Review of Welcome to My Planet: Where English Is Sometimes Spoken (Paperback)

What a fabulous book, capturing the TRUE essence of being a 30 something female in the year 2000!I read it all afternoon,lying by the pool.It's the first time I have read a book of this size in one sitting.Isimply couldn't put it down!I could so identify with the main character, Shannon,a woman in her mid 20's to early 30's, who deals with gradschool, credit card debt,a quirky mom she sometimes resents and sometimesclings to,boyfriends who aren't "the one",and trying to make sense of it all in therapy. The realest coming of age story I have everread.I can't wait to pass it on to my friends to read,and I can't waitfor the author,Shannon Olson, to write her second novel.



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Review of The Instant When Everything is Perfect (Paperback)

What does one call a book like this?Is it a contemporary romance? It's a story of love, to be sure, but doesn't follow the rules of the romance genre.Is it women's fiction? Perhaps, but there's plenty of meat here for men to enjoy as well, if they care to look. Is it literature? The language isn't rich enough, the themes too transparent.

But in the end, who really cares what you want to call it? All that really matters is this: Jessica Barksdale Inclan's 'The Instant When Everything is Perfect' is a good book, the sort of deceptively simple story that will keep you thinking about it and its characters well after you've turned the last page and closed the book.

There's nothing really astounding about the story by itself. Inclan's tale of a failing marriage, the tragedy of cancer, and new love is one that has been told before, both in the pages of other books and in the days and years of lives lived. What made this book stand out for me as I read it, what kept me coming back to it again and again were the characters. Inclan's ability to create full-bodied, flawed, vibrant, human characters made this a story worth reading, even through the parts that were predictable or too easy.

My reaction to the book was surprising at times, and I think it had everything to do with the strength the characters. At one point I was banging my hand on the arm of my chair in frustration at the inaction of one character, at another I found myself thinking something just before another character said almost exactly what I had been thinking. In these brief pages, somehow I came to know the people within them: Mia, mother of two older boys, wife in a marriage that has never satisfied her. Robert, lonely and frightened, but kind and giving as well. Sally, Mia's mother, victim of breast cancer and rediscovering what her life means to her. Not only did I come to know these people, I came to care about them. Their story mattered to me, and when it ended I was a little sad. It ended where it needed to end, but I found myself wanting to know what came next too.

There are moments in life that seem flawless. Taken and recognized for what they are when they happen, they are wondrous and rare and beautiful, and they can sustain us through much. Jessica Barksdale Inclan sees those moments through the eyes of her characters, and she shares that vision with us in this book. For these moments alone, it is a story well worth reading.

Product Description
Mia thought she had everything-a thriving career, a wonderful husband, and two beautiful sons. But illness shakes her out of her comfort zone when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. At her mother's bedside, she meets someone whose presence seems to fill a void in her, a void she wasn't even aware existed.

Robert is happily convinced he's going to spend his life alone until he meets Mia, who makes him question everything. As a surgeon, he's helped many women put their lives back together. And despite his compelling feelings about Mia, he doesn't want to make hers fall apart.

About the Author
Jessica Barksdale Inclán teaches writing, mythology, and women's literature at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California.

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Review of Camilla's Roses (Hardcover)

Camilla's Roses, Bernice McFadden's latest release, is told in three parts:the present day when Camilla's husband discovers a lump in her breast, a flashback to the haunting past that she would rather erase, and a return to present day to face reality and her future.Camilla's middle name is Rose and all the women on her maternal side share the same middle name honoring a one-of-a-kind rosebush that only prospers and blooms on her great-great grandmother's land in Southern Georgia despite being stolen and clipped many times over the years.

Camilla suffers from an identify crisis and abandoned her family ten years ago.However, after learning about her childhood, one can understand her self-imposed exodus.Raised in a house full of cousins by her maternal grandmother (Velma Rose) and great aunt (Maggie Rose), Camilla seldom saw her heroin-addicted parents (Audrey Rose and Leroy Brown) and when she did, the results of the visits were disappointing and heartbreaking.Her childhood experiences causes her to develop an identity crisis that leads to serious skin bleaching and lying - to her friends about her family situation and to herself which proves to be most damaging.

With her usual flair, McFadden cuts to the core of humanity and deals with raw pain, loss, and suffering.This book deals with a multitude of issues: breast cancer, the affects of drug addiction, abandonment, self-hate, infidelity, etc.Every character is fully developed with a rich history and strong role in the plot - making it a well told story.The subject matter is dark and harrowing, but there is a silver lining embedded between the lines -- despite the despair, like the rose bush planted so long ago, Camilla and her "Roses" are made with a strong constitution and we are left with a glimmer of hope that they will be all right.

