White Night (The Dresden Files, Book 9)

Book Description

A sensational addition to the Dresden Files adventures-from a USA Today bestselling author.

Professional wizard Harry Dresden is investigating a series of deaths in Chicago. Someone is killing practitioners of magic, those incapable of becoming full-fledged wizards. Shockingly, all the evidence points to Harry's half-brother, Thomas, as the murderer. Determined to clear his sibling's name, Harry uncovers a conspiracy within the White Council of Wizards that threatens not only him, but his nearest and dearest, too...

Customer Reviews:

Best yet.......2007-10-08

Any series featuring a single main character runs a risk of getting stale, following a formula. I'm delighted to say that has not only NOT happened with White Knight, it's the best book yet.

Harry Dresden grows emotionally. His relationships with his brother and Murphy change and develop in both heartbreaking and heartwarming ways. And the main plot gets more exciting and more engrossing in each book, something that rarely occurs. My only complaint (as usual) is that it will be so long before the next book!

Great as always!.......2007-09-22

Jim does it again! Harry Dresden continues to grow and evolve as a character. Fast paced and I couldn't put it down!

Dead or Disappeared.......2007-09-21

White Night (2007) is the ninth Urban Fantasy novel in the Dresden Files series, following Proven Guilty. In the previous volume, Harry fetched Molly Carpenter back from Arctis Tor, with a little help from his friends. He took her back to her family, but she decided to turn herself in to the White Council for violations of the Fourth Law.

At the trial, the Merlin arbitrarily convicted her of using black magic and sentenced her to death. Harry pointed out that the Gatekeeper hadn't yet cast his vote. Then Ebenezar McCoy arrived with survivors of the Warden training group accompanied by Molly's father Michael. Merlin reconsidered his verdict and Molly became Harry's apprentice.

In this novel, Sergeant Murphy has a probable suicide, but she rides a hunch and calls in Harry. He checks out the scene and casts a spell at a particular place on the wall. The notation "EXODUS 22:18" appears and Karrin knows the victim was murdered.

Suddenly, Murphy strikes out with a foot sweep and a young woman -- little more than a girl -- becomes visible and falls to the floor. Harry's apprentice Molly hasn't done as he told her and now she has a few bruises and pains to remind her to obey her master. Not that she is going to pay attention, but one more lesson won't hurt . . . much!

Harry does congratulate her on the invisibility spell, but points out that both he and Sergeant Murphy had noticed a few out-of-place sounds and smells. Molly needs to put in some extra practice, but she is improving. Molly goes home happy, but aching in several places.

In this story, Harry and Murphy find other victims around Chicago and elsewhere. Most of the Chicago victims belong to a witch group known as Ordo Lebes, which Dresden translates in his correspondence course Latin as "Order of the Big Pot". Karrin, however, suggests that a better interpretation would be "Order of the Cauldron". But one victim does not belong to this order.

Harry also discovers that one of the Ordo Lebes is Helen Beckitt, whom he has had problems with in the past. Although she cooperates with Harry and Murphy and doesn't even deny her prison record, Dresden just can't bring himself to trust her. When he discovers that she works for John Marcone, both Harry and Murphy become suspicious of her behavior.

Harry meets another old acquaintance on this case. Elaine had been his first girl, but they had parted after Harry killed their mentor. While the White Council ruled that the killing was in self-defense, Elaine was already gone. Yet she had not forgotten him and even followed his career path as a consulting wizard.

This story also has a minor side plot involving the fallen angel Lasciel. The shadow of Lasciel residing in his mind provides some useful services, such as translation of dead languages, but is still trying to seduce him to the evil side. It occurs to Harry that such seduction can go both ways and he treats "Lash" as an almost trusted friend. Some surprising changes occur.

While Harry doesn't really like being a Warden of the White Council, he hasn't considered it as a handicap. Then a mysterious Grey Cloak is noticed as somehow involved with the dead witches and everybody is afraid to tell Harry. And his brother Thomas is often observed with these victims shortly before their death or disappearances. Being an enforcer for the Council is bad enough without the paranormal community wondering whether you are responsible for these passings.

Highly recommended for Butcher fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of preternatural creatures, paranormal individuals, and strange happenings.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Another winner.......2007-09-17

The Dresden File books have maintained their quality and readability. This one is no exception. Love the way these stories play out.

Love harry but need more Bob the Skull.......2007-09-05

I love this series and enjoy the way it is going. Harry is amusing and this one does not disappoint. I do miss Bob the Skull. He was not featured as much in this one and i miss that... just my own personal quirk.

