The Beach House

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There are no big surprises in The Beach House, but it's vintage Patterson, with plenty of action, villains with hearts blacker than obsidian, and a working-class hero who pulls himself up by the bootstraps. Patterson and de Jonge previously coauthored the inspirational golf romance Miracle on the 17th Green, but this new game of money, mayhem, and murder clearly suits them to a tee. --Barrie Trinkle

Book Description

James Patterson and Peter de Jonge's The Beach House opens with the death of a handsome townie on Memorial Day weekend in the Hamptons, where being a single-digit millionaire is laughable and being poor is unthinkable.Peter Mullen is a high school dropout who parks cars at the private bashes of the superwealthy Barry and Campion Neubauer. When Peter is found dead on the beach, the Neubauers and their friends insist that he drowned, but his brother Jack, a law student who saw Peter's body, knows he was beaten to death. As Jack uncovers evidence of his brother's secret life, he begins to realize that the very rich are indeed different from the rest of us. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Jack's patiently plotted payback for Peter's death is one that the Hamptons will not soon forget. There are no big surprises in The Beach House, but it's vintagePatterson, with plenty of action, villains with hearts blacker than obsidian,and a working-class hero who pulls himself up by the bootstraps. Patterson andde Jonge previously coauthored the inspirational golf romance Miracle on the 17th Green, butthis new game of money, mayhem, and murder clearly suits them to a tee.--Barrie Trinkle

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining, Quick, Suspenseful Read of the Summer.......2007-07-27

I could not put this book down. I especially enjoyed Patterson's reference to real life scenarios and applaud his accounts in multicultural writings and versatility from music references to basketball. The book will keep you on your toes. I wish there could have been a better ending as I really liked 'Tom'. Definitely recommend it especially for the not so serious reader, like myself. I thoroughly enjoyed it and you will too.

Beach House - Not my favorite by a long shot.......2007-07-19

I just never got into this book. I'm an avid fan of James Patterson's books... I've purchased so many at airports across the country it is almost comical.

But this one never really drew my in like most others. There just wasn't enough depth to any of the characters and their relationships to each other were missing something. And the ending just did not make sense. I didn't feel there were enough clues to lead me to say "aha" at the end.

Short story - I was disappointed. I won't quit reading... just disappointed in this yarn.

Great Book!.......2007-07-11

I loved this book! I read it in a day and a half, couldnt put it down. Loved the plot-people taking the law into their own hands. highly recommend!

BY James Patterson & Peter De Jonge?.......2007-06-14

I think Patterson could have done without the help. I like Patterson's style and move-along plots. This plot however, with the autopsy on Peter's body getting passed off as a drowning-suicide, was a disappointment. The rich buy the courts, but not with the kinds of evidence the coroner presented. The ending really frosts the cake when they have their "Kangaroo Court" in the abandoned Beach house over a two-day span. Since it wasn't terrible, I can only give three stars.

J. P. Landry, author of Hazard 666

Hard to believe its a Patterson book!.......2007-06-10

What a waste of time spending that much time, then to have an ending that doesn't make sense at all!! Feel that I wasted my time and money on this one. After recently readingJudge and Jury , hard to believe its written by same person. If you want a good one, pick up Judge & Jury.

Average customer rating:

Beach Read Supreme
no heavy lifting
He makea me laugh....
SE adventures
save your money

Jamaica Me Dead
Bob Morris
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312997485
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Book Description

TOO HOT TO HANDLEFormer Miami Dolphin Zack Chasteen had a short pro career, but he's got a long memory. When his old gridiron pal Monk DeVane asks him to help beef up security at Libido, an X-rated Jamaican resort, Zack agrees. But he soon regrets it when he finds the resort owner quite literally on the hot seat-sitting on a bomb that will detonate if he so much as twitches a muscle...Things get even more explosive at the adult playground of Libido, where tourists indulge in sun and plenty of bawdy fun. From Montego Bay to the island's back country, Zack Chasteen descends into Jamaica's heart of darkness and its bloody political scene, bringing along his inscrutable sidekick Boggy, a Taino Indian shaman. With bullets flying and people dying, Zack must seek out the truth and settle some scores before his own life goes boom."Advertised as a year-round summer read, this is exactly that, thanks to smart, polished prose; an affable narrator; swift, straightforward plotting in bite-size chapters; and a fun, exotic setting." Booklist

