The Survivors Club

Book Description

One of today’s most electrifying suspense novelists, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner returns with a shattering thriller that dares to play on our deepest vulnerabilities. In this masterful new novel, the killer may very well be the one you sympathize with the most....

THE FIRST RULE IS NEVER BLAME THE VICTIM.

They survived what no woman should ever have to endure. Now these three women have the means, the opportunity, and the perfect motive. Are they trying to get away with murder--or is someone trying to make sure that this time they don’t get away at all? The Survivors Club. . .that’s what Jillian Hayes, Carol Rosen, and Meg Pesaturo call it. They won’t consider themselves victims. They are survivors. They faced the blazing headlines and helped lead the investigation that caught the man who changed their lives forever.

And now that Eddie Como, the College Hill rapist, has been murdered, shot down outside a packed courthouse moments before his trial was about to begin, all three women are openly ecstatic that he’s dead. They are also the prime suspects in his murder. Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin knows all too well what can drive even the best people to cross the line. But he has never seen a case quite like this one. No one doubts that the murder of Eddie Como was a professional job, especially when the gunman is killed only blocks away from the shooting.

But questions taunt Griffin: Who ordered the deaths of Eddie Como and his killer? Could three ordinary women have been driven to do he unthinkable? Had someone in the Survivors Club become a killer? Griffin seeks the truth--and finds himself confronted with the leader of the Survivors Club. Jillian Hayes is beautiful, successful, cool as ice, and she harbors a pain that mirrors Griffin’s own. Did the horror of what happened to her push her over the thin and desperate line that separates survival and revenge? And if it did, could he blame her--or anyone in the Survivors Club? Then another woman is brutally attacked.

Suddenly, with the city on the ragged edge of panic, gripped in a media and political firestorm of controversy, cover-up, and conspiracy, the hunt is on for a ruthless and cunning killer. For Griffin, this may well be the case that shatters his career. For Jillian, the harrowing nightmare is beginning all over again. Someone is out there. Someone who wants to finish what was started. Someone who wants to make sure that no one survives the Survivors Club.

Download Description

One of today's most electrifying suspense novelists, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner returns with a shattering thriller that dares to play on our deepest vulnerabilities. In this masterful new novel, the killer may very well be the one you sympathize with the most.

THE FIRST RULE IS NEVER BLAME THE VICTIM.

They survived what no woman should ever have to endure. Now these three women have the means, the opportunity, and the perfect motive. Are they trying to get away with murder—or is someone trying to make sure that this time they don't get away at all?

The Survivors Club... that's what Jillian Hayes, Carol Rosen, and Meg Pesaturo call it. They won't consider themselves victims. They are survivors. They faced the blazing headlines and helped lead the investigation that caught the man who changed their lives forever.

And now that Eddie Como, the College Hill rapist, has been murdered, shot down outside a packed courthouse moments before his trial was about to begin, all three women are openly ecstatic that he's dead. They are also the prime suspects in his murder. Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin knows all too well what can drive even the best people to cross the line. But he has never seen a case quite like this one. No one doubts that the murder of Eddie Como was a professional job, especially when the gunman is killed only blocks away from the shooting.

But questions taunt Griffin: Who ordered the deaths of Eddie Como and his killer? Could three ordinary women have been driven to do he unthinkable? Had someone in the Survivors Club become a killer? Griffin seeks the truth—and finds himself confronted with the leader of the Survivors Club. Jillian Hayes is beautiful, successful, cool as ice, and she harbors a pain that mirrors Griffin's own. Did the horror of what happened to her push her over the thin and desperate line that separates survival and revenge? And if it did, could he blame her—or anyone in the Survivors Club? Then another woman is brutally attacked.

Suddenly, with the city on the ragged edge of panic, gripped in a media and political firestorm of controversy, cover-up, and conspiracy, the hunt is on for a ruthless and cunning killer. For Griffin, this may well be the case that shatters his career. For Jillian, the harrowing nightmare is beginning all over again. Someone is out there. Someone who wants to finish what was started. Someone who wants to make sure that no one survives the Survivors Club.

"One cannot read this excellent new novel by bestselling author Gardner without wondering what actors might play these characters.... Rocks and rolls right up to a nail-biter ending."
   PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"This should cement Lisa Gardner's place on the bestseller lists. The Survivors Club has it all—provocative plotting, an astute eye for detail, engaging characters, and a razor-sharp emotional edge."
    STEPHEN WHITE, AUTHOR OF BLINDED

"Hot dang, a new Lisa Gardner book! I love her hot, fast thrill rides. I'm always first in line to grab my copy of her newest release the day it arrives in stores. For my money, when it comes to suspense, nobody does it better."
    JAYNE ANN KRENTZ, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Customer Reviews:

the survisors club.......2007-07-15

great book story keeps yuou very into it. lots of twists and turns as you go along. I liked it
Also delivery of how the book comes to a close.

Zzzzzzzz.............2007-02-24

"The Survivors Club", first published in 2002, is the fifth novel Lisa Gardner has published under her own name. She has also published thirteen other novels under the name "Alicia Scott".

It's a big day in Providence : Eddie Como, more widely known as the College Hill Rapist, is about to face trial. Nobody seems to be expecting anything other than a guilty verdict - details of the evidence are fairly sketchy in the early part of the book, though it appears his DNA was found at the scenes of the attacks. When Como is killed on his way to the courthouse, it's hard to see too many people being upset. When the assassin is killed immediately afterwards, however, it leaves two murders needing investigated.

The immediate assumption in certain quarters is that the Survivors Club - Jillian Hayes (a hardworking, polished, educated businesswoman who looks after her mother), Carol Rosen (a blue-eyed blonde socialite who lives in a mansion and does a lot of good work for charity) and Meg Pesaturo (the sweet, beautiful nineteen year old, whose big brown eyes send men weak at the knees) - had something to do with it. All three had survived attacks by the College Hill Rapist, although Jillian's sister wasn't so lucky. The three had held regular press conferences together, in an attempt to pressurise the police into pushing forward with the case. Nevertheless, it was always clear that Jillian was very much in control.

Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Roan Griffen is facing his first day back on duty with Rhode Island's Statement Police Department in eighteen months. Griffen, a widower, wasn't a vacation but rather on an enforced period of medical leave - the investigation into the Candy Man Case had left him a little `twitchy'. He's a little nervous about his first day back, and still raw about his wife's death. Naturally, before he's even made it to the police station, he's assigned to a certain very high-profile double murder.