Average customer rating:

Interesting read
Depends on Reader's Expectations
Good but not great
Recommended With A Warning
Took a Left Turn For the Worse

Tropic of Night
Michael Gruber
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060509546
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Amazon.com

This debut thriller should come with a warning--do not pick up if you have anything else planned for as long as it takes to read it! Tropic of Night is a dramatic, stylish, smart, and very strongly plotted novel, mixing anthropology, ethnography, sorcery, mayhem, and murder in an intriguing and wholly captivating story that ranges from Mali to Siberia, Nigeria to Miami, and never lets up. Jane Doe is a smart but listless graduate student when she encounters Marcel Vierchau, a French scholar whose lover she quickly becomes, following him to the strange world of the Chenka, a mysterious sect of Siberian shamans in whose society she quickly loses her scholarly objectivity--and nearly her life. Returning without Vierchau to the comfortable world of her wealthy family, she meets and marries DeWitt Moore, a black poet who accompanies her to Africa on a field trip that turns him into a powerful shaman, awakens her own abilities to commune with the spirits of the Yoruba sorcerers, and again comes close to destroying her. Wary of Moore's new strength, she stages her own death and becomes a faceless member of Miami's underclass, but just when she believes she's safe from his reach, a series of bloody ritual murders of pregnant Miami women convince her that she is once again his target--and that anyone who comes between them, including her adopted daughter, will also meet a terrifying end. Michael Gruber delivers a fabulous, wholly original read that will linger in the reader's mind long after the last page is turned! --Jane Adams

Book Description

Not since The Secret History has a novel so flawlessly married the ferocious intensity of an unforgettable thriller with the depth, daring, and nuance of our most celebrated literary fiction. Tropic of Night is a virtuoso performance -- an unforgettably accomplished novel, a masterpiece of electricity and ambition.

Jane Doe was a promising anthropologist, an expert on shamanism. Now she's nothing, a shadow: after faking her own suicide, she's living under an assumed identity in Miami with a little girl to protect. Everyone thinks she's dead. Or so she hopes.

Then the killings start, a series of ritualistic murders that terrifies all of Miami. The investigator is Jimmy Paz, a Cuban-American police detective. There are witnesses, but they can recall almost nothing of the events, as though their memories have been erased -- as if a spell has been cast on each of them. Equally bizarre is the string of clues Paz uncovers: a divination charm, exotic drugs found in the bodies of the victims, a century-old report telling of a secret place in the heart of Africa.

These clues point Paz inexorably toward the fugitive, Jane Doe, and force Jane to realize that the darkness she has fled is seeking her out, hunting her down. By the time her path intersects with Jimmy Paz's, the two will be thrust into a cataclysmic battle between good and an evil unimaginable to the Western mind.

Download Description

E-book extra: Afterword by Michael Gruber Jane Doe is nothing, a shadow. Once a promising anthropologist, she's now hiding from an unimaginable horror. Miami police detective Jimmy Paz knows that Jane is connected to the ritualistic murders terrifying the city. Together, they must battle a psychopath whose shamanistic powers can alter reality itself.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting read.......2007-09-30

Why was it interesting? It was interesting to me in the suspension of belief sort of thing. But the anthropology was hard to follow and more than I cared to follow about west african mojo. Jane's journal was very personal in an unpleasant out-of-her-mind way. The olo, ifa, ulene stuff was over-detailed and forced me to work too hard to decipher the plot in all of it. The author's expression of Jane's mind was unsettling and the racism of the book was too guilt-ridden. It was a little scary when Witt would "come" for her - that's a good thing. But in the end I was disappointed that the entire story was just about the magic and suspension of western beliefs. Certainly an intelligent writer, and intelligence appreciated. But this book was not my cup of tea.

Depends on Reader's Expectations.......2007-07-21

The extent to which a reader will enjoy this book depends, I believe, on the expectations one has about it. If you are looking for a pulse pounding thriller in the vein of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs, this is not it. What you get here instead is a thoughtful, carefully researched meditation on good versus evil, reality versus madness, and the spiritual versus the physical worlds. The story is told, in part, from the dispassionate objectivity of a cultural anthropologist and draws heavily on anthropology's style and language. Alternating points of view shift back and forth in time as the story traverses the globe from Miami, Florida to West Africa and Eastern Europe. The rituals of the indigenous peoples of these areas are extensively described in long expository passages that make little sense until more of the plot is revealed. The alternating chapters and shifting perspective dilute the suspense, and I had to force myself to continue reading. The female protagonist was difficult to identify with as so little was known about her for much of the book. Gruber slowly doles out only the smallest bits of information. Jimmy Paz, on the other hand, is a fascinating character and the only redeeming feature of this novel. The story's slow, plodding pace picks up somewhat in the final hundred pages, but, by that point, I found myself no longer caring.

Good but not great.......2007-06-02

I was thoroughly engrossed by the details of the Santeria religion which is described very respectfully and with what seems like in-person research. However the motives for the actions of the main character Jane Doe remained obscure to the very end. One sentence it seems took care of the preceding 400 pages of "suspense of did she know or not". Paz the inspector also has immense time to ruminate and rut, and then suddenly in the last 100 pages stirs into action. The extended plot development takes places as present narrative, diaries, background stories which are well written . I recommend the book, but it is too long by about 100 pages. In fact I went from page 300 or so and skipped to the last chapter. I knew just way too much about these characters and needed the action of the last chapter to make the book worthwhile. But as I say the brilliant presentation of the Santeria religion made the book very worthwhile reading.

