1 comments about Guilt by Association (Reissued as One by One) (Danielle Ross Mystery Series #1).

1. I found "Guilt by Association" a wonderful book. It has good morals and an interesting story line. I enjoy many books written by Gilbert Morris because of the content in his books. This is a good example of the many great books he has written. I myself am fourteen years old and this book is a great book for Christian teenagers to read. I love reading books that I enjoy and also help me grow in my faith. If you are interested in other Christian books you should check out the other books written by Gilbert Morris.

5 comments about Hoodlums, Hopheads, and Hepcats: Rog Males of 1950's Crimes.

1. When taking into consideration the level of crime that is reported day after day in the news, I am left to wonder if things are "getting worse."
   
   After reading Hoodlums, HopHeads & Hepcats, I feel fairly confident that while crime is probably reported more today, the criminal element has always existed in the shadows, ready to STEAL what they want, and MURDER anyone in their way!
   
   From the case files of this book, readers will be shocked to read the exploits of the pot-smoking juvenile who killed for loose change, the acid-throwing maniac who was intent on blinding a journalist, and even a "misguided human missile" that killed a 22-month old child for the thrill of it.
   
   If you have the strength to look into the heart of darkness, take a glimpse at this work of criminal reality from the 1950's...



2. 
   A good book with many intriguing and terrifying police cases. I loved the `50s no-nonsense approach to police work... breakout the roitguns, set up the roadblocks and round up the sex offender. A welcomed change from the many CSI inspired true crime books.



3. 
   Two things are evident in IMP's newest volume of mid 20th century carnage:
   Mr. Jacobs, in selecting the cases for this collection, proves without a shadow of a dought that sociopathic killers are not a modern day phenomenon, and, their senseless and hateful crimes are as gripping and powerful today as they were years ago when the first drop of innocent blood was shed. Those without a strong constitution proceed with caution.



4. It took me a second to adjust my antenna to this latest work by IMP. Television of the 1950's appeared in black & white, but this EXCELLENT true crime collection of that decade appeared to me in black and blue highlights, underscored by copious amounts of blood red.
   
   Reaching to the archives of collected TRUE stories from police magazines of the time, this book presents the cream of the crop.
   
   A must have for fans of the 1950's and true crime!!!



5. Meet, up close and personal, a legion of menacing rogue males. They will steal to support a drifter's lifestyle. They will rape to defile virtue and kill just for kicks. While robbing a house, one of them came in contacted with a 2-year-old boy, who he gleefully strangled to prevent his cries of pain and terror. When caught, he told the detectives "I always wanted to kill somebody" but had no reason why he stripped naked the boy's body. He is just one of the lowest scum the 1950's had to offer.
   
   This book would have been grim reading if wasn't for an army of police officers and law enforcement professionals, who, dedicated to the principles of justice, sent these misfits to the morgue or the electric chair; a perfect ending for most of these stories.

5 comments about Lamb (Norton Paperback Fiction).

1. Lamb is a book about a priest (Brother Sebastian aka. Michael Lamb)who runs away from a cold, uncaring children's Home in Ireland with a young boy whom he feels sorry for. They then try to start a new life in England and try to forget their bleak past. Lamb is trying to come to terms with his fading belief in his religion and is at conflict within himself throughout the book. Lamb's teacher - pupil relationship with the boy changes to a father - son relationship and this strengthens his actions at the end of the novel.



2. I had to read Lamb by Bernard Mac Laverty as a school projet. At first I was really un-keen as it wasn't my kind of book , but by the second chapter I was totally hooked. the only thing better than this book is the film.



3. Bernard MacLaverty�s short novel LAMB is a great example of things going terribly wrong for someone who has the �best of intentions�. The writing is flowing but intense, drawing the reader inexorably into the story � it makes this a hard book to lay aside, even for the night. I was tempted to stay up �too late� to finish it.

