Product Description
People who enjoyed A Little Princess, The Parent Trap, or Mary Christmas may enjoy reading Timothy Fish's new book, Searching For Mom.In this book, Mark Dawson has raised Sara alone.Sara has never had a mother and while she has a good relationship with her Dad, the influence of this single parent on her life is evident. Sara knows how to fight and can beat up boys older than her.She dresses like a boy.The only girly thing in her room is a doll and that has been relegated to holding Sara's baseball.After her teacher gives her an assignment to write about a woman she has never known, Sara decides that she will go find a mother. It is a difficult task, and when Sara finds a woman who meets her expectations, she finds that neither her Dad nor the woman is pleased with her efforts to bring them together.Timothy Fish has woven together an entertaining story with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing all the way to the end of the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Fun Book to Read
Sara Dawson is a girl with a problem, she has no mother, but that is a problem she intends to fix.Disguising herself as her father, Sara begins searching for a mother through an online dating site.At first, she has little success, but when Ellen Stephens responds, things couldn't be better.Ellen owns a café and pastry shop and is everything that Sara could possibly want in a mother.The two of them become fast friends and Sara begins spending more and more time in Ellen's café, but that isn't enough.Sara won't be happy until she brings Ellen and her father together.Her plan is simple.Lock them in the school basement and they are sure to realize how perfect they are for each other, but when her plan fails and Ellen agrees to marry Rob instead of Sara's Dad, Sara must find another way to bring them together or lose her ideal Mom forever.

This was a fun book to read.It is told primarily from Sara's point of view.Sara comes across as very confident and she's afraid of nothing.She knows what she wants and thinks she knows how to get it.It is one of my favorites, so if you want my opinion, I think you should buy it. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: List of Short Story Authors, List of Science Fiction Authors, List of Children's Literature Authors, List of Horror Fiction Writers, List of Military Writers, List of Fantasy Authors, List of Humorists, List of Biographers, List of Writers From Peoples Indigenous to the Americas, List of Booknotes Interviews, List of Women Writers, List of Best-Selling Fiction Authors, List of Writers in Who's Who in Contemporary Women's Writing, List of Catholic Authors, List of Lgbt Writers, List of Young Adult Writers, List of Satirists and Satires, List of Latin American Writers, Octagon Press, List of Role-Playing Game Designers, List of Michigan Writers, List of New Testament Church Fathers, List of Female Rhetoricians, Saya Gyi U Nu, List of Diarists, List of Military Science Fiction Works and Authors, List of Romantics, List of Feminist Literature, List of Celebrity Authors, Kyar Ba Nyein, List of Glascock Prize Winners and Participants, Maung Thaw Ka, List of Mystery Writers, Norton Anthology of Literature by Women, List of Authors by Name: S, List of Non-Fiction Writers, List of Occult Writers, List of Thriller Writers, List of Turkish-German Authors, List of Authors by Name: B, List of New Thought Writers, List of Authors by Name: M, List of Authors of Erotic Works, List of Authors by Name: C, List of Women in Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature, List of Postmodern Authors, List of Protestant Authors, List of Crime Writers, List of Western Fiction Authors, List of Writers About Egypt Till the 19th Century, List of European Mystery Writers, List of Authors Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, List of Authors by Name: H, List of Authors by Name: G, List of Bengali Poets, List of Authors by Name: W, List of Authors by Name: L, List of Authors by Name: A, List of Authors Banned During the Third Reich, List of Authors by Name: D, List of Authors by Name: P, List of Authors by Name: F, List of Detective Fiction Authors, List of ...http://booksllc.net/?id=17842449 ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Minor Thrills
This collection did not rate as high with me as the anthologies Thriller and Thriller 2. The majority were quite lackluster given the caliber of writers assembled. It seems they dusted off mediocre efforts and to be truthful there is not one entry where I was blown away. I like aspects of some of the stories like the bodyguard profession in Child's contribution but the story itself did not satisfy. And the revenge scenario with an 'ever-so-slight twist' became common by the fifth tale resulting in repetitive plots. I felt like it was cashing in on the success and demand from previous collections without providing the same level of content. Still I do not want to absolutely beat up on it - there are a number of stories here that other readers may enjoy and it could be a fine companion on a plane or beach as a breezy read.

EXCELLENT
Great compilation! Some of the listed "newcomers," have stronger work than many of the "pros," that Child lists in the Intro. I read one or two a night and have thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Entertaining Book!
This book proved to be a very good collection of entertaining short stories. There are veteran writers who you
will recognize immediately as well as beginning writers that will be stars in the future. One of the stories is about a man who becomes a former bodyguard written by Lee Child. Another story called " When JohnnyComes Marching
Home" by Heather Graham goes beyond being a normal civil war story. Another good story is "Savage Planet" by
Stephen Coonts. This story describes the discovery of a flying saucer. Gregg Hurwitz writes a good story called "The
Theif". It tells of a child with sticky fingers. These are just a few of the short stories that are featured in this book. The authors featured in this book are members of the International Thriller Writers. This is a very good book. Be sure to read it.

