On-the-tape

"On My Own at 107: Reflections on Life without Bessie" is by Sarah L. Delany with Amy Hill Hearth. Their text is accompanied by illustrations by Brian M. Kotzky. This book contains the reflections of 107-year old Sarah "Sadie" Delany after the death of her sister and lifetime companion Bessie at the age of 104.

A foreword by coauthor Hearth discusses the lives of these two extraordinary African-American women and the success of their book "Having Our Say," published in 1993 and adapted as a Broadway play. Bessie was a pioneering dentist, and Sadie a teacher; remaining unmarried, the two enjoyed a lifetime partnership that lasted over a century.

The main body of the text is divided into four parts, each with an introductory section by a 3rd person narrator. But the bulk of the text consists of Sadie's first-person reflections. Interspersed throughout the text are Kotzky's beautiful full color illustrations of the many flowers that longtime gardener Bessie loved: crocuses, tulips, rhododendrons, coral bells, etc.

This is a wonderful book about family, faith, growing old with grace, and surviving the death of one's life partner. Sadie's voice is wonderfully moving and sometimes funny. Ultimately the book celebrates the cycles of life.

This book is a touching tribute to Bessie Delany and a celebration of the enduring partnership she shared with her sister. Early in the book Sadie declares, "Why, I have been so blessed in my life!" Likewise are we readers blessed with this beautiful book. Recommended especially for those with an interest in women's studies, African-American studies, flower gardening, and issues related to the elderly.

i think this book would be a wonderful source of comfort for ANYONE who has lost a partner or loved one...it is so 'upbeat' and positive that it would help the survivor cope with loss. it is delightfully written and offers a perspective from 107 years of life that most of us will not achieve! i am giving this book to friends who need comfort and a new perspective on continuing with their lives.

How difficult it must have been for Sadie to live without Bessie after having her companionship for over 100 years. As someone who has lost many people in my life, I truly admire the strength of this woman. She was and is a true inspiration. You won't regret buying this book.

Let's face it. Reading Milton is no cakewalk. Oscar Wilde once said a writer was a "prose Milton" then added, "but so is Milton." That's why Anton Lesser's reading is genius. It's so genius, it demonstrates the genius of Milton. Laura Paton can't quite match Anton in his Shakespearean crispness and demonic force, but she only reads the few speeches of Eve.

Yes, it's an abridged version. But when they say abridged, they barely mean it. Whole books are included on the three (THREE!) CDs and ones that aren't read fully are here in Milton's own summaries. I recommend getting the NORTON CRITICAL EDITION OF PARADISE LOST to read along with this (although everything that's read is included in a booklet that also comes (!) with the CDs. The Norton Crit has the full text (should you want it) along with good footnotes and essays.

This is all so well done and so mindbogglingly cheap for how long it is (four hours!), I'm a little baffled why I hadn't heard of it before. Every English teacher will tell you that Milton should be read aloud. So why not have Anton Lesser do it for you? He does it so dern well.

Naxos audio maintain their high reputation with this excellent production of Milton's classic; wonderfully read by Anton Lesser, with Laura Paton as Eve.

Paradise Lost can be a difficult read. Personally, I could never get round to comitting myself to the book, but this reading really brings it to life, and is well worth spending the time and money. Milton creates many wonderous and fantastical images and characters. Satan is shown as a tragic hero, tormented by the innocence of Adam and Eve, and prompted to revenge. Milton actually uses his characters to play 'devil's advocate' (literally!) by asking many paradoxical questions of the biblical story. Considering this book was first printed at the height of the witchcraft paranoia of the seventeenth century, it's amazing he managed to get away with it.

Full of allegory and layers of meaning, this is a CD set you can enjoy again and again.

Merritt Hughes was a Quaker??
Anyway, despite the date of publication (1962) which leaves the commentary a little outdated, in that it doesn't really address Stanley Fish or Joseph Wittreich or some other big Milton scholars' recent contributions to the subject, this edition is great, for beginning milton readers and more advanced alike. The introduction and footnotes are among the most complete available anywhere with good references to hebrew, classical, and other motifs within the poem. It addresses the ptolemic vs. copernican debate (sun round earth or earth round sun) and Milton's astronomy in some depth in the introduction, maybe beyond what will be interesting until you've finished the poem.
A timeless edition, I would say, which is why its still popular after 40 years, much better than the penguin classic edition.

