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by Frances Fyfield
ISBN: 0671676644
Binding/Media: Hardcover
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. This book is in a very good condition with no writing, no marks.
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Customer Reviews
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Wow! A stunner of a mystery
Rating  (5)
Date: 1999-12-26
10 out of 10 customers found this reveiw helpful
As a latecomer to the works of Frances Fyfield, I decided to start with her first West/Bailey mystery. What a remarkable author. The character descriptions are formidable, the plot good enough but not really that important. It's the whole pyschology of the book that really makes it impossible to put down. I can't wait to start her next one! (This book can be found in out of print stock).
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by Parnell Hall
ISBN: 0786278900
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 445 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. LARGE PRINT. Light reading wear, light shelf wear. EX LIBRARY copy in a very good condition. Usual library marks present.
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Customer Reviews
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A Birthday Celebration Not to be Missed
Rating  (4)
Date: 2008-01-26
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Cora Felton's birthday is coming, and the citizens of Bakerhaven are going to give their most famous citizen a party whether she wants it or not. Bur Cora's focus isn't on avoiding her birthday (she doesn't celebrate any more). Instead, it's on the old case she's be hired to investigate.
Lawyer Becky Baldwin has asked Cora to look into a 20 year old murder case. Darryl Daigue was convicted of the crime but still says he's innocent. Darryl's sister has hired the lawyer to see if there is reasonable doubt about his guilt.
Cora has barely started investigating before she is told to drop the case. Considering she didn't think there was any evidence worth pursuing, that intrigues her. A little more poking around produces a suspicious accident. Then, someone starts following her. Why all this interest in a case that is so old?
Fans of this series know what to expect, and this book is more of the same. The witty banter between the character had me laughing the entire way through. Cora has given up drinking, but her smoking seemed more obnoxious, at least at the beginning. The supporting cast isn't given as much to do in this book, but I found Cora plenty entertaining on her own. There are cross word puzzles included, but they are related to a sub-plot and not a part of the mystery.
The book does have one flaw, the ending. The story is so convoluted that it is hard to keep track of everyone's motives. And the ending is especially weak. It does make sense, although I had to read the last few chapters twice to make sure I understood. It's almost like the author had so much fun constructing the mystery that he forgot he had to end it somehow.
To be honest, I had so much fun with this book I really didn't care. There were so many great moments, it's hard to complain too much about the ending. So if you are a fan of this series, plan to read this book.
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not as good as the rest.
Rating  (3)
Date: 2007-02-02
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
I've read all of the puzzle lady novels and have enjoyed them all, but this one is not up to par. First, the cursing has escalated both in frequency and severity. Before, it was an occasional "he-- or sh--", but now it's gone to more unexceptable ones & pops up much more often. This one is also too much about Cora. There is very little interaction w/the people who make the stories good. Her antics are way over the top & the solution is one that the reader couldn't possibly see coming. That's not all bad, I suppose, but it needs to have some line to follow & this is way out there. I'm about to start the next one, but if this style keeps up, it will be the last.
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Inelegant but still fun
Rating (3)
Date: 2005-01-04
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
Enlisted to investigate whether reasonable doubt exists that repugnant Darryl Daigue actually committed the murder he was convicted of 20 years ago, Cora "The Puzzle Lady" Felton stirs up one hornets nest after another in "And a Puzzle to Die On." It's the sixth in Parnell Hall's series featuring Felton and the regular gang in Bakershaven, Connecticut, and if you've enjoyed any of Hall's previous novels you'll no doubt like this one.
This is a cozy with a slight edge: The violence is muted; the dialogue is pretty tame by crime novel standards; but Cora is a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed (compared to most cozy characters) old broad with an attitude. The fun is following along from one riotous chapter to the next, listening to the banter among the characters, getting lost in a comic misadventure that's light as air. If you enjoy that kind of thing -- and Hall is quite adept at carrying readers along on a wild ride with few hard bumps or crash landings -- this book is for you. You'll be able to ignore the implausible, hopelessly convoluted plot that exists solely to puzzle the reader. After finishing the book, I still wasn't sure what had happened -- but I didn't care all that much. Hall had entertained me for a few hours.
I had read the first in this series, "A Clue For the Puzzle Lady," and after reading this most recent entry, I'll go ahead and read the others. As a rule, I don't enjoy cozies. But Hall has a nice touch and a good sense of pacing, and this series provides a welcome change of pace for a reader who usually prefers a crime novel with a harder edge and bleaker vision.
