Naval Officers Under Hitler: The Story of Crew 34 Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is very interesting in it's content. The details in it are a amazing. At first it seems as if you are being besieged by details but then a clearer picture emerges of a group of men who are trying to live out their lives as their culture has laid out for them. The tribulations that they go thorugh as far as personal honor are throughly examined. They are born and bred leaders the best of the best of the german navy but yet they hold back against speaking against Hitler. Rust examines their motives in not speaking up. It was also very interesting to find so much on the German Navy after WWII this is a subject which is hardly ever touched upoun. The question of what happened after is evrpresent on many history readers minds. He examines the lives of the men in their new surroundings and what has happened to them over the years.

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This book is the collective biography of 318 men who joined the German Navy in 1934 to become professional officers. Eric C. Rust traces the lives and mentality of these men from their upbringing in the Weimar Republic through their post-war careers. Unique in its subject matter and methodology in both German and international military historiography, Naval Officers under Hitler is a professional, political, and psychological group portrait based on personal interviews and correspondence as well as on archival material. Well documented and thoroughly researched, this book will prove invaluable to the scholar of German history and fascinating reading for the general reader interested in World War II. Naval Officers under Hitler stresses the drama of recent German history as closely as anyone would wish--these naval officers were observers, witnesses, participants, victims, and sometimes, beneficiaries. The book argues that the vast majority of junior naval officers under Hitler, while well trained and prepared to defend "Volk and Vaterland" as good patriots, felt no profound or lasting attachment to Nazi ideology. Instead their ideological preferences remained with patriotic, conservative groups such as the German National People's Party and its successor organizations after World War II. Otherwise love of the sea and of the naval profession lay at the center of their overall mentality and priorities.

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Exiles in the Garden Review

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(More customer reviews)First of all, the book jacket and the Amazon blurb describing the book are incredibly superficial. They don't say at all what this book is about.
Enough rant. Anyway, structurally, this book is as complex as they come, with flash-backs and flash-forwards within each other, and changes in time and place coming without notice. However, the big-picture story is always the same, just being told from another perspective and at a different time. I was left with the feeling I was in the company of a master story-teller, who decided to drop his main narrative for a while in order to explain an earlier thing or two before proceeding. It works, and I was captivated. Part of my interest came from the fact that by accident, I am familiar with many of the settings of the book--New York, Washington, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Maine (yes, the story does move around...), and I like the way the author caught the essence of all of them.
The plot consists of a number of interwoven and interdependent stories. Each story per se is not terribly special. Boy meets girl, marries her, endures personal and professional difficulties, and gets on with his life. Girl immigrates to the U.S., meets boy and marries him, but still longs for the old country, eventually finds her bliss. Fathers have children, then adventures, and finally resolution. That's all ok, but taken individually not terribly uplifting or unique. The interactions among the different plot lines are fascinating, though, and combine together to create a wonderfully intricate story.
What makes the book special, besides the structural fireworks that are fun to observe, is the way it brings out the conflicts that most of us feel at one time or another. The old and familiar vs. the new and exciting. Thinking and reflecting vs. acting without thinking or reflecting. Freedom of thought and speech vs. freedom of action. Above all, the book is about the price we pay for our freedoms, whatever they are. Every main character has freedoms and acts on them, but each pays a heavy price for the freedoms he or she enjoys. To say much more might spoil the book for some, so I'll just conclude with the thought that this is a well-written and excellent book.

