Bear v. Shark: The Novel

Book Description

So it's kind of like a parlor game, then?...

The question is apparently of Ancient Eastern extraction....

It seems to be a gut thing. The answer just feels right and then you come up with reasons....

Given a relatively level playing field -- i.e., water deep enough so that a Shark could maneuver proficiently, but shallow enough so that a Bear could stand and operate with its characteristic dexterity -- who would win in a fight between a Bear and a Shark?

As they head cross-country, the family is besieged by a dizzying barrage of voices: television and radio personalities, public service announcements, bear and shark pundits, Freudians, theologians, and self-published authors, in addition to the Bear v. Shark fanatics, cultists, and resisters they meet at roadside gas stations and restaurants. Overwhelmed by factoids, statistics, and ten-second debates, the Normans -- along with the rest of country -- can't seem to get their facts straight, much less figure out a way to actually communicate with one another. Sound bites and verbal tics predominate; misheard, misunderstood, and just plain mistaken information is absorbed, mangled, and regurgitated to hilarious effect; and the most inane subjects -- from the disappearance of Dutch culture to the Shakespearean bias toward the bear -- are vigorously and obsessively debated. These meaningless exchanges of misinformation leave Mr. Norman disenchanted, world-weary, and ambivalent about the impending show, but the family eventually makes it to Vegas for an apocalyptic and surprisingly emotional ending.

Written in quick, commercial-like segments that mirror the media it satirizes, Chris Bachelder's debut is a fiercely funny, razor-sharp novel about the odd intersection of zealotry and trivia, about the barriers to human connection in a society that values entertainment above all else. Through a clever act of novelistic subterfuge, Bachelder makes us laugh at our penchant for absurd and useless information while drawing us into a dazzling spectacle of his own imagination.

Download Description

In this brilliant satire of our media-saturated culture, the sovereign nation of Las Vegas -- the entertainment capital of the world -- is host to Bear v. Shark II. After a disappointing loss in the first matchup between the land and the sea, the bear is back with a vengeance and out for blood. All of America is obsessed with the upcoming spectacle, so tickets are hard to come by. With an essay entitled "Bear v. Shark: A Reason to Live," young Curtis Norman wins a national writing contest and four tickets to the event. The Normans load up their SUV and embark on a road trip to Vegas. As they head cross-country, the family is besieged by a dizzying barrage of voices: television and radio personalities, public service announcements, bear and shark pundits, Freudians, theologians, and self-published authors, in addition to the Bear v. Shark fanatics, cultists, and resisters they meet at roadside gas stations and restaurants. Overwhelmed by factoids, statistics, and ten-second debates, the Normans -- along with the rest of country -- can't seem to get their facts straight, much less figure out a way to actually communicate with one another. Sound bites and verbal tics predominate; misheard, misunderstood, and just plain mistaken information is absorbed, mangled, and regurgitated to hilarious effect; and the most inane subjects -- from the disappearance of Dutch culture to the Shakespearean bias toward the bear -- are vigorously and obsessively debated. These meaningless exchanges of misinformation leave Mr. Norman disenchanted, world-weary, and ambivalent about the impending show, but the family eventually makes it to Vegas for an apocalyptic and surprisingly emotional ending. Written in quick, commercial-like segments that mirror the media it satirizes, Chris Bachelder's debut is a fiercely funny, razor-sharp novel about the odd intersection of zealotry and trivia, about the barriers to human connection in a society that values entertainment above all else.

Customer Reviews:

In the end, I liked it but it should have been a short story.......2006-08-24

I picked this one up at one of those discount book warehouses based upon reading the first page in the store. When I got around to reading this book, I had a hard time trying to decide if I liked it. The book is a satire about the influence of television, infomercials, entertainment-as-news and advertising in America today. It is written in a collection of sound bites, news clips, and slogans. It reminds me in many ways of Chuck Palahniuk's work. Much of it is very funny and original. But, the stylistics get a bit annoying after awhile. I think this would have been an excellent short story. Still, I think this was good writing and very witty. I look forward to seeing more from this author.

Which is more annoying...........2006-05-31

It poses the question of which would win, given a level playing field, enough water to maneuver, but not so much the bear couldn't keep its purchase: a bear or a shark. The style of the writing, however, asks if it's more annoying to watch network television, or to read a book written in sound-bytes, commercial breaks, and slogans. I liked reading it, but I also like watching television, foreign-language commercials, and amateur videoblogs, so I'm really easy to entertain.