Customer Reviews:

Beach Read Supreme.......2007-06-27

This book is the follow-up to Bahamarama. It alludes to the first book in a couple of places but it can be read alone with no confusion about the plot. I loved this book. While on a beachside vacation it happily filled my days and my imagination. The characters are the type of people that you'll want to know. Living in Florida, this book is an even a closer tie-in for me. It's fun, it's supenseful, it makes you want to continue through to the finish and after you're done you'll wish there was more. Bob Morris is now on my list of favorite Florida authors - not at the top yet but fast closing in on Tim Dorsey!

no heavy lifting.......2007-04-19

A vacation book. A little sun. A little sex. A mystery that doesn't burden you. The bad guy seen way down the beach. And at the end, it feels good.

He makea me laugh...........2007-03-18

I recently discovered my Jamaican roots and have been devouring anything Jamaican...imagine my delight when I saw this book!! And, the inside was just as delightful as the outside...

I'm a mystery fan, but I haven't ever come across anything quite so ummm...unique.

For a book that scores both with characters and a twisty turny plot, that explodes with originality you have to read Jamaica Me Dead.

SE adventures.......2007-02-06

Bob Morris is the latest author for books based in Florida and the islands in the Caribbean Sea. I read 'Bahamarama' and enjoyed it enough to venture into book two 'Jamaica Me Dead'. Unfortunately, his sophomore book with Zack Chasteen, former football pro, doesn't hold up well. The good part of the book is the chapters are very short and you'll read it faster. The bad part is, nothing really happens in the book. It's lackluster but readable if your "to-read" list is at an end. The entire story/plot of the book is slow paced and the characters just aren't terribly interesting. Barbara is truly annoying and the attempts at humor for all characters are strained. Zack is a bit mamby-pamby and there's just not enough of 'sidekick' Boggy included.

I will probably give his third book a try because I'm willing to give authors/series a chance. I did this with Robert Crais' Elvis Cole books even though I really didn't like the first book or two but have since really enjoyed them. For Florida-based authors, go with Hiaassen, Dorsey, or Parker for better books/characters. Hopefully Morris' book three will be an improvement but this one just wasn't very good.

save your money.......2006-07-03

buying this book is a complete waste of money. weak attempt to be a Robert Parker. could have been written by a high school freshmen.real lame!

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"Those to whom evil is done do evil in return"
The master at work
Very Slow to Start: 100 Page Introduction and No Literary Hook !
A Faulty Page Turner
Masterfully Written

The Lighthouse
P.D. James
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 030726291X
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Book Description

A subtle and powerful work of contemporary fiction.

Combe Island off the Cornish coast has a bloodstained history of piracy and cruelty but now, privately owned, it offers respite to over-stressed men and women in positions of high authority who require privacy and guaranteed security. But the peace of Combe is violated when one of the distinguished visitors is bizarrely murdered.

Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called in to solve the mystery quickly and discreetly, but at a difficult time for him and his depleted team. Dalgliesh is uncertain about his future with Emma Lavenham, the woman he loves; Detective Inspector Kate Miskin has her own emotional problems; and the ambitious Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith is worried about working under Kate. Hardly has the team begun to unravel the complicated motives of the suspects than there is a second brutal killing, and the whole investigation is jeopardized when Dalgliesh is faced with a danger more insidious and as potentially fatal as murder.

This eagerly awaited successor to the international bestseller The Murder Room displays all the qualities that lovers of P. D. James’s novels the world over have come to expect: sensitive characterization, an exciting and superbly structured plot and vivid evocation of place.