One side note: A glaring error in the dust jacket copy has me wondering if the folks at Bantam even read the book. The copy twice refers to Bakersfield instead of Bakershaven.
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deliciously convoluted amateur sleuth mystery
Rating (5)
Date: 2004-10-27
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
She is known as the puzzle lady but it is really her publicity shy niece who is the puzzle constructor. Cora's favorite pastime is solving real life murder mysteries, which is why she agrees to lawyer Becky Baldwin's proposition. Becky wants Cora to find out if convicted murderer Daryl Daigue really killed seventeen year old Anita Dryer two decades ago. Depending on what Cora digs up, Becky will decide whether she wants to take the case.
Sara visits Darryl in prison; he acts like a criminal but insists that he was working at the time Anita was killed and he was covering for Ricky Gleason, the actual killer. Before leaving the prison, Warden Profack subtly warns Cora not to work on Darryl's case. Sara find that admonition suspicious and keeps digging which leads to her being followed by a private detective who is murdered at Cora's birthday party. Later, someone throws a rock through her window and she is arrested for absconding with a toy poodle that belongs to a woman who was also murdered because she had something that the killer wanted. The truth about who hired Becky and the two murders comes out when Cora has her day in court.
AND A PUZZLE TO DIE ON is a deliciously convoluted amateur sleuth mystery in which everyone connected to the case has a hidden agenda. The protagonist is in fine form as she breaks into offices and homes, steals what turn out to be significant, winds up spending a night in jail, and refuses to conform to court etiquette. Parnell Hall has written a complex who-done-it that has the requisite number of red herrings and misleading clues.
Harriet Klausner
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by Catherine Coulter
ISBN: 0515142395
Binding/Media: Mass Market Paperback - 368 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. Gently read copy in like new condition.
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Customer Reviews
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Entertaining
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-02-04
While I wasn't overly impressed with this book, I would be lying if I said it was a BAD read. I actually enjoyed it - it was a nice, light read. I got this book from a co-worker of mine, so it was a decent hand-me-down. I love getting hand-me-downs, especially books because I have read/found a few great books this way. I kept it at work so I always had something to read during lunches and breaks, and it was a great way to keep myself amused.
The plot is fairly entertaining, with this soap-opera star who has to deal with a stalker/would-be assassin which has a surprise ending, though the more serious plot happens around her family and a family tragedy that has happened to their friends. There's several surprise twists in this book, and while some might have felt it cheesy (I did find the romance part to be cliched), I genuinely enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a light and fun read. Overall 3.5/5 stars.
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SO unrealistic. SO bad.
Rating  (2)
Date: 2009-06-22
This book has 3 story lines... first the Malibu soap opera star (Mary Lisa) being salked, second a murder in a small town in Oregon, third the actual soap opera (Born to be Wild) plot. There is also a sub-plot that includes Mary Lisa's mother and sisters, none of whom get along.
I did not like this book. I skimmed over the soap opera plot sections. Booooring. And they had nothing to do with the actual characters.
It is ridiculous to think that a Police Chief (Jack) from a small town in Oregon would go to Malibu California to help the local cops find a man who is stalking a soap opera star. Sure, Jack has met the woman, but he doesn't really know her! On top of that, Jack thinks maybe he needs help from the DA of this small Oregon town (John), so John gets on a plane to help out in Malibu!! They are so far out of their jurisdiction ..... not even in the same state!
THEN... little miss soap star goes to Oregon to see if she and her 2 friends can help Jack and John solve this murder (suicide?) case. WhatEVER.
On top of all of this loony business, Jack and Mary Lisa don't really have a romance. Wait... does rolling around in the sand with their clothes on while Mary Lisa's friends watch count? No. They do finally end up in bed, but the scene is short and unimaginative. A real let-down.
Nobody in this book is actually FBI. The suspense was superficial at best. The plot(s) were very unrealistic. Romance? What romance?
The only reason I gave this book 2 stars and not 1 is because I did actually finish the book. Hard to believe, but I wanted to see how it ended. (Not a good ending, either.)
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Not worth reading
Rating  (1)
Date: 2008-11-16
The story line was ok, but the ending will really disappoit you. You read the whole book to have it end in 2 pages and no imagination at all.
