Boston

...and tell your friends to keep an eye on you, because you won't be able to put Endless Love down, even if your house catches fire. Then get ready to laugh, cry, and see God. Yes, God. Lesbian-style. For a few hours, you will be trapped inside the skin of the troubled protagonist, as love hurtles her through ecstasy, unimaginable pain, then toward peace and wholeness.

The prose is glittering, transparent, and the plot, though not suspenseful in the classic sense, will leave you gasping. This is the Great Universal Novel, and wouldn't you know it? The main characters are lesbian, so it's tucked away in a genre drawer. But you won't find any formulas in this sparse and fast-moving tale. Ah, but whether you are lesbian or not, you will laugh and cry and tingle with awe.

Buy this book. In fact, load up with as many copies as you can find, because once you lend this book to your friends, you will never see it again. I can't praise this book enough.

My only complaint--I wish I'd written it.

To me, Endless Love ranks up there with Curious Wine as a great piece of lesbian romance. Though, Endless Love comes with a twist! The copy I own has since found it's way into a friend's hands and another friend received a copy as a gift. My highest, highest possible recommendation on this book.

A very, very moving book. Its one of those books that can make you wake up and realize so many things...

This is my favorite Shapiro story. The feeling and emotion Andrea experiences are as close to real as it gets when you are young and lose your first love. Her recovery hits close to home and I found myself wanting to meet her and the rest of the characters.

Great book, I'd recommend it for anyone concerned about the gun crackdown soon coming to a town near you! However, he mentions a movie called "The Pallax View." That I can't seem to find anywhere. If anyone can help please e-mail me. jdwilliams@thegrid.net

Boston's on Guns and courage is well written. Many quotations from John Ross' book Unintended Consequences, as well as from patriots going back to the revolution of 1776, frame a nice discussion of the authors thesis, namely that the second amendment is the final guardian of the rest of the constitution. I myself think that constitutional rights are like muscles. They get flabby and weak if not used.

Boston also explains something about current gun laws, which is a confusing and fast moning topic, and a moving target hard to hit.

I thought the chapter on woman and guns to be of particular potential interest to the woman's lib types who don't agree with the usual anti gun agenda.

Overall , there is more on hardwear than on philosophy or tactics, which is perhaps as it should be. Buy 'em. Then have someone teach you to use 'em.

A really nice review of available hardware, some of the prices a little out of date and low. Mr. Boston likes the .308 and the FAL, admits his bias, gives his rationale. I can live with this.

Personally, I think the .308 is fine, and if loooking for a weapon with some long range accuracy potential, I'd prefer the M1A(M14)-bettter sights, I like the traditional stock better, less need for meticulous cleaning, and face it-put a small mag in, and w a walnut stock and blued finish, looks more politically correct.Easy to scope too, which this weapon cries out for.

That not withstanding, the FAL is just fine, and his info on the AR-15 pattern weapons out there is just fine. Next edition should cover red dot type sights.

Overall-good book, to recommend to those who have decided to own firearms and what to learn before they buy. The author puts in his predjudices, but admits them up front. If nothing else, you will probably go out and buy Unintended Consequences.

Boston, Mr. Royce, is entertaining and informative. I have this book and the follow on volume, and both are excellent. His views are field tested, and perhaps best of all, he admits his prejudices, says why he thinks what he thinks and then leaves it to the reader to make the decision for her/him self. A true libertarian. He talks the talk, but also walks the walk. I had the privilege of meeting him at a show once and he impresses me as a man you could leave your teenage daughter or your wallet with him and they would absolutely be safe upon your return. This personal integrity shows in his writing style and approach to life. Hooray for this book.

Really a great read--funny, caustic and tragic. Very Wolf-esque in his satire on our culture. Way too true. There's so much of this corruption in corporate America. Willett hits the nail on the head!

funny.

I can't recommend this book more highly. It is just exceptionally brilliant.

A social satire/comedy along the lines of Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" and "A Man in Full" it is better in its own way.

It absolutely NAILS a part of American life after Sept 11, 2001.

It takes place in MA with a company called Playtime that has issues a la Tyco, Enron and Martha Stewart.