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Dragons of Spring Dawning (Dragonlance Chronicles, Vol. 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)This, my fellow readers, is an absolute gem of a tale. A treasure which is a find of a lifetime. A cataclysmic tour de force.
For many a years I had settled for mediocrity fantasy deep in the belief that nothing could excel Tolkien. Now, I honestly do believe that anything is possible. This isn't just another fantasy novel. It truly is the greatest fantasy saga of all time. Several of the other readers have made comparisons to Tolkien. Tolkien set certain standards with his novels. Weis and Hickman have developed this further (and no, I didn't think that could be possible either), setting their own universal standards in the process. They certainly are the masters of the fantasy cosmos. I could not find a single flaw or make a single criticism of the entire series. I have nothing but acclamation for it.
This powerhouse has incessantly urgent plot development and intrigue, and every consequence of that plot is clearly thought out. The characters are so comprehensively defined and developed that you feel as if you know them personally; thus truly adulating or despising them. The authors achieve this by probing deep into the characters' minds and their very souls. Tanis, the tortured central figure in the universe, weighing problems upon him with the stakes of which no mortal being should ever be demanded. Laurana, an elven enchantress of eternal beauty and pure of heart, suffers as deeply as Tanis. Kitiara, an alluring yet complex presence, is chillingly captivating. The tragic loss of two key figures adds greatly to the affinity. The authors put their characters into uniquely dark situations and get their responses so correctly that the spell is never once broken.
Both the subtle and apparent use of several themes throughout the novel is flawlessly executed, and harmoniously tied together at the end. Although the style of writing remains consistent, the pace and scheme of this novel picks up greatly from Winter Night, with a suspense/thriller feel to it. The disquieting tension as the plot races to its conclusion is a reader's thrill ride. On one hand you want to read hastily and gleefully to see how the perilous tale unfolds, but on the other hand, you want to slow down to fully appreciate the authors' work; one reason why this merits a second reading.
I disagree with some of the views that Dragonlance is purely for the younger generation of readers. I believe the classic series appeals to all readers regardless of age for different reasons. As an example, when I first read the Chronicles back in the 80s, I was only 10 and I thoroughly enjoyed it for the spectacular battle scenes and the fantastic adventures our heroes go on. I read the series again not so long ago and was captivated for an altogether different reason. This time it wasn't the majestic dragons or the mythical world of Krynn that enraptured me, as I no longer have a child's imagination. Instead I was spellbound by the characters themselves and how they developed throughout the course of this trilogy. The emotional turmoil and complex relationship between Tanis, Laurana and Kitiara, culminating with the shocking twist at the end, is perhaps the best example. I failed to appreciate this during my first visit to Krynn.
At the end of it all, when you close the book and come back to reality, there is a real sense of despondency as if you cannot believe Krynn is not real. Hats off to Weis and Hickman who have written a masterpiece that allows every reader to take away with them something endearing and unique.

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How to Connect in Business in 90 Seconds or Less Review

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(More customer reviews)What a wonderful little book that packs a great big wallop! If you are serious about connecting with people in business, and reaping the rewards that come with more and better relationships, then this is an absolute must-read for you.

I had the good fortune of reading Nick Boothman's first book, "How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less," while on a flight to a conference in which I was teaching. I was inspired by the simplicity and practicality of Boothman's approach. I began using his techniques before even leaving the airplane and continued to use them in the cab, the hotel, and at the conference. It was a breakthrough moment for me. My audience paid closer attention, laughed more, and learned more than any other I had previously served. This happened because I connected with them in a much stronger and more meaningful way-Boothman's way. I've been following Nick's direction ever since.
Now, Mr. Boothman releases a pitch-perfect sequel-"How to Connect in Business in 90 Seconds or Less." While this volume is grounded in the same principles as his first book, every page is crafted with the businessperson in mind. As I have read and re-read this snappy, entertaining, profound book, I am amazed at how much more Nick Boothman has to teach me about persuasion-the craft of getting people (in this case clients and other business contacts) to want to do what I want them to do. It's all KFC: Know what you want, Find out what you're getting, and, Change what you do until you get what you want. Sounds obvious, right? Wrong. If it were many more of us would be much more successful.
Some of the material in this book is good basic sense that your mother told you but somehow leaked out of your head. Boothman puts that good sense back into your brain with a greater freshness, clarity, and practicality.
"How to Connect in Business in 90 Seconds or Less" illustrates the power of connecting with businesspeople quickly and consistently. Don't let your ego get in the way of picking up this book. You'll learn a lot stuff you thought you already knew.

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Murder on the Eiffel Tower: A Victor Legris Mystery (Victor Legris Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)In 1889 while the Buffalo Bill show parades through the streets of Paris as part of World Exposition extravaganza, a rag and bone man dies from a bee sting. Soon afterward at the top of the new Eiffel Tower, Parisian bookstore owner and photographer Victor Legris watches as a woman, Eugenie Patinot, apparently dies from a bee sting.
Victor meets with his business partner Kenji Mori, his friend reporter Marius Bonnet and Russian illustrator Tasha Kherson. With a common interest to spark them, Victor and Tasha become an entry. When a third "bee sting" death occurs near the Colonial Palace, Victor investigates hoping he can write an article for Le Passe-partout.
In some ways more a historical thriller than an amateur sleuth, MURDER ON THE EIFFEL TOWER is in either case a terrific tale. Readers will be caught up with Victor's energy as he escorts the audience around Paris at an exciting time for the city. The whodunit is cleverly devised to provide fans with a strong mystery, but the entertaining story line belongs to the hero and his supporting cast especially late nineteenth century Paris at a time when technology is booming.
Harriet Klausner