A top pick for any audio collection
FIRST THRILLS edited by Lee Child provides a fine collection of intense stories profiling many of the Thriller Writers Inc. group's best writings. Works by Stephen Coonts, Jeffrey Deaver, Child, Michael Palmer and more provide many top listens, performed by various narrators. A top pick for any audio collection!

Best of the Best for September 2010
This book was rated a "Best of the Best" by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet for September, 2010. ... Read more

Product Description
A powerful collection of the finest contemporary short fiction by African-American writers, including Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Jamaica Kincaid, Alice Walker, Ralph Ellison, and others, brilliantly captures the varied facets of the black experience in America. Reprint. AB. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Yawn
Most of the stories in this book are very boring. Even what'smeant to be interesting such as the story about a lesbian vampirebrothel-owner (i kid you not!)is so overdone that it's positively farcical. I don't have the book to hand at the moment but I remember another story that tried a stream-of-consciousness approach that failed miserably. I felt like I was wading through the stories. Of course there are some good stories from a book boasting contributions from Baldwin and Morrison, but the vast majority are nothing special. Credit must go to the editors who arranged the stories in pertinent sections. Pity they didn't have better material to work with. ... Read more

Product Description
Ex-MP Jack Reacher goes into action to find his brother's killers, after a series of brutal crimes terrorizes tiny Margrave, Georgia, only to uncover the dark and deadly conspiracy concealed behind the town's peaceful facade. A first novel. 50,000 first printing. $50,000 ad/promo. BOMC Feat Alt.Amazon.com Review
When Jack Reacher suddenly decides to ask a Greyhound busdriver to let him off near the town of Margrave, Georgia, he thinksit's because his brother once mentioned that the famed blues guitaristBlind Blake died there. But it doesn't take long for the footlooseex-military policeman to discover that there are plenty ofstrange--and very dangerous--things going on behind Margrave'smanicured lawns and clean streets that demand his attention. Thisfirst thriller by a former television writer features some of thebest-written scenes of action in recent memory, a crash course incurrency and counterfeiting, and a hero who is just begging to becalled on for an encore. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (260)

Reacher Books got to be read
There are 15 (I have them all) Jack Reacher books.This is in top three of his books for me.It has a good story, intrigue, and a semi-viable plot (some of the Reacher books are a little thin on reality).Enjoy.

Great Author & FAST DELIVERY
Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1)

Lee Child is a great writer.I have yet to read one of his novels and not be craving the next words.Suspenseful, thrilling, historical, corruption, everything a good book is.

Arrival for this three day delivery came in two days!I was amazed the order came so quickly.

Thank you Amazon for prompt service and for making this product available to me.

Absolute garbage
I picked up this book after seeing a piece about the author on theCBS Sunday Morning show. If you saw the same piece and are tempted to buy it, I am going to do you a favor. This may not be the worst book you will ever read. It will be very high on the list. Unless you are accustomed to scouring the fiction lists of the vanity publishers, I cannot imagine you will find a more ridiculous, implausible or poorly researched mystery any where. Supposedly set in strange little Stepford like town a short drivefrom Atlanta, it must actually be set in some new corner of The Twilight Zone.

I am now going to spoil the plot flor you. Believe me,you will thank me later.

As Rod Serling would say,

ITtEM: A senior Treasury Department official is murdered while in said Georgia town, alone, investigating an enormous counterfeiting scheme. His prints are sent to and identified by Washington, however, they send no one down. Not a single,teensy weensy FBI agent to investigate and the investigation is left for a week in the hands of the partially corrupt 8 man police department of the town.

ITEM: Said Treasury agent's lover/assistant/secretary is murdered and body left in the baggage service area of Hartsfield
Airport. Again no Federal, State or Atlanta police involvement is noted, either at the time or subsequently.

ITEM: A massive accident is caused on the Interstate to Augusta by our hero. He shoots three people in the vicinity of the accident which also induces a shower of 100,000 single dollar bills on the roadway and escapes from this witnessed holocaust in a....(you will really love this)BENTLEY. Several hours later he returns by the same road in the same Bentley and notices that they haven't yet finished clearing up the accident.
No roadblocks, no investigations, no news coverage. Just cleanup.

And the amazing thing is that an actual editor at an actual an actual publishing house put this together and released it. And people buy it, and it's sequels, and according to the CBS piece think this hero is a wonderful example of how life should be lived. Just make up anything, no relation to facts or possibility, and totally suspend your ability to think while you fantasize about how it might be. Come to think of it, that's how we got Sarah Palin, isn't it?

