Product Description
Parker and Stone-back with another New York Times bestseller

When the sun sets in Paradise, the women get nervous. A Peeping Tom is on the loose. According to the notes he sends Police Chief Jesse Stone, he's about to take his obsession one step further.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (79)

Excellent series
I love the Jesse Stone series and read half this book in the first sitting...

A good mistake.
I ordered this book late at night, it was not the auther my grandmother asked for but, she likes this auther also.It was sent fast, with my personal note and gift wrapping.I did order another book for her, she was pleased with them.I am please with how fast and nice the books arived.
Beverly

More Trouble in Paradise
This is an entry in Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series. A Peeping Tom is on the prowl in Paradise, and Jesse and his team must hunt him down before the perp graduates to more serious criminal activity. In the meantime, Jesse also has to deal with the case of a school principal who has decided that it would be a good idea to inspect the underwear of the young female students. And, on top of all of that, Jesse must sort out his love life, which continues to be a confusing mess.

Like much of Parker's later work, this is a fairly light book that doesn't take itself too seriously. The plot is very thin, and serves mainly as a device that allows Jesse Stone and the other characters to trade witty banter for a little over three hundred pages. That said, it's not a bad book, and it's a fun way to spend an afternoon relaxing by the pool. But it's not a book that most readers will remember and still be thinking about for very long after they've finished it.

Parker wrote at least one other Jesse Stone novel before his untimely death, and in a way, that's almost too bad. "Night and Day" ends on a note of apparent resolution that would have been a fine way to close the file on these characters.

Weak storyline but the subplot works well
The late, great Robert B. Parker was one of my favorite writers.His most recent books were hit-and-miss but usually enjoyable.This one is no exception.It's a fairly mediocre main plot with only the snappy dialog of Parker's characters holding it together.But the subplot of Jesse's ex-wife is woven into this book much more cohesively than usual.The book is about obsession and control.The Peeping Tom's obsession with watching and controlling his victims.Jesse's obssession with his ex-wife and her control over him.In the end, there is resolution on both levels.

Parker fans, like me, will enjoy this book.Those just looking for a thrilling ride will not.

Night And Day
Unfortunately, after many excellent
Jesse Stone books by Parker, this one
is 80% a rehash of neurotic problems
with former lovers, A disappointment ... Read more

Product Description
Stone investigates a shocking double murder-that of a controversial radio talk-show host and his pregnant mistress. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (91)

Not a good book..
I'm sorry. I'm a big Parker fan, both of his Spenser series and his Westerns.I read a few early Jesse Stone books and wasn't too impressed, but whnn I saw this at a discount store,I thought I'd give it a try.

Not worth it. A salient feature of most good books is that you like or least can empathize with the character. Some character, anyway. But Jesse Stone is just a sucker, a total dope who is admittedly a decent cop. The minimalist dialogue seems draggy because you really don't like Stone the sucker much. Feel sorry for him, yes. Like him, no. Or anyone else in this slow and stupid book. OK, maybe Sonny Randall's dog. But that's not enough.

A poor book. Even at a discount..

Robert Parker Books
Great story and love the TV stories, from Parker's books, about Jesse Stone. (Tom Selick)

a good read
This is another Jesse Stone book and as always they are good books to read.Hard to put down because you want to find out what is happening and how Jesse is able to solve the problems that arise.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

Well-crafted, finely written, but unoriginal story
Having seen several Jesse Stone movies on television, I decided it would be entertaining to read about him rather than see him. Unfortunately or perhaps accurately, it is hard to escape seeing Tom Selleck when reading a Jesse Stone book! The story begins with a double murder, one of which is a high profile writer and television star. His murder brings attention to the town of Paradise with the Governor of Massachusetts getting involved.

As Stone investigates he discovers a womanizer with two ex-wives, a wife, and a current girlfriend plus a suspicious bodyguard and an assortment of lawyers. With a large estate at stake, Stone intuitively knows that greed and passion are likely motives behind the murders. Uncovering lies, manipulations, adultery, and apathy toward the deceased, Jesse Stone forces the killer to reveal himself. In the midst of the investigation Stone continues to be confused about his own alcoholism and the unhealthy power his ex-wife has over him.

Enters Sunny Randall, Stone's latest interest, to protect his ex-wife from a supposed rapist. She does so only to discover more lies and deceit. Confronting Jenn, Jesse knows he should reject her permanently but is unable to do so. Several psychological insights abound referencing the complexity of relationships, sex, and power making High Profile read like a Raymond Chandler or John D. MacDonald book of old.

Aside from the unoriginal story--wife and former lover plan the demise of a wealthy television personality--High Profile is a fine mystery demonstrating the anguish of people's lives. Although flawed, Jesse Stone is an excellent chief of police determined to ferret out the killer. Smooth prose, terse dialog, clever craftsmanship, and perceptive human insights come together to give an exciting and engaging reading experience.

High Rockford File Murder
Another in the long line of Jesse Stone stories set in comfortable Cape Cod.It is amazing how much crime takes place in Paradise but here is another one, this time a egomaniacal radio host and his girlfriend are murdered. These are not particularly good books, probably took as long to write as it did to read. The best part is it reminds me of my youth, watching the Rockford Files every afternoon, because this would have made a good episode if Parker was able to work in a few jokes about fishing or answering machines.At least they dont frame up Jesse Stone for the murder and let him cool off in the joint for a few days.

In this story we have a not so bright murderer who assumes he will cross paths with a small town drunk-by-lunch police chief who will be completely stymied by some of the basic subterfuges that the criminal mind invents to make this look like something else.Instead he finds himself cast as a one armed man in a battle of wits with Jesse Stone, former LA detective.Stone is distracted by former and present girlfriends, and their real and imagined victimization, so it takes him a few chapters to put this story together.

As is usually the case with Parker, this is good beach reading. Parker also makes the victim out to be a most unusual radio host in that he is not a right wing idealogue, but just a guy who wants to help. The victim also has some unusual issues in his love life which never get resolved. ... Read more

Product Description
Family ties prove deadly in the brilliant new Jesse Stone novel from New York Times-bestselling author Robert B. Parker.

The body in the trunk was just the beginning.

Turns out the stiff was a foot soldier for local tough guy Reggie Galen, now enjoying a comfortable "retirement" with his beauti­ful wife, Rebecca, in the nicest part of Paradise. Living next door are Knocko Moynihan and his wife, Robbie, who also happens to be Rebecca's twin. But what initially appears to be a low-level mob hit takes on new meaning when a high-ranking crime figure is found dead on Paradise Beach.

Stressed by the case, his failed relationship with his ex-wife, and his ongoing battle with the bottle, Jesse needs something to keep him from spinning out of control. When private investigator Sunny Randall comes into town on a case, she asks for Jesse's help. As their professional and personal relationships become intertwined, both Jesse and Sunny realize that they have much in common with both their victims and their suspects-and with each other.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (62)

joy revisited
classic parker...it's like i didn't miss him so much when i was reading this book. for me, his style and humor are like my favorite pair of slippers that never wear out; familiar, reliable comfort. it's all about the dialogue...he's so quick. another parkeresque entertaining read. now i miss him again.

Parker does it again.
What can one say? Jesse Stone is one cool, entertaining customer and Parker's sparse and magnetic writing style just keeps me coming back.

Jesse and Sunny are both too buried in their personal emotional baggage to make this work as a murder mystery.
While I am a fan of the writing of the Spenser stories of Robert B. Parker, that excitement is not nearly as high for the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall stories and they are the two major characters of this story. Small town police chief Jesse is a man with severe relationship problems; he seems unable to free himself from his ex-wife Jen. His fixation on Jen is always a major part of the stories, even when Jesse is investigating multiple homicides. Sunny is a private investigator that is still strongly tied to her ex-husband Richie. Both are seeing psychiatrists on a regular basis in an attempt to cope, Sunny is a patient of Susan Silverman, the girlfriend of Spenser, another major character created by Parker.
The action is restrained, nowhere near the level of the other Parker novels. Jesse is investigating two homicides that might be related and Sunny is looking into the case of a girl in her late teens that has joined an unusual religious community. Her parents don't want her around; there concern is that her involvement will prove to be an embarrassment to them. In between fixations on their ex-spouses and their investigations, Jesse and Sunny manage to begin a relationship. While both is very willing to become sexually involved, neither one is willing to extend themselves emotionally. From their histories, you know that whatever develops, it will be a mutually slow slog through their baggage.
I found that the story moved along at a rapid rate, yet didn't really captivate me.The dialog is in the snappy, snippet style so characteristic of Parker's stories, yet while I generally consider it a strong point, in this case I found myself wishing that the statements between Jesse and Sunny contained a few more words. They are lovers and are struggling to find a shared identity, when people are in such situations they tend to ramble a bit rather than being this brief. Once again Sunny finds it necessary to request the aid of strong male companions; in this case it is Spike and Jesse. If Sunny is ever to be a viable character, she is going to have to complete a case by herself.

Book is good, Kindle formatting is awful
The book is classic Parker, with Jesse and Sunny building their relationship. If you've enjoyed his other books you'll like this one.

My big problem is with the quality of the conversion to Kindle. The Kindle edition is littered with typographical and layout errors. There are extra spaces in the middle of words ("i n" instead of "in"), words that are just completely missing, paragraphs of convesration between people that are strung together in a big bunch, and missing punctuation. As my first experience reading a book on Kindle, it really wasn't the greatest.

More! More!
More of Jesse Stone would be appreciated....we mourn the loss of a peoples author.We'll miss you Robert B. ... Read more

Product Description
Tony and Brianna Lincoln just moved into Paradise, but friendly they aren't. In fact, these urbane thrill killers are knocking off the neighbors one by one, and Jesse Stone is next. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (65)

Night Passage

As always Robert B. Parker writes a great book. I have enjoyed all of the Jesse Stone
stories so far. I have three more to read and I know they will be great.
I highly recommend all his books.

Stone Cold by R. Parker
I thoroughly enjoyed this book...having seen some of the TV adapted movies of Parkers' books bring the characters voices alive in your head....we lost a truly good author with Parkers' passing.

Murder by Two
I enjoyed reading Parker's Stone Cold as I would describe it as an account of an"enjoyable" serial killer murder spree.Enjoyable because the Lincoln's or later as they were know, the Lamont's; were such "nice" folks. Cocky too!The two culprits thought they were smarter than Chief of Police Jessie Stone and they made fun and chastised him.The book flowed nicely.The sub plots were interesting and spiced up the book. I suspose Parker has an excellent way to take us into the mind of two sociopaths. This is a good read that and can easily be finished in 3 nights.

True to his writing
I started off reading his Spencer books but now all I want to read are the Jesse Stone series. It is a delight to read something that has a character that is real and true to himself.Finished this book in 2 days.Couldn't stop reading it

Gelati's Scoop
Blast From The Past Robert Parker'sStone Cold- A Jesse Stone Novel

I would have to say that Jesse Stone is one of my favorite fictional characters, not just of Parker's, but of fictional characters in general. He is flawed, damaged goods and he knows it.Stone is in Paradise, Mass. to make things right, not just for the fair citizens of the town he is now responsible for, but himself as well. The thing about Robert Parker that is expected is his usual; there is a death and it's not what it looks like. Jesse figures it out in the end. Simplistic yes, but the results are what make Parker such an amazing talent.
Being a fan and someone that has read all his work, one gets to understand his formula. You don't care; the man can just flat out write a good novel each and every time. Stone Cold is no exception to this. It is a great novel whether this is your first Stone vehicle or you are following them in order. Jesse Stone, Suit, Molly and the rest of the regulars in Paradise are always worth the time and I always looked forward to each new adventure. I will miss the character, Stone and all his cohorts in crime solving in Paradise, Mass. If you haven't had the pleasure of enjoying aJesse Stone vehicle, either as a movie with Tom Selleck playing Jesse Stone or in the book form; start at the beginning. Enjoy the evolution of Stone, there are no disappointments to be had. The novels are a nice quick ride from cover to cover.
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[...] ... Read more

Product Description
Police Chief Jesse Stone faces his most fearsome adversary in the latest addition to the celebrated series.