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Helen of Troy Review

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(More customer reviews)"Helen of Troy" is the latest offering of the amazing historical novelist Margaret George. She writes very long books encompassing the whole life of a real person, bumps and all. Her work on Henry VIII is the ultimate for Tudor fans, her novel on Cleopatra was beyond compare and now we have this-a very good book, but not her best work.
Unlike her past novels "Helen of Troy" feels more like a story and less like a total life history of the narrator. Not that this is bad, but even though some scenes are included this book has very little of Helen's early life or later life, focusing mainly on the war of Troy. Some of the mythological info on Helen's early life, such as her abduction by Theseus, is even left out of this novel, which acts to give it a more normal feel and make Helen an unusual, but not extraordinary woman of her time. Thus it is more of a story novel, and a bit unlike her past works.
When I read earlier this year "The Memoirs of Helen of Troy" by Amanda Elyot I said that Helen was a poor choice of narrator for her own life story. Ms. George proved me wrong in this. While Ms. Elyot's Helen was conceited and selfish, Helen in Ms. George's book is a normal woman of the time-and for all that she's beautiful, she may not be the most beautiful woman in the world. There is even doubt in this novel as to Zeus being her real father. Thus as a narrator, Helen does a great job of bringing the tragedy and beauty of Troy to life. She's a real person that it's pretty easy to identify with.
I also liked how Ms. George handled the Greek gods in this book. They were real, but elusive, changeable and not understandable by humans. They could be terribly mean and see it as kindness and acting to placate them was a large part of daily life. Ms. George strikes a good balance between fantasy and religion in her handling of them.
I would give this book a solid four stars. Not five because unlike her earlier works (such as her novel on Cleopatra) this novel is not mesmerizing-it does not sieze your attention in and hold in it place. Still though, it is a good novel and by far the best retelling of the Troy story I have read.


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Empire Rising Review

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(More customer reviews)I loved Dawn of Empire. This book is better by any measure. The writing style and dialogue is more flowing. Mr. Barone chooses to write the action in a non-linear fashion, switching scenes and rewinding the time line to catch-up to the action. At first disarming, I grew to see the value particularly in the final battle scenes with its divided action. He develops the Lani character into someone we grow to understand and believe in. Similar to his treatment of Trella, Sam Barone understands the value of a strong female persona. Even the minor characters are sufficiently developed to generate empathy (or hate).
While the ultimate results of the siege were predictable, there were enough little surprises along the way (boats, a heroic cat,....) to captivate this reader.
This book stands alone. By all means read DOE if you haven't, but the author has cleverly interwoven the necessary background into this novel without boring those that have. Very nice job.
More please!!


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The Year of Fog Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a book about a parent's worst nightmare. Unlike similar books, such as Beth Gutcheon's Still Missing, this book goes beyond the facts of a girl who disappears. The father, Jake, sticks to a police-procedural approach in trying to locate his daughter, sending out flyers, offering a reward, setting up a web site, appearing on television and radio. But Abby, Jake's fiance, feels responsible for the girl's disappearance and takes a much more imaginative approach. The themes of the book are presented through Abby's eyes. One is memory, recall of details, hypnosis, looking for clues that might have been overlooked. Abby and her friend Nell study the workings of memory, amnesia, the inability to forget. Another is the passing of time and the artificiality of time. The police say the longer a child is missing, the less likely he/she will turn up alive. Jake accepts this, Abby studies what time may mean. Abby is a photographer and looks for clues in her pictures. Jake and Abby are in agony, and I feel the story is realistic, including what eventually happens. There are different possibilities when a child disappears. She may eventually be found alive, like Elizabeth Smart in Utah. That doesn't mean she's undamaged. She may be found dead, like the child of one of the characters in a support group in the book. A child may be dead, but it can turn out there was no abduction, like the case of two boys in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last year. After a nationwide search, the boys were found accidentally drowned in McGovern Park lagoon in their own neighborhood. And then there are the children who are never found and the family never knows what happened. Jake wants closure, Abby refuses to give up. Although some people think the book is slow moving, time could really drag for parents in this situation. I couldn't put the book down and found it interesting up to the end. I think this could turn out to be one of the best books of the year.