   Brother Sebastian (née Michael Lamb) is a member of the Christian Brothers, assigned to a bleak reformatory where parents bring boys they can no longer control � it is a way station on the road to troubled adult lives, although it is seen by the parents and the administration as a place of rehabilitation. Unfortunately for the boys, the �rehabilitation� practiced by the headmaster and his staff in mostly made up of beatings and other forms of cruelty. The headmaster � Brother Benedict � at one point refers to the institution as �a finishing school for the Idle Poor�, a telling remark that shows his contempt for those to which he supposedly ministers. Sometimes beatings are administered to boys the headmaster knows in innocent of the transgression at hand, simply as an example to the population in general. It�s a depressing atmosphere, and it weighs heavily upon the already fragile character and emotions of Brother Sebastian.

   There is one boy for whom Brother Sebastian feels a special, deep affinity � young Owen Kane, small for his age, quiet, and, as we learn, an epileptic. The boy is plagued by episodes of bedwetting, and his stubborn demeanor singles him out for especially violent �lessons� from the headmaster. Sebastian determines that the only way to save Owen is to take him away. He plots this action only skeletally, acting as he is on his emotions, with his intellectual abilities taking the back seat � and this comes back to haunt the two of them as they steal away from the school and take off on the road to London. Sebastian honestly loves and cares for the boy � this is not a story of sexual abuse by a church figure � but his increased depression, which he doesn�t recognize as such causes them to be in increased danger of discovery, leading to the inevitable and very disturbing conclusion.

   The lighter scenes, in which Brother Sebastian manages to bring some rare joy into the childhood of his young charge � and as a result into his own dark life as well � are very moving. They give the reader hope that somehow, in some way, the Brother is successful in starting a new life with the boy, living in peace somewhere with him, as father and son. His intentions, as I mentioned, are completely loving and honorable � the darkness in the book is not in those intentions. There is darkness in the system that allows such a place as the school depicted here to exist in the first place, and to be �managed� in the manner of a prison for incorrigible criminals rather than an institution that would truly give troubled boys a �second chance�.




4. Lamb, by Bernard Mac Laverty, is, at 150 pages, a short read, but its brevity serves only to provide a perfectly told story without padding or exposition. It follows the story of a young priest, Michael Lamb (or Brother Sebastian), who runs away from the Irish Borstal that he works in, takes a deprived boy named Owen Kane with him. But, as his money dwindles, news of the kidnapping closes in on them, and Lamb finds himself running out of ideas on how to save the boy's life, leading to a dark climax borne of both necessity and love.
   
   Beginning in the Borstal, aptly referred as "a finishing school for the sons of the Idle Poor" by its head, Brother Benedict, Lamb observes this to be an accurate statement as he believes it finishes their lives, providing them with little hope for the future. Upon inheriting money from his father's death Lamb resolves to rescue Owen, a misunderstood - and epileptic - boy, often made an example of due his stubborn nature, and give him the life he deserves. They break for London, and spend their time exploring the city and discovering each other, until the time comes when they have so few options that Lamb is required to make the decision that will affect their lives, but he believes to be right.
   
   The characters, throughout, are developed sufficiently to create your own impression of them; although Owen's character could have done with further expansion with regards to his life before Borstal. Lamb, especially, as you would expect a title character, is well conceived and his decisions, at all times, appear believable. Brother Benedict, a sadist at heart, claims that he "was belted black and blue myself what harm did it do me?" without realising that it turned him into the one now administering beatings. Even the fringe characters: conmen, housekeepers, and perverts have enough splashes of colour to make them plausible.
   
   The writing, while not being flowery, is engaging enough to spin the narrative on, making it a book you are not likely to put down until completion. It's a thrill to read as the escapes bond with each other, but watching as their world of opportunity caves in around them. The underlying meanings and symbols that make the book special, the many inferences of the book's title, for example, raise the scope of the novel, adding further richness to it.
   
