is actually not a bad book to read for someone who has a passing interest in the settlement of the Plains. However for me it was like going back to high school, after taking college level courses.

The title, The Contested Plains, relays Elliot West's desire to tell the story of the 1858 Colorado Gold Rush not from the perspective of the destination, but from the tale of the journey. West is determined to understand the environmental history of the plains as well as the perspective of the Indians who long inhabited them. He not only attempts to understand the land itself, but also how the indigenous peoples, and ultimately the gold seekers, used it. Clearly defined within the story are the concepts of imagination, impact, and power and the story itself is in fact divided into these three subsections: Vision, Gold Rush, and Power. West relates the tale through multiple scopes as he attempts anthropological, geological, economic, cultural, topographical, and biological interpretations of the 19th century transformation of the western Plains environment.
West begins by taking the reader back to the land before time in what he calls the "Old World." His clever play on the general Euro centric application of the world is all the more poignant when it is understood that this truly is the Indians' "Old World," and that a new and generally inhospitable future awaits them. After this short introduction, introduced is Spanish explorer Coronado and offers the foreshadowing of the encounter, exchange, and exclusion of the next four centuries.
The staples of the Western encounter remain the same. Disease, trade, firearms, and the horse are the four major players in the transformation of Indian lives. This is where West's biological angle emerges. He constructs the interdependence of life between the Indians and the Plains and the fundamental impact that the introduction of the horse levied upon their lifestyle. While horse and firearm prove beneficial and disease fatal, trade has been cast in a more complex light. The same trading systems that permitted the general rise of the Plains Indian became its downfall as settlers pushed westward in search of increased capital through a marginal gold rush or a now expanded trade system.
The encroachment of settlers onto the Plains found fundamentally different uses for the land. While the Cheyenne, or Tsistsistas, had managed a sustainable lifestyle consisting of hunting, grazing, movement, and trade, the relatively static farming productions of the white settler not only consumed valuable land space needed for the Indians, it levied substantial tolls upon the environment itself, particularly in times of drought.Accompanied by a population explosion wholly untenable with the nature of the land, it wasn't long before bloody conflicts between the two groups would arise, with the ultimate victor being the white settler.
West has written a comprehensive narrative consisting of several different vantage points, the most emotive being the ultimate transformation and decline of the life of the Plains Indian tribes. Voice has also been given to the land in this account. West is careful to make no judgments on the Indians or the gold seekers and settlers. He is pragmatic when he exclaims that "two cultures acted out compelling visions in a land that could support only one."

This is a truly outstanding work. In a microcosmic study, West has written a new synthesis of Western American history.

Beginning with the the High Plains environment and the resources it provided, West begins with the story of the American Indian tribes who migrated to this area and how the Plains environment affected their society and lifestyle. Then, focusing on the Gold Rush years of 1858 and 1859, he discusses how the mineral resources of the territory attracted the hordes of white settlers to the plains, as well as the nature of the people who came here and the cultural expectations they carried with them.

Finally, he discusses how the Native American and white American cultures clashed with each other and the role the environment played in that conflict. West details the power struggle that took place on the Plains and the reasons for the eventual white triumph.

This book is an important work in the history of the Overland experience of the 19th century. Alongside works such as John Unruh's "The Plains Across" (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1976), it fills in some important pieces of the puzzle for one of the most crucial periods in the history of American nationbuilding.

It sounded good. And I could relate to parts of it, as a recent transplant to Denver and having just experienced the deaths of close relatives. But the pomposity was too much. Some interesting stuff, but a lot of disorganized rambling. It feels like Gessner is just trying too hard to write the book he wants to be so proud of. The word "narcissistic" pops up a lot in the book. Totally appropriately. Does the guy mention beer in every single essay in the book? Yes, David, you're cool - you carried beer along on your hike.

Though I enjoyed much of this book immensely, calling it a book would be a bit generous. Though its major theme of the importance of a person establishing connectedness to a place rings true, the disparate chapters and their topics do not lead to a book that is greater than the sum of its parts. It stands better as a series of essays. Some chapters are full of the overwrought musings of an overly sentimental tree hugger, others are just too downright giddy and reek of so much gosh gee willikers amazement as to be pure drivel. There is also a narcissistic tone to the book that detracts from many of the aithors very moving and genuine observations. However, other sections ring so true that they should be lifted straight out of the book and put on a travel brochure. Mr. Gessner is at his best when waxing eloquently about the past (his own or anyone else's) or when he is on his bike ( a kindred spirit with this reviewer), but when he drifts into reflections on the zen of the moment it seems just too drippingly forced for this rreviewers taste.

From start to finish, I was deeply moved by Gessner's insightful and creative prose. This is perhaps the greatest book I've ever read. Thank you, Mr. Gessner, for making an invaluable contribution to contemporary American literature.

Most of Krentz' audio books I have heard were good. Because I did not like the reader on this one (Paula Parker), the story dragged toward the end.