The last time Jesse Stone, chief of police of Paradise, Massachusetts, saw Wilson "Crow" Cromartie, the Apache Indian hit man was racing away in a speedboat after executing one of the most lucrative and deadly heists in the town's history. Crow was part of a team of ex-cons who plotted to capture Stiles Island, the wealthy enclave off the Paradise coast, by blowing up the connecting bridge. Residents were kidnapped, some were killed, and Crow managed to escape with a boatload of cash, never to be seen again. Until now.

So when Crow shows up in Jesse's office some ten years after the crime, it's not to turn himself in. Crow is on another job, and this time he's asking for Jesse's help-by asking him to stay out of his way.

Crow's mission is simple: find young Amber Francisco and bring her back to her father, Louis, in Florida. It should be an easy payday for a pro like Crow, but there are complications. Amber, now living in squalor with her mother, Fiona, is mixed up with members of a Latino gang. And when Louis orders Crow to kill Fiona before heading back with Amber, he can't follow through. Crow may be a bad guy, but he doesn't kill women. It's up to Jesse to provide protection.

Meanwhile, Jesse's on-again, off-again relationship with ex-wife Jenn picks up steam as Jenn investigates the gang problem for her TV station. As they dig deeper, the danger escalates. The life of a young girl hangs in the balance, and saving Amber could be the miracle Jesse and Jenn need for themselves, too. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (81)

ahhh, Jesse

Jesse is a perfect name for a cop who has seen too much, lost too much and drinks too much.
Unlike Robert Parker's famous Boston PI with the sured ego that we all want but does anyone attain as purely? Jesse Stone is haunted by his broken relationship left in CA., his inability to come to terms with a drinking problem,and yet, he comes to the front with expertise and grit.Plus, his handsome dark physical attributes match his deep unspoken inner life.
The action is clean cool and with bits of humour in a small town, unlike the big city, where as a homicide detective, Jesse worked for years.The mystery that surrounds Sheriff Stone equals the external mystery at hand in his job in Paradise.

Very disappointing!
I've enjoyed what little I've read of Robert B. Parker's 'Spenser' novels, as well as one previous 'Jesse Stone' novel. When I came across this book recently, I thought I'd read it as a 'tribute' to Parker's life, and a chance to compare and contrast Jesse Stone in print with the TV version of the character, played by Tom Selleck.
Unfortunately, after reading this book, I can see why the TV production team opted to stop adapting Parker's work. 'Stranger in Paradise' was horrible, with next to no plot, cardboard characters, and excrucitingly bad dialogue, which manages to sound stilted even though it's present in absurdly short sentences! Parker tried to go with more of a character-driven approach, but his 'Native American hit man' didn't really carry the story; instead, he just reduced the supporting cast (particularly the women) to mindless extras, while engaging in that 'tough-guy banter' that other critics raved about!
I'm sorry that Mr. Parker passed away, but if this book was indicative of his other recent work, I won't bother tracking it down.
To me, the 'definitive' version of Jesse Stone is Selleck's TV portrayal.

A good, easy read
This book is fast moving, interesting with characters you would like to know.It is a good, easy read like many of his books.

J. Robert Ewbank authro "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

Everyone's a sinner, but there is some sainthood expressed
In many ways, this is the best Jesse Stone novel penned by Parker, largely due to the presence of the dark man Wilson (Crow) Cromartie. Crow is an Apache warrior that is a contract killer and his assignment is to track down the daughter (Amber) of a Florida mobster (Louis Francisco) and report back to him. Amber is the "boyfriend" of the leader of a Hispanic gang and Crow's orders are to kill Amber's mother and then send her back. Being an honorable warrior, Crow does not make war on women and he refuses, angering Louis. The leader of the Hispanic gang then takes the job, he kills Amber's mother and tries to take her to Florida. Louis really has no familial feelings for Amber; to him it is all a matter of pride and respect.
All of this leads to an unusual and convoluted alliance between Jesse, Crow and of all people, Jesse's ex-wife Jenn. Crow is extremely sensual, women find him irresistible, so using simple tactics he is able to seduce any woman he wants, including some that are unexpected. The unusual alliance manages to survive until the end and there is the hint of Jesse and Jenn somehow being reunited.
The deep combination of relationships and circumstances Parker develops in this book could have overwhelmed it, turning the story into an unorganized convolution. However, Parker carries it out very well, every person working with Jesse exhibits noble and sinful characteristics, just like real people working in stressful situations.

Will hook you on series
Anyone familiar with crime stories is no doubt familiar with Robert B. Parker and his hugely successful books including the Spenser and Jesse Stone series. Stranger in Paradise is an entry from the Jesse Stone series that demonstrates why many consider Parker to be a master of the genre.

Jesse Stone, once a Los Angeles cop, drunk and now police chief in the quiet Massachusetts town of Paradise, is dismayed when Wilson Crowmartie, an Apache hit man, walks into his office. The last time "Crow" was in Paradise was ten years ago when he was part of a group that kidnapped and killed people at the nearby Stiles Island. Crow managed to escape with a hefty ten million dollar booty.

Stone is naturally concerned, but this time, Crow wants his help. He has been hired to find a fourteen-year-old girl, Amber and simply wants Stone to stay out of his way. But when Amber's father wants the girl's mother killed, Crow asks for Stone's help. It seems the heartless hit man "doesn't kill women." The two work together, never trusting each other, to save the girl, free her from the clutches of a ruthless gang member, while also dealing with the girl's mobster father and his thugs.

Parker's easy writing style, where most of the text is conversation, quickly draws the reader into a fast reading crime story. Jesse Stone, Crow and the other characters are well developed and I found myself caring what happened to each. While Crow's animal magnetism, drawing every female into his arms, was a bit of a stretch, the overall story of saving the teen was quick and enthralling. This book has hooked me on the series.

Quill says: Whether you're a die-hard Jesse Stone/Robert Parker fan, or a newbie to these books, Stranger in Paradise will draw you in.
... Read more

Product Description
Robert B. Parker is back in Paradise, where Detective Jesse Stone is looking for two things: the killer of a teenage girl-and someone, anyone, who is willing to claim the body...Amazon.com Review
With assured confidence and a master's economy of means, Robert B. Parker, who is best known for his Spenser series, delivers one of his finest, most absorbing works yet. This third entry in the Jesse Stone series finds Stone--a former LAPD cop fired for drinking on the job--serving as chief of police in the town of Paradise, Massachusetts, and investigating the murder of a teenaged girl whose decomposed body turns up in the local lake. As he follows slender threads of evidence into an ugly world of exploited teens, several subplots crisscross, keeping things lively.

But Jesse's struggle with alcohol and his loving, troubled relationship with his ex-wife are at least as compelling as the external plot events. Parker doesn't usually give his characters much of an inner life, but here--in deftly compressed prose, much of it dialog--he paints an understated, believable portrait of a tough guy grappling with tough issues. This smooth-reading book goes down easy but packs a surprising wallop. --Nicholas H. Allison ... Read more

Customer Reviews (70)

the author needs to take a writing class
There are authors who, after reading their works, make me wonder how they were able to publish anything in the first place. After reading Death in Paradise, I wonder the same about Mr. Parker.The characters are shallow and undeveloped. The story is boring and not engaging. But worst of all, Mr. Parker is utterly unable to write a story without repeating himself over and over and over again. Throughout the entire book, whenever two characters interact with each other, it is always as the following: A said..., B said..., A said..., B said..., A said..., B said..., .... I lost track of how many times Mr. Parker used the word "said" in this book. There are so many other words Mr. Parker could use to indicate that a character said something, such as: A asked, B replied, A hinted, B implied, A ordered, B instructed, A explained, B exclaimed, A cried, B yelled, A screamed, B begged, .... In my opinion, an author, like Mr. Parker, who does not take the effort to choose the right words, is simply being lazy. Perhaps Mr. Parker should take a creative writing class to learn some basic writing techniques and enrich his vocabulary.

Death in Paradise by Robert Parker
I enjoyed this book immensely....such fun reading and hearing the voices of the characters as portrayed in the TV movies of Parkers' books.Wish there were more of the "Jesse Stone" series to read, but alas, we lost Parker this year.

My favorite books
Parker's Jesse Stone stories are among my favorites. This one is no exception. Great read. Parker's concise style makes for very easy reading. It's a shame that he recently passed away. He will be creatly missed.

ANOTHER EXCELLENT READ
Death in Paradise (Jesse Stone)

Can't what for the next installment -- I LOVE THIS CHARACTER.

"Airport" novel.
I loved Robert B. Parker and long ago read most of the Spencer books. Now I know why I stopped. The Spencer novels became flat and predictable, especially when it came to his private life.

The frist Jesse Stone book was really quite good, unless Stone was obsessing about his ex-wife or his drinking. I skipped the second book hoping that by the third he would have kicked ex-wife to the curb. Instead we find him over-obsessing about her. The scenes between them are tiresome to the max and they come nearly every third chapter! The mystery is simple and predictable but engaging enough to read while waiting for your flight to be called. ... Read more

Product Description
Stones of the New Consciousness begins with a new approach to meditation with stones, and to the possibility of conscious relationship with the spiritual beings who express themselves in our world as crystals and minerals. This beautifully designed book examines the most important stones that help accelerate and enhance human evolution. Each entry is illustrated with color photos of exceptional examples. The stones include Moldavite, the extraterrestrial amorphous crystal; Nuummite, the oldest gemstone on Earth; and Circle Stones, the highly energetic Flint found in crop circle formations. Other featured rarities include Nirvana Quartz from the Himalayas and high-vibrational Natrolite from the emerald mines of Russia.

Author Robert Simmons includes historical and mythological references for each stone, positing that the fabled Stone of the Holy Grail and the Philosopher’s Stone of the alchemists may have physical counterparts among the materials discussed. Simmons presents practices for deepening one’s awareness of the stones’ gifts—from expanding one’s consciousness, to healing, to fulfilling one’s personal and collective destiny. While emphasizing direct contact with stones, the book also explores crystal energy tools, energy environments, and applications such as stone elixirs and essences that can aid anyone on a spiritual path. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Repeated searches of Trade Marked crystals
I have done repeated searches of the stones listed in books by this author.I have read extensively in the mineral forums on just what these stones are - most of the stones being promoted bythis author are easily affordable junk minerals that are being sold at the highest possible prices - because this author has trade marked a cute name.

Learn to use your internal BS meter a bit better - think for yourself - and don't always trust the *self appointed* experts.Do SEARCHES - this is the internet after all, so inform yourself.Unless you enjoy paying $700 for a necklace that costs 50 cents.... just because some guy "wrote a book saying it was a good idea".

