5 comments about In Plain Sight: The Startling Truth Behind the Elizabeth Smart Investigation.

1. IN PLAIN SIGHT is the story of the investigation to locate Elizabeth Smart, the teenage girl who was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City. Journalists, Tom Smart and Lee Benson wrote the book. Tom also happens to be Elizabeth's uncle and served as the spokesman for Elizabeth's family during the horrible kidnapping ordeal of his niece.
   
   The search for Elizabeth went on for nine long months and this book is an account of what took place during that time period. Aside from the shocking fact of a young woman's abduction, is the story of the local police and FBI who searched for her, but often seemed to ignore the information that was brought forward by family members and volunteers. The authors also claim that the investigating agencies didn't seem to share the information that they had obtained with each other. There were several sightings of the girl, and the man who had taken her. At one point, after breaking into a building, he was arrested, but released when he said that he was just trying to make a home for his wife and daughter.
   
   This book presents one side of the story, but the FBI and local police probably had other things to take into consideration with their examinations of the events. Apparently the family was investigated and we've all seen enough news stories to know that everyone is looked at when a crime is committed. Unfortunately, we've also heard a lot of stories about the lack of cooperation between different police agencies.
   
   This was an informative book and hopefully the Smart family can overcome the horror that took over their lives. I'm sure the heart of every parent in the world goes out to Elizabeth.



2. I was completly stuck on the Elizabeth Smart case when it was all unfolding. I was graduating high school at the time and couldnt imagine with all the dreams I had having them all stolen in the middle of the night. The book is a good read and really details the case well. The only problem I had is the book seems very very one sided. The brother talks all about how much he did and the others did and I kinda felt like he was acting as if he was the parent. It may just be the way I read it but I did find it interesting to get a good profile of the people that took her. Its worth a read but dont forget to read her parents book too.



3. The first time I Read this, I felt like Tom Smart was talking to me Everyday. I'ts so cool, I think the book should tell about everyone else but pervert and pervet Jr. I understand you have to see why he kidnapped Liz, but his mindset is that of President Bush, Stupid and hateful. Everything you need to know about her abduction is all in here. A great read. Don't read it too many times at once, It might scare you.



4. I read this book and I almost feel like it was a serious waste of my time. Tom Smart (uncle of Elizabeth Smart) seems like he is trying to take the stage in this account. Everything in this book you have probably already heard through the media. The book has a very slow start--almost excruciating to get through the first half. I was bored to tears.
   
   I feel for Elizabeth and her Family and would have liked the focus to be on them, their reactions, their feelings,and on Elizabeth's recovery. The nation cares about Elizabeth and how this has affected her and not about Tom Smart's INSOMNIA.
   
   One day in the far Future, hopefully, Elizabeth will write a book and let us know the story of being a survivor, her feelings, and her journey to overcoming this trauma. After all, no one else knows what she and her poor parents went through.
   
   Bottom Line: I found this account to be One-sided and Exagerrated on the Author's part. Tom Smart wanted the Spotlight and Shame on him.
   
   I would not recommend to a friend for Good Reading.



5. i enjoyed this book but thought elizabeth was being taken advantage of by her parents and uncle.she should of been kept in seclusion and not been subject to the public.i feel that in the future this young lady is going to have some problems.

5 comments about When Jeff Comes Home.

1. I use this in my Adolescent Literature course, and the kids eat it up. Atkins is able to tell the story of a boy who is kidnapped and raped without being graphic at all and still keep teens wanting to read on. This is like Deep End of the Ocean for teens. It's about the family trying to heal and get to know each other again, with the mystery of what actually happened intertwined.
   
   Readers must understand that this is only the first stage. The tale doesn't show the counseling that would be needed, but one would figure that would come next.



2. I have no complaints on the author's style, grammar, or character development, but I found the subject matter dark and disturbing. It's says it's for young adults, but I would think that most young adults would not have common ground with the main character Jeff and his awful experiences, thus finding the book, not only unsettling, but unrelatable.



3. I thought this book was really good. It was disturbing and shocked the reader. Which I find to be a good thing. It made me want to find out what happened. It explores the many ways someone would have to adapt to life if something this horrible were to happen. Bascially how to find a way to survive in the most dire of senarios.
   
   I found this book in the young adults section and that's where it belongs. Yeah it talks about a grown man raping a child but that's reality. These things happen and maybe it will open the eyes to kids and if one of their friends happens to ever (I hope not though!) be put in one of those situations ridicule won't be the first instinct.
   
   This book let's you explore the workings of a teenaged mind and also shows the parents point of view. I do recommend this book but not to anybody who thinks the writer did this for sick entertainment and is sick for writing about male-male rape. That wasn't the intention and if you were smart/mature enough to figure that out-- then yes, please read this.



