Boston

Well, I'm glad I read this book after giving up on "Carioca Fletch" (hint: stay away from that book). This is a very good book that grabs your attention and keeps it all the way through. The one thing I didn't like about the book (and it might just be a function of the genre and not a fault specific to the book) is that the "solution" to the mystery is not one that you really have any stake in finding. Essentially, you're hit with more information at the very end of the book which gives you a surprise ending. That aside, it's still a very good, fun book that's well worth reading.

McDonald brings the heros of his two great detective series, Irwin M. Fletcher and Francis Xavier Flynn together for their only joint appearance on the printed page. The result is a quite satisfying story in which someone attempts to fram Fletch for murder. Fans of either series will love this fine entry into both of them.

I don't like it when reviewers reveal plot points, so I won't. Suffice to say, if you like other Fletch books, you will like Confess, Fletch. If you haven't read any Fletch boosk, you might want to start with Fletch, which was adapted into a funny movie starring Chevy Chase.

Every family has secrets. When Taylor Greene learns about his, he contacts a Federal Reserve officer. On the night they are scheduled to meet, however, the agent is gunned down in his hotel room. Days later, the reportedly despondent Taylor is also found dead.

Months later, Dane Rudd shows up at a memorial service for Taylor, ostensibly to express his gratitude upon receiving the deceased's corneas. But Dane's easygoing manner conceals a more complex persona and agenda. Dane has come to town to discover the truth behind Taylor's demise. The classic "outsider", he expertly maneuvers through the deadly labyrinth that is Rio Vista, California, creating fierce enemies as easily as he inspires warm friendship.

Known and admired for his excesses, Teran has delivered a surprisingly low key piece of work, a California gothic that focuses on the complex relationships that exist between the members of his large and colorful cast of characters, expertly delving into their motivations, loves and hates. Doing so, he examines the powerful pull of family ties, and of loyalties forged under extreme conditions. This tension forms the core of this cornucopia of tragedies. .

Although Teran's prose has matured, he is still given to lapses where he lets his wordplay get in the way of his storytelling. To witness: "We are mere pauses, and like the windmill wheel moving across the eye of the sun in a blink we are there then gone, there then gone, there then gone." Misfires like this and the repetitive nature of the dialogue between Dane and love interest Essie are what the late John D. MacDonald once labeled as "author intrusions", a way for the author to call attention to how nice he's writing. Still, these lapses are forgivable, ultimately inflicting little damage to this agreeable, tightly paced novel.

Boston Teran's third novel, "The Prince of Deadly Weapons", is a complex and at times confusing tale of redemption and revenge. Six months following the assumed suicide of Taylor Greene, the son of a wealthy developer, an enigmatic Dane Rudd shows up to attend a memorial service for Greene. Taylor Greene was an organ donor, and Rudd, as it turns out, is the recipient of Taylor's corneas. The mysterious Rudd sticks around, endearing himself to the dead boy's father, and entangling himself in an unofficial investigation of Greene's death.

Unlike the parched and barren southern California wasteland in which Teran set his first two blockbuster mystery-thrillers ("God is a Bullet" and Never Count Out the Dead"), "Deadly Weapons" is set in the more-lush, but none-the-less barren, California Sacramento River delta. The delta is an overlooked region of the west, full of contradictions and extremes - a land virtually lost in time within the shadow of San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Teran is true to his literary accolades in painting a vivid picture of the people and geography of the delta. But unlike the his first two efforts, in which the brutality of the characters, deeds, and settings literally grab the reader by the throat refusing to let go, "Deadly Weapons" tends to meander into too much a somber study of lost lives and missed opportunities. One can't help feeling that Teran tried to hard to make this novel "important", and in the process blunted the edge of what should have been another creative, dark, and compelling tale.

All things considered, though, this is a book worth reading. Teran still demonstrates a unique literary talent, spinning the most simple phase or event in an engaging cross between prose and poetry. Despite its shortcomings, Boston Teran can write, and I'll look forward to his next installment.