I am not saying this because I don't believe in metaphysics - I am saying this because I do believe in metaphysics and because my BS meter works great! :D

books on stones
Lots of information to help utilize the power of the stones,with beautiful pictures and illistrations

FYI
This is an interesting and thorough book, but the buyer should know some things before taking all information at face value.Mr. Simmons (the author) has for many years had a very large investment in the stones that he promotes and sells.He is not a dis-interested party, nor is he unbiased in the stones that he says are the most amazing.Are they impressive and powerful?Certainly.But his personal interest in the popularity of some stones makes his reviews suspect.To see which stones his company has a stake in, take a wander through his catalog at [...] -- there is nothing wrong with his products, but he appears to favor the stones he sells as superior to others.

In my opinion, the Book of Stones that he co-wrote with Naisha Ashian is a better investment than this one.In the Book of Stones, Naisha's representations of the attributes of stones more closely matches with my own experiences, so I can trust them more.

Still an interesting read, but not totally objective.

New stones
I have the original book that Mr. Simmons published and keep it close at hand.This book covers many of the new stones that I have purchased and had to keep the description documents from the seller near by to remember the name/purpose.This book describes the new stones in his usual descriptive style.He even instructs how to use the stones.Its a very informative and good book.I recommend if you have the newer stones/crystals/minerals.Mr. Simmons does his usual wonderful job and the photos are great.

Stones In Question
Although the format of the book is respectable (with the exception of the small text font size), Simmons' book left me with questions that do not agree with all of the first four reviewers.

I don't raise question to the physical book itself and its textual commentary but to a perceived undercurrent motive intended for the self-promotion of Heaven and Earth LLC catalog of over-priced crystals.

Ascension-assisting stones should with full intention be offered free to all but if that is not extended then they should be priced at a level accessible to the entire community that journeys towards an ascending existence. The only thing that I concede is priced reasonably by Simmons' is this book itself. I bought it for $16 which, even though I don't support its overall perspective, was a fair pricing. I suspect the book is sold at cost to guide the reader to the catalog......just my take.

I struggle with Simmons' lists of stones that are classified as "new". I still remain undecided as to their actual effectiveness and energetic property field. I do not feel comfortable supporting his position on his "new" stones simply because he positions them as beneficial. More interaction with them is needed to understand the level of their effectiveness and their energies.

For those considering this book-

An overview of the chapters are:

-A New Crystal Vision
-The New Consciousness & the Soul of the World
-What's Going on Here?
-The Liquid Crystal Body Matrix
-The Body of Light & The Great Crystal Sun
-Crystal Meditations
-Healing with the Stones
-Waters of Life: Crystal Waters and Elixirs
-Crystal Tools & Jewelry
-The Tale of the Azez
-Co-Creation & Transfiguration

I don't normally cast this slant on my reviews but I want to encourage the reader to continue considering other books on stones and to not feel compelled to overspend when purchasing Gaia's gifts of crystals that continue to assist us at just the time we are in need of them most.

Gaia's stones and crystals are gifts of consciousness coming to assist us and if anyone in the business of selling the stones is fully holding a consciousness field of higher good then why should the pricings exclude so many in need of them?

I end by offering two books that despite all that I have read, still remain at the front of my shelves and to which I consistently refer...

Two alternative reading suggestions are Judy Hall's "Crystal Bible" and Melody's "Love is in the Earth".

Namaste and Inlakesh.
Reclaim the fullness of your sacredness.


... Read more

Product Description
The Book of Stones is a new edition of the best-selling guide to some of Earth’s most beautiful natural objects. Two introductory chapters detail the authors’ theories about how to work with crystals and stones—including the concept of crystal resonance and the scientific observation that living organisms (such as ourselves) are liquid crystalline structures. An illuminating alphabetical journey through the mineral kingdom, stone by stone, follows.

Each entry begins with the stone name and photo, plus its elemental and chakra correspondences, as well as keywords that indicate its properties. Next comes a description of the crystal structure, hardness, history, and known locations of each mineral, plus any relevant legend or lore from the past. Each author then offers an essay on the subtle energy properties and spiritual applications of the stone. The entries conclude with summaries of the spiritual, emotional, and physical healing qualities of the stone, and an affirmation for evoking its potential benefits. The book’s presentation is straightforward enough to make it an excellent introduction for beginners, yet the level of detail and the depth of research make it an invaluable resource for the most experienced stone practitioners. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (91)

book of stones , who they are
the best insight of stones & how they affect us. the pictures of the stones are great

trademarking of stones
I got this book because it was recommended to me by several friends and it is indeed a beautiful and informative book. However, I am totally disheartened and aggravated by the fact that Robert Simmons is trademarking stones. Is nothing sacred? For some reason, Monsanto comes to mind, and leaves me distrustful of his recommendations.

The Book of Stones - Wow!
tons of information and great photos. this and the Crystal Bible go hand in hand.
i highly recommend this book.

My favorite book on stones
I have a large collection of stones and books on stones, and this book is by far my favorite. The depth and wisdom conveyed here is a cut above. I was wary, at first, because of the maligned "trademarked" stones in the book- and of accusations that the authors are just using this book to sell these stones. However, after purchasing a number of the "trademarked" stones from other vendors (not from Heaven and Earth, which is, I feel, overpriced), I found the stones to have exactly the metaphysical properties that these authors claimed them to have, and they are now some of my very favorite stones. I can't blame the author for building a business and making a living. We are all trying to do that.

Choice Crystal Book
This is my favorite of the crystal books. Lost of information and very well organized. Great for a quick reference but also enough information with depth. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (12)

Wonderful- Geological, Historical and Poetic
This book covers both the geological and historical elements of the New England stone walls. Very broad but not over broad, he covers the many different types of walls and their regions. The last part of the book evolves into a poetic meditation on the grace and value of the walls, very genuine and with obvious affection for these mysterious and beautiful relics of New England.

Why New England's Stone Walls Must Be Protected
Since I returned "home" to Connecticut, I have become fascinated by the stone walls to be found everywhere here and throughout New England. I've been especially intrigued seeing the old walls running through the forests by the sides of highways. After just finishing Robert Thorson's interesting and clearly written book Stone By Stone, I realize my fascination and intrigue are well-founded.

Mr. Thorson, a geology professor at the University of Connecticut, is recognized as New England's leading authority on the region's historic stone walls. In this book, he takes us far back in time to the earth's cooling, the continents' splitting apart and the glaciers' icy grip on the land to show how rocks and stones were formed. He brings us on a journey up through history to the present, showing why the time and tools were finally right in the early to mid-19th century to construct the tens of thousands of miles of stone walls found throughout New England.

He explains why these walls are such a special feature of New England's history and New Englanders' sense of ourselves as people who belong to a distinct and distinctive place. And he argues eloquently for preserving these walls against those who are selling and plundering them, literally carting off stone walls that took decades to build simply to lend faux gravitas and authenticity to new construction in areas that are "stone-poor," as he puts it. As he says, archeology is being sacrificed to become mere architecture and, in the process, what should be viewed as sacred pieces of our heritage are being lost forever.

Anyone interested in stone walls and in what makes New England the unique place it is should read this excellent book.

Messy Work
I became so angry at one paragraph of Mr. Thorson's book, that I decided to write a review attacking it. You may find the guilty paragraph on page 141, if you dare.

In it, Thorson calculates the number of man-days needed to build New England's stone walls.His most obvious problem is with numbers. He writes that four rods equals sixty-four feet. Actually, it equals sixty-six. More impressively, Thorson mistakenly calculates that 240,000 miles is the same as 819,088,710 feet, instead of 1,267,200,000. He is off by about four hundred million feet. He should have noticed that his first estimate was accurate to the nearest ten thousand miles, his second to the nearest ten feet.

Moreover, in his discussion of how many feet a waller can work in a day, Thorson reveals a lack of common sense. He writes that modern masons lay 20 feet of wall in a day, whereas modern British masons can only lay 15-18 feet a day. Those lazy Brits! One may wish to compare these two rates to that of old New England farmers. According to Thorson, these farmers could lay stone fence at 64 (or 66) feet a day, over three times as fast as those in modern times.

In case we are befuddled by his leaps in logic, Thorson provides an endnote, which, alas, only further reveals his incompetence. First he notes that his calculation covers only the act of building a wall, not the act of carrying over the stones. Then why does he write that farmers needed oxen to help them build their walls?

Next, Thorson writes that he needed three statistics to make his calculation: the number of hours in the work day of a farmer, the number of miles of stone wall in New England, and the average rate of construction. Why did he need to know the number of hours in a work day? None of his statistics were in hours! We turn to the only possible solution: perhaps, Thorson was given his statistics on wall-building in feet per hour and converted to feet per day. Let us examine the three groups he studied: old New Englanders, Brits, and Moderns, to see if this may be the case. For the New Englanders, Thorson quotes a source: "four rods a day;" no need to convert here. For the British, Thorson gives the statistic: 5-6 yards a day. If he had converted, it would have been from a source which wrote that Brits make walls at .675 to .75 yards an hour; no source would ever estimate in such terms. The only place Thorson could possibly have used the eight-hour-day would have been in calculating the labor rate of the modern mason. But in giving his statistic, Thorson does not cite anyone. If he used someone's statistic and then converted, he should have cited. If he did not use anyone's statistic, then there would have been no need for him to convert, and the eight-hour-day would have been completely useless. Thus, Thorson's third piece of "required" information, the eight hour day, is either not required, or indicative of academic dishonesty.

This completes the critique. Admittedly, my judging a book by one paragraph is unfair. Yet, Mr. Thorson chose to include this paragraph in his book; it is indicative of him and his research. As such I do not trust either one.

Densely enjoyable
Thorson's discussion of frost heave is so wonderful I no longer resent picking those damn rocks out of the garden.Well, I still don't like those damn cobbles and pebbles but at least now it makes sense.I lived on sand in Schenectady, NY for awhile and I almost forgot how easy mending that lawn was, you could dig without a shovel, but New England called me home and alas this is a land of rocks, but walking through the woods here in Massachusetts with its stranded rock walls, whose existence in trackless woods makes one wonder who built them, so long ago that the trees surrounding them are well over 100 feet high, humbles one, such a long history, so many generations gone, you can feel the hard labor that must have gone into hauling these tons of rock, these walls that run up and down hillsides through woods that haven't seen farming in over 150 years.

I loved the soil talk, the geology, the history lesson, this is real history, the story of the people, explaining the reasons for the individual decisions of the many; the big history moves are the result of the many many little historical imperatives.

If you live in New England or any other glaciated terrain, you should read this book, you will find your surroundings, your own neighborhood woods, a source of new fascination.

Fascinating and comprehensive
This is a wonderful book.It blends science, history and art to create an interesting perspective on the stone walls of New England.Thorson discusses the geological aspects of stone, the various types of stone walls and how they were built as well as the process of frost heaving and the disintegration of old walls.I hope this book causes people who have looked at stone walls and have seen only rocks to take a new, deeper look at them.They, and "Stone by Stone" are quite poetic. ... Read more

Product Description
The classic insider's account of the Rolling Stones' legendary 1972 STP tour.

Thirty years ago, the Rolling Stones swept America, taking Exile on Main Street to Main Streets across the nation. Everyone held their breath to see what would happen; the Stones' previous U.S. tour had been a chaotic circus culminating in the infamous death of a fan at Altamont. And this tour (the "Stones Touring Party") was rumored to be wilder than ever: bigger shows in major arenas, with a far larger entourage and even more drugs. Robert Greenfield went along for the ride, and came away with a riveting insider's account, called by Ian Rankin "one of the greatest rock books ever written." The reality lived up to the rumor: take one part Lee Radziwill, a dash of Truman Capote, set the scene at Hef's Playboy mansion, and toss in the county jail for good measure. That was the Stones Touring Party, the ultimate rock 'n' roll band at the height of its spectacular depravity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

It's Only Rock and Roll But I Like It, Love It ,Yes I Do!
Whoa! This is a thorougly enjoyable book all the way through.I agree wholeheartedly with the reviewer who stated this is "One of the greatest rock books ever written";it's certainly the best rock and roll book I've ever read, and I actually am not that much of a Stones fan. This book could have been done as a quick, tabloid rock tour journal, but the writing is absolutely superb and fascinating all the way through, the story decadently entertaining.Bravo Mr.Greenfield!