4. When he was fourteen years old, Jeff was kidnapped from a highway rest stop where his family had pulled over to get a drink. The man who took him kidnapped him at knifepoint, leaving no trace and throwing Jeff's family into turmoil.
   
   For two years Jeff lived with his kidnapper in a horrible existence of violence, sex, and deprivation. Finally at sixteen, Jeff has somehow convinced his kidnapper, Ray, that he loves him and Ray should let him go back home.
   
   But when Jeff arrives home, things are very hard. He is ashamed of himself and embarrassed about the things people are saying about Ray and about what Jeff went through. Jeff doesn't want to talk about any of it, and denies that Ray ever molested him at all. The newspapers, though, are printing stories that are making Jeff's life even more miserable. Jeff isn't sure how to relate to his family or how to survive at school, surrounded by people who are saying terrible things about him and what he went through. He needs to start recovering from these two years of captivity, but he doesn't even know how to start.
   
   I liked that Jeff's experience was portrayed as completely horrible but the author refrains from being very graphic. Although it is still pretty disturbing, the worst things are left in the imagination of the reader. The ending of the book was good--hopeful but not too unrealistic. I also liked that the story was told from Jeff's point of view. It was awful to see how he felt about himself, but it helped me to understand why he acted the way he did.
   
   I didn't like Jeff's father. It seems that after he had lost one of his children, he would have made more of an effort to treat the other two better, but things remained pretty much the same with Jeff's brother and sister. I don't know how realistic it was to have Ray bring Jeff back home, and I also don't know if it was realistic that the press would have so much information that they would be able to print about a minor.



5. Whilst this book covers some disturbing subject matter, readers who are squeamish or easily upset will still be able to read this book due to the fact that it is sensitivly and tastefully handled, never being graphic in its descriptions. The only thing I could nitpick about the story is some aspects are perhaps unrealistic; readers may wonder at the information that the media is able to release about jeff (including his name and various allegations of what happened to him) without themselves being arrested.
   The characters of Jeff and his father were the best developed in my opinion.
   The feelings of confusion, havoc and displacement Jeff feels whilst he tries desperately to integrate himself back into 'normal' life and family after having lived in anyone's worst nightmare for 2 and a half years of his adolescense is conveyed strongly with atkin's use of inner monologue- jeff often speaks the truthful answers to the difficult questions about what happened to him within his own mind but offers only excuses and denials to others. There is a painful sense of his wanting to speak and express how he feels but being unable to because of his shame, fear of others reactions, and a loyalty to ray, his once-captor who still holds his mind prisoner if not his body, leaving him locked in silence.
   jeff's father is also a fascinating character. He is at first unable to see that jeff's life cannot ever be just exactly as it was before, which creates a great deal of tension in the story that becomes slowly resolved as he struggles with the fact that he has lost the child who was once his favourite and must now find a way to accept, cope with and love jeff for who he is now.
   Overall an excellent book, very sad and often frustrating when you witness the public community's insensitivity and lack of understanding toward jeff's situation but uplifting in the end.

No comments about Millie's Fiery Trial, Book 8.

5 comments about With.

1. A wonderful, wonderful, wonderful book. My favorite author of recent years has been Gabriel Garcia Marquez (with Salman Rushdie not too far behind), but this book has sent me further into Harington's work...and I haven't been disappointed.



2. Give yourself a week or so to read this book slowly to savor it, then you may just find yourself starting at the beginning again. Yes, it is that wonderful. It not only describes humananity in all its beauty and uglyness but describes the bonds of all living creatures & how life goes on even when physical bodies have left.



3. I bought this book as a gift for my husband, his parents are friends with Mr. Harington and we live in the area written in the book. I have to admit, we haven't read it yet but do plan to as soon as we can! A small bookstore in town has raved about it, one person said it was the reason they moved here!



4. This review may contain general spoiler information, as I have mixed feelings about this book and to explain requires some plot disclosure. The book was wonderfully original and well written. I loved Hreapha, and giving a dog a voice to start the book was clever and inventive. The story at the beginning of the book was suspenseful and scary. Sexual abuse is a frightening reality, and the subject can easily make the reader uncomfortable. And I did find it sadly realistic. Predators are out in our society, plotting and fantasizing. Maybe this is where I have the most trouble with this book. There is an odd juxtaposition between the reality of the abduction and the complete whimsy of the anthropomorphizing of all the animals. Putting both together in one book was an odd choice.
   
   The in-habit was an inspiring idea. The survival aspect was very interesting. How do you eat, drink, or stay warm? Nevertheless, I have some smaller problems with the book, also. If a cow could make it up, how could the path be unusable? Why didn't Robin have more of an interest in the outside world once she had met Latha?
   
