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Harry Silver returns to face life in the "blended family" in this love story with a moral twist. The end of "Man and Boy" saw him heading for his second marriage. This story, which can be read as a sequel or on its own, finds him wondering if the ensuing complications will prove too much. ... Read more

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On a misty London afternoon in 1886, piano tuner Edgar Drake receives a strange request from the War Office: he must leave his wife, and his quiet life in London, to travel to the jungles of Burma to tune a rare Erhard grand piano. The piano belongs to Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll, an enigmatic British officer, whose success at making peace in the war-torn Shan States is legendary, but whose unorthodox methods have begun to attract suspicion. So begins the journey of the soft-spoken Edgar across Europe, the Red Sea, India, Burma, and at last into the remote highlands of the Shan States. En route he is entranced by the Doctor's letters and by the shifting cast of tale-spinners, soldiers and thieves who cross his path. As his captivation grows, however, so do his questions: about the Doctor's true motives, about an enchanting and elusive woman who travels with him into the jungle, about why he came. And, ultimately, whether he will ever be able to return home unchanged to the woman who awaits him there...Sensuous and lyrical, rich with passion and adventure, "The Piano Tuner" is an unforgettable and haunting novel. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Moon - James Herbert
This is the book that has created a monster (play on words there) in my house.Within a year we have purchased the entire James Herbert catalog.James Frain does an outstanding job of reading this story.Because of his work we now have his entire audiobook catalog.This story has it all, psychological, romance and thriller. ... Read more

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Rider Sandman, having fought Napoleon in the French wars, expected to lead the life of an English country gentleman, but now, two years after Waterloo, his family is impoverished, his name is disgraced and he has been forced to relinquish the woman he loves from her obligation to marry him. Desperate to earn money he accepts the job of being the government's Investigator; an official who discovers whether petitions for mercy sent by condemned criminals should be granted. His first case concerns a portrait painter who is due to hang for murder in a week's time and the government makes it clear that they want the verdict confirmed.

But Rider Sandman, whose qualifications for the post are nonexistent, discovers that the painter is almost certainly innocent and, as he peels back the layers of a corrupt penal system, he finds himself pitted against some of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in Regency England who want to keep the truth hidden,

Customer Reviews (42)

Perfect Recipe For My Personal Taste

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I thought it was great fun.This is the first book I've read by Bernard Cornwell and I specifically chose this one because it was set in England during the reign of King George III and it wasn't as dominated by war like the majority of Cornwell's other novels.

I liked that this seemed to be equal parts historical fiction and mystery.I love when I'm reading a mystery that has characters I care enough about to make the mystery an added element of enjoyment rather than a necessity for moving the story forward.That's how I felt about Rider Sandman the hero of our story, his voluptuous downstairs neighbor Miss Sally Hood and several other characters Cornwell created for this novel.

The mystery was interesting and well paced, the action scenes were exciting and believable, especially since our hero is a soldier.And I did enjoy learning about the English criminal justice system during the nineteenth century.The author's historical note at the end of the book was interesting and frightening, I recommend reading it before you read the book.

I loved the 'Flash Vocabulary' incorporated into this story and I can recall having read only two other novels that used as much of the 'Flash' as Cornwell did here, one being Joseph O'Conner's 'Star of the Sea' and the second, Jennifer Donnelly's 'The Winter Rose'.Cornwell stated in his Historical Note that James Hardy Vaux compiled his 'Vocabulary of the Flash Language' in 1812 during his involuntary exile in Australia.

I would be very happy if Cornwell turned this into a series.If someone reading this discovers that he does so could you post a comment to let me know that, please.
Thanks very much.

The 1st Detective
A good yarn from the best historical fiction writer around.This book manages to blend a crime mystery, post Napoleonic war society commntary, a essay on the beginnings of the rights of the accused and some good old English humor all at once.I enjoyed this book and it was a page burner.I hope to see some follow on stories about the protagonist.

No noose is good noose......
How I have, for so long, overlooked authors such as Bernard Cornwell, when I am such a fan of historical novels, is now a mystery to me.

Having never read any of his works, I finally purchased a copy of one of his numerous books, Gallows Thief, and have now completed it, to my delight, with a desire to read much, much more.

Rider Sandman (honestly though, do all novelistic 'leading men' have to have names like this?), former soldier and cricketeer, is called to the duty of the Home Secretary in the early 19th century to investigate certain doubts surrounding the guilt of a convicted murderer before he is hanged. Suffering from disgrace and debt left behind by the suicide of his father, and nursing a broken heart that has resulted from a broken engagement (due to his diminished standing in society and poverty), Sandman accepts the commission from the Home Secretary, and begins his analysis of the situation.

