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Illustrated with drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

No 10 of the Brandstetter mysteries
When Mr Le, the Vietnamese owner of a rundown harbour complex is found dead the police arrest the self appointed spokesman for the resident houseboat owners. He had an appointment with Mr Le in a bid to dissuade him from selling the harbour to developers and so making the residents homeless. Into his sixties and retired, the still trim and dapper Dave Brandstetter, private investigator an insurance claims investigator, now famous and acknowledged the best in the business, is persuaded to look into the case by the local Public Defender to prove the imprisoned suspect's innocence.

While reluctant to take on the assignment, he is intrigued, as much because his lover, the black twenty five year old tall, slim and good looking Cecil Harris, TV reporter, is covering the harbour development story. Dave soon finds himself involved in much more than a single murder investigation. As he starts asking questions he discovers more potential murders, and more happen while he investigates, he suspects a drug smuggling connection along with double-dealing employees and officials. But the powerful Vietnamese community makes his investigation not only difficult but extremely dangerous.

Obedience, the tenth of the Brandstetter mysteries is yet another complex, inventive and unpredictable story, plenty of detail, interesting characters, including a young black entertainer who nearly has Cecil face down in a bunk, and the occasional link to past investigations. But above all it is Dave and Cecil, and their mutually devotion, that now makes these stories so appealing.
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Product Description
The breakthrough national bestseller, finally in paperback! In the popular trdition of Nothing Down and Wealth Without Risk, financial expert Dave Del Dotto, host of the popular TV show "Financial Freedom in America," reveals the hidden opportunities of wealth. Advertising in Wall Street Journal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Del Dotto's advice doesn't pay off
The book is ok at best.The back cover makes some grandiose claims like his financial empire is growing $20 million per year.In fact, Del Dotto filed bankruptcy in 95 or 96.John T Reed has more info on Del Dotto on his website.
You're better off avoiding this one.

Still a worthwhile read
I bought the harback book for full retail $19.95 back in 1989 and it was worth every penny. This book got me thinking about ways to make money. I found the foreclosure advice particularly beneficial. Back then, like now, foreclosures were at all an all time high. It was great being to able to help people and make money at the same time.

I also found the advice on picking up merhandise at auctions very valuable. Great cash flow strategy.

His home study program was state of the art. Seminars outstanding. Nobody packed more information than Dave DelDotto did.

Excellent book on real estate investing
Dave DelDotto was in the early 80's through 1993 the top guru on real estate and building wealth. I bought this book back in circa 1989 after seeing his informercial fortified by a friend that indicated he made a small fortune following DelDotto's techniques.

This book offers a lot of good advice on buying foreclosures and distressed property, tax liens and discounted mortgages.

In other parts of the book DelDotto tells you how to but all sorts of items; cars, clothes, jewelery for pennies on the dollar and then generate cash flow via auctions.

DelDotto's keys to success is worth the price of the book alone. You will develop proper mental mindset that can take you from where you are to where you want to be.

After buying the book, I ahate to admit this, but my buddy allowed me to dub his audio and video tapes. The material was powerful and positive. Feeling a little guilty, after I bought a few properties I went out and ordered both the basic program and the advanced 'Millionaire Training."

DelDotto was not only one of the first to teach powerful wealth building, he was also one of the best.

I find it interesting that much of what DelDotto taught is the same information in the so called newer books today. Not much has changed, only the names. The only difference is that DelDotto offered a lot more meat in his programs.