Download Description

P. D. James is the author of 18 books, most of which have been filmed for television. Before her retirement in 1979, she served in the forensics and criminal justice departments of Great Britain’s Home Office, and she has been a magistrate and a governor of the BBC. The recipient of many prizes and honours, she was created Baroness James of Holland Park in 1991. In 2000 she celebrated her 80th birthday and published her autobiography, Time to Be in Earnest.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

"Those to whom evil is done do evil in return".......2007-10-15

If I weren't three weeks into my annual bout with cold viruses I'd be writhing with pleasure at this recent effort by P. D, James instead of snuffling and starting blearily at my monitor. Even in this condition, I can't help but enjoy the intricacies of yet another tightly plotted Adam Dalgliesh mystery. Combe Island, an imaginary setting off the Cornish coast, has had an unusual murder. The Island is dedicated to providing a totally quiet and safe haven for its rich and influential guests, and now the body of a great writer is found hanging off the lighthouse. Dalgleish, with Inspector Kate Miskin and Sergeant Benton-Smith arrive to find the island is a closed room problem with a surfeit of suspects. It seems that Nathan Oliver was loved by no one and hated by more than a few.

I'm not going to bog the reader down with enticing plot tidbits - there are many, as one murder follows another, and I leave it to the reader to take pleasure in each of them. Typical of James, she takes care of all the little details that make her stories stand out. Each character is developed with appropriate touches. The attentive reader will find powerful prose that will leave memories for some time and a mystery can be solved traditionally or by careful attention to character. Thus these stories are not for those who just want a lot of blood and action. Instead, they invite contemplative moments when one is struck by a bit of description or (God forbid) by a poetic segue that open up a line of investigation.

Blended in with the plot are the details of the lives of Dalgleish, Miskin, and Benton-Smith. Each is pleasantly human, with foibles and worries of their own. Dalgleish worries about his romantic life, tires of departmental politics, and has a bout with the flu virus. Benton-Smith wonders why Kate doesn't seem to like him, and Kate has her own romantic complications to straighten out. Intelligent people doing the best job they can in complicated situations. My personal opinion is that James is one of the finest mystery writers at work today, and her characters some of the most compelling. Martha Grimes is probably her closest competition in this genre and a shelf full of both of them is a pleasure indeed.

The master at work.......2007-09-19

I feel that anyone who loves mysteries loves P.D. James and needs no encouragement from me. Therefore I will only say that this is great as you wonder if Adam will ever get the courage to ask Emma to marry him. That is almost as big a mystery as who is the multiple killer.
If you don't know Adam Dalgliesh and P.D. James this is not the book to start with as you need to know the history of Adam and his fellow inspector Kate Miskin to really enjoy this book in the fullest. Start with "Cover her face" or "Unnatural Causes" or best yet just follow the list inside any of P.D. James books.

Very Slow to Start: 100 Page Introduction and No Literary Hook !.......2007-09-02

I have read a number of James's novels and think that her early work "A Mind to Murder" is a near perfect murder mystery. Now, she is near the end of her career and has twenty books or so in this series of detective novels.

Also, I read her recent work "The Murder Room" and I had the same impression as the present novel. For both of these books there is almost no information on the crime for the first hundred pages or so, and there is no review of the crime scene nor is there any sort of police investigation. That is, there is no literary hook or anything else to get the reader interested in the book other than James is the author. Instead, there is a lengthy prologue followed by page after page of character introduction with lengthy background descriptions of each character.

The reader is getting ready to scream "enough, stop" by the time the action begins. P.D.James is a wonderful writer but these last two novels are very slow, almost boring, and it goes on for 500 pages. Commander Dalghliesh is mentioned in the first sentence of the book and then seems to disappear.

I return to what I have learned from reading a number of her works. James's best works are probably behind her, probably far behind her, and if you want an enthralling read, read her earlier works. They are masterpieces. The present work and like her prior novel just before is a bit ho hum.

Many James fans will like it but those new to James should be warned about a very slow start for a mystery novel, and that they should look for earlier work by her to really get an understanding of what James is all about.

Neutral recommendation: 4 stars.

