5 comments about Secrets of a Lady.

1. In 1819 London, members of the Ton think highly of Melanie and Charles Fraser, who seem to share a perfect scandal free relationship. Both dote on their six years old son Colin while the aristocracy assumes this is a love match.
   
   However, on a foggy November evening, tragedy strikes when Colin seemingly vanishes from their elegant home. The kidnapper demands a special ring that allegedly has mystical power. It is to be brought to the criminals immediately in exchange for their son. Melanie knows she is the cause as she has hidden her real past from Charles, the grandson of a duke, but he also has hidden some of his Napoleonic War dealings from her. As the couple begins a desperate search to save their son, Melanie escorts Charles into a different side of London where brothels and gaming halls rule and anyone including your mate might be the one to knife you in the back; she is unaware that he knows his way around this seedy part of town.
   
   SECRETS OF A LADY is a fascinating Regency amateur sleuth thriller with whimsical hints of the paranormal. Readers will feel they are accompanying the lead couple as the dark underbelly of early nineteenth century London comes to grim yet vivid life. Filled with twists and red herrings, deception even between Melanie and Charles is the norm. Tracy Grant provides a dark fresh take on Regency England with this tense character driven thriller.
   
   Harriet Klausner



2. For anyone who likes historicals, mystery and intrigue, this is THE book to pick up. Tracy Grant has written a well thought out story that involves secrets, lies and treachery.
   Charles and Melanie Fraser's six-year old son has been kidnapped and held for ransom. The kidnapper wants a ring he thinks Charles has in his possession. It is a race against time as the Fraser's' try to find this ring and hopefully their son in the process because if they don't, Colin will die.
   Charles has an incredible love for his wife Melanie and she the same. But when Melanie begins to tell Charles all her secrets, from her spying to only marrying him for safety among other means, his trust he had for her is lost. Not only are they bereft over their missing son, but the possibility that their seven year marriage maybe over.
   Secrets of a Lady is fast paced, suspenseful and gripping. Through flashbacks, the reader is shown how Charles and Melanie met and how the people they knew and trust are not what they seem.
   Originally this book was titled Daughter of the Game and written in 2002, but regardless of that fact, this historical mystery should be considered one of the best mysteries (Especially in the historical genre) of the decade.
   I was pleasantly surprised in reading a book of this nature that I usually would not read if someone else hadn't recommended it to me. I am doing the same here and hopefully my reaction will be the same as yours.
   
   Katiebabs
   Beneath a Silent Moon



3. This is not a bad book, BUT the title has been changed: it is a reprint of an earlier book. While reprints and re-issues are honest, when titles are changed it is intentionally misleading.



4. The only thing I did not like about this book were the opening pages. Grant chose to begin her story with two secondary villains who I did not care for - offputting enough that it took me four tries before I finally got into the book. Once I did, I was hooked.
   
   The plot is summarized in other reviews below. While the plot is a gripping one well-delivered (high society couple embroiled in Regency era political intrigue search for an heirloom ring demanded as ransom for their kidnapped son), I give this book five stars for other reasons:
   
   * the characters of Melanie and Charles Fraser: two complex and haunted characters struggling with issues of betrayal and passion in a multi-dimensional way not limited to the standard romance equation or the standard actions of heroes and heroines;
   
   *the historical realities: in post-Napoleonic England (just as in post-Cold War America) there are many ways of seeing the world; not only the narrow view of the traditional British aristocracy; Grant does a remarkable job of making those non-traditional views understandable and even appealing
   
   *the philosophical issues: beyond the usual regency romance topic of true love, Grant explores the limits of truth, honor, family and personal identity.
   
   *the writing style: looking at a few of the negative reviews below, I found myself wondering if the reviewers had read the same book; I found Grant's style to be wonderfully readable and perfectly suited to both her characters, her story and her setting.
   
   I am so glad that I persisted in reading this novel beyond the opening pages. I was richly rewarded and look foward to reading other books by the same author.



5. This book is an excellent beach read full of interesting characters and an intriguing story that will keep you guessing up until the end. I enjoyed most of the twists but felt that one of the plot twists towards the end was a bit on the ridiculous side. Although the book is entertaining, it's very shallow. This isn't a book that will inspire or have a lasting impact on readers, but it's still a fun read. I gave it a 3 out of 5 because I typically like more thought provoking books.