(...)



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Review of A Miracle of Catfish (Hardcover)

'A Miracle Of Catfish' was unfinished when author Larry Brown died unexpectedly.Because the book was almost finished, publication of Brown's last offering to his fans was possible.The book uses ellipsis to show where editing was done, and though unfinished, includes the notes that Brown left behind as to how he planned to wrap up the novel.

In Brown's languid southern prose, he explores the lives of several people living in the quiet, countrified outskirts of a small town.Cortez Sharp, a 72 year old man who's wife is disabled, decides to dig out a large pond on his property and stock it with catfish.He lives a solitary life, preferring to be left alone with his vegetable patches and herds of cows.His daughter Lucinda lives in Atlanta with her boyfriend Albert, who suffers from Tourettes Syndrome.Cortez calls Albert 'The Retard', driving a wedge between him and his only surviving child.Cortez carries a dark secret with him, one of horrible proportions.

There's Jimmy, a ten year old boy with bad teeth, who lives near Cortez's farm in an old trailer.Jimmy struggles with his father's temper, his two half-sisters Evelyn and Velma, and his desire to fix the go-kart his daddy built for him.Jimmy's Daddy (known only in the book as 'Jimmy's Daddy') is a typical redneck loser.He drives around in his old '55 drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, fights with himself over trying to treat Jimmy better, and has an affair with a woman at the stove factory where he works that turns out bad (in pregnancy) which threatens his life and marriage to Jonette.

And then there's Cleve, an old black man who used to work for Cortez, mean as a polecat, and murderous to boot.He's been in prison twice and though he swore he'd never go back, he's not quite done committing crimes.

Typical of Brown's unhurried and languorous prose, there's lots of smoking, beer drinking, and driving around.There's surprises like DUI's, tractor accidents, unwanted pregnancies, affairs, fishing, hunting, and a young boy worried about having puppies.

These aren't exactly people you would want for neighbors, but Brown brings them out fully fleshed and alive, and you know there are people out there just like Brown's characters.Everyday folk struggling with everyday problems, inner monologues that both repulse and enchant, and scenes that will suck you into the story despite their slowly building climaxes.

While I highly recommend Brown's work, I would recommend 'Joe', 'Fay', and 'Father And Son' as a warm up to 'A Miracle Of Catfish', simply because this is an unfinished work and may leave the novice Brown reader feeling flat at the abrupt end.It's sad that this is the last time we will hear Brown's voice in the literature world.Enjoy!




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Review of Freddy and Fredericka (Hardcover)

"Though it is hard to be a king, it is harder yet to become one."Thus begins Mark Helprin's hilariously wacky fantasy "Freddy and Fredericka".

Freddy is the Prince of Wales. In private he is a fit and intelligent man approaching middle age who tests his physical skills by hiking across the wilds of Scotland with nothing but a backpack.He is thoughtful and well read.In public, he is ungainly and misunderstood. His rather large ears and his penchant for making malaprop-riddled public utterances make him a laughingstock to the British public. His wife, Fredericka can do no wrong. Considerably younger than Freddy, she is beautiful but empty-headed. Despite that, no matter what she says, no matter how vacuous or wrong headed the public eats it up.Freddy's mother, Queen Phillipa, abhors Fredericka. The Queen's relationship with her daughter-in-law is dysfunctional to say the least. Freddy has a sizzling relationship with an older yet extraordinarily passionate woman, the aptly named Lady Phoebe Boylinghotte. Freddy and Fredericka's relationship is strained to say the least.Sound familiar yet?

As the story opens, Freddy is in the Scottish Highlands trying unsuccessfully to get a falcon to fly at his command.This is no trivial matter. The falcon will only fly for someone with the qualities to be a king and no Prince of Wales can succeed to the throne unless can make the falcon fly.Freddy has failed in his first three attempts.He has one more to go.

After a series of hilariously funny misadventures that makes Freddy look like an insane clod a mysterious stranger, a wizard in fact, is summoned to Buckingham Palace in what can only be described as a royal intervention.Mr. Neil, who claims to be old enough to have first-hand knowledge of the earliest Kings of England, with the blessing of the Queen, commands Freddy and Fredericka to go out on a quest to prove they are worthy of the throne. Their task is to reconquer America.To that end they are stripped of their clothes and money and flown to the States in a military aircraft. They parachute out of the aircraft and find themselves in "Hohokus" a wet swampy area just west of New York City. Their subsequent journey takes them through the United States. They hop rail cars, do manual labor and see a side of the U.S. and the world that no royal has ever seen. As they discover America they also discover themselves and, more importantly each other. By this point it becomes clear that any similarity between Helprin's fantasy Prince and Princess and any real royal persons is superficial; just a jumping off point for an exploration of what lies below the surface of those we only know through the media.It is also a nice jumping off point for what lies below the surface of all of us.Helprin does this without ever slowing down the pace or humor of the story.