One of the worst I've read.
I hate to leave a book unfinished, no matter how lousy it is, and that was the only factor that got me through this one.I was embarrassed reading it, not only for the author, but for all those people on Amazon who gave it 5 stars.The story is strung together with the most unlikely and illogical occurrences.Someone said the author uses "shrug" too often.That's nothing.The dialogue is packed with sentences that end in "..., right?" or " ....,OK?"As one of the prior reviewers pointed out, this is an encouraging book to read if you've always wanted to write but felt you weren't good enough.

Reacher's no Burke, but that's okay
I want to say that it was one of the bits that I occasionally read in Entertainment Weekly that caused me to seek out 'Killing Floor' as I had otherwise read nothing else of the author's work, nor am I particularly usually engaged by the general "thriller" genre.

I think that my perception of the book has been colored by the Burke novels by Andrew Vachss, which protray both a more realistic - and thus terrifying - view of certain events that take place in 'Killing Floor.'However, from a more action-movie-fiction-y standpoint, Jack Reacher's first detailed exploits are a fairly decent read.

Don't go into this book expecting to be dazzled by twists and turns; I don't think that there were any of the "mystery" portions of the book that I wasn't able to deduce for myself (sometimes whole chapters before the rest of the characters, all trained police or ex-police, were able to piece together).But for a fairly decent tale where the main character mostly comes out on top, you could do a lost worse. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Best Mystery Anthology in Years
I've been reading this series every year since it began in the late '90's. Each year the stories published are chosen by a different guest editor, who is also a mystery short story writer. Obviously, some years are better than others. The 2009 anthology was probably the worst bunch of stories I've ever read and, believe me, I read a LOT of mystery/crime short stories. I was hesitant to purchase this year's anthology, but I did and I am very glad that I bought it. This collection has to be one of the best set of stories I've read in a very long time. I definitely recommend this book for fans of the genre.

Almost Perfect Collection of Short Stories! Almost!
I thought Lee Child did an excellent job in compiling 20 of the most compelling short stories. James Ellroy has one story in this collection and writes a compelling introduction. The first two stories weren't that exciting. The book is set up in alphabetical order of names but when I got to the third story, I was riveted and became enthralled in the text itself. Some stories vary in locations like the Florida coast; Bismarck, North Dakota; Bangladesh; and Los Angeles. I am going to leave the list of title and author and a few comments regarding each one.

"Charlie and the Pirates" by Gary Alexander; I still had to reread the story just to get it. I wondered why it was chosen.

"Emerald Coast" by R.A. Allen: I liked this story about blue collar people in Florida but I'm still a little confused at times and needed to re-read it again for a better understanding.

"An Early Christmas" by Doug Allyn: This story was quite compelling, intriguing, about the unusual brutal murder of a lawyer, his estranged wife, a dying child, and so much more going on to mention here. It could stand on it's own.

"Maynard" by Mary Stewart Atwell: This story was quite intriguing about a small town and a pregnant young lady. I enjoyed it. There are interesting characters.

"Dredge" by Matt Bell: This story was about Punter, a lonely guy, with a sordid past and a dead girl's body. It's both fascinating, suspenseful, and disturbing as well. It's not for everybody.

"A Jury of His Peers" by Jay Brandon: It's about a case in San Antonio, Texas before Texas became part of the United States. It's an interesting part of American history but I'm not too crazy about it.

"Designer Justice" by Phyllis Cohen: The author died before publication. However, this is an excellent story about vigilante justice and the legal system of our time set in New York City.

"Cross-Eyed Bear" by John Dufresne: The story is about Father Tom accused by child abuse in height of the Boston sex scandal case. Quite an interesting story that humanizes the monster within from within the church and the community.

"The Case of Colonel Warburton's Madness" by Lyndsay Faye: It's set in San Francisco, California after the Civil War about a retired military man's illness.

"The First Rule is" by Gar Anthony Harwood: It's about African American in the city and C.C. who was once on top of the world and how he fell to the ground.

"Killing Time" by Jon Land: A modern day version of the short story classic, "The Most Dangerous Game," about a retired assassin working as a middle school teacher. I found it quite intriguing at times.

"Animal Rescue" by Dennis Lehane: The author of "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone" has delivered again about a lonely man named Bob who rescues an abused dog, the girl he likes, and the dog's owner who decides to take him back. Of course, it's set in his beloved Boston. It's a great short story.

"Tell Me" by Lynda Leidiger: I didn't get this short story about a female patient at a mental hospital. I would have to reread it again.

"The House on Pine Terrace" by Phillip Margolin: Monica posed as a prostitute to get the jon who lived in her dream house. It doesn't end happily ever after anyway. It's a great story with a couple of twists and turns.