   Lamb, for its length, covers a number of topics, but the theme that stands out, for me, is love; that, and the things you would do for it. Sometimes, you don't even know you are doing it, Lamb discovers while trying to understand the fugues of Owen's epilepsy. But it's the grim denouement of the novel that questions how far one would really go, and it's this that adds the pièce de résistance to a wonderful and haunting tale.



5. Brother Sebastian, alias Michael Lamb, works at a finishing school for the sons of the Idle Poor in Ireland. There the Brothers teach boys to conform, make their beds, how to hold a knife and fork in order to shoehorn them back into society at an age when, if they commit another offence, they go to the grown-up prison. If they do not conform, the school thrashes them. The Brothers thus teach them a little of God and a lot of fear.
   It is to comply with his father's wish that Michael has stayed so long in the Brothers and besides he always wanted to help in whatever way he could the suffering of the world. Like the Lamb of God, he wanted to take away the sins of the world.
   There are three reasons which push Michael to leave the Brothers: the death of his father and the money he left him, the values for which the school stands which he can no longer tolerate and his attachment to a boy called Owen Kane (Owen is the Gaelic word for lamb) whom he doesn't see fit for such an institution.
   He therefore decides to leave secretly the school and take Owen with him to London with the hope to be the boy's saviour. They pose as father and son but soon the world closes in around them and when time, money and opportunity run out, Michael has no other option than to move towards a solution that is as uncompromising as it is inspired by his love for Owen.
   A powerful and deeply humane novel with a breathtaking ending, both dramatic and inevitable.

4 comments about DON'T LOOK TWICE (NANCY DREW FILES 55): DON'T LOOK TWICE (Nancy Drew Files).

1. An interesting little book focusing on Nancy's jealousy when she suspects that Ned is in love with a cheerleader from his Basketball Team. The cheerleader goes missing, and Nancy has to track her down, all the while wondering if this will bring them back together... It kept me hanging on to every word :)



2. Carolyn Keene shows her talent with the writing of this book. Nancy surprises Ned with a visit to his basketball tournament, but Nancy was the one to be surprised when she found Ned kissing a redhead cheerleader! The cheerleader later disappears, and Nancy is worries if she finds her, and solves the case, she'll be the one to bring the two together! Great reading material.



3. This book was really thrilling!I couldn`t put it down,this book has a mixture of action and romance.Nancy goes to Ned`s basketball game and sees him in the arms of a redhead cheerleader.When the cheerleader goes missing it`s up to Nancy to find her.Trouble is,she`s afraid she`ll bring them back together!



4. Nancy's in Chicago to cheer the Emerson College basketball team and Ned, her longtime boyfriend. But she can't believe her eyes. Has Ned saved his slickest moves for after the game? Is he really making a pass at a cheerleader named Denise Mason? I won't tell ya.
   But the mystery takes an even more serious twist when Denise is kidnapped and Nancy is afraid if she solves the case she will bring them back together and lose Ned altogether. Does she? You'll just have to read the book to find out.

No comments about Protocol for a Kidnapping.

No comments about A Heartbeat Away.

5 comments about Circle Of Five (Circle, Book 1).

1. I picked up this book based on a recommendation posted to a reading list, and boy, am I glad I did! Riccio's wonderful & wacky cast of characters eased into my heart as easily as a group of old friends, and the Wiccan aspect of the story integrated seamlessly into the plot itself. A masterful debut by an author I have since added to my "Buy or Die" list.

   **Highly** recommended.




2. I really enjoyed reading this book! Enough suspense to keep you hooked, waiting to see what happens. Great characters who keep you involved in the story line. I laughed out loud many times at the wit and banter. The Wicca and herbal info is accurate, but doesn't overwhelm the story. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series and hope there are plenty more in the future! According to the authors website, she's finished 2 more books (after #4) and has started a 3rd. For some reason, they're not getting published! On the authors website, you can find an email address to pass on your support for this series of books to the publisher and ask for more! And if anyone has a clue as to why there's a problem with getting these books published, please share...because I'm completely baffled! UPDATE: on the author's website she states that she is no longer working with her old publisher and is looking for a new one. Let's hope she finds one very soon!