A mere description of the outline cannot describe the enjoyment I derived from reading the book.Helprin's writing style is funny and frenetic.It is also thoughtful.Some readers may not find the Dickensian names Helprin gives some of his characters particularly witty. I found them endearing.Some may think that some of the humorous set piece fall flat.For example, the linguistic confusion Freddy experiences in discussing the relationship between one Dewey Knott and his uncle Arwe Knottrevisits Abbott and Costello's classic "Who's on First"routine. Some may think it derivative.I thought it worked very well. Some of humor did not work for me butthat is only a minor complaint when viewing the book as a whole.

The most enjoyable part of Freddy and Fredericka was the fact that the book evoked so many different reference points for me.The snappy one liners, word-playand somewhat less than dry British wit that marks the first portion of the book seemed one part Yes Minister (a Britcom that poked fun at British politicians and civil servants), one part Dickens and one part Monty Python.Freddy and Freddy's journeys through the U.S. to reconquer America contained some (distant) echoes of Mark Twain; the old movie Sullivan's Travels (a pampered Hollywood movie star goes on a quest through Depression-era America in the guise of a hobo), and Kipling's The Man Who Would be King.

All in all, despite a couple of flaws and false notes, I enjoyed Freddy and Fredericka immensely. The book turns reflective as it nears its conclusion but I think the zany adventures that precede the conclusion renders the change in tone and pace more effective.

Shakespeare's Richard II demanded people to "let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings!"In the case of Freddy and Fredericka you won't go wrong if you sit upon the ground (or preferably the beach) and read this zanily-realized fantasy of the birth of a king.




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Review of Passing Strange: A Novel (Hardcover)

I love debut novels, the books that took years to write, that have the culmination of the best ideas a writer has saved for a decade or a lifetime.Because it isn't long before the publisher asks them to squeeze out a book a year and the writing gets bland.In that capacity, I loved Passing Strange, a superb debut novel.

Strange is the story a young woman blessed with a perfect body and a highly imperfect face.Her body has enough to draw the eye of a young socialite who convinces her to marry him-and get plastic surgery post-marriage.But once she agrees and she has the face to match the body, her world changes and she begins to views others (specifically the black community near and within her home) as the disenfranchised group to which she used to belong.The story moves and is written with a beautiful and clever voice in our narrator.

The only place the book came up short, which is why I only gave it four stars, is the ending.I almost feel that Sally MacLeod had started writing the book but forgot how she would end it.The story goes down a path and gets stuck there (the murder of her husband) and seems to abandon the writing and voice of the earlier chapters.

That said, it is still worth a read, and worth a purchase.This is an excellent debut novel overall and I will be keeping my eye on her next novel.



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Review of The Love Book (Paperback)

These stories of sex and death, attraction and repulsion, men and women, start out in a gritty mode, exposing the less pretty realities of some of life's unfortunates. One triumph of The Love Book is the tenderness Wohlrob reveals in the course of writing each relationship, a raw and recognizable humanity he brings to the surface in places the reader least expects: Compassion for just the characters with whom I was most uncomfortable crept over me in absorbing Wohlrob's deft and distilled prose. The stories in The Love Book are never veiled autobiography, but add up to an original vision all Wohlrob's own, one that has been piercingly and wisely lived, felt, and imagined.

Product Description
Five gritty, absurd and darkly comic tales. Five characters at a crossroads in their lives. While recovering in a New Jersey motel room, an obese female pro-wrestler is confronted by the demons of her past, as old memories she long ago wanted to bury keep surfacing. An Italian man who has a fetish for Asian women meets his match when he starts dating an Asian woman with a fetish for Italian men. A woman who loses her right arm in a car accident tries to return to normal life and subjects herself to the horrors of online dating. A man obsessed with time has recurring dreams that he is always late for odd events and struggles with his psychiatrist to figure out the source of his fixation. An epidemic of suicide hits a retirement community in Ohio and one couple begins to question the value of their final days together. These are very modern fables, with a great heart, a very biting sense of humor, and fully-fleshed out characters that you can sink your teeth into. Hear the audio version at www.kenwohlrob.com.