"The Survivors Club" was something of a disappointment to me : even though this is only the second book by Gardner I've read, I already know she's capable of much better. There was an odour of laziness about the story - the more I read, the more it became a very ordinary thriller-by-numbers. There was absolutely nothing original about Griffen (the tragic cop who has seen "the true nature of the abyss") or Jillian Hayes (the hard-nosed control freak you just KNOW is hiding a heart of gold) - together, they form a pair of clichés you could find in any lazy thriller anywhere. The identity of the villain came as no surprise whatsoever, and when the final confrontation came I was half-expecting a shout of "If it wasn't for those pesky kids...". Very ordinary overall.

detective story.......2007-02-11

I love the way Lisa Garndner writes and her stories, this book was no exception. It is a very fast paced story and a great read.

The Survivors Club.......2007-01-03

Anything that Lisa Gardner writes easily turns into a favorite of mine. This is a great suspenseful novel.

From her picture she looks too nice to write this stuff........2006-07-16

Lisa Gardner is great! In this book she creates characters that are not only real, but ones the reader can actually care about, from the 3 victims to the detective to the prime supect Eddie. While the survivors seem dependent upon each other for support, there is an underlying need for independance from the group that shows as the story progresses. I did not figure out or even come close to guessing the plot twist at the end. Maybe Ms. Gardner will do another novel featuring Roan Griffin. He was a very interesting detective, dealing with the problems of others and his own personal demons.

Average customer rating:

McLarty scores again....
One Of The Best Books I've Read
Perfection
review of Audio book: Fabulous
THE TRAVELER

Traveler
Ron McLarty
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Amazon.com

When Ron McLarty's debut novel, The Memory of Running, appeared, it became clear that this man is a triple threat: actor (movies, stage, and TV), playwright and author. Now, with the publication of Traveler, he has beaten sophomore slump with another arresting story of real people, one that will keep you reading until the last page is finished, and then will leave you wondering what's next for everyone in the novel. Jono Riley is a middle-aged bartender and sometime actor just getting by in Manhattan. When he receives a note from a childhood friend telling him that Marie, his first love, has died, he travels back to East Providence, a working class neighborhood of Irish, Italians, and "Portagees" to pay his respects. His trip turns out to be a journey of discovery, told with a writing style that won't let go of the reader, conversational and revelatory without giving the game away. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to Ron McLartyÂ's poignant and deep-souled debut, The Memory of Running

When Ron McLartyÂ's debut novel, The Memory of Running, appeared, the publishing world sat up and took notice. Now, McLarty is back with another reason to cheer the arrival of his distinctive new voice. Jono Riley is an aging part-time actor and bartender trying to make ends meet in Manhattan when he receives a letter from a childhood friend telling him that Marie, the first girl Jono ever loved, had just died in her sleep. As Jono makes the trip back home to the working-class neighborhood of East Providence, Rhode Island, McLarty deftly travels between JonoÂ's adolescence in the early 1960s and the present story of his return. Woven throughout are JonoÂ's endearing and funny memories of his coming of age with his three best friendsÂ—including a series of mysterious shootings that occurred back then, one of which lodged a bullet in MarieÂ's back when she was twelve.

When JonoÂ's girlfriend, a gritty New York City firefighter named Renee, joins him in East Providence, they find themselves drawn into an attempt to find the person responsible for the shootings so long ago. As the surprising truth unravels, Jono is forced to come to terms with a past that is not quite what he remembers, even as he makes new resolutions in the present. Traveler is a fine-tuned and riveting novel that will further affirm McLartyÂ's place in American fiction.

Customer Reviews:

McLarty scores again...........2007-09-18

Ron McLarty is rapidly becoming my favorite "coming of age" author. Although historical fiction is my genre of choice, I really enjoy "coming of age" stories. I used to consider Stephen King's novella "The Body" as the classic story of this type, I've since come to admire McLarty's "Memory of Running." I cannot say that I enjoyed "Traveler" as much, but that is not a negative given how much I enjoyed MoR. McLarty's style hooked me from the start to the finish of both books. McLarty alternate's chapters between today, and 40 or 50 years ago when his main characters were growing up in New England. The fact that both protagonists are about my age, and the fact that I grew up in small town New England made me identify even more closely with the stories.

"Traveler" seems the darker tale of the two, but both maintain the feel of growing up in a seemingly simple society only to find ourselves thrust into a modern age that often overwhelms us with its mandatory technology and complex relationships.

In the final analysis, Traveler is about people and those very relationships that we cherish in our youth and refuse to discard in our later years. Great writing and wonderful character development. You'll not miss with "Traveler."

One Of The Best Books I've Read.......2007-08-30

I bought this book on sale because I was out of books to read. What a suprise. It is extremely well written. Very clear, concise and not prone to descriptive rants that run on and on at the expense of the story. Very, very good writing. It's is also a good story--very believable with highly identifiable characters. Highly recommend.

Perfection.......2007-07-27

Having read, "Memory of Running" by Ron McLarty, I was hopeful for "Traveler." I worried that it couldn't live up to "Smithy" Ide's treck across the country via bicyle. "Smithy" is an engrained character in my psyche. How could this author create another character that I could embrace with the same affection and respect? Ron McLarthy proved that brilliant authors can weave more than one tale, and "Travler" is as poignant, humorous, and flowing as "Memory of Running. The pages draw you in like a winding river, floating you along with no resistance on your part. Rocky white waters, dangerous undercurrents, and unexpected ebbs do not deter .....you most willing ride this raft until you reach conclusion.

In "Traveler" I once again explored a man's mechanisms for survial inside the mind of Jono, part-time actor, full time bartender, who journeys back to his working class hometown in Rhode Island hoping to reconnect with buddies that intricately formed his childhood. A mystery is introduced, but not as a means to an end; not contrived to keep you turning pages; you turn them anyway, because the story spins so addictively. Mr. Mclarty prose is eloquent, but never pretentious. The characters are flushed out, but not to excess; the plot is well organized, switching from past to present to keep you meshed with the protaganist's motivation. So seldom is a reader allowed to enjoy every moment of a book that I appreciate the effort of this fine author to make it all seem effortless when I know the opposite is true.