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A surprise read
Rating (4)
Date: 2008-08-30
While I was looking for somemore of Coulter's books to buy on Amazon.com, I was surprised that this book was rated so low! I just finished reading it yesterday and was pleasantly entertained. It's a romantic contemporary suspense with a hunk for a hero and a beautiful heroine that needs protecting. I thought how Coulter wove the plot with scenes from the 'soap' she starred in was well done and flowed nicely. I also enjoyed reading the little trivia about the history of soaps at the beginning of each chapter. I would recommend this book and not let the poor rating detour you.
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A very light read.
Rating (2)
Date: 2008-08-10
Born to be Wild by Catherine Coulter is a fun story about a queen of mean soap opera star who offstage is more like the girl next door. She goes home for a visit; she's hoping the cops will find the stalker whose trying to kill her while she's gone. She loves seeing her father and realizes the police chief isn't so bad, even if he did throw her in jail once, but her cold, spiteful mother her two manipulative sisters are just as nasty as ever. She returns to L.A and after he wraps up a murder in the little town, the police chief in hops down to L.A. to help find her stalker. Unfortunately there are no real surprises and the characters are a little too stereotyped to be interesting.
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by Aaron Stander
ISBN: 097857320X
Binding/Media: Paperback - 320 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. Autographed/ Inscribed by the author. Gently read copy in like new condition.
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Customer Reviews
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Good mystery, but character takes center stage here
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-03-31
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Aaron Stander's sheriff-protagonist, Ray Elkins, just keeps getting more and more interesting - or "curiouser and curiouser". I learned a lot more about him in this second book in a series of three (so far) mystery-thrillers. I think the stress should be on the mystery part though. The pace remains sure and even, and maybe even a bit of a plod in COLOR TOUR. Elkins and his evidence collection specialist, Deputy Sue Lawrence, go methodically about their business, painstakingly collecting clues, looking for motives and questioning possible suspects in this grisly double murder set once again on the shore of Lake Michigan. This time the murder investigation involves the staff and students of a posh private prep school. That plod picks up to a trot and eventually even a gallop in the final fifty pages or so (as Elkins begins to take the case much more personally and becomes a target himself), before settling back into a brisk walk as Elkins and Lawrence attempt to tie up all the leftover loose ends of what had become a complex and even messy case.
The truth is I love the characters here more than I do the mystery. Maybe it's just me, but Ray Elkins seems something of a mystery himself. The tantalizing bits and pieces about his background which Stander continues to sprinkle in here and there make the man seem almost more than the sum of his parts. Because he's simply a fascinating guy. Let's see now - a northern Michigan boy who grew up poor, Ray went to college at U of M in Ann Arbor, then did a hitch in the army during the Vietnam era, but in Germany as a military policeman (maybe the beginning of his interest in law enforcement?), after which he returned to grad school at Michigan. I'm not sure if it's ever noted what his field was, but he did teach at college level for an unspecified time before moving back north to become a full-time lawman. And he certainly has risen above his humble origins. His interests and tastes are lofty - nearly aristocratic - and eclectic. Once again, let's see - he reads English literature (Boswell's Johnson and Joyce's Ulysses) as well as fiction and poetry from his own geographic area and generation, represented by Jim Harrison and Judith Minty, and was there a Jack Driscoll book in there? I mean all he needs here are Anne-Marie Oomen and and Doug Stanton (and maybe Aaron Stander) and he'd have the whole Traverse City - Interlochen writers scene pretty well covered. Elkins knows painting, sculpture and architecture, as well as how to build and paddle a kayak.
He's also something of a gourmand (or is that gourmet? I'll look it up later). I mean he's the sort of guy who examines the quality of mold in the rind of exotic cheeses before purchase. He speaks appreciatively of a good "tawny port" and other fine wines, and swirls his snifter and sniffs the bouquet before sipping. He recognizes a good "single-malt Scotch," although he rarely indulges, since he never knows when he'll be called back to his police duties. When his much younger deputy sidekick has a bacon cheeseburger and fries for dinner, she brings him "Portobello mushrooms with goat cheese and roasted red peppers on a freshly baked sourdough roll ... [with tea] chamomile with honey, lemon and some chopped ginger ... how you like it." I mean, my God! Imagine Sheriff Andy Taylor or Deputy Fife ordering something like that! (Just kidding, Aaron.)