Though not quite as good as his previous two books, THE PRICE OF DEADLY WEAPONS is one of the better crime fiction books of the year. The intersecting cast of characters can get confusing, but the payoff is worth the trip. It seems that Boston Teran is trying something new here but is staying within the "world" that we have come to expect from him. I would recommend reading his previous books in order (God is a Bullet & Never Count out the Dead) before taking on this one -- you'll see why. Boston Teran is someone to watch and read.

'The Stalking of Kristen" is the sad tale of the cold -blooded murder of a female college student in Boston in May, 1992. The author is none other than her distraught father, a Washington Post reporter. SOK is deeply disturbing on several levels. Readers know from the outset that Kristen never had a chance. Further, the perpetrator commits suicide, so there is no prosecution. SOK is one-quarter paean by a grieving father for his departed daughter and one-quarter portrait of the troubled, unloved loser who was the murderer. Another quarter is the indictment of the authorities in eastern Massachusetts who failed to protect women like Kristen from dangerous stalkers, to seriously enforce orders of protection or even crack down on parole violators.. A final portion of SOK is a quasi research paper into stalkers and the troubles and tragedies they cause. These elements dilute the impact of SOK. With all due respect to the grief stricken author, SOK is too long. Mr. Lardner had a powerful tale to tell but could have done so far more briefly. The epilogue, bibliography and notes stretch over 90 pages! SOK is a powerful and worthwhile 5 star work, with one star deducted for its' unfortunately excessive length. This reviewer is guessing that many females, especially those in eastern Massachusetts, will add back the 5th star.

I found this book thought-provoking and very interesting. It must have been exceptionally painful for George Lardner to dig this deeply into his daughter's murder, but also somewhat theraputic when he finished writing the book. THE STALKING OF KRISTIN will hit home especially to parents, since the worst nightmare of any parent is to see their child hurt, or even worse, killed. It also will appeal to women, as it discusses the difficulty we sometimes face when all we desire is justice. It caused me to think about our legal system today and how it fails us AND protects us everyday. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I highly reccomend it...

With heart-rending honesty, Lardner recounts the tragedy that turned his picture-perfect life into a horrendous nightmare. Lardner's daughter, an art student in Boston, was murdered by a disgruntled boyfriend who first stalked her and then shot her dead. The beginning of the book is great. The dad speaks with candor about his love for and his frustrations with his daughter from the time she was a young girl through her college years. She grew up in Chevy Chase, a suburb of Washington, D.C., a setting very familiar to me. The author had me laughing out loud and crying real tears before I was barely into the book at all yet. He reported on the details of his daughter's tragic death as well as the sad state of affairs in the United States which allows hardened criminals back on the streets to quickly become repeat offenders. Lardner recalls the story of murderer Michael Cartier's youth and the criminal record he accumulated during his short but turbulent life.

This is not a book for everyone due to it intense subject matter, but it was nonetheless quite engrossing to me. Good writing. Incredibly sad story. The story Lardner presents of Cartier, is quite frightening. It demonstrates the lengths to which a criminal's right's are protected by the United States criminal justice system versus the appalling lack of consideration given to a victim's right to safety and freedom from fear. What made the book all the more creepy was that, during the few weeks it took me to finish the book, a murder under similar circumstances occurred in a suburb of Washington, D.C. The March, 2000, Washington Post article which ran the news story ("Md. Man Gets Life Term in Girlfriend's Slaying" by Ruben Casteneda) ended by saying of the killer's girlfriend "A month before the shooting, she filed assault and kidnapping charges against him after he allegedly abducted her at knifepoint, but the arrest warrant was never served." Some things never change.

I've read about 12 books on Babe Ruth, and I've always believed that his best years were with the Red Sox. This book covers that era of his career in more detail than I've found elsewhere. There was nothing really new, except for a few pictures I had not seen. However, it acknowledges the accomplishments by the Babe before going to the yankess, which is often forgotten.