   Please don't misunderstand, I am glad I read this book, because it made me think about life, growing up, and even literature. It made me very curious about this author. This is the first Donald Harington book I have read, and I may read another to see if others show the same bend in his view of sexuality. I don't often read books about old men lusting after children and young girls curious about sex. The author explored Robin's burgeoning sexuality in the same way he handled the whole book - told with a mix of reality and myth. She explored masturbation, and yet thought she was experiencing real sex with an `in-habit'. Throughout the last half of the book the fantastical elements overwhelmed any reality.
   
   Does this review bother your sensibilities? If so, don't read the book. If you are intrigued, then by all means pick up a copy. A very elderly woman recommended this book to me by claiming it to be the best book she had ever read. It is interesting, compelling, thought-provoking, and creative. But it is a very odd book, indeed.



5. This book opens with a kidnapping of a child by a disturbed man. I almost stopped reading, expecting some awful crime. But the worst does not happen, and the story evolves into a unique tale of nature, growth, wisdom, and love. Her kidnapper dies when she is ten. Geographically isolated, lacking the company of other humans, the girl finds the companionship of animals and an in-habit--a kind of spirit-energy of the boy who loved that house and grew up there. She grows into a lovely young woman, and somehow, we understand that she is perhaps wiser and more fully realized as a person now than had she not been taken from her mother.
   
   The concept of the in-habit may seem fanciful, and one that can talk certainly does. But it may be true that our energy imprint exists where we have left it.
   
   An unforgettable book. An amazing author.

5 comments about Oliver Twist (Everyman's Library).

1. When I had to read this book in my adolescent years, it was literary torture. Today, reading with 25 more years of life behind me and greater appreciation for literary art, it's a great story. I never would have picked this story back up had it not been for the review/referral from a friend. In retrospect, I'm not really certain this story is best read, comprehended and appreciated by an adolescent. The story, and the seedy sides of life exposed, might be better processed by an adult.
   
   In addition to the story woven by Dickens, I think what I appreciated most about this writing was how Dickens used the novel as a commentary on life in England at the time of the writing, e.g., society's treatment of the paupers and impoverished, the caste system that existed and condemned a pauper child to destitution at birth, and the judicial system with its corruption and brutality, to name a few. Even as a mature adult reader I winced at how Oliver and the young paupers were brutally treated by "the system" in the first half of the book.
   
   I loved how in the end all the characters, excepting Nancy, received their just rewards and ends in accordance with how they had lived life. The only mild criticism I have was the almost too remarkable coincidence of the relationships of Oliver, Brownlow, Rose and Monks, and how life had brought them together prior even to the discovery of the existence of their relationships and ties from the prior generation. Nevertheless, it's a feel-good ending and the story kept me turning the pages with anticipation.



2. 
   What is it about Oliver Twist that keeps people coming back to it so often and for so long? Oliver Twist is actually one of my favourite all-time reads. I try to read it once every few years, and every time I decide to re-read it, I go in search of a copy that I don't already own because it's fascinating the different publishers, typefaces, bindings etc, that this book has gone through. Maybe I'm like Mel Gibson from Conspiracy Theory, collecting all those The Catcher in the Rye copies, but at least I'm reading them. Mel was just trying to save the human race ... or something like that. Poor fool.
   
   A few years ago, I thought that I had run my course with the young Rascal and had actually come away feeling pretty badly about the development of the ending of the story, which, in my honest opinion, is not as strong as the beginning or the arc of Mr. Brownlow. But Dickens was writing in a time when books were not as prevalent and Twist, as we all may know, was a Newspaper column that had developed into a bound and published work due to its popularity. Standards have changed and agents and publishers are more discriminating. But in no way should anyone let that stop them from the experience of reading Oliver Twist as it really is a masterpiece before its time.
   
   Recently though, watching MSNBC (a new hangout for me, I admit), I saw a documentary regarding the global sex trade of young woman forced into boarding, shipped around, mistreated, taken advantage of, stolen, uprooted, you name it ... and my mind wandered to a comparison of Young Oliver and the Ageing and scheming Fagin. In the lives of the girls they covered, there always seemed to be the `Artful Dodger' character who would start off as the mentor, but meet a bad end eventually, and the `Fagin', who controlled the roost and kept the girls feeling dejected and trapped, thus benefiting monetarily from their toils and of course the 'Sykes', who was the one who met head-first with the law. I felt incredibly bad for those girls and disgusted about the habits of some of my fellow "men".
   
   It really is a shame that in 150 years, this year, Dickens moralist tale of child abuse is still just as prevalent, just as relevant and unfortunately just as insidious and heart-breaking as it was on the cold night that he penned the first article.



3. Originally published in a serialized format, OLIVER TWIST represents some of Charles Dickens very first writings. It is easy to imagine his first readers eagerly (and impatiently) awaiting the next installment of little Oliver's saga. Evocative of so much compassion, this powerful tale has reached the hearts of readers for over 150 years, and is every bit as powerful now as it was originally. Both its message of personal triumph despite overwhelming odds, and its broader admonishment for us all to look more closely at the plight of the destitute and homeless, speak powerfully to every reader.
   