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Review of A Few Corrections: A Novel (Paperback)

Midway through this exquisite novel the narrator recalls, through an alcoholic mist, that, "the most distant object visible by day--the sun-- lies some eight minutes away at the speed of light.The most distant visible by night--the Great Andromeda Galaxy--lies two million light-years away.In terms of visible boundaries, then, night is some 100 billion times bigger than day."Clearly (or murkily), that leaves much to explore.The primary object of exploration in A Few Corrections, Wesley Sultan, the quintessentially American salesman, has departed for the great darkness beyond life, and the obituary of the man is less than illuminating.The narrator methodically seeks to shed light on this mystery.

While the novel is organized around the attempt to make a few corrections to the memory of this rather ordinary Midwestern life, Brad Leithauser makes more than a few fascinating connections, extending to the extraordinary.Some connections work as metaphor.Of Wesley's sister, the babbling Adelle, he writes, "Her monologue is a wandering creek of so gentle a propulsion, you have to take on faith the notion that you'll eventually get out of the woods and into open waterways."The connections work at the larger structural level of the novel, which will have the careful reader returning to the beginning of chapters and earlier parts of the book to confirm the revelations.For fans of Brad Leithauser, there are even connections to his other works of fiction and poetry.I'm anxious to see where this novel will connect to his future work.

The novel is filled with humorous vignettes and is beautifully written.(It's better when you read it aloud.)Though Wesley Sultan is elusive, the narrator reaches small epiphanies with those who aid him in his quest.Leithauser treats his characters with great warmth and understanding.He also effectively evokes an earlier and lost time.A Few Corrections is fast-paced: it's a good read.At the same time, its richness makes it a good re-read, too.



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Review of Momma's House (Kara's Eyes) (Paperback)

I am an avid reader. Books, words are my greatest passion.This book grabbed me from the first page!I found myself waking up in the middle of the night wanting to read more.The characters are so real, so much so that I felt I knew them and wanted to see how things turned out. I became totally involved.The main character Kara is fascinating, being so young and so determined, I found myself actually rooting her on!
I cried, I laughed, I was enraged. Momma's House is an emotional rollercoaster.I am recommending it to all my girlfriends as a must read!

Product Description
Set during the mid-1960s through the early 1980s, Kara, a girl of multi-racial, multi-culturalbackground, has taken on the task of caring for her family despite her tender years. Blessed with a genius IQ and street smarts. Kara struggles to survive in a household governed by a violent, domineering andphysically abusive mother with an interest in the occult and a chronically alcoholic and self-loathing father. The inner turmoil of Momma's house is in sharp contrast to the outer appearance of the family's seemingly picturesque life.Kara must contend with the horrors of molestation, rape and modern day slavery with a resolve that belies her young years. With an innate sense of God and purpose, Kara is determined to "bend but NEVER break,"Kara's sense of strength is constantly reenforced by her friendship with her one true friend and seemingly guardian angel, herblack German Shepherd Prince, and the only love she's ever truly known or recognized; that of her older sister Dee Dee.Due to necessity of creating something fromvery little to nothing, she discovers a connatural ability and passion for cooking! Many view Kara as an "old soul" in a young body, perhaps it is this possession that enables her to realize that life is about choices and one can either choose to be a victim or not!

From the Author
This is a story about one young girl's struggle to exist; it's her life as seen through her eyes. Narrated in a mature voice, one has but to peel off the many layers that conceal in order to discover or see the child within the child. Although graphic at times, it is a poignant piece about determination, the quest for love, self-acceptance, and the strongest instinct of all, to survive!

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Review of Going Coastal (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this author's previous book Smothering.I was eagerly looking forward to this one.

Going Coastal is about our main character -working in a diner and hating it - or so she thinks.

Basically, this book is about finding yourself and what you truly love.There are many wacky characters as you would imagine in the diner and our main heroine has some hilarious interactions with most of them. The writing style is fun and breezy and although there is a "morale" to this story, the overeall tone is about being who you should be.

While this book wasn't as "sweet and innocent" as Smothering, I still enjoyed it thoroughly.Great chick lit reading.



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Review of Confessions of an Internet Don Juan (Paperback)

Confessions of an Internet Don Juan is a tour de force.Chambers doesn't just push the envelope, he gives it a swift kick.He may just well be one of the most inventive writers on the planet.His story has a worthy place in a society that perks up at the opportunity to pruriently observe or divulge all things private.