There have been numerous publications that give us Ruth the "Yankee." Having read most of what has been offered this particular book shed's light on the George Ruth few have ever had an opportunity to realize. From his day's in a boys home to his assent into the "Bigs." As well as his community service with children to the obligation that he felt to keep the local pubs in business. Ruth set the stage for athletes to give back and be yourself in the process. You'll also discover the truth behind "The Curse of The Bambino." This is truly an "In Depth Chronicle" of his start in the majors. A Great Read!!!!!!!!!!!

Well he didn't spend much time here, but for the short time that he was here, he was the most feared two-way player in all of baseball.I mean he pitched well and he hit well, with being the best pitcher in all of baseball and setting the Major League record of 29 home runs in 1919, the last year with the Red Sox. I'm sure that everyone knows that Ruth was probably the greatest hitter with the Yankees, but people always tend to forget the great career that he had with the Boston Red Sox. I hope that many people read this book and see how truly good he was, not only as a great hitter, but how amazing of a pitcher he was.

Be aware that this is the 2001 edition of this travel guide and therefore restaurants, hotels, etc are somewhat out of date.

I live in New England and this is another of my favorite books from this region of the country. DK has always published quality books in their Eyewitness Travel Guides and they have done an excellent job with this volume on Boston. Unless you visit Boston on a frequent basis it is easy to get disoriented. I really found this book quite useful and the colorful layout of this book with maps, illustrations, photographs and text really inspired me to delve into its pages and check out one of New England's premier cities. The historical information on Boston was invaluable. I never realized some of the things I used to walk past. I think it is also very informative, not only from a historical perspective, but also as a point of reference for sightseeing, travel and enjoyment.

The Eyewitness Travel Guide to Boston was recommended to me in a bookstore and it was perfect for a recent 5-day trip to Boston. The guide is laid out by area, so you really get a feel for what else is around you when you are at a particular destination. The overall maps are very good and well detailed and the book is chock full of great photos. It also includes great history and background info. My Boston friend kept asking me "how do you know all this stuff?"

In this one, both Brady Coyne and especially Tapply seem to be a bit world-weary. The plotting is weaker and more forced than usual in Tapply's books and the development and especially the denouement of his mystery is much weaker than we have come to expect from Tapply. Coyne spending a lot of time wondering like some big-city Jimmy Carter about sexual desires for another woman gets a bit tiresome. Still Tapply makes for easy reading and Coyne is one of the most interesting of such series characters.

CUTTER'S RUN is very good, although not quite as good as the rest of the books in the series. Over the last couple years I ahve forced myself to leisurely read this series, because I enjoy it so much and don't want to run out of Brady Coyne mysteries. Alas, I have just the current one remaining. These books are written intelligently and exceedingly well. Brady is like an old friend. Tapply deserves to be a best-seller; his books are so much better than the drivel by Grisham and other mystery/thriller writers.

Brady Coyne is back--in CUTTER'S RUN--latest in a series Wlliam G.Tapply fans hope will take us through Brady's old age, eons from now. Brady drives a second hand Jeep in this one. He's his usual funny, thoughtful self, in a beautifully drawn Maine setting, where pollution kills, (and nearly gets Brady). CUTTER'S RUN combines superb writing with an entertaining mystery that transcends the genre, something Tapply does in every one of his novels: In CUTTER, he uses a romantic encounter to ponder the meaning of "betrayal", just as he uses baseball to talk about "life" in FOLLOW THE SHARKS. In Tapply's hands these are not your usual metaphors. The Maine country setting in CUTTER'S RUN adds depth to the action and characters and becomes part of the plot, like the glittering moon over the powdery beach in DEATH AT CHARITY'S POINT. Tapply crafts his tales with pure art.

While this is apparently the 18th Brady Coyne novel, I had not come across one before a friend of mine gave me this one to read.
I read it in a day and enjoyed it very much. What starts out as a weekend on Cape Cod for Coyne and his girlfriend, Evie Banyon ends abruptly with the murder of a man who is apparently stalking her. Following a grilling by the gendarmes both are allowed to leave and return home to Boston and shortly thereafter, Edie disappears. Searching for her, Coyne travels to Cortland, MA, the home town of the murdered man and a place where Edie used to work. The remainder of the story takes place there with numerous interesting characters, twists and turns in the plot along with some surprizes and an interesting ending. Mr. Tapply's writing shows polish and style and the reader is swept along through the labyrinth he has created for his characters in a most enjoyable way.