"Bias" by Chris Muessig: I thought it was interesting but not compelling about the murder of a hardworking legal Turkish immigrant and the interrogation of boys who were involved in biased crimes in the area. Still, it's okay.

"Bismarck Rules" by Albert Tucher: It's an interesting story about a prostitute and her other crimes. I found the story compelling but a little off in some areas regarding the case. But I found it compelling regardless of it's minor flaws.

"Ed Luby's Key Club" by Kurt Vonnegut" The late Kurt Vonnegut really knew how to write stories. This story is about a couple who only want a night out which turns into a horrible nightmare. It's one of the longer stories but it's worth reading anyway. I found it very compelling about Harve and Claire Elliott and about Ed Luby who owned the town of Ilium whatever state. Harve and Claire just want a dinner at Luby's club but it's private and he hasn't forgotten that they only tipped him a quarter many years ago when a quarter was worth something then. Going against Ed Luby would be like going against Al Capone in his heydey. The little man like Harve can't win or can they in this case. You'll just have to read for yourself.

"Custom Sets" by Joseph Wallace: The story about a Russian girl, Zehnya, and her quest for justice against child pornography whether in the courtroom or at home. It was through the court shows where she learned about the American system of legal justice but didn't find it in her own home.

"The Shipbreaker" by Mike Wiecek: This story takes place in Bangladesh about Morit who wanted to be an apprentice but had to pay to learn. I didn't really care for this story and needed to re-read it at times.

"Blood and Dirt" by Ryan Zimmerman: I needed to re-read this story. I didn't get it.

An intriguing collection of short stories....
`The Best American Mystery Stories 2010,' edited by Lee Child, contains an interesting mix. Twenty stories by authors as diverse as Dennis Lehane, Kurt Vonnegut, Doug Allyn, and Jay Brandon take varied and unexpected turns.

Three, however, stand out. Jay Brandon's `A Jury of His Peers,' based on a historical incident, recounts the return of lawyers, who had been kidnapped and held for ransom by Santa Ana's army, to San Antonio. When after a year or more away from their practices and loved ones, the lawyers return to reclaim what they left behind, it is no surprise that violence erupts.

Phyllis Cohen's `Designer Justice' also deals with the effects of violence; it depicts a violent crime and its unexpected aftermath.

And `Killing Time' by Jon Land introduces Mr. Beechum, middle school language arts teacher extraordinary, who is not only able to interest his charges in fiction, he is also able to protect them from the unforeseen.

While no one reader will necessarily equally enjoy all the stories, there is enough variety to appeal to those who enjoy the genre. And the short story format is well suited to busy lifestyles.

The bottom line: Five stars.

Gritty tales told with panache
Famed mystery author Lee Child serves as the 2010 editor for this year's best mystery stories.Continuing a sequence initiated in 1997, this is the 14th edition of this popular series.It must have been an arduous task to pick the twenty finalists who are featured in this volume, selected from submissions of published works in literary publications during 2009.If you are an avid short story enthusiast who is especially enamored by plots filled with crime, sadism, puzzles, adventures, moral questions and whose themes also challenge and whet your imagination, this collection of stories will be especially appealing.It can be picked up and read in short spurts, or if a thriller addict like myself, once started it will be difficult to put the book down.While many of the authors may be new to the mystery reader, the stories are remarkable for their uniqueness and writing agility.One of the longer selections by Kurt Vonnegut has a Grimm's fairy tale quality that at the same time bewitches and terrifies the reader.

Crime, mystery, detection, blood and gore fill the contents, and some of the stories will lead to a chuckle, while others will definitely thrill you with a chill.

Reviewed by Rita Hoots ... Read more

Product Description
In 1945, the Pope has a vision of an impending attack against his church by the forces of evil. He is warned that this must be kept secret, so only a few men are told of the details. No one can be trusted, not even the members of his own clergy.

Now, in 2008, Danny Sheridan is investigating the disappearance and subsequent murders of children in Maine. Each child turned up seven days after they went missing, bearing injuries of a depraved religious nature.

Ever since the first abduction, Danny has been having nightmares. They are the same type of dreams he had as a child growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In these dreams, he is in a church, and he can see the bodies of the victims. They call out to him, trying to convey a message he can't quite make out.

Danny teams up with an old FBI friend to try to prevent another murder. But as the case starts to take a darker turn, Danny's dreams intensify, and he starts to dredge up memories from his youth, memories of a day in Belfast when a member of the church stole his innocence.