While I would certainly never aspire to such lordly tastes (I kinda LIKE tuna casserole) or ever hope to know as much as Stander's professorial sheriff, I not only admire him, I LIKE him. I know he could teach me plenty. No question, Sheriff Ray Elkins not only gets the job done, he educates you in the process. I look forward to that next book, DEER SEASON. Stay tuned. - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA
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Pretty writing, pretty accurate people and places
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-10-03
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Whether you are a Northern Michigan native like me or whether you are or were a seasonal visitor to this beautiful region, you will recognize the types of people and actual, mostly renamed, places in Aaron Stander's most recent mystery. Everything including the pacing, the sensory descriptions, the tension between the natives and non-natives, and the sorts of businesses and people that work hard to carve a living out of a place most local working people struggle to afford rings true.
If you have never been to Northern Michigan (thinly-veiled Leelanau and Benzie Counties in this book) in the hullaballoo that is summer in the area, visit in the autumn color season (late September to mid October) and take this book. Intersperse reading with vinyard stops, biking the TART trails, hiking in the woods and walking the deserted beaches and you will immerse yourself in this world. Thanks for a nice mystery with a interesting cliffhanger, but also for portraying the places and people faithfully.
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Lakeshore Reader
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-11-29
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
Not a murder-mystery reader usually, I decided to read this for it is set where we live. However, it grabbed me at once for this colorful tour is a real trip into spaces and psyches of others that knock one off one's judgmental blocks and keep elevating one's estimation of Sheriff Elkins. The trip is so fantastic. While I was eager to know who "did it", I did not want to reach that destination where this exciting book must end.
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by Betty Rowlands
ISBN: 0708943136
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 352 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Light reading wear, light shelf wear. EX LIBRARY copy in a very good condition. Usual library marks present.
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by Iris Johansen
ISBN: 055380247X
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 336 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride. No writing, no highlighting. Copy in very good condition with minimal reading wear.
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Customer Reviews
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Queen of Choppy Sentences
Rating (1)
Date: 2008-01-07
After reading my first Iris Johansen novel (No One to Trust), I have been compelled to review as much of her work as I can manage to help warn off those with more discriminating literary palates. I realize there are masses of readers who enjoy the simple plots and one dimensional characters Iris continues to churn out, but the next time you read one of her books, count how many times she uses the following phrases:
"She stiffened."
"Her lips tightened."
"She Tensed."
"Terror tore through her."
I am convinced she has these phrases and more set up as macros in her word processor. By my count in Fatal Tide, she used "She Stiffened" 32 times, and then there were derivatives of that as well.
She also peppers the text with one or two word "sentences" that do nothing but irritate. Her narrative is limited to superficial descriptions of the setting and monotonous reused peeks into the characters thoughts.
Ms. Johansen clearly is still a dime store romance novelist who is trying unsuccessfully to write thrillers. I guess it's working out well for her though since she has these snores displayed all over department store book racks.
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Whoa, it's a must read.
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-02-08
Personally, I loved this book. I just couldn't put it down. When, I first heard about this book and about Melis. I couldn't believe it. I thought I would read about my favorite character Kemal again. But I was mistaken. Still, I loved this book. A lover like Kelby who was afraid to love because of his past. A dreamer like Phil who was obsessed and would do anything to get Marinth. A demented man ,Archer, who reminded Melis of her past and harrassed her trying to make her crazy. Then there were Melis' dolphins who were the only peace and sercurity Melis had ever known. Then everything was almost taken away from her. And all the deaths made it so dramatic. She was so strong. It all made the book so interesting. So many twists and turns like a rollercoaster. But I would like to see Kelby's friend Nicolas Lions in one of the upcoming books or to see Galen more. Or even maybe Sarah and her dog.
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One of Iris's Worst
Rating (1)
Date: 2004-12-01
3 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
Wow. I like most of Iris's novels - very rote though they may be. They usually have some semblance of a thriller plot, and characters that are interesting. Not this novel. She basically vomited up everything she has written in past books. But, no, this is not a "Best Of." It is a worst of. If I heard the main character whine one more time about where she was rescued from, *I* was going to vomit. Melis Nemid (the main heroine) is boring, a whiner, and needs strong love from the hero of the story. Get a life lady - you are not an example for females everywhere. The hero is cookie cutter Iris - ex-SEAL, rich, handsome, and rough. Big surprise. The most interesting character is a secondary character: Nicholas Lyons, the gentleman that helps the hero.