Not funny. No real plot. Poor satire. Not well written.......2006-03-29

I was greatly disappointed with Bear V. Shark. I expected something funny. It is not. I expected satire and political humor, it has none. If the author was trying for a book like, "1984" or "Brave New World" or "Fahrenheit 451" or "Animal Farm" or "The Jungle" he missed by a huge margin. Truly good satire tells a story, and makes a message. BearV. Shark does neither.
The book is so inconsistent and difficult to follow that it becomes almost unreadable. It reminded me of the ramblings of a psychiatric patient (was that the author's intent?) I did finish the book hoping it would wind up in a glorious manner, but it just plods along and ends.
None of the characters are in any way believable. None of the situations are engaging. None of the attempts at humor are funny. I was really, really disappointed. Did the other reviewers actually read this book?

Buy This Book.......2005-09-28

I bought this book because the author is my friend's neighbor (say "howdy" to Henry for me, Chris)and I bought it used, cheap. Authors don't make any money on used book sales, and I feel a little bad about that because this here is a fine piece of what the pretty folks call "litter-chure." It's witty, ironic, and well done, and maybe best of all the chapters are short so it's great for in the bathroom. If I didn't own this book, I'd buy it new because Bachelder is the sort of author we want to support. That is, he is pretty good at what he does and we will all benefit from his writing more of these fine books.

Screamingly funny *and* scary as hell.......2005-05-24

This book is easily the most downright amazing satire since _Snow Crash_. And it is just as frighteningly prescient too; like it or not we live in the world of this book now.

Book Description

In traditional human societies, the stranger was a threat, to be disarmed at once by an act of force or by a ritual of hospitality. Under no conditions could a stranger be ignored or taken for granted. Yet in all great cities today, human beings seem to live out their entire lives in "a world of strangers." How did it become possible for millions of people to do this? How is city life possible? The unique value of A World of Strangers lies in Dr. Lofland's expert use of rich historical and anthropological sources to answer these questions. She demonstrates that "a potentially chaotic and meaningless world of strangers was transformed into a knowable and predictable world of strangers by the same mechanism humans always use to make their world livable: it was ordered." Lofland offers a brilliant analysis of the various devices used at different times in history to create social and psychological order in cities, concluding with an analysis of the contemporary city, in which the location of the encounter between strangers has come to replace personal appearance as a means of evaluating others. Dr. Lofland also describes how city people initially learn and then act upon the ordering principles dominant in their society. A World of Strangers is a wonderfully wise and readable account of how we have come to live as we do.

$Stranger In Town: The Brands Who Came For Christmas\Brand-New Heartache$
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First two books in the Oklahoma Brand series

Stranger In Town: The Brands Who Came For Christmas\Brand-New Heartache
Maggie Shayne
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0373285272

Customer Reviews:

First two books in the Oklahoma Brand series.......2005-08-12

Fabulous edition which combines the first two stories of the Oklahoma branch of the Brand family.
I have read all of the Texas Brand books and decided to keep going by reading about this estranged branch of the family. I found myself even more interested in reading about these five fabulous sisters and their mother. Each girl has her own personality and take on the experiences they had growing up.
The first book, The Brands Who Came for Christmas is about good girl Maya who has strived her entire life to impress the locals despite her humble beginnings. She meets gorgeous and mysterious Caleb in the bar she works in one night and they share one wreckless night together before he disappears. I don't want to give away the rest of the story, but Caleb is not what he appears to be and this story was very fun to read! Truly entertaining.
The second story, Brand New Heartache is about Maya's supermodel sister Edie who is back in town and has run into the high school badbay Wade. Fabulous fun read with suspense and intrigue.
Maggie Shayne delivers again!!!!
If you like her vampire and witch stories then you know Maggie Shayne can write some of the most compelling suspensful tales! This one is no exception!
The next book in the series is Secrets and Lies about Mel Brand. Kara's story should be out later this year and then hopefully Selene's soon after. Thank you, Maggie Shayne!