As the case unfolds, it seems the killer may have a personal vendetta against Danny. Then his daughter goes missing, and Danny only seven days to overcome his childhood demons and to stop the evil the Pope was warned of. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Dark Thriller
The Final Sacrament: Hell's Gate is Heaven's Door

If you like fast paced dark thrillers, then this the book for you.
The Final Sacrament follows journalist Danny Sheridan as he investigates a series of child murders in Maine. Each child is found dead seven days after being abducted with signs if abuse and horrific injuries. As Danny delves further into the mystery he has to come to terms with deep hidden memories that he had suppressed from his childhood when he was abused by a Catholic priest.
Things take an urgent turn for Danny when his daughter goes missing, giving him less than a week to find her.
There are plenty of things to like about this book, particularly realism of the characters. I think evrybody has met a Kevin Hannigan once or twice in their life and believe me you really do want to throttle the guy.
It also moves along well. There is a definite sense of wanting to see what happens next.
Although not a John Connolly,yet. Kane is defintiely of the same ilk. If you liked the Carlie Parker series yuo'll love Danny Sheridan in " The Final Sacrament".

Bernadette
... Read more

Product Description
Across the country women are being murdered by a killer who leaves no evidence, no fatal wounds, no signs of struggle, and no clues to a motive. They are, truly, perfect crimes. In fact, the only thing that links the victims is the man they all knew: Jack Reacher.Amazon.com Review
Jack Reacher is back, dragged into what looks like a series of grislyserial murders by a team of FBI profilers who aren't totally sure he'snot the killer they're looking for, but believe that even if he isn't,he's smart enough to help them find the real killer. And what they'vegot on the ex-MP, who's starred in three previous Lee Child thrillers (Tripwire, Die Trying, Killing Floor), is enoughto ensure his grudging cooperation: phony charges stemming from Reacher'sinadvertent involvement in a protection shakedown and the threat ofharm to the woman he loves.

The killer's victims have only one thing in common--all of them brought sexual harassment chargesagainst their military superiors and all resigned from the army after winning their cases. The manner, if not the cause, of their deaths is gruesomely thesame: they died in their own bathtubs, covered in gallons of camouflagepaint, but they didn't drown and they weren't shot, strangled, poisoned,or attacked. Even the FBI forensic specialists can't figure out whythey seem to have gone willingly to their mysterious deaths. Reacherisn't sure whether the killings are an elaborate cover-up forcorruptioninvolving stolen military hardware or the work of a maniacwho's smart enough to leave absolutely noclues behind.This compelling, iconic antihero dead-ends in a lot ofalleys before he finally figures it out, but every one is worthexploring and the suspense doesn't let up for a second.The ending willcome as a complete surprise to even the most careful reader, and asReacher strides off into the sunset, you'll wonder what's in storefor him in his next adventure. --Jane Adams ... Read more

Customer Reviews (151)

The Jack Reacher Series continues
I have commented on most of the Jack Reacher books.This one is fairly good; it has all the usual elements of suspense, intrigue, deduction, and revenge.It's good escape (and yes, I have used that before for these books as it is appropriate) writing that you just start reading and get in the flow of, and then suddenly you are hooked, and you have to know what happens.Childs is especially good at suckingyou in to know how his hero will solve the problem(s).

confusing the reader on whodunit
On this book I have to get personal. I read five books of Lee Child's, this being the sixth. The others I would all rate four or five, this one is bad. What makes it bad? Well, I had selected the perp but as I continued reading I became confused. Good writer's share the protagonist's knowledge of the crime as it develops with the reader but in this case Child definitely tries to insert false clues. He uses italic type when he switches from Reacher's point of view, I will give him credit for that, he does use third person view point for one of his other characters but then inserts second person point of view for yet another, and I assume he thinks he is playing fair with the reader. We are supposed to know these two italicized inserts are two different people? How many people would know that? Not only that, they are so smoothly inserted I admit I was confused, thought they were the same and was forced to change my choice of perp. When the new one was unfrocked I had to admit I should have known, but that was only because I had taken creative writing courses. I would not think the ordinary reader would note the change in point of view, even I had to go back over the inserts and see that he really did maintain the point of view between the two. I felt cheated, and stupid. The story was interesting, why did he feel he had to use the inserts? They were not essential to the plot line except to confuse the reader. I still have nine Reacher stories to read, I hope I do not encounter this type of writing again.

Decent Reacher tale - not the best
Of the first four Jack Reacher novels, this one is the weakest.I'm certainly not a reader who avidly tries to figure out all of the twists and turns before the big reveals at the end.I will quote this from the review: "The ending will come as a complete surprise to even the most careful reader".If you are even paying half-attention to the story you will figure out the killer early on.I looked down at my Kindle when I figured it out and I had read about 23% of the book.Childs actually points it out fairly clearly.So when he unleashed the reveal at the end, I shrugged instead of gasped as I knew who it was for most of the book.

I also felt the relationship between Reacher and Jodie was completely different in this book.You would be hard-pressed to tell they had secretly been in love for 15 years based on their interactions here.Worth a read, but not the best in the series so far.

