5 comments about Beyond Suspicion.

1. Albeit the theme's book is kind of new, the viatical story with the Russian mob, the book loses itself in overly Miami descriptions. It also makes the love story of the first book "The Pardon" a phony one because in this book you'll know that Jessie was distraught since she were nine. So many of the situations in both books were because of Jessie, not because of Jack.
   
   If you read this book first than the other one you may like it because of the brisk pacing of the story. But that won't happen if you first read "The Pardon"



2. After reading some of the reviews I was a little worried. Don't be worried. I really enjoyed Mr. Grippando's second installment of Jack's life. I'm not going to write a plot summary since Amazon and several reviewers do that quite well. I liked how fast paced this novel was and I did like the concept/ideas presented. I did agree with some of the other reviewers about how it wrapped up. Just felt it wrapped up way too quickly with some plot holes. I enjoy his books so maybe I'm a little bias. I do recommend this book in the series so you can understand the future books but The Pardon has been the best one so far that I've read.



3. This is my second Grippando novel (I previously read Under Cover of Darkness) and I am starting to become a fan of this author. This book takes a big turn from the other book and has a great deal more action and suspense. Jack Swieteck defends a former girlfriend who ends up dead in his own bathtub. To complicate matters she apparently was murdered because of a medical scam against a group of investors who had bet their funds that she would die of Lou Gehrig's Disease. At first Jack is the primary suspect but then the blame seems to shift to his friend Theo (a former death row inmate).
   
   
   
   The book has the usual "unstoppable" assassin (Yuri) running around that likes to determine how his victim will die by whether or not they left their porchlight on. He gets involved in some really graphically described scenes of pure torture that could make the most insensitized individual cringe.
   
   
   
   Meanwhile there is an avenger named Katrina (she is really Cuban but Katrina is her adopted Czech name) who you are never really sure what side of the playing field she is on.
   
   
   
   The book is full of plot twists and turns and never gets boring.



4. This author always keeps me on the edge of my seat. His books are hard to put down and are read within a few days. I find myself reading the book when I should be doing something else.



5. This book started off pretty good. But it did began to get really slow in the middle. I fond myself skipping over all the flashback scenes from all the different characters.
   
   Ultimately the book failed because the ending was horrible. Tried too hard to be complicated and it was silly and beyond belief. A lot of the characters and actions were beyond belief.
   
   One example: No hospital would allow the parent to sign off on permission, especially when the spouse is right there. jack is a lawyer, and would know that!
   The Latrina character just never truly fit into the story. There was nothing believable about her. Someone as careless as she was, was some informant? The whole revenge part was just too much, and really weakened the story.
   
   The transformation of Cindy was also another unbelievable plot gimmick. It was just not believable.
   Even the last accusations Jack makes at the end are just stupid!! Exactly when did it happen? between the time they arrived at the house and the time Jack got to the room?? Who broke the glass in the house??
   Just makes no sense at all.
   
   Are there any good writers left? Do all the suspense writers use the same BS gimmicks that insult people's intelligence.?

No comments about David Beckham: Born to Play: Born to Play (All Aboard Reading).

2 comments about Hoolifan - 30 Years Of Hurt.

1. Very entertaining and a good look at all aspects of hooliganism very well written, The best book on the subject, I have ever read. I highly recommend.



2. Probably much more entertaining for someone who has a better history of the game. A lot of the book was repetitive. It seems it was just going from one spot to the next fighting. Need to weave in something besides the fighting and build up the main players more.

No comments about Ronaldo: The Journey of a Genius.

No comments about Moments.

No comments about Arsene Wenger: Pure Genius.

5 comments about Alive & Kicking.

1. This book is an autobiographical account of a former NFL football player who battled IBD and has become a source of inspiration for many. I recommend this book for teens and young adults especially, because it shows that someone can have IBD and still accomplish whatever goals they set for themselves



2. In this inspirational story, the former placekicker for the San Diego Chargers tells of his own journey with IBD and subsequent surgery. His bravery and humanity come through crystal clear although its obvious Rolf is simply trying to help others via his experience and not blow his own horn. Nevertheless, no reader can help but admire the perserverance, both personal and professional, of this fine human being.



3. As a young woman with an ostomy, I was very inspired by the personal account in this book. Rolf showed me that I could go on with my life and go back to a normal exercise pattern. The personal photographs that he shares helped me explain what happened to me to my children. I would recommend this book for anyone who is having a hard time coping with their ostomy. It turned my whole point of view around!