Interesting Read with Some Glaring Errors
Some people, I swear.I'm getting not helpful reviews because I point out this guy's very weak skills as an author and his pathetic research that yielded numerous factual errors?go figure. The book is crap and doesn't even deserve 4 stars. Make it 2.

Greenfield's first book on the Rolling Stones chronicling their North American tour of 1972 is far better than his recent "Exile On Main Street:A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones".I enjoyed the style of writing and the bird's eye view of things that went on during the tour. I knew that the Stones' touring party was typically fairly depraved but I really had no idea of the extent of that depravity. I hate to be all PC and all that but young women (girls really) were treated as something to use and throw away.There are several accounts of young women who, while not part of the Stones Touring Party, were highly visible throughout the tour, used up for sordid entertainment, allowed themselves to be completely humiliated without even realizing it (the airplane film incident), and discarded like garbage.It's very sad the things that some of these young women did in order to be near that glittering star.I wonder how they feel today?Everything had to be cleared by Jagger and Richards, these two men have much to atone for, really.

There are some really dumb and glaring mistakes and that fact that this is a second edition publication make them unforgivable really:

For example, on page 115 Greenfield tells us about how a young Mick Taylor took Eric Clapton's place in Mayall's Blues Breakers.Greenfield must have smoked an awful lot of dope in his day.Anyone who knows ANYTHING about the music of that era knows that Peter Green (who went on to found the original Fleetwood Mac) replaced Clapton.Mick Taylor replaced Peter Green. Duh? That's rock-guitar history/appreciation 101 and Greenfield gets a big fat "F"

On page 117 Greenfield mentions men in Denver washing their cars in the drive way and wondering what kind of season the Denver Bears were going to have...What?While it is true that in the late 50's and very early 60's Denver did have a semi-pro football team called the Denver Bears (almost NO-ONE in Denver remembers this), by 1972, Bronco mania had long taken hold in Denver (I was there).The Broncos were just a couple of years shy of their first appearance in a string of many very disappointing Superbowl performances (thank God they got that monkey of their backs).

Didn't this guy have an editor?Who proofed this darn thing?Presumably a member of the Stones Touring Party who was just as stoned as everyone else.Again, this is a second edition boys and girls.Mistakes like the two cited above are good examples of shoddy authorship and editing.Maybe some writing course will use them as examples.

Those two mistakes are glaring and it leaves me wondering about how many not so glaring mistakes this book also contains.

'OUTLAWS IN LOVE...KINGS OF THE DECADENT LAWN.'
I read this book sometime around 1975 when it first surfaced as a highly literate diary chronicling the Rolling Stones 1972 tour of America.Basking in the reflected glory of the (then and arguably still)'greatest rock n' roll band in the world';the author is afforded access all areas,and guides the reader from bickering rehearsal sessions,through rigid security meetings and late flights,until finally you are granted a carte blancheticket for the greatest show on earth.Greenfield's cultured and informative reporting hurls you head-first into the crazed and ruthless world of the maelstrom that is The Rolling Stones in all their sometimes heavy-handed glory.Wonderfully entertaining stories unfold throughout this incredible journey as the outlaws
in love march like kings,across the decadent sprawling lawns of
mighty America.Pure zeitgeist.Great stuff.
After reading this book you just wanna'play 'Exile on Main St.'
at serious volume and wish that you never had to go to work again.(Oh'well..)

Stones Use STP In Their Tanks To Tour America!!!
Why would anyone want to read a book about a tour that took place more than 30 years ago, in support of what is arguably the Rolling Stones most overrated album?? (Yes, Exile on Main Street does have some very good material, and excellent performances, but the "bathroom" (read: poor) sound quality, heralded by too many critics as being "influential" does not hold up well after all these years. Some of us would like to understand the lyrics, please!) Because the book is very well written by a good, observant, refreshingly unbiased journalist, and because like Jim Bouton's baseball classic Ball Four, S.T.P. was one of the first books that spawned an entire genre of rock books about specific bands. Many of the episodes still hold interest today, particularly the Playboy Mansion scenes in Chicago, and the details of the bands arrest and subsequent release (arranged by then-Mayor of Boston Kevin White to prevent a riot) from a Rhode Island jail: the Stones were supposed to be playing a concert at the very moment they were incarcerated.Many interesting characters stand out as well, particularly Truman Capote, Princess Lee Radziwill, and Jagger himself. One thing I feel must be noted: If you are younger than fortysomething, you may be surprised at the sheer amount of ANGER felt by many of the kids, who were just itching to clash with police. In many ways, that was typical of the times, and thankfully, for the most part, such behavior would not be tolerated today. In sum, if you are a Stones fan, or a fan of great rock writing, get S.T.P. ASAP. Trust me, like the namesake gas treatment, it'll put a tiger in your tank!!!

*Richards*, the man's name is *Richards*
The first hundred or so pages are so fixated on Mick Jagger that you wonder if Mr Greenfiel is ever going to notice that the Rolling Stones consist of way more than a frontman.But once he finally does realize that - apparently a concert or two was enough to convince him - it's a pretty good read.There are some obvious inaccuracies (including mistaking butterflies for doves); and the stuff about the people and events orbiting around the Stones on this tour is sometimes overlong.Some of it, though, works nicely to bring back the atmosphere of the times.

It's unfortunate that Mr Greenfiel didn't have the courtesy to correct Keith's surname in this re-edition - who cares how the publicists were misspelling it at the time?!That grates, as do the lame attempts to capture regional pronunciation.Just talk normal, please, Mr Greenfiel!And repeat after me: it's *Richards*.

In other words: Stanley Booth's _True Adventures of the Rolling Stones_ is miles better - really fine writing, a superior grasp of what the Stones are about, *and* he knows what Keith's surname is - but this one'll do between re-readings of Stanley's. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (44)

An American Master
The short story format is hardly Robert Stone's raison d'etre. The author usually works with much bigger canvases, utilizing epic-length narratives to examine, unflinchingly, the state of humanity in the 20/21st century. There are four or five writers in America who consistently leave me awestruck and Stone is one of them. When he's at his best (DAMASCUS GATE, DOG SOLDIERS and, especially, OUTERBRIDGE REACH), few authors can approach him in terms of the sheer beauty and utility of his prose. FUN WITH PROBLEMS gives a hint of his many strengths as a writer but, really, in order to divine the man's true genius, you must read his novels. This collection of stories is a helpful primer...but OUTERBRIDGE REACH, harrowing and unforgettable, is as good as it gets.

Mediocre at best
Robert Stone is an extremely talented writer but I was desperately disappointed with this collection. Anyone who has read his first short story collection "Bear and His Daughter", or his novels "A flag for Sunrise" and "Dog Soldiers" will know that he can write infinitely better than this. First of all there is a distinct lack of plot in all the stories here - nothing really happens in terms of action or even psychological action. Secondly, the prose seems only half-hearted as if he were merely going through the motions as a writer. "Porque No Tiene, Porque Le Falta" from "Bear and His Daughter" is one of my favorite short stories ever and one that I can still picture in my mind many years after reading it but I can't think of anything in "Fun with Problems" that even remotely approaches those heights. In summary, if you are new to Robert Stone, read Bear and His Daughter, Dog Soldiers and A Flag for Sunrise which are all excellent. This book may be of interest to die-hard fans of the author but it pails into insignificance when compared with his better works.

Exquisite words, lacking in plot
This is a short collection of seven stories written by Robert Stone. I heard about this collection on NPR I think, but I had never heard of the author before.



The main characters in each of Stone's stories seem to deal with the same issues - dissatisfaction with their life in some way, shape or form that they deal with by consuming massive amounts of alcohol. Some consume so much alcohol that they are literally and figuratively drowning in it (there are at least two drownings/near drownings in this collection).



When I first started reading, I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to get through the entire collection.While some of the stories drew me in immediately, some of them did not. I lost interest in some of the characters easily, perhaps because all of the main characters were male and their struggles were not like mine, not because they were male but simply because I didn't have their issues and couldn't relate to their issues. But I kept on and when I ask myself why, I figured out why.Stone is an exquisite author who manages, somehow, to dig to the root of his character's problems and present them in such a raw manner that you can't help but continue. It's almost like you can't look away, no matter how hard you try to. He's a good writer in that his word choice is so pleasurable but his plots also made it difficult to plow through his stories or even to savor them. He needs to work a little bit on plot at least as it relates to his short story work.



Generally, decent.

A Great Book From A Great Writer
I really enjoyed this book, but then I've enjoyed all the works of Robert Stone, a genius writer, and strong ability with characters.Fun With Problems is an entertaining and fun novel, and another great contribution to the body of work of Robert Stone.

The stories are all vivid the characters are all perfectly drawn.You will find yourself enraptured in stories of degeneretes, drunks, and violent people.You have drunk professors, bipolar actresses, there are treatises on love with characters who don't know how to love, treatises on redemption with characters who don't want to be redeemed.These are stories of people who reach the top to realize they've been crawling down to the bottom, and who fall to the bottom to realize that there's even further to fall.

The characters in the stories that make up this book have problems, and true to the title, they seem to almost revel in their problems.Is this book better than his novels, no, but is it up there with his other short story collection, most definitely.

Doesn't live up to expectations
It is a disservice to authors to plaster their books with endorsements such as "one of our greatest living writers" because it increases readers' expectations, sometimes unrealistically.That is the case here.Short stories are my favorite form of fiction but these don't live up to the hype.

The title of one story, "The Wine-Dark Sea", is quite intriguing with its reference, and the events are interesting if unlikely, but the dialogue is awkward and unnatural.At one point I found myself reading a paragraph aloud in different ways to try to make it sound plausible and just could not.Should characters be believable when they speak?I think so, at least in this sort of fiction.The same problem occurs throughout the book--I tried out some of the dialogue in "The Archer" and was unable to make it work.

Sometimes there are other problems.For instance, in the shortest story, "Honeymoon", the descriptions and dialogue are very realistic but the events do not seem plausible.Are we to take this seriously or is it a mere amusement, a message to a former spouse?Is the story an allegory, a parable of some sort?Is the whole point to make us wonder about these things?

These characters are mostly an unhappy bunch, to say the least.Some of them are very angry, or addicted, stupid, or lonely;some are simply immoral and some exhibit several of these characteristics.That should make them just like real people but no, they seem a little flat.We see what they are doing and, to some degree, the effects of their actions but it would be interesting to know their underlying motivations, why they do what they do, even if we can't hope to understand it.Is being an alcoholic enough to justify a character's actions or should an explanation of why he is alcoholic be offered?

On the whole, I was left wondering if these stories were truly intended for an audience or if they were written as a form of self-therapy, to be kept in a locked drawer, unpolished, with instructions for them to be destroyed upon the author's death.Reading Fun with Problems is like opening a new box of cereal to find it half-full because "contents may settle" and wondering, "Where is the rest of what I was supposed to get?"