Stranger in Town (Harlequin Superromance No. 1278)

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Beautiful Story!!!
Second chance at love & foregiveness

Stranger in Town (Harlequin Superromance No. 1278)
Brenda Novak
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0373712782

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Story!!!.......2007-01-15

I loved this book! Not only was the romance sweet, the emotional development of the characters was wonderful. It was not just another sappy romance. The characters seemed real. Definitely worth reading!

Second chance at love & foregiveness.......2006-03-27

Hannah Price takes a dangerous gamble on a snowy road and in a blink of an eye, ruins hometown legend Gabe Holbrook's NFL career. He never gives up on the chance that he'll one day walk again, and keeps to himself in his remote cabin. When his high school football coach dies suddenly, the school needs a replacement, and his friend Mike asks him to take over.

Hannah's son Kevin is nervous about the new coach - will he have residual anger towards Kevin because of his mother? Hannah tries to run interference and gets the brush off from Gabe. When she spots a beautiful chair that Gabe made, she asks if she can exchange home cooked meals for the chair.
Hannah's looking for forgiveness, and finds love, never believing that he'd return her feelings. Making matters difficult is her former in-laws that would like nothing more than reconciliation for the good of the children.

"Stranger in Town" is just a standard melodramatic Harlequin romance; nothing to write home about and certainly not up to par with Novak's other novels like the superb "Every Waking Moment."

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Strangers (Safety Town)
Dorothy Chlad
Manufacturer: Childrens Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

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Strangers in the Land of Paradise: Creation of African American Community in Buffalo (Blacks in the Diaspora)

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An Outstanding Blend of Scholarship and Humanity

Strangers in the Land of Paradise: Creation of African American Community in Buffalo (Blacks in the Diaspora)
Lillian Serece Williams
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Strangers in the Land of Paradise examines the creation of an African American community as a distinct cultural entity. It delineates values and institutions that the black migrant population brought with it from the South, as well as those that evolved as a result of their interaction with blacks native to the city and the city itself.

Customer Reviews:

An Outstanding Blend of Scholarship and Humanity.......2000-03-04

"Strangers in the Land of Paradise" by Lillian Serece Williams is a brilliantly written book about the creation of an African American community in Buffalo, New York from 1900-1940. Illuminating with new information, pictures and graphs, it answers many questions about the daily life experiences of a group of Americans adjusting to political and economic changes. The family support system that Williams delineated in this turn-of-the-century community is one of those strengths that too often are overlooked in contemporary literature on African Americans. Yet these are important strengths that are present in contemporary African American communities across the nation and upon which I frequently draw to treat some of my patients.

This timely, outstanding blend of scholarship and humanity places this work in the category of a genuine classic. The book is a "must" for every serious scholar of American history. "No Shame in my Game" by Katherine Neuman would be a wonderful contemporary companion.

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Highly recommended
Stranger In A Small Town (Special Edition, 1356)
Ann Roth
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0373243561

Customer Reviews:

Highly recommended.......2001-02-03

Several miles from the small town of Flatville, Indiana lies acreage and a house built almost a hundred years ago that has passed through the generations down to Alison O'Hara. That Clint Strong walked on foot up to that ancient house was startling enough. That he arrived just as Alison posted her hand lettered Room for Rent sign was even more startling.

Clint left his broken down truck somewhere down the road hoping to find a tow truck and a place to spend the night. Somehow a scrawny dog had attached itself to Clint between the truck and Alison's home. As she spoke to him, Alison couldn't help staring at the ugly red scars that crisscrossed the backs of Clint's hands, hinting at a painful past.

There aren't many jobs in Flatville, Indiana. In fact, with Millie's restaurant closed down for remodeling, there aren't any jobs at all. Alison had resigned herself to selling the antique furniture in her house after her meager savings account ran out. So when the mysterious boarder appears with the scrawny dog, Alison is eager to make them both welcome. She needed the rent money for food and necessities, not to mention a bank note that, in a month, will cost her the house and land. Further, though she doesn't know it yet, Alison will need Clint for more than his rent money.

Clint doesn't want to be needed. He views himself as useless and has the scars to prove it. Even as the overwhelming attraction pulls him to Alison and her beautiful five year old daughter, Clint is determined to hold himself aloof, distancing himself from that which he has tragically lost.