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Cheapskates Review

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(More customer reviews)You know, life really isn't fair. Talented writers - really talented writers - like Charlie Stella languish in back rooms and low shelves while hacks like James Patterson make everybody's bestseller list.
"Cheapskates" is another crime fiction jewel from the wily Stella, a clever and darkly humorous tale of crooked deeds and undying, if misplaced, loyalty. Reese Waters and Peter Rizzo are roommates - roommates at upstate New York's Fishkill penitentiary. Reese has served his time, and upon his release, he promises Rizzo he'll do what he can to recover $50,000 his ex-wife chiseled from him. If the well-meaning Reese thinks he's getting the runaround from the pathologically greedy ex-wife, Janice Barrett and the low-rent New York gangsters her contractor dad and brother hang out with, he finds that life can get really ugly when buddy Rizzo turns up murdered.
What separates "Cheapskates" - and Stella - from the mob is the cast of offbeat characters that breeze through the pages of his novels. There's Jimmy "Wigs" Valentine, the slime ball Mafioso with lots of disguises but zero class. Then you have Micheal Barrett, the sixty-eight year-old self-made millionaire, who is so cheap that he stocks up on day-old and damaged Entenmann's pastry that he eats for breakfast - and lunch - all week long. Or Arlene Belzinger, the tough-as-nails NYPD detective with a body and attitude to match. But the real star here is Janice Barrett, a bitch in every one of the meanest ways the name conjures. A woman so miserable that Rizzo pines, "Sometime I think that if I ever got cancer, I'll run her over on the way to chemo." Combined with her cheapskate father and slacker brother, Stella creates a whole new dimension to the dysfunction family. Couple this cast with Stella's own brand of slick, hip dialogue and you've got some of the most engaging fiction of vice and corruption this side of Elmore Leonard.
So do yourself a favor - get off the well beaten track and get introduced to Charlie Stella. The Goodfellas and Godfathers have never been so entertaining.


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Lie by Moonlight Review

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(More customer reviews)
Surely one of the most prolific writers working today this author turns out bestsellers under three different pen names. Rather than an effort to be mysterious, she explains that "the three names are designed to let readers know which of my three different worlds they will be getting when they plunk down their hard-earned money for one of my books."
There surely is a lot of "plunking down" going on as her titles, whether by Amanda Quick (historical settings) or by Jayne Ann Krentz or Jayne Castle (paranormal focus), make cash registers ring. Lie By Moonlight, her latest in the history/romance field is typical Amanda Quick, which is precisely what readers' want - suspenseful, romantic, and rich in Victorian period detail.
Consider the opening lines: "Midnight in a fog-shrouded graveyard. There could be no darker place on the face of the earth...." Who can resist reading on?
Concordia Glade is a twenty-something teacher with unique notions about education. She accepts a position as headmistress to four young orphaned heiresses, and journeys to a lonely old castle, Aldwick, to take up her task.
Her charges are charming, their welfare seen to by an unknown person of wealth. However, Concordia's enthusiasm begins to wane when she finds that her predecessor vanished without a trace and, even worse, she suspects that there is an evil plot to sell the girls as courtesans.
Meanwhile, in far off London, Ambrose Wells, a 19th century private detective has agreed to investigate the death of a young woman. His research takes him to the grounds of Aldwick Castle, where to his astonishment he finds the building afire, dead bodies about, and a woman and four girls riding off on horseback.
Will Ambrose champion the five? Of course, he will. Will he and Concordia be attracted to one another? This is a Regency romance. But, who is behind the vile plan to sell the girls and why?
- Gail Cooke


