Equally impious and improbable, Percival Everett's story of Craig Suder's sacrificing his baseball career to (inadvertently?) end up pursing an unacknowledged life-long dream is likely to disturb respectable folk. Those with delicate sensibilities need not open this wonderfully instructive and sometimes comically funny work. Nevertheless, Everett's finely detailed chronicle of a slumping professional third baseman's journey to self-awareness is an affirmation in the best sense of the word. Bringing in a diverse cast of characters- -including a taxidermically-obsessed baseball manager, an abused run-away sub-teen, and a long-suffering elephant who finds happiness in the Oregon hill country- -Everett leads the slumping pro ball player to an epiphany of the soul which concludes with a satisfying Icarus-like journey that is also a moving tribute to the jazz of Charlie "Byrd" Parker.

Have fun!

This book has a main character, Craig, who's a professional baseball player who has hit a major slump in the major leagues and takes some time off. While soul searching and trying to maintain some semblance of sanity, Craig takes the reader through his abnormal childhood and reflects on the antics of his mother who was mentally insane. Although the ending leaves much to be desired, the content of the book will make you laugh, and say, "WHAT!" several times. Craig and his mother will stay with you long after you've finished this novel. The most memorable scene for me was the baseball game with the mother being an unofficial coach to Craig by showing him how to run the bases while wearing a full length mink coat. Happy reading.

I finished "Indian Killer" last night. I read various reviews of this book while I was reading it. I have to disagree with reviewers who claim all the white people portrayed in Alexie's book are stereotypes. I didn't find the white people to act and react any more stereotypically than the Indian characters. I felt that Alexie did an excellent job of laying out the attitudes and prejudices of both "sides" of the coin, Indian and white. Everyone makes assumptions about everyone else based on incomplete information, pride, or ignorance. It's a human thing, not an Indian thing or white thing, and Alexie weaves it into the very fabric of this mystery story. This book was grittier than I expected, based on reading previous works by this author. Alexie's scripting of John Smith's descent into unchecked schziophrenia was painfully accurate and left me reeling. Seattle's madness fluttering around Smith over the series of "Indian Killer" murders, despite the violence and pain and number of people involved, did not seem as important as one man's agony. And I'm left wondering who--or what--the killer really was. The mystical components dropped into the mix added the perfect grace note to the book. Not a happy read, but a fast and engaging one, and a fine effort by a fine writer.

This is a beautiful and frightening book. I read it on the advice of a friend who knew that I had some Indian ancestors. In recommending the book, the friend asked me, "Were you taken?" He said "Indian Killer" would make me angry, and it did, but not in the ways I expected, and frankly, partly at Sherman Alexie.
His poetic voice and uncompromising, zero-sum philosophy -- Assimilate or die -- are its best points, and feel absolutely true. As a newspaper reporter, I used all the time to cover stories about adopted-out Indian kids who ran away from their white parents. I'd fight to get some context into the story, then pray that the kid finally made it to whatever he considered home.
John Smith is not the killer -- he can only feel pain, not inflict it -- and in this realization at last, we're given to think, becomes the "true Indian" he has always wanted to be.
The book is best when it's in John's head, especially his fantasies of his birth mother, his "real" life denied him on the reservation. Alexie mocks the idealism of John's fantasies, but shows great compassion for his need. It's wonderful, assured writing. The worst is the misogyny. Women are betrayers, like Dawn, the Crow who has the gall to bob her hair. Their sexuality is frightening. Marie, the activist, has wonderful anger, but it becomes subordinate to her work, necessary to the plot, as the Sandwich Lady. Finally, Alexie's best woman swallows her rage to hand out food.
I liked how characters speculate on "the real killer," rather than confront their own race pain and rage -- sort of like O.J. on the golf course. There is wonderful, if a bit talky, satire on literature and media: You don't mind a few punches to the ditzy white kid who goes backpacking with $300 in cash and a Jim Harrison novel.
(Hint on 'the real killer' -- The owl taboo is Navajo -- the tribe Alexie says tribeless Indians tell other Indians they are -- as is the knife. And what faith manifests itself in human sacrifice?)
The middle of the book, the police-procedural part, sags. The language flattens and his protagonists -- Marie, brutalized Reggie and especially John -- cede the stage to plot points and lesser characters. I started wondering about John. If his mental illness is congenital, as some think schizophrenia is, doesn't it undercut Alexie's premise? Alexie says John hears voices, but what do they say? John goes to psychiatrists: what do they tell him? Why , for God's sake, doesn't he ever get angry at his adoptive parents?
Sadly, in real life, men with John's extremity of fear all too often don't attack men. They attack women. Finally, what does Alexie's philosophy say about America's millions of (genuinely, not like the fools Mather or Wilson) biracial, triracial people? Or those adopted-out kids who are so lost? Is there any hope?