Save yourself the stomach pain - skip this book!
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Only a few pages in...
Rating (2)
Date: 2004-11-07
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I'm just starting this book, and chose it because I knew it had recurring characters, something I always like. It's a little maddening, though. Melis Nemid, from what I can remember and have managed to find on the 'Net, was featured in a couple of other books.. Wind Dancer and at least one other.. (Nanci, I think Wind Dancer is the one you're thinking of, where she's rescued from a brothel by Kemal). I'm really hoping the back story becomes a little more clear, though from what I've read here, it doesn't seem likely that it will. It wouldn't be fair of me to form an opinion yet, as I've only just started it, but for anyone else who enjoys recurring characters.. this one will probably drive you nuts.
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Yuck
Rating (1)
Date: 2004-11-01
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Iris is a good writer, this is not a good book. Predictable, overly sexed, and just general bad plot and writing.
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by Ron Ellis
ISBN: 0750523476
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 442 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Light reading wear, light shelf wear. EX LIBRARY copy in a very good condition. Usual library marks present.
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by Tami Hoag
ISBN: 0553564528
Binding/Media: Mass Market Paperback - 624 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride. No writing, no highlighting. Copy in very good condition with minimal reading wear.
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Customer Reviews
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This book missed being great by a few degrees.
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-05-11
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
First of all, this sequel really should have been announced somehow--like at the end of NIGHT SINS.
Ellen North, the heroine, never really impressed me, yet I still wanted her to succeed.
Jay Brooks is sexy. Running from his pain is somewhat overdone. Ms. Hoag's heroes tend to be cut from the same cloth--guilt ridden, raw-boned, smoky voiced. They're all sexy, though, because they are mostly the same.
Megan O'Malley, the heroine in NIGHT SINS, receives nice closure. Mitch Holt, the hero in the same book, is still a nice guy.
Paul Kirkwood still never gets his comeuppance--not really. Considering what an ass he is, he should have been run out of town.
Hannah Kirkwood is a solid character, and I like the idea that she can start over and not only give her children a fresh start, but maybe find happiness with the sexy priest, Tom McCoy.
I never felt more than sexual attraction between Ellen and Jay and had to take their word that they'd fallen in love with each other.
However, these two books tell a very thorough and compelling story. GUILTY AS SIN is still open-ended, like NIGHT SINS, but it works out okay.
Ms. Hoag is a talented writer. If you enjoy romantic/suspense tales I believe you will enjoy this book. It is certainly worth reading.
Shelley Dawn, author of Sweet, Sweet Jessie and Dark Nights [..]
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great book
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-05-04
This book is so good.. lots of suspense and it is just a good mind escaping book.
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Great book
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-12-07
Have read all of Tami Hoag's books and they are all great--this one is no exception.
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Great, as expected!
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-11-30
I've enjoyed every single one of Tami Hoag's books, and "Guilty as Sin" is no exception!!
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Wonderful Mystery Writer
Rating (3)
Date: 2008-05-31
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
While most reviews that you read, give you the opinion of the reader on that particular book, I tend to read as many books as possible by that author and then rate the book(s). I've always preferred history, biography and romance novels until my eldest daughter introduced me to a new mystery writer at the time...Tami Hoag. I started reading as a skeptic as mystery never really did anything for me; with an over populous of mystery writers, it was always the same storyline, thus I was always disappointed in the end. I have to say Tami's writing gave me a new respect for mystery. I have yet to read any other mystery books that I enjoy as much as Tami Hoag's. I recommend, Cry Wolf, Still Waters, A Thin Dark Line, Dark Paradise, Night Sins and my favorite, Guilty as Sin. I think what I love the most about her books is even when you've figured it out, your wrong, yes you are wrong fellow readers. Even when you finally know who "don-it" you still can't put her books down. As Tami's storylines unfold, I found them to be wickedly deceitful. The ending in Guilty as Sin shocked me and left me wanting to read more of her works. Full of suspenseful twists that only the written word can truly master, much like the old black and white Alfred Hitchcock tales did for the screen.
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by Thomas Harris
ISBN: 0385339410
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 336 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. Gently read copy in like new condition.