5 comments about Survivor.

1. ...this book is for you. I really enjoy good horror and thrillers. I'm a sucker for serial killers. But "Survivor" simply goes too far. Any book that includes the aftermath of a baby girl being raped to death is beyond sick. I burned it when I was done, something I have never done before and probably never will again.



2. This is not a book for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. There, you have been warned. I'm a huge horror fan, I've been reading and watching horror from too young of an age so I'm pretty hard to gross out or scare. But there are two things I can't stand... don't hurt puppies and don't hurt babies. Sorry for the spoiler but let's just say there aren't any puppies in this book.
   
   One Paragraph Summary: A young couple (Brad and Lisa) are on vacation where Lisa intended to tell Brad that they were going to be parents. Brad is falsely arrested and Lisa is kidnapped. Her kidnappers work for a "Snuff Film" company and intend to torture, rape and kill her on camera. Lisa is a survivor, she is willing to go to levels that not many others would to live.
   
   This book is well written, though some parts are disgusting to read. We don't really see most of the murders but the aftermath is described in appalling detail. The story itself is at first terrifying, but then hits an over the top level that causes a decline in suspension of disbelief. I'm sure that the world has people this sick in it, but an 88 year old woman functioning as a Hannibal Lecter type serial killer is a bit of a stretch. After the terrifying opening, we also have pages and pages of the sick killers going on and on as to why they do what they do... frankly I don't know if Gonzales was trying to justify their actions or just make them sound more sick... but I didn't want to hear it, what serial killer really sits there and expounds upon his reasoning? Much less killer after killer discussing how and why they ended up in the snuff film industry. The book really loses momentum while we slog through the middle. About this time in the book, the characters lose their multi-faceted characteristics and become very flat and uninteresting. The coup-de-gras at the end is highly implausible but should keep the gore fans happy. As far as what to compare this with... if you are a fan of "Hostel", "Saw" and some of the other "extreme gore" films, this book is probably right up your alley.



3. Once I read the back synapse of this book I had to get it. I have always been intrigued by the myth that is the "snuff film". This book goes into depth of that myth. The story is one violent nightmare for a young woman who is kidnapped and is almost forced into a snuff film. It does borrow from the movie "8mm". I had no problems with Gonzalez borrowing from that movie because I loved it. It is a very bloody gore-soaked book with unusual characters. What poor Lisa endures during this book is enough for anyone to go crazy. I think that Gonzalez had tapped into an unkown Horror sub-genre. Maybe thats why I enjoyed so much. Almost no one has written a book on snuf films. Over all this was a great book and if your into graphic horror novels than you cannot forget to pick this book up!



4. Sweet mother of god. In my quest for increasingly depraved and heinous reading material, well, after reading this I am sated for the time being. I have been wanting to read this books for a while, and, it was worth my wait. I mean. I don't even know what to say. Most of the other reviewers have covered it. The story is well written, and the characters are interesting and well-developed. The topic -snuff films- is interesting and shows a glimpse in a world most people don't know exist, and would do everything in their power to keep it that way. For a horror fan, this is brutal and horrific as it gets. There are no monsters or spooks or ghost, this stuff could happen, and does. This book exposes a dark underbelly, no, its doesnt just expose it like a flasher in a trenchcoat. Its suns itself like a reptile on a warm rock. For the sicko inside all of us, your bases are covered. Sadistic rape, cannibalism, torture, pedophilia, necrophilia, sex with parts of the body that were never meant to be penetrated (plus new wounds created for that sole purpose). There is a pornographical element for all you movie buffs as well. Because they are filming all these aforementioned atrocities. I sat in a restaurant reading this book, and during one part of the book, my friend could see the revulsion in my facial expressions from across the small restaurant. I mean, this is one of the most over-the-top books I've read. I read America Psycho by Ellis when I was twelve or thirteen and this book is one of the few that I can remember to equal my horror. Good stuff. Not for the faint of heart. Or for those who mind a sadistic 81 year old lady talking about her pussy getting wet, or her favorite recipe for cooking the buttocks of children. Bravo Mr Gonzalez.