Product Description
Confessions of an Internet Don Juan tells the story of Cast Hughes, a handsome, well-to-do, middle-aged failure. A former bit player on the bicycling pro circuit, nothing in Cast's life goes as planned. The tricky item that has proved a success is his seduction of women and Cast's modus operandi involves the Internet. He meets exotic beauties from around the globe. Although Cast wants to settle down, he is thrust deeper into a world of treachery and deception by his innumerable affairs. The novel will shock and outrage as it relates an inelegant excursion into the private life of a reprobate who adores women and will go to any length to pursue them. Pathos and humor underscore Cast's provocative confession, concerning Internet dating, sex, and relationships.

Confessions of an Internet Don Juan is an adventure and dark comedy, and a paradoxical celebration of life and love.

About the Author
Cameron H. Chambers was educated at Grinnell College, the University of North Florida, and Nova Southeastern University. He holds a BA in Communication and an MS in English. He has traveled extensively and especially enjoys traveling to Latin America. One particular point of interest is San Miguel de Allende in the mountainous central region of Mexico. Mr. Chambers would like to drive the Pan Am Highway into South America. His novels include For the Love of a Madman and The Stone Cabin. He resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

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Review of Remind Me Again Why I Need A Man (Hardcover)

I just finished this book two days ago, and, though I was a bit irritated with the ending, it was worth the ride. It took reading the first two pages for me to be very intrigued and buy it.

Amelia is like many women - smart, forward-motion hard-working and after the big bucks, until 37 hits and she is sick of being alone. Her circle of friends is a major reason for the aloneness - it's eluded to several times, but she never really grasps that - some sweaters can be knitted so tight that water (men) can't be poured through - that's Amelia & her friends.

Anyway, she takes a Harvard marketing-based course to get married in a year, keeps doodling herself in a Vera Wang with a faceless groom, and the ride through her past loves is really fantastic - it seems you really couldn't make this stuff up, yet each character is developed and 'real' to the reader, you can't wait to see what went wrong in each of the past relationships.

I loved the format and would recommend it as great summer reading or to lighten-up a winter's eve.



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Review of No Entry (Hardcover)

NO ENTRY has moments of real brilliance. If you care anything at all for hell for leather story telling, put your money down and take this book home. In the traditon of Harry Crews , NO ENTRY is both a black comedy and a deeply spiritual novel of the modern South. Rex Dupree, an over the hill All American Florida Gator linebacker, living the sleaze of an souless life, is put on the path of Parsifal's journey to discover the Holy Grail of compassion and to the heart of true manhood. He is stripped of all his bourgois connections by the trial by fire in court by a demented judge, and using the method of Jungian psychology, is reduced to soul dust, and makes his descent and rise as the pheonix. NO ENTRY is peopled by extremes- an eccentric judge, a hapless lawyer,a lustful proctologist, a hypocritical minister - sad and funny examples of the American ruling class, who conspire to undermine Rex Dupree, and in doing so, unwittingly provide him with the means to save himself.

Product Description
A former college football star watches his life quickly decline when all of the important people in his life turn against him, and having lost everything, he discovers the freedom of starting over with a clean slate. IP.

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Review of The Norbert Chronicles, Volume I (Paperback)

My family and I all enjoyed Norbert. We laughed out loud alot. You already know Norbert whether you have been in his shoes(and are wondering what is going on around you) or you come across some of the same characters that he does ( and are still wondering what is going on around you). Great book that's easy reading when you want a quick scenario or want to lose yourself in Norbert's world for a while.

Product Description
Norbert. He's bewildered. He's befuddled. He's frightened. He's flatulent. He's on a quest to seek enlightenment, but he has to stop off at Dunkin' Donuts first. He hitches up his underwear when no one is looking, and toddles along to Cubicle City, dragging a pail lunch and a brick-pak of Hawaiian Punch. He's fighting the corporate system for the return of his soul; he's leaving his pee cup in the wrong window. He's dreaming big dreams, while stuck in a cubicle-infested nightmare. Along with Smelly Larry, Tonia Murkwater, Mr. Babaganoush, Madame Fu-Fu the Tarot Card Reader and Hinkelmeyer the Nerd Shaman, Norbert has high hopes that life will someday be better. Or at least, a lot less perplexing. ******* From the wild mind of Louisa StrongBear, comes the book you've all been waiting for: the unabridged, uncensored, and completely unprecedented NORBERT CHRONICLES!! Herein lies the untold true story of Norbert Dortmunder, Nerd Extraordinaire, who toddles into his cubicle each morning and ends up in an alternate realm free of corporate dogma and his butt-compressing cube chair. There Norbert can be a hero, become enlightened, or get pelted with lard, all depending upon where he lands in the otherworld. Join Norbert as he leaves no stone unturned in his quest for answers. But first let him remove the wedgie he has caught in his Bermudas, okay? Norbert Dortmunder: Cubicle City's favorite nerd!