   This book gives you a very disturbing glimpse into life in England during the early 1800s (or at least Dickens' view of that life). Dark, cold, dangerous, and filthy are some adjectives that are nearly always at the fore when reading OLIVER TWIST, as Dickens employs his unparalleled talent for bringing his settings to life with words. The worst in human attributes are also on prominent display in this work, with Bumble, Fagin, and Sikes being the epitome cowardliness, cruelty, and brutality, respectively. Rather uncomfortably, this book also highlights the all-too-common failures of society in general. While we may have come a long way since the time of Dickens, there remains much that we would rather not have to face about our own culture. Abuse and neglect of innocent children has not altogether faded away, but maintains its evil hold on parts of society.
   
   Not to make you think that this book is all about the negatives of humanity. It is also a tale of triumph over evil, goodness coming from love and compassion, and innocence being preserved. Oliver's friends in the second half of the book represent all the best things about humankind and turn this tale into an essentially happy one. That being said, I actually liked the first half of the book (prior to the failed house-breaking attempt) better than the second, primarily because from that point on, while events occur at an increased rate, they are essentially taken out of Oliver's hands.
   
   This is a great book, highly enjoyable, humorous, and evocative of powerful emotion. The famous wit of Charles Dickens is in full display here, with puns (Master Bates), sarcasm, and all manner of plays on words and phrasings, being found throughout. It is also a good example of Dickens' penchant for overly verbose writing. Sentences that simply HAVE to be run-ons are found in nearly every paragraph, to the point where you forget the subject of interest as you get lost in flowing descriptive writing (was that a run-on?). For that reason only, I'd suggest this book for more experienced readers looking to sit down and enjoy one of my favorite classics.



4. Charles Dicken's classic tale of Oliver Twist and the people he comes across is a definite must-read. The poor orphan is one of the most memorable protagonists in English literature. The supporting cast is something worth mentioning, also. The distinctive portrayals of Master Bates, the artful Dodger, Fagin (who is sadly a Jewish caricature), and Bill Sykes make this novel a page-turner.
   
   Much of the satire in this story involves the 19th-century English social class, political upheaval, and daily life in the slums of London. And they work so well here.
   
   A-



5. When I started reading Oliver Twist, it was an assignment for school and nothing more. However, I was soon intrigued by little Oliver, a quiet, naturally pleasant little boy, and who is apparently a magnet for bad company and lives in a workhouse. I wondered how he could remain so sweet and childish through all he'd been through.
   
   Dickens kept me turning the pages with cliffhangers and anticipation. It's witty and it has hilarious moments concerning the band of thieves. Master Charley Bates' laughter is infectious even from the pages of the book, The Artful Dodger's proposed `genteelman behavior' is amusing, and Fagin's witty remarks always manage to entice a chuckle from me and my dad as we read it together.
   
   The only thing that irritated me was that Dickens leaned a little too far to the left and the right , and didn't have any middle ground. Oliver Twist is a perfect boy. He does nothing wrong. Ever. Not once. I don't think it portrays people with a sense of morality well enough, because even those people are not perfect(coughRosecough). However, the way the little robber gang is written represents the underside of human nature very well.
   
   Dickens' sense of description was astounding. It really made everything come to life, from the dirty, disgusting streets of London to the beautiful country lane. It gave me a vivid and detailed picture in my head.
   
   All in all, Oliver Twist is an excellent book.The story was very well put together, and he leaves no loose ends to be tied up. There are dull moments in the book, but Dickens brings us back with a sudden twist at the end of a chapter that will leave us at the edge of our seats, begging "Please sir, more?"

5 comments about Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Amy Billig--A Mother's Search for Justice.

1. I read this book in a few hours. I couldn't put it down. I just had to know what would happen next. It was fascinating! Sue Billig simply amazed me. As a mother I was able to feel her pain and frustration. What she went through trying to find her daughter stemmed from pure courage, tenacity and love.

   I was frustrated myself at the end. I was hoping so much it would tell what happened to Amy, but mainly you just have to guess for yourself.

   Mind-blowing read!




2. Horrible and haunting. You want so much to believe she's still alive.



3. Reviewers before me have said it best. Out of all the true crime books I've read, I estimate 10% rate as "can't put down page turners" and this is one of them. That says it all.
   I would put this book in a class of my favorite true crime books including:
   Careless Whispers
   Zodiac
   The Ultimate Evil
   Dreams of Ada
   Minds of Billy Mulligan



4. I am a True Crime addict and I remember watching the story of Amy Billig on "Unsolved Mysteries." Even though I had seen the story, I figured I would learn a lot more if I bought the book, so I did. I am a slow reader and usually it takes me months to read just one book. "Without A Trace" was different. This book kept me interested all the way through and I seemed to breeze through it. It is a very good read. I even read it in the bathtub while I was taking a soak!
   