Another wonderful book from one of my favorite authors. A must read if you live with moggies or are considering the adoption of one. This book made me laugh out loud reading about Boston Blackie (I've entertained thoughts of a hired killer a few times with my brood)and gave me chills while reading the chapters on the cat in history. I've bought copies of this book for cat loving friends and like all of Barbara Holland's books, a keeper.

When it comes to cats, I'm a sap. There is only one cat in my house, and there will be for quite awhile because my cat will not tolerate any others in her presence. In fact, if you were to attempt such a foolish task as trying to introduce another feline in our house you would be faced with my cat bullying the other to the bottom of our couch in the living room, and observing pieces of hair everywhere that my cat has pulled out of the other.

In our futile attempt to find a way to alleviate this behavior, my wife and I went through several books, dozens of phone calls to veterinarians in Lincoln and Omaha (Nebraska) and were never to find a way to keep our tort shell from beating up on the calico kitten we brought home. Finally, however, we had to give the calico to my stepdaughter.

In our desperate attempt to find a way to stop Pokeman (yes, at last I reveal the cat's name) from being a bully we discovered this wonderful book by Barbara Holland. It starts with a tale of hope for our family with a short essay called "The Conversion of Boston Blackie". Boston Blackie was a stray that would terrify all the other cats in the author's household. It became so bad that Ms. Holland actually hired someone to assassinate Blackie. As it turns out, there was no need to do so, as for some reason the cat converted. Truly a story that kept us going for awhile in our fruitless attempt to convert our cat.

There's great stuff in this book, including the one I mentioned, some of it very sad (a story of a woman who would only let her cat live alone in a basement), some of it useful (how to wash a cat to prevent allergens from reacting).

Lyrical, recommended, and picked up at our house and browsed through frequently.

I've already pressed "Secrets of the Cat" into the hands of my husband and my two of my best friends and said, "You must read this."

So what were the odds that all of them would actually read the book and enjoy it? Slim to none, I'd have guessed from previous treatments of my recommendations.

In this case though, both husband and friends were hooked from the first page. The author begins with the tale of Boston Blackie, a cat who went berserk in the presence of other felines. He ripped off their ears, he gouged out their eyes, he sent them streaking for the bushes even at feeding time. And then, one day...but I don't want to spoil Blackie's story for you. Just a hint - his name was changed to Basil and no anatomical alterations were involved.

Barbara Holland has written an extremely personal book about the history, lore, and personality of 'Felis libyca.' In the chapter, "A Choice of Cats" she does riffs on many of the different feline breeds, but it is easy to see that the Siamese is her favorite:

"Properly treated, Siamese develop a deep, single-hearted devotion to their people and overreact to competition, absences, and infidelity like an adolescent in love. They need attention, and think nothing of pulling the books out of the bookcase and the pictures off the walls to get it. They demand notice in a raucous, echoing voice that many people and some other cats find alarming; the sound has been compared to that of a giant sea gull in distress. Taking on a Siamese is rather like getting married."

Our own preference is for Maine Coons (we share the house with five), and Barbara Holland tells a great story about them, too. Not that I agreed with everything she wrote. For instance, she stated that gray cats as a class are much friendlier than tabbies, which is exactly the opposite of our experience---and we've lived with two grays and about a million tabbies over the years.

Holland is also very upset by some of the artificially propagated breeds, such as the Cornish Rex and the Scottish Fold. Her chapter on "Show Business" is sad, hilarious, and razor-sharp---sometimes all three in the same sentence. Even if you think she is way off-base on her assessment of say, Himalayans or feline intelligence or declawing procedures, you'll want to keep reading until the end of the book. She is opinionated even to the point of irritation, but she is also extremely readable.