Stick to this if you are a fan of Robert Stone.If you are just looking for a good book of short stories about people with issues, I would recommend Drift: Stories instead, simply because it is more interesting and, in the end, more enjoyable.

*** = It's OK

A copy of this book was provided for review through Amazon Vine ... Read more

Product Description
In this towering story about a man pitting himself against the sea, against society, and against himself, Robert Stone again demonstrates that he is "one of the most impressive novelists of his generation" (New York Review of Books). Inviting comparison with the great sea novels of Conrad, Melville, and Hemingway, Outerbridge Reach is also the portrait of two men and the powerful, unforgettable woman they both love - and for whom they are both ready, in their very different ways, to stake everything. As the San Francisco Chronicle said, "Robert Stone asks questions of our time few writers could imagine and answers them in narratives few readers will ever quite forget." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Two things that don't ring true
The idea that Vietnam "tunnel rats" would find switchblade knives desirable for their work is ridiculous. The scene where Strickland threw away the $1,500 he won at the craps table also didn't ring true.
--John H. Pope, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines

great great writing
I am a graduate of the General Program of Liberal arts, also known as the Great Books program at Notre Dame. We read alot and diversely! This is a great book in every sense of the word and by anybody's standards except for those who disagree.

Is the Human Race This Awful?
Over a period of several years I had tried twice to read Robert Stone's "Outerbridge Reach."I just made a third try and this time got further than before --- to page 145, less than half way through.It's not that it's poorly written.Had it been, I'd have stopped with one try.No, my trouble with the book is that its every character is so incredibly unpleasant.Stone would appear to think the world is made up of nasty, self-absorbed, unhappy, manipulative people.

I don't consider myself particularly optimistic about the human race, but if Stone sees his fellow humans in such an unremittingly negative light, I pity him.

Not much of a sea story
I didn't enjoy this book, even though I'm partial to sea stories.There is not a single likable, admirable character in the book.I don't think the author, Robert Stone, has spent much time sailing or knows much about the sea.I would not recommend this book to anyone interested in reading sea stories.Actually the sailing material does not play a large part in the plot and is not convincingly portrayed.

So what then is it about?It seems to be about the misery of modern American life.Stone wants his novel to be deep and epic but it is just depressing and dorky.The symbolism and ideas are mostly shallow.There's obscure religious undertones that made no sense to me.The parent/child relationships portrayed in the book are utterly banal and ugly.I found no humanity at all in any of the relationships.

And consider the title-"Outerbridge Reach."Outerbridge Reach is supposed to be an area in New York Harbor where derelict boats lie (get the symbolism?).But I think the author wanted to title his story "Outta Reach" and came up with this 'clever' twist on the title instead.Basically what the book is about is how fulfillment, love, and happiness are outta reach.If you like this kind of depressing thing, you'll love this book. I don't and I didn't.

Having said all this, I must admit that I did read the entire novel which I don't usually do if I dislike a book.The reason I read on is that Stone writes well and has an elegant and interesting prose style.He knows how to skilfully pace a story.It's a shame that his talent is wasted on such negative content.

A masterpiece of American literature.
I've read this novel four or five times and consider it one of the best works of fiction by an American writer.The prose is simply perfect - not a false note or glob of fat.The characters have positive and negative qualities that make them believably human - but Stone finds a mote of corruption that he spins into consequence.Owen Browne's flaw is a penchant for glib surfaces - he is a PR man - and he is undone by a boat that is PR perfect but deeply flawed; his tragedy unfolds slowly while he is isolated at sea and the ship reveals itself.Strickland is a brilliant documentary filmmaker with an unfailing instinct for "the lie" and insufficient wariness of the perils of his clear-eyed objectivity.The novel confronts American situations - the Vietnam War, American capitalism, American documentary news.And so on - to the chagrin of readers on this board who were unprepared for Stone's realism.If you don't like realism of the Balzac variety, you won't like this book.But I consider it, along with A Flag for Sunrise, to be a masterpiece of the very highest order.And Stone's other books partake of all his virtues as a writer - less impressive only because they lack the felicitous focus of these two books.Stone writes a book every five years, so his oeuvre is modest: you can pile them on your nightstand and work your way through them over a winter.But begin with Outerbridge Reach.It reaches through surfaces to the corruption underlying ideals - personal and national - as surely as A Scarlet Letter and Moby Dick. ... Read more

Product Description
In Saigon during the waning days of the Vietnam War, a small-time journalist named John Converse thinks he'll find action - and profit - by getting involved in a big-time drug deal. But back in the States, things go horribly wrong for him. Dog Soldiers perfectly captures the underground mood of America in the 1970s, when amateur drug dealers and hippies encountered profiteering cops and professional killers - and the price of survival was dangerously high.Amazon.com Review
Like Michael Herr's Dispatches, RobertStone's National Book Award-winning novel Dog Soldiers tradeson a hallucinatory vision of Vietnam as a place in which all honor andmorality are ceded to the mere business of survival -- and, better,survival with personal profit."This is the place where everybodyfinds out who they are," says the novel's protagonist, the journalistConverse, to which his friend and partner in crime Ray Hicks replies,"What a bummer for the gooks." Converse convinces Hicks to smuggle ashipment of heroin back to the United States, renegade CIA agents popup, and all hell breaks loose in this beautifully written, dark studyof the soul in anguish. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

I Hated This Novel from the First Page!
In fact, I forged through most of it just to be sure how much I hated it. I'm giving it five stars out of sheer orneriness, and to counterpoise the one star review by a guy who loved it.

But honestly, it wasn't the novel per se that I hated so much as the world it portrays, the "sleazy '70s" in America, the society I exiled myself from. When the clock struck twelve midnight on December 31st, 1979, I went capering across the Campo dei Fiori in Rome, whooping "that's the end of that!" Ho boy, was I ever a Pollyanna!

Deadly drug deals and sordid sex. A would-be writer, a Zen thug, a drug-sozzled flower maiden with old-lefty parents. Cynical corruption at all levels of authority and resistance-to-authority. As the cover calls it: "greed and violence in a world where life is cheap and the price of survival is dangerously high." Snore! But if you're a reader who relishes fantasizing a degradation you know you'll never test, a society slathered with scum and sodden with self-loathing, you'll surely be titillated by Dog Soldiers. You may even consider it truthful, a confirmation of your worst imaginings. The drug-crazed America it portrays is rotten, morally and psychologically, at all levels, from the command center of the CIA to the candy sellers at the porno theaters on Market Street. And if you're embarrassed at relishing such chilling thrills, you'll possibly cluck your tongue and wonder "who's to blame for such decadence?"

But it's not real, you know? Any sordid episode or slimy scene might be certified fact, but the whole portrayal is raw sensationalism. Exploitation of YOUR dankest dreams. Most people, even in the 70s, even in Berserkly CA, really did live lives of QUIET desperation. Respectability, or at least restraint. The writing does have moments of craft, patches of well-observed detail, but it's soooo exaggerated! It tries too hard. It piles the "authentic" military and drug-traffic jargon too deep, up to your nostrils. With its precious allusions to Nietzsche and Joyce, it wallows in "hipper-than-thou" pretentiousness. And it's cluttered! Too many uglies with too clever nicknames! Even so, if any of the chief characters were plausible human beings, one might care about their outcomes. They weren't and I didn't.

Flabby, weak-eyed devil
This is a crime story about drug dealers during the Vietnam war, and about their various mental, emotional, money, and health problems. What exotic people they were!
This is also a novel from and about forgotten times and it deals with forgotten segments of the US society. What a strange country it was!
Glimpses of Vietnam and Cambodia come into it; what a sick war it was!

It is pretentiously literary: the main hero Converse travels to Vietnam with Saint-Exupery in his baggage. His courier Hicks reads Nietzsche on his carrier and thinks of Hemingway when he remembers fishing. The missionary lady in the park reads Cronin, appropriately; she identifies a half sentence, spoken by Converse, containing the words `God' and `whirlwind', as Job 37.The guru's son reads Stevenson. The psychotic killer recites Heine (that's odd). The soon-to-die medic reads Hesse.
The novel's epigraph is a quote from Conrad. I assume the flabby devil is meant to be Kurtz, and that probably means that Converse is a version of Kurtz.

The novel won the NBA in 1975. The publisher of my pocket book seems to feel a need to justify that award by printing praises from various reviewers who saw reason to compare the book to all kinds of stars, such as: a) Conrad, b) Hemingway, c) Traven, d) Chandler, e) Faulkner.

And now, let me tell you, despite all this the novel is not at all bad. I did actually find interest and pleasure in reading it. I do think the author was his own man. None of the comparisons makes sense or is needed. If I may come up with my own comparison, this style strikes me more like what I would imagine Kerouac to have written had he known how to write fiction and had he asked Graham Greene to improve on the manuscript.

The main character Converse is anguish personified. He has reason to be afraid, though he is luckily often almost too tired to be afraid. He gets involved in this drug dealing thing while in Vietnam, as a less than second rate journalist, because, as he lucidly self-diagnoses later: Being there f(oul)s up your perspective. Asked again in another situation, he says: in the absence of anything else... This man is no Kurtz, he is just a weak lost soul. Kurtz was lost too, but he put up a much harder fight and moved a larger wheel. Maybe the whole crowd of heroin dealers are Kurtzes? That is more like it! A worthwhile paradigm!

The Californian publisher that Converse works for, his father in law, is in the business of newspapers with headlines like this timeless beauty: Mad hermit rapes coed campers. (Seriously, should I sue for defamation?)

The book was made into a movie (Who'll stop the Rain?) and the focus moved from Converse to his courier Hicks, played by Nick Nolte. Nolte is something of a blue collar Buddhist, an amateur student of Japanology, a veritable samurai after service as a marine on Okinawa and a Vietnam tour. His interim conclusion halfway through the ride: Zen is for old men! (I knew I have to wait before I understand it!)

Quite possibly nobody will understand this novel in 50 years, or it will require deep historical and cultural education. For us contemporaries it is a good visit. (Ignore the 1 star reviews, they are from a bunch of funny HS students and not meant literally.)

Fun to Return to the 1960's When Everything Was So Different [T]
Now not the topic of everyday America, discussion about drug smuggling army-enterprising souls involved in our escalating use of heroin were commonplace to those who lived in the 1960's.It was not a coincidence that the Viet Nam War and heroin occurred hand-in-hand, just like it was no coincidence that the following decade was a war on South America and cocaine became prevalent.

Viet Nam, and the people involved in the same, were often thought of as not bright or insane events of our 1960's (which carried into this book's1970's while the counterculture's movement tried to pry the military out of Asia).Revolution abounded by those opposing the same and the generation gap became the cry of the leaders of that revolution - don't trust anyone over 40. But, the main character of this book, John Converse, volunteers to go to Viet Nam for professional purposes - find the great American novel - and risk life and limb for the story.He leaves his wife, the mother of his infant daughter, to be alone. And, then to make matters worse, he and his wife, Marge, horribly botch an attempt to smuggle drugs into the United States from Viet Nam. And, off on the races they go after people are chasing them for the drugs almost as soon as they arrive at the port.

In this book, we learn not to trust anyone involved in the smuggling of drugs - even the cops who enforce the laws preventing the same.Corruption abounds, mainly by those over 30, and the hard knock stories we read of the main characters are comparable tot he cartoon characters of Evanovich, Hiaasen, Hess and others. Filled with remorse and dulled spirits, this book touches upon sexual depravity (Marge works in a porn theater, and does one need discuss Viet Nam's issues?)parallels parts of Stone's contemporary - Joan Didion (think Play It As It Lays). And, like Didion's work - the female protagonist is pessimistic about everything about her, to a point where life has no meaning whatsoever.