While William G. Tapply has written many books, this was the first one that I have read and I enjoyed it. The editorial review of this book gives quite a bit of information about the story itself so I will focus on my opinion of the book. I sometimes find mystery novels by male writers a little dry, so I was pleasantly surprised with PAST TENSE. Tapply's experience as an author shines throughout the book. The character of Brady Coyne is multi-dimensional with his honesty, yet he walks around the truth and frequently uses his attorney status to further whatever he needs. The supporting characters and small town description of Cortland was amusing and accurate. The story itself was not fast-paced but rather developed steadily. There are several smaller mysteries lurking in the book and while you may figure them out along the way, it's still an enjoyable ride.

"Past Tense" is the 18th Brady Coyne novel by William G. Tapply whom I think is one of the top mystery writers working today. Brady and his girlfriend, Evie Banyon, plan a nice weekend on Cape Cod. While at a restaurant there, Evie spots a former lover, Larry Scott whom Evie thinks is stalking her. She has words with him. The next day, Evie finds the body of Larry Scott who has been murdered. Evie and Brady become the prime suspects in his murder. Shortly after they return to Boston, Evie disappears. Brady feels the only way to clear Evie is to find the real murderer, and goes to Larry Scott's hometown in search of the truth. This is another winner by William G. Tapply!

I think that the book is pretty good so far, but it does have a few things that I can't quite relate to or understand. Most people in today's society don't get pointed out for commiting adultery. It's like an everyday thing now. People just don't do that anymore. I do think that is was great to see how the people back then viewed certain quailties and how they carried out their religious beliefs. To me, this was a story about a woman named Hester Prynne who was caught up in a bad love triangle. She was married to a scholar who had sent her ahead to Boston. She got caught up and fell in love with the minster Dimmesdale. She got pregnant and had a daughter who she named Pearl because she was the most precious and expensive thing in her life. All of her earnings went towards her. They made Hester and baby Pearl sit out on a scaffold allday to let the people come by and look at them and ridicule them. Hester had to wear a scarlet A on her bosom from hence forth. She made the most of it, though. Pearl had an intuition and she could recognize how was good and who was bad. She knew the Chillingworth, Hester's husband, was a bad man. She felt a connection with Dimmesdale. One day when Pearl was about seven years old, she asked her mother what did the scarlet letter mean and why did Dimmesdale always cover up his heart. Hester had still not revealed who the father of her child was because she loved him that much. As far as I have read the guilt is eating Dimmesdale up and he wants to tell the people but he doesn't know how. In the end you should try your best not to keep hurtful secrets inside because in the end it will be the thing that destroy's you the most!

Yes, I enjoyed this book. The STORY was good...I am sure you have an idea about it so I won't waste time with a summary. The SETTING was great...Hawthorne brought 17th Century frontier Boston alive with his stunning descriptions. The CHARACTERS were ok...yes, only ok, because I never found myself loving or hating any of them, which to me is evidence that the author was successful with his creation. But...The SYMBOLISM is what makes this book, what makes it a classic!...This book is a brilliant essay on how important it is to abide by a conscience. One mishap can lead you down a path towards destruction. BUT aiding in that destruction were Christians who were more unforgiving then the heathen around them...The christian who reads this book should learn that forgiveness was the #1 thing Christ taught and expects from us! (i.e. He who is merciful shall obtain mercy). BUT what I learned most from this book was how important it is to understand Gods grace! God is not some powerful ogre waiting to punish but a friend waiting to forgive. If this frontier town only could have known this how different their experience would have been!

However, I think this book was cheated because I read it right after the stunning 'Grapes of Wrath' and it simply could not compare, overall, and therefore can not receive the elite five star status! Still a must read if you have never...!

