This was a pretty good book for my nine year old and I to read together. We enjoyed trying to figure out, along with Frank and Joe, where the snowman could have gone. This book is also short enough that "challenged readers" shouldn't get overwhelmed. We would recommend this book.

Frank and Joe Hardy are an exciting duo who encounter individuals trying to derail thaem off the right track to solve the mystery. The Hardy brothers were almost knocked off the case when the brothers were driving down a foresty road and somebody fired a gun from a tree at their gas tank attempting to blow up their car. Throughout the book, the Hardy brothers always found a way to survive their dangerous escapades. This time, they escaped by making a desperate leap fom a moving car. In a movie theater, the Hardys were the target of a crazed killer who shot a gun at them, missing ever so slightly, puncturing the movie screen. At another point, the Hardys eluded death when a flask of flouric acid was about to be sprayed at them and Frank knocked it from the hand of Matthew Clervi, the suspected killer in the story. Finally, the Hardys eluded danger when they were forced into the furnace room and tied near the burning hot furnace by the real killer. Using his usual crafty ways, Joe tied his brother's hands with a slipknot and they were able to escape before the old house collapsed. The Hardy's exciting daring escapes from life-threatening situations make Franklin W. Dixon's novels both suspenseful and exciting to read.

As much as I love to read, I wasn't very convinced about this book when my dad picked it out. But I can now say it's one of the best books I have ever read. It's sad yet honest, beautifully written. I recommend this book highly.

Other than having a preference for Canadian wines and strangely named (obscure to me) breeds of lamb, this guidebook gives a balanced but firm description of food, way of cooking, ambiance of the restaurant. . . I really like the book's celebration of roadside food and small-town innovators. It means what it says: " you can't buy your way in , and you can't buy your way out." I buy it almost every year, and I'm sorry when I don't.

I ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF MY FIRST LOVE OR SHALL I SAY LUST. I REALLY THINK MITCH'S RELATIONSHIP WITH RAHEEM IS ADOREABLE AND HOPE THAT BLACK BROTHERS OUT THERE TAKE FROM THIS STORY THAT YOUR PAST RELATIONSHIPS ARE ONLY IN THE PAST AND THAT IT IS USUALLY BETTER TO CONCENTRATE ON YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF LIFE BEFORE TRYING AN ATTEMPT AT A LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP.

I liked the book although I feel the 1st 2 were better. HArdy gives you more insight into the main couples relationship and entertains you while he is doing it

I read this book in one night (or is that nite?) and I truly enjoyed it. While not as fast as B-Boy Blues or deep as 2nd Time Around, it was sexy and seductive, just like the voice of the singer whose song Hardy used for the book. I recently went to my high school reunion, and it was just as unpredictable and shocking as the one Mitchell attends in the book. And I was so glad to see that coach get it in the end; Mitchell handled himself well with him, never losing his dignity or integrity. A short but sweet novel.

A GAY LOVE STORY.
You just shivered-didn't you?
Now how 'bout this...a touching gay,love story.
That's what James Earl Hardy's "The day Eazy E Died" is.

I previously heard of Hardy from his aclaimed "B Boy Blues"
series.Everybody that read them-was to put it lightly-was
BLOWN AWAY.Whoa,that's how gay men get down?,everyone(including me) was asking themselves.
So come here comes "The Day Eazy E Died",another book in the
afore-mentioned "B-Boy Blues" troligy.I heard about this book-
in depth-on BET's "Oh Drama",on which the soft-spoken Hardy
guested on a show about gay,Black men.
So I decided to read it and boy was I blown away!
WHOA! I never read a book about two gay men so in love with
each other-physically(oh,this book has some really steamy gay
love scenes in it) and even more-mentally(there was times that
I thought a relationship between a man and a woman going on).

I really thank this book for opening up my eyes.
As a hetrosexual young male,I really was informed about something:
YOUNG MEN ARE HAVING SEX-WITH EACH OTHER!
That really needs to wake people up and allow them to open up
their mind.I did.

As a HUGE fan of James Earl Hardy and his "B-Boy" series (am still searching for my own Raheim), I was excited to hear that a fourth book was finally released. Having just finished it, it's really nice to see that JEH is so into these characters' heads that Raheim, Mitchell, Li'l Brotha Man, Sunshine, et al jump off the page as if you'd just read their last story yesterday.