Recommended With A Warning.......2007-04-07

The first book I read by this author was his newest, The Book of Air And Shadows, based upon that work I wanted to go back and read other offerings by Mr. Gruber. This was the first work he published and as I was to learn part 1 of a trilogy. The book is very well done however if profoundly disturbing crimes involving pregnant women are an issue you would find too troubling, stay away from this book. The crimes are not gratuitous slasher events; the author minimizes and nearly eliminates sensationalizing the brutality of the crimes, as they are events in a much larger work. But they are there and some might find them a topic they would rather avoid. Candidly had I known what the book was about, Santeria, African Witchcraft and its decedents I would likely have passed by this work, as these are not topics I normally have interest in.

Credit is due to the author as he has written a work that is expansive, highly detailed and very engaging. He brings the reader from Long Island and a home of dynastic privilege to isolated villages in Africa and finally to the City of Magic located in The United States. As he did in, The Book of Air and Shadows, there are several different threads that eventually tie together as the book progresses, again they take the form of diary, narrative and in this case trips in to places readers will have to name for themselves. If you would like to stick with proper names the author has provided a glossary of what I would guess is unfamiliar ground for most readers.

If you like the clash of, "traditional science", and belief systems that are measured in millennia, the tale of Jane the anthropologist, her husband and their trek to very dark places of human behavior this book is for you. The author poses some challenges to what is scientifically acceptable and that which is written off as hysteria. He also shares with readers facts of quantum physics that are simultaneously as true as any fact you may cite and also border on the fantastic. Facts that easily would have been dismissed as fantasy or magic a few short years ago.

Took a Left Turn For the Worse.......2007-02-22

I slogged through the first 50 pages confused and not really seeing what direction this book was going. Then thouroughly enjoyed the next 300 pages thinking I'd just discovered a great new writer with an interesting recurring character, Dectective Jimmy Paz of the Miami PD. But in the last 100 pages the author took such a drastic left turn that it ruined the book. Gruber took an extraordinary amount of time steeping each character in realism by doing so much research on his topic that you really believed the the characters. But then he chucks the whole thing with an absurd ending that starts way too early. The final 100 pages are not based in reality making them just plain stupid. And for that reason this book deserves to be panned.

Against the Night: Living in the New Dark Ages

Average customer rating:

Insightful Analysis
Does not live up to expectations
Good motivational text everybody/Christian needs to hear!

Against the Night: Living in the New Dark Ages
Charles W. Colson , and Ellen Santilli Vaughn
Manufacturer: Vine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

ASIN: 0830733779

Book Description

Ten years ago when Charles Colson's top-selling Against the Night appeared, he described the demise of Western culture as the "new dark ages." The book describes in particular the ominous shadows that have engulfed politics, family life and education. Today as we face the new millennium, the book is still pertinent, as the darkness has not lifted. It seems in many ways to have thickened. Against the Night, however, is not pessimistic. It gives Christians hope that as we regain our vision of living in God's kingdom and being God's people, we will be a light in the darkness.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful Analysis.......2007-05-15

While the barbarians who pillaged the Roman empire could be identified by their physical appearance, today's barbarians have no such distinguishing marks. The warfare is mental and spiritual. It is an insidiuous mindset that is at work destroying individuals, families, communities, churches, universities, and nations. In essence that mindset could be summarized as "selfish materialism," i.e., the assumption that one lives for oneself and this life is all there is to existence.

The tentacles of this monster extend to every area of modern life, including the church. Colson gives convincing examples in presenting his case. Christians of previous generations knew they were living for something greater than "self." That reality is not so apparent anymore. One has to cultivate it.

In the concluding section, he argues that Christians must fight the good fight regardless of the outcome. Being in the world, but not of the world, Christians of earlier generations preserved culture, not because that was their primary goal, but as a side-effect of seeking to obey God. He concludes the same is expected of this generation.

Does not live up to expectations.......2005-10-22

Colson has a good theme for this book but has so much unnecessary information that the reading is tedious. This is the "updated" version .... too bad it didn't get better editorial work. It had potential.

Good motivational text everybody/Christian needs to hear!.......1996-10-29

I've always enjoyed Chuck Colson's writings. The style is easy to read and clear, like you would be having a conversation with the author. When he was with President Nixon's Cabinet, he was going the way of all politians - POWER. But some humbling time in jail gave him time to think about the important things in life. Family, God, and his spiritual condition. He turned his life around and changed the way he was headed by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, and Life. Making a new committment to serve Jesus and others, especially fellow prisoners. His work with justice, jails, and Jesus are very well acknowledged now. (search: colson, prison fellowship) In his book Against the Night, you are shown what the darkness looks like and how to compare it to the Light. Quickly you are given practical examples and stories of how insignificant people, in the world's eyes, made a change in their life and the lives of others by caring about what was happening around them, to others, and shown that a little caring followed by a little action can make big changes for the betterment of all of us. I would recommend this book highly to anyone and to everyone who wants to come Against the Night.