Book Description

The A-List and its bestselling sequels, Girls on Film, Blonde Ambition, Tall Cool One, Back in Black, Some Like It Hot, American Beauty, and Heart of Glass are full of unforgettable stories about the fast times of Beverly Hills' most beautiful and glamorous people. Beautiful Stranger is the ninth guilty pleasure in this witty and risque series that takes readers behind the scenes of the Hollywood glitterati.

Customer Reviews:

A great way to loose yourself.......2007-10-09

Although very unrealistic this book is a great way to loose yourself. Whenever i was upset because of something or someone i would pick up this book and read. It was a wonderful distraction reading about someone else's pain/love/frendships. This book is amazing

best of them all.......2007-09-16

The best book of the series! a true shocker, makes your jaw drop open, very surprising!

Fun Great Summer Read.......2007-07-14

The A- List by Zoey Dean is a great novel about a teenage girl, Anna Percy, leaving her precious home in New York to change and live with her dad in Beverly Hills, California, to work an internship there. On the plane ride over she mets Ben Birnbaum, who brings her to a famous director's wedding and then out on a date at which he leaves her in the middle of the night. Also at the wedding where A- List members, Cammie Sheppard, Sam Sharpe, and Dee Young. Sam later befriends Anna and so does Dee, but Cammie is jealous because she loves Ben. Overall this book was a fun, fast read, and a great summer novel.

The A-list.......2007-03-30

"Like oh my gosh Becky, look at that prada purse," in the area code of 90210 you'll find just about every girl saying that. Ana is a girl from New York that comes from a family in the six digit income. Ana is perfect, but when she's almost eighteen in her senior year she decides she wants to live off the edge like her best friend Cynthia. The day of New Years Eve Ana moves with her father to Beverly Hills to do an internship so she won't have to finish high school. Living on the edge, Ana manages to meet a hot guy named Ben on the plane. She becomes his guest to a famous actors wedding, and things start to go down hill. She's tortured by the actor's daughter Sam and her snoby, plastic surgery, and over the top friends who all happen to like Ben. That night Ben ditches her and when she doesn't get the internship she is stuck at Beverly Hills High School with Sam, Dee, and Cammie. When Ben tries to aoplogize she realizes the old Ana would jump into his arms, but the new Ana has changed. She is finally free. THIS BOOK WAS SO TOTALY AWESOME!! I reccomend it to any girl in grades 7 - 12. Thiis book is filled with humor, drama, and takes you into the life of the rich.

The A-list is filled with lots of humor. The girls in the 90210 area code are very halarious. Even if they're snobby........very snobby, their endless scemes never stop being filled with humor. Like when Cammie decided she was going to step on Ana's dress to embrarass her at the wedding because she came with Ben. Another funny part in the A-list was when Ana was on the plane and a older man was trying to hit on her, when Ben saved her the man became angry and when he spoted them lying to Sam about how they met he busted them in their lie being that he was there.

Of coure all the snobby, rich girls in Beverly Hill could not live without drama. All through out this book there is drama, drama, drama, over boys, boys, boys. The main boy in this book being Ben. The two of Sams friends, even herself have all been in love with Ben at some point of time, but neither of ther the other girls know about their secret love. More drama fumes when they find out he doesn't want them, he wants Ana.

In the A-list it takes you deep into the life of the rich. In the book known as the six didgit people. Almost every teenage girl in this book has had some kind of placstic surgery. They are also stuck in the worl of being thin. All of them have high class cars and luxury houses with pools and jacizzis in the backyard. They have personal designers come to their homes with trunks of clothing from stores like chanel, mark jacovs, and prada. The most important thing they do in the life of the rich is rank you based on your soscial ststus. The best one being the title of the book, The A-list.

Becky, did you think think this book was good or what?, like totally yea...of course. The a-list was amazing girly book. Any girly girl in grades 7-12 would really enjoy this. It was filled with lots of humor, drama, and gave you a small glimpse of how the rich people live.

The A-List.......2007-03-30

Anna Percy leads a dull life that is strictly by the book. When her best friend Cyn starts going out with her crush Scott, Anna decides it is definitely time for a change. She catches the next flight to LA, California to live with her father in search for a new and improved life. She meets a guy named Ben on the flight to LA and starts to like him, thinking he is the start to her new and improved self. When Anna lands in LA her Dad is breaking promises just as soon as she gets there and Anna meets three not so nice girls. Sam, Cammie, and Dee don't exactly come off as the most friendly people. Anna soon discovers that her fairytale life in her head she planned on having is going to be a lot harder than she expected. The A- List was a very attention grabbing and entertaining book.