But pessimism in the 1960's was not a monopoly to this author or Didion - it was a cottage industry for bundles of authors. And, those novels often delved with an escape from the depression - remember this occurred before the days of antidepressants as advertised on today's television.For many, maybe even most,escapism was mandatory.In this book, the method of escape includes heroin, psylocybin, LSD and marijuana.Nothing extraordinary for the time of the 1960's.

The dialogue of this book is rich with 1960's patois.It touches upon topics which American television today harbors on.It runs us on chases rivaling mystery novels. It is a fun read.

Guns, Drugs, Madness & Mayhem
More than any other novel I can remember reading, Dog Soldiers perfectly captures the paranoid, conspiracy riven, drug-saturated atmosphere of American in the late 1960s.The story is largely the stuff of pulp fiction, elevated to literature of a very high order by virtue of Robert Stone's razor-sharp prose, complex characters, and his honest depiction of violence in all its many guises.In the wanning days of the Vietnam War, a battle-hardened soldier named Hicks is paid to smuggle into the U.S. a large cache of heroin; when he deviates from the pre-arranged plan, he sets in motion a violent chain of events that, in terms of their intensity and body count, bear an all-too-frightening resemblenace to the war Hicks left behind.

On the run, Hicks is persued by characters worthy of Jim Thompson at his demented best.Among them are DEA agents and cops who may or may not be legitimate, drug dealers with a penchant for sadism, an aspiring screen writer who misjudges Hicks with disasterous results, and an odd assorment of other less than honorable types.Hick's companion on his hell-bound journey is a bored, drug-addled housewife with an insatiable appetite for heroin and mayhem.And the odyssey itself sends Hicks hurdling head-long through a California landscape of annonymous suburbs and dead end border towns that in Stone's twisted vision of reality are nothing short of nightmarish.

I've long thought that Robert Stone is deserving of a far bigger readership that he currently enjoys.But in rereading Dog Soldiers recently I realized that there is good reason why his audience is relatively small.While he dabbles in genres that are typically the province of popular fiction -- drugs, terrorism, political assassination -- his stories are imbued with a pitiless view of humanity that provides none of the escapism that readers gererally look for in pop fiction.In this sense Stone is not unlike Graham Greene (the writer I think Stone most closely resembles), who, even in his "entertainments," could not help but speak the truth, even if it cost him readers.

Dog Soldiers is a page-turner with both style and brains, a vastly entertaining novel that doesn't insult a reader's intelligence by sugar-coating reality, and a work that leaves one with a great deal to think about long after the last sentence is finsihed.

Vietnam, the 60s and heroin. What could be better?
This may not be considered a "Vietnam Novel," but the story begins there and the in-country scenes are as well written as any in the genre. What develops is one of the most thrilling chase stories in crime fiction. Stone is a great writer and the story flows as smoothly as the Sai Gon River. The denizens of his making in the drug trade stateside are as bad as I can imagine and real. Another innocent who doesn't have a clue about what he is getting into and pays the price. A terrific read and worthy of the accolades.
Ron Lealos author of don't Mean Nuthin' ... Read more

Product Description
The stories collected in Bear and His Daughter span nearly thirty years - 1969 to the present - and they explore, acutely and powerfully, the humanity that unites us. In "Miserere," a widowed librarian with an unspeakable secret undertakes an unusual and grisly role in the anti-abortion crusade. "Under the Pitons" is the harrowing story of a reluctant participant in a drug-running scheme and the grim and unexpected consequences of his involvement. The title story is a riveting account of the tangled lines that weave together the relationship of a father and his grown daughter.Amazon.com Review
The stories in Robert Stone's first collection, Bear and His Daughter were written over the course of 30 years and cover a variety of topics from abortion to drug dealing. In "Miserere," Mary Urquhart, a widow who lost her own children in a terrible accident, now assuages her guilt by taking responsibility for the souls of the unborn. In "Under the Pitons, " the reluctant Blessington finds himself caught up in the grim aftermath of a drug-running scheme, while in "Porque No Tiene, Porque Le Falta" a hike up the side of a Mexican volcano brings about eruptions in the personal lives of ex-patriot Fletch and his companions.

Most of the characters in Stone's stories are male, most of them have no first names. The writing is spare, the motivations and emotions are telegraphed. Everyone in this collection has been wounded by life, and anger is their shield against further pain. Stone is well-known for uncompromising prose on subjects as divergent as Vietnam and Hollywood. In Bear and His Daughter, he continues his exploration of the dark recesses of the human soul. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a thought-provoking collection
This isn't the most uplifting collection of stories; in fact, it's a bit depressing.Each story seems to remark on the fragility and transience of human life.From the first story, Miserere, centered around aborted fetuses and religion, to the last, Bear & His Daughter, about the renuinion of alcoholic father and daughter, readers will perhaps not see a flicker of optimism in each of Robert Stone's stories.Despite the dark themes in Stone's stories, reader's will notice the beauty of Stone's narratives.He is a master crafter, and his words flow with beautiful consistency and intellect.His sentences were a treat for me to read.All the stories are particulary strong, my favorite being the title story, Bear & His Daughter.

Drugs, violence and incest have rarely been so tiresome
Of these seven stories, only "Under the Pitons," about love among drug-runners, pulls off the grand, sweeping melodrama that most of the rest just nod toward, and only "Miserere," about a woman who rescues aborted fetuses for burial, feels like a true short story.The other works seem like abandoned novels.They are filled with characters that are hopelessly self-indulgent (the alcoholic in "Helping," the drug-addicted daughter in the title story) and tediously

self-important (the incestuous poet in the title story, the drugged-out poet in "Porque No Tiene, Porque Le Falta"), with plots that lead to violent, cop-out endings.The writing often seems disengaged, and even bored.On the whole, a surprising disappointment.

A MEMORABLE COLLECTION
In William Golding's landmark The Lord Of The Flies we weep for "the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart."The heart's blackness is mourned again in two sharply drawn story collections.Despair is their leit motif.

Emotionally scarred, the characters in these tales are fragmented by substance abuse, by obdurate personal demons or both.Nonetheless, such unengaging personalities become compelling when presented by a pair of Pulitzer Prize nominees writing at top form. The child of a schizophrenic mother and unknown father, Robert Stone spent three years in an orphanage.Later, as a New Orleans census taker, he walked that city's back streets.With Bear And His Daughter, seven intense tales penned between 1969 and today, he depicts communal deadends and the dissolute souls trapped therein.

Begin with "Miserere."A widowed librarian's bitterness becomes a mission to have aborted fetuses receive the church's blessing.Another vignette explores the effects of childhoodviolence:"The worst of it, Mackay says, was the absence of mercy.Once the punishment began, no amount of crying or pleading would stay the prefect's hand.Each blow followed upon the last, inexorably like the will of God.It was the will of God."

The title story sears as it traces the downward spiral of a visit by an alcoholic poet to his drug addicted emotionally deprived daughter.The author's chilling denouement rivals Euripidean tragedies.

Robert Stone's writing is edgy, scalpel keen.He probes, cuts, laying back the protective coverings of our human condition.He well knows life's underside.

What an incredible collection
Stone's short stories don't have much in the way of plot, but they each leave the reader with an unforgettable insight into the way Stone feels the world works.My favorite tale is "Aquarius Obscured," in which awoman gets high and takes her dog to the aquarium, where the woman hasa conversation with a fascist dolphin.Each story here deserves carefulreading, and readers who comply will not be disappointed.

Robert Stone's fans won't be disappointed.
The themes will be familiar to those who've read Mr. Stone's novels. Alcohol & drug abuse, characters haunted by the past. His characters are on the verge of losing it, and often do.Mr. Stone knows how to build intensity, and his style and structure propel the reader toward the climax, climax being a more apt term than conslusion.Not for the faint of heart or those looking to be uplifted, but a look at life that is real indeed. ... Read more

Product Description

From the New York City of Kline and De Kooning to the jazz era of New Orleans's French Quarter, to Ken Kesey's psychedelic California, Prime Green explores the 1960s in all its weird, innocent, turbulent, and fascinating glory. Building on personal vignettes from Robert Stone's travels across America, the legendary novelist offers not only a riveting and powerful memoir but also an unforgettable inside perspective on a unique moment in American history.

Customer Reviews (31)

The Mind Burns Through The Madness
This is not a memoir for those merely interested in titillation.Stone is thoughtful and imaginative and historically smart.There is also much about writing in here, and our culture generally.A serious book for those who are capable of being compassionate and grateful about a time that changed many of us for good.

Bad in almost every respect
Maybe the bus on the cover should be a clue. That ain't THE bus, the one you were either on or not.

Stone's recollections are pretty sketchy. If you're interested in finding out more about what Kesey, Cassady, or other colorful Sixties characters were like, you won't find it here. You also won't find out what formative experiences Stone had, which might have inspired his writing of his first book, which was written and published during the 1958 to 1971 time frame recounted in the book. You won't learn what he learned from Wallace Stegner, nor what authors he read during this time period. You will find some rather misanthropic comments about certain events, without much exposition on why he thinks that way. Most of these pronouncements will only exasperate the reader. He talks about how his group of friends were snobbish about drug-taking; he still seems snobbish as he again and again talks about how they blazed this trail for all the lesser beings who would come later. A basic lack of generosity informs this book. It comes off as slightly cranky and bitter. Do we need another cranky 50s-60s self-described "bohemian" to set us straight? Well, he doesn't even seem to have the energy to really do that, even. It seems like a book designed (cynically, and it's hard not to come away thinking, "Geez, this guy is cynical!") to make a buck, to cash in on all the seemingly more interesting people Stone hung out with back in the day, populating the book with some pretty tiresome namedropping (did he mention that he knew Winona Ryder's father? Well, yes, more than once) and anecdotes without a shred of illuminating commentary. And there's really nothing about why they took so many drugs, and how they affected their lives.

But as someone who sweated out the draft in 1972 (yes, I knew people in that last lottery whose lives were affected), I was only puzzled by his statement upon arriving in Vietnam in 1971 that "it was over." Well, not quite. Tell that to the parents of the more than 4000 G.I.'s yet to die (source: National Archives), or even more dramatically, the vast numbers of Vietnamese who would be on the receiving end of massive B-52 raids over North Vietnam in 1972.

I haven't read Stone's fiction, which is purportedly dark and pessimistic. Having read this book, I'm unlikely to.

the making of one of america's great novelists
Prime Green is a tour through the experience of one of America's great writers and thinkers. Robert Stone describes his life in the years leading up to the national convulsions of the 60's, when he and his wife Janice became part of what would later be known as the "counterculture."
Stone is always the outsider- even in the counterculture he is always an observer (just as the terrifying character Danskin, in Stone's greatest novel The Dog Soldiers, remarks, "Im a student of the passing parade...").
This book is written by a student of the passing parade who is as often in the parade as not-Stone seems to have had an uncanny knack for being where history was happening, or about to happen, as with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, or in a somnolent New Orleans just emerging from Jim Crow, and a destination for oddball refugees from every corner of the intolerant rural South. Or with California in general, where the American dreams morphed from whitebread and picket fences into the Haight Ashbury, and then faced the twisted mirror of the Manson murders in LA. As Stone writes it, by the time the hippies arrived in California, the strange dreams of American icons like Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, Kerouac, and Stone himself, were being pursued elsewhere.