And Holland never confuses 'cat' with 'cute.'

There is one chapter in "Secrets of the Cat" (originally titled "The Name of the Cat") that you might want to skip: not because it is badly written, but because it is totally horrifying. That chapter is called, "Cats and the Church" and it relates the history of cats in (primarily) medieval Europe.

The kernel of this novel dates back to 1895 when Maugham was twenty years old and stayed in Florence to learn Italian. He came across a story in which a "husband suspecting his wife of adultery and afraid on account of her family to put her to death, took her down to his castle in the Maremma the noxious vapours of which he was confident would do the trick; but she took so long to die that he grew impatient and had her thrown out of the window." It is around this core (which is not exactly the plot line of the novel, don't worry) that Maugham developed the story of Kitty Fane, a woman who is vain, superficial and in need of appreciation. It is a story that plays in Hong Kong and China in the 1920s. Maugham knew both places from his extensive travels in the South East but, characteristically for him, he does not spill much ink on descriptions of the landscape or the natives, which is a pity. He is much more interested in his fictitious characters.

As always, Maugham is a master of drawing characters who possess all the self-importance, weakness, and suffering that underlie human existence. His characterizations are so sardonically true that he was sued two times over the book by people in Hong Kong, and had to change the name of Hong Kong into Tching-Yen, and the name of one of the characters from Lane (innocent enough, one would think) to Fane.

I was wondering why this rather obscure novel by Maugham has received nothing but glowing five-star reviews by almost exclusively female readers. The reason is that this novel is about marriage and the restraints that marriage imposes upon passion. Also, it is a classic story of a woman's spiritual awakening. Two themes that appeal to female readers to such an extent that they tolerate Maugham's biting sarcasm and his rather unromantic view of life (he is quoted as saying that "habits in writing as in life are only useful if they are broken as soon as they cease to be advantageous"). If there is an author who is not touchy-feely, it is W. Somerset Maugham. Marriage, he soberly concludes, is a matter of convenience. Passion, on the other hand, is a matter of inconvenience: it lurks untamed behind "the painted veil which those who live call life". What is left? Faith? Maybe, I think Maugham would say, but most people are not humble enough to be truly religious ("no egoism is so insufferable as that of the Christian with regard to his soul" is another quote by the master).

"The Painted Veil" is well worth reading. However, it suffers a bit from Maugham's self-assured way of portraying people and constructing a plot. It is a well-told story, but it is not a first rate novel. I think the problem is that Maugham's characters in this book are too one-dimensional which works well in a comedy of manners, but not in a book that wants to discuss matters like love, passion, marriage, life and spiritual growth in a serious way.

"The Painted Veil" by W. Somerset Maugham is the story of a young British woman, Kitty Fane. Kitty is one of two daughters--the older, prettier one. Kitty's father is an unambitious solicitor, and her mother--Mrs Garstin--is a "a hard, cruel, managing, ambitious, parsimonious, and stupid woman." Mrs Garstin pins all of her thwarted and frustrated ambitions on the hope that Kitty will marry well. Kitty, who has a rather inflated idea of herself, spurns all suitors until her younger sister's engagement. Under the threat of being "left on the shelf," Kitty accepts a marriage proposal from a very serious, intent, intelligent, young bacteriologist, Walter Fane. Kitty isn't really interested in Walter as a person or as a husband--he isn't her type at all, and a year or so previously, she wouldn't have considered him good enough. But gentle Walter "loved her so passionately that he was prepared to accept any humiliation if sometimes she would let him love her." Due to social pressures combined with the fact that Walter is leaving for Hong Kong, Kitty agrees to a swift wedding and sails off to her new life.