Ron McLarty made reading "Travler" a "magical" experience for me.(read the book to see the reference I am alluding to.) I was loathe to have "Travler" end, but McLarty has earned my trust and my deep respect. No more trepidation about expectations; the man is a storyteller and I look forward to his next offering.

review of Audio book: Fabulous.......2007-06-13

Buy this book. Buy one for all your brothers too. Listen to this story, or read it. Incredible.

THE TRAVELER.......2007-05-13

EXCELLENT READING, RON WAS A CLASSMATE OF MINE,ALL THOSE YEARS AGO, SO I HAVE A SPECIAL INTEREST. THE BOOK TAKES PLACE IN MY HOME TOWN. EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND. NON THE LESS IT IS VERY WELL WRITTEN AND ENJOYABLE.

The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook: 275 Delicious Recipes and 100+ Tips for Simple, Everyday Carbohydrate Control

Average customer rating:

Great Addition to your Cookbook Library
Simplifies Diabetic cooking an eating

The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook: 275 Delicious Recipes and 100+ Tips for Simple, Everyday Carbohydrate Control
Joyce Hendley , and The Editors of EatingWell
Manufacturer: Countryman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0881506338

Book Description

"The way we all should be eating."—Marion J. Franz, Certified Diabetes Educator

Rather than a cause for despair, a diabetes diagnosis can be the start of a new life for the person who embraces a better diet and healthier lifestyle. Medical experts are encouraging people with type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes to take charge of managing their condition, starting with eating well—choosing the right foods that naturally help stabilize glucose levels, thus providing long-lasting energy and vitality and, over time, a trimmer figure and a healthier outlook for the future.

Here is a cookbook destined to become a bible for the millions of households where diabetes is an everyday concern. From the award-winning kitchens of EatingWell magazine come hundreds of full-flavored, satisfying recipes the whole family can enjoy.

New Ideas: Take the best, newest scientific advice and forget the old advice of banning all sugar, eliminating all fat, and restricting eating to bland and boring food. With the right ingredients and recipes, a person with diabetes can eat better than ever.

The Right Carbs: Discover real eating satisfaction with a smart choice of carbohydrates, minimizing the problematic ingredients and emphasizing those that leading nutrition authorities are recommending.

The Right Proteins and Fats: Learn why the new approaches to eating well with diabetes mean using good fats and good protein sources to provide great flavors, positive health benefits, and freedom from hunger between meals. 10 black & white photographs, 16-page color insert, index.

Customer Reviews:

Great Addition to your Cookbook Library.......2006-03-23

Great introduction to diabetes and proper nutrition in the forward. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of the recipes in this book. One of my favorites is the Black Bean Burritos and then turn it into the Southwest Omelet for breakfast. The desserts are a little weak but that is often the case with diabetic recipes. Could use more photos. Wonder why most cookbooks lack that presentation factor? Regardless, highly recommend this cookbook if you want to eat healthy.

Simplifies Diabetic cooking an eating.......2006-01-29

This book has a lot of helpful recipes an diabetic information, it could have had more pictures of the dishes that the recipes represent

Average customer rating:

Delinsky does not fail to provide another good read
Vintage Violets; Wine At Its Best
Another enjoyable book by Barbara Delinsky
Trite, trite, trite - HELP!
Real and Gritty

The Vineyard: A Novel
Barbara Delinsky
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684864843
Release Date: 2000-06-06

Amazon.com

Like a glass of good pinot noir, Barbara Delinsky's The Vineyard is best enjoyed slowly. The Vineyard follows the triumphs and tragedies of the Seebrings, a wealthy family of vintners in Rhode Island. The story begins when recently widowed, 76-year-old Natalie Seebring announces her scandalous engagement to none other than the vineyard manager, Carl, whose social standing is, needless to say, several notches beneath the Seebrings'. Natalie's children, Susanne and Greg, are furious with their mother for marrying the help, and only six months after their father's death.

Besides her remarriage, Natalie is working on a family history project, one she hopes will explain all the love and loss she has endured before reaching happiness at long last. She recruits Olivia Jones to help with the project, and Olivia and her daughter Tess move out to the vineyard for the summer. Tension builds with the summer heat as the wedding approaches. To make matters worse, Carl's son Simon, the new vineyard manager, is coldly resentful of Olivia and Tess, who remind him of the wife and daughter he has lost. But amidst all this, Natalie Seebring's long-buried past is slowly revealed, and like a summer storm, the truth blows through the vineyard, leaving everything different in its wake.

Barbara Delinsky says she was influenced by Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation in writing The Vineyard, and Natalie Seebring is a fine tribute to the strong, silent Americans who made so many sacrifices during World War II. Keep a hankie close by when reading this one. Family tragedy, unlikely romance, and old wrongs finally made right will have you laughing and crying. --Francine McBride

Book Description

In The Vineyard, New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky (Lake News, Coast Road, Three Wishes) has written her most complex and emotionally rewarding novel: a story of two women, a generation apart, each of whose dream becomes bound with the other's.

To her family, Natalie Seebring is a woman who prizes appearances. She is exquisitely mannered, socially adept, a supportive wife, and head of a successful wine-producing enterprise. So when she announces plans to marry a vineyard employee mere months after the death of her husband of fifty-eight years, her son and daughter are stunned. Faced with their disapproval, Natalie decides to write a memoir. There is much that her children don't know about her life -- about her love of the vineyard, her role in fighting to build it up, and the sacrifices she made for her family.

Olivia Jones is a dreamer, living vicariously through the old photographs she restores. She and her daughter, Tess, have no one but themselves, so they cling to the fantasy that a big, happy family is out there somewhere, just waiting to welcome them home. When Olivia is hired by Natalie to help with her memoir, a summer at Natalie's beautiful vineyard by the sea seems the perfect opportunity to live out that fantasy -- an elegant home by the shore, a salary that allows her to hire a tutor for her dyslexic daughter, a job that is creative, hours spent with a woman who has led a charmed life.

But all is not as it seems, Olivia and Tess discover when they arrive at Asquonset, the vineyard in Rhode Island. While welcoming, Natalie is not quite the mothering type, as is quickly evident in the hostility her daughter and son have toward her -- it's a hostility that Olivia must buffer. Another dose of stark reality comes in the form of Simon Burke, who runs the vineyard's day-to-day operation and sees in Olivia and Tess an unwelcome reminder of the wife and daughter he tragically lost. And then there is the cruel reality of Olivia's own life -- the mother who never wanted her, and a career that has floundered.