A part of this book that made it entertaining was the love "problems". In the story, Anna starts going out with a guy named Ben Birnbaum. It turns out almost every girl at Beverly Hills High is in love with him. Including Sam Sharpe, Cammie, and Dee- the girls Anna meets at Jackson Sharpe's(Sam's Father) wedding. Other guys at BHH like Anna besides Ben, so its one big love feud over Ben and Anna. It seems that Cammie and Ben had a former relationship, and Ben had a fling with Sam and Dee. Back in New York, where Anna used to live Anna fell for this guy named Scott. She didn't tell this to her best friend who soon starting going out with him. The entire thing was like a written soap opera, and very fun to read.

One element of the story that made this such a good book, was the main character, Anna. She was pretty much the only person in the story who acted like a real person. Unlike all of the other girls in the story who are conceited and all have the same shallow personality, Anna was different. In the story, when Anna comes to LA all of the girls are obsessed about the big-time movie stars and who looks the best etc. Anna, on the otherhand, is a bit more laid back and doesn't really care or know about that many movie stars. This is one of the reasons why Ben ends up liking Anna over Cammie.

Something about this story that makes it seem unreal is the very rich lifestyle of most of the characters in the story. Almost every character in the story- including the teenagers- have a bank account at least in the upper six digits. Most of the girls in this story are the type that eat caviar and walk around in high-heel stalettos. Samantha Sharpe's father, for example, has a twelve thousand square foot home. Everyone in the story has maids, waiters, waitresses, cooks, etc. Even though normal people are not that rich, this still made the story enjoyable.

The theme in this story was very inspirational(the theme I picked anyway). The theme was that if you try to re- invent your life some positive things will result from it. When Anna decided to start a new life as a different Anna, and she moved to LA, she met a guy named Ben she met on the plane who liked her. She also developed a semi- different attitude towards the Beverly Hills girls. She was more confident than she was back in New York and she was actually living her life. Overall, The A- List was a wonderful book. It was extremely fun and very hard to put down.
S.Brown

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A Stranger to the Town
Evelyn Hood
Manufacturer: Thorndike Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Strangers in Town: Three Newly Discovered Mysteries

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Previously Unavailable Short Stories by a Modern Master
A Ross Macdonald sampler.
strangers in town
Tom Nolan Strikes Again!

Strangers in Town: Three Newly Discovered Mysteries
Ross MacDonald
Manufacturer: Crippen & Landru Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1885941528

Book Description

`LOST' STORIES BY A MASTER

Ross Macdonald (1915-1983) was, according to The New York Times, the author of "the finest detective novels ever written by an American." His detective, Lew Archer, investigates character and place and the tensions and conflicts that form America. In Ross Macdonald's hands, Lew Archer's home turf, southern California, becomes symbolic and (perhaps more important) emblematic of the human struggle to make things right, to make sense of who we are.

In an important literary discovery, Macdonald biographer, Tom Nolan, unearthed three previously unpublished private-eye stories by Ross Macdonald. "Death by Water," written in 1945, features Macdonald's first detective Joe Rogers, and two novelettes from 1950 and 1955, "Strangers in Town" and "The Angry Man," are detailed cases of Lew Archer.

These `lost' stories help the reader to understand why The New York Times also said that "classify him how you will, Ross Macdonald is one of the best American novelists now operating."

Customer Reviews:

Previously Unavailable Short Stories by a Modern Master.......2005-01-03

Preferring to work on the more expansive canvas provided by the novel form, Ross MacDonald wrote a mere nine stories during his lifetime featuring his seminal creation the hardboiled private investigator, Lew Archer. The publication of STRANGERS IN TOWN, which consists of three hitherto unavailable mysteries, thus represents a literary event of some importance. This volume also contains a meaty and informative introduction by Tom Nolan, MacDonald's biographer, as well as a separate preface (also by Nolan) to each story.