3. I'm Wiccan myself so I'm always on the lookout for entertaining books about witches. Circle of Five is the first in this series about a small coven of New England witches who perform magick and solve crimes at the same time. Cass, the narrator, is a middle-aged divorcee who has inherited her grandmother's cottage by the sea. The violence in the opening chapter was a little disconcerting because I didn't expect it, but the villain is effectively scary. The relationships between the five ladies are well drawn, although I don't know that I would like any of these women in real life because they're catty, nosy, and a little snarky with each other. Who needs enemies, etc? My main beef with the book is the formulaic romance. Why, why, oh WHY can female authors not resist throwing in the stupid romances??? It doesn't help that the `romance' between Cass and Joe is not very inspiring. They have sex the first time they're alone together, and he says things to Cass that she apparently thinks are incredibly romantic, but which I find incredibly creepy. I know the author is just trying to establish that this is some kind of mystical, instant connection, but it's a miserable failure in my opinion. There are two other `witch' mystery series' I'm aware of - Shirley Damsgaard's and Madelyn Alt's - and those are also formulaic mystery/romances, so I guess this is the trend. I don't know if I'll read the next in this series (Charmed Circle), but probably. I'd like to give it a chance because the writing is concise, flowing, and smooth.



4. Mystery, Suspence, Romance, Comedy and Witches! OH MY!!
   
   Without giving away too much in the book. It starts out in the prolouge by telling about the murder of a small boy. Then the group of women (the five) collaborate together to try and solve this murder mystery, which does get a little intense toward the end. These are women in the prime of their lives. They get together have tea or a dinner party, gossip, hold ceremonies/rituals together. Then the main character, Cassandra falls for a christian man. Do they get together? You'll have to read to book to find out!
   
   This book held my attention throughout. It was really hard to put down. A great story line!



5. I'm on Page 80 and struggling. I hate to write reviews before I've finished reading a book; however, I don't know that I can finish this one. Maybe it's the writing style, or the flat characters, or the dog that talks. I don't know, but I find every page difficult to read and highly annoying. The author's style of writing is unusual in that she has a phrase in quotations and then explains who said it (generally it is the dog) and the circumstances they are in after the fact. It breaks the flow of writing about every two paragraphs, so that you are constantly exasperated and saying aloud, "What?" Then you have to spend time re-reading to understand what her point was in the first place. Each character has a skill, one skill; and none of the characters are developed, so that our main character (of one skill) can be chatting (and, boy, do they ever chat!) with Deidre or Fiona; and I can't recall what Deidre looks like, because she may not have been described. I typically like books that just follow one main character, but not in this case, where the main character is just one more flat character in the bunch. If you are interested in environmental causes, you might enjoy this book. If you are a feminist, you'll find the romantic parts annoying (I did, and I'm not a feminist--why does she cook three different dishes to please her new man just because she doesn't know what he wants to eat???). The mystery about the boy being killed by "Mr. Q," who the main character meets at a supermarket, is still not going anywhere, and I'm almost 1/3 of the way through the book. If there was any magic(k) going on, the book might be more interesting, but so far, it's just a group of women gabbing about potential action that isn't happening. If that's your joie de vivre, this book is for you.

5 comments about Storm Catchers.

1. Stormcathers
   
   
   
   My book is about a girl who is about 12 and is home alone while her brother is right next door at his friend's house for a few minuets. While Ella is home alone with her little brother Sammy, she hear something and it's a guy in her house and he started to walk toward her and she started running to get to her little brother to make him hide somewhere. He found her and took her outside and down by the water. Fin came back from his friend's house and saw a note on the counter it said don't tell anyone. Their parents got home and saw the note they were mad at Fin for leaving the house. They didn't know how to get Ella back. The guy that took Ella put her in a cave he called the house the next day and said if he wants his daughter back he had to pay money by a certain day. He paid the guy the money and they were all together again. I recommend this book because it was a really good book and if you like surprising books.