A Faulty Page Turner.......2007-08-11

Sadly, Adam Dalgliesh, the leading mind of the book, is by far the least interesting. The episodes of his affair of the heart with the damsel Emma are worth skipping altogether. (In fact, the entire prologue is tedious.) However, the locale and the possible suspects are all first rate as is the reason for the crime(s). Also, note that the most important chapter in which Dagliesh figures out the exceedingly clever why and where for seems to come out of nowhere. There are other missteps along the way, too.

Yes, this book needed an editor, but then would someone of P.D. James' repute take advice? I don't know. I haven't read her acclaimed autobiography.

Yet to be truthful, it was an enjoyable read.

Masterfully Written.......2007-06-01

I would have gone with 5 stars if not for the first 80 or so pages. If you get past the long drawn out introduction of the characters, the story is excellent, as is the writing & setting. A novel that grips you to the very end

Average customer rating:

Read it in one evening
Very enjoyable!
The Color of Light
Spooky kid solves a mystery
Another very good read

The Color of Light
Karen White
Manufacturer: NAL Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451215117

Book Description

At thirty-two, pregnant and recently divorced, Jillian Parrish and her seven-year-old daughter find refuge and solace on Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Jillian had experienced her best childhood memories here-until her best friend Lauren Mills disappeared, never to be found. At the time, Linc Rising, Lauren's boyfriend and Jillian's confidant, had been a suspect in Lauren's disappearance. Now he's back on Pawleys Island-renovating the old Mills house. And as ghosts of the past are resurrected, and Jillian's daughter begins having eerie conversations with an imaginary friend named Lauren, Jillian and Linc will uncover the truth about Lauren's disappearance and about the feelings they have buried for sixteen years.

Customer Reviews:

Read it in one evening.......2007-07-16

This book reels you in like a serpent. I found it jaw dropping and compelling and read it all in one evening! After I finished it I thought about it for hours and am still thinking about this amazing story!

Very enjoyable!.......2006-05-29

This is the first book I've read by this author and found it very engaging, hard to put down. I'll be getting more books by this author. Enjoy!

The Color of Light.......2006-03-24

I enjoyed the book very much. But! I thought it got alittle slow in some places,I new what was coming and I wish it would have just got there.

Spooky kid solves a mystery.......2006-01-05

Pregnant and freshly divorced, Jillian and daughter Gracie return to the summer home once owned by her grandmother for a new lease on life. It is on Pawley's Island that Jillian has both her most cherished and most painful memories, as her best friend Lauren disappeared without a trace 16 years earlier.

Gracie's apparent second sight divulges long buried secrets, forcing Jillian to face her greatest fears and befriend the guy who was accused of murdering Lauren and fled soon after. Now a successful architect, Linc has re-emerged, renamed himself, and returned to the island that he both loves and loathes. He is not prepared for the feelings that Jillian's presence invokes, and debates on leaving the past ... in the past.

Haunted by memories of childhood abuse and the loss of her beloved friends, Jillian at first discounts Gracie's ramblings about her imaginary friend (also named Lauren) until she realizes that there are far too many coincidences. New secrets and passions are revealed on the small island, as Jillian and Linc work together to discover what happened to Lauren all those years ago.

While the story is well written, with believable dialogue (thought Gracie could be grating after awhile), unfortunately, you don't need second sight to see where the story is going. You can pretty much predict the outcome, as it is really no mystery with all the foreshadowing the author provides. Despite its predictability, it is a solid and original story, with endearing characters. Don't miss "Falling Home" and "After the Rain," also by White. They are not to be missed.

Another very good read.......2005-11-16

I really enjoyed this book, and I don't want to say too much as I don't want to give anything away. Good plot, although I did figure out some of it earlier on. Still very enjoyable.

Missing Witness (Chambers of Justice Series #4)

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Best since Parshall's Resurrection File
Book 4
Keeps Getting Better and Better!!!

Missing Witness (Chambers of Justice Series #4)
Craig Parshall
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0736911758

Book Description

After a nerve–shattering encounter with military justice in The Accused, Craig Parshall’s third novel, all lawyer Will Chambers wants to do this summer is relax with his wife, Fiona...

A long stay on the North Carolina coast seems perfect. But when Will reluctantly looks into a local inheritance case involving Jonathan Joppa, a down–on–his–luck preacher—

“Piracy charge—Joppa’s ancestor? What...when?”