Prime Green has been compared with Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, and that comparison is apt. But it is a bit more than that, too, in that it describes the background of the fixations and images that appeared later in Stone's fiction- the New Orleans of A Hall of Mirrors, the dread feeling of pursuit through a carnival that pervades the Dog Soldiers, even the colors- Prime Green, that are so much a part of my favorite Stone novel, A Flag for Sunrise. This is a beautifully written, important memoir by an important voice in American letters.

Hal Herring

Author of:

Famous Firearms of the Old West: From Wild Bill Hickok's Colt Revolvers to Geronimo's Winchester, Twelve Guns That Shaped Our History

Prime Green, "Remembering the 60's"
I was very much looking forward to this book as there haven't been many good ones written on the subject.I was disappointed however, that the author made it more about himself and his experiences during that time. He didn't really tie these experiences into the cultural phenomena that was happening. I was more interested in how he saw the overall picture. How has the culture shifted?What were the redeeming qualities?What went wrong?Why hasn't anything like this occurred since? I wanted a more sociological perspective as seen through one person's eyes....a lofty order, but that's what I was hoping to read.It was a well written book however, and I enjoyed it.

Life Was Different Then.
Prime Green is a drug term written by a former hippie apporpriately named Stone.Marijuana was called grass in the '60s culture.This was the age of Aquarious when Charles Mansion controlled a commune of misguided "lost" young people in Southern California by providing drugs and sex (called "free love" back then) all of which ended in several murders.It is thought that many more were killed by this group and things are in the works to locate more remains at the ranch where they hid after the Sharon Tate murder.One of his "girls" even attempted to kill the president of the United States.

Robert Stone would have fit right in with this group with the exception of his military training and travel abroad.He's led a regimental enclosed life as one of the crew under the incomparable William Anderson of Tennessee, as they maneuvered under the frozen antarctic region in a U. S, submarine.He walked freely dow the boulevards of France before 'Nam.That's when he turned to hippie life to put the atrocities of that war deep down in his subconscious.At Stanford, he discovered other damaged "students" who made a cross-country trip to New York to the World's Fair.As they traveled in an old weirdly-painted school bus, the hippies became gypsies.

He included some names of people who became prominent in diverse fields.Coming from New Orleans, Bub was not a leader of the group but a follower, an observer who took creative writing and now forty years later can recount in some detail how life was in the '60s.Although he's older than I, our existences at that time were polar opposites.I think back to the small church college and decide it had been my salvation from that kind of life of spiritual deprivation.There were such people there but the Southern tradition with its ethical rules forbade any public displays.This was Pleasantville on the surface, no Peyton Place until later and the hippies from Sommertown came over to work on some of the old buildings.No uprisings and Ross Bass, our Senator, used the rural small town for a peaceful integration (in schools only).We were the example of doing things right.We did not live in reality but with a colorful past had to lead the rest of the country, for political reasons.

In the Johnson era of bathroom legislating, the sixties were lost time for me, and so I thought this Prime Green (for grass) memoir would enlighten me.I spent all of my prime years raising my two children to be good citizens.The '60s were not a pleasant time to remember, but perhaps it wasn't all bad. ... Read more

Product Description
Possessed of astonishing dramatic, emotional, and philosophical resonance, A Flag for Sunrise is a novel in the grand tradition about Americans drawn into the maelstrom of a small Central American country on the brink of revolution. From the book's inception, readers will be seized by the dangers and nightmare suspense of life lived on the rim of a political volcano. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Malcolm Lowry meets Dostoevsky
Stone is one of those authors capable of inspiring an almost religious fervor among his admirers. This book made me see why. Not since Dostoevsky's The Possessed has an author stared so deeply, and so unflinchingly, into the dark - the dark around us and the dark within. Stone excels at depicting both. He portrays the third world as it was, and for the most part still is - a place without justice, where ideals run into reality with generally fatal results. The sense of simmering tensions always on the verge of violent eruption - omnipresent in such places - is made palpable. It is a place to test even the strongest faith. And into this Hobbesian jungle he throws characters already haunted by demons of their own. Not since Malcolm Lowry has spiritual torment been laid out so hauntingly. Stone tackles the great topic of our times - the disparity between haves and have nots - and transcends it. He makes it clear that the comfort and security we enjoy in America depends in part on maintaining order, however oppressive, in countries like Tecan. But he also shows that, far from a case of immorality, this state of affairs is necessitated by the brutal nature of reality. Ultimately, the moral outrage that stews just underneath the surface throughout is left with no object - it isn't the fault of men or nations, or even of human nature, so much as the fault of reality itself.

deserves to be a classic
stone writes a thinking person's adventure in this novel set in central america in the 1970's [80s?]. you can find elements here of Conrad [Heart of Darkness], Hemingway and others as Stone's characters navigate the moral, spiritual, political and physical dilemmas of a third world country on the verge of revolution. he does it all while firmly rooted in the nitty gritty of the physical world with sometimes stunning description. i would guess that stone has traveled extensively in central america given the strength and detail of his scenery.

only a few criticisms here. i found the beginning somewhat slow/opaque as stone establishes his characters & plot in the book's first half. the pace quickens in the second half once he's dispensed with this work. additionally, there are not a lot of sympathetic characters here. that makes stone a realist, which i appreciate, but also makes it a little harder sometimes to empathize. Having said that, by midpoint you do develop empathy for Justin, and to an extent for Pablo and Holliwell, though both the latter are flawed characters.

nonetheless stone is a master, one of the greatest novelists plying his trade today.

One of the best political thrillers
The problem with political thrillers is that they often become clliche and predictable.There is often a desire, either by the author or the industry, to paint these as modern westerns with well-defined good guys and bad guys.Rarely do we get a novel of more disturbing complexity which challenges our notions of morality and suggest a social structure which lead to corruption of values and moral virtue.Only the best take this opportunity for developing a sense of noir, protraying the darkness of human ambition and petty venal sins, that is often missed.John Le Carre is a notable exception who has remained dedicated to his genre.Rarely do novels produces the types of characters that strive to overcome those structures or achieve some victory, or reach a pivitol moment of epiphany.Such greats include Conrad's The Secret Agent, or Greene's Quiet American.To these one should add Stone's A Flag for Sunrise.There is genre fiction, and there is fiction that transcends genre and which stands distinctive as a work of literature.This definitely falls in the later category.

A Flag for Sunrise brings us back to the 1970s and 1980s, where America is fighting a war against communism along it's southern periphery, the backyard of Central America.It is a period often forgotten or glossed over by modern Americans who think of this period as that time when Reagan won his war against Communism.Stone brings us back and cuts out a small story within a bigger story- of a pair of missionaries holding out on a small beach in some fictional South American country, as the world around them falls to the chaos of revolution and a coming apocalypse.

One of Stone's strengths is capturing the sense of hollowness of the Post Vietnam Era.This is a time of pessimism, when the potential for evil in foreign policy is very apparent, and where Americans are suffering an identity crisis about their place in the world.This is a powerful theme in Stone's work, seen espeically in The Dog Soldiers, but here it is especially powerful.

This is a thriller with a powerful set of characters: disillusioned American vets from the Vietnam War, an idealistic nun, well intentioned journalists, manipulative revolutionaries, despotic policemen, aging pirates and smugglers, political manipulators, spies and hired guns. These people collide with intense drama and tragedy.At the heart of the story are three characters, a disillusioned veteran of Vietnam, the idealistic nun and a military deserter whose vacuous nature becomes a cause of destruction. They remind us that in the turbulence of political change, individuals exist and struggle to survive in these tidal forces.There is a horror here, of structure and character, of vice and ambition, and of the dark side of the human heart and perhaps those aspects of our humanity that finally may redeem us.What is achieved is a work of art that stands far and above most political fiction you will likely read in a long time.

Highly recommended. This is another story which begs Americans to reconsider the price of empire and one of the landmarks of 20th Century Literature.Dog Soldiers has often been criticially acclaimed, but a Flag for Sunrise is probably Stone's best.

Power, [evil] and self interest.
In its setting and background a Flag for Sunrise rests firmly in Graham Greene and Ernest Hemmingway territory - a fictional Central American country run by a right wing military regime.The cast of characters holds few suprises - the whisky priest, the idealistic nun, the american abroad, the sadistic secret policeman, various members of the world intelligence services.

What struckme about a Flag for Sunrise was its uncomprimisingly dark view of the world and the politics that makes it function. A world where all that is important is power and strength and your ability to harness these forces for your own self interest. A world where morals have no place, in fact a place where morals will get you killed, often slowly and painfully.

Yet somehow the book remains rivetting. You know that it is going to end badly for those characters that you like, at times it is difficult to turn the page, but you do anyhow and what happens is often worse than your darkest imaginings. But it is also honest.

This is the second Robert Stone novel that I have read and I am certain that it will not be the last.

A Third World Apocalypse...
The incendiary hint of Revolution simmers on the surface of a South American country beset by poverty and the all-consuming appetite of corporate gluttony.The rolling green hills and sparkling beaches of Tecan are perfect for exploitation. The land is already littered with an assortment of "investors" jockeying for inside information. Revolution spells opportunity, out with the old regime, in with the new, and a tidy profit to be made along the way. The only question is whether to "run with the Rabbit or hunt with the Hare?"

Saints and sinners compete in this Third World nightmare, each with a different agenda. It's an ideological train wreck and the ultimate victims are the disenfranchised. The name of the game is greed and the players are the usual: privately owned corporations, interested governments, a militia trained to fight insurrection, various criminals, religious zealots and a panoply of hired spies and assorted operatives. Our personal guide is Frank Holliwell, an American anthropologist with "Company" ties from his days in Vietnam, visiting the region ostensibly to give a lecture. Holliwell becomes one more pawn in a dangerous game with incredibly high stakes.

In the final act, no one is who he seems in this Darwinian struggle for dominance. The common people are disposable, the cause is mutable and the quality of civilization a casualty of events. Enter at your own risk, this is Robert Stone at his best. But know this: you step into chaos in this novel (with no separate chapters) that jolts from one state of anxiety to another, watching over your shoulder at every turn. ... Read more

Product Description
Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone faces the case of his career in the newest novel in the bestselling series.

When a woman's partially decomposed body washes ashore in Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone is forced into a case far more difficult than it initially appears. Identifying the woman is just the first step in what proves to be an emotionally charged investigation. Florence Horvath was an attractive, recently divorced heiress from Florida; she also had a penchant for steamy sex and was an enthusiastic participant in a video depicting the same. Somehow the combination of her past and present got her killed, but no one is talking-not the crew of the Lady Jane, the Fort Lauderdale yacht moored in Paradise Harbor; not her very blond, very tan twin sisters, Corliss and Claudia; and not her curiously affectless parents, living out a sterile retirement in a Miami high rise. But someone-Jesse-has to speak for the dead, even if it puts him in harm's way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

Stone Cold Killer
This was my first Jesse Stone book and I was disappointed. There is no more content to this thing than you would get in an episode of the Rockford Files.All the characters are hopelessly two dimensional and despicable.Why do we need two 50 year old drunk yacht owning South Florida playboys chasing young girls? This book has all the formulaic characters we have seen in the last 90 years of deterctive stories -- tough guy alcoholic cop threw in the towel on the big city moved to Paradise, trying again with the ex-wife, rich drunk Floridians, sex-starved, drug using blonde bimbos relying on the kindness of strangers, other shady businessmen.