Willett has a real talent for dialogue. His gay clothes salesman is a real hoot. I don't know if he wrote it before "Queer Eye" was on the air but it sounds exactly like Carson Kreesley and it is all too funny.

Why this book is not on the best seller list just goes to show how inefficient Mr. Market is. Reading this book is like buying BRK.A at $1,300.

There's the CEO and what is he concerned about? His options and stock of course!

His characterizations are just great. Even minor characters like the lawyer Pearl are just very good.

Willett is a practicing lawyer in Boston so there is plenty of material to draw from and to that extent he's ahead of Tom Wolfe or John Grisham because he's living it and writing about it. Not just observing and writing.

Plenty of laughs about Dover and the goats. And milfs! What a great new word.

One of the best parts of the book are four lectures from the Amherst economics professor. This part is so good I wondered if it is fact or fiction.

It would make a great movie. No doubt about that.

Some clever misdirection and mystery lead to a very interesting ending.

Two points: 1. The NYSE opens at 9:30 eastern and not 9:00 AM.

2. Interesting to note that religion is not a part of the family's life and maybe that's part of the problem. Admittedly the book is a comedy but it delivers more and there is a slight reference at the end. To that extent I feel sorry for the secular Northeastern Boston-DC culture.

I thought this book was superb. I really enjoyed the read. The story was not the main motivator, as much as the writing style and character development. I agree with other reviewers re: the similarity to Tom Wolfe. In fact I loved the Economic College Class chapters so much, that I copied them and sent them to my son who is taking economics in college.

I may be the last dedicated mystery reader on the planet to discover Brady Coyne, but what a happy discovery it was! I understand this is Outing #17, so I predict many enjoyable hours for myself.

Brady's good friend/client is devastated at the loss of his teen-aged son in a tragic auto accident. The boy and his girl friend perhaps took a curve too fast, broke through the guardrail, and plunged into a swift flowing river. The girl drowned in the driver's seat with seat belt still strapped on. The boy apparently was thrown out of the car and washed away. The body has not been found. Brady agrees to handle the legal and bureaucratic details for the grief-stricken family.

Nothing is quite as it seems in this perfect small town with its perfect, civic-minded sheriff. The pace is relentless, the body count rises, the events are ever more baffling---and the reader is thoroughly hooked.

The characters are multi-faceted; not one could ever be called a stereotype. Brady is a pure delight, a basically nice guy who is a mite lazy, is a walking manual on how not to run your love life, a fond but not too effectual father of grown sons, and doesn't handle stress well at all. Even if this were not a well-plotted suspenseful story, which it most certainly is, I think I'd read more Brady Coyne books just to spend time with my friend, Brady-and make sure he didn't leave me in mid-story to go fishing.

A great outing and highly recommended.

William G. Tapply is one of the finest mystery writers working today. In "Scar Tissue", Brady Coyne receives a phone call from Jake Gold telling Brady that his son, Brian had been in a fatal auto accident. Brian's girlfriend, Jenny, has been killed, but Brian's body hasn't been found. Brady feels there is little he can do, but when he finds Ed Sprague, chief of police in Reddington, murdered in a motel room and when Jake Gold disappears, Brady begins to investigate. Brady uncovers a child pornography ring and blackmail, as well as murder. This is an excellent addition to a top-notch mystery series.

Not being adept at writing book reviews, two things come to mind as I set-out to write about this excellent mystery novel: first, to give an opinion about the book, and secondly not to give away the conclusion to the mystery. So as not to spoil the ending, I will avoid the latter concern and say a few words about the former. Here's my opinion: Simply stated, Scar Tissue by William G. Tapply is a gripping mystery in the Brady Coyne series. This was my introduction to Tapply's mystery writing, and I am eager to seek out other editions. I found Scar Tissue to be a fast-paced, intriguing story with some likable and not so likable characters. Tapply develops his characters with depth and sensitivity, Brady Coyne being the most magnetic. Coyne never misses a beat, even as he winds his way through the plot in a human and down to earth manner. For the reader who is looking for an engrossing mystery with a twisting, turning plot and unlikely outcome, this book is for you. I look forward to Brady Coyne's next adventure. Now, back to my fly-tying bench.