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'Til Death Do Us Part (Bailey Weggins Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)Kate White is rather good at writing fast paced, quick reads. The premises of her mystery novels are always rather good as well. For me, though, where things fail to satisfy is in the developments of the characters (they all remain rather superficially paper thin), and the plot -- things generally start of really well but then tend to stagnate for a good chunk of the book, before taking off somewhere around the last third of the book. And with "Til Death Do Us Part" much of this criticism was true. But is also true that of the three Bailey Weggins mystery novels published so far, this is the one I enjoyed most.
Someone seems bent on offing the bridesmaids of the Cross/Slavin wedding -- or so Ashley Haines (one of the bridesmaids at the wedding) claims to Bailey Weggins, a true crime writer who has also found herself entangled in a few murder investigations of her own. And while Bailey would like nothing better than to ignore Ashley's claims (esp since rich and super snooty Ashley just rubs her up the wrong way), this is one allegation that Bailey cannot ignore since she herself was one of the Cross/Slavin bridesmaids. What Bailey learns is that two other bridesmaids who had become rather close since the wedding have died in accidents within weeks of each other. Intrigued by the coincidence of it all, Bailey decides to look into to things. But she has barely started her investigation when Ashley is found dead! The police believe that Ashley's death was accidental, but by now Bailey is convinced that someone is out to kill every single bridesmaid from the wedding. Discovering why and who is proving more difficult than usual, esp since Bailey is now spending a great deal of time looking over her shoulder. Will Bailey solve the mystery before the determined killer gets to her? Or will she too, like the bridesmaids before her, become another victim of an "accidental" death...
If you're looking for a fast and light read, esp if you're en route somewhere, this is definitely the book for you. Events unfold at a brisk pace, and the authour's narrative style is snappy and engaging. Time definitely does fly when you're reading "Til Death Do Us Part." But I did think that the story and character developments left a lot to be desired. The book is a goodish read -- just not a stellar one.

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Don't Look Back (Inspector Sejer Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)After being widely translated in Europe, it's about time that Fossum's excellent police procedurals are becoming available in English. Unfortunately this first book in translation is the fifth in the series, and so a bit of the background is lacking. The story starts with the disappearance of a young girl in a small Norwegian village, but adroitly segues into a murder investigation as the search for the girl turns up an unrelated naked corpse. The town is one of several small communities served by the city police, and grizzled Inspector Sejer and his younger partner Skarre are assigned to the case.
This is above all a psychological mystery, as Sejer and Skarre carefully poke and prod the small community, where everyone knows everyone else, in order to unravel the tale that led to the killing of a well-liked teenage girl. Although the townspeople have plenty of skeletons in their closets, the story never strays into cliché, as it might have under a less assured hand. Sejer is a placid and cunning detective of late middle age, living alone with his dog after being widowed (again, one senses that his personal life has been detailed in previous books). He bears a certain similarity to Det. Inspector Charlie Resnick, the protagonist of John Harvey's long-running Nottingham procedural series. Skarre works well as his younger, more informal partner, slightly treading on eggshells around his more experienced superior.
With no forensic evidence, no witnesses, and no apparent motive, there's little for them to go on. Thus, Sejer and Skarre spend the whole novel interviewing and reinterviewing everyone who knew the girl and might have seen something. As the tension builds, and various red herrings are dispensed with, Sejer grows convinced that the key to the murder lies in an abrupt change in the girl's behavior almost a year previously. This leads seamlessly to yet another layer within the story. Throughout, every character comes to life, and sometimes, the story shift to their perspective for several pages to add a richer depth to the unfolding investigation. Norway never really emerges as a distinct setting, it's a story that really could have been set in any small town in the first world, but it's an absorbing tale, which ends with a potentially unsettling coda.
PS. Danish television produced a four-hour miniseries from the book under the title "Se Deg Ikke Tilbake." With luck, it might be subtitled in English at some point...

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The Story of a Marriage: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)It's relatively rare that I pick up a piece of non-genre contemporary American literature, my tastes just don't generally range that way. However, in this case, the cover caught my eye, and the jacket copy was promising enough to get me started. And once I dipped into the book, Greer's prose was more than enough to keep me reading all the way through. Even though the story is rather sparsely plotted, it brims with tension and intimacy until the very end, and I highly recommend it to readers who favor domestic dramas.
The story takes place in San Francisco, circa 1953, but not in the part of town books and films are usually set in. Rather, it mostly takes place in the Sunset, a neighborhood in the Western part of the city which rolls down from the hills to the Pacific (and one I once lived in, just off the same street as the protagonists). Narrated by Pearlie, the story tells of her childhood crush Holland, and her later marriage to him following WWII. It's clear from the start (and various oblique hints throughout) that there are some deep secrets in this story, both in terms of Holland, and in terms of the story itself. The first section ends with an attempt on the author's part to surprise the reader, although I suspect most (like myself) will have seen through the pretense quite early on.
The next section delves into Pearlie's attempt to understand Holland, who suffered some kind of unspecified injury during the war, leaving him with a "weak" heart. Her attempt to understand her husband is both aided and confused by the reappearance of his former boss, and this man's easy insertion into their life as their only friend. This builds up to a narrative revelation which pretty much every reader will have guessed long before Pearlie is let in on the secret. The final third of the book revolves around the choices that lie before Pearlie now that she has learned this particular secret, and readers will be silently willing her to make one choice or another as she agonizes over the best course of action.
Although it is tackling large themes, such as the nature of love, and what it means to be married, the novel is ultimately a period domestic melodrama, and may prove to be somewhat too cloying for some readers. However I tend to be pretty sensitive to that kind of stuff, and Greer's sharp and simple prose largely avoids any gooey sentiment. Pearlie and Holland's story is greatly helped by the keen attention to period, as the effects of the war linger on, and America is just moving into a period of prosperity and social change. Some of Greer's revelations aren't the shocks he perhaps intends them to be, but the story remains compelling nonetheless. It's a nice book for book clubs, as the thematic issues (love, marriage, race, class, etc.) are ripe for discussion.