How to Make Nothing But Money by Dave DelDotto
I purchased this work at least a decade ago or more. It has been
helpful in identifying foreclosure properties in real estate.
Buyers need to do the detailed investigatory work prior to
purchasing a property. In addition, it is to your advantage
to get involved with some of the fix-up jobs yourself. There
are government programs i.e. Title I loansavailable to help
get low cost money to cash-poor property buyers. Dave also
describes the vast auction market where it is possible to
obtain merchandise at a fraction of the cost. I have benefited
personally with regard to identifying merchandise for literally
pennies on the dollar. There are tremendous deals out there
for buyers making purchases at estate sales-particularly
if you have cash in hand. You need to obtain the services
of a good home inspector if you are to purchase a property.
It pays to hire someone knowledgable because they will advise
you with regard to potentially dangerous structural problems
and items requiring expensive repairs. It pays to make a trip
to the municipal inspector's office to look at the property
folder. This will contain many details such as major
repairs, fires, citations and a whole host of problems
that the seller may not readily admit to initially.
Now is a good time to buy because interest rates are low and
the government has many meritorious programs available for
first-time buyers, teachers/educators, disabled persons,
retirees and a whole host of constituencies.Matthew Lesko
publishes some complementary books on government grants
which may be helpful to you. Dave Del Dotto describes a
wealth of opportunities available in tax lien or certificate
sales. Sometimes an investor can secure the entire property
for pennies on the dollar. This general area will require
some in depth study; however, the payoff is worth the investment
in time and money. Analysis paralysis can be a problem.
When you've located a good deal-act on it because others
may secure the opportunity while you are still contemplating
whether or not to take the plunge.

Good effort, but redundant and surprisingly useless.
After hearing good things about this book, I bought it, read it, and was quite disappointed. Deldotto does a lot of rambling where he could have made his points in a much more clear and concise way. There's a lot of filler here and I got the distinct impression that he was trying his hardest to make something that could have been a pamphlet, into a book.

For example, he outlines that a good way to get below market cost deals on consumer products is through government public auctions. Then later in the real estate section, he goes through the topic government public auctions all over again.

Deldotto's writing style is bland and after finishing this book, I had to ask myself, "What did I learn?" I thought about it for a while and couldn't really come up with much.

This book is a good try I suppose but it seems as if the author is trying to cash in on the popularity of what I call 'money-help' books by passing off a sophmore effort in the guise of some sort of ultimate bible.

You could and would do better with a different book. ... Read more

Product Description
A book of insults for every occasion, so that you'll never be lost for words no matter what the situation. Yuppies, bores, losers, posers - all are on the authors' hit list. ... Read more

Product Description
This illustrated tribute to the legend of Elvis Presley looks at every aspect of the singer's life and art and includes many rare photographs.Amazon.com Review
Elvis Presley, the kid from Tupelo, Mississippi, who paid fourdollars to press a demo record as a birthday present for his mom;Elvis Presley, the rock-and-roll pioneer whose pelvic gyrations drovehis legions of fans wild and his outspoken critics crazy; ElvisPresley, the soldier, the husband and father, the movie star, and thelegend. All of these images are collected by Dave Marsh in his aptlytitled book Elvis. Conveying the human being behind the iconoften proves a difficult task, but Marsh's text is rife with well-researched facts and insightful observations that, coupled with therich collection of photographs they accompany, deepen readers'understanding and appreciation of the King. The index containing acomprehensive bibliography, discography, and filmography is a solidresource, making Marsh's Elvis as informative as it isentertaining. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Elvis Still King And So Are You!
Aloha Folks:
Happy to let others know of your great product quality and fast service.Not that I had an immediate need to receive this book in a hurry but it's great to know that you do provide quick delivery without paying extra.You'll be happy to know I received it in plenty of time to have the author sign it for me at a special interview with Dave Marsh at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame - Mahalo nui loa/thanks alot - Dahmia

SECOND BEST ELVIS BIOGRAPHY
I read this book when it was published in the 1980s and for over ten years, I felt it was the best book about Elvis Presley.

However, Peter Guralnick produced a great piece of work with "Last Train" and "Careless Love" that captured the essence of Elvis that had been missing from every type of media that attempted to tell Elvis Presley's story.

Marsh's book doesn't fare well when compared to either book but it was the first serious work that, for the most part, was able to correctly put Presley's life on paper.

My Favorite Elvis Book
As compelling as the two Guralnick books are, my favorite is this sprawling, wonderfully illustrated biography highlighted by Mr. Marsh's knowledgeable text. His list of song highlights in the back of thisinvaluable volume serves as a great "crash course" in the King'sdiscography. Dave Marsh is a great fan of Elvis, but the book does not sinkinto gushy fan love letter stuff, nor does it go the Albert Goldman route.If I could award six stars, I would. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

must read
wonderfully-written book about the dark side of sports. highly recommended for people who care about football and want to know the inside story. also, be sure to read --out of control - by hollywood henderson.