Sherman Alexie delivers again, coming through this time with a brilliant look at prejudice, hatred, fear, community and lack of community. Although the Amazon.com blurb and the reviews of others on this list seem to suggest the killer's identity, don't believe it. The killer is carefully constructed so that the reader has no clue as to the killer's gender, age, tribal affiliation -- in fact, the killer could just as well be white, since scalping was a practice that originated with European traders, rather than with Native tribes. Alexie blurs the killer's identity on purpose -- perhaps to reveal our own prejudices. If you believe only Indians can scalp, then you will believe the killer is an Indian. If you believe all races are capable of equal savagery against each other, then the killer could be anyone. Read this book and test your own prejudices -- racial, sexual, and sociological prejudices. You may surprised to find out something about yourself as well as about Alexie's gift with words. My review may make INDIAN KILLER sound like a social or political manifesto, but more than anything else, the novel is a vibrantly written murder mystery, a real, honest-to-God page-turner. You won't be able to put it down

I've loved the Beaumont books since discovering the series in 1989 ... read all of them and the Arizona ones, too. (Seattle wins, hands down.) This story, with two unrelated cases as well as personal events in the lives of the main players, is one of the best in the series. Please don't let this be JP's last case! The events of this story seemed to affect JP more than some of the others, and the reader couldn't help but share his feelings. As always, Jance takes me back for another visit to Seattle, probably my favorite place in the world. I hope she's busy on another Beaumont book ... I'm waiting!

In this 14th. book in the J. P. Beaumont series, Beau and his partner Sue Danielson are investigating two separate cases. In the first one, an elderly women is found burned in her bed. Hints of blackmail and jealousy are turned up in the course of the investigation. The problem is deciding which one was the actual motive for the murder. The second case has to do with the bones of an Indian shaman which are discovered in a public park by some satanic, role-playing teenagers. There are many false leads and strange tales of fatal Indian curses which begin to have some basis in reality. In addition to working on these cases with Beau, Sue is dealing with an abusive ex-husband who is wooing their children with promises of a trip to Disneyland. When things don't go his way, he explodes into anger which effects both Sue and Beau in a life-changing series of events. This book has all the ingredients of a good mystery story, along with a developing relationship between two of its main characters. Faithful readers hope that Jance will continue this series with Beaumont headed in a new direction both professionally and personally.

J. A. Jance and her Detective Beaumont series are by far my favorite available at this point in time. Beau is not your average detective - not with his unlimited bank account and red Porsche that were the inheritance from both wife and murderess Anne Corley. Despite having enough money to spend the rest of his life on permanent vacation, Beau continues to work because putting away the bad guy and seeking justice for the good are what give his life meaning.

J. A. Jance always manages to weave personal touches and storylines into the lives of her characters while never slowing down the plot of her mysteries. In "Breach of Duty" we are treated with not one but two seperate mysteries, and an ending which will leave J. P. Beaumont looking at a whole new direction in his life.

Beau and his partner, Sue Danielson, are stuck with two mysteries: first, the discovery of old bones in Seward Park which end up belonging to a powerful Indian shaman some 10 years dead. Second, murder by arson of an older lady who happens to have $300,000 in cold, hard cash in her fridge. Beaumont and Danielson have to figure out where the money came from and where it should go to, as well as who might have murdered the old lady. Was it one of her poverty stricken relatives, or something to do with the rich and powerful Forrester family the lady once worked for?

As for the shaman's bones, they have been disturbed from their ancient burial grounds, and all those responsible and those who have been in contact with the bones are at the mercy of the shaman's curse. As the body count starts rising, can Beaumont solve the mystery and save those who have been affected?