In Hong Kong, Kitty very quickly succumbs to the oily attentions of an older, polished, married British official. Kitty isn't a bad person, but she is empty-headed and shallow, and she underestimates her husband's reaction to discovering her affair. Kitty doesn't really know Walter, and she certainly doesn't understand him. Walter's role--in Kitty's mind--is exactly that of her father--the role of a doormat who pays for things. Walter is devastated by the discovery of Kitty's affair and immediately volunteers as the doctor in a Cholera epidemic at Mei-tan-fu, but even this seemingly spontaneous and suicidal act is well-planned by Walter. In forcing Kitty to accompany him, Walter exposes Kitty's lover for the vain, self-centered womanizer he really is, and Kitty is forced to examine her life and the choices she has made. In the middle of a Cholera epidemic--living in the house of a dead missionary, Kitty faces her shallow and selfish existence.

I love W. Somerset Maugham--he labeled himself as a second rate writer. I think this is an unfortunate and undeserved categorization, for as a writer he is a master with the creation of unforgettable characters and quite unmerciless when it comes to revealing the absolute unpleasantness of human motivation. As a writer, Maugham is fading from view, and that is a dreadful shame. This lesser-known Maugham novel is exquisite--displacedhuman

I agree with the many reviewers here who enjoy this as a gripping literary read. But it is also the first of three fine novels about Hong Kong - along with Timothy Mo's The Monkey King and Paul Theroux's Kowloon Tong, this book for me contained insights into certain Hong Kong personalities I encountered during my residence there in the 90's. In the case of the Painted Veil, a novel from the 1920's (!), certain actions and attitudes of western expatriates were still visible in my day (before and after the end of British rule). A little bit of playing at being "gentlemen" by people who could not afford the pose back home. This book, like Mo's and Theroux's, caused no end of upset in certain quarters of Hong Kong when released. Though it was not banned in China, like Kowloon Tong, in Hong Kong "writs were served!" (Parts of Hong Kong can react a little bit like a small town when its described by someone who's left it for better things - the other parts read these books with pleasure.) The detached reader need not worry about any of this - it's a great read. Enjoy.

Erich Segal proved that he knows how to pull our emotional chains as well as any contemporary writer in Love Story and Oliver's Story. He may well just have done it again in Prizes, the engrossing tale of three brilliant individuals. Their professional quests plus their lives and romances make for rapt reading.

Child prodigy Isabel da Costa has made a significant discovery, creating a formula that Einstein was unable to piece together. Sandy Raven, his personal life bordering on destruction, has capped his dedication to research by reversing the aging process in cells, and Adam Coopersmith, a physician, has developed an almost miraculous drug to help women who have been unable to become pregnant. His already full life is further complicated by his marriage to a career-minded lawyer and his introduction to Anya, an irresistible Russian emigre. Beckoning all of them is the ultimate accolade, a Nobel Prize.

A compulsively readable tale.

- Gail Cooke

First, the characters are great. Their descriptions are very thorough. You can almost see them, as if they really are true persons. Second, the plot of the story is very well-defined. Third, the flow of the story is well-timed.

Prizes is an truly terriffic book. It has a plot similar to that of a daytime soap opera, however, it is much more sophisticated and realistic. Although very exciting with many interesting twists and turns, the book displays a strong theme of man's selfish nature, and causes one to take a serious look at the ethics of the world today. The themes of great human achievment and perseverence are also prominent. I enjoyed "Prizes" thouroughly, and I strongly recommend it for readers seeking a well developed, entertaining story.

With my first love of Sci Fi and Fantasy, little else ever seems to hit my reading list. But after being introduced to Francis a couple of years ago, I've made it a point to break things up with one of his books every once in a while.
The formula is predictable as follows: Single, solitary, but extremely honest 30-ish horse guy usually in a period of personal transition gets unwillingly drawn into a mystery far more sinister and dangerous than anticipated. Along the way he meets a girl who surprises him by becoming the woman of his dreams, gets beat up a couple of times, and threatens to give up, but eventually solves the mystery, brings the bad guys to justice (though not usually the police) and discovers that his life is far more worth living than he'd thought.
But unlike most authors, for Francis the forumla works in his favor because the predictability of the plot and the well established personality of his main character leaves him free to focus on the details, which are always vastly different from story to story. In this case, it's photography, which alone probably makes Reflex is one of my favorites thus far. I've never been into photography in the least, but Francis' vivid and detailed descriptions of different methods of developing and creating "hidden images" in a negative made me want to learn more. I also really enjoyed the character of Jeremy, who was much further developed than most of Francis' supporting cast.
As with all Francis' novels, this one is well worth the read.