A book that started and promoted a revolution in professional sports
In the late 1960's and early 1970's there were two revolutions in professional sports. The first was the rapid growth in the salary levels. This was due to the growing power of the players relative to the owners as they finally were able to overcome the legal and institutionalized restrictions that kept them in a degree of servitude. The second was the stripping of the facade of the players as mighty and pure men, where they were revealed as much less than the supposed ideals. This change was largely due to the appearance of tell-all books that described what really went on in the sports.
In major league baseball, the initial book was "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton and in the National Football League (NFL) it was this book. When both first came out, the authors were severely chastised for their statements, yet subsequent revelations have all supported their claims. Shortly before he died, Mickey Mantle spoke out about how his consumption of alcohol damaged his career and his body, something Bouton wrote about.
Meggyesy talks about the tremendous racism in the NFL in the sixties, the brutality and the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs. He also describes the tremendous hypocrisy of college football, where rules violations were routine and also common knowledge. Every subsequent statement by ex-players has upheld his statements, with many arguing that it was even worse that what Meggyesy claimed.
As you read the book, you clearly see that Meggyesy is an intelligent man in an area where acting intelligently was discouraged. Football players were to be seen on the football field and heard only through the violence of their on-field actions. Expressing an intelligent political opinion was considered "action detrimental to the sport and the team." The only flaw in the discourse is that Meggyesy's political views sometimes taint his discussions about football. It would have better if he had avoided going in that direction.

A book that started and promoted a revolution in professional sports
In the late 1960's and early 1970's there were two revolutions in professional sports. The first was the rapid growth in the salary levels. This was due to the growing power of the players relative to the owners as they finally were able to overcome the legal and institutionalized restrictions that kept them in a degree of servitude. The second was the stripping of the facade of the players as mighty and pure men, where they were revealed as much less than the supposed ideals. This change was largely due to the appearance of tell-all books that described what really went on in the sports.
In major league baseball, the initial book was "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton and in the National Football League (NFL) it was this book. When both first came out, the authors were severely chastised for their statements, yet subsequent revelations have all supported their claims. Shortly before he died, Mickey Mantle spoke out about how his consumption of alcohol damaged his career and his body, something Bouton wrote about.
Meggyesy talks about the tremendous racism in the NFL in the sixties, the brutality and the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs. He also describes the tremendous hypocrisy of college football, where rules violations were routine and also common knowledge. Every subsequent statement by ex-players has upheld his statements, with many arguing that it was even worse that what Meggyesy claimed.
As you read the book, you clearly see that Meggyesy is an intelligent man in an area where acting intelligently was discouraged. Football players were to be seen on the football field and heard only through the violence of their on-field actions. Expressing an intelligent political opinion was considered "action detrimental to the sport and the team." The only flaw in the discourse is that Meggyesy's political views sometimes taint his discussions about football. It would have better if he had avoided going in that direction.

A man before his time
David Meggyesy is one of America's true unsung heroes. Working as a pro athlete at a time when the pay was less that of a trash hauler, with no benefits or job security, and the only guarantee a lifetime of pain and disability, Meggyesy exposed deep hypocrisy in America's hero worship at a time when the nation was at war, and the rich were getting richer at everyone else's expense, and to speak out was to be condemned as a pariah. In other words, things haven't changed one iota except for the salaries of the players, and this, ironically and significantly, is also Mr. Meggyesy's doing, in large part. As founder of Athletes Against the War back then he took on the establishment. As co-founder and Western Director of the NFL Players Association he continues to take it on to this day. A great book by a great man, for all its rough edges.

good autobiography
I just finished reading this book and found it to be quite insightful about the exploitation of professional football players.As a pro-football player, Dave Meggyesy is one of the rare players who not only finishes college but constantly questions everything that's going on around him.... Dave is pretty articulate and has a lot of character substance. Against the backdrop of the 60s, Dave traces his intellectual and political development which is cool.This is the 6th sports autobiography that I've read for my professor at UH and it's so far my favorite.When is the last time you heard a white football player make a political statement about racism in the 60s?
The book left me wondering what Dave Meggyesy is doing today. ... Read more

Product Description
" Sex. Money. International terrorism. And, of course, the ultimate question: Can a compact backswing save the world? Now, in the tradition of Naked Came the Stranger and Naked Came the Manatee, a clubhouseful of acclaimed authors pass the baton (or the six-iron) to create an ensemble tour de force of suspense, romance, and hilarity on the links. Golf is not a team sport. But who says fiction can't be? Get ready. The gallery is hushed-and the approach shot nears. The birdie has landed...THE PUTT AT THE END OF THE WORLDFore? No, nine! That's right. Nine literary grand masters each contribute a chapter and together bring you a full round-robin of characters, not to mention a blistering drive of a story line that beats par with every page.