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Customer Reviews
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Lecter should have remained a mystery
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-08-16
It kills me to see a top-notch writer stumble, and in this case it's even more painful because Harris has tripped up with his greatest creation, Hannibal Lecter. This is Lecter's backstory--how he became the monster he is--but as many other reviewers have said, HANNIBAL RISING is not in the same league as RED DRAGON and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. I have a feeling Harris might have taken on this project at the urging of his publisher, agent, or film producer. "Young Hannibal" seems like a natural, but this is a clear case of too much information. The character is much more effective shrouded in mystery. Lecter fans will definitely want to read this one for the factual information but look to the other books for the visceral thrills.
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The Apple has Fallen Far From the Tree
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-08-03
Our first glimpses of Hannibal Lecter were in Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs. Now, Hariss' latest addition to the saga is this book. What went wrong? It feels like everything.
At a very literary level I see nothing but the original stories in wolf's clothing. One person, the main character, is chasing after and finding criminals. Only the young Hannibal, a killer in child form, is not part of the Federal Bureau of Investigations or any other government run division.
Honestly, I felt like I was reading about a different person. I never once picked up on Dr. Lecter's love for the Japanese. I feel like that would have been prominent in his life, to recall Lady Murasaki, to remember the sound of the suzumushi cricket. I feel like he published this during a time where the shift to our Japanese love affair came about in America. Their products, their people, their culture, their history, etc. So, is it so much of a surprise that he incorporated it so heavily? No. Is it a surprise that he attributed this cultural benefactor in Lecter's life so heavily? Yes. He was enamored over Florence, not Japan or really anything to do with Japan in the previous works.
For that reason the book felt odd, as if I was reading about a different Hannibal. Even if I tried to ignore this upset I still can't focus on or be sentimental towards anything but Mischa. That's not enough to hold a story up when the characters around her don't fit into their appropriate molds. My suggestion? Read Red Dragon, follow it with Silence of the Lambs and then just stop there. There's not much else to read after that.
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Not bad but...
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-07-17
Quite diverting for a few hours but I found the whole Lady Murasaki as mystical eastern flower thing a trifle pretentious and silly. The fact that Hannibal killed people in revenge doesn't tell us why he went on to kill - and eat - others because he felt like it...I guess we can draw our own conclusions and that may not be such a bad thing.
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Different from the previous books, but totally enjoyable!
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-03-01
This is definitely different from Thomas Harris' previous novels and notably lacking in suspense. However, I thought it was totally enjoyable read, and finished it in three days. The previous books in the series were entertaining and suspenseful; I found 'Red Dragon' dark, 'Silence of the Lambs' slick, and 'Hannibal' over-the-top. This book lacks those particular qualities, but I found it terribly entertaining. Hannibal Lecter emerges as a sympathetic character at the beginning of the novel, although by the end of the novel, I think different readers will have different levels of empathy with him.
The novel does a good job of establishing the roots of Hannibal's predilections, his cruelty, his meticulousness, his genius, and his fine tastes. It also explains the roots of his professional career as a psychiatrist, and details his education.
I fell in love with the character of Lady Murasaki. I have not seen the film version, but I imagined her as Gong Li (the actress in the film). Her elegance lent beauty to the novel and, while certainly not high literature, the novel was really fun to read.
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Not "bad", just not necessary....
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-02-18
The problem with this book is not so much that it's bad, but that it's unnecessary. One of the greatest villains in recent history, Hannibal Lecter is a character who is best left as a complete enigma. He should be someone who just "Is"; no further explanations needed. 'Hannibal Rising' is disappointing because it removes this mystique, reducing Lecter to a little more than a textbook psychopathic case.
Oddly, despite offering us an explanation for how Lecter became what he is, we're still not given much insight into his character. He is an intelligent child who suffers great personal tragedy early in his life, after which he transforms into a mute loner and then a heartless killer. There's no long, slow escalation in his psychopathic tendencies; his very first murder as a teenager is premeditated and cold-blooded. It would have been better to witness a gradual decline in his psychological state, perhaps from an accidental or passionate killing to more calculated and gruesome murder. But instead we see someone whose character development basically stops at about page 60.
Surprisingly for Harris, the characters in `Hannibal Rising' are quite one-dimensional and shallow. Inspector Popil, who shares Lecter's personal pain but cannot support his actions, is arguably the best-drawn and most human character here. But Lady Murasaki seems like little more than a pubescent boy's fantasy woman; beautiful, exotic, sensual, spending most of her time relaxing in scented baths and walking around barefoot in skimpy kimonos. And the villains are all brutal, heartless ex-mercenaries for whom we do not feel the slightest empathy as Lecter brutally slaughters them.