“Why, for being part of Blackbeard’s pirate crew...in the early 1700s...”

Will just wants to rest, but Fiona keeps insisting there’s something missing...buried. Soon the two have had a near–fatal brush with smugglers—and together they’ve unearthed the truth: about a pirate’s history, about Jonathan Joppa, and about two remarkable women—one in the past, and one in the present.

Customer Reviews:

Best since Parshall's Resurrection File.......2007-01-03

Craig Parshall weaves an excellent tale blending history, fiction and Biblical truth. In recent years Christian Fiction has become a boone to the literary industry. Books and stories published by many are thin and underdeveloped reading more like witnessing tracts than novels. I urge anyone with a liking for Grisham to pick up Parshall.

Book 4.......2004-06-04

Once more, Will Chambers is faced with a mystery set in the past, three hundred years to be exactly. To clear up a disputed legacy, he has to prove the innocence of a man accused of being one of Blackbeard's pirates. If he fails, a local good ol' boy/ godfather will take control of an island meant to go to a country pastor. The case is difficult, relying on ancient court records and interpretation. Complicating Will's life further, his beloved Fiona is pregnant, and wants to help him.

*** The latest entry in a Christian's Perry Mason series is a bit slower than the first three. Fans of history will admire the research and detail that go into bringing past and present to equal life. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Keeps Getting Better and Better!!!.......2004-04-05

MISSING WITNESS, book number four in the Chambers of Justice series, presents Will Chambers with the most difficult challenge of his career. Talk about cold cases! He has to prove that Isaac Joppa, who lived more than 300 years ago, was innocent of piracy. Despite the lack of historical documentation, Will begins this seemingly impossible investigation. He skillfully follows what few threads he has and starts to unravel the mystery that surrounds the most infamous dweller on the Reverend Jonathan Joppa's family tree.
If Isaac Joppa's innocence can be proved, Reverend Joppa will inherit Stony Island off the coast of North Carolina, left to him by Randolph Willowby, a distant cousin who was also related to the alleged pirate. Of course there are those who benefit if Will loses the case. Enter the dastardly Blackjack Morgan, who is certain that the secret to Blackbeard's buried booty is hidden on the island. Morgan is a good ol' boy godfather type who seems to have everyone in his debt, including Judge Hawsley Gadwell who is trying this unusual case. But loyalty through intimidation seldom lasts and one wonders which of Morgan's lackeys will be plotting to betray him first.
Once again Parshall comes through with a cast of fascinating characters played against a backdrop jam-packed with history, suspense and legal maneuverings. Will's beautiful wife, Fiona is having serious difficulty carrying their first child, there are intermittent chapters that detail Isaac Joppa's adventures, and there is the drama surrounding Reverend Joppa's struggle with his faith. These are back-stories that intrigue but never distract. Another winner for Craig Parshall.

Seaside: A Lily Pascale Mystery (Lily Pascale Mysteries)

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Seaside: A Lily Pascale Mystery (Lily Pascale Mysteries)
Scarlett Thomas
Manufacturer: Justin, Charles & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 193211209X

Book Description

It's winter in a seaside town, and some bizarre things are happening. Laura and Alex Carter are eighteen-year-old twins living in a rundown hotel. Laura is found dead, her wrists slashed and a signed sucide note beside her. Tragic but straightforward. Until the twin who is alive claims she's Laura.

Outer Banks Mysteries and Seaside Stories

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The Great Legends of the Outer Banks
Get This Book!
Must-have for lovers of North Carolina's Outer Banks Area.

Outer Banks Mysteries and Seaside Stories
Charles Harry Whedbee
Manufacturer: John F. Blair Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0895870061

Customer Reviews:

The Great Legends of the Outer Banks.......2004-10-18

Charles H. Whedbee has an obvious love for the Outer Banks of North Carolina and a strong reverence for the many legends that have arisen there. His strong feelings for the area come through strongly in his work and make reading this book a delight.