Natalie's story, intended for her own children, enlightens Olivia as well. The lives of these two women of different generations, parallel in so many ways, become, in The Vineyard, a powerful and moving story as the fantasy of an idealized life, complete with perfect romance, crashes headlong into reality.

Download Description

When Natalie Seebring, seventy-six, announces plans to marry within months of the death of her husband of fifty-eight years, her son and daughter are stunned. In the face of their disapproval, Natalie decides it's time to talk about the past and reveal the secrets she has kept for decades. She hires Olivia Jones, an incorrigible dreamer, to help write her memoir and invites Olivia and her daughter Tess to spend the summer at the family vineyard. As summer deepens and the vineyard's crop ripens, Natalie's story unfolds and startles one family member after another. While Olivia's fantasy of finding a welcoming family for herself and Tess remains as tenuous as the success of the season's crop, Natalie's unraveling life story offers lessons for her, too. Perhaps most important is learning to accept the reality of a good life over the fantasy of one that will always seem better. Ultimately, in a tale that mirrors the vineyard summer, days of hope and fear lead to a sweet harvest for all.

Customer Reviews:

Delinsky does not fail to provide another good read.......2006-05-07

So far, every book I've read by Delinsky (Coast Road, Three Wishes and Lake News) has been one I've had a hard time putting down. And one well worth the read.

There is something about the stories and characters that Delinsky weaves....they instantly pull you in, you care about what will happen to them and you enjoy the journey.

The Vineyard is mainly about family, those that have family and those that don't. It shows that even though you may have family, you may not get along with them, but perhaps it's better to be grateful, since some people don't have any family at all! It's also about courage and strength that people manage to find within themselves to carry them through out the obstacles and tough times in their lives. It's about opening up to other people and finding a good friend. It's about the old saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover"- as each of the characters prove of themselves.

Good read- recommended!

Vintage Violets; Wine At Its Best.......2005-03-10

After enjoying FLIRTING WITH PETE and LAKE NEWS I wasn't planning to read more Barbara Delinsky novels right away, since I believed I had already read the ones with themes related to my pursuits or interests.

Then I read THE VINEYARD excerpt at the end of my LAKE NEWS paperback.

I was captured with the ingenious way each main character was introduced by his/her reaction to a wedding invitation from a couple in their 70's and 80's. Of course I wanted to read more; curiosity was precisely stirred from the contrast of negative and positive reactions to this unusual situation.

I bought and read THE VINEYARD, becoming fully involved and pleasantly satisfied with the story, even though I hadn't known I would be so thoroughly engrossed in a family owned vineyard. Was concerned that I might find the history interjections boring and the writing style of an older generation focus a bit too forced (not many writers can capture the beauty and graceful vitality of age until they've arrived there and developed the graciousness).

But, BD handled all with just the right amount of detail, genuine warmth, and ingeniously natural intrusion techniques. For me this book was a reader kidnap, from the first page on.

I have mountains of positive input on this exquisite novel, but I'm testing the effect of short and sweet, instead of writing my typical epistle on a novel. Since I've already slipped on a banana peel heading smack into too long and savory, I'll ...

Another enjoyable book by Barbara Delinsky.......2004-11-09

THE VINEYARD by Barbara Delinsky
November 8, 2004

I've read a number of books by Barbara Delinsky, most of which I enjoyed a lot. THE VINEYARD is not going to be one of my favorites, but I think I'm going to remember it mainly because I had a hard time liking the main character.

Olivia Jones restores old photographs for a living. She's a single mother, with a daughter (Tess) who has a learning disability. The reader will discover that Olivia is a person that deals with a rough reality by hiding behind daydreams. She in particular finds herself dreaming about the people in the photographs she restores, including a series of them sent to her boss, Otis, by a woman who runs a vineyard.

Natalie Seebring is Otis' client, a woman who is in her twilight years and needs an assistant to help write her life story. Olivia accidentally comes across this request for Otis to recommend someone to fulfill this task, and soon she is dreaming of being that assistant, imagining what each person in those photographs is like. Believe it or not, she soon finds herself working for the matriarch of this family, and she and Tess move to the vineyard to spend the summer there.

The story takes on two main plots. While the story of Natalie's life is being told, the reader will learn about her childhood, how she meets her deceased husband Alexander, as well as how she met her current fiancé, Carl. The second plot involves Olivia, and a man she meets at the vineyard, Simon, who also happens to be Carl's son. Simon and Olivia seem to have something in common, and that is, they are both afraid to venture forth into a relationship with the opposite sex. But both are obviously attracted to each other, and their romance evolves slowly as the story moves on.

Other characters come into play, in particular the grown children of Natalie, Susanne and Greg, and a third child, Brad, who remains a mystery throughout most of the book. His story comes out at the very end, and although I had suspected some of what was to be revealed, I was still somewhat shocked, just as the characters in the book were, too.

While I don't recommend this book as a first time reader to Barbara Delinsky's books, I believe that those who enjoyed her more recent books may enjoy this one. The irritating characters of Olivia and Tess, however, may grate on some nerves, as it did mine. Olivia is a very weak, naive, type of person, and I found it very difficult to feel sorry for a woman that dealt with reality by hiding in daydreams and believing them to be true. Her daughter was a bratty young girl who unfortunately got picked on a lot by her peers, mostly because of her attitude and inability to make friends with others, and not by her disability as mother and daughter are led to believe.

On the other hand, I think an author is doing a good job if a reader can feel intense dislike or like for an invented character. I had no problems with the writing. And I looked forward to reading each chapter as I read about Natalie's life story. Overall, I enjoyed THE VINEYARD and as always, look forward to reading more by Barbara Delinksy.

Trite, trite, trite - HELP!.......2004-01-07

I struggled through this book - my first Delinsky book. I read it because my book club wanted to read it. I almost didn't make it through the entire book and I wonder what the other book club members will have to say. For me, it was like sitting in front of the TV watching a bad daytime soap opera. I found it to be a waste of time and I was happy that the length of the book was the only real challenge for me. I thought Olivia's character - she sleeps with Simon after only a month of staring at one another from across the lawn - was weak and uninteresting, sappy and whiny. To top it off, she and Simon sleep in the same bed with the 10 year old daughter in the next room and this is considered a great romance!! Pullease. I can't think of a single thing other than perhaps the discussion of how the grape vines ripen that was interesting to me. Yuck. I'm on to The Da Vinci Code - THANK GOD!
DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME - READ A GOOD BOOK.