Sandman finds, almost immediately, that there is no question in his mind of the condemned man's innocence, and despite the underwhelming interest he encounters in seeking justice for a tried and convicted man, Sandman sets out to prove the true identity of the murderer, and set the innocent man free, making himself a 'gallows thief', or one who snatches a condemned person from the noose before the hanging can be carried out of completed.

Though just shy of 300 pages in length, Mr. Cornwell wastes no time in spinning and unravelling his historical mystery to great effect. The result is an engaging and entertaining novel, unburdened by extraneous and unimportant characters and sub-plots that lead nowhere. True, not every character is as tantamount to the resolution of the story as others are, yet each character does play a role in Sandman's investigation,...in one way or another.

A wonderful story, easy to follow and digest....Gallows Thief is merely the first step I have taken into enjoying the historical novels of Bernard Cornwell.

A funny thing happened on the way to the gallows...
Sharpe fans will no doubt enjoy this little romp to the gallows. Rider Sandman, the protagonist, shares many of Sharpe's characteristics - the deep sense of ethics, the gallantry, and, of course, the murderous rage. (Cornwell even manages a loyal Sergeant to replace Harper.) In this novel, the penniless Sandman, a veteran of the Napoleonic wars, is hired to investigate the conviction of a young painter who has been found guilty of rape and murder. It goes without saying that the man is innocent, so to some degree the novel is a who-dunnit. But it is also an excuse for Cornwell to immerse us in the corruption of the British 19th-century judicial system, which he does to a large - perhaps, too large - extent. Cornwell is a wonderful, fluent writer, but at times he tends to lapse into pedantry. And this is one of those times. Too much attention is devoted to explaining "flash," the thieves' argot of the times, and too much to damning the judicial system (and way, way too much to the intricacies of cricket) at the expense of developing Sandman's character. The book has the characteristics of the beginning of a series, but although I enjoyed it, I rather hope Sandman's career as a detective ends here. Unless Cornwell can somehow expand Sandman's character, any future books will make for far less interesting reading than the Sharpe series.

classic Cornwell
A little change of pace but pretty much a classic Cornwell period-piece page-turner.I enjoyed it but I am a big Sharpe fan. ... Read more

Product Description
On a misty London afternoon in 1886, piano tuner Edgar Drake receives a strange request from the War Office: he must leave his wife, and his quiet life in London, to travel to the jungles of Burma to tune a rare Erhard grand piano. The piano belongs to Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll, an enigmatic British officer, whose success at making peace in the war-torn Shan States is legendary, but whose unorthodox methods have begun to attract suspicion. So begins the journey of the soft-spoken Edgar across Europe, the Red Sea, India, Burma, and at last into the remote highlands of the Shan States. En route he is entranced by the Doctor's letters and by the shifting cast of tale-spinners, soldiers and thieves who cross his path. As his captivation grows, however, so do his questions: about the Doctor's true motives, about an enchanting and elusive woman who travels with him into the jungle, about why he came. And, ultimately, whether he will ever be able to return home unchanged to the woman who awaits him there...Sensuous and lyrical, rich with passion and adventure, "The Piano Tuner" is an unforgettable and haunting novel.Amazon.com Review
Daniel Mason's debut novel, The Piano Tuner, is the mesmerizing story of Edgar Drake, commissioned by the British War Office in 1886 to travel to hostile Burma to repair a rare Erard grand piano vital to the Crown's strategic interests. Eccentric Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll has brokered peace with local warlords primarily through music, a free medical clinic, and the "powers" of common scientific instruments, much to the dismay of warmongering officers suspect of such unorthodox methods. Drake is an introspective, well-mannered soul who, once there, falls in love with Burma and stays long past the piano-fixing to aid Carroll's political agenda. Drake's arduous journey to reach the outpost, however, takes far too long (nearly half the book) and the plotting is rather heavy-handed at times (one night, Drake learns of a mysterious "Man with One Story" who rarely speaks, and the very next morning the Man tells all to Drake). The story is ambitious, the language florid and sure to please, but the dialogue and melodrama are sometimes tedious. While out on the town with Carroll's love interest, Khin Myo (who enchants Drake), Mason offers the townspersons' view of Drake:

It is only natural that a guest be treated with hospitality, the quiet man who has come to mend the singing elephant is shy, and walks with the posture of one who is unsure of the world, we too would keep him company to make him feel welcome, but we do not speak English.... They say he is one of the kind of men who has dreams, but tells no one.

Customer Reviews (167)

Beautiful writing but mediocre plot...
I began The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason with great anticipation.What I discovered was beautiful writing with a mediocre plot.