Average customer rating:

ONE MORE STUNNING NARRATION FROM DICK HILL
Much Better Than Expected
3.5 - 4 stars. Quick fun read but predictable ending.
"After two long years, it was time to start my life again."
entertaining investigative thriller

Night Work
Steve Hamilton
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312353618
Release Date: 2007-09-18

Book Description

Award-winning author of the acclaimed Alex McKnight series Steve Hamilton delivers his eagerly awaited, breakaway thriller with Night Work. Joe Trumbull is not a man who scares easily. As a juvenile probation officer in Kingston, New York, he's half cop, half social worker to the most high-risk youth in the city. And when he's not pounding the streets, trying to keep his kids out of jail, he's pounding a heavy bag in the gym to stay in shape.But tonight Joe Trumbull is scared to death.It's been two years since his fiance, Laurel, was brutally murdered. Two years of grief and loneliness. On this hot summer night, he's finally going out on a blind date, his first date since Laurel's death. He's not looking for love, just testing the waters to see if it's possible to live a normal life again. The thought of it is turning his knees to jelly.Marlene Frost is a beautiful woman. She's warm and funny, with a smile to match. After the first awkward minutes, Joe finally starts to think this isn't such a bad idea after all. In fact, maybe this blind date will turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to him.He couldn't be more wrong. Because somehow, for reasons Joe can barely understand, this one evening will mark the beginning of a new nightmare. A nightmare that will lead him to the faceless man in the shadows, and to the most terrible realization of all....For Joe Trumbull, the past is never past. And the worst is yet to come.

Customer Reviews:

ONE MORE STUNNING NARRATION FROM DICK HILL.......2007-10-15

Looks can be deceiving, and so can feelings. Joe Trumbull learned this lesson not just the hard way but in a way that was almost fatal. To date, life hasn't been good to him. He's a juvenile probation officer in Kingston, New York. Some of the kids are petty offenders, others could be classified as hard-boiled criminals. So, we'd assume Joe was a pretty savvy guy. Perhaps so, but his mind is also clouded by tragedy.

It was two years ago that he was looking forward to marrying Laurel. Then, on the night of his bachelor party she was strangled. Since then Joe has turned inward, retreated, doing his job and working out at the gym. But now he thinks that just maybe he's ready to make a better kind of life for himself, so he goes out on a blind date. Surprisingly to him the evening went well. Shocking to him was the murder of his date later that same evening.

As other women are killed, women who had some contact with Joe, the police zero in on him as suspect No. 1. It seems the only way he can clear himself is to find the psychotic killer who is intent upon destroying him.

Edgar and Shamus winner Steve Hamilton has crafted a suspenseful tale, which is read by another winner - Dick Hill. Named a Golden Voice and a Voice of the Century by Audiophile magazine, Hill delivers one more stunning narration.

- Gail Cooke

Much Better Than Expected.......2007-10-13

I am a big Big BIg BIG fan of Alex McK, and all of the others in his corner of the UP. I was skeptical of a new venue, and a new local etc. But I started to read the book and I could not put it down. It is a very good book in my opinion.
I really do understand how a writer can get tired of the same character, and want to try something new. I will bet it is monotonous to keep writing about the same thing book after book, and it ust be hard to come p with new story lines for the same character.
BUT others do it and I really hope Alex will return refreshed and ready to do new and exciting things in the UP.
It is wierd on my part that of the books I have read lately 5 of them have been related to theUP of Michigan. I had boght the books unknown that they are about that part of the USA until I started reading them. I have or am learning about the UP. (Although this one is not about the UP - its setting is else where). The UP seems like a facinating place. But I do prefer Alex's the best of all of the other books.
If you are a Steve Hamilton fan you will not be surprised, or I guess you may be surprised in that he has writen another hit.
I do not think you will be disappointed.

3.5 - 4 stars. Quick fun read but predictable ending........2007-10-01

Joe Trumbull is a probation office in small town New York. All in all, he loves the town he grew up in although his entire adolescence was occupied with dreams of leaving it. It grew on him and his 8 year job, helping young kids stay out of trouble, brings him the happiness he did not have growing up. That is until his fiance was murdered a few nights before his wedding two years earlier. In the interim his life has been a shambles consisting of severe depression. Finally, Joe decides it may be time to date again. It proves to be the wrong choice. This who done it is a quick read with an OK plot. The story moves quickly but the ending proves a little far fetched. I have never read any of Hamilton's other works, so I am afraid I have nothing to compare it to. I would, however, try another of his books in the future.

"After two long years, it was time to start my life again.".......2007-09-26

In "Night Work," Steve Hamilton introduces Joe Trumbull, a probation officer who lives and works in upstate New York. Joe is "part cop, part social worker, part guidance counselor, part rehab coordinator, part bounty hunter." His job is multifaceted: he visits his clients' homes and drags them out of bed, investigates their family lives, and writes up sentencing recommendations for the court. If he suggests probation and the judge agrees, then Joe tries to help his "knuckleheads," mostly kids in need of supervision, to stay out of prison. Joe is "your official court-designated guardian angel." He lives in a dumpy apartment above a gym, adores jazz, and dabbles in boxing.

Two years earlier, Joe's fiancée, Laurel, was murdered just days before their wedding. The case is still open. Lonely and afraid of staying that way, Joe puts a listing in a singles' site and lands a blind date with a beautiful woman. In a humorous opening, Joe approaches his evening out as if he were facing an impending execution. Fortunately, he and his companion hit it off and, for the first time in a long while, Joe is looking forward to the future. Unfortunately, a series of unexpected and terrifying events follow that make Joe the prime suspect in a series of homicides. To clear his name, he will need to find the answer to a crucial question: Who hates him enough to want to destroy him?