5. holy cow what a crazy book!! wouldnt say i enjoyed it all the way through it but it was definitely intense. the story started off really strong, scary and suspenseful. from there it gets into some reeeaaally disturbing plot developments that made me uncomfortable but in a good way! guess my tolerance for depravity is pretty high, im sure a lot of readers would give up about halfway through. biggest complaint is the story becomes a little unbelievable toward the end. overall a decent read for people who arent afraid of really heavy graphic horror.

5 comments about A Beautiful Child.

1. I read this book in a week's time. I cannot believe the evil of Warren Marshall/Franklin Floyd. My only disappointment in this story is that Sharon's true identity is unknown and the remains Michael. No fault of the author of course. Birbeck writes an exceptional book about an unimaginable story. This is a must read!



2. I thought this was quite a sad story! The sad part is they still don't know who she really is and I think that is the worst. I can't believe this man would kidnap a child raise her then to kill her and her child. The man was sick! I just hope someday they will find her real identity. this story was a real tragedy.



3. In short, could not put it down, you will be amazed at how this man got away with such a sickening crime. Matt Birkbeck tells this story with an amazing flo and obviously had put alot of leg work into this, from start to finish it is so well told, you feel as if you might for periods of time been a fly on the wall of this child and the man who sadly ruined her life. You wont regret buying this book!



4. This story is too strange to believe, but yet is is real... We will never know the true story, or the reasons why? This is a very fast read, I read it in 2 sittings same day. I will always wonder who she really was and what were her real thoughts, memories and dreams.



5. This is one of the most riviting books i have ever read. I hope one day we will find out who she really is. That vermine should be made to tell everything before he fries!! If your looking to read a really well written true crime, This is it.

5 comments about Desperation Moon.

1. In DESPERATION MOON Ken Douglas provides his readers with one of the most despicable bad guys I've come across in a long time. I'm talking about Rice, the aids infected kidnapper of two young girls, who somehow doesn't think he's a pervert, when he so obviously is. Rice is hired by Huntington Beach police officer Clay Tredway to kidnap his wife Sara Hackett's niece along with the daughter of a wealthy software developer.
   
   Sara is a racecar driver and when she comes home early from a race in Australia, she finds a pregnant woman in her house. Apparently hubby Clay is a philanderer as well as a kidnapper. Soon after she finds out about the kidnapping, she figures out what a weasel her husband really is. She sets out to rescue the two girls. But Clay doesn't make it easy for her. He frames her for the murder of the software guy and now she is on the run even as she's running to save the girls.
   
   Meanwhile, Rice, and his not-to-bright accomplice Gundry, have problems of their own as the girls have escaped into an oil field in the heart of California, where the kidnappers had been holding them hostage. Now they don't care about the ransom anymore, they just want the girls dead. Can Sara, and the quirky band of characters she's enlisted to help her, get to them before the killer/kidnappers do?
   
   In a frantic race against time which involves stealing a small plane in the middle of the night, a midnight swim and more tension than you can shake a stick at, Sara finally confronts her bad cop, no good, two timing, kidnapping rat of a husband. And if you're a girl who has ever been two-timed the way Sara has been, you are absolutely going to love the ending of this book as it plays out to the tune of Bob Dylan singing "Tangled up in Blue." This is a thriller.



2. This is a fast paced book about two little girls who are kidnapped and how they elude their captors, while a desperate woman goes the extra mile to try and save them. I read this book over two nights and loved every second of the sleep I didn't get.



3. I finished the book Desperation Moon and I have mixed opinions about it.
   I think it all depends on what a person is willing to read. I did find the language a bit vulgar, but it was meant to be that way. It didn't bother me too much because English is a 2nd language for my dad and cursing is his first. Even so, he is everyone's PaPa in our old neighborhood.
   
   I had a hard time with Rice wanting to rape and touching Paige especially because she was a teenager. I think it could have been easier to digest if it were kept in his thoughts and he never touched her. This is just how I because of what I think about adults that prey on children in this manor.
   
   With the exception of what appeared to be a few typo's and a mistake when you mentioned Sarah parents died in a plane crash then followed it up with them dying in an helicopter cash; I thought the writing was good.
   