To be fair to Harris, it seems he was coerced into writing this by threats that someone else would do it if he didn't. And throughout the book you can almost feel Harris' lack of enthusiasm for the project. His distinctive, engaging writing style is still present in places, but other parts of the book are lazily written. It's also much shorter and simpler than his other books, and like some other reviewers I do wonder if this is much more than a glorified screenplay. Perhaps it might have been better to refuse and let some Hollywood screenwriter do their worst. At least then Harris could wash his hands of it and claim it isn't a legitimate part the Lecter series.
In all, I just find this a completely unworthy and unnecessary addition to the Lecter saga. Maybe two stars is harsh, because it's readable enough and not "bad" in that sense. But it is well below the quality of the other Lecter novels, and actually ends up detracting from them. I assume the whole point of this book was to provide a new and challenging insight into Lecter, but ultimately the book renders him less, not more, interesting than before. In that context , `Hannibal Rising' must be considered a failure.
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by Jane Haddam
ISBN: 0786288779
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 677 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Light reading wear, light shelf wear. EX LIBRARY copy in a very good condition. Usual library marks present.
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Customer Reviews
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Is Haddam a liberal?
Rating (1)
Date: 2009-09-19
No plot, editing, pacing or excuse for this long boring liberal diatribe. The publisher should be ashamed.
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Thoughtful and challenging
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-05-31
Haddam's Hardscrabble Road is proof that an author can continue to expand the horizons and improve the narrative using the same characters as the basis for a series. This is a thought-provoking work that challenges the reader to start thinking about the present-day dominance of radicals on boths sides and to consider how necessary it is to become more reasonable. But it's not a preachy volume and the author manages to entertain and keep the reader's attention about "who dunnit" at the same time. I am always glad to read a Haddam book and especially the Demarkian series, so human and at the same time so super!
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Mysterylover
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-11-13
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I've read the reviews so far and, frankly, am dissapointed in what most say. first, it is true that there is a lot that is irritating in this book (personally I am sick and tired of Bennis and of Gregor's endless "puzzlements" that range from her vagaries to the state of being in the comtemporary world. But second (and. to me far more important) are the themes that pulse below and through the plot. the status of the homeless in America's big cities; the juxtaposition of fear and religion; contemporary academic life...there are so many. Primary for me are Haddam's comments on the state of polical life in America. she does this so well through her characters (why do we desipise Neil Savage? Jiggs Tyler?) and through Tibor (who I find almost always speaks for the author). In fact, I've assigned my freshman writing class a research paper into which they must incorporate refereences to Hardscrabble Road, Bill O'Reilly's Culture Warrior and Al Frankin's Lies and the Lying Liars... so far about 1/2 my students 'get it' in terms of what Haddam is saying. I wish people would treat Haddam's books as something more than 'just' a murder mystery'
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the crowds, the noise, the PEOPLE . . .
Rating (1)
Date: 2007-01-15
7 out of 11 customers found this reveiw helpful
OK, I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I gave up on this book. I'd read Haddam about 10 years ago and retained enough of a good taste in my mind to pick up this new novel, but here I am on page 47, and Gregor Demarkian has yet to appear; plus, I've been asked to absorb not one or two, but six or seven sets of disparate characters, none of whom has as yet had any interaction with the others or with Demarkian. All of these mostly unpleasant folk are, presumably, involved in the shock jock/faux Rush land deal and attendant court cases, but - after reading page after page of tersely brief dialogue, picking up slivers of the plot here and there, trying to remember who's on first - I failed to begin to care. Well, to be entirely fair, I DID care about the Nobel Prize, as in There Is No Nobel Prize for Mathematics. Surely everyone knows that? That's why there's a Fields Medal. Read the New Yorker or the footnotes to Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.
So the non-Nobel and the cast of thousands was giving me a headache and I stopped reading. I read mysteries for pleasure. If I want a headache, I can read the catalogue of the ships in book 2 of The Iliad. It's only marginally more boring than this novel's opening decades.
The good reviews sound convincing, but for the casual turner of pages, nearly 50 pages spent waiting for the plot to emerge is a big yawn. So that makes me just like the double-digit IQ's Haddam spends paragraphs savaging, doesn't it? Fair enough.