About the Author
Louisa StrongBear is a shaman, poet, clairvoyant medium, teacher, artist and witch, all at the same time, and in no particular order. She loves chocolate, as was mentioned in her first book, as well as the beach, books, the colors yellow and gold, all kinds of animals, thunderstorms, cemeteries & other spooky stuff, dancing & singing & laughing as often as possible. Louisa is also known as "Louisa the Psychic" and does clairvoyant readings. The Norbert Chronicles is Louisa's second book. Her first is: Journey By Night: A Solitary Journey, which is told as a shamanic journey, and does not contain any lard or fart stories.

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Review of Fruit of a Poisonous Tree (Paperback)

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and memorable descriptions of the sea's beauty, and her treachery, Norm Harris's 'Fruit of a Poisonous Tree' launches US Navy surface Captain Egan Fletcher and JAG lawyer Commander Faydra Green on their individual star-crossed careers in an outstanding nautical yarn. This is a book with a great premise and a book with all the tension of a really good suspense novel. It's one of those on-the-run stories that features both appealing officers and lower-echelon military personnel for whom God, duty, honour, and country are not just words but credos.

The plot is complex but tightly knit and well controlled, with devastating subplots erupting in, of all places, a quaint (?) little third world nation know as Chosun (actually North Korea -today's powder keg). Naturally, the book bristles like a raging sea battle with intricate military hardware, from ghost ships to top-secret spy planes - like the Aurora, which the US Air Force still denies exists. Trailing in the wake is a whole bundle of intrigue and even a touch of romance that floats just below the surface, like a submarine waiting to rise when the moment is right. And when it did finally break out it happened with such suddenness and with such tenderness that I found myself reaching for a tissue (metaphorically, of course! I'm a doctor - I'm used to these things!)

Don't go away with the impression that this is a Clancy lookalike (though it's difficult to avoid the similarities in a novel of such depth and accuracy). In 'Fruit of a Poisonous Tree' author Harris sets his own course and spins his own tale of piracy, deception, high treason, and murder - though maybe Clancy will be forced to step aside soon and make way for some younger blood.

A great story with a great plot. You shouldn't miss it.

Product Description
When a young Navy SEAL is savagely murdered in a Seattle alley, presumably by a Marine Corps war hero,Navy lawyer Faydra Green is ordered to investigate. Although this is her first homicide assignment, it doesnot take Faydra long to decide the accused man is innocent.

Someone wants her investigation to quietly disappear, but Faydra is determined to clear the accused man'sname, discover why she has been made an accessory to a cover up, and find out who is responsible. Butshe will need all her wits about her to unravel the intricate web of lies and deception that stand between herand the answers she seeks.

Faydra's quest for the truth launches her on a heart-pounding voyage across the world in a desperate raceagainst time. Along the way, she will contend with the murky backwaters of governmental dirty deals andinternational intrigue, follow every lead, and risk her life in a bid to halt a catastrophic conflict that has threenations on the brink of war.

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Review of Fruit of a Poisonous Tree (Paperback)

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and memorable descriptions of the sea's beauty, and her treachery, Norm Harris's 'Fruit of a Poisonous Tree' launches US Navy surface Captain Egan Fletcher and JAG lawyer Commander Faydra Green on their individual star-crossed careers in an outstanding nautical yarn. This is a book with a great premise and a book with all the tension of a really good suspense novel. It's one of those on-the-run stories that features both appealing officers and lower-echelon military personnel for whom God, duty, honour, and country are not just words but credos.

The plot is complex but tightly knit and well controlled, with devastating subplots erupting in, of all places, a quaint (?) little third world nation know as Chosun (actually North Korea -today's powder keg). Naturally, the book bristles like a raging sea battle with intricate military hardware, from ghost ships to top-secret spy planes - like the Aurora, which the US Air Force still denies exists. Trailing in the wake is a whole bundle of intrigue and even a touch of romance that floats just below the surface, like a submarine waiting to rise when the moment is right. And when it did finally break out it happened with such suddenness and with such tenderness that I found myself reaching for a tissue (metaphorically, of course! I'm a doctor - I'm used to these things!)