This was the first Dick Francis book I read and it was fantastic. It was amazing how he tied so many, seemingly random, characters into the plot. Each time I guessed which character had done what infamous deed Francis turned the tables again. I finished the book on my second night of reading it at 4am becuase I simply could not put it down. The book was full of small, compelling puzzles and the interesting bits of information that solved them. After this book I began reading Francis's 'Come to Grief' and 'Nerve'.

Dick Francis novels generally follow a set formula: Seemingly random events ensnare a iconoclastic, intrepid protagonist into the vortex of a mysterious and dangerous situation that exposes the lad to various forms of mayhem and violence before he can get a handle on what's really going on and try to do something about it.

Although formulaic, Francis' work often comes across as fresh and innovative. This arises from his ability to develop strong, uniqe characters, his deft craftsmanship, a tremendous feel for suspense, and some sort of technical a subject background that provides a general focus for the whole story.

In this case, that background is photography.

Phillip Nore is a long time jockey who dabbles in amateur photography. When a well known but little liked professional racing photographer is killed in a car crash, Nore eventually, accidentally, comes into possession of the man's body of work and records. Suddenly Nore and those close to him a being subjected to break-in's in their home, apparently random attacks and so on. Nore comes to understand that the records and negatives he holds are the source of the trouble. He begins looking into the photographers past, and finds a nasty surprise indeed. The question is, can he get to the bottom of this mess before he gets killed?

This work is unusually strong for a Francis novel on several fronts. Phillip is a particularly strong character even for Francis-much more intellectual and introspective than is the norm. The technical aspects of photography needed to decipher the situation are expertly presented in an informative and non-intrusive way that takes nothing from the story-indeed, they add to it. And, the romantic aspect is unusually strong and well developed for a Francis novel as well.

On the whole, this is not only one of the best Francis novels I've read-it's pne of the best overall suspense novels as well.

Get yourself into the "picture': read this book!

Dr. Simon's book addresses many of the issues that are so often not dealt with by modern conventional cancer treatment centers. Too often cancer patient feel as if their real needs are not being met by doctors and hospitals. Dr. Simon focuses on treating the person, not just the diseasse. His books creates an entirely new perspective for the cancer patient by simply remembering that they are a person. He addresses the emotional issues cancer patients face as well as treatments for common side effects caused by conventional treatment. His advice on nutrition, sensory tools for healing, and assessing alternative treatment modalities is easily succint, but very insightful. Futthermore, his five day seminar lets you explore these issues much deeper. Realizing that I am much more than the sum of my phsyical parts is an important gift that Dr. Simon has helped to give me.

This phenomenal book is a must have in a library of self-care literature. It reads easily and resonates with truth, leaving a profound impact. I recently returned from a week seminar with Dr. David Simon at the Deepak Chopra Wellness Institute in La Jolla,CA. My personal experience was transformational. I not only walked away with concrete, tangible tools to work with my cancer, I also deepened my relationship with myself and was taught many loving ways to embrace and empower myself through this difficult time in my life.

The nurturing environment was so safe and invitational to self-discovery of each individuals particular experience with cancer. I strongly recommend anyone facing cancer to invest in themselves with this wonderful program.

Dr. Simon has shared insights into healing that take into account the coventional and integrative approaches to healthcare. He reminds us that we have entered into a phase of medicine that needs to consider a person's conscious awareness of health, so the appropriate modalities of care can be administered. David Simon utilizes eastern and western knowledge to make his work thorough and comprehensive. He takes into account the need for practicioners to be sensetive to the direction(s) a patient finds meaningful in their movement toward wholeness. This emphasis on consciousness incorporated in healthcare is a movement toward modern medicine paralleling the evolution of our time. I also recommend: What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living by Samuel Oliver