   Amy Billig was just 17 when she disappeared from Coconut Grove, Florida in 1974. Amy had planned to meet friends for lunch and was going to drop by her dad's art shop on the way. However there were some greasy, tattoed, leather-clad visitors who were also dropping by that fateful day. The forboding rumble of motorcycles going through town told people to heed their caution. It was the annual biker gathering again. When Amy didn't arrive at her dad's shop and never met her friends, Amy's parents, Sue and Ned Billig, knew something terrible must have happened.
   
   Let me say that reading this book made me take a second look at mankind. I was angry as I followed Sue's relentless quest to find her missing daughter only to be taken advantage of by greedy, shallow-minded people such as the Glasser twins, who claimed to have Amy, and Hank Blair who tortured Sue Billig with sexually explicit telephone pranks about Amy for about two decades which lead to a lengthy court battle in the process. But through it all, Sue would do anything to find her daughter from searching into different tips, meeting up with and traveling with bikers such as the infamous Paul Branch who had claimed to have Amy, traveling to prisons to interview bikers who may have a clue, and even frequenting biker bars to search for her daughter.
   
   Some of the images portrayed in this book make your spine shiver. How about picturing a pint-sized, middle-aged woman from a well-to-do life, clinging to a rough and rowdy biker while riding on the back of his motorcycle? How about picturing this woman mingling with dirty, tattoed, chain and leather-clad bikers armed with guns inside scudzy trailors cluttered with rusty auto parts, beer cans and cigarette butts? While these bikers are peeking out of windows fearing any vehicle that drives up, a biker couple can be heard having sex in the other room. Authors Greg Aunapu and Susan Billig do an outstanding job of taking us on the journey over the boundaries of safety and into the world of the bikers who are murderers, drug dealers and woman-beaters. After all, women are considered property and bikers give them away and pass them around to other bikers as such. As a female myself, this was difficult to read about. But I think I can safely say that I would do the same things that Sue did if my daughter went missing.
   
   The most frustrating part (and indeed I feel for Sue and can relate to her frustration), is all the leads that fall dead. Unfortunately with just about every huge case, there are leads that are looked into and nothing comes of it. Therefore you've just wasted precious time. Poor Sue had to go through so much of this. Calls at all hours of the night, plane trips to places like Tulsa, Seattle and New Jersey on tips from bikers such as Paul Branch, investigations into strip bars where bikers usually make their "old ladies" work at; everything seemed endless. But Sue was relentless, taking every call to heart and jotting virtually every call down in her journal. Many leads brought people who said Amy was a biker girl who was drugged up and called "Mute" or "Sunshine." The tips came and came. She was at this particular market with wome Outlaw bikers buying soup and crackers. She was at this store in Seattle looking at health food. And it's truely amazing how many biker names come up in the search for Amy, from Paul Branch, to "Dishrag Harry," to "Creature." It seems endless.
   
   I just have to give the ultimate kudos to Sue Billig for all that she had to go through in her search. She is the real model of strength that many women should strive for. She is inspiring in every sense of the word. When people told Sue to give up, she wouldn't. When people told Sue that Amy may be brainwashed and never the same, Sue didn't care. When there was any little hint that Amy may be in a particular place, Sue would dash there. If she needed to stand up to bikers, she would stand up to bikers and force herself to be unintimidated. Even cancer couldn't keep Sue down, nor her husband's tragic death. She is an obsessed mother determined to bring her daughter home. Some may think being that obsessed is a bad thing, but it is not. It makes you amazed at how the human spirit handles pressures when things get to be dangerous and life seems to crumble.
   
   The description of the bikers and their hangouts and the places that Sue explored were absolutely fantastic. Every detail gets you right into the book and you are automatically sitting there suffering with Sue. You are riding on the back of a biker's motorcycle with nerves pumping through your body and the wind tossing your hair around. You smell the smoky air, the sweat and leather. You hear the rough voices and see the scowls and other facial expressions. You feel the rage and disappointment when pranksters exploit. And the hardest part through it all is that Amy always seems just out of reach somehow. There is always this feeling of not being able to get to her. I personally have had dreams like that and needless to say, it is tough on the emotions. Even in the end, Sue is still taken advantage of from Branch's "old lady," "Tootsie's" so called deathbed story, to British producers ordering Sue to engrave Amy's name on a headstone. The anger of it all!
   
   But the question remains. Is Amy still alive out there? Is she dead? Is she tortured daily? Is she a drugged-up stripper? Is she pregnant? How did Paul Branch really know of Amy's appendix scar, or that she liked folk music? We may never know what ever happened to the carefree 17 year-old who loved life and was truly inspired by it. It was the simple things in life such as a sunset and the wind blowing in the trees that Amy loved. She was indeed special and very insightful. It was also a much different time. It was seemingly a more innocent time; at least away from the underworld of the bikers. But much has changed since 1974, and as the years progressed in this book, I could truly feel that nostalgic emotional feeling of the fact that Amy had been gone for so long as the times changed.
   