Don't go away with the impression that this is a Clancy lookalike (though it's difficult to avoid the similarities in a novel of such depth and accuracy). In 'Fruit of a Poisonous Tree' author Harris sets his own course and spins his own tale of piracy, deception, high treason, and murder - though maybe Clancy will be forced to step aside soon and make way for some younger blood.

A great story with a great plot. You shouldn't miss it.

Product Description
When a young Navy SEAL is savagely murdered in a Seattle alley, presumably by a Marine Corps war hero,Navy lawyer Faydra Green is ordered to investigate. Although this is her first homicide assignment, it doesnot take Faydra long to decide the accused man is innocent.

Someone wants her investigation to quietly disappear, but Faydra is determined to clear the accused man'sname, discover why she has been made an accessory to a cover up, and find out who is responsible. Butshe will need all her wits about her to unravel the intricate web of lies and deception that stand between herand the answers she seeks.

Faydra's quest for the truth launches her on a heart-pounding voyage across the world in a desperate raceagainst time. Along the way, she will contend with the murky backwaters of governmental dirty deals andinternational intrigue, follow every lead, and risk her life in a bid to halt a catastrophic conflict that has threenations on the brink of war.

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Review of Fruit of a Poisonous Tree (Paperback)

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and memorable descriptions of the sea's beauty, and her treachery, Norm Harris's 'Fruit of a Poisonous Tree' launches US Navy surface Captain Egan Fletcher and JAG lawyer Commander Faydra Green on their individual star-crossed careers in an outstanding nautical yarn. This is a book with a great premise and a book with all the tension of a really good suspense novel. It's one of those on-the-run stories that features both appealing officers and lower-echelon military personnel for whom God, duty, honour, and country are not just words but credos.

The plot is complex but tightly knit and well controlled, with devastating subplots erupting in, of all places, a quaint (?) little third world nation know as Chosun (actually North Korea -today's powder keg). Naturally, the book bristles like a raging sea battle with intricate military hardware, from ghost ships to top-secret spy planes - like the Aurora, which the US Air Force still denies exists. Trailing in the wake is a whole bundle of intrigue and even a touch of romance that floats just below the surface, like a submarine waiting to rise when the moment is right. And when it did finally break out it happened with such suddenness and with such tenderness that I found myself reaching for a tissue (metaphorically, of course! I'm a doctor - I'm used to these things!)

Don't go away with the impression that this is a Clancy lookalike (though it's difficult to avoid the similarities in a novel of such depth and accuracy). In 'Fruit of a Poisonous Tree' author Harris sets his own course and spins his own tale of piracy, deception, high treason, and murder - though maybe Clancy will be forced to step aside soon and make way for some younger blood.

A great story with a great plot. You shouldn't miss it.

Product Description
When a young Navy SEAL is savagely murdered in a Seattle alley, presumably by a Marine Corps war hero,Navy lawyer Faydra Green is ordered to investigate. Although this is her first homicide assignment, it doesnot take Faydra long to decide the accused man is innocent.

Someone wants her investigation to quietly disappear, but Faydra is determined to clear the accused man'sname, discover why she has been made an accessory to a cover up, and find out who is responsible. Butshe will need all her wits about her to unravel the intricate web of lies and deception that stand between herand the answers she seeks.

Faydra's quest for the truth launches her on a heart-pounding voyage across the world in a desperate raceagainst time. Along the way, she will contend with the murky backwaters of governmental dirty deals andinternational intrigue, follow every lead, and risk her life in a bid to halt a catastrophic conflict that has threenations on the brink of war.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Fruit of a Poisonous Tree (Paperback)

Review of Fruit of a Poisonous Tree (Paperback)

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and memorable descriptions of the sea's beauty, and her treachery, Norm Harris's 'Fruit of a Poisonous Tree' launches US Navy surface Captain Egan Fletcher and JAG lawyer Commander Faydra Green on their individual star-crossed careers in an outstanding nautical yarn. This is a book with a great premise and a book with all the tension of a really good suspense novel. It's one of those on-the-run stories that features both appealing officers and lower-echelon military personnel for whom God, duty, honour, and country are not just words but credos.

The plot is complex but tightly knit and well controlled, with devastating subplots erupting in, of all places, a quaint (?) little third world nation know as Chosun (actually North Korea -today's powder keg). Naturally, the book bristles like a raging sea battle with intricate military hardware, from ghost ships to top-secret spy planes - like the Aurora, which the US Air Force still denies exists. Trailing in the wake is a whole bundle of intrigue and even a touch of romance that floats just below the surface, like a submarine waiting to rise when the moment is right. And when it did finally break out it happened with such suddenness and with such tenderness that I found myself reaching for a tissue (metaphorically, of course! I'm a doctor - I'm used to these things!)