Condition of book
Running Blind was excellent, like all of Lee Child's books.The condition of the book was alittle less than I expected, but still very readable, not torn or pages missing.

Disappointing
I've read about all the Jack Reacher books and I was terribly disappointed with this one. It tried to be a "whodunnit" and was short on the usual Reacher mayhem. That in itself isn't terrible, but this story seemed very mechanically cranked out, got awfully repetitive and after a while I really didn't care what happened. Although the ending is a big surprise, getting there wasn't worth it. ... Read more

Product Description
Life on a farm in the Dominican Republic. A feast for the eyes and ears. Electric word images illustrated by the children of Patagonia Creative Arts Association in Patagonia, Arizona. ages 3-9. The story of a grandmother living in the mountains outside Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Mi Abuelita is bilingual with translations made in the Dominican Republic by Tim Holt and Carmen Hernandez de Holt. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Neat idea, but...
This book is a bilingual story that describes the author's visit to her grandmother's home in the Dominican Republic.The poetic-feeling text is creatively laid out on the page, and the illustrations are really cute (done by a group of children).This is a neat idea for a book, but the story lacks a plot.The "climax" is when the grandmother names the newborn calf.Then she proceeds to act like nothing special happened.I don't think it will hold the attention of young children very well.The story could have been developed a lot further and could have given more culturally specific information.It seems like it could have happened anywhere that has palm trees and mountains.In short, this book seemed promising at first, but ended up being a bit disappointing. ... Read more

Product Description
This dictionary offers comprehensive coverage in 726 entries concerned with the "other" English literature, comprising 263 works of fiction by 164 authors from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and selected African nations. Entries on books include bibliographical data, plot summaries, settings and characters, and critical assessments. Biographical entries on authors note other writings and comment on influences, artistry, and critical recognition. There are additional entries on outstanding characters, memorable settings, and key motifs. ... Read more

Product Description
Critics nationwide acclaimed Killing Floor, Lee Child's suspense debut, as a tough, compelling thriller with characters who jump off the page (Houston Chronicle). Brilliantly written, agreed Playboy. Striking, applauded The Chicago Tribune. An unsettling trip that leaves your brain buzzing and your stomach knotted, warned The Philadelphia Inquirer. Relentlessly suspenseful, The Denver Post concurred.In a quiet Chicago suburb, a dentist is attacked in his office parking lot and forced into the trunk of his Lexus. On a sidewalk downtown, Jack Reacher and an unknown woman are abducted in broad daylight. Wordlessly and without warning, two armed men--confident, rehearsed, tense--hustle them into the same sedan. Then Reacher and the woman are switched into a second vehicle and hauled away, leaving the dentist bound and gagged inside his car with the woman'sabandoned possessions, two gallons of gasoline . . . and a

burning match.Building on this harrowing start, Lee Child brings us another novel of nonstop high-speed suspense. Die Trying confirms his sizable talent and the magnetic appeal of Reacher, a hero who seems like someone with plenty of tales to tell (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Fortunately for us, he is and he will.Amazon.com Review
Television writer Lee Child's otherwise riveting first thriller, Killing Floor, was criticized bysome reviewersbecause of an unconvincing coincidence at its center. Child addresses thatproblem in his second book--and thumbs his nose at those reviewers--byhaving his hero, ex-military policeman Jack Reacher, just happen to bewalking by a Chicago dry cleaner when an attractive young FBI agent namedHolly Johnson comes out carrying nine expensive outfits and a crutch tosupport her soccer-injured knee. As Holly stumbles, Reacher grabs her andher garments--which gets him kidnapped along with her by a trio of verydetermined badguys. "He had no problem with how he had gotten grabbed up inthe first place," Child writes. "Just a freak of chance had put himalongside Holly Johnson at the exact time the snatch was going down. He wascomfortable with that. He understood freak chances. Life was built out offreak chances, however much people would like to pretend otherwise."Lucky for Holly--whose father just happens to be an Army general andcurrent head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thus making her a temptingtarget for a bunch of Montana-based extremists--Reacher still has all theskills and strengths associated with his former occupation. And Child still knows how to write scenes of violent action better than virtually anyone else around. --Dick Adler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (159)

"Right?" Wrong!
"Killing Floor," the first novel in the Jack Reacher series, had its issues, but overall it was a fun read: good pacing, complex plot, interesting characters. "Die Trying" comes up short of its predecessor's accomplishments; therefore, it has a much harder time overcoming its flaws.

The first, and which cannot be said enough (as I've seen it said on many other reviews), is the reliance of EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER to end a sentence with "right?" Even the Korean dry cleaner lapses into this colloquialism. It becomes so distracting that as I listened to the audiobook, I was anticipating the next time someone would say it, which usually was not a long ways off.