Normally books about people trying to "find themselves" do not appeal to me. I'm a reader of historical fiction - thus I discovered Rose Tremain through Music & Silence (Excellent) and Restoration (wonderful read). I purchased this book simply because of the author. When I got it and read the covers, I thought "I've been gipped, this isn't what I wanted" - However, after just a few pages, I was pulled in. Mary/Martin's struggle with gender reflects every individual's struggle to become who they think they are meant to be. Gender identity is only a tool here; it is not the focus of the book. The English farm, the repressed family, the country music scene in Nashville are a perfect backdrop for the inner struggles of characters such as Mary and Walter. The author paints such a realistic picture: Struggles are hard and probably never ending. The book also demonstrates the importance of the "one person" in someone's life who can make such a difference -- in small and often unknowing ways. I can't say I loved this book, but I can say that I am so glad I read it. The world is filled with Marys and Walters, and there is a bit of them in each of us as well. The perspective this book brings is right on target. Rose Tremain is truly a great writer.

I completely agree with the five or six other reviews of this book for two reasons, one that it's an absolutely wonderful story and two that it's a shame that more people haven't reviewed it. It's one of those rare books that will capture you until you read the last page. The characters, as well as their relationships are so well crafted that you don't want them to end. It so touching and human that I can't imagine anyone would not fully enjoy it.

If you think Rose Tremain's "Sacred Country" is anything like Virginia Woolf's "Orlando", you're wrong because Mary Ward didn't take centuries and successive reincarnations to morph into Martin. She had one mortal life to live and became Martin in that time. In short, Mary was a transexual, a boy trapped in a girl's body, who suffered great torment as a daughter to the brutish farmer, Sonny and his hapless spaced-out wife, Estelle who spends her life shuttling between the funny farm and home. Mary's struggle to come to terms with herself would have been intolerable in provincial Suffolk if not for the support of grandad Cord, schoolmistress Ms McRae and batmaker Edward Harker, all shining examples of humanity in a community constricted by a numbing lack of imagination. There's the goodhearted but dim witted and conventional minded Irene and the ever pragmatic Grace who hasn't the imagination to understand why her son, Walter needs to seek salvation in faraway Nashville as a country & western singer. Just as Mary finds her own support group, Walter relies on his uncle, Peter to inspire him. Even Timmy, Mary's brother, finally escapes to find fulfillment in a vocation that would break his father's heart. "Sacred Country" is a novel about the isolation and loneliness of non-conformists. The ghost-like figure of Livia (Estelle's mother, Cord's wife) symbolises the spirit of adventure and heroism. She hovers silently above the community like a big bird urging everyone to their own destinies. Mary took nearly three decades (from the day King George died in 1952) to become Martin. In that time, the world has changed, but have we ? "Sacred Country" is behind it all an ode to human courage. Tremain is a tremendous writer. She has written a novel that will endure. Highly recommended.

A very interesting and different book. It reads very much as a man telling a story about a chapter in his life. Very straight forward and readable. No long descriptions of scenery, or extensive dialog. This is a tale of two men. One is in love with airplanes and starts his own service, after WWII, in the Middle East. He is the primary character and the story teller. The other, a boyhood acquaintaince and later an employee, increasing becomes involved with religion and philosophy. It is a captivating tale but not one of action or suspense. Based on my experience with this book, I have acquired two more of Shute's work.

I'm not entirely sure that there is a "typical" Shute book, but this one is both typical and atypical. It is typical in that it is mostly about post-WWII era aircraft operations, and rather more intense on the aircraft angle than most of his other books. Also, like several of his other books, it pokes about at the meaning of morality.

On the atypical side, "Round the Bend" is somewhat alegorical and "preachy" in the same sense as "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". In fact, I'd be willing to bet that Robert Pirsig read "Round the Bend" before he wrote "Zen".

Folks comfortable with Shute's writing will find that "Round the Bend" has his trademark writing style -- spartan, yet with a delicious amount of descriptive detail, intense, yet without an identifiable climax. As usual, he's not given to plot twists, but rather focuses on the development of human character and the way it plays out under unusual circumstances.