I listened to the CD and that might make it worse.Parker is old-school, does not write for the ear, way too much dialogue surrounded with he said/she said.They should just make new episodes of the Rockford Files from these characters (the Hilton sisters could star) and not subject the public to these books.

a formulated structure of parker's novels
1) playing some uncommon words which regular people rarely used, ever.
2) every time when one of the characters said something, the last sentence said by the other person would just repeat it to finish a chapter.
3) parker is using spenser's connections to hook up jesse stone's cases. either series got shrinks or ada knowing each other. funny thing is that anytime any chapter involved shrinks in both series could be easily omitted by not reading it at all and neither those chapters are actually necessary but just serve the purpose to thicken those novles' pages.
4) parker himself seems to be a heavy drinker who transferred his drinking experiences and his drinking philosophy to those characters he created; you don't drink, you need a shrink; you drink, you definitely a shrink. but those chapters involved shrinks never provided any useful thought or method; those chapters were totally unnecessary and useless crap.

read carefully, and you'd be getting tired of such similarly formulated novel structure.

Jesse Stone, very likeable, human hero
I couldn't help constantly imagining Tom Selleck talking and acting as Jesse Stone, the police chief of Paradise, Mass, in reading this book. It was inevitable for two reasons: one, I have first met Jesse Stone in a movie form rather than an original book form. Tom Selleck, the once the sexiest guy on earth, was acting chief Stone in it, and he looked really good and comfortable although I later found from a book that Jesse Stone was a lot younger than Mr. Selleck, who's now over 60 whereas Jesse Stone is supposed to be mid-thirties (but oh boy, Mr. Sellect didn't look at all a man of his sixties - he still looked in a really good shape, and perfectly fit to the role).

I haven't encountered any of Robert B. Parker's novels, but at first sight, I liked his style - simple, easy-going, straightforward, and crisp. His Jesse Stone books are also divided into 50 or 60 plus short chapters, hence suitable for readers whose attention span must be substantially shorter than others who had had much less distractions, such as the Internet, hundreds, if not thousands, TV channels, and cell phones.

Reading his book was fun. Jesse looked a very likeable character, who seemed sympathetic and vulnerable, exhibited subtle sense of humour here and there, and appeared meticulous in inverstigating his cases. His supporting casts, Molly Crane in particular, were also equally interesting.

This book has been a little more interesting for me because of one very specific clue appears in this story - EZ Pass Transponder, an RFID-based automatic paying system in toll roads. It has been raising a complex issues in privacy and security in Ontario's privacy world because of its widespread usage and potential for being used (or abused) as an evidence. Excellent read. 5 of 5 stars.

In need of a "script" change.....
Robert B. Parker's SEA CHANGE was a typical, fast paced Parker novel, part of the Jesse Stone series.Unfortunately, I once again felt as though the author spit out the story too quickly, and the attention to detail was given more to the exploitation of women instead of some good old fashioned, fun detective-work.There is an element of incest in the storyline as well, which is always disturbing.The one thing I do commend Parker for is the portrayal of Kelly Cruz, a detective working the case out of Florida.In fact, I think that Ms. Cruz voices the concerns I and other readers have for this delicate topic.

J.R. Reardon
author, CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS

Not my favorite, I'm afraid.
I have to agree with other reviewers about the very, very dark storyline of "Sea Change." Child rape and incest are there, along with the murder. I also agree with those who report annoyance about constant referrals to Kelly Cruz by her full name; frankly, I was distracted by it because we just don't do that. I guess I should just stick to Spenser because I really enjoy the interplay between the guys, but I keep trying to find similar fun elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book, Robert L. Stone follows the sound of steel guitar into the music-driven Pentecostal worship of two related churches: the House of God and the Church of the Living God. A rare outsider who has gained the trust of members and musicians inside the church, Stone uses nearly two decades of research, interviews, and fieldwork to tell the story of a vibrant musical tradition that straddles sacred and secular contexts. Most often identified with country and western bands, steel guitar is almost unheard of in African American churchesoexcept for the House of God and the Church of the Living God, where it has been part of worship since the 1930s. Sacred Steel traces the tradition through four generations of musicians and in some two hundred churches extending across the country from Florida to California, Michigan to Alabama. Presenting detailed portraits of musical pioneers such as brothers Troman and Willie Eason and contemporary masters such as Chuck Campbell, Glenn Lee, and Robert Randolph, Stone expertly outlines the fundamental tensions between sacred steel musicians and church hierarchy. Robert L. Stone is a folklorist, musician, and producer living in Florida.He has produced eight sacred steel albums for Arhoolie Records and directed the documentary video Sacred Steel for the Arhoolie Foundation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book!
My wife, a lap steel player, bought this book and I read it at her insistence. I'm glad she insisted. It is a fascinating read. It introduced me to an American music tradition of which I was really not aware, and I've been involved with Folk Music for most of my life. The book is highly informative and very well written. I would recommend it to anyone, the musical scholar, the folk community and the reader with only a casual interest in Americana. A great read! ... Read more

Product Description
An otherwise washed-up LAPD cop with a drinking problem gets a job offer from a small Massachusetts town that is too good to be true, and Jesse Stone finds himself with no one to trust and a town full of moral and political corruption. 125,000 first printing. BOMC Main. Tour."Amazon.com Review
Fans often feel uneasy when the creator of a popular character ventures into new turf, and sometimes their trepidation is justified. But readers of Robert B. Parker's immensely popular Spenser series can breathe a sigh of relief: while Night Passage doesn't feature Spenser, his usual gang of associates, or a Boston setting, it's vintage Parker--fast, witty, suspenseful, and engaging. Told in short, crisp chapters, it's the story of Jesse Stone, a 34-year-old ex-cop who just lost his L.A. policeman's job and his marriage due to a drinking problem. The book opens as Stone leaves California for his new job as chief of police in the picturesque town of Paradise, Massachusetts.

But Paradise isn't as placid as it seems--in fact, it's a festering mass of petty corruption, right-wing militia, sexual scandal, and bad guys who favor strong-arm tactics. Night Passage boasts a delicious, classic setup: the lone lawman, new in town, must make his stand to clean the place up. Stone has been picked for the job because the town fathers figured he'd be weak and malleable; as he gradually pulls himself together, it turns out they have a surprise in store. Stone's qualities may remind you of Spenser's--he's taciturn, fearless, good-looking, and compassionate--and in the end the plot's pleasing complexities get resolved a bit simply. But Robert B. Parker is in fine form in Night Passage, with his smart-aleck wit under control and his prose at its economical best. Spenser fans and Parker neophytes alike will find plenty to enjoy here. And the setting is, after all, not far from Boston--dare we hope for a Spenser-Stone meeting in future books? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (78)

Night Passage
I've watched the Jesse Stone series on television and am interested in the "rest of the story". So far, so good.

Night Passage book
The book came much faster than expected, and I was super pleased. The book was in excellent condition, I love ordering from Amazon. Everything I have ever ordered from them has been just right and shipment is always quick.

Robert Parker's Night Passage
This was the first Jesse Stone and was thoroughly enjoyed as well as other novels by Robert Parker.He will be greatly missed.

great,fast paced read!
Fast paced, short chapters,story just flies along-which is good and bad, good- it keeps your interest and doesn't lag. Bad- you've finished the book, and are left wanting more! At least there are ten books in the series and a bunch more by Robert Parker. He left us too soon!

Great story and characters!!
I'm never been a fan of Robert Parker or his Spenser novels, but the Jesse Stone movels are another matter. The character is real-human:likeable, yet flawed. He's offered a job as Chief of Police in a small town, which is last chance. He has been kicked off the LAPD, he's divorced his wife for cheating on him. Paradise, MA is a chance to start over, except that he finds out that he was hired by a crooked council member. Stone was hired in the hope that he wouldn't make waves. Another problem is Stone can't get over his ex-wife. He's obsessed with her.
The book is a good suspenseful read. The ending isn't too good, in compared to the film version, the book version leaves a great deal to be desired.
The characters are miscast in the film version. If you're a fan of a good suspense novel, you'll enjoy this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Through myths and legends, the knowledge of the power of certain gems and crystals has been preserved over generations. However, the practical aspects of how to use these precious stones to promote spiritual development have been lost to all but a few initiates. In Steps on the Stone Path, Robert Sardello offers strategies and rituals for recapturing that lost power.

Sardello starts with guided meditations and rituals for developing awareness of, and the ability to experience, stone qualities such as deep silence, form, transparency, and color as modes of spiritual consciousness. Entering these modes of silent, creative consciousness requires befriending the elemental angelic beings embodied in stones. Sardello develops these initial practices into a sensory yoga of stones, in which the connection between the self and the Divine Self manifests through the medium of stone-awareness. He encourages readers to wear certain gems or to keep specific crystals close to their body, allowing them to enter the world of spirit. Steps on the Stone Path explores the possibility of uniting our soul being with the soul of specific stones, reveals unknown inner qualities and dimensions of humankind, and presents a dazzling theory of stones as critical tools in the making of a New Heaven and a New Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A New Consciousness
Robert Sardello has written a book about companionship.Gently, carefully, but with firm steps he introduces us to a seemingly distant and mysterious world. Yet this need not be, if we prepare ourselves to work intimately with stones.

Sardello states in his introduction that "If the mineral and crystal process of unfolding spiritual qualities can be carefully described, we can open up a new approach not only to the mineral world, but also to developing new contemplative practices that are particularly needed for the combined spiritual destiny of humanity and of the Earth."
He states that, "The primary purpose of the `spiritual path of stones' is to develop a spiritual circulation between the earthly realms and the spiritual realms without assumingthat we know what the angelic beings of the stones will bring to us."
In a reference to alchemy he tells us that,"Almost all previous writing remains with stones in an outer, though receptive way; the interior of the stone is felt but not entered into.This is the `Lesser Work', and it is completely necessary.This writing introduces one way to approach `The Greater Work'...entering into the interior of matter, making connection with its soul and spirit, and developing the capacities needed for inwardly perceiving indications of its soul and spirit--and becoming physically altered by this way of being with living substance".

Our initial interest in stones tends to be led by our desire to receive something--some `gifts' from the stone.What is required is that we break through our usual consciousness.He states that, "the two most basic necessities to come into the presence of the stone world are the acts of awakening consciously to sensing by loosening the hold cognition has on categorizing our sensing for us, and surrendering the will.The first, awakening sensing, comes about through quieting the mind and perceiving with the heart.Surrendering of the will cannot happen in a direct way.We cannot decide to surrender our will and then will ourselves to do so.Instead, surrender comes about by developing the capacity of spiritual sensing of the mineral worlds.Only through sensing can we see a stone's spiritual self."

In his first contemplative practice, Entering the Silence and Befriending the Stone, he tells us to `lovingly and carefully notice the characteristics of the stone....One by one take each quality noticed into the heart.What is seen in a sensory way then becomes present as interior feeling...You will notice a particular moment when you feel a sense of wonder and awe:that is the moment the intellect has relinquished its treasured place of having to know.You now that you are in deep and intimate relationship with the stone.It is no longer simply an object.Feel its holiness.The inner work is to simply be present with and within this awe without searching for anything."

Those familiar with Robert Sardello's book Silence: The Mystery of Wholeness or any of his other writings will deeply appreciate this work.He encourages us to develop a new, heart-centered consciousness, but with a heightened clarity of attention, thought, and feeling. Anyone who has ever `befriended' a stone will find a way to a more meaningful and transformative relationship. Those who have studied Robert Simmons book, Stones of the New Consciousness, (for which Sardello wrote a lucid introduction) will recognize in Sardello a patient and trustworthy guide to meeting the beings of the stones.
... Read more