   The writing is very discriptive; I found myself in the bar when Rice was coughing, inhaling the red dust during the race in Australia, I saw Carole from behind standing in Sarah's kitchen, and I felt the mud in the ditch and on and on. I think that one of the most important things about writing is that a person should be able to feel and see what they are reading. I have not written much and do not consider myself a writer but as a reader. I have to feel the joy and pain when I read a book or it can take me forever to finish it by force.
   
   I hope that you continue to write and publish new books. I haven't read any of your other books yet but I think I will. I think that in this age of what appears to be a attack on our young people, because your writing is good and very discriptive,some people may not be able to deal with it.
   There were periods where I had a hard time with the contents and wondered what some of the women in my book club would think about me choosing this book.
   
   I had thoughts of what kind of person could write in such detail about what Rice wanted to do and did do to Paige.
   
   I was pleased that Rice could not go through with what he thought he wanted to do to Paige. I probably would have either stopped reading the book or skipped that part if he did. I felt like Somewhere in the back of his sick mind, he could not go through with it because she was a child. He felt that this would make him a freak or something.
   
   He said something to the effect that someone who would do something like that to a child was sick earlier when they were all in the car and
   he looked at Kelly.
   
   My book club meeting is at 7:30. It takes us about an half hour to get settled. I would like to call you around 8:30 CT if this is not a problem. We shouldn't take up much of your time. to the meeting. We have also listed to a recorded interview of an Author at one
   of our meetings. I think that getting to know an author can help with understanding the Author's message. We have a couple of ladies that are hard core readers and will more than likely have a couple of questions. I think this would be good for you as well to get started again.
   
   Last but not least, I wasn't surprised when I saw the picture of you on a boat at the end of the book. At one point during my reading, I saw a connection with you and Seth. There may not have been but I knew that you had to have a boat and either had or wanted to sail the seas and live on your boat.
   
   
   Alfreda



4. This is a very intense read. Sara Hackett is racing across the Australian Desert with her sister as navigator, she wants to win the race, but her car breaks down and she has to come back to America early, where she discovers her husband has left her for a young woman's he's made pregnant. Then she finds out her niece, who she had been raising has been kidnapped. Then her house is burned down and a man is found burned to death in her bed. Now the police are after Sara, but she can't worry about that, because she has to find the kidnappers before they harm her niece.
   
   Okay, there you have the gist of this almost too intense read. The characters in the story are good and I believed in them, but there was almost no breathing space. Between all the troubles that were piled on Sara and the chase scenes and the intense bad guys, there was almost no time to settle back and take a breath. I would have like the relationship between Sara and her no good husband fleshed out a little more. He was a pretty bad guy, but I don't think the readers really find out why. I did like the ending though, I won't say what it was, but it was good.



5. What a unique and multi-dimensional character Mr. Douglas has created in Sara. I found myself drawn into her life right from the start. She is a strong female lead, who solves her problems herself. She doesn't go to some man to find her kidnapped niece and some man doesn't come to the rescue when she gets in trouble deep. Sara takes matters into her own hands and all I've got to say is that the guys who got between her and her kidnapped niece got what they deserved. This is a great story with a great female lead and when you throw in the non-stop action you really have a winner.

No comments about Hot Dog and Bob: Adventure 5: And the Surprisingly Slobbery Attack of the Dog-Wash Doggies (Hot Dog and Bob).

3 comments about Lorna Doone (Penguin Classics).

1. Lorna Doone is a forgotten classic, typically known and read by everyone of a certain age in the UK, but pretty much ignored in school here in the US.
   It's not an easy read, as Blackmore's English is not the modern English we are used to, but it's not all that difficult and well worth the time and effort.
   If you read and enjoyed Bronte's Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, you will enjoy this romance. At it's core is a wonderful love story of a boy John Ridd) who never forgets his first love, and ultimately fights for the chance to win her heart against his lower social standing, and a band of robbers that have kept her captive -- unbenownst to her, since she was a little girl.
   The BBC have made this into a mini-series many times over, and of course Nabisco has named a cookie for dear Lorna. I am sure Disney will catch up at some point. Enjoy the book before that happens and John Ridd's horse talks and sings!