4. This book is a must for anyone dealing with either Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's Disease. I put off buying this book because I have Crohn's disease, but I must tell you it was one of my biggest mistakes. If you, or someone you love, is dealing with IBD get this book. So many of Rolf's feelings and thoughts were the same thing I was thinking when I first had to deal with this disease. Rolf is an inspiration, he proves that you can live your life with these diseases and live it to the fullest.



5. You won't read a more inspiring story, regardless of whether you have IBD or not. The amazing story of Rolf Benirschke, who fought back from IBD to succeed in both the NFL and his post-football endeavors, is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. As a 14-year survivor of Crohn's disease myself, I can say without equivocation that I would not be here typing this now if not for the inspiration I got from this book. I came to believe that all things are possible if you have the determination and courage to face and overcome your challenges.
   
   As an added bonus, the author showed his kindness and generosity by autographing and returning my copy, which stands as one of my most prized possessions.

No comments about David Beckham (Amazing Athletes).

5 comments about Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona, Soccer's Fallen Star.

1. David Luis, is there a Fox News in Argentina? Pele most certainly played in the 1970 World Cup final. He scored the game's first goal on a dazzling header and later closed out the match by assisting to Carlos Alberto. That's two goals out of Brazil's four, and highlights of those goals are replayed endlessly on television in any football-loving country.
   As for the book, it's not pretty to learn what Maradona became. Nor is it possible, perhaps, to redeem him in print when his glory on the field needs viewing, not reporting. (See, David Luis, most people are not afraid to watch a player's highlights. Go ahead, look at those Brazil goals. I saw Maradona's pass to Burruchaga. You can do it.) Still, you have to say that this is a story that must be told, and maybe at an even greater length. Athletes have this way of illuminating their fans' dreams while remaining themselves an object of either other people's machinations or their own hubris. Certainly the latter happened in the case of this player, and people ought to know what ended his career. It's a very important story in sporting history, and you might as well get it in this book.



2. I really enjoyed this book, it was very insightful in a historical sense as to Maradona's life. I felt it was a little too hard on Maradona. While I don't doubt the excess and lunacy that surrounded Maradona, I feel that he was an unfortunate guniea pig for what global soccer has become. I only wish that more could have been said about Maradona's fantastic play and his human side. Good book overall but temper it with one that paints Maradona in a better light.



3. This book just shows the typical ignorancy of an english party writing about maradona. i read it to try to equal my opinion after reading maradona's own autobiography and i ended up disgusted not at maradona but at the shameles author who is ignorant( little word!) to whatever is argentine. I dare to say that Maradona's own book provides better introspect and is better written. Burns at one point says that in Argentina houses are built with manure.That's outrageous.Jimmy Burns is vary partial towards Maradona's opponents. Im Argentine yes and know the faults and shames of my society but Burns has invented and blown out of proportion in his interest a lot of details. This book is racism in disguise.



4. This is a fair account of the life of Diego Maradona. To deny his faults would be to akin to building conspiracy theories upon conspiracy theories. Jimmy Burns is a good writer and was a first hand witness to many events. The one problem I had with the book is that there is so little soccer in it. Indeed, this is surprising as I would think that Burns would have realized that those of us who bought it would be especially interesting in hearing the intricate details about his art on the pitch. Spending only half of page 189 and half of page 190 on the 1990 World Cup is unacceptable. We know from the newspapers as to what kind of headcase the guy was, but I wanted to hear more about his play and Maradona's place, in terms of talent, within the patheon of soccer stars.



5. Maradona fue un gran jugador, Por cierto no el mejor de la historia como siempre repiten los argentinos y si un aproblemado, drogadicto y escasamente inteligente deportista. Este libro cumple con lo básico de una reseña de un jugador que no alcanza la categoria de personaje. I m sorry, Maradona was a good player, not a caracter, not a nice person. Only for Diego fans (silly people)

3 comments about Fowler: My Autobiography.

1. I am a massive fan of Fowler the footballer. His life had all the ingredients for an interesting book: phenomenal talent, early success, hilarious pranks, bastard managers, terrible injuries, bad luck. He also seemed more honest and witty than your average footballer, so I had high expectations from his autobiography, but they were not met.
   