The end of this story will bring about some dramatic changes in the life of J. P. Beaumont. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, to see where Beau's life leads him next, and to see if he can learn to let go of the responsibilities he's unfairly heaped on his own shoulders. I'm hoping that a new love interest for Beaumont - a real one with staying power and plenty of gumption and patience will turn up to reward Beau for all of the good he's done to everyone but himself. Come on Jance, let's give Beaumont the woman he deserves.

I think if I would have read this book when it was released (1988), I would have been utterly floored. Lou Boldt is awesome, the murderer cunning, the murders disturbing. The problem with reading it now, however, is the explosion of serial killer books and movies over the past ten years. With the myriads of plotlines in this exhausted genre hovering about, Undercurrents loses a bit of its edge. I would also argue that the book goes on a bit too long for its own good. Still, a very good booki for its genre and time, and a good start to the Lou Boldt series.

From the second I read the first word I could not put the book down. This book's plot is well planned and written. What is nice is that the author does not repeat himself in order to keep the plot flowing. This is my first Ridley Pearson novel & I am planning to read all of them.

The books by Mr. Pearson start with something that keeps you turning.....you can't read fast enough for what is coming next.....but.....you have to put down the book at times.....just to savor what you have read and to catch your breath....We have read all his books to date and must say the same for ALL.

I loved this book. Much like the others (Just as I am, Invisible Life, And this too shall Pass) I thought it was well written (as always) and once again we got to see characters that we the readers feel like we've come to know. Personally I felt Nicole was a bit too naive with the whole Yancy thing but aside from that no surprises. Basil has given me that whole love/hate thing and Raymond is his usual sweet self. I felt his pain and betrayal with Trent. I don't know if that marks the end of this saga with these characters but I have truly enjoyed reading about their trials and tributlations. It will be like saying goodbye to old friends. Keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to the next book. I am a loyal E Lynn Harris fan and as long as you write I will continue to give you my financial support by buying and my moral support by writing/reviewing. God Bless you

I read this book in less than 24 hours! Run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore and pick this one up! I'm only sorry to hear that this is the last book in the Invisible Life series. I will miss Raymond, Trent, Ms. Nicole, Jared and even Basil! Thank you E. Lynn Harris for creating such heart warming, yet very different characters that made me laugh and cry so many times! You have such a wonderful way of pulling the reader directly into the character's personal life, where you experience so much of what that person is feeling. I have read all of your books, and they just keep on getting better (if that's even possible!) I wish you the best of luck with this book, and I look forward to your next masterpiece!

I was hooked on E.Lynn Harris from jump street. I read everyone of his books in 3-4 days. Abide With Me was supreme...I couldn't put it down most of the time. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a serious DRAMA! That Yancey was too much and got exactly what she deserved...NOTHING. How could she and Ava be so coldhearted toward Nicole. That Basil Henderson is a true piece of work full of himself and BULL too.I look forward to reading about him constantly, and think he needs a book dedicated totally to him. Seeing Raymond struggle with issues of commitment, love, and truth was heartwarming. I found myself being his and Nicole's personal cheerleader. I'm glad they became friends again and that both are happy. Ava's hatred toward Nicole was so real and typical in showbiz. Blaming everyone and everything for her non-success.I feel like I'm in the story at times. E.Lynn knows how to capture his audience and keep us........It's soooo abiding..

If your one of those people like me that loves the smell of a new book, are picky about what you read, and find yourself organizing your books with your own little system, here is something special for you. Like Walter Mosley and Ross MacDonald, John Dunning's work is much more than a mere detective novel.It is a novel of intrigue and murder amidst the book world, or more to the point, those who love books and spend much of their time looking for that first edition copy of....

Cliff Janeway is the Denver bookman and part time detective who gets involved looking for a girl who may have in her possession a rare, and unheard of, Grayson Press edition of Poe's "The Raven", a book worth a fortune. Things are not always what they seem and as Janeway tries to help the young and frightened Eleanor the story becomes more complex and dangerous. This mystery is exiting and compelling, peppered with insights and observations about books from a writer who loves and respects them as much as we do.

