Virgin: Prelude to the Throne

Book Description

...a riveting portrait of Elizabeth I as a romantic and

vulnerable teenager, dangerously awakening to a perilous

liaison with the wrong man.

England, 1547: King Henry is dead. Elizabeth's half-brother, nine-year-old Edward, is king in name only. Thomas Seymour, brother to the ambitious duke who has seized power in this time of crisis, calculatingly works his way into Elizabeth's home in genteel Chelsea House. He marries Henry's widow, Catherine Parr, and uses his venerable charms and sexual magnetism to indulge his infatuation for young Elizabeth. Caught hopelessly under Thomas Seymour's spell, surrounded by kind friends and hidden enemies, Elizabeth can only follow her heart to ensure survival.

"History doesn't come more fascinating" (Entertainment Weekly) than in the enthralling novels of Robin Maxwell. Virgin is her crowning achievement in a stunning trilogy that "brings all of bloody Tudor England vividly to life" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Fiction Filled With Charistmatic Characters.......2005-03-08

Although the author admits she may have strayed off the precise history of the events that took place before Elizabeth took the throne, the story she tells is one full of passion, love, friendship and gives a good example of what many suppose the Tudor era was like. Her descriptions of each character, although extreme at times, portrays a good example of what history show them to be like.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a deep interest in Queen Elizabeth or the tudor era who is tired of reading the facts and wishes to enjoy a nice story along with it! Informative yet interesting all in one jolly package.

England's greatest Queen as a vulnerable Princess..........2003-12-27

Great Harry, England's King Henry VIII, is dead. Nine-year-old Edward is now King Edward VI, a boy powerless to stop his uncle Edward Seymour from stealing power as Regent. Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth retires to life in the country with her stepmother Catherine Parr, the Queen Dowager, and her new husband Thomas Seymour. But it is soon apparent to young Bess that a very powerful presence in Chelsea House has eyes for her, and drives nearly everyone mad with his charms. He wants Elizabeth, not bothering to hide his lascivious desires, and he'll do anything to acheive the ultimate goal: the Crown...
I read the hardcover edition of this book and found it appalling. Thomas Seymour was a cold-hearted, greedy, selfish wretch, the way he plotted to get what he wanted. Even so, this is a good read!

Purely Fictional,,Elizabeth Was A Virgin.......2003-08-17

Robin Maxwell is doing nothing different here. Queen Elizabeth, England's greatest queen, has had many stories and films mad about her that portray her as a woman who not only had [realtions] with men but motheredd children in secret. All of these stories are false. There are many theories disputing her prized virginity. Queen Elizabeth will continue to fascinate people worldwide. She reigned at a time when it was radical for a woman to be empowered, at a time when much of the history has been shrouded by myth and fiction. The time after Henry the 8th's death and Elizabeth's ascension to the British throne, is still very much wrapped in fiction.

Queen Elizabeth's "thing' with Thomas Seymour was [physical]. However, Thomas Seymour molested her as a teen, seduced and hoped to control Elizabeth as his ambition was to marry the future queen and become king. It is possible that the young teenage Elizabeth had a crush on Thomas Seymour. Although he was married (to Elizabeth's stepmother Katherine Paar) he was handsome, he was daring and need I say more ? Young women know what's it like to have a crush on an older, attractive man, especially one who was as interesting as Thomas Seymour. However, even if there was a crush, Thomas merely wanted to use Elizabeth as means to an end- that end being his claiming the English throne. When Katherine Paar died at childbirth, Thomas Seymour proposed to Elizabeth, who wisely refused him. Thomas Seymour was eventually executed and Elizabeth imprisoned temporarily since it was thought that she was in on the plot. ELIZABETH DID NOT HAVE A CHILD BY THOMAS SEYMOUR. It is absurd and purely fabricated for the sake of sensational literature to claim that William Shakespeare was the son of Thomas Seymour and Elizabeth. Also ELIZABETH DID NOT HAVE CHILDREN BY ANY OTHER MAN. If Elizabeth had relationships with men, there are a number of ways to look at them:

1 Platonic- romantic. Although she may have wanted to marry a man and mother children, Elizabeth knew it would mean that her husband had to be fit to rule England if he outlived her. It was a dangerous time. The Protestant versus Catholic rivalry could erupt into violence and war, To Elizabeth, only she was capable of ruling England properly and she was. Her relationships with such men as Robert Dudley of Leicester and Robert Devereaux Earl of Essex were romantic- but not [physical]. They were strong friendships.

2. Safely [physical]- IF and that's a big if in my opinion, if Elizabeth did engage in [physical] intercourse with men (as is insinuated in the movie Elizabeth with Kate Blanchett in 1999) then Elizabeth and her lovers practiced a form of safe [realtionships] during this time (use your imagination). Perhaps [the physcial part] was not involved but other methods and there are reports that some women had the knowledge of how to prevent pregnancy, even if these women were considered "sinful" or were prostitutes or courtesans. If Elizabeth did use protection and avoid pregnancy, she did so without the knowledge of the court or the entire realm of England. What was more important is to rule in her own right as "Virgin" Queen even if "virgin" was...only a slight truth.

I hope these two theories help establish more truth. At any rate, altlhough this novel is very well written and presents exciting fictional versions, it is almost an insult to the Virgin Queen for in my opinion she was still a virgin.

Best Book I have ever read!!!.......2003-04-13

This book is amazing. It gives a wonderful description of an area of Elizabeth's life that few have ever explored. You really get a good sense of the times as well as the characters. A MUST READ!!

Boring!.......2002-11-17

I read The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory and loved it, so I chose this as a follow up and was very disappointed. It lacked any interest or excitement.

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Virgin Prelude To the Throne
Robin Maxwell
Manufacturer: SIMON & SCHUSTER @ TRADE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SHKL1S

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

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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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