Kyle Stockbridge wants Harmony Valley and especially wants to keep it out of Glen Ballard's hands. He finds the new heir, Rebecca Wade, before she has been notified, hiring her as his personal assistant. He never expected to fall for her. Once the truth comes out, Kyle must scramble to convince Becky that the land and their relationship are two separate issues.

Hardheaded male meets stubborn woman. This is the basis of many Krentz books, but each is subtly different and engrossing. A WOMAN'S TOUCH is no exception. Tight conflict and fast-paced action make this an exciting read. Another JAK sucess.

I have been dusting off some of my old series JAK's since they are being reprinted, and sad some are very dated. But this one stands the test of time. It is JAK all the way and she scores a ten with this one.

When Rebecca Wade inherits a strip of land from a distant relative, she steps right in the middle of generations long freud between the Stockbridges and the Ballards. The women of her family have always owned this piece of land and the men from both sides have always wanted and were not beneath trying to use her ancestors to get it. And it seems Rebecca finds the situation is repeating itself. It turns out she was given a job for Kyle Stockbridge as his personal assistant, with her not knowing he wants the lands and gives her the job for that reason. In short time, Kyle learns her wants Rebecca even more, but he is going to have a hard time proving to her.

It is JAK at her best and a wonderful read!!

Heroine: lush, voluptuous

Angie Bartoli, possessed of a dark Italian beauty and its accompanying fiery temper, stepped off the train at the Willow Creek depot in search of the husband who had abandoned her ten years earlier. Upon finding him, she decked him with a punch worthy of a professional pugilist. And that was before Angie had discovered that he'd been living with another woman nearly all of that time, and has a family with her!

Sam Holland had waited for years for this moment to come. Finally he could put the past behind him, divorce his wife and move on with his life. But things aren't going the way Sam had planned. He knew there might be some enmity on Angie's part, but certainly didn't expect to be assaulted by her! No longer the daughter of wealthy parents, Angie can't afford to pay for their divorce. And Sam can't rustle up the funds because he is saving up to pay for his young daughter's operation.

So a truce is called and a plan is formed. Angie will live with Sam and care for his young girls until they've put by enough money for both the operation and the legal procedures. But the more time Angie spends with Sam and his girls, the less she wants to get that divorce. If only she hadn't already promised herself to another man!

What worked for me:

I thought the hero and heroine seemed like real people, and reading about their life in an 1800s mining town was very interesting.

Sometimes kids in romance novels tend to be too cutesy for me, but the girls in this story didn't come across that way at all. The whole "blended family" scenario was pretty realistic.

Size-wise Angie didn't seem to have many thoughts one way or the other about her nicely rounded shape, but the hero certainly did!

What didn't work for me:

I found the way the hero and heroine clung so desperately to their pride at the expense of their happiness to be terribly frustrating. I think a prologue showing the brief courtship and stormy breakup between Sam and Angie when they were young would have helped make their anger more believable.

Overall:

An enjoyable read for fans of Western Historical Romances...If you liked "The Bride of Willow Creek" you might also enjoy "Beckett's Birthright", "A Country Christmas", "Land of Dreams", "No Ordinary Princess" or "The Hero's Best Friend".

This is the second book I have read by Maggie Osborne. Easy on the ears and eyes! A glimpse into the Old West where things were tough especially for women. Her repartee is engaging and sweet. Read her "The Best Man" for some real education and laughs in the Old West. Good, light story.. always a sweet ending. Nice summer reading.

Maggie Osborne is one of the best writers in the business. Her books never fail to please. The heroine is written to perfection. Her story lines are fresh and unique. Not your average romance tale that repeats itself in book after book. I would highly recommend anything by Ms. Osborne - especially this one.

I've enjoyed many of Karen Kijewski's previous novels, and I think Kat Colorado is a solid character, much more interesting than V. I. Warshawski or Kay Scarpetta. (Nobody comes close to Kinsey Millhone, of course.) But this volume in the series seemed to fall flat for me. Several times I found my attention wandering; the plot didn't keep me interested and I found myself bored.

One flaw with this book is that there are too many victims and not enough suspects. I guessed who the criminal was about halfway through the novel. It wasn't that hard to figure out, because by process of elimination, everybody else was either a target or too obvious to be the culprit.

I find it interesting that the other reviewers of this book either loved it or hated it. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Kijewski's characters are strong enough to survive a weak plot; one can only hope that this book is an exception to an otherwise fine series.

A wonderful return to Sacramento for Kat Colorado. Ten times better than the previous book in this series. Kat is back!

While the book in the Kat Colorado series before this one was somewhat below par, this one is a return to the excellent form usually displayed by this author. The plotting is tight and compelling; the characterisations are realistic and engaging. Very highly recommended.

Yes, Bourneman and Lampert are good climbers. Too good! This is a text to consult after you have climbed your mountain. I suggest that you choose your route in "Colorado's Fourteeners: From Hikes to Climbs" by Gerry Roach. Bourneman often selects routes that are not appropriate for those who are not up to his ability. I have learned the hard way. After, 37 successful Colorado 14er climbs, I recommend Roach. You should also check Edrinn's "Grand Slam", and Ormes' "Guide to the Colorado Mountains". Bourneman and Lampert salvage two stars but only because their historical information is interesting.