Steve Hamilton made his reputation with the solid Alex McNight series, and although this thriller lacks the punch of Hamilton's earlier books, it does have its strengths. Hamilton wisely sets his story in an offbeat location, Kingston, New York, and he gives his protagonist an occupation (probation officer) that is also a bit different. Joe is likeable enough, the writing is crisp and direct, and the mystery is fairly suspenseful. The only negative is that "Night Work" adheres too closely to the old formula: Nice guy tries to get over the death of his fiancée. He suddenly finds himself on the run from the cops, who suspect him of being a serial killer. He must find the real perpetrator before the detectives take him into custody. We have seen this plot too many times before, and Hamilton does not provide enough variations on this familiar theme to make his novel stand out from the crowd.

entertaining investigative thriller .......2007-09-20

In Kingston, New York, juvenile probation officer Joe Trumbull has spent the past two years buried in his work while he grieves the strangulation murder of his fiancée Laurel three days before their wedding. Though he still mourns his loss and believes he will compare all women to Laurel, Joe finally goes out on a blind date with Marlene. A few hours after their date ends, Marlene is found strangled to death. Not long after that he tries to help battered wife Sandy, who soon after his offer of assistance is found strangled to death.

The local police turn to the State for homicide detectives to investigate since the small department has no one capable of working a serial killer case. Joe being the obvious link between the murders is the prime and only suspect. He begins an investigation to find a killer before he is arrested.

This is an entertaining investigative thriller although fans of Steve Hamilton who know Alex McKnight will think Joe Trumbull is no Alex. The whodunit is cleverly developed especially the motive and the location on the Hudson is vividly described. However, Joe's constant self pity becomes irritating and after a while he loses the empathy he had early on. Still this is an interesting stand alone tale of a man who is trying to return to the living when all he finds are deaths.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

unique and intriguing

The Sun By Night, a novel
Benjamin Kwakye
Manufacturer: Africa World Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1592213502

Product Description

The Sun By Night unravels the secrets surrounding the death of an Accra prostitute. Framed around a court case involving Manu, a respectable and wealthy businessman, it is a gripping tale of murder, courtroom shenanigans, and intense societal conflicts. Among others, the novel explores themes and tensions of familial and traditional commitments, individual freedom, marriage and love, and class exploitation to weave an enduring tapestry of great human value. Set in a country still grappling with the heavy legacies of the colonial experience, The Sun by Night combines old and new to demonstrate that the quest for truth and justice belongs to each one of us.

Customer Reviews:

unique and intriguing.......2006-07-14

Do we really ever know the depths of our interactions with those around us? How deeply do we affect the lives of our acquaintances, neighbors, co-workers, or our prostitutes? In Benjamin Kwakye's novel, "The Sun by Night," that influence is examined in great detail though never quite face to face. The subtleties of human interactions are told from multiple points of view.

The life of a prostitute surely isn't easy but the reasons behind the action is often much more difficult to bear. This affects the mind in interesting ways as one main character explains in the most unique fashion I have witnessed in a novel. When her friend is murdered she becomes very wary and takes precautions to guard her own life. Her double life is in jeopardy though and she must constantly be cautious of revealing too much. The circle of characters and stories expands as her ex-husband tells his own tale, as well as those of everyone around him - he is a reporter after all. His words get him thrown in jail as the government is under a coup and political change is running rampant. Politicians and priests get involved in the story, the rich and the poor alike, the young children and the elder parents. All have a portion of the story to tell and it all comes together during the trial for the second prostitute murder victim.

This book is unique and intriguing, passionately told and a little confusing. I very much enjoyed unraveling the tale as it was spelled out in front of me. The examination of the human factor is very well done; the description of political unrest in Africa perfectly executed. Watch for more from this award-winning author!
Review by Heather Froeschl

A Prayer for the Night (Ohio Amish Mystery Series #5)

Average customer rating:

Gaus writes with intelligence and a deep knowledge of his subject
A Splendid Read!
A Prayer for the Night

A Prayer for the Night (Ohio Amish Mystery Series #5)
P. L. Gaus
Manufacturer: Ohio University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0821416731

Book Description

Amid a whirlwind of drugs, sex, and other temptations of the “English” world, a group of Amish teenagers on their Rumschpringe test the limits of their parents’ religion to the breaking point. The murder of one and the abduction of another challenge Professor Michael Branden as he confronts the communal fear that the young people can never be brought home safely. Along with Holmes County Sheriff Bruce Robertson and Pastor Cal Troyer, Professor Branden works against the clock to find a murderer and a kidnapper, and to break a drug ring operating in the county, determined, wherever the trail may lead him, to restore the shattered community. In his desperate search, Branden struggles with the reluctance of the Amish to trust the law to help them find the answers to their problems. In A Prayer for the Night, his fifth Ohio Amish Mystery, P. L. Gaus deftly balances the pace and practices of Amish life in northern Ohio against the unfolding urgency of a hostage situation. As Gaus has proven before, the mystery gains from its exploration of the ever-widening chasm between the traditional life of the Amish people and their interaction with the outside world.