This is a book you will love and respect after finishing it. It is a wonderful and exiting read and Cliff Janeway can stand side by side with Easy Rawlins and Lew Archer in American detective fiction. We are treated to keen observations about humanity during this twisty tale of books and murder. Dunning uses the rain in Seattle and the snow in Denver for atmosphere and there is almost a wistful feel to the ending.

Written in '95 this was the second Cliff Janeway novel. "Booked to Die" was the first and is also highly recommended. We can only hope Dunning will give us a third one day. This is a smart read that will be enjoyed by anyone who loves books. If you like an intelligent mystery with sharply drawn characters, and observations on our society as well, then this book is a must have for your library. A treasured find.

The author maybe isn't as well known as say Dick Francis or Sam Llewelyn, but is similar to them in that he writes this novel giving us insight into the "rare" book trade along with a mystery that will grab you from the 1st page. Ex-cop turned Bookseller Cliff Janeway is a gritty, no-nonsense lover of books and part-time investigator. When asked to "retrieve" a woman known as "Eleanor Rigby" from Seattle for an old acquaintance, it seems like a quick and easy way to make some money to buy more "rare" books. It turns out that Janeway gets alot more than he bargained for! A sequel to his book, "Booked to Die", this novel follows in the same vein of Francis and Llewelyn in that it couples the author's love of books with a incredible mystery. Dick Francis KNOWS horse-racing, Sam Llewelyn KNOWS sail-boats, and John Dunning KNOWS books. All three KNOW mysteries! A must read!!

Having plowed through hundreds of murder mysteries that almost seem "by the book" (no pun intended), it was a delight to read "The Bookman's Wake," and be introduced to Cliff Janeway. I learned more about the field of rare books and small house printing than I knew at the beginning, and was completely entertained throughout. Intelligence in writing seems to be missing in many of today's "churn 'em out" murder mysteries; Dunning brings wit, education, and humanity to bear and it comes out just wonderfully. I literally could not put this book down until I reached the last page...and now I'm hungry for more from this author. The next time I go into a used book store, I'll be looking with a much more educated "eye" than heretofore. Kudoes to John Dunning!

Deep Waters and Absolutely, Positively converted me into a Jayne Ann Krentz fan and I went on to read her earlier work after those two books, including her Regency romances under the pseudonym Amanda Quick. Her trademarks are intelligent, independent heroines and brooding heroes with dark histories. They usually have names that you don't normally tag to romantic heroes and heroines, like Gideon, Molly and Harry.

In this story, it's Cyrus, a private detective, and Eugenia, a Museum Director. The death of a glass collector on Frog Cove Island bring the two together on official missions that hide their real motives: Eugenia to investigate the death of her artist friend (who was also one of the collector's many girlfriends) and Cyrus to hunt down an ancient artifact that was stolen under his security watch three years ago. Their initial suspicion of each other plays against strong physical attraction, but while there is heat and sexual tension, there's no sense of inevitability that these two characters deserve each other and should fall headlong into each other's arms. The main characters are disappointingly flat and the love scenes seem contrived. Krentz tries too hard to make the characters outwardly different that they end up as stereotypes - the sleek, sophisticated Museum Director and the strong, silent detective with the too-colorful shirts. The novel's redeeming features are the snappy dialogue and the quirky secondary characters.

If you want to start on a Krentz romance, I'd strongly recommend Absolutely, Positively, Grand Passion or Deep Waters. While Sharp Edges is still a good read, it won't warm you up on cold nights.

I was excited about this book, because the beginning of it (published behind Deep Waters) seems to be a return to JAK's (and AQ's) normal style, which I think is great. (I do vastly prefer the Quick stories). But I was sad to discover that although this is a pretty good book, it still seems that you are watching the story through a dark, cloudly glass. Her earlier stories made you feel right in the thick of things. I don't care about the "formula" angle of these plots, the formula works great for me. I do want to care more about the characters, however. Ms. Krentz is still about the best Romance writer around. The sad part is that she could be (and has been) so much better! Please slow down. I would pay double for book I wanted to read many times over. None of the recent ones have qualified.

Okay, JAK is not long in originality. You know that going in, if you are looking for totally different characters, don't think you ever will find them in her body of work. One might call her a one trick pony, but it is a very well trained pony and you really don't mind watching again and again, despite the different finery and feathers she dresses the pony in. So if you buy a JAK, don't complain because you see the same pattern...you KNOW that is what you buying. That said....