2. lorna doone is one of the best books i have ever read. it truly is a forgotten classic. it is full of little tidbits of wisdom and humor. it is also just a great story line. true, the author sometimes strays from the story, but his depictions of farm life are not trite. they show a love of land and nature that is a trait of the romantic period.
   it's an astounding novel, and i would suggest it to anyone and everyone. It does take place during a tumulous time in england's history (roughly 1675-1686) so read up on that time, and you'll understand a lot more. happy reading!



3. What an awesome tale. Written in the 19th century, but telling a tale about the late 1600's during the times of Charles II and James II. Our hero, John Ridd is a simple, albeit wise and honorable farmer who as a young lad meets Lorna Doone of the dreaded, evil outlaw family of higher born Doones, and it's love at first sight.
   
   There are lots of ups and downs and surprises, along with the author's gorgeous prose describing the english countryside and farmlife. You have to pay attention though, as none of the characters are wasted. What might seem as inconsequential events and characters earlier in the story are brought back in full circle to the tale, along with a great mystery about Lorna's past as the author slowly peels out the many layers of his story.
   
   Highly highly recommended. If you enjoy Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Bronte or Dickens this will probably be right up your alley.

4 comments about The Colossus of Rhodes (The Roman Mysteries).

1. Caroline Lawrence outdid herself in creating these histicly accurate, fictitious, adventures for children and youth. Both girls and boys will love finding a character they can relate to. They are wonderful read aloud books, or about 4th or 5th grade and up silent reading material. As Flavia, Nubia, Johnathan and Lupas travel through different parts of the Roman empire in about 79AD, we learn many things about Roman History and culture. This book actually takes them on a trip through the Greek Isles to break a ring of slave traders who kidnap free born children and sell them into slavery.
   
   While I highly reccomend this book, I do think it would be helpful to read the series in order. There is so much character development that takes place in the preceeding books.



2. The Colossus of Rhodes, is yet another great novel written by Caroline Lawrence. Lupus now owns a ship and he has given it to Flavia's father the sea captain so he can go on one of his voyages to Rhodes so he can more more money by bringing stuff back to Ostia. While on the ship, the four friends, Nubia, Lupus,Jonathan,Flavia, discover that children are being kidnapped and taken to Rhodes where they are headed. Lupus is very interested in this and when fate brings him back to his home where he thought his mother would be, he has to make a choice between two things; both depending on him.
   This is a thrilling adventure book and I would recommend it to anyone. It is very well done!



3. We love these books in my house because they are very believable and my kids get so involved in them they don't want to put them down. Sometimes my daughter tells me she almost felt like she was living right there with the characters, even in the very frightening times, because she knows the things that happen to the kids really did happen in those times. That's what makes it real to them.



4. The Delphina sets sail in The Colossus of Rhodes on a mission to free the children enslaved by Venalacius. On board are Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan and Lupus joined by Bato, one of the magistrates of Ostia, and Marcus Valerius Flaccus (a poet and future author of a version of the Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece) and his personal slave. Of course, Captain Geminus is at the helm but is a bit reluctant to bring the children along.
   
   They are tracking a ship called the Medea (a good choice of name since Medea killed her children) and sail to Corinth, where the ship is hauled over the isthmus, and on to Rhodes without finding anyone who has heard of the ship. Along the way some accidents occur on board ship that convince the four friends that someone wants to prevent them from completing their quest. Presumably the saboteur is working for the elusive criminal behind the slave trade in kidnapped children - someone only know as the colossus. No one knows who this mastermind is but he has spies everywhere.
   
   Along the way, the Delphina passes the island of Symi where Lupus and his family lived. He is anxious to return to the island but Flavia is determined to find and free the children first. This creates some tension between the characters and not only do they have to worry about a saboteur when a storm blows up that threatens the safety of their ship. And if the ship makes it in one piece to Rhodes, how will they defeat the colossus?
   
   This is a very entertaining volume with vivid descriptions of Greece and the island of Rhodes where the ancient wonder - the Colossus of Rhodes - stood before being toppled in an earthquake. Caroline Lawrence also describes sailing in the ancient world with nice detail, and she provides a diagram of the Delphina along with a route map. This is an excellent adventure and provides a wealth of information.