Real and Gritty.......2003-12-22

I really like Barbara Delinsky's style of writing. You feel as if you are an actual part of the story rather than "remote viewing" as is the case in nearly every other romance fiction writer.

Nor is there any sordid, soft porn sex scenes to tittilate voyeuristic lust. She builds her love scenes as a gradual, gentle and deeply insightful awakening. She reveals romance in an elegant, classy and very tasteful manner that engages the reader in the reality of the eventual mating without grossing out the reader with the vulgarity found in Stephanie Laurens or even Nora Roberts show-all-tell-all graphic manner that forces some readers to skip those "steamy" pages. Delinsky's books are like opening a box of treasures and never being disappointed or repelled by the contents.

Delinsky also has a wonderful sense of philosophy about family relationships and the manner in which to build strong ones despite setbacks and condemnation by said family or friends. In this book she examines the greatly flawed assumptions that middle aged children dump on their elderly 76 year old mother when she elects to marry her vineyard manager and childhood lover after the death of her husband and father of the kids.
Also this fascinating story is about the labor intensive work of farming a vineyard and the whole issue of sacrifices made by a very strong woman for her entire life to ensure a long term goal of security which makes this story very empowering to women.

I did not care for the manipulative, self pitying, pathological liar Olivia, a photo restorer, who happens through connection to her retiring boss to find a position in the vinyardist's own household for the summer to help organize memoirs, restore old photos and write the book that will explain to Natalie's adult children why she is marrying Carl and the truth about their biological father. Olivia's learning disabled and dysfunctional child dropped into the mix is just plain annoying, but the author deals with this difficult topic in an informed and proactive way. Then, there is Simon, the sour, recalcitrant, rejecting vineyard co-manager whose lost his mother, wife and child in a freak sailing accident caused by drunken sailors in another watercraft. After 4 years he is still wallowing in anger and self pity. Both Simon and the child Tess make the book grating at times, especially the kid's rebellion against authority and her special education teachers. Then there is Olivia's whining about her long lost alcoholic mother whose rejection has forced her to live in fantasyland her entire life. She even fantasizes that she is a long lost member of Natalie's household. This is all a bit much.

However, I do recommend this book for the elegant prose and style that the author brings. She makes me think of Guy Gavriel Kay's exquisite writing style as she unfolds a story in a rich tapestry of life in a microcosm. I will definitely read more of her stories.

London Is the Best City in America
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Engaging & with insight

Page Turning Debut

Gripping character study

pure joy

shallow and superficial

London Is the Best City in America
Laura Dave
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B000NBKJH0

Book Description

London is the Best City in America, is the insightful, wickedly funny story of two siblings who have found themselves at a crossroads. In mapping their struggles over one wild and emotional wedding weekend, Laura Dave gives us a brilliantly subtle and honest look at contemporary courtship, family tension, and the angst that we all experience when we have to make difficult choices.

Three years ago, Emmy Everett made the painful decision to call off her engagement and leave New York City behind. Since then she has been hiding out in Rhode Island working at a bait and tackle shop and haphazardly shooting a documentary about fishermen's wives. July 4th weekend has rolled around again and Emmy is mustering up the courage to return home to New York (the site of her own failed romance) to celebrate her brother Josh's wedding.

En route to his bachelor party, Emmy is shocked when her typically resolute brother confesses that he is having serious doubts about getting married Â- and he may even be in love with another woman.

Emmy is determined to help her brother face up to this decisionÂ—the one she fled from herself. With less than twenty-four hours to go before the wedding, she takes Josh on a road trip to find this mystery woman. Along the way, Emmy embraces her own hard-earned lessons about romance, commitment and what happens when we refuse to let go of the past.

London is the Best City in America is a courageous, big-hearted portrait of love, loyalty, and heartbreak. Emmy is lively, wise and, ultimately, very brave as she tries to answer the universal question: how do we take that first step toward making our lives our own? BACKCOVER: Â“Incredibly deft, utterly satisfyingÂ…I love every character. A triumph of a first novel.Â”
Â—Melissa Bank, author of The GirlÂ's Guide to Hunting and Fishing and The Wonder Spot

Â“London is the Best City in America is a delicious comedy of manners and a smart examination of the heart and its desires. What a sparkling debut!Â”
Â—Susan Isaacs, author of Long Time No See

"With its suspenseful plot, endearing heroine and vivid prose, Laura Dave's London is the Best City in America is an immensely appealing novel. A sparkling debut."
Â—Margot Livesey, author of Eva Moves the Furniture

Customer Reviews:

Engaging & with insight.......2007-09-11

I listened to the CD on a road trip. As a single guy who doesn't read much chick lit and who didn't have any sisters, I found the book helped me to better understand and appreciate the other human species and reinforce some important lessons about making choices.

Page Turning Debut.......2007-08-12

This is one of those books that pulls right in and keeps you pulled in. You'll think, I'll just read a little more - and the next thing you know you've sat up half the night! The characters, especially Emmy (the narrator), are funny and engaging searchers trying to find their way through to the right way to love and live. It's a great read!

Gripping character study.......2007-08-12

From the first pages I'm in with this story. Emmy is an endearing and honest character. She doesn't take herself too seriously and yet she tries to do the right thing. She seems like the kind of girl who would actually emerge from an upper crust enclave with a sense of herself. Her brother's predicament is interesting and not at all cliche. I like the turns in this book and I'm reading all the way through. A very satisfying read!

pure joy.......2007-08-09

I just re-read London and did not want it to end. London tells the story of a brother and a sister who over the course of one weekend really save each other. If you have a sibling it will make you want to call and hug them.
I had the good fortune of actually meeting Laura Dave at one of her readings. As I read London it was hard to believe that a girl in her twenties wrote such a compelling story. This author is wise beyond her years and a complete joy. Everyone left the reading talking about Laura's depth, positive energy and wit. Laura Dave is certainly an author to keep an eye on- I can't wait for her next book.

shallow and superficial.......2007-08-06

I'd seen great reviews of this book, and am always interested in discovering a good new woman author, but this was a big disappointment. Even as a "summer/beach read" (I just read it, it is early August). I'm just not seeing the "depth" and "insight" described by other readers/reviewers. The book reads like it was written by someone in their early to mid-twenties who hasn't really lived through much. "Should Emmy go back to Matt?" "Should Emmy pick Berringer?" "Which woman will Josh pick?" That's about it. A condensed version could have been something you'd read in Seventeen magazine. The characters were never fully developed, and it was all just a bit too precious. It ended with few unanswered questions, but I didn't care enough about the characters to care how those questions might be answered. This may sound harsh, but I like to read well-written books that challenge me and make me think. This one didn't even come close. And it's not like I sit around reading Tolstoy all day. I've read chick lit for fun. Lots and lots of it. This one just didn't have much to offer and seemed to be aspiring to be something it was not.