The Piano Tuner opens in London in the late 1880s.Edgar Drake is a shy, unassuming and absent-minded piano tuner who has led a sheltered life.He receives a most unusual request from the British War Office to tune a piano in the jungles of Burma.The piano is an impressive Erard and is owned by Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll.Carroll is eccentric and unorthodox, and although he does good work, he sometimes crosses the boundaries of what is acceptable to the British Army.Drake gets caught up in the beauty of Burma and the political turmoil--but not always with good results.

From reading The Piano Tuner, I could tell that Mason spent time in Burma (now Myanmar)and was most impressed with this country.But in The Piano Tuner, it seems like he takes pages and pages of descriptions and tries to insert a plot.The plot is not very engaging and I didn't find myself drawn to any of the characters.Drake, especially, was a bit pitiful.Mason's writing is beautiful and reflective in spots.Drake listens to a song of mourning, "But it wasn't a woman's voice, either.Soprano, yes, but not feminine, not even, Edward thought, human.He could not understand Burmese words, but he knew of what the man sang.Songs of loss are universal, he thought, and with the man's voice something else rose into the night air, twisted, danced with the smoke from the fire, and drifted into the sky."At other times, Mason's writing was tiresome as he described every tree, flower, river, bird, person, sound, tune and/or smell.

I have heard that Daniel Mason has written another novel that is much better than The Piano Tuner.I think he definitely has some talent but I am disappointed that this book did not live up to my expectations.

Haunting, dream-like, lyrical.
One of my favorite books. Incredibly evocative. Dream-like. Reminds me in some ways of Heart of Darkness.

wonderful
I found this book absolutely haunting...beautifully written and wonderful imagery....I can't tell you more without a spoiler alert:)

Delightful book
I thoroughly enjoyed The Piano Tuner.The characters are beautifully drawn, and the historical details are fascinating.A great book for anyone who has ever dreamed of Shangri-La.

What's Old is New Again
This revisit of "The Heart of Darkness/Apocolypse Now" could have easily been a hackneyed effort, but Mason manages to breathe life into a familiar story.Mason's prose is even and rich.He builds both character and plot with a steady, if at times heavy, hand, and allows the reader to explore changing landscapes within the novel along with his protagonist.

The juxtaposition of an out-of-tune European piano in the middle of the jungles of Exploration Age Burma is a great literary device to communicate 19th-century colonial arrogance and insanity.The journey of Mason's protagonist from the familiarity of his home in England to the exotic cultures of Southeast Asia and, ultimately, to the encampment of an unsettled and complicated ego holds reader interest.

The criticism mentioned in longer reviews is valid.But overall, "The Piano Tuner" is a solid first effort. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Journal of Rehabilitation, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2005. The length of the article is 7099 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the acceptance rates of African American versus White Consumers of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services. This analysis represents an aggregate total of nine years of Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA-911) data (between 1984 and 1998). All studies reported data for one or more fiscal years on acceptance and race extracted from the RSA-911 database. Significant results indicated that Whites were found to be 1.54 times as likely to be accepted for VR services than are African Americans. However, further analysis indicates that the 1992 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act may have had a positive effect on discrepant acceptance rates. The authors discuss possible interpretations of the findings as well as barriers to VR acceptance for underserved and underrepresented groups in the United States.

Citation Details
Title: Acceptance rates of African-American versus white consumers of vocational rehabilitation services: a meta-analysis.
Author: David A. Rosenthal
Publication: The Journal of Rehabilitation (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 71Issue: 3Page: 36(9)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Journal of Rehabilitation, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 7418 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Meta-analysis is discussed and used in order to more empirically understand a question that has long been the subject of rehabilitation counseling research; what is the benefit of a rehabilitation counselor having a rehabilitation counseling master's degree? A meta-analysis examined studies in the rehabilitation literature that directly or indirectly studied the issue of employment outcomes. The meta-analysis supports the efficacy of rehabilitation counselors having a rehabilitation counseling master's degree, with an overall effect size of .20. This evidence suggests that approximately 20,000 more individuals with disabilities each year would have positive employment outcomes if all state rehabilitation counselors had a master's degree in rehabilitation.

Citation Details
Title: A meta-analysis of rehabilitation outcomes based on education level of the counselor.
Author: Michael P. Frain
Publication: The Journal of Rehabilitation (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 72Issue: 1Page: 10(9)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on January 25, 2002. The length of the article is 1014 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Buena adaptación.(TT: Good adaptation.)(Reseña)
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 25, 2002
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 8Issue: 465Page: 38

Article Type: Reseña

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more