1 comments about Scooby-Doo And The Scary Skateboarder (Scooby-Doo Mysteries).

1. We find the gang trying to spend the day at Pollywog Park, having a nice break from their most recent mystery...but are they in for a surprise when Scooby & Shaggy are mistaken for the judges of a skateboard competition at the newly opened skate park. As usual, hi-jinks and hilarity (and snacks) ensue...you'll have to read to find out how the gang solves the mystery of the Scary Skateboarder!!
   
   All of the books in the Scooby-Doo Mysteries series follow the same formula as the popular series rerunning on Cartoon Network...so kids familiar with the cartoon will enjoy the books, as they play out the same way. These are longer chapter books (compared to the Level 2 Scooby-Doo Readers, which are much shorter and more simplistic). Beginner readers, who are up to easy chapter books, will enjoy the titles in the series, especially if they are already Scooby fans! These even have illustrations to help bring the story to life for the reader, so they are the easier chapter books, with pictures, not just words...kind of in the transition from picture books to all words, great for encouraging readers to read longer books with more complex plots, but not overly difficult. I'd say these are just the right mix if your reader is ready to leave the Level 2's behind, but not yet ready to make the leap to words only chapter books.

5 comments about The Uses of Enchantment: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries).

1. "Memories are shoddy things, even under the best of circumstances" (p. 79).
   
   Heidi Julavits is the author of two previous novels, The Mineral Palace (2000) and The Effect of Living Backwards (2003). Her most recent adventure in fiction, The Uses of Enchantment, tells the ambitious coming-of-age story of 16-year-old Mary Veal, a prep school student who disappears from Semmering Academy on November 7, 1985, only to reappear a month later, claiming amnesia, but suggesting sexual abduction (at the time, it seems, when there was a national hysteria for repressed memory syndrome and pervasive child abuse). Julavits' plot unfolds on three levels (or, stated differently, the story is told from three perspectives): "what might have happened, through her therapists' "notes," and at the time of her mother's funeral in 1999, at which time Mary is forced to confront her sisters, Regina (a struggling poet) and Gaby (a lesbian). The fact that the events occur in West Salem, Massachusetts, adds a witch-hunt dimension to the story. Julavits' narrative alludes to the relationship between Freud and his most famous patient, Dora, whose claims of sexual abuse Freud interpreted as fantasy. Ultimately, the point of Julavits' compelling novel is that that the "truth" is relative, subject to the reliability of both memory and interpretation. Truth is a slippery fish. Julavits writes with intelligence and keen humor, and she has a knack for dialogue. Because it confronts issues of memory, psychological subversion, hysteria, mother-daughter relationships, and Freudian theory, Julavits' novel should find a captive audience in the therapeutic community. Other readers may find the novel a challenge. For me, the challenge was worth it.
   
   G. Merritt



2. 
   
   The women in Mary's family are cold and selfish and preoccupied with appearances. (Am I supposed to blame a patriarchal society? Or can I just be disgusted?) Then for contrast, there's the equally self-involved overblown therapist, Roz, the local feminist mouthpiece that everyone hates.
   
   Narration that's filled with so much self-conscious contempt almost makes the book feel like a test. Is the author trying to trick the reader into proving they're just a mysongynistic victim-blamer? Can the reader be fair to Mary's story, even if she's unpleasant and without charm?
   
   There were some attempts to warm up Mary, such as when she tries to navigate the distance between herself and her mother, but those passages still read with coolness. I agree with other reviewers that important questions went unanswered.
   
   People in helping positions can become exploitive, and I think that's a worthy topic. So is victim-blaming. I really didn't enjoy this book, though. I didn't feel curious about the characers. Also, it should have been shorter (keep in mind this is coming from a big-time Joseph Heller fan, so I don't have a problem with long-windedness in general).