Best of the Best from New England: Selected Recipes from the Favorite Cookbooks of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire,

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Best of the Best from New England: Selected Recipes from the Favorite Cookbooks of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire,

Manufacturer: Quail Ridge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Best of the Best from California: Selected Recipes from California's Favorite Cookbooks
Best of the Best from South Carolina: Selected Recipes from South Carolina's Favorite Cookbooks
Best of the Best from Pennsylvania: Selected Recipes from Pennsylvania's Favorite Cookbooks (Best of the Best Cookbook)
Best of the Best from Louisiana
Best of the Best from Georgia: Selected Recipes from Georgias Favorite Cookbooks

ASIN: 093755250X

Book Description

Welcome to New England...a land of stately lighthouses and craggy coastlines; of white church steeples and breathtaking fall leaves; of friendly country stores and romantic old inns; of winding mountain lanes and thriving cities. And from this glorious setting, over 500 recipes have been collected to capture the marvelous cuisine of the New England states of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

One hundred and seven of New England's most popular cookbooks have been selected to contribute their favorite recipes to this remarkable collection, Each chosen recipe is a time-honored, proven favorite that typifies New England cooking.

Included are famous New England recipes such as Seafood Chowder, Lobster Stew, Steamed Clams, New England Boiled Dinner, Mulled Cider, Indian Pudding, Molassas Cookies, Cranberry Chutney, Beach Plum Jelly, and of course, Boston Baked Beans and Stemed Brown Bread. Also there are outstnading recipes ranging from traditional to trendy, including microwave, low-cal, crockpot, cooking on the grill, do-ahead, gourmet and quick-to-fix recipes for today's cooks.

These favorite recipes are complemented by photographs and interesting quips about the history, food, and folfklore of New England.

Let these superb recipes from outstanding New England cookbooks invite you into delightful, delicious New England...The Best of the Best from New England.

John Townsend: Newport Cabinetmaker (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)
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A Woodworker's perspective

AMERICAN BEAUTY

Fantastic source for inspiration and humility

Fascinating view of Newport Furinure and Maker

John Townsend: Newport Cabinetmaker (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)
Morrison H. Heckscher
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Furniture Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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American Furniture: Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods in the Henry Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum (Winterthur Book)

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The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker's Director

ASIN: 030010717X

Book Description

John Townsend (1733–1809) is one of the most revered cabinetmakers of Colonial America. He spent his life in Newport, Rhode Island, leaving a uniquely large body of documented work. This handsome and generously illustrated book—the first publication ever devoted to Townsend—looks at the life and legacy of this extraordinary cabinetmaker.
The book opens with an overview of Newport and a discussion of other important cabinetmakers, including Job and Christopher Townsend, John’s father and uncle. John worked as an apprentice to his father before establishing his own shop when he was twenty-one. The catalogue section of this volume presents new color reproductions, including details of carving and construction and inscriptions and labels, of all thirty-five documented pieces by John Townsend. Comparative works by Christopher, Job, Job Jr., and Edmund Townsend as well as by John Goddard, another significant Newport cabinetmaker of the time, are also featured. Other documentation includes: a genealogical chart of the Townsend and Goddard families; wills and inventories of Christopher and John Townsend; a list of Townsend family furniture; names of John Townsend’s clients; and a list of all documented Newport furniture.

Customer Reviews:

A Woodworker's perspective .......2007-09-26

This was originally written for the Washington Woodworkers Guild Newsletter, Sept 2007
This lavishly photographed book is a summary of all the currently known and likely works by John Townsend and his shop in Newport in the late 18th century. It is the catalogue associated with the 2005 exhibit of John Townsend's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2005.
This is not a woodworking book per se. The first portion of the book details the history of Newport, with an emphasis on how it turned into a great cabinetmaking city. The extended family Townsend is then documented, and the links to the Goddards, the other great "name" of Newport cabinetmaking is explained. John Townsend's life is then described in as much detail as is currently available, with some speculation on why and how his furniture is distinguishable from the other major makers in the town. The bulk of the book is photographs of every piece currently known or believed to have been produced by him and his shop, organized by type, and with descriptions differentiating the pieces.
There is some description of technique: 10 pages of the more than 200 in the book are in the section "Observations on John Townsend's Cabinetwork". Most of the book is about the time and place that these masterpieces were created in, and the pieces themselves. As a furniture design, construction, and appreciation aid though the book has major strengths. These include 110 pages of large high quality photos and descriptions of 47 major pieces, including many very similar pieces made over decades. Being able to see the effects of subtle changes in proportion and decoration, and of different wood grains on otherwise similar pieces, is worth the price of the book by itself. There are also many photos of the undersides/backs of pieces, which provide additional understanding of how structural issues in the pieces were managed.
For documentation on technical specifics, more detailed references are required. This book contains no plans, and no exploded drawings. There are references to other sources in this book, though most are of historical rather than a technical nature. This book is appropriate as inspiration, for some technical details, and for the very high quality images that could be used to help make reproductions.

AMERICAN BEAUTY.......2007-01-07

Thanks to DuPont, American Federal Furniture is now much appreciated, and is some of the most expensive period furniture in the world. It's hard to fathom, that not long ago this type of furniture was not coveted at all, it was thought too austere and understated, the wealthy in the ninetenth century and early twentieth century wanted all things French, thankfully they finally came to their sences and now this style is considered one of the most beautiful. John Townsend was a master of the style, along with John and Thomas Seymour and Duncan Phyfe. This book does a wonderful job of highlighting his best work and the text is highly informative and the writing scholarly. If you have any appreciation for great craftsmanship or just love American Federal Furniture, then I have no doubt you will love this book.