The title story, "Strangers in Town," is a Lew Archer novelette written in 1950. The piece was never published as MacDonald decided that its basic plot outline could be better utilized as the framework for a novel. Many readers will no doubt recognize here the skeleton of what was to become the 1952 novel, The Ivory Grin. The story begins as Archer is hired by an African-American woman. Her son has been accused, wrongfully she believes, of murdering the family's female boarder. Archer discovers that the victim, the vivacious Lucy Deschamp, is a young lady with a "past." That knowledge places the detective on the wrong side of the mob. The author's social awareness takes center stage in this tale. From his African-American client and the family's Latino lawyer to the shady local doctor and the wealthy syndicate enforcer, the interaction between these individuals from such diverse social, ethnic and economic backgrounds makes for some compelling and provocative reading - all the more so in a genre short story! The seeds of the author's more mature work have clearly been sown here.

Despite their eccentricities, the stories in this compilation all hold up well in their own right and are worthy additions to the MacDonald canon. The real value of these tales, however, is that they foreshadow and place into bold relief the eventual accomplishments of one of the mystery field's true innovators. In ways sometimes dim and inchoate, they offer a gratifying glimpse of the creative process that ultimately gave birth to what the New York Times was to call "the finest detective stories ever written by an American." (The full text of this review was first published in MYSTERY NEWS, April/May 2001).

A Ross Macdonald sampler........2004-12-29

Strangers in Town contains 3 previously unpublished detective stories by Ross Macdonald. Story #2, which is also entitled Strangers in Town, and story #3, The Angry Man, both star Lew Archer, the fictional PI most identified with Macdonald. Story #1, Death by Water, on the other hand features an investigator named Joe Rogers. The introduction, written by editor Tom Nolan consists largely of biographical facts about Macdonald with special emphasis on his time spent in the Navy during and just after WWII.

Death by Water (1945) is a very well written, cogent, straightforward murder mystery...with nothing hardboiled about it. A perplexing death is explained using a certain forensic finding. I was able to spot this critically important clue a mile away because I had read The Blue Hammer just a couple of weeks before. And it so happens that the same forensic finding appears in that 1976 Lew Archer novel as well. (Not to mention the fact that the writers of CSI Miami had latched onto the same gimmick and made it their own in a recent TV episode.)
In any event, for what it is, Death by Water is first rate.

Stangers in Town (1950), in contrast, very much belongs to the hardboiled genre. In it, Lew Archer works to exonerate an African-American youth accused of a brutal murder. Archer's investigation brings him into contact with organized crime members and some other interestingly shady characters. The plot is a bit contrived, but overall, Stangers in Town is an engaging read.

The eventful narrative of The Angry Man (1955) unfolds over just a very few hours time and addresses themes and subject matter Ross Macdonald is famous for having specialized in. Namely, dysfunctional families with long held secrets, seductive females, all consuming jealousy and greed intense enough to kill for. Vintage terrain for both Lew Archer and Ross Macdonald.

Overall, this book rates 4 stars. Worthwhile reading for all Ross Macdonald fans.

strangers in town.......2001-06-28

It has been 17 years since I last read a new Ross MacDonald book. Boy, was it great to get back to a real master. Even the Introduction was informative and well written. The three stories in this book are typical Ross MacDonald short stories in that they are like short versions of his books. It was worth the wait.

Tom Nolan Strikes Again!.......2001-05-03

Being a southern California-based mystery writer who has read everything Ross Macdonald wrote several times over, I was thrilled when I first heard about Tom Nolan's new effort. Nolan's last book was the authoritative biography of Ross Macdonald, creatively entitled ROSS MACDONALD: A BIOGRAPHY. It won last year's Macavity Award, and it should have swept the other awards.

STRANGERS IN TOWN is Nolan's remarkable follow-up to that magnificent biography. It features three previously unpublished Macdonald short stories. The stories cast new light on Macdonald, his writings, and the development of his unique talent. Being well-versed in Macdonld's works made it possible for me to spot numerous parallels between the short stories and Macdonald's Lew Archer books.

While I enjoyed reading fresh works by the man I consider the greatest mystery author of all time, my favorite parts of the book were Nolan's lengthy and perceptive introduction to the collection as well as his shorter yet insightful introductions to each story.

STRANGERS IN TOWN is among the best books I have read this year. It provided me with the final inspiration I needed to finish my second mystery novel. Thank you, Tom Nolan.

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Stranger in Town (Harlequin Romance #2761)
Kerry Allyne
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Tullagindi Rodeo (Harlequin Romance, No 2809)

ASIN: 0373027613

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