This book is the definitive guide to Colorado 14ers. There are newer, flashier books available, but this is the one that goes in my pack before every climb and has for the last 20 years. It is a must have.

Great Reference book. Includes maps and directions for the best way to do any of the Fourteeners. Excellent maps to show you physically what you will encounter. Another good reference is [online]where you can read and see photos from folks climbing to check current conditions after picking the one you want to climb from this book.

The 1 star review doesn't refer to the content - I agree with other reviews - but to the e-book version. Here's what you don't get in the e-book version:
* the ability to copy/paste text (like driving directions, for example) to any other application (like an email message to your friends about where to meet)
* the ability to lend the book to anyone else.
* the ability to use the text-to-speech feature in the Adobe reader.
* the ability to ever migrate the book to another PC. Yes, that's right, if you get a new PC and trash your old one, this title WILL BE LOST. Adobe doesn't provide a way to move the book to another PC. So, if you are like a number of people and upgrade/replace your PC every few years, your SOL on keeping this book through a new generation of PC. That fact is in no way obvious on the Adobe web site - SHAME on Adobe for effectively conceiling a complete deal-killer.

However, with the exception of the last item, I can't really knock Adobe. It's the...publisher of the book that has decided to lock out all the features of the reader that make the e-book version useful to begin with. At least with the paper version I can loan it to friends or take it on trips. I can't even download text into a PDA. I have sympathy for the issue of copywrite protection, but being able to copy/paste driving directions was the reason I bought the e-book version to begin with. What did they think - I was going to copy/paste the whole book?
The one thing they couldn't/didn't lock out is screen captures. It *is* possible to capture a screen from the reader, save the file as .gif, and then email that. A pain, but it does give me minimal satisfaction that it's possible....

This book has sooo... much information! You will need to do lots of reading before you can really focus and decide on where you want to camp. It's good for those that have plenty of time to decide on their destination but I don't belive it is for those who need a quick reference. There are NO color pictures in this book so you don't know what the campgrounds look like before you get there. I'm giving this book 3 stars...

My husband and I truly enjoy camping in Colorado, and have spent every summer we've lived here touring the state and camping out. We NEVER stay in a hotel. It's so exciting to visit new places and enjoy the beauty of nature. It's so important to me to find "THE" perfect camp site, and sometimes that's not easy when time or resources are limited. Johnny Malloy gives you the right amount of information for each campground he reviews so that you can feel confident that when you get to where you're going, you won't feel disappointed. Some reviews include information about the geography of the area, crowds, activities nearby, and even which site(s) is(are) the best site at the campground. He also includes the elevation of each campground which is important because it gets cold in Colorado at night sometimes! Using this book, you can easily find the right information about a campground so that you can really enjoy your time spent outdoors.

The mystery here takes quite a bit of the book to set up, that is, unless you count the 'mysterious' pottery as the gist of the book. After an arduously prolonged development of a mystery, the book is nearly over. The only factors it has going for it are an impressive use of vocabulary and it beats starring at a blank wall for entertainment.

I just finished reading this book & it had a good ending but the whole store line was a little slow. Both ms. Pickard & ms. Rich are wonderful authors. I really love her books. Even though it is not her best book it still is a good book and worth reading.

Nancy Pickard is continuing a series started by Virginia Rich. Ms. Rich has since died. Ms. Pickard has done a great job with this series and I look forward to others in this series by her. Genia is an older woman who lives on a ranch in Arizona. She finds old pottery on her land and joins a woman's hike with an archaeologist to try to learn more about the pottery and where it came from. Many things happen and of course, Genia ends up helping solve murders.

This is the fifth book of JLN's that I have read, and by far it is the best!!! It had nothing dirty in it, language or anything else! That is a big plus now!! I liked the way that Sarah changed in the book, as I have lately be finding out, getting out of your comfort zone can be rewarding. I encouraged my younger sister to read it, and she liked it as well as I. You can kind of guess who the 'bad guys'are, but that is pretty normal. I can't wait to read the next book! [My sister and I are rooting for Clint:-)]

Despite the other reviews, I liked this book a lot. Its about this girl named Sarah and her sister Susana (who doesnt really become a main character until the next book) who ran this boarding house with their mother, but when their mother dies, their evil aunt and uncle take over and try to steal their money and close the house.
So Sarah takes what little money they have left and sets off across the country to a small mining town in search of their father, who she hasnt seen in years, in hopes of having him come back and save the boarding house. On the way, she meets Jermey, a rich reporter, and Clint, the driver of the wagon taking her to her father. There are alot of twists and turns along the way and a big suprise when they get there!

I went to the library to look at Joan Lowery Nixon's books since she is my favorite author, when I saw "Hightrail to Danger" I thought it would be boring but when I got it I couldn't stop reading it I finished it in 1/2 a day. My only problem is I can't find the sequal! I hope she marries Jeremy.