2. I really liked the book Storm Catchers. I liked how it was so suspensful and kept me interested. The ending had a really great twist!
   My favorite part was when Ella was home watching Sam while Fin went to Billy's at the begining, and my other favorite part was when we found out who Sam's secret friend was. I liked those parts because they were very very very interesting!! They made me want to keep reading!
   I would recommend this to anyone that likes an adventure or mystery type book. I couldn't put this book down!! It's sooo good and I think everyone should read it.
   --Erynn Renee



3. Unfortunately, the 'kid reviewers' above don't give their ages. My daughter was assigned this book as required reading, but the teacher pulled it after parent complaints. It is very heavy going for 12 year olds, on many levels.
   
   First, it is very scary, with an opening that will keep many tweens from being willing to babysit!
   
   Second, the issues are very complex. It's fairly clear, even before it comes out in the story, that the seemingly perfect dad has had an affair, that resulted in the birth of a child (while his wife was pregnant with their 2nd child). But the sins of the father- first the affair, then his 'hit and run' approach to the death of the child- are then visited on the children.
   
   Third, the book does not have a single moment of humor, kindness, grace or redemption. The ending is grim for everybody.
   
   Although it is not clear what a reader would take from this book, it is a real page-turner, hence the 2 stars. For a reluctant reader who is hardened to scary thrillers and doesn't care too much about what happens to the characters, it would be just fine.



4. Tim Bowler wrote one of my favorite books ever, Starseeker. I felt obliged to check-out his other work and soon made my way through Apocalypse, which felt like a two unfinished books melted into one. One of his earlier works, Storm Catchers seemed like a more accessible and down-to-earth premise, so I thought I'd give that a go. Trouble is, it's just kind of ordinary and doesn't go to either extreme.
   
   A wealthy family in Cornwall lose their teenage daughter to an intruder in the middle of the night and older brother vows to get the maniac, blaming himself for not being there to protect her. It could have been a solid story of searching for clues and detucting who the culprit is, but Bowler hurries through it quite quickly and blandly. Characterisation is piss-poor, there are no stand-out scenes of mystery or intrique and no defining thrilling moments. The end, in which two apparently seperate plot threads are tied together, makes up for it. But it lingers on after that with melodrama instead of going out on a high.
   
   If Bowler expanded the story (it lasts an anorexic 200 pages) and gave enough time to build character and suspense then it could have been a great book. I have no doubt he has it in his power to write a good book, but sacrificing much of Storm Catchers potential for the sake of a quick time-waster was a mistake.



5. I read this book awhile ago and it was good. It was interesting enough to keep you suspended until the end. I would recommand reading it. It was not that that great but it was good all the same. Happy Reading!

5 comments about I Know My First Name Is Steven.

1. 
   I thought that this boy had a lot of courage to spend so much time with a stranger then to have the courage to take the abuse and to pass a child that he is not. To pretend like everything is ok but deep inside he knew the whole time who he was and who his family was. For people that like to reads books about peoples life I recommend this book I think that it's a good book but its sad and interesting at the same time.



2. This is one of those stories that stays etched in your memory long after you've read the book.
   
   I think the book was wonderfully written, as I felt true emotion throughout each chapter.. everything from fear to sadness to outrage to happiness. It's a sad story though, but one with a bittersweet ending. It's a book I found very difficult to put down, but at the same time HAD to put down to deal with the emotions that surfaced at times. Rarely does a book do that to me.
   
   Some have criticized the book for having the last chapter on Cary Stayner (Steven's brother) and the Yosemite murders. I saw the chapter to be another glimpse into the story as a whole, and it left me pondering the various effects Steven's ordeal may have had on other members of the family.
   