Tom Cutter, tired after World War II and the loss of his wife (he blames himself for her suicide), comes to the Persian Gulf to begin a small-scale aviation business. He throws himself into the business and makes a success of it. The business really takes off after he hires childhood friend Connie Shaklin as chief engineer, and soon after, Connie's sister Nadezna, as his secretary. But Cutter soon notices--Shaklin is giving semi-religious talks as he works, which are attracting attention and support not only from his co-workers, but from the Arab population, as they previously did in Cambodia, and when Shaklin is forced to go to Indonesia, again, he attracts attention and support, somewhat to the confusion of Cutter, who nevertheless is unfailing in his support of Shaklin, who seems to be beginning a religion that crosses religious boundaries.

Shute's most thought provoking of novels, as a new prophet arises in the form of an aviation engineer who adamantly denies he is a prophet, somewhat to the confusion of his friend and his sister.

Even the small characters (a gunrunner who, in seeing Shaklin and his work, is reminded of the small town and church in the Midwest where he grew up, for example) are finely drawn. And Shute often gets rather subtle--Cutter, whose first name is Thomas, three times denies Shaklin's divinity in a talk with the British officer, Captain Morrison.

Beautiful and gentle work by a master storyteller. You will look for villians in vain in this book. His best.

In this entry of the popular Rina/Peter Decker series, Kellerman assures us of more Jewish history and customs as the victims in this one are of the Jewish faith. This time the double-edged mystery sends Peter and Rina to Israel to track down the sons of a wealthy diamond magnate and his wife. Did the boys kill their parents? Add to this, the search for a friend of Rina's from New York, who comes to California for a visit with her three children and then mysteriously vanishes as well---to Israel. Add a cool ice queen named Kate Milligan, a shady partner named Shaul Gold, add a few other nasties and Kellerman sends her heroes off into a labyrinthine plot.
Kellerman's a good writer and as she progresses, she tries to focus more on plot and suspense, and not so much on Rina's faith. It does seem surprising though that she manages to slight other religious beliefs while sanctifying her own? Hopefully, as she progresses she'll take some clues from her husband Jonathan and write more substantial works.

Peter Decker and his wife Rina are enjoying family life with her sons and their new baby daughter when Rina's old friend Honey Klein asks to come visit. Rina is surprised because they hasn't been in close contact with Honey in recent years, but she agrees to the visit. Meanwhile Peter works with his partner Marge on a case involving an entire family who have suddenly vanished. The husband is a diamond dealer, and there are many motives for a possible murder, most of them having to do with money. Coincidentally, after Honey comes to the Lazarus home, her husband, also a diamond dealer, is mysteriously killed. Peter's quest for the truth in these matters eventually takes him and Rina to Israel where they pursue missing persons from both of these cases. As usual, author Kellerman weaves interesting facts about the orthodox Jewish religion as well as Peter and Rina's evolving family life. The trip to Israel adds an extra dimension to the story, and the total package is very satisfying for a mystery reader.

I had trouble putting down this book from the very start -- it's a real page turner with a well-plotted mystery -- two of them actually -- keeping you going. The mysteries involve a family who has disappeared out of the blue -- he's a California diamond dealer, so perhaps this was part of a theft -- and a woman and children who arrive unexpectedly for a visit with Detective Decker and his family -- her husband is also a diamond dealer in a Chasidic community in New York. As Decker goes about trying to solve the disappearance of the California family, odd things begin happening with the New York family who are visiting -- they also disappear. Is there a connection?

The mystery takes Decker and wife Rina to Israel, a major diamond cutting/dealing country.

I learned a lot about diamonds and Israel reading this book, and for the most part really enjoyed it. The dialogue was more natural than in some Kellerman books I've read. But -- her pro-Jewish, anti-everything else sentiment was present in this book again, this time in an anti-Moslem bias. Why are metal boxes on door frames considered good religious practice but painting a doorway blue (as Moslems do) treated as superstitious? It seems to me that the customs of Orthodoxy Judaism are unusual enough that Kellerman should be more tolerant and openminded about the practices of other faiths.