3. I'm completely sleep deprived from feeling compelled to stay up all night and finish this book, which I guess is some testament to how intriguing certain elements of the story are, if nothing else. The novel began for me on a fairly dull note, the characters seemed completely flat and not at all like human beings, and it took a while for me to get hooked into the suspense of the story. The writing felt a toooo little clever, the dialouge completely implausible, and the numerous psychoanalytic and literary references began to come across as just annoying and pretensious. In short, while the novel seemed to want to capture something universal about the experience of female coming of age, the elitist attitudes of the author and the characters really limited it's relatability. Just when I was pretty fed up with the whole thing, the novel totally stunned by becoming interesting. Unexpectedly, I realized that I had become vested in wanting to know what had happened all those years ago, and certain sections of the book really sprang to life. Unfortunately, the spell was a tentative one at best, and overall, the novel did not hit all the high notes it had the potentional to. The idea of shifting narratives, the subjective nature of truth, the way our self image is defined and reclaimed....all interesting and intriguing ideas. Sexual awakening/repression/the salem witch trials/ frued's mysgonism, etc....again all interesting themes. That I felt beat over the head with by the novels end. The unlikability of the characters didn't particularly bother me, except for the completely unbelievable person of Roz. I hated that character immensely, which I suppose could mean the author was very sucessful in what she was going for with her. The novel is very ambitious in what it tries to tackle, but honestly, I felt like I've read too many variations of this book in recent years (beginning with "The Virgin Suicides") for it to really be interesting unless there's something truly extraordinary going on there. For several pages, there was. The build up to the suspense is good, and even if you don't really think you're enjoying the book, there's a moment when you realize you've become more attached than you thought, and there are a few twists and turns that pack a geniune punch. I couldn't help but think, as I turned the last page at 5am, that had the author spent a few more years polishing this story up and really exploring the multiple themes she tried to pack in a less half-baked manner, there was potentiol for a truly provocative and effective story.



4. This novel was one of my favorite books of 2007. It's nearly perfect in its execution. It's tight, well-conceived, and deeply human. If you love to think and love narrators who think, I can't recommend it highly enough.



5. I, like many of the readers here, keep the pages turning only because I felt compelled to find out what exactly was the truth. I kept this up until the end and unfortunatley am still not sure what exactly happened! Not a good end to a reading experience!
   All the characters were irritating and the thing that was the most ridiculous was the banter between Mary and Dr Hammer. I doubt that any therapist would let a patient of any age sit in their chair the first visit rather than tell them where they should be sitting. How would that hurt them? Each visit all Mary does is wander around his office and throw back at him all kinds of rude, crude and insulting verbage that we are supposed to believe comes from the mouth of a teen. C'mon!

5 comments about Tears of Rage.

1. AS A MAN YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO CRY, BUT I DID, READING WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS SON AND THINKING OF MY OWN SON I JUST COULDNT HELP IT! ITS A GREAT BOOK AND MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU!



2. I agree that this book is very sad and heart breaking. I can only begin to feel the sadness and heart break that this man and his wife went through. This book reveal that. I could only somewhat feel his pain because I have never been through it. This book proves that something good can come out of tragic happenings.
   
   This book is more political then I thought. This man has accomplished a lot Worth the buy.



3. John Walsh has decided he is the voice for victims everywhere. The problem is, fewer and fewer people want him to be. Why? Because of things like this book.
   
   He seems to ignore reality in favor of what he wants us to think.



4. I've never read a book so gripping or heart wrenching. My condolences to you and your family Mr. Walsh; my heart breaks for you.



5. American children went missing before and after Adam Walsh, but his was the first to gain national media attention. His parents were likable, educated and well-spoken, and Adam was kidnapped from the safest place anyone could ever imagine, from inside a Sears department store. The Walsh family's story could have been any American family's story. I remember seeing the original news stories, and the national TV interview of John and Reve Walsh, on the same morning that their son's headless body was found in a Florida canal.
   
   The true story that John Walsh tells is about a family nearly torn apart by the senseless murder of a little boy, and the anger and rage that they turned into positive action and change, establishing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and later, becoming host of the TV show America's Most Wanted, which has brought home missing children and helped police to solve murders and bring killers to justice.
   
   The murder of his own child remains unsolved, but Walsh believes that he knows the identity of the killer, a homeless drifter who later died in prison, where he was serving time for crimes unrelated to the murder of Adam Walsh.