Customer Reviews:

Gaus writes with intelligence and a deep knowledge of his subject.......2006-09-20

In order to make an informed decision about embracing an Amish lifestyle, young adults from those communities are encouraged to explore the tempting outside world of "the English" (i.e. non-Amish) through a process called Rumschpringe. In A Prayer for the Night, P. L. Gaus' fifth Ohio Amish mystery, this process goes wildly awry, plunging an adventurous group of young Amish into a dangerous world populated by thugs, criminals and drug dealers; as the novel opens, one of their number has been brutally slain, and another has been kidnapped, triggering a police investigation into the murder and a frantic search for a missing girl.

The New York Tines Book Review once described Gaus as "...a sensitive storyteller who matches his cadences to the measured pace of Amish life..." Entirely accurate, that phrase manages to catch both the strengths and weaknesses of Gaus's very formal, very sober, very detail oriented writing style. To those accustomed to the stripped down, faster paced style of writing so prevalent in modern police procedurals, Gaus' prose may seem a bit stilted, as reading him requires patience and attention. That effort is rewarded, however, by the telling glimpses Gaus provides into the lifestyle and thinking of today's Amish. Writing with intelligence and a deep knowledge of his subject matter, Gaus draws readers deep into the novel, making them feel as if they are part of the events unfolding before them. It's these insights and attention to detail that have earned Gaus a loyal audience, and which will help him keep it.

A Splendid Read!.......2006-07-11

This is one mystery you'll truly enjoy! I love reading about the Amish and this book is no exception. The author displays a keen knowledge of the Amish lifestyle and I love the way the three boyhood friends have become modern day sleuths among the people of the past. You won't be sorry for buying this book!

A Prayer for the Night.......2006-07-09

What a wonderfully written novel. I loved the story of teens looking to find themselves, whether Amish or otherwise. The mystery and problem-solving - very good. I felt that I knew all the characters well - this book has the story-telling quality like CSI - CSI Ohio!

Against the Fall of Night (Ibooks Science Fiction Classics)

Average customer rating:

Technically Clarke's first novel?
Grand book, would read more from Clarke
A little too open ended for my tastes.
Good clean fun
Clarke's usual dim view of mankind

Against the Fall of Night (Ibooks Science Fiction Classics)
Arthur C. Clarke
Manufacturer: IBooks, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1596871229

Book Description

The 10-billion-year-old metropolis of Diaspar is humanity's last home. Alone among immortals, the only man born in 10 million years desperately wants to find what lies beyond the City. His quest will uncover the destiny of a people-and a galaxy. This book also includes the classic short story Jupiter V.

Customer Reviews:

Technically Clarke's first novel?.......2007-05-09

As I understand it, Clarke started plotting this novel out early in WW2 before he volunteered for the RAF. This would then technically make it his earliest novel- even though it didn't get published until 1953 by the legendary Gnome Press (first of the dedicated science fiction publishing houses.)

Clarke would later feel compelled to extensively rewrite this novel and release it under a different title (The City and the Stars.) Personally I prefer this version. The Technology is set over a ten billion years into the future so a mere 50 years or so since it was first published doesn't really "date" it.

This book doesn't share the high degree of hard science fiction detail that you find in most of his books. The technology is so advanced (machines never break down and read your mind to know what you want of them)that it seems more like magic. In fact, there is a statement that there are no more engineers in the world of the future since once the master robots started building themselves- and everything else- they were no longer needed and engineers faded away. I can identify with that, why work a thankless, unappreciated, arduous pursuit like engineering if the machines can do it better?

The cosmic sweep of this novel over vast intervals of time and the entire universe reads more like an Olaf Stapledon novel (a British science fiction author that died in 1950 and whose works Clarke was no doubt familiar with.)

If you like old-fashion space operas about the lost glories of the galactic Empire this book still weaves that classic atmosphere.

Grand book, would read more from Clarke.......2007-01-10

Thoroughly enjoyable, my first read from ACC. Not the longest book, but he does present a good storyline within the pages.

A little too open ended for my tastes........2005-05-18

Alvin had grown beyond the pleasures of his world, Diaspar. I expect he saw them as indolent, apathetic, soft, and disinterested. He may even have perceived them as pathetic. In any event, he certainly didn't share his people's terror of the world beyond their city. Lys was much more to his liking and, indeed, may have persuaded him to stay permanently had he not hatched the plan of stealing the machine to retain the memories that the Lysians wanted to wipe out.

As a pure hard-core science fiction entry, the tale was great - high speed mass transit using "sidewalks", faster-than-light travel, robots accepting voice and telepathic commands with built-in programming overrides and safety features, rocket ships, skyscrapers that are literally "sky scrapers", mass with properties different than the solid, liquid, gas paradigm of the day and so on. All of these speak to Clarke's vision and imagination. Some real vision on the soft sci-fi side as well - the obvious need for a reduction in birth rate to coincide with the reduction in mortality rates as health improves and longevity increases, the differing paths that evolution can take, the effect of isolationist policies, the inability of people to accept change in the face of long-standing tradition and "religious" ideas and so on.

That's it, though. Unfortunately, I give the book overall (at least, for me) a failing grade!