If, on the other hand, you are fond of waiting, give Samuel Beckett a try, too.
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The series is has changed somewhat since it began, but haven't we all?
Rating (4)
Date: 2006-09-17
9 out of 11 customers found this reveiw helpful
There have been changes over the years in the Gregor Demarkian series, and not all of them have been improvements, but it's still a darn good series, with intricate characters and plots that deftly mingle the real world and the fictional. I am the same person I was twenty years ago, even though I'm a bit slower and fatter - but a much better saxophone player! - and my friends still like me; I believe book series and their authors deserve at least as much opportunity to change.
So what are some of the changes? One of the good ones: Bennis' flakiness and moodiness are not entertaining any more, and Gregor is beginning to realize that he may even deserve someone who is not a smoking nervous wreck; Bennis's schtick was beginning to wear on me. One of the bad ones: Father Tibor has lost most of his personality, becoming little more than a cardboard foil for Gregor. But overall, most of the characters in the series are aging well, and growing up in one way or another.
If you were to read this book without having read the rest of the series, those changes in ongoing personalities wouldn't matter to you; you'd be concerned with the plot and the ideas. So let me give you the overarching idea of this volume:
Noblesse oblige, both from those who have wealth and those who have brilliant minds, is both required and a mistake at the same time. Anyone who has gifts is obliged to try to help others, and everyone who does so attempt will be mistaken in their attempts to discern the difference between needs and wants, and in their guesses as to what the recipients of their help really think about it. The metaphor of no man being an island is used in the book, and if I may drag that metaphor out a bit, while it's true, sometimes the bridges that connect us are shaky, and many times we should have used an alternate route to get to another person, and we don't find it out until there's an smoking 18-car pileup on the road between us.
As other reviewers have noted, conservative radio blowhards come in for a great deal of bashing in this book. But so do leftist academics, and just about everyone in between. Partly, the author seems to be asking, through her characters, will you please all stop and THINK harder instead of automatically taking any party line or any opinion you are handed as doctrine, whether it be from a political party or from a religion? At the same time, though, she has a character who is brilliant and thinks everything through faster than most people could start - and he still makes mistakes; thinking everything through is not enough if you don't ever do a reality check by *participating* in a reality-based community of some sort, with other people who are not identical to yourself. And that, in turn, means not automatically identifying yourself with one group or another all the time.
Haddam reinforces this point through some of her secondary characters - Ed the lawyer, for example, who is gay, but has had to reinvent what kind of gay persona he is, because he doesn't fit into one of the gay stereotypes that even the gay community tends to categorize itself into. And of course, Sister Maria Beata, who has changed from a shark corporate lawyer to an uncommon extern sister of a contemplative and cloistered order of nuns, leaping from one community with a very rigid set of expected behaviors and thoughts to another with an even stranger set; her thoughts about what she expected, and what she got, out of this self-imposed complete change of view, are fascinating.
This isn't the first time that Haddam has made use of nuns/former nuns, and it isn't the first time that she has made them sympathetic and interesting characters, either, even though overall Haddam's attitude toward religion in general and organized Christianity and the Catholic Church in particular has been negative. Haddam has, in the past, portrayed atheists far more sympathetically and far more seriously than most contemporary fiction writers, including mentioning the Freedom From Religion Foundation in a past book; in this book, she mentions CSICOP, an organization that, while not specifically anti-religion, finds itself often taking on religion in its efforts to keep harmful superstitions and scams based on superstition and religion from gaining headway.
All that about details, and I've said nothing about the plot! Well, other reviews have pretty well covered that; my take on it is that the play-fair rules of the genre, which include "follow the money," are played fair here. We have a decent plot, with a credible resolution, and not one that winds up depending on freakish motivations or the twisted serial killers that some authors rely on. I am really tired of some contemporary authors' dependence on incredible recurring super-villains or ghastly mutants, or evil plots that in the real world couldn't be kept secret like that for more than 10 seconds. I like the realism of the mistakes that both good and bad characters make in Haddam's books, and I like that most of her characters have both good and bad traits.
In short: the plot's not the most important thing here, but it's OK; the political and philosophical ideas will annoy everyone at some point, but are worth it. The only people who won't like this volume in the series, assuming you already like the series, are those who are so rigidly committed to their own limited viewpoints that they get upset at hearing them analyzed in any fashion.
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