   Although Sue spent 25 years searching for Amy, she had eventually found a way to bring that chapter of her life to a close even though she still mourns for her beloved daughter. Now her son Josh has kids of his own and she is able to channel her energy through them and see traces of Amy in them. The ending of the book was very fitting. It is a haunting passage that Amy wrote shortly before she was kidnapped and it shows the very essence of the wonderful young woman she was/is. It will leave you thinking for days after you finally put this book to rest.



5. Amy Billig was a teenage daughter in the 1970s Coral Gables, Florida. She had loving parents and an equally loving brother. One Saturday, she went hitch-hiking to meet some friends for lunch downtown. Hitch-hiking in the 1970s was common, acceptable behavior. Nobody thought it was dangerous. Amy Billig was never heard or seen again! I will always remember reading this book while I did jury duty and I have seen Susan Billig on television searching for her daughter. She would travel the world searching for her. She doesn't know for sure about her fate. That's the tragic part of this book is that she would rather know than not know. I remember reading "Not knowing is worse than knowing." It is because Susan probably has accepted that Amy will never return home. Her daughter would have never stopped contacting her parents or try to get in touch. Susan has researched biker gangs in America and in England. She has spent all her savings in search for her daughter. A mother's love like hers is not rare because Susan is an extraordinary woman who is relentless in her pursuits for the truth no matter how painful that can be. I think deep down that Susan has accepted Amy's fate but as she wrote to not know is worse than knowing. If Amy is dead and it's sure, she can grieve and move on with her life. Until then, I can't imagine Susan not searching or ever giving up hope.

3 comments about Snatched (Bloodwater Mysteries).

1. Pete Hautman has long been one of my favorite authors. I have since discovered Mary Logue and have become a fan of her exquisite Claire Watkins mysteries. Each author writes compelling fiction filled with sympathetic and sometimes off-beat characters. I was pleased to hear they had teamed up to write a new mystery series for younger readers.
   
   As a former middle/high school teacher, I have consumed a great deal of juvenile and YA fiction. Frequently works written for a younger audience are dumbed down or "cuted up" which turns off already reluctant readers. In this case, however, Hautman and Logue write with respect for their audience and provide characters we can relate to, a fun adventure, and lots of laughs as Roni and Brian sort through clues while navigating relations with teachers and parents.
   
   This work will certainly delight younger readers, but I also recommended it for adults. It would make an entertaining read-aloud selection for any Language Arts or Reading teacher as well as for any parent who wants to laugh and puzzle along with their child.
   
   Bloodwater #1: Snatched provides us with a full-blooded male and female protagonist and with enough twists to satisfy the seasoned fan of the mystery genre. Despite a satisfying conclusion, this first installment leaves readers awaiting the next with anticipation.



2. Alicia has been kidnapped. Can Brian and Roni find her kidnapper and save the day? That's the plot in a nutshell, but the complete mystery would fill a large, very complicated nutshell.
   
   Brian and Roni go to the same high school, but the only things they seem to have in common are frequent visits to the principal's office. Brian's a science nerd, and Roni is an ambitious reporter for the school paper. Alicia is a fellow high school student who has disappeared. This first in a series dubbed THE BLOODWATER MYSTERIES has Brian and Roni teaming up to solve the crime.
   
   For mystery fans this book has it all. There is the big old family house connected to a possible curse. Part of the adventure takes the crime-solving duo to Wolf Spider Island to deal with colorful characters like Driftwood Doug and a butterfly collector named Mr. Nestor. Add in a wacky police department, suspicious high school thugs who key cars, and a trip to Nun's Island to search for a missing boat, and you have just a few of the adventures in this fast-paced book.
   
   Pete Hautman, author of Godless and Mr. Was, combines talents with fellow Minnesota author Mary Logue, to create this new series. Fans of complicated whodunit tales will not be disappointed.
   
   Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"



3. My grandmother just bought me this book two days ago and already im done with it. I missed most of my favorite t.v shows because I lost track of time reading this great book.
   
   The characters make the story more realistic but if you want to find out about it you should buy the book. But I really didnt suspect that weird twisted ending I suspected more of a thriller. It was more like a confession!!
   
   D.A

5 comments about Introduction to Executive Protection, Second Edition.

1. The content of the book is soundly built up and written. My respect for the author and his job for this book. The price for this is OK.



2. A Must For Executive Protection Specialists. Has information that would be useful even to a veteran of the field! Nicely done!



3. To Those Interested:
   
   Having had the opportunity to read Introduction to Executive Protection by Dale June, I can state the following.
   