This is, as the title suggests, a collection of folklore from the Outer Banks. This is not a book of ghost stories and it never pretends to be. There are ghost stories to be found in this book and they are well told and documented but for the most part they are well-worn stories like the Maco light and the gray man. If you are looking for a book of Outer Banks ghost stories this book will be a disappointment, but as I stated before, this book never purports to be a ghost story book. I have picked up many books that advertise themselves as ghost books only to find that they mostly contain folklore. That tactic really bugs me but when a book is sold as folklore, and it contains good stories like this book does I find that I really enjoy the read.

While reading this book you will be introduced to legends that run the gambit from Indian folklore, to witches and warlocks, to an old live oak filled with rum. You will also find out the story behind the little orange-yellow flowers that are so prevalent on the islands and the ceremonial Christmas drum that saw action at the battle of Culloden. You will even learn where to go to listen for the haunting song of the Queen of the Sounds.

The Outer Banks have always been isolated and have developed a culture that is unique. Before you make a trip to this beautiful area you will want to read this book. It will give you some ideas as to things you might want to see as well as some things you might want to avoid. Best of all though, it will give you a feel for and an understanding of the people of the Outer Banks and their traditions. I assure you that reading this book will add a great deal of body to your Outer Banks vacation.

Get This Book!.......2000-07-10

What a wonderful book in the 5 book series on Outer Banks legends and lore by Charles H. Whedbee. To read this book is to go back in time to days of pirates, and of people made of iron. This is a book well worth reading!

Must-have for lovers of North Carolina's Outer Banks Area........1999-08-19

This is one in a series of 5 books written by the author. Each book is a great companion to a wonderful vacation and a great way to get to know the area and it's colorful history. This is a wonderful way to feel as if you are at the Outer Banks year round.

Mandie and the Seaside Rendezvous (Mandie Books)

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Mandie Series...
Mandie and the Seaside Rendezvous (Mandie Book, 32)
A great Mandie book to add to your collection.
GREAT
Very Exciting!

Mandie and the Seaside Rendezvous (Mandie Books)
Lois Gladys Leppard
Manufacturer: Bethany House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556616732
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Book Description

Mandie and Celia visit Senator Morton in his hometown of St. Augustine, Florida. The mysterious ways of a sinister servant give the girls plenty of reasons to be concerned. Ages 8-13. Mandie book 32.

Customer Reviews:

Mandie Series..........2004-02-28

I remember reading the Mandie series books one right after another when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.. I had a conversation just today that reminded me of these wonderful books and I immediately came online to find them. They left such an impression on me that that nearly 11 YEARS LATER I find myself on this website trying to locate them..b/c I missed them. I'm so glad they are not out of print. I'm getting all of them so I can pass them on. I loved all of the books, not just this one

Mandie and the Seaside Rendezvous (Mandie Book, 32).......2003-08-05

I love this book! Lois Gladys Leppard has got to be one of my favorite authors. Read this book!

A great Mandie book to add to your collection........2000-04-25

Mandie is traveling with Celia and Grandmother to SenatorMorten's house in St. Augustine, Florida. Mandie is sure that it isgoing to be a boring time because she really wants to move on with theplans that she and her friends have made for visiting each other over the summer. One of the senator's servants, Juan, supposedly can't speak, but Mandie is convinced otherwise. Who keeps coming into Mandie and Celia's room and switching the clothes around? Did she really see Miss Lucretia Wham from the lighthouse? Mandie and Celia are in for a surprise.

I really liked this Mandie book. Of course I like all of them and have read each one about five times. I especially liked the end when Mandie had a fun surprise. I would definitely suggest this book.

GREAT.......2000-03-04

You should most definataly read this book. I loved it. If you love mandie than you must have this book. Mandie and Celia travel to St. Augustine florida. Where they get involved in some government buissness not even meaning to.If you like Mandie, this is a must.