It is a fun book, with JAK wonderful quirky writing. I mean, when her character takes one look at the Private Investigator Cyril Chandler Colfax and thinks "She wondered what the penalty was for strangling very large men who wore tacky aloha shirts, khaki chinos and moccasin-style loafers. Surely no judge or jury would convict her, she thought. Not when they saw the evidence." Well, you know the romance is off to a rocky start!!! Eugenia Swift is a sensible young woman, a connoisseur of beautiful art, a very elegant woman. She has been asked to go to Frog Cove Island, and artistic Haven outside of Seattle. She is to go there to catalogue the art collection of Adam Daventry. Only, she is forced to take Colfax as a body guard, much to her dismay. The dismay increases to horror, when Colfax insists they pose as lovers while on the island.

This does not sit well will Eugenia, because she is going there not only to catalogue the artworks, but to find out what happened to her friend, Nellie Grant, the late Adam's Daventry's lover. She thinks the green-eyed Colfax (green this time - you get green, grey or amber....lol) might crimp her investigation into Nellie's death. What she does not understand, Colfax is on a trek to avenge an old wrong.

Eugenia has always keep her emotions on the shelf, putting everything into her career, but it soon becomes evident, that their lives will depend on them playing convincing lovers.

JAK delivers her usual spunky heroine who tries to run circles around the deceptively deep male...and does it with style.

Hmm. It's hard to know what to think of this after the first two chapters. Quickly afterwards, it becomes clear that this is going nowhere and aggregating into nothing. Yes, there are characters, and yes, they "do things," but somehow none of it ever adds up. It's as though the author took all of the elements that go into a story, exaggerated them tremendously, and then settled them onto the page without any thought as to how they related to one another.

Thus, we have a hero, we have the backdrop of Alaska, we have a series of actions in an overdescribed melieu. Detail upon detail upon detail is ladled out, and it never takes us anywhere. This problem sinks down into the sentence level as well. Words are thrown together one after another awkwardly, as though the writer is reaching for a word--any word at all--and then committing to it without thought. Three quarters of the adjectives could have been cut from this to better effect. The ultimate result is like the feeling of a junkyard full of discarded industrial parts, through which we are led without much plan or purpose.

It's hard to find a genre for the resultant book. It is not an adventure story, because there is no sustained tension. It is not a love story, because the women exist more as abstract constructs than as real people. It is not a literary novel, as the highly developed style and imagistic resonance is missing.

The book is perhaps best described as a veil of shadows and fog and ice. It consists of all of the mechanical parts askew on the floor, without anyone bothering to lay them out in a way that makes sense, much less assemble a finished product.

It would be too easy to say that the result is disappointment. It is more accurate to say that I am bewildered.

When an author cannot decide whether the theme of his novel is man's struggle against the harshest of nature's elements or man's struggle with his inner demons, then the reader will thrash around trying to decide what struggle to focus on. While the novel's title refers to the broadcast channel of the marine international distress signal, it really is just a metaphor for the protagonist's life which is in distress. Framed against the backdrop of life on Artic Sea tugboats, the reader is exposed to a life only a handful of humans would ever experience or want to experience for that matter. With all due respect to the men and women who toil on the high seas for their daily bread, this book is better skipped.

Proving that working on a tugboat exposes one to a technology, lifestyle and terminology that is foreign to even the most sea-faring audience, the author loses his readers from the opening chapter. Descriptive writing shouldn't be confused with detailed writing; here all we have are endless details that contribute nothing to moving the story along; there are so many details that I almost gave up on this book after the first few chapters. Looking to pass the time on a two hour flight with this relatively short novel, I was sorely disappointed.

Not everything in this book is disappointing; the characters are intriguing and I would have liked more of a story where these characters who spend months on end at sea were developed. The author's eye for detail should be directed toward the detail necessary for character development. I had to remind myself that this was a novel, not a nonfiction selection about tugboats.

What a rare combination. A novel about work written someone who has really done the work AND can really write a novel. Features one of the best female characters in modern fiction.