Hey I'm Natalie and I thought that this book was wonderful. A wonderful book on it's own and a wonderful sequal to the first one Boston Jane:An Adventure. I don't suggest reading it on it's own though. Well written, it may be kind of easy for teens but they will like as well since it also has a somewhat romantic plot interwoven into it.

This is a great book 2nd in a serse, adventure,Romance, and wild animals. It's set in the 1850's, and is told from the view of Jane Peck, 16, a finishing school graduate with eddictate issues and apparently commetment issues, who has traveled across the contient to marry her childhood idol, but she had now found that he only wanted to marry her so he could get twice the land but when she showed up she found she had been dumped by her fiancee' for another woman, and is left stranded in the wilderness. soon after the first blow she recieves a letter from her father mailed after his death, feeling more lost and alone, she soon falls into a depression, she resents herself and the local men and the newest arrival a young woman by the name of Mrs Frink, who seems gracious and Charming, she seems like everything that irritates Jane she seems perfect and gets better treatment form the locals than Jane ever did, also she seems to reject the right guy, Jehu the young sailor who seems to be in love with her, she believes his intentions are wrong and that he could never be the right guy for her (of course we know he is the right guy!) and now she didn't even have the money to leave the bay then when all seems lost to Jane, she meets a gentlemen who comes around asking for her protector Mr Russell after the men have left for a couple of days, he gives her a gold watch to pay for her journey to Philedelphia. But then Jane learns that his intentions are to kill Mr Russell, now she must travel across the wilderness to stop him with jehu and her Native American freind Keer-ukso before he murders Mr Russell. this was a great book, a sure page turner, although her nagging does get a little irritating at times, but she is interesting and it's humorous, Jennifer L Holm as always keeps us guessing till the end and leaves us satisfied at the end, I can't wait till the third installment of the Boston Jane serise Boston Jane: the claim; coming in march 2004

i realy loved this bok! I even read 2 books boston jane. jane is brave to stay on the islind with on friend.

Ms. Peale writes a great Victorian mystery. She makes the era come to life expertly. In this book we are introduced to a home for "fallen" women - something quite common during this era when the ordinary citizen took responsibility for people in need because there were no social safety nets. In the book it appears that there is a crazed killer out attacking girls from Bertram's Bower (one of the homes as I've mentioned). The nature of the killing has the public worrying that the Whitechapel murderer, Jack the Ripper, has moved his base of operation to Boston. Caroline and her brother set out to try to determine who is committing these very bloody crimes because one of Caroline's dear friends runs Bertram's Bower, and it's her girls getting killed. Along the way we are exposed to the seemier side of Boston in 1892. The portrait painted of Boston from this time is very authentic, even though the mystery is easy to figure out. I really enjoy this series. It's a pleasure to find an author who knows how to create a believable Victorian mystery.

It is a tribute to Ms. Peale's talent that despite the fact I found none of her characters to be particularly sympathetic, I was drawn irresistibly into this story about murdered reformed prostitutes and do gooders.

The Boston portrayed in this book is almost stulifying in its insularity and self righteousness. Upright men of the Watch and Ward prowl the red light section searching for moral offenses and offenders. A single misstep by a woman leads to social and familial ostracism and eventually death-- if the woman is not lucky enough to attract the attention of Agatha Montgomery, Directoress of Bertram's Bower, a facility for the reclaiming of fallen women.

Addington and Caroline Ames (with their devoted Dr. McKenzie)set out to aid Agatha and by extention the habitues of Bertram's by trying to help the police solve the case of the murdered ex-prostitutes. The reader who sets out with them gets a fascinating look at Boston in the 1890's, warts and all. The contrasts are striking. Along the way we meet a woman who was a passionate abolitionist in her youth in the same city where the advertisements for jobs that state NINA (No Irish Need Apply). One of the good things about this book is that Ms. Peale lays this information out without preachiness. The reader is allowed to discover things for herself.

During the course of the investigation, Addington is tempted from his uprightness by a fallen woman turned actress and Caroline begins to wonder if maybe it isn't some one else's turn to do some good.

This book reminds me of those fascinating interior photographs of Victorian homes-- rooms crammed so full of treasures that the eye has trouble making sense of it, but a rich trove once the pattern is decerned.