Very Exciting!.......2000-01-29

This book was very exciting! I got it and finished it in just a few hours! Now I can't wait untill June, when the next book comes out. The Mandie books are the best books ever

No Corners for the Devil: Murder and Mystery in a Cornish Seaside Village

Average customer rating:

You Dopes!
Devilishly good.....
Hope this is the start of a series.
Solid mystery debut

No Corners for the Devil: Murder and Mystery in a Cornish Seaside Village
Olive Etchells
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786715650

Book Description

In a small village on the incomparable Roseland Peninsula of Cornwall sits an old round house by the sea, beloved home of the Baxter family—relative newcomers to this lovely land. The close-knit farming community has been kindly, and has taken the new arrivals to its heart. But then a murder takes place. The body of a teenage girl is washed up on the beach, discovered by the Baxters' younger son.

DCI Channon—quiet compassion masking a clever mind—is the investigating officer on the case. His assistant, Sergeant Bowles, is his very opposite: abrasive, cynical, and keen to pin the crime on Luke, the Baxters' older son.

And so a violent crime changes the lives of everyone it troubles. Sally Baxter finds herself protecting one son and fighting for the other, while trying to fathom her husband's odd attitude toward the murder. Then there are the devastated parents of the murdered girl and the wide mixture of reactions from their farming neighbors. And through all the mayhem, there is DCI Channon, trying to make some sense of a seemingly impossible task as he finds himself increasingly drawn to the family at the round house, and especially to Sally herself.

Customer Reviews:

You Dopes!.......2007-01-05

I would love to rate this book. However, I am still waiting for the copy to arrive. Perhaps, you'll ask me to review it after I'm able to read it. Just a thought.....

Devilishly good............2005-12-19

I hope this is the start of a new series. This book definitely falls into the category of English village mystery. The descriptions of the countryside, the farming community and the local inhabitants are well-written and evocative. The story moved along at a brisk pace and the "reveal" was realistic. Worth reading.

Hope this is the start of a series........2005-09-14

The plot was good and there were enough suspects to keep me going, but the motive was a little weak. What I really liked about the book was the characters. There are a lot of them, but each was unique and interesting in their own right and I really liked the relationships between the characters. I can only hope this is the beginning of a series as I should really like to see how these characters develop over time.

Solid mystery debut.......2005-09-09

I would have given this book 3.5 stars, but since that wasn't an option, I went ahead and bumped it up to 4. I believe I'm correct in saying that this is Olive Etchells' first mystery book (though she has written other novels), and it's not a bad effort at all.

The story starts out by introducing us to the Baxters, a family consisting of Sally, Robert and their three children. They've recently moved to village in Cornwall and Ben, the youngest son, soon discovers the body of a 17-year-old girl on his favorite beach. The oldest son, Luke, immediately comes under suspicion, since he was the last one to see the girl alive, but before long the whole family becomes involved, one way or another, with the murder.

DCI Channon, a quiet and kind officer, heads the case with his abrasive assistant, Sergeant Bowles, and the two soon discover that there is much more to the case than they initially expected.

The writing in this novel was solid, though I found some of the dialogue, especially Sally's "internal dialogue," to be a bit awkward. One of the major problems I had with this book is that I just didn't like the characters all the much (with the exception of DCI Channon). Having said that, however, I would most likely pick up another mystery by Etchells, should she decide to write more of them.

Average customer rating:

impressed
Entertaining Thriller
Almost as good as her mother-in-law!
Enjoyable Beach Read
Good Read

Dancing in the Dark
Mary Jane Clark
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312323158
Release Date: 2005-07-21

Book Description

New York Timesbestselling author Mary Jane Clark turns upthe heat in a drop-dead frightening novel about an idyllic beach community turned killer's hunting ground K EY News correspondent Diane Mayfield is forced to give up vacation and bring her children and sister to the New Jersey Shore town of Ocean Grove to investigate a story. 'Girls Who Cry Wolf' is the topic for the season premiere of 'Hourglass,' television's top news magazine show. Diane lands an exclusive interview with a troubled young woman whose tale of being abducted and held against her will for three terrifying days and nights had been disbelieved by the authorities. No sooner does Diane finish taping the interview, though,that a second victim turns up: This time bound, gagged, and dead. And as soon as the police think they've solved the case, a third victim is discovered. Already in the grip of a record heat wave, the small beach community is now wracked by fear and terror-there's a murderer on the loose. Diane and the police turn to the first victim for clues. But it may be too late to save Diane and her loved ones from the mortal danger that lurks in Ocean Grove. Full of twists, turns, and startingly real danger, Dancing in the Darkis Mary Jane Clark's most suspenseful thriller yet.