This book deals with Raheim, from his point of view, when AIDS hits a bit too close to home when he learns from his friend Angel that the rapper Eazy-E is HIV-positive. This freaks Raheim out, as he has never been tested for the virus, but told Mitchell (his one-and-only for nearly two years) early on in their relationship that he had not only been tested, but was negative. Raheim gets the test done, and the rest of this short novel is about what goes on in Raheim's life and head while he nervously awaits the results.

Featuring Hardy's usual great writing that involves you in the characters and in the relationship of Pooquie and Little Bit in particular, "The Day Eazy-E Died" is funny, touching, and a worthy entry in the series (yes, I now eagerly await #5!). I admitted a resistance to reading the book at first -- another AIDS story? -- but Hardy makes it fresh and engrossing to read without being preachy (well, not TOO preachy, in some scenes).

My only real complaint about this book is minimal; it's too short. It's almost like Hardy didn't really have so much a plot as a premise, and that premise gets stretched out for 178 pages. The other novels seem more well-rounded, more like complete stories, than this one.

But that's a small complaint, really, as the characters and relationships -- and damnit, yes, the genuine LOVE that these two men have for each other -- make the book real and full of life. And it's intriguing to learn more about Raheim, and how his mind works, how he is inside; from the beginning, he has never been as "out there" as Little Bit with his feelings or his homosexuality, so being able to hear his thoughts and see how he's developed since falling in love with Mitchell makes for good story alone.

Note to Hardy: for book 5, please come up with more of a plotline, more of a story worthy of these great characters and their love for one another, or just retire the series at its peak and start something new. It's been a heck of a great ride so far! And I still keep hoping to find my own Raheim someday, so thanks for the encouragement by keeping him real, and real sweet.

It's been four years since the release of If Only For One Nite. Was the four years I had to wait for another book worth it? You bet it was! Once again, JEH pulls it off. It can't be easy writing a book with an AIDS theme that's funny but he came up with the right mix of biting social commentary and hysterical humor (those scenes with the racist clerk and in the barbershop are classics!). And, as with every B-Boy book, there's something to cry about (I won't spoil it for folks). We sure do need a story like this right now, with those frightening AIDS figures floating around. I'm glad JEH decided to show a brutha like Raheim getting the test done (too many thugz think it can't happen to them). More than anything, you can feel the love Raheim has for Mitchell; he's grown a lot since B-Boy Blues. And with all this talk about the "down-low," it's so jood to have a depiction of SGL bruthaz in a committed relationship. And I wanna know who that gay rapper in the story is! It's a short but sweet read, one that will leave you thinking hard about your own past loves and lovers and if you yourself should get tested. And given some of the revelations (I literally fell out of bed on one of them!), I'm pretty sure this won't be the last we hear of Pooquie & Little Bit (at least I hope not). Thanks, JEH, for giving the bruthaz yet another story we claim as our own.

Continuing his bestselling series of books, Hardy throws another curve into Mitchell and Raheim's relationship. While Raheim is away in California filming a movie, Mitchell is constantly tempted by other African American men he meets. And when he keeps running into the openly bisexual Montee in various places, Mitchell finds his commitment to Raheim exceptionally challenged. While Hardy's characters and his writing remain strong, he dilutes this novel with many diatribes and detours which give the book a disconnected atmosphere. I believe all of what Hardy wants to convey through this novel has merit, but by not weaving it seamlessly through Mitchell's struggles to remain true to his Pooquie, he ultimately leaves the reader disappointed in some respects. After the stellar "The Day Eazy-E Died", "Love the One You're With" is a bit dim, but still worthy.

James E. Hardy is back again with BD, Babyface, Gene, Mitchell, Raheim and his son Lil Brotha Man, a family of wonderful characters I've missed. Love the One You're with delves into the "black gay male" psyche. Topics such as gay republicans, young boys in school and how to mold them, black identity different mentality and thoughts on bisexuality are widely placed throughout the book. Initially I had a slight problem with this because I wanted to read more about the characters. As I continued to read I realized these issues were the characters and it gave them more life.