Again, a solid plot and wonderful old Boston atmosphere satisfy the mystery reader in the second book in the Beacon Hill series.

The discovery of the first book in a small bookshop in Cape Cod led to my returning within days to Books By The Sea to buy up the remaining two. I've not been disappointed thus far.

I want to see less of Caroline's headstrong ways (yawn) and more about Ames. I look forward to a little more character development in the future installments in the series.

I have never read such detailed advice in handling yourself in many scenarios with the police. I found this book to be helpful in describing various tactics in your automobile to avoid calling attention to yourself. How to act during search requests and home visits is critical! Well Done, Mr. Boston T. Party!

As a peace officer I found "You & The Police!" really
fun to read. Not only was it informative but Boston
also writes in a humorous style that makes amusing the
usually dry subject of constitutional laws regarding
police behavior!

Citizens should read this book to understand fully
what their rights are and how police think. From an
officer's perspective a citizen having this knowledge
is not a bad thing. It just requires us to do our job
correctly.

Peace officers should read the book to understand how
a number of citizens like the author (and myself)
think. Most citizens are not carrying drugs or
weapons in order to commit crimes. But they don't
want to be insulted by having themselves, their homes,
or their cars searched in order to prove this to the
government. Refusing to allow a search is not an
indication of guilt. Officers need to place
themselves, as Boston points out, in the situation
where a group of citizens arrive at his door step

demanding to search his home for drugs and illegal
weapons in order to guarantee that the officer is not
some corrupt cop--all, of course, in the name of
public safety!

The main theme of the book is to learn how to deal
with the police on an equal level of civility, not
subservience. This is the American way.

"Bulletproof Privacy" is another interesting book by
the same author. In the book I found out some tricks
that a real criminal I am looking for is using to try
and hide his new address. Thanks Boston!

By Sheriff Bill Masters
San Miguel County (Telluride), Colorado

After reading this book, I have learned to be better on guard and diffuse situations that might arise. This book is packed with important information, it is easy to read for someone with NO legal experience or training, and it provides realistic methods and scenarios for dealing with the police. Overall, I also ENJOYED reading it.

I am not always much of a reader, but this book caught me from the first pages. It is a MUST for anyone who knows and/or loves the city of Boston and the history that goes along with it. I found myself visualizing the streets and areas of Boston as I read each chapter. My only disappointment was the ending...I could not believe that I was on the last page! I wanted it to end differently for the characters (thus, only 4 stars), but overall I was quite satisfied with the book. I am now going to dig into Cape Cod, but the same author.

This was a lively read about a wealthy family in Boston. The story is told in chapters that alternate between modern times (the late 1970s, anyway) and the past, as the family is haunted by its relationship to a Paul Revere tea set. The story is well told, but it seems obvious that the author is a historian -- the story and characters in the past, with a few exceptions, seem much more interesting.

Still, this is a fun read, particularly if you're interested in Boston's history.

I read this gripping saga when it was first published some 20 years ago. Since then, I've recommended it to friends and to newcomers to Boston. Recently, I bought a copy at a local library sale and began to re-read it. I am as caught up in it now as I was all those years ago when I first read it. Martin's "Back Bay" does withstand the test of time. The story is cleverly told by the use of flashback. The reader learns the secret and the mystery of the Pratt family early in the book but must wait for the revelation and solution along with the characters who live in the 20th century. The story is a marvelous blend of fact and fiction and is a must read for anyone who loves Boston, history, and mystery. I would also recommend, as a companion book, Walter Muir Whitehill's topographical history of Boston.

This is a departure for Parker, as some of the story is told from the point of view of the villain. It's a very suspenseful read, and I liked how how strong Susan was; you may not always enjoy her, but in this one she seems to be a person apart from Spenser, which gives her some reality. Not just a pretty face who finds it "irresistable to be loved so completely." My biggest problem is Parker's simplistic Freudian psychology. Guess why the serial killer kills? Surprise - it's his mother's fault. Parker does tend to take the easy and obvious route with the motivations of his characters, and that isn't always a bad thing, but it gets wearying when you read the whole series. Spenser, the ultimate autonomous man, would never say his father (or anyone else) is responsible for his actions. So why should anybody else's parents take the blame? Gimme a break.