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Always Time to Die: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the best things about most of the books Elizabeth Lowell writes is her research, which can enhance her work enormously. In this case, however, the intricacies of genealogy weigh the story down at the expense of action and plot. While the characterizations start out strong, they also fall victim to way too many characters and genealogy threads.
I read about two-thirds of this book in a day, then didn't pick it up again for weeks because it simply didn't hold my interest. Having said that, if you are interested in genealogy, you will probably enjoy this book a good deal more than I did. But if you're looking for a good romance/suspense novel, you may well be disappointed.

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The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine Review

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(More customer reviews)The cutthroat atmosphere of haute cuisine in France has been depicted by author Rudolph Chelminski with penetrating detail in his incisive study of one sad casualty, master chef Bernard Loiseau, the suicidal result of his own Machiavellian calamity. Just in his early fifties, Loiseau shot himself in the head in early 2003, after he sensed his reputation starting to slide. The esteemed Guide Gault-Millet downgraded his classic Burgundy restaurant La Cote d'Or in 2002, awarding it 17 out of 20, a significant and unprecedented drop of two points from its previous rating, and rumor had it that Michelin was thinking of stripping Loiseau of his third star. While this may seem trivial to the layman, this was tantamount to banishment from France, a cultural and professional distinction that Chelminski acutely explores in the rarified culinary world there.
Loiseau's career is the foundation of Chelminski's exhaustive and often entertaining book, as we follow his ascension from kitchen apprentice to award-winning chef amid the pressures of maintaining those Michelin stars and even more unrealistically, Loiseau's quest for culinary perfection. It was this stress combined with what was diagnosed as bi-polar disorder (unbeknownst to the public) that led to his suicide. Throughout the late 1980's and the 1990's, Loiseau's developed and mastered a style of cooking called "cuisine d'essences", which was a response to the prevailing climate of health consciousness. He was media-savvy and became a fashionable figure for a time. But times changed, and he was unwilling or unable to change with them. A new generation of chefs had emerged in the early 21st century, and novelty combinations replaced what was perceived as the lackluster concoctions of old-timers. Instead, they were striving to emulate the surrealist, laboratory-inspired inventions of the emerging Catalan chef Ferran Adria. As the author makes clear, Loiseau was simply not capable of adapting his approach, but what's worse, he could not come to terms with no longer being top dog.
Chelminski shows Loiseau's determination to reach the top was tinged with palpable desperation. He had to be the best or nothing in his narrowly focused mind, and he became his own worst enemy. Paranoia set in, and his nervous questioning of those around him set off a damaging chain of murmurs that eventually surfaced in the press. The truth deflated him to no end. Chelminski examines the effects of mental illness and seriously questions whether it is a prerequisite for being the top in anyone's chosen field. La Cote d'Or was open 364 days a year, and Loiseau hardly ever missed a service working fifteen-hour days for more than thirty years. Such monomaniacal behavior would appear to reflect a deep-seeded insecurity masked by a supreme ego and buoyed up by an adoring kitchen staff. Loiseau's innate connection with his restaurant was the model of psychological co-dependency, so much so that when he left La Cote d'Or to open a restaurant in Japan, he had a mental breakdown. In the final months of his life, he started to accept that he wasn't the best, and he must have believed death and perhaps an early legacy were his only options.
This entertaining book works on several levels. Chelminski provides a thorough history of 20th century French Cuisine, in particular, describing the rise of the name food critics' importance in the making of young stars in France. The book is also a morality tale about the lure of fame and the downfall of obsession. It's also a probing study on the effects of mental illness on one's increasingly warped perception of reality. In fact, there are so many different subtexts and themes that ultimately we are left with little doubt that a man so adored by the French culinary world would take his own life. Chelminski's book makes a fine reading complement to Ruth Reichl's recent book about being the New York Times food critic, "Garlic and Sapphires", and Anthony Boudrain's more acerbically funny take on the restaurant business, "Kitchen Confidential".