Another major hurdle is the idiotic plot. If you're a militia group looking to start your own country in the backwoods of Montana, and you're in need of an insurance policy to make sure the military doesn't attack you, I'm pretty sure your first idea, much less your tenth idea, is NOT to kidnap the daughter of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. First of all, CJCS has no combat role; he strictly advises the President on military matters and capabilities. Secondly, even if CJCS did have a combat role, and he did lead the siege of the militiamen, the President would excuse him from duty.

The main character, Jack Reacher, whose logic knows no bounds, doesn't grasp this inconsistency until the final 50 pages of the novel. However, at the same time he is able to guess where people are standing behind walls, keep track of time in his head, and can tell in which direction a car is moving by gauging the temperature inside the car. Admittedly, these fantastical leaps of deduction are less severe than the guesswork Reacher employed in the first novel.

Why am I not surprised that Reacher beds the obligatory hottie halfway through the book? Enough said about that.

At times you will be confused by the built-in complexity of the plot. Insignificant observations from 200 pages back are employed by Reacher to make critical judgments at critical moments. The climax is interrupted by Reacher's exhaustive critical thinking exercises.You can tell Lee Child writes the final action scene in Montana with a sketch of the geography in front of him. You wish he'd provided you that sketch, because it's difficult to keep in mind all the distances and directions, not to mention the number of bullets in each gun and the number and variety of guns on hand.

Then, of course, there's the absurd description of the mechanics of a gun and the trajectory of a bullet through the air. I thought back to Tom Clancy's "Sum of All Fears," to the 40-page description of the nuclear warhead detonating in Denver, and that Lee Child must have been mounting a cheap imitation.

These aren't the only details Child belabors. Throughout the novel, the exposition of every detail, no matter how insignificant, slows down the narrative. You wish Child would just get to the point already instead of deliberately stringing you along. But the ever-cerebral and Dupin-like Reacher sees all.

Final beef: As opposed to "Killing Floor," "Die Trying" is told in the third person. There are a lot more characters to keep track of, and this is very difficult as the story builds towards the climax. Many of the characters are superfluous like Reacher's old C.O. and at least one of the FBI Chicago bureau guys. There's just too many people to keep track of, too many people talking.

Die Trying... to finish this book!
I'm female, so maybe this is just a guy's book.I always like a good hero, and Jack Reacher qualifies as such, but I certainly am not interested in paragraphs-long descriptions of the geophysicalities of bullets as they traverse through the atmosphere.This and other testosterone-laden information unfortunately comes well into the book, so I plowed through to the end.I couldn't suspend disbelief in order to believe that any human can discern the difference between 1.4 seconds and 2.1 seconds (as it relates to the time it takes for a bullet to travel).I believe it took me 3.7 seconds to scan through each page to a part that I could tolerate reading until the end of the book, which fell flat.

Doesn't know anything about ballistics
For a book with guns going off constantly - this is elementary. But he knows nothing. Sorry I wasted my time.

Reacher intersects the military and FBI
I read "Persuader" and found it so good I ordered the rest of the set and read "Killing Floor", and liked it. So "Die Trying" was a complete surprise, so different, so poor in comparison. There were several errors, I would hate to try to be a sniper and shoot according to the detailed version Child gives, I could hit nothing. Has he ever fired a sniper rifle? Then when it came to communications, trying to intercept modern transmissions, particularly burst or spread spectrum, well, I don't know if he he even knows there are such things. Those are only two errors, there are more but he is an author, an author can put anything he wants in his stories, the only requirement is that he captures and holds the interest of the reader. That must be why Reacher does not kill Borkin when he has the chances early in the story, there would not be a story of Reacher acted as his character seems to dictate from the other stories I read. With Borkin dead, what holds the plot together? What plot would there be? I found his details too boring, too long, and often incorrect. As an author he can do what he wants, but why bore us to death? There were areas of interest, does Child know what a northwest forest looks like? Also he should know the geology of the last glacial age, how and where they ground out the features. What a shame, I hope his other stories recapture his ability as shown in the other two stories I mentioned.