Alfonzo Zamora is the venerable Mexican Senior player who's just discovered he's going blind. Billy Sprague is the country club pro with a swing as elegant as an eagle in flight-except when money's on the line. Rita Shaughnessy is the hard-drinking, hard-loving, hard-luck golfer on the women's pro tour.

All three receive an invitation from multibillionaire Phillip Bates, founder of Macrodyne Software. To inaugurate his dazzling new course in Scotland, Bates is spending millions to host a tournament starring the superpro trio. The gala will welcome world leaders in the name of global peace and the universal language of golf. Launching Bates's new, revolutionary computer operating system, the weekend volley will also attract a long scorecard of wild and unanticipated guests, including the world's most elusive environmental terrorist, a Spanish caddie named Humpy who inspires bogeys, a caddish pro who can't pass the Rorschach test, a sexy male-female counterterrorist team who keep driving into traps of their own making, a certain naked golfer making a bid for his hole in one, and enough plastique to end the world as we know it....

Will things get rough in the rough?

Will the green run red?

Where is the mysterious nineteenth hole?

And in an apocalyptic final play that will determine the fate of the world, ecoterrorists will converge on the course for an explosive putt to end all putts. The "Good Walk" has never been more fun!"Amazon.com Review
There's a great tradition of golf fiction, stretching from P.G. Wodehouse'sEdwardian follies to JohnUpdike's narrative birdies andchip shots. The Putt at the End of the World is a worthyaddition to the canon, in spite of the fact (or because of the fact) thatit's a team effort. Nine authors, including such worthies as Dave Barry,Tami Hoag, Tim O'Brien, Lee K. Abbott, and Les Standiford, have contributedchapters to this farcical thriller. The premise, which is less wacky thanit initially seems, involves a software tycoon named Phillip Bates, who'sbuilt a deluxe golf course north of Edinburgh. To kick things off heconvenes a celebrity invitational, and draws not only a clutch ofworld-class hackers but several terrorists, counterterrorists, and whatappear to be counter-counterterrorists. Clearly there's more at stake here than a mere 18 holes.

Slapped together by one author after another, the crazy plot issurprisingly consistent. Yet the contributors have made no effort todisguise their individual styles, which range from Barry's potty-mouthedslapstick to Richard Bausch's tonier stuff to James Crumley's pulp fiction.Indeed, this shift in tone is one of the book's great pleasures. So is thesex and satire, if not necessarily in that order. Still, the ultimatereason to read The Putt at the End of the World is for itsstrange-but-true evocation of the game itself. Here's Tim O'Brien's take ona ball with a mind of its own:

For the first thirty feet, the old Titlist did not touch the earth,heading for orbit, engines roaring, but then suddenly the rain and wind andfog forced a scrubbed mission. Gravity reasserted itself. By pure chance--amiracle, some would call it--the ball dropped heavily onto the green, notfive feet from the cup.... It caught a sidehill slope. It wobbled off linefor a second, then straightened out and continued its erratic pilgrimagetoward destiny.

Customer Reviews (17)

Wha?
This group-written book has two things going for it:Colorful characters and a promising plot.But that's about it.Wading through several chapters to get to Dave Barry's part in this fiasco was a waste of time otherwise.While the characters are certainly vivid, NONE of them are likeable.At all.ZERO.To top it off there are more F-bombs here than a def jam hosted by Chris Rock, and not nearly as many laughs.The handoff from one writer to the next is sometimes fairly smooth, but the writing styles sometimes vary so wildly that one wonders if one is still reading the same book from one chapter to the next, and it's intended to tell one cohesive story, not be a collection of shorts.Pass on this.