While the ideas are timeless and the book could easily have been written yesterday with only minor modifications in the science, I thought the overall plot was weak and watery - an obvious prelude to the Odyssey and Rama series. In my humble opinion, Clarke is perennially unable or unwilling to provide a real or hypothesized source to his artifacts and is equally unwilling to provide a real resolution to the questions posed by the artifacts. Where does Alvin go from here? What is he likely to encounter? Why would he choose to do what he does? There are also several plot questions that remained, for me, annoyingly unresolved - namely, where the heck did Alvin come from? Was he born - if so, how? Was he hatched - if so, how and perhaps even more important, why? Lys's belief that Rorden was somehow more trustworthy than Alvin in keeping the secret of their existence seems to me naïve at best, misplaced at worst and a feeble plot contrivance to allow the story to move forward. Who was Alaine of Lyndar and why did the story that unfolded with Alvin not happen with Alaine? If the climate of earth has evolved to the point that the hydrological cycle is so totally trashed and the oceans are non-existent, how does Clarke figure that humanity would survive that? With records as extraordinary as those to which Rorden had access, it seems impossible to conceive that Shalmirane, a weapon capable of destroying a moon whose orbit had decayed to the point it was "falling", would ever be relegated in history to a legendary battle with space invaders.

I've always been unable to figure out why Clarke is perceived as such an icon in the field of science fiction! Some fellow readers tell me that some of these questions get answered in The City and the Stars. That may be so but it didn't help me out with this one, I'm afraid.

Good clean fun.......2004-10-30

Later rewritten and published as THE CITY AND THE STARS, the original version is charming and intriguing. Somewhat quaint, perhaps, by today's standards, this science fiction-mystery makes a virtue of initiative and includes many traditional 1950s themes such as telepathy, robots and star travel. Generally areligious (although obviously materialistic, it contains only one passing snide remark towards religion) and without sexual themes or foul language (which mars so much of modern science fiction), this book is appropriate for youth as well as adults.

Clarke's usual dim view of mankind.......2004-07-06

Once again, this is a fearful and brilliant vision of the triumph of a future of material values; and, typical of Clarke, it is a story in which the last spark of human spirit rebels against conformity and ignites a new flame of freedom.

It's a wonderful book for people who like this sort of book; i.e., the premise is that humans are basically too dumb to accomplish much of anything without getting a kick-start from some vastly-superior all-knowing eternally-wise civilization. It's a good story of one-dimensional characters encountering a faceless perfection; for an analogy, think of a world in which everyone is a clone of the Stepford Wives without their wit, wisdom or waxy perfection.

It does raise the question -- What would life be like if it was perfect? Clarke doesn't offer an answer, except for one young lad who wants to know more than the limits of perfect knowledge. The first two-thirds of the book set out the usual dazzling Clarke scenario; the final third degenerates into the "life is more than you can understand" formula. His city of perfection is neatly packaged in one megalopis, perhaps somewhat like the Paolo Soleri vision of FutureWorld; the element that upsets me is the assumption this vastly superior technology can't nurture a pot of geraniums outside its rigid borders.

In my view, humans always test the limits of the possible and permissable. Clarke assumes a human future where people don't color outside the lines; in contrast, anyone who's been in prison (I assume Clarke hasn't; every month I work with a dozen or so people just out of prison) knows the impossibility of living inside a closed door or blank wall.

Book Description

The year is 1952. Fourteen-year-old Alex Gambier is rebellious by nature and scarred by childhood tragedy in the southern community of Evening Shade. An outcast in his own family, mute from a bout with diptheria at an early age, Alex expresses himself by writing imaginative stories and by conceiving daredevil stunts that test all of his physical rescources while putting his life in extreme danger.The aftermath of one of his hair-raising stunts finds Alex in the care of a young black nurse named Mally Shaw. An unlikely friendship results, which is ended by an unspeakable crime that costs Mally her life.Or not quite ended, for Mally finds herself trapped in a nether world by the force of Alex's will and his need to exact a terrifying revenge on the man responsible for Mally's death.But the revenge he seeks is a two-edged sword, the price Alex's own soul as he recklessly pursues his quarry in a chilling double twist climax that surpasses anything John Farris has written before.

Customer Reviews:

A new discovery..........2006-10-29

The number one question I ask myself when I started this book is why haven't I heard of John Farris before now? My local bookseller at the time recommended the book after Mr. Farris had a booksigning at the store last year. I bought the book but it's sat on my TBR stack all this time. After reading this book, I have to admit that Farris is definitely a diamond buried beneath a ton of black coals of other less talented bestselling writers. This was the first time in a long while where I took the day off and read a book cover to cover. No skimming. Every word...every turn of phrase is literally an artistic masterpiece. I tried to research the author on the web, but he seems to be as much a phantom as the Dixie Traveler. Majority of the characters are multilayered and you do come to care for a great deal of them-none more so than Alex. Highly, highly recommended.

A Gifted Storyteller and his BEST in years...........2005-07-20

John Farris pulls out a classic....
I've read many of John Farris's novels and stories over the years but I was not prepared for how this left me, days after in fact. Stories rarely come this well written anymore. The bestsellers you see in the stores rarely come close to this
storytelling greatness yet John Farris remains obscure? I just love to sink into a period story(this one from the 50's)with such detail and with a touch beyond the grave. Excellent story. Reminds me how I felt when I read the great Joe R. Lansdale's classic tales 'THE BOTTOMS' and 'A FINE DARK LINE' which both have similar themes and terrific storytelling magic. This is sure to be one of the best of the 2005.