Fantastic source for inspiration and humility.......2006-04-22

This book mirrors the wonderful exhibit of John Townsend's work that was on display at the Metropolitan Museum, and for people like me who make reproductions of Colonial and Early American furniture, it is a source of ideas, inspiration, and goals.

It's also a source for humility. Seeing the work that this man produced without the help of table saws, routers and the other tools of the 21st century is humbling.

The book is definitely worth every penny for those who love the furniture of the period, who enjoy knowing the history behind a particular piece, or who just enjoy seeing objects that are beautifully built with matchless craftsmanship and care.

Fascinating view of Newport Furinure and Maker.......2005-09-13

The gulf between appreciation and understanding is immense and while anyone can look upon a John Townsend highboy and see that it is beautiful, understanding the world in which it was built (which was without electric tools), the builder and the technological aspect of cabinetry makes these fine pieces of furniture all the more awe-inspiring. John Townsend, who was a shining star in the rather large furniture industry in New England of which Newport might be considered the capital, is all the more interesting because his pieces and his life have been documented. This work that was produced by the Metropolitan Museum of art is fascinating even if you aren't a connoisseur of fine furniture. It is brilliant, well written and most importantly full of beautiful color photographs of all of the known John Townsend works along with several other masterpieces of 18th century New England furniture.

I don't know whether its best to call this work an art book, a collector's reference or a history book but it serves well in all capacity. As an art book it does an extremely great job of describing in word and image the qualities of a master cabinetmaker. Being a master cabinetmaker was (is) a talent and a skill not unlike being a great painter. The difference is the medium but similarly unique styles are developed skills are honed and a great deal of personality is brought about in each work. As a collectors reference this book shows what makes Newport furniture and furniture of New England unique and also gives a great catalogue of the work that is currently in existence. Finally as a historical account the book does good justice to describing Newport's furniture industry and what made New England the place where Furniture making would reach its American zenith in the mid 18th century.

I am happy to own this book and know that it will be often viewed and re-read. If you are a fan of colonial America or fascinated by early American Furniture you need this book. While it may appear expensive it is an excellent reference a great book for the coffee table or to be gently placed on your Chippendale lowboy.

Ted Murena

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Classic Newport

Newport Houses
Jane Mulvagh , and Mark A. Weber
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Newport Through Its Architecture: A History of Styles from Postmedieval to Postmodern
Robert A. M. Stern: Houses and Gardens

ASIN: 0847809129
Release Date: 1989-06-15

Book Description

The architectural heritage of Newport, Rhode Island encompasses the rich and lively history of the people who have lived there. The city's public and private buildings reflect the varied attitudes, styles and tastes adopted by the American nation, from the colonial settlers in the seventeenth century who sought religious and political freedom to the socialite robber barons of the late nineteenth century whose enormous wealth bought the freedom to pursue life's pleasures. Simple clapboard houses and religious buildings exist in he same context as the opulent summer cottages and mansions, built with the finest materials available. Newport architecture presents a splendidly diverse picture of American building at its best.

Internationally acclaimed photographer Roberto Schezen records the great range of Newport buildings. Focusing especially on the outstanding private houses and compounds throughout the city, Schezen's keen eye captures the magnificent decorative details, grand interiors and dramatic settings that give Newport an unsurpassed position as a national architectural treasure. The many styles that are part of the American architectural vocabulary are presented, including the Greek Revival, the Stick and Shingles Styles, and the eclectic ostentation that characterized the so-called Gilded Age.

The accompanying text tells the stories behind the numerous residences and public buildings, shedding light on the personalities behind the construction of landmarks such as the Breakers, Marble House, Touro Synagogue, the Quaker Meeting House, the Newport Casino and the Redwood Library. The celebrated and the famous contributed to Newport's growth, from its early days as a trading center to its development as a major summer resort colony to its most recent incarnation as a model for preservation efforts. Newport Houses, for the first time, brings the whole story together in an intriguing and comprehensive fashion.

Customer Reviews:

Classic Newport.......2005-09-07

This book covers all of the most famous homes, I would not say that it is comprehensive, but it does a very credible job of discussing the best homes. The photographs are well conceived and the text, though not indepth, is informative. If you are someone interested in the most famous mansions of Newport and appreciate quality photography then I believe you will be pleased with this book, if you are however, looking for an indepth guide to the all of the mansions, then you may want to wait on that book, which unfortunitly, as far as I can tell, has not been written.

Grave Undertakings: An Archaeology of Roger Williams and the Narragansett Indians

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Grave Undertakings: An Archaeology of Roger Williams and the Narragansett Indians
Patricia E. Ruberstone
Manufacturer: Smithsonian Institution Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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A Key Into the Language of America

ASIN: 1560989750

Book Description

Grave Undertakings focuses on seventeenth-century Narragansett Indians, whose languages and lifeways were described by Roger Williams in A Key Into the Language of America (1643), long considered an objective, thorough, and authoritative account. By weaving textual and archaeological evidence with community memory, Patricia Rubertone challenges the canonical status of A Key, imagining a more complicated and dynamic history of Native cultural survival and persistence in New England. Rubetone provides a much-needed context and critical reading of William's life and myths, and explores the limits of A Key. Using archaeological evidence from a seventeenth-century Narragansett burial ground, Rubertone shows how material objects, including many European goods, were imprinted with Native meanings of communal and generational relationships, learned social knowledge, and sacred traditions. Her analysis illuminates individual lives within the society and makes clear that burial places and practices continued to be central to the Narragansetts long after the seventeenth century. Grave Undertakings provides a compelling portrayal of the colonial experiences of a Native people, demonstrating that anthropologically informed cultural translations of the historical past are possible and necessary in the twenty-first century.

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riveting crime fiction
Gripping Supernatural Thriller
A good read
Slow Start, and Okay Read (3.5 Stars)
Intriguing

Shadows in the Darkness (Changeling)
Elaine Cunningham
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Shadows in the Starlight (Changeling)
Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 2)
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Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer Series, Book 1)
Greywalker (Greywalker, Book 1)

ASIN: 0765348519
Release Date: 2005-12-27

Book Description

Gwen "GiGi" Gelman, a ten year veteran of the Providence, Rhode Island vice squad, finds herself unemployed after being blamed for a routine bust that turned into a bloodbath. GiGi is used to being on her own, though, and with the help of a DA who owes her, she's scraped together enough capital to start her own PI business, specializing in"family problems"-in particular runaways who have disappeared into Providence's seamy underside.With a few custodian kidnapping cases under her belt, as well as a case against a Catholic school teacher/molester, GiGi is doing well for herself --until she takes on the case of a fourteen year old runaway who may or may not have been kidnapped.As GiGi investigates, she accidentally opens the door to her own mystical past. Now long-hidden family ties threaten her, and the secret of her identity unlocks a conspiracy that reveals the forces of darkness that play in the shadows....Forces that intend to be the masters of all mortal life.