   This book is well thought out and well written. The author does an exemplary job of combining the basics of executive protection along with personal insight. And though not technical in nature, which is not its intended purpose according to its title, it provides a clear and uncluttered look at the responsibilities of an executive protection agent.
   
   It's an excellent starting point for anyone interested in exploring a career in executive protection, especially those who do not have any formal government training.
   
   I believe this book accomplishes its intended purpose with distinction.
   
   Curtis Olmos



4. This book is the quintessential guide for the executive and personal protection professional. Newcomers to the field as well as veterans will find the book very readable and thorough in its coverage of all aspects of executive and personal protection. While providing a solid overview of the basics of the profession, the book also covers some advanced topics such as motorcade tactics, advances, and working the principal in different scenarios. The only drawback to this text is that it is over-priced. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it for anyone considering entering the field of personal protection or already working in it.



5. As the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service, I highly recommend this book from distinguished former agent Dale June. It is well written and very informative. Simply put, you cannot go wrong in purchasing this volume. I was a little disappointed with the 11/22/63 "whitewash", but that was to be expected, quite frankly (what is Mr. June going to say : "My colleagues screwed up in Dallas?"). Get this!

5 comments about Finder's Fee.

1. Gansky is a master of suspense--this novel confirms it.
   
   Judith Find, a famous interior design company president, receives an unmarked package in her mail one morning. She is blackmailed by a mysterious caller into going on a manhunt--or rather, boyhunt for a child in trouble. She is joined by a complete stranger, Luke Becker. They are thrown into a dangerous operation with more questions than answers on their side. Will they discover why they've been thrown together and save Abel before it's too late?
   
   At first glance, kidnapping and blackmail seem to dominate the story. But finding the link between Judith and Luke opens a whole new aspect to the novel. Their pasts eventually are brought to light, revealing how they are interconnected. The journey to that revelation is frought with peril and meaning.
   
   And ever since reading the Maddy Glenn series, I'm amazed at how Gansky can get into the head of the female protagonist. Excellent.
   
   I'm a big fan of Gansky and would recommend all of his works, especially the Perry Sachs and Maddy Glen books and Crime Scene Jerusalem. This book slogged a bit--not the quick action like some of his, but still enjoyable.



2. The problem with being a book reviewer is time. Now that I have read an Alton Gansky, I'm going to have to get a copy of each of his previous novels and read them. This is becoming a burden. I don't watch television anymore, I'm only up on the current events when they are a little old. I don't know any celebrities on first name basis. "Brad who? Paris? You're going to Europe -- Lucky!"
   
   Finder's Fee is an intriguing story. Two people with a past that could ruin their present get sucked into a cat and mouse game. At first I thought the story might be similar to the movie "Cellular" which was in itself quite suspenseful. But it ends up going a whole lot of different directions, though Ganksy's created a story that begs a movie.
   
   Well-rounded and likeable characters. Fairly heavy spirituality without preachiness. Tight suspense, some blood, some tragedy, plenty of treachery, even some sweet moments of romance. Like I said, I'm going to be reading more Alton Gansky.
   
   As seen at Novel Reviews blog spot.



3. The day had started off normally for Judith Find. She'd grabbed her customary cup of coffee, conferred with her loyal assistant, and started in on the stack of work that was on her desk. As CEO of Find Inc. she always had a lot to do and this day was no different - until she realized that one of the envelopes on her desk was ringing. When she opens the envelope and answers the phone inside, her world changes forever.
   
   Luke Becker had started his day off normally too. He might never have seen the envelope on his doorstep if he hadn't gone out for his customary cup of coffee. Inside was a strange phone he'd never seen before, and it was ringing. If he'd never answered it, his life would have been a whole lot easier.
   
   Both Luke and Judith have a secret. They'd both thought the secrets were long buried, but they were wrong. Someone is threatening to reveal those secrets if they don't cooperate. And worse yet, a life is in danger. A boy that neither of them knows has been kidnapped, and if they don't do exactly as the voice on the other end of the phone instructs, he will die.
   
   FINDER'S FEE is suspenseful, cleverly written and full of twists and turns. Author Alton Gansky's well-developed characters draw the reader into a fast-paced plot that will keep them on the edge of their seats. Layers of deception are peeled away, one by one, on their journey to enlightenment, much like a person's real-life journey to faith and truth. Hidden between the cleverly crafted sentences, complex plot and ingenious characters is a message of spiritual growth. Gansky's style of presenting the spiritual is almost shy, though his writing is certainly anything but inhibited. Brilliantly written, FINDER'S FEE covers a lot of territory from corporate corruption and sinister motives to bioengineering and fertility methods, yet it also manages to include a surprising spiritual message as well.



4. Alton Gansky is one of those writers you can't classify. One book may be a supernatural thriller, the next a mystery, then a thriller. There's one consistent feature in all his books though: they're interesting. Gansky is a great storyteller who knows how to keep you involved in the story.
   