   Another reader criticized the book for not having updated information on Parnell (the abductor). The way the book is written, I believe the author cared deeply about the dangers Parnell posed to others, and the author did keep track of Parnell. As of the writing of the book, Parnell had not yet been arrested for trying to buy a child. I remember because when I had read about Parnell's arrest for that in the newspaper, I remembered the book. I actually cut the article out and tucked it into the book.. sort of my own update on the case.
   
   Overall, a excellent book.



3. I vaguely remember the story of Steven Stayner from my teenage years. And it was only recently with the recovery of Shawn Hornbeck that this story was given life again.
   
   While the tale of Steven Stayner's abduction, seven years as captive to a pedophile (Kenneth Parnell), and a reuniting with his family in his early adoloscent years is absolutely heartwrenching. If you're looking for a some sort of "happy ending" (ie, the family prevails against odds, etc.), you won't find it here. It seems that things can only get worse for the Stayner family.
   
   And the new updated version that contains a short addition about Cary Stayner, older brother to Steven Stayner, who in 1999 was arrested as the Yosemite killer. It is at this point that I found myself wondering how his younger brother's disappearance and subsequent return could have affect him and possibly led to his short spree as a serial killer.
   
   I would especially recommend this book for true crime fans that have young children. Although it is somewhat hard to stomach as a parent, the book offers a great deal of insight into the mind of pedophiles; thus allowing greater thought into ways to protect our children from these atrocious "people."



4. This is my first True Crime Novel that I've purchased, so my review might be a little sticky because I can't compare this to other True Crime novels. So let's start with the basics.
   
   `I know my first name is Steven' is about Steven Stayer's terrifying ordeal on being kidnapped by a pedophile named Kenneth Parnell, who has a taste for young little boys. While this is very disturbing, and the book does note the gritty, tear-jerking parts about the sexual abuse, it actually is very careful not to go too over the top with it. Which leaves you wondering just how many times this man has abused this child, this boy he has taken in for his `son', and has generally stripped him of all humanity until he manages to escape from Parnell with the man's freshest victim, Timmy. Together, they nail Parnell for his grisly crimes and the ending...well, it wasn't quite so sweet.
   
   The book's chapters are thick, the small one-liner dialogues in each one meaning to really keep you interested in reading, and while the author piles a bunch of information about where Steven used to live, his siblings, his house life, it never, ever tends to get boring. You also get a good history of Parnell and why the man goes for young boys. The descriptions are wonderful, and while the author never really talks about any physical features of these people (I barely found out Timmy has blond hair), this isn't exactly the book's main emphasis. The book does end rather sadly, and you almost want to strangle the adults, even the parents, who never talked to Steven about his troubles, took him to counseling, or anything. No wonder the boy did drugs, and no wonder why he dropped out of High School. His only way of trying to cope with this was to have sex with many girls as possible, as though that could get rid of the nasty rumors that spread in the school community about Steven actually liking what Parnell had done to him. It seems that the only happy ending is for Parnell, who served his short time and is off to molest young boys again.
   
   *sigh*...besides the book's morbid ending, it actually comes with `bonus features' that are a hit-or-miss. The photos aren't...well, that great. The fact that they're in black-and-white make it worse, and there really isn't many pictures of Cary Stayner, the Yosemite killer. Even the profile with Cary Stayner, a few pages at the very end, don't really add much to the merit of the Steven Stayner case, and I think it even loosens the tension. This is about Steven, not Cary, though I'll have to admit the Author's Epilogue was very interesting, if not very disturbing, as the author talks about two vicious pedophiles that killed their victims.
   
   I never saw the TV series of this, but after reading this book, I think I'll try to find it and watch it on my own time. Granted, this book wasn't as strong as, say, a detailed horror book, but does it really need to be? I think your imagination will fill in the gaps, but you have to admit it's quite a difficult book to read.



5. Loved the book. Well written. I hated the fact that it was based on a true story. How sad. Echols brings the subject to the forefront instead of sweeping it under the rug or candy coating it like so many others. Good for him.

No comments about Lost Youth.