Worst of Lee Child
The book starts well.Reacher locked up inside a van,its hard to imagine how he can escape and why he's in their at all!I also liked the character of Leon Garber.However, as the plot developed, it just seemed to be a bit too unrealistic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A strong biographical coverage
Young adult and pre-teen audiences alike will relish Ray Bradbury, a strong biographical coverage of one of the most influential figures in science fiction writing. A little over a hundred pages includes black and white illustrations throughout and coverage of not only Bradbury's life and influences, but his notable works. ... Read more

Product Description
"With its companion volume, this book effectively provides descriptions and evaluations of award-winning American fiction for children over the last 125 years. The compilers provide clear, insightful, and critical evaluations. Despite its title, the bibliography lists fiction for both children and young adults. . . . These two volumes, likely to become reference mainstays, are recommended for academic libraries that support children's and young adult literature or teacher education, and for public libraries and media centers." Choice "This volume is a fine addition to the reference works of children's literature and should be considered as a first purchase by those studying children's literature in-depth and in particular by those preparing booktalks." ARBA "These two volumes will be useful to anyone concerned with children's literature--librarians, teachers, and students." Reference Books Bulletin ... Read more

Product Description
Part of the 1995 Scottish Book Fortnight promotion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

George Crum and the Saratoga Chip
George Crum and the Saratoga Chip is a informative and interesting book that tells of the invention of a favorite food of the U.S.It is a wonderful addition to any library seeking to add multicultural depth to the collection. It has great illustrations.

Bet You Can't Read Just One!
Frank Morrison's illustrations are the best thing in this biography of the inventor of the potato chip, Mr. George Crum.I've seen Morrison's work in both "Sweet Music in Harlem" and "Jazzy Miz Mozetta," but I think this is his best work to date. Sure, he has those signature elongated limbs and faces, but his backgrounds also curve around, inviting you into the picture.His choice of colors is outstanding, rich greens and browns make you taste the Adirondack mountains, and his precious orchid tones suggest the high-minded, precious ambience of the exclusive restaurants where Crum eventually works. Morrison commands each scene, whether the action table side or in the kitchen, (where George whips up a batch of French fries--their return by yet another horrendous customer prompts an angry George to invent the dish we now call the potato chip), or in a fish-shaped lily pad floating on the river where George lays down his pole.

The story depicts mid-18th century America, and includes some interest-provoking material about George and his sister and supporter, Kate.An early scene that show George's frustration at school sets up George's later feisty personality, and his "revenge" on the fussy french fry complaint. However, it seems a little contrived, and the details about his entire life seemsomewhat superfluous. Not to make too fine a point of it,but I also wondered at the cozy racial integration shown both at school and at the cafes. Perhaps this is useful for educational settings, but it's internally inconsistent with Crum's difficulty procuring a chef position, and is very probably contradictory to the times.

While some scene-setting is necessary, perhaps a better tact would have been conclude the story at its dramatic high point (the invention and fame of the potato chip), and include some of the early and later details in the excellent afterward by Ms. Taylor.Still, any story about a food as familiar as the potato chip will attract lots of interest, and Morrison's pictures make this a tasty read.

More please!
I enjoyed this story of George Crum, who in 1853 invented the potato chip while working as a chef at the prestigious Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs.

Crum was confident of his cooking skills but as a person of color, part African American and part Native American; he faced difficulty finding a position as a chef.Hired by Moon's Lake House, Crum's menu soon brought the rich and famous to the restaurant in droves.

He felt great frustration and chafed at the pettiness of wealthy restaurant patrons. After one customer complained about the thickness of some French fries, Crum, in retaliation, sliced the potatoes wafer thin and fried them at a very high heat. The rest is history.

This book works well for kids on many levels. It is a skillfully told story from history. Morrison's illustrations are bright and engaging and evoke the time period. In the dining room of the restaurant, the patrons are white and the waitstaff is black.

Readers will applaud George Crum's independent spirit and his determination to follow his own path. This story of one of our favorite snack foods is a terrific read to share with students.

Disappointing
I purchased this book for my 7 year old grandson who is biracial. He is having problems with classmates calling him names and I thought this book would show him that race has nothing to do with accomplishments. The book was a little to old for him. The pictures were very dark and not at all bright. He really didn't enjoy the book at all. I don't recommend this book for young children.

Hooray for George Crum!
Hip Hip Hooray!A fabulous biography that is not only multi-cultural, but will hold the interest of every child who reads it!Thanks go out to author Gaylia Taylor, who must have researched many months to find enough details to bring George Crum half Native American, half African American, back to life. Embarrassed and laughed at in school as a child because he couldn't count to one hundred, George decided to live his life by making his own choices, not those of society.There are strong messages about self esteem and perserverance in this story, yet they never beat the reader over the head.
Frank Morrison's illustrations are both interesting and fun.
This book is a must have for all Elementary School libraries.I loved it so much, I bought one for each school in our district!
... Read more

Product Description
A Child's Anti-Slavery Book Containing a Few Words About American Slave Children and Stories of Slave-Life is a book written for children with an introduction about slave life and several stories by various authors.The introduction explains in simple terms why some children are free while others are born slaves.The language is simple yet conveys the author's message against the wickedness of slavery.Stories included are: Little Lewis - The Story of a slave Boy, Mark and Hasty, Aunt Judy's Story - A Story from Real Life, and Me Neber Give it Up.This would be an excellent book added to an Elementary school American history curriculum ... Read more