There's more than one interesting twist in this installment of the Spenser series, evidence that Parker's working hard to stay out of a rut.

First, this is a bit more serious than usual in that the unknown killer is a psychopathic serial killer. Our hero isn't quite up to his usual quota of wisecracks.

Secondly, some of the narrative is from the killer's viewpoint, a first for a Spenser novel.

Thirdly, there is a hint at the Harry Bosch type conflict between solving a case and playing police politics & protecting the police image. (This was written 4 years before the first of the Connolly series)

And fourth, there's a real testing of Spenser's relationship with Susan as there's a serious conflict between his need to protect her and her need for autonomy & adherence to her profession's practice of condifentiality between doctor & patient.

The reader might have a bit of trouble suspending disbelief over the points of Spenser's openly working with the Boston police and of the extreme coincidental factor, but it is an entertaining read up to the average Spenser.

My husband and I are big fans of the Spenser series. He has read all of them; I have not, but I'm working on that. My husband wasn't all that crazy about this book and the following three (Playmates, Stardust, Pastime). I can't get into Playmates because I'm not a basketball fan (AT ALL), but I found Crimson Joy to be pretty good. I like psychological thriller type stuff. This may not be the most thrilling psychological mystery one could read, but I liked it a lot for what I think it is intended to be. The only reason I bring up the other three books is because if you read Crimson Joy and you like it, you might be more likely to enjoy the next three. I haven't gotten there yet, but I intend to read all of them (if I can get through that dang basketball!). I won't go into the plot, you can get that from other reviews and the synopsis. I do recommend the book, though, and that's what counts here.

I bought Michael Connelly's 26 Miles to Boston as a Christmas gift for my husband. I was aghast to read that the author had run the race as a bandit (i.e. not registered--either by qualifying, as part of a charity program or any of the other ways to LEGALLY run without qualifying). This one fact all but ruined what otherwise would have been an entertaining and interesting book about one of the world's greatest running events. In particular, his tirade against Marty Liquori, who had the temerity to suggest on-air that unregistered runners respect the Boston Athletic Association's rules and decline from taking advantage of the many course amenities for which they didn't pay (in Mr. Connelly's case this included the expertise of medical staff after the race), reduced my respect for him as a "runner" to the point that I couldn't enjoy the book. I suspect other runners who do respect this great race may have similar feelings. It took me several years to get to the point that I could even consider trying to qualify for Boston; Mr. Connelly decided six months ahead of time to begin a running career and had such a sense of entitlement as to feel that the world owed him the privilege of running the Boston Marathon right off the bat. This would have been a much better book without the inclusion of Mr. Connelly's self-righteously conceived, ill-advised personal experience.

Mr. Connelly provides an entertaining back-of-the-pack point of view of his first marathon, the centennial running of the Boston Marathon. Although the book is not a training manual, it is a great account that should be read by first time marathoners. Experienced marathoners, on the other hand, will be able to relate to mental highs and lows described by the author during his run. Most amazing, but not covered in depth, was that the author was dedicated enough to train for the marathon, as a "bandit", during one of the worst winters recorded in New England. That perseverance carries over to pages of Mr. Connelly's book.

Never has a book captured the essence of not only running Boston, but mararthoning as 26 Miles to Boston has. The author's account of his run humanizes the event - and puts a face on the Boston Marathon like never before. In my mind any concerns with the runner's running status (non-qualified) are put to rest by the fact that the three greatest runners ever to run the Boston Marathon support the book with personal endorsements in the form of forewords. Also the Boston Athletic Association lends their own quote to the cover of the book further endorsing the author's account of the Boston Marathon. In my mind the Boston Marathon is the greatest race in the world. People come from all over the world to run in this event - some are qualified some are not. What makes it special is the fact that all are provided the opportunity to compete in the "Open" event. The Boston Marathon is not just for "elite" runners, but runners of all levels, nationalities and backgrounds. I love the way 26 Miles to Boston captured the special qualities of the race and intertwined the author's account and the champions' accounts of the race. I would recommend this book to all runners, marathoners and fans of the Boston Marathon, the elite and non-elite alike.