Customer Reviews:

impressed.......2007-05-30

Seeing "Higgins Clark" on the cover I accidently picked this up thinking it was her former mother-in law. Being an avid Mary Higgins Clark reader I was pleasantly surprised with the results of this book. I found it as good, if not better, than some of the more recent elder Clark's books. A fresh new edge for "clean" mystery readers.

Entertaining Thriller.......2007-05-14

For Diane Mayfield, the last few months of her life have been spent trying to keep her children, Michelle and Anthony, on an even keel. After her husband was sentenced to prison for his part in the financial upheaval of a company who cooked its books, she's been the sole parent and money-maker in a family that once had it all. Her position with KEY News as a correspondent for its Hourglass newsmagazine forces her to give up the family's vacation to the Grand Canyon and instead haul her kids and her 17-years younger sister, Emily, to the New Jersey seashore town of Ocean Grove. Her assignment? Interview Leslie Patterson, a woman who police believe "cried wolf" about her recent disappearance.

Leslie has a past that includes therapies for anorexia and harming herself physically, and the police are reluctant to take her claims seriously. Leslie states that she was abducted by an unknown attacker, and although not raped, was forced to dance with the man over a period of days before a security guard found her, bound and gagged, on the grounds of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. Orignally a religion-based commune type establishment, the Association meets every year on Ocean Grove's shore to spen the summer in their tents.

But as another girl disappears, both the local police and Diane start to believe that something more sinister is at work than a trouble young woman staging her own disappearance. As Diane delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, her own family becomes a target for the disturbed individuals that are harassing the tranquility of this once calm sea-side town.

Mary Jane Clark has deftly penned another entertaining thriller. Her characters are all true-to-life and believable, and will have you turning pages until you figure out the mystery.

Almost as good as her mother-in-law!.......2007-03-30

In Dancing in the Dark, news correspondent Diane Mayfield is forced by her boss to cancel her vacation to the Grand Canyon to cover a story unfolding in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Leslie, a young woman suffering from aneroxia had been missing for 3 days and while she claimed she was abducted and held captive the police believe that she cried wolf and faked her own disappearance. That is until a 2nd girl from Ocean Grove goes missing....

As a fan of Mary Higgins Clark I was hesitant to pick this up but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it flowed and how MJC introduces numerous suspects so that you truly are guessing until the end! A very similar writing style to MHC I enjoyed this quick read, mystery and will pick up another MJC mystery in the future.

Enjoyable Beach Read.......2007-02-02

DANCING IN THE DARK is my first book by Mary Jane Clark. I found this book to be an enjoyable, albeit lightweight, read. This is a fun, fast-paced whodunit, written in the tradition of Mary Higgins Clark or Agatha Christie. Essentially, the reader gets a great deal of suspense and mystery without any graphic language, violence, or sex.

My major problem with DANCING IN THE DARK was the sheer volume of characters, which made it difficult to keep track of who was doing what. There are some supporting characters in this story who play no meaningful role, and they should have been eliminated for the sake of simplicity. Also, like some of the other reviewers, I found it relatively easy to guess who the murderer was, which led me to be slightly disappointed by the ending.

Still, this book is smoothly written and has an exciting climax. If you're looking for a decent page-turner without any graphic sex or violence, DANCING IN THE DARK should meet your requirements. It is a relatively short novel that can be read in a single afternoon.

Three and a half stars.

Good Read.......2006-08-20

This was a good, quick read, although the ending is a bit disappointing.

I also thought there were an awful lot of characters to keep track of -- particularly since so many of them were suffering from anorexia and cutting. That made it seem a bit contrived.

However, if you're going to read a relative of Mary Higgins Clark, this is the one to go with -- unlike her daughter, who stinks.

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