A Fictitious Golf Classic Par Excellence.
Golf is not a team sport, but this book used ten different writers to come up with a murder mystery on a golf course full of celebrities.Each wrote a different segment, and sometimes the story line does not jell, but I'd say they had fun working on this silliness.

Golf used to be a man's game, and used to be called the "good walk" when the men used that means to exercise their bodies as much as their golf swings.Nowadays, they ride the golf carts and play at the game.They've actually started teaching golf in schools, and nine great values the game teaches for youth (sportsmanship, confidence, integrity, perseverance, respect, responsibility, judgment, courtesy, and honesty) ensures a future for the continuation of the game of golf.

Only one of the nine contributors was female who used such off-hand characters to pepper her chapter: Mr. Potato Head, Sensible Shoes, Book Bag Woman, 'Star Wars' star pilot, MacLout, and Cameron who directed the movei 'Titanic.'She laid out the sexual hijinks of the golfers at the castle in Scotland.Dave Barry had the middle to fill in so he used his usually raucous vocabulary as he led into an explouding golf ball made out of enough plastique to end the world as we know it.

Tim O'Brien, whose book IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS I enjoyed, wrote "On an adjacent putting green, also under umbrellas, mingled such notables as Tony Blair and Al Gore, both decked out in tweeds and starched golf shirts.Nearby, Mu'ammar Qaddafi was giving a now-or-never, sink-it-before-you-die putting lesson to Jack Lemmon, while only a few feet away Chi Chi Rodriguez did his best to adjust the clumsy, rather primitive one-handed putting stroke of former senator Robert Dole."These are just a few of the names; Fidel Castro was present as was Dan Rather and other important people.

The ending was written by the editor whoever he is, preferred to stay anonymous.The ending was explosive, to match the varied styles of writing the international language of golf.Other writers taking part in this project are Lee K. Abbott, Richard Bausch, James Crumley, James W. Hall, Ridley Pearson, Les Standiford, and Tami Hoag.How many are golfers, I wonder?

Know What You're Getting Into
I haven't read this book in a long time, but I thought it was great.I don't know why other readers gave it such a low score.I can only think that they didn't know what type of book they were getting into.If you want to laugh out loud, get this book!

The putt at the End of the World
This was a terrible book.Multiple authors were not able to successfully make the book flow from chapter to chapter.Character development was disjointed to say the least.Way tooooo much celebrity name dropping...it almost read like People Mag.Buy "The Greatest Player Who Never Lived" instead.

Bagger Vance Meets Monty Python
It is said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee.Since a camel is very efficient doing what camels are intended to do, then the remark must mean that a camel is a very funny looking horse.Well, in The Putt at the End of the World, a committee of nine individually popular writers has turned out a very funny golf story.
The Putt at the End of the World is apparently the brainchild of last-listed author Les Standiford, shown as editor and compiler.It also seems to be a salute, at least in part, to recently deceased British writer Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series which includes The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.It is certainly reminiscent of Adam's work, with zany characters interacting amidst nefarious schemes, all centered around a golf tournament.But not just any golf tournament.Computer zillionaire Philip Bates has bought a Scottish castle and cleared original growth timber to construct the ultimate golf course-as well as rehabbing the castle into an exotic hideaway retreat.This infuriates both environmental terrorists and the last of the MacLout clan, who claims that the MacGregor sellers usurped his family's claim to the property and he should have gotten the money. Then Bates (no relation to this reviewer) scheduled a conference and golf tournament inviting all of the world's political leaders and top golf players.
One of the invitees is Billy Sprague, club pro from Squat Possum Golf Club in rural Ohio.Billy is a magnificent golfer, unless there is money involved in which case he can't even get the ball of the tee.Billy's mentor is the old retired family doctor whose life is golf, who build the Squat Possum Club and who dies immediately after giving Billy his invitation and telling him that he has to go to Scotland and play in order to lift the curse and "...save the world as we know it..."Then FBI and British Secret Service refugees from the Keystone Kops get involved because of the terrorist threat, and the rest is-not history, but hilarious.
Each of the nine authors wrote one of the chapters.They did a good job matching styles, and/or Standiford did a great job of editing, because the novel is seamless.It is a farce, but at the same time has a "Bagger Vance" note of paean to the wonder of golf.It reads fast, and it reads great. ... Read more