Customer Reviews:

riveting crime fiction.......2007-09-09

This is paranormal suspense, but unlike most paranormal suspense, the paranormal is very much at the side through most of the story.

The story itself centers around Gwenevere GiGi Gellman - a former cop and current PI who searches for missing women. Much of the book takes up with establishing Gwen's history: why she is where she is, and what she's done in the past. While she's solving her current case, she's also revealing shadows from her own past.

Like most crime fiction, there is a fair amount of disturbing violence in this book - nothing close to, say, Patterson, but still, it's there. It's also not got the huge amount of paranormal that folks who like that genre have come to expect. But it's a good, fast read. It's a series setup, but, for the most part, stands alone quite well.

(*)>

Gripping Supernatural Thriller.......2007-09-04

Following a drug bust which goes spectacularly wrong, Gwen Gellman leaves the police force to start her own PI business, specializing in finding runaways. As she investigates her latest case, she finds it has ties to her own past. Now her real family know about her, and though Gwen is determined to find the missing girl before it's too late, her time is running out.

Shadows in the Darkness is a PI novel with an urban fantasy twist. For much of the book the plot deals with Gwen finding a missing girl, and investigating the failed drug bust which led to her leaving the police force. However, every so often we are given the hint that there is more to this than meets the eye. Alongside her normal life, Gwen is also subject to a more supernatural heritage, of which she is mostly unaware. As a reader you realise there is a metaphorical net slowly tightening around Gwen as she tries to find the runaway - the deeper she gets into the case the more it wraps around her. This is a multi-layered tale of elves, missing girls, murder and police corruption; where it seems every character has an ulterior motive and a hidden agenda.

Shadows in the Darkness is probably not for those readers who prefer a more romantic urban fantasy. Gwen deals with the ugly side of life most people prefer to ignore. One of the reviews in the front of the book refers to SITD as a supernatural Alias and that's a good summation.

Recommended for fans of Wen Spencer's Ukiah Oregon series, Kat Richardson's Greywalker, Charlaine Harris's Lily Bard and Harper Connelly series. Also for anyone who likes crime/PI novels who's interested in trying a little urban fantasy.

Book #2 Shadows in the Starlight was released Feb 2007

A good read.......2007-07-24

Not a Princess Meredith clone. This is a well written book, with a unique heroine. There are so many Laura K Hamilton wannabe's out there and Ms. Cunningham has created her own world of elves. Refreshing after my last 6 books--I get to enjoy reading again.

Slow Start, and Okay Read (3.5 Stars).......2007-06-20

I bought this book a while ago, but I just finished about a day ago. That is very unusual for me. Usually I get a book and can't put it down. But when I first picked up this book I was struggling throught the first 1/3 of the the book. I couldn't seem to get into it. Nothing seemed relevant and i didn't see where this was going. But I picked it up again a few days ago out of boredom. And while I can't say that it was the best book I've read, I think will buy the second book.

I liked the fact that she had to figure out her past herself, that someone didn't just pop out of nowhere and tell her what she was. I am also glad that the book just didn't jump right in to the whole elf aspect. You had to kind of guess who was what. And it kept the urban setting and included the people that weren't involved with elves. Everything didn't just suddenly revolve about her identity.

But the book was still confusing. Many facts and hints weren't added until toward the end of the book so the reader couldn't draw any conclusions. The reader was almost always in the dark, sometimes even moreso than the main character. Also, I couldn't follow half of the logic in this book.

Though I sort of wish I was in her place, because she keeps getting all of this cool jewelry. I would love to get free jewelry every time I got into trouble. I wonder if she wears them. But i think I'm missing their role in this. They are supposed to make the book more ominous, but the thing is she never mentions the necklaces until she gets another one. She doesn't even say if she wears them or not. And they don't play a part yet (even though this is the first book, they should give at lest a hint.)

Unfortunately, this book is a little cliche. Like the ending: they most ominously anounce that Frank's son is really an elf. i know this leaves it open for the next book, but wouldn't it have been better if would at first suspected and then discovered it in the next book. I would have also gone along with the rest of the book's flow of info (we don't find out until the last minute). It's also cliche that they are playing her. And that bad guys were bad in the typical way. They had "low-life" written all over them. (even though she adds the fact one of them is her uncle to make it more original, it doesn't play much of a part and might as well have not been said). The elves also talk in the "old" voice that you hear in the movies when they have an old vamp- that elated higher-than-you, self-important sort of speech always used. And the hand-touchng thing reads straight out of a sci-fi movie. Though what bothers most is the fact that one of them constantly appears and disappears out of nowhere. (He does it one time and forgets his car.) I guess that is supposed to be foreboding, but it is overused. And she never mentions when he finally retrieves his car. But thats not the worst, twice he emerges from the shadows. He walks out of them and says some smooth comment. I think she stole some of the scenes from a B-rated vamp movie. The only thing is, I thought this was a book about elves?

What also bothers me is that it never takes long to get anywhere. I know RI is small, but the way they make it sound, it could be smaller than my neighborhood. Maybe RI doesn't have any traffic or stop lights.

But if you can get past the cliches and jealousy from watching her get all that free jewelry, it is a good book. Not the best, but I bet it will get better. I like reading a contemporary elf book once in a while becuase it's not overdone with sorceres and the like. It is also a break from vamp-hunter books, though a couple times I wondered if the elf was really a vamp, with the walking out of the shadows bit.

Intriguing.......2007-05-03

This new series (well not really new) by Elaine Cunnighman is a fresh new start. It is really intriguing because we have this P.I. as the main character who is on case that stretches out to reveal her past. Gwen, doesn't know much at all about her parents because they died when she was a baby, but there is more to their deaths than what she is led to believe. But as she starts to uncover her past and the secrets that ulitmately lead her to solving her case, lives become at stake. Including the life of someone close to Gwen. Overall it is not that bad of a novel, there is just a lot character confusion because there are so many. Although it is not too hard to follow.

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