I discovered Lou Boldt and Ridley Pearson in The Angel Maker. I am now reading the series and "Beyond Recognition" does not disappoint. Pearson writes such a believable detective. He is not just a "stud" or just a "hard-nose" or one dimmensional in any way. He is the total package. Not just that, but the stories themselves are so involving. This book really has it all. Characters. Dialogue. Driving plot. Twists and turns. Human element. Suspense. Surprise. Pearson delivers the whole meal right down to the cherry on top. I cannot wait to read the rest of the Boldt/Matthews series to see what he has in store for me next.

Throughout his Lou Boldt series - Ridley Pearson has captured the soul and essence of what it's like to be a detective searching frantically for a serial killer - this time a homicidal arsonist. From the time you pick up the book, Pearson grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go til the last page. He creates a web of characters and plots and brings them together in a wonderfully crafted story. Pearson doesn't getted bogged down in technical terms - giving just enough explanation to make his point. One of the best books I've read this year by far!

This fourth book in Pearson's Seattle based detective novel, BEYOND RECOGNITION, kept me hook from the very first chapter. For anyone who calls the Pacific Northwest home, Pearson's books are realistic. It was difficult to second guess each new turn and twist Pearson has planned for Lou Bodt and Daphne Matthews. His continued development of character personalities is great. The characters grow with each new book and there is just the right mix of new people too. The aronist angle was well developed and believable. The only complaint is the book was to long, much longer than his earlier books. I would have enjoyed BEYOND RECOGNITION if it had been about 75% of the pages. Still I would recommend the entire series to everyone living the Pacific Northwest.

Joe Durant, former National Transportation Safety Board investigator, is drawn back into the gruesome world of airplane disasters when a plane en route from Haily, Idaho, to Seattle crashes in the Cascade Mountains with no survivors. Aboard the flight was Joe's estranged wife, Janie. Rushing to the scene, Joe lies and begs his way back onto the NTSB investigative team. Perhaps his toughest job is telling his 15 year old daughter Sarah that her mother is dead. The NTSB's suspected reasons for the crash vary from pilot error to a bomb planted aboard the plane to a rocket launched at the plane. The team searches through the wreckage, investigates the passengers and crew, and combs the airline's company records. Then a letter is received from someone claiming to be the bomber and threatening to bring down another plane in ten days. This poignant novel has it all: compassion, critical detail, and suspense. Whether you want high techonolgy or high tension anxiety, Terminal Event is the last word in compelling realism in an engrossing story well-told. Definitely aircraft disaster realism!

have you ever wondered exactly what goes on behind the scenes of an airplane crash??? ever think about the actual investigations and who are the investigators??? wellllllll, this is the book for you because it goes into all of the sordid details that's totallly fascinating....if you thrive on minutiae, then this is it! thayer breathes life into his investigators on top of it....i just hope that we get to read more about joe, sarah and linda.........please......?

'Terminal Event' by James Stewart Thayer, Large Print, Beeler Large Print, Hampton Falls, NH, 2000.

This book opens with a horrific scene: former NTSB investigator, Joe Durant, is running towards an airplane crash and encountering parts of human bodies. As a former National Transportation Safety Board investigator, Durant has seen many crashes, but this one is different: he knows that his wife was on Emerald Airlines plane called' Sacajawea'.

Author James Thayer then develops three major plot lines in the investigation into the cause(s) of the crash and each plot line depends upon the kind of people, the characters, involved. The first centers on Joe Durant, the NTSB engineer, who develops an engineering theory based upon improper design or, perhaps, incorrect maintenance. The second revolves around the FBI and ATF agents, who scour the Northwest part of the Untied States for skinhead groups who are anti-government enough to shoot down commercial airliners. The third plot line introduces a Saudi Arabian prince, in the United States for treatment of alcoholism. His presence on the crashed plane is ascertained from identification of those attending funerals and memorial services, and determining why those individuals would be at these events. All three plots compete and it seems, to the reader, that each competing cause is plausible: engineering failure, or terrorist attacks or assassination of the Saudi. But then, not to give away the surprise ending, the main protagonist , Joe Durant, discovers the one important clue that leads to the actual killer.

The discussion of technology is appropriate to this type of mystery, and the hint of romance, with the hotshot FBI agent, Linda Dillon, serves to lighten the book. Author James Thayer does know the Northwest part of the country. Read the book to find out 'who dun it'.