   Unfortunately the book is, simply put, poorly written--which is not his fault I suppose. The tone is annoyingly apologetic, with some justifications (he's just a kid from Toxteth) repeated like mantras every three pages. Also annoyingly, whenever he makes a reference to his past success, which was phenomenal, he sounds defensive and adds that he's not arrogant about it (he's still just a kid from Toxteth). The amateurish mistake of the book is that it tells us how we should feel about him instead of just getting on with telling his story an letting us make up our minds about how to feel about him.
   
   Books of this kind are at their best when they tell behind-the-scenses stories which were previously secret. This book is very thin in this area. Some funny stories about Eriksson and Houlier, the bastard managers from hell as far as Fowler is concerned, provide some color and interest but not enough. The actual stories are few and poorly told, with little in the way of insightful detail. The language lacks verve, except for odd foul words here and there, which seem strident rather than authentic. For authenticity, some self-incrimination on at least some occasions (for example the disgusting incident with LeSaux) would have been useful, but he goes at great lenghts to exculpate himself every single time (he was just a kid from Toxteth, you know).
   
   I am convinced though that his life is a fascinating one and maybe sometimes, after he retires he'll have anohter go at it with a better ghostwriter.



2. Robbie Fowler is the God of Liverpool. Anyone who has watched his goals in a Liverpool jersey will tell you, in an era when you've the enimagtic Eric Cantona, the powerful Alan Shearer and, to a certain extent, a "prolific" Andy Cole ruling the headlines, that Robbie Fowler just happens to have a little more of that midas touch in front of goal.
   
   Being a Liverpool fan and a fond observer of Fowler's goals, I was no doubt devastated when he was shipped out of Anfield almost five years ago. When news of his autobiography were released, I told myself that I'll buy it, regardless whether I'll read it or not. I mean, footballers' autobiographies are usually crap, full of ________ (insert vulgarity) and a glorified excuse to make some money for the subject.
   
   After reading the book over the span of a few hours, it didn't surprise me that Fowler: My Autobiography justifies my perhaps cruel perception. But then again, it also proves to be quite an enjoyable read, because it covers some interesting issues that I'd really like to know about. You know. Houllier. Hoddle. Eileen Drewery (is this how you spell that? I'm sorry I couldn't be bothered to check).
   
   I also particular enjoy the early moments of the book, even if they were rather slow-paced. Fowler (or his ghost writer) attempted to explain his origins, and while I'm not entirely convinced whether he was as ignorant about the on-goings of the Toxteth riots as he claimed, the background to the book was nicely set for a dramatic climb to fame for the striker who was once told he was too small to make it at the highest level.
   
   What I really like about the book is, however, the dry humor that is littered throughout. Fowler was describing his father in a paragraph, and mentioned that the old man was a good-looker. He didn't forget to remind the readers that "that explains his good-looking profile". I know, it's corny, but it's exactly the kind of thing that I'd laugh about, and this book did a lot of that.
   
   Disappointment? The overly "saintly" portrayal of Fowler himself. I do not believe he was a victim of consequences as he so vehemently attempted to drive across, and I find the frequent references to his upbringing a little more than hard to bear after, like, 20 pages. This book also has a fair amount of the swear word that starts with the letter "F", so if you get easily offended of such things, you may get really frustrated.
   
   Still, this book is a light-hearted read if you don't expect anything too serious. Fowler is endearing because, apart from scoring goals (and tons of them), he has a colorful off-the-field life, as well as other non-goals-related on-field antics (snorting celebration, anyone?). I think this book manages to capture these rather well. It'd do well with a more coherent layout though. Some of the events seem to jumble up to fully understand when they really happened.
   
   And, as spooky as this sounds, I was just reading a magazine article about Fowler just the night before I bought this book. The next morning, when I still contemplating whether to sneak out from the office to buy it, I got a call from my mate, telling me that Fowler has rejoined Liverpool from Manchester City on a free.
   
   And so, Fowler has returned to Anfield, which makes this book all the more a considerable purchase for Liverpool fans who never felt that God has left. Now Robbie, please go score some goals!



3. It's an interesting book written together with a ghost writer,but I think it would have been far better without all the effing and blinding which
   if read by youngsters could have a very negative affect.
   
   But as I am a fan of Robbie's and was sorry to see him leave Liverpool F.C. for the first time it still makes interesting reading learning for the first time about the streets of Toxteth and being a working class kid who has made it really good.
   
   I hope he eventually writes a sequel whenever he decides to retire from full time football and believe he has in in him to make a first class coach and manager.