The novel is told around Raheim while he is away to make his first feature film. Mitchell is left at home with temptations coming from everywhere. There's an old cliché' when the cat is away the mice will play. Will Mitchell, aka "the mouse" play and risk the eighteen months he has thus far with Raheim.

Grab your favorite blanket, and pick up the book to find out. You won't be disappointed.
James E. Hardy still has that humorous and straight to the point style of writing. This is a definite page turner.

Missy APOOO Bookclub.

This was a change in pace for JEH, he has not written any other story with such get skills in a while. I actually enjoyed the book even though I was a little hurt with the ending but their is a lesson with self control. The negative thing is some of his topics seem to contradict themselves. But it is a good reading.

Lescroart is not an author I recommend to people seeking an easy,lightweight and disposable read.His San Francisco set legal tales tend to be quite complex,and multi-layered with an emphasis on issues and characterization as well as plot.
The Mercy Rule is no exception to the pattern.Its centre piece is the trial of Graham Russo,lawyer turned wanna be baseball player,who is accused of killing Salvatore ,his father and stealing his money and vintage baseball card collection.Salvatore was terminally ill with an inoperable brain tumour as well as in the grip of Alzheimer's.Some -including liberal SF District Attorney,Sharon Pratt,see it as a mercy killing-assissted suicide-and refuse to proseecute.The State of Califirnia takes a different view and put Graham on trial.
His defence is entrusted to Lescroart regular character,Dismas Hardy.The trial ,crisply and dranatically presented,is compelling reading but occupies only around 30%of the book and the verdict is delivered with around 60 pages of the book left.The coda sees Hardy digging into events leading up to Salvatore,s death
The build up to the trial is fascinating with the whole issue of assisted suicide and the conflicting views it gives rise to dealy with fairly and impartially.The investigation is complicated by the developinhg relationship between Graham and the homicide detective Sarah Lee who has been assigned to the case and we identify with Dismas Hardy in his desire to be a defence attorney when the main source of income is in borin but financially rewarding corporate law issues

The downside to the Lescroart method is a certain leisureliness of pace and the book ,nearer 500 than 400 pages,does have its longeurs but overall its rewarding and full of inside information on legal processes and political wheeling and dealing,something which seems to be an inevitable part of the legal process in America

As a fan of Lescroart, I would say he has lived up to his usual exceedingly high standard. Graham Russo, a former baseball star, has been charged with the murder of his ailing father, Sal. Graham proclaims his innocence, but it seems like an open and shut case. Sal had Alzheimers, as well as $50000 and some valuable baseball cards, hidden in his home. The prosecution contends that Graham, a paramedic, incapacitated Sal and gave him a fatal injection of morphine, which led to his death. The money and cards are the motive. Meanwhile, the whole of San Francisco believes that Sal was in great pain, and that his dutiful son helped him die out of mercy. As the media decends upon the trial, it is up to Dismas Hardy to get his client a fair trial. Full of surprising twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Although some elements of the story are hard to believe, (such as the Defendant's affair with a hot cop), Lescroart's brilliantly detailed imagery makes it all come alive. Every piece of the puzzle is intricately layed out as Lescroart weaves his tale, leading to a magnificently stunning conclusion

Lescroat has that ability to make his primary characters believeable and earthy. In the "Dismas" books one feels like they are returning to old friends who have encountered some problems along the way. The only problem is that Dismas always seems to get involved in MURDER! And when that happens you can rest assured that Dismas looks under every stone until he finds the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

"The Mercy Rule" was a great 'who dunnit' with quite a few possibilities on the list of suspects but the author holds us in suspense until the enth degree - as we rule out each suspect and turn the pages faster and faster to learn the identity of the true killer.

Even with murder, mystery and mayhem, Lescroat instills a sense of duty, family loyalty and love in his novels and he shows no exception with The Mercy Rule. A great read.

Lonely Planet Italy (3rd Edition) is definitely the book to get for a tight budget tour of Italy. I went on a round trip tour, starting from Milan, to Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Pisa, Beaches on the West Coast and back Milan, simply based on the book. And the most interesting part got to be that I spend a total of not more than £300, having visited most of the places featured in Lonely Planet . The advices on safety given in the book might be a little over the top, but back to think of it, it's worth the precautions.... Love it Cheap.