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House Secrets: A Joe DeMarco Thriller Review

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(More customer reviews)(4.5 stars) When Joe DeMarco, "fixer" for Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney is called into the Speaker's office to help him "help a friend," whose reporter-son has drowned, he has no idea that his private investigation into the reporter's death will mushroom into a case which will ultimately affect his party's choice of a Presidential candidate. As he pursues what seems at first to be the simple confirmation of an accidental death, DeMarco must soon deal with present and past employees from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, the DC police, the Capitol police, the House, the Senate, the Washington press, and even the mob. He is followed, warned, and ultimately threatened by representatives of almost all of these institutions.
DeMarco's investigation takes him into the netherworld of political secrets, most of them surrounding charismatic Senator Paul Morelli, the most likely Democratic candidate for President in a future election. Morelli has won both of his previous elections after his opponents have been publicly discredited, but Morelli has a few indiscretions and problems of his own, along with a less than loving, alcoholic wife. Like some other politicians, however, he has a "big bird" looking out for him, a secret supporter who may be willing to do just about anything to keep him "clean" until he can reach the White House. Before long, the peripheral characters in the action begin to have accidents, and as the body count begins to rise, DeMarco finds himself without the support of people he has counted on.
Author Mike Lawson writes in an efficient, straightforward style, and despite his large cast of characters and numerous subplots, which overlap and intersect, he ensures that his readers will not get confused by having the characters provide helpful summings-up of the action at key points throughout the novel. The characters, though not fully developed, are individualized enough that the reader can easily imagine the novel as a film, filled with character actors engaging in dramatic and often emotional scenes.
Lawson is obviously having fun with this novel: everything about it is over-the-top. The characters, plot, political milieu, and imagined context all contain elements of truth, but Lawson cranks things up and then gives one extra turn, creating situations which, though often violent, verge on absurd, keeping the reader entertained and even amused, rather than shocked. The Washington-based characters are almost caricatures, created with a tongue-in-cheek energy which prevents the novel from being cynical, and the conclusion will bring a smile to the face of even the most jaded reader. And should anyone wonder about political bias here, the author creates Republicans who are every bit as loathsome as his Democrats. Lawson walks a fine line between thriller and satire in this wry and entertaining novel about Washington politics. n Mary Whipple
House Rules: A Joe DeMarco Thriller
The Second Perimeter
The Inside Ring
The Payback


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The Miracle Detective: An Investigation of Holy Visions Review

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(More customer reviews)I really enjoyed this book. Very well written and expertly researched, it was a joy to read. I found it to be a very fair and balanced account of Marain visions. The book is 90% neutral investigative journalism and 10% about the author's own spiritual journey through various phases of doubt and faith, which added a lot to the story. It's mostly centered on Medjugorje, though events in Arizona are also given a fair amount of attention. Beyond that, Lourdes and Fatima get a little time along with a few other events. The accounts of various healings and miracles are fascinating.
What I most appreciated about the book was it's neutrality and easy to read style. The author is not a Bible thumper who is looking to convert the reader, nor is he an atheist attempting to disuade us. He maintains a high degree of journalistic integrity throughout, presenting the results of his in depth research and letting the reader make up his or her own mind. Was Medjugorje real? After reading this, I believe, at least in part, that it was. Though one wonders if over the years, due to basic human limitation, the seers and their Franciscan keepers have lost their way a little bit. Reading about the visions of Medjugorje in context of the past and present history of the region, was extremely educational.
I don't agree with some of the criticism found at Amazon. The book is the result of 8 years of research and travel. It's a big story that covers a lot of ground and I found it to be reasonably well organized. As for the editing, the story reads very well and I didn't find virtually any typos or things of that nature.
I'm not a Catholic, but after reading this book, I'm itchin' to travel to Medjugorje and do a little investigating myself. Bravo Randall Sullivan, keep up the good work!

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