   "Finder's Fee" is a good book. It hits the ground running and does its best never to slow down. The characters are pretty well-developed and the plot makes sense. At first, I thought this story was going to borrow from his earlier novel "Prodigy", but it kept its own individuality throughout.
   
   I couldn't put this up there as one of the best he's written, but it's a good story. Despite the fact that each of the characters were well written, I still didn't feel much for them or truly understand their motivations. They constantly risked death and the loss of their careers to keep their respective "secrets" quiet. When you finally find out the secrets though, it doesn't really make sense. I was expecting some deep dark shame that could never make it into the world. Instead, we get something that's relatively tame compared to what's on the news today.
   
   I would recommend this novel without reservations, but it's not his best work. Start with one of his JD Stanton or Perry Sachs stories first.



5. Veteran suspense writer Alton Gansky opens FINDER'S FEE with a chilling beginning, full of promise. Forty-five-year-old famous, successful businesswoman Judith Find seemingly has it all. Her company is her life, and she "developed emotional calluses long ago." Judith's husband has died, leaving her as head of the prosperous Find, Inc., a home decorating firm. But she won't be in that position for long if her stepson Marlin has anything to do with it. Bitter and feeling as if his inheritance has been stolen, Marlin is working to dethrone her and seize control of the company himself.
   
   Then, a frightening call threatens to change everything. "You know what you did... If you hang up he will die." We don't know what she did, nor do we know who "he" is. Judith knows what she did but doesn't know the person who they are threatening to kill. All she has been given is a photo of a young boy with unbelievably lavender eyes, who presumably she must save. The readers' desire to discover her secret and who the boy is (and what about those strange eyes?) keep the pages turning.
   
   Judith's path intersects with Luke Becker, a handsome 48-year-old stock market junkie who has also received a mysterious cell phone call --- and who harbors a secret of his own. "My biggest failing in life is that I haven't been paranoid enough," he tells Judith. Or, as the reader is told, "While some men might deny their neuroses, Luke embraced his." Both are at the mercy of an unseen person, nicknamed "The Puppeteer," who controls their every moves with phone calls, packages left at strategic locations and computerized instructions. They uncover a frightening genetic experiment that involves numerous children, including Abel, the small boy who becomes the focus of their search.
   
   There are some nice passages throughout. Muses Judith, "Hundreds of people surrounded her... Any of them could be a saint and any one a killer... Everyone kept their thoughts, desires, and sins behind a mask of flesh. She knew this well. She did it every day." Judith's assistant, Terri, provides the faith notes in the book, whether it is inviting Judith to church or praying for her when she's in trouble. Toward the end, faith plays a somewhat awkward but more important role.
   
   Gansky sometimes details too much body mechanics ("Judith pulled her silver Lexus SC convertible into the first open parking stall she found, exited, and walked into the restaurant. It took several steps before she realized that she moved with her head down and eyes fixed on the concrete walk. She forced her head and eyes up, reached for the door, and walked into the unknown.") This really slows the pacing down. However, he has some good, fresh lines ("Judith's patience dissolved like sugar in hot water;" or "...it took off like a herd of turtles;" "Luke's heart tapped like a drummer on caffeine") and handles the point of view changes easily. I learned at least one new idiom ("soul patch," I discovered after looking it up, is a tuft of hair under the lower lip), and another new vocabulary word, "impeller," a part of a jet. He does have an unfortunate penchant for the word "burbling."
   
   Readers of one of Gansky's earlier novels, THE PRODIGY, will recognize some echoes of the superchild, spiritually advanced protagonist (Abel is not the central character in this book, but he does play an important role). Although they'll have to suspend disbelief toward the end, Gansky fans will enjoy this interesting and thought-provoking story of ethics, secrets and faith.
   
   --- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

5 comments about Stolen Secrets (Red Rock Mysteries).

1. This book was great! I usually don't like mysteries but this was real cool. It's not scary or anything..and it's not all mystery, mystery, mystery. It has touching bits too. I love Bryce and Ashley! You can't just read one book though-you have to read them all becuase they continue on from each other. Cool book!



2. This series of books has something for the entire family - the kids will love the pages chocked full of action and the parents will love the faith and values that the authors manage to mingle in. The action is so fast-paced that the kids won't put the book down until the very end; even then, they'll be ready to immediately read the next book. And somewhere along that road, they get exposed to Christian behavior and ideals. These authors have proven themselves time and time again to deliver good books. Don't miss out on this series!



3. My nine year old son loves this series. He says "It is great for Christian families and kids. It is great as a read-aloud and a read-alone."



4. I bought this for my daughter and she just tore thru it in about 3 days and loved it. She just finished the 4th book and is looking forward to reading more of them.



5. The book was for my son and he truly enjoyed it. He wants to get other books in the series