Don't go away with the impression that this is a Clancy lookalike (though it's difficult to avoid the similarities in a novel of such depth and accuracy). In 'Fruit of a Poisonous Tree' author Harris sets his own course and spins his own tale of piracy, deception, high treason, and murder - though maybe Clancy will be forced to step aside soon and make way for some younger blood.

A great story with a great plot. You shouldn't miss it.

Product Description
When a young Navy SEAL is savagely murdered in a Seattle alley, presumably by a Marine Corps war hero,Navy lawyer Faydra Green is ordered to investigate. Although this is her first homicide assignment, it doesnot take Faydra long to decide the accused man is innocent.

Someone wants her investigation to quietly disappear, but Faydra is determined to clear the accused man'sname, discover why she has been made an accessory to a cover up, and find out who is responsible. Butshe will need all her wits about her to unravel the intricate web of lies and deception that stand between herand the answers she seeks.

Faydra's quest for the truth launches her on a heart-pounding voyage across the world in a desperate raceagainst time. Along the way, she will contend with the murky backwaters of governmental dirty deals andinternational intrigue, follow every lead, and risk her life in a bid to halt a catastrophic conflict that has threenations on the brink of war.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Fruit of a Poisonous Tree (Paperback)

Review of Chief Executive Officer (Paperback)

Mark Hanson's Chief Executive Officer is an unorthodox novel about two men who, disillusioned with the roles they have played so far, switch identities in hope of improving things for the better. An urbane, business-savvy CEO dares to run a miners' union with numerous thugs and knuckle-breakers, while a labor leader who once fought in the Vietnam War struggles to do something about a rapidly failing 16-billion dollar insurance corporation. Unprepared and caught in totally unfamiliar environments, each leader must adapt to change not only to survive, but to succeed where the other has failed, until ultimately their paths cross once again - as business antagonists at the negotiation table. Chief Executive Officer is a highly intriguing, unforgettable read about being caught in the Fast World and struggling to run just as fast as you can to keep up.

Product Description
Having a bad day at the office? How would you like to be CEO of a rapidly failing, 16 billion- dollar insurance corporation and you haven't a clue about what to do? Why? Because you are there by mistake. Your real life has been that of an angry, over-the-edge labor leader with a history of battling copper mine owners with unconventional skills learned in Vietnam. What about the urbane, Madison Avenue business fellow who is supposed to be CEO of the corporation? He is up in Montana trying to do your job running a large miners' union filled with thugs, torpedoes, and other assorted knuckle-breakers.

Chif Executive Officer is the story of these two men, disillusioned with their own lives, making a stealthy switch and trying to run organizations for which they have neither training nor experience. In alien environments they battle to hold their jobs and keep their secret while facing hostile challenges ranging from computer crime to investigative reporters. Finally, an unexpected series of explosive events pit the two men against each other across the bargaining table in a struggle that can have only one victor.

About the Author
Mark Hanson is a Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Management at the University of California, Riverside. As an international consultant, he has worked on projects for the World Bank, the United States Information Agency, UNESCO, the United Nations Development Program, and the Harvard Institute for International Development.

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Review of Up Through the Water (Paperback)

In this promising first novel, Steinke creates characters that are introspective and believable, an accomplishment in itself these days.Having vacationed at the outer banks of NC a number of times, I can tellyou that this work transports you there.Steinke is efficient and poeticin her use of language, and her plot is loosely framed on the cycles ofseason and life with the time worn metaphor of water as rejuvenationsomehow freshened through her young eye.

Product Description
Darcey Steinke's first novel, now back in print, is an unusually assured and lyrical debut. Set on an island resort town off North Carolina, it tells of summer people and islanders, mothers and sons, women and men, love and its dangers. It is the story of Emily, a woman free as the waves she swims in every day, of the man who wants to clip her wings, of her son and the summer that he will become a man. George Garrett called it "clean-cut, lean-lined, quickly moving, and audacious. . . . [Steinke is] compassionate without sentimentality, romantic without false feelings, and clearly and extravagantly gifted." "Beautifully written . . . a seamless and almost instinctive prose that often reads more like poetry than fiction." -- Robert Olmstead New York Times Book Review; "Dazzling and charged . . . Darcey Steinke has the sensuous and precise visions of female and male, and of the light and dark at the edge of the sea." -- John Casey.

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