John Farris should outsell us all.......2005-04-17

Phantom Nights is a masterpiece of a novel, which deserves to be read far more widely than it has been to this point. John Farris, long a master of the literary thriller, brings all of his many novelistic gifts to this latest effort, resulting in a read that is always engaging and ultimately deeply satisfying. Mally Shaw and her father, Dr. Ramses ValJean, people of color in a sleepy southern town of the 1950s, are complex and moving characters, rendered by a consummate artist who sees deeply into the human heart. Bobby Gambier, acting sheriff of the town, is equally complex and appealing, and his mute brother Alex is as powerful and sympathetic a portrait of a tormented young teenager as you will find in any novel, commercial or literary. The evil in this novel is made larger, more real and menacing, by its very smallness. No mustache twisting cardboard villains here. No flat character of any kind. There is not a soul in this novel who does not live and breathe and move us in some way. Farris has that ultimate gift from which all else in a great novel flows: we care about the people he brings to us. The prose itself is so fine, so polished, that we effortlessly fall through it into the beating heart of the novel, where the heat makes us sweat, and we taste the grease at the local diner. The phantom train, a motif which appears in other memorable Farris novels, becomes a vividly chilling device in this one. Among his fellow novelists, John Farris has long been known as the master. I've been published fourteen times without ever writing half so well, try as I might. If life were fair, John Farris would be a perennial best selling author. With his many other talents, we are lucky he's still bringing us these stunningly good novels. You're in the right place to order "Phantom Nights" right this minute. Do it! Then read it slowly if you can, for it is too soon over. And when you are done, spread the good word.

Excellent Book Could Make a Memorable Film.......2005-03-28

John Farris does such a good job of drawing his characters in this novel that I had no trouble picturing them in my mind as I read. From villainous Leland Howard, to deputy sheriff Bobby Gambier and his mute brother Alex, to Mally Shaw and her father, Dr. Ramses Valjean, these are some of the more memorable and three-dimensional characters I've encountered lately. In the hands of the right person, this could make a great movie, with a very meaty role in Dr. Valjean and his forensics expertise. The story is a mixture of mystery and the supernatural and is handled with great expertise. It's nice to see Mr. Farris taking a break from the all-out horror pyrotechnics of his Fury sequels and turning his great talent to a quieter, though no less masterly tale. Very highly recommended!

A tour de force from a literary master..........2005-03-28

John Farris returns with Phantom Nights, a Southern Gothic told with the patience of Hemingway and the character insight of Cormac McCarthy. Phantom Nights might fall into genre fiction, but fans of Southern Lit, Horror, Mystery, and Literary Fiction (whatever that may be) will be hard pressed to deny Farris' talent for narrative, pacing, characterization, and wordplay. John Farris has been criminally underrated in recent years, and I challenge anyone to pick up Phantom Nights for themselves and not wonder why he's not competing with the Grisham's and Dan Brown's and Dean Koontz's atop the NY Times Bestseller list. Those writers can't hold a candle to Farris' immense talent. Find out for yourself.

Greens are Good for You (Basic Health Guides)

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Greens are Good for You (Basic Health Guides)
Earl L. Mindell
Manufacturer: Basic Health Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 1591200369

Book Description

The government tells us that we should eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits daily. Unfortunately, the average person is lucky to have two servings in a typical day, children even less. In their new booklet, Drs. Mindell and OÂ'Donnell tell us how greens can protect us against heart disease; cancer; diabetes; macular degeneration; poor night vision; senile dementia; liver disease; fatigue; and blood, sleep, urinary, and colorectal disorders.

Terror in the Night: The Klan's Campaign Against the Jews

Average customer rating:

Great Book, about real people bad and good
amazing
Amazing History of Southern Jews
Good book
excellent

Terror in the Night: The Klan's Campaign Against the Jews
Jack Nelson
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Great Book, about real people bad and good.......2006-07-14

I wanted to read this because my 5th grade teacher was on the wrong path and died in a gunbattle while participating in an attempted bombing. What I got was a story about people's struggles to prevent wrongs and the risks that they took. Right away I wanted to call and thank the parents of a childhood jewish friend for their work. Fabulous!

amazing.......2006-01-31

I thought this book was amazing. It gives a whole new perspective to how the KKK affected the south.

Amazing History of Southern Jews.......2006-01-05

I read this book after learning of a friend of mine who grew up Jewish in Jackson Mississippi and went through everything Nelson talks about. The book was incredibly written and Nelson is a phenomonal Journalist. I highly recomend this book to anyone looking to learn more about American history or history of Jews in the South.

Good book.......2000-11-08

This is of particular interest to people living in Mississippi in the 1960's. I was a child during this time and knew the children of the players in the book. I never knew the terrible things they were going through. It gave me a deep appreciation of the people involved. It also made me think in ways that I had never really considered. For example, the fact that the Klan is a terrorist organization rather than a bunch of rednecks in sheets.

excellent.......2000-05-18

I had to read this for school. I thought it would be horribly boring, but it was excellent.

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