If stories of sacrifice, strength, commitment and love perk your interests, then this may be gratifying reading material for you. Hawthorne's text, The Scarlet Letter, requires concentration and thought to comprehend some of the wording. This book has a copious amount of run-on sentences which makes it seem way too drawn out. I also found it challenging to follow the plot and theme because of the ample amount of detail provided about each character and the various situations. I can see why The Scarlet Letter is considered a classic, but I would not recommend it to anyone.

Well, I read this in my Intro to Lit class. It was right after Frankenstein, so perhaps that made me like the book more than I normally would. Or maybe it was just Hawthorne's writing style. He tells us the story of Hester, a woman forced to wear the scarlet A for adultery in early Puritan America. How did they know she committed adultery? Her husband had not yet joined her in America and suddenly, she's pregnant. She refuses to reveal the father of her child. For the next couple of years we follow Hester, her daughter Pearl as she grows up isolated, and Pearl's father as well as Hester's newly returned husband...who has a new identity. Sometimes Hawthorne got so descriptive he went off-track, but for the most part, it's quite an interesting, almost soap opera storyline.

The Scarlet Letter puts even the most morally secure people's beliefs to the test. The line between what is really sin and what is "different" in this novel is one that most cannot define at the end of finishing this book. It makes the reader think about the choices in their own life, and the choices they would make in situations such as those of Hester Prynne, Dimmsdale, and little Pearl. The Scarlet Letter has a wonderful way of depicting the exclusiveness of the early Puritans that is not outwardly horrible, but chips away at the patience of the reader until their feelings towards the Puritans are nothing but distain. The novel uses light and dark in ways that subconsciously show what is Godly and reverent and what is evil and sin. So many elements in The Scarlet Letter just capture the reader into wanting more, and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to challenge their beliefs.

I first read this book in high school, and i didn't like it much, which was surprising because i really enjoy Hawthorne's short fiction. i again picked it up recently, and found that loved it. There no doubt that it is a difficult book to read, Hawthorne requires the reader to think as he reads. everything is symbolic of something in this book. Hawthorne has a mastery of the language that you just don't see anymore. think this is one we should re-read every few years, as we mature. I got the Norton edition, which helps a little with understanding the story, but most of the articles were not that helpful.

Young creates two essays; one that recalls George Robert Twelves Hewes participation in nearly every important event of the Am. Revolution, a sort of Forrest Gump of his time, and one that delves into the existance of historical memory- the true service of this book.

Young relates the events of Hewes life through contemporary biographers who had on hand the last of the revolutionary warriors. Contemporaries, intent on justifying and embellishing the memory of the revolutionary fathers, left a clear track of what the people of 19th century America wanted to know and to believe about their forebearers. It matters little that it would have been extremely unlikely that Hewes was present at every event he recalled.

That is Young's point. Sometimes, the story tells us as much about the historian and the market for his writing as it does about the event being recorded. Historical interpretation is recollection of events and placing them in context. Even immediately after an event, the eyewitness accounts vary. Today's historian may fall prey to superimposing current attitudes and values on prior events as those these are determinants.

Young's Shoemaker is a valuable caution to interpreters of history.

Alfred Young's book is a well-written example of how ordinary people shaped the Revolution. History tends to limit itself to the "Great Men" of the time, but sometimes an ordinary person like George Robert Twelves Hewes finds himself recorded into history. In this case, Hewes just happened to outlive many of the others who fought in the Revolution, and his experiences managed to live on in two biographies written about him while he was still alive. But Hewes is only part of the story. The rest of the book details how certain events of the Revolution have been forgotten (or at least not celebrated) such as the tar-and-feathering of John Malcolm. Young's book is striking and poignant, and it is written in a curt manner. I would suggest this book to anybody who has an interest in the American Revolution.

How did the idea of a revolution take hold among those who cared little about a tax on tea? The story of an apprentice shoemaker, (the lowest of the trades, we learn) who, one year humbles himself at the house of a successful Bostonian businessman, and, the next year refuses to doff his hat to a British ship's captain on the street. What changed him? Divided into two parts, the first half of this book is excellent, the second half less so. More academic than a pop history, but still a good read, I'm glad I bought it. The kind of book that leaves you feeling you learned something and read a good book at the same time.