No comments about The Kidnapping of Collie Younger / Outlaws From Palouse (Western Doubles).

5 comments about Joseph's Kidnapping: Extortion in Canton.

1. ACE and the boys are at it again! I don't want to give away the surprise (gotta read it yourself!!). Once again, Randy Rawls spins a wonderful Texas tale that includes my two favorite characters, Striker and Sweeper. Ace and the boys have a ball getting to the bottom of the latest mystery. Recommend it for all.



2. If you liked Randy Rawls previous book, you'll love this one.
   Joseph's Kidnapping has more unexpected twists and turns than a sack full of snakes. It's a good mystery with enough clues to make you fell you're working side by side with Dallas private investigator, Ace Edwards.
   Two inept kidnappers with a single-minded greed have grabbed Joseph and are demanding a ransom from rancher Chip Jamison. Chip calls his old college friend Ace to solve the case.
   In the small East Texas town of Canton, Ace is misled, threatened, lied to and loved by a parade of characters including an eccentric rancher, his man-eating sister, a tough female lawyer who hate everything in pants and files lawsuits faster than she talks, quirky servantys and two cats that seem to have the answers.
   You can smell and feel the pinewoods in Rawls' words. Like all his books, this is an easy, satisfying read that exposes the hidden lives in small Texas towns. It's filled with humor and fun.
   Readers looking for an exciting mystery writer with a twisted sense of humor will love Randy Rawls.



3. We're back in another quaint Texas town with my special PI, Ace Edwards. Helping to solve the mystery are my two favorite cats, Sweeper and Striker. The three take us on a roller coaster ride well worth the admission price. Just who is Joseph? You'll have to read the book to find out. And while you're reading you'll be bequiled with humor and characters. Buy Joseph's Kidnapping. You'll be richer for the experience.




4. 
   When private investigator Ace Edwards is roused by the shrill of his phone in the dead of the night, he's not thrilled to hear the voice of an old college buddy on the other end. But his buddy sounds desperate and Edwards is in no position to turn down a paying job. He's also admittedly a little intrigued, and how could he not be? The buddy wants Edwards to save his ...-- literally.

   With that premise, author Randy Rawls spins Edwards on a caper bigger than the Texas landscape on which the story is placed. It's no small adventure, and at times the cowboy P.I. feels a little out of place on the sprawling ranch where he bunks while trying to separate the good guys from the bad guys. But he brings his trusty companions with him -- two cats -- and in short order develops yet another friend, this one with long legs, a husky voice, and amorous intentions as vexing as they are attractive. Her name is Wanda, and between the push-me, pull-me relationship she offers and the increasing complexities of a kidnapping that evolves into murder, Edwards has his hands full.

   Not to worry. Even if Edwards doesn't always know what he's doing, his creator surely does. Rawls skillfully paints his characters in affectionate and humorous terms that makes them as comfortable as family. Put another way: You'll want to take them home with you. By the time you've finished the story, you'll also want to eat. In Rawls' world, meals are the size of Montana, which in context of Texas probably makes sense.

   As for the college buddy...? Rawls might just fool you with that one. Let him. The point isn't to outwit the private eye. It's to enjoy the ride with him.

   "Joseph's Kidnapping" is Rawls' second Ace Edwards mystery. It's a well-crafted story penned by a writer who clearly knows how to tweak the ordinary into something refreshingly new. Buy it, read, then pester Rawls for a third. He could become addictive.




5. Seems like 3AM is the start of the workday for Ace Edwards. Not the time of day, or night, he would choose, but it seems to be the time of the morning when his phone rings with the frantic calls for his PI services. And just like before, when Jake Adams' house burned down, again the phone rings at 3 AM disturbing the sleep of Ace, and his two partners, Striker and Sweeper. Not only that, but also this time it also interrupted Jakes rendezvous with Terri, the love of his life, whom now can only appear in his dreams.

   Oh well...that is to be expected when you become the "super cop from Dallas". The hero who solved the murder case that no one else could.

   This time it wasn't a house that had burned down, nor was it even a murder, yet. But to the caller, Chip Jamison, one of Ace's college football buddies, it was every bit as important. Joseph has been kidnapped, and the kidnappers are demanding a ransom. If they aren't paid immediately they are going to harm, or worse yet, kill Joseph. And since Ace is so good at his job, Chip knows that he can rescue Joseph. Besides Jake was the one who told Chip about Ace to begin with. What better recommendation could there be!

   Ace needs the money; there is no getting around that. When Chip tells him that he will pay enough money to pay off all of his outstanding bills, and set him up for a while, how can Ace turn the guy down. So off to Canton, Ace goes. Just one problem, in the entire wangling and dealing Ace forgot to find out just who in the world Joseph is.

   As Ace arrives at Chip's sprawling ranch he is immediately impressed with the size and grandeur of the place. He is at also both intrigued, and amused, at the way the servants, Frank and Annie, are dressed and act. However, he soon comes to discover many other strange things in Canton. Among these things is the fact that Wanda, Chip's sister has set her eyes on him and isn't going to let go. Of course one look at Wanda and Ace isn't in any hurry to get away anyway.

   JOSEPH'S KIDNAPPING is absolutely fantastic. The story is full of fast suspense, humor, and reads smoothly without a confusing plot. All told from Jake's point of view. You soon come to the last pages and don't even realize that you have been reading all that time. JOSEPH'S KIDNAPPING as with all of Rusty Rawls books, play like a movie in your head. One that you don't want to miss any of, thus you just sit glued to the pages until that last sentence.

   JOSEPH'S KIDNAPPING keeps your attention with action, adventure, love, lust and murder, all wrapped in a huge package of the wittiest humor you can imagine. One minute you will be sitting on the edge of your chair as Ace finds himself facing danger, and the next wiping tears of laughter from your eyes as Ace is trying to rid his home of a very unwelcome visitor. Ace's "partners" are just the topping on the cake. Labeled as "Attack Cat's" these two certainly live up to their name, however it is usually Ace who gets attacked.

   JOSEPH'S KIDNAPPING is Mr.Rawls' second Ace Edwards mystery and I totally recommend it to everyone. It is a story you do not want to miss, by an author that completely draws you in and grabs your attention so fiercely you will only want more. Mr. Rawls is around to stay for a very long time, and I don't plan to miss one word that he writes. Buy it, read, it. And then sit back and wait patiently for another adventure with Ace, and his two partners Striker and Sweeper to receive another 3 AM call, so you can again go on that adventure with the three of them. I am. Randy Rawls has become addictive. And I don't want to be cured of the addiction.

No comments about The Mystery of the Deadly Double (The Three Investigators No. 28).

5 comments about Brutal Mercies.

1. The title is somewhat right on this book. Instead of brutal Mercies it should be brutal reading. I tried to read this garbage but I couldn't get through the book. I am sorry I ever purchased this so called novel.



2. Bought this over priced book because I know the author - could not finish this trash



3. Though Brutal Mercies unfolds slowly, and at times unevenly, it sustains credible depictions of police work, life on the street, and the investigative process. There are no cookie cutter characters here, no formulaic story techniques. Instead, Yantorno, himself a police officer, fuels this tale with authentic dialogue, personalities and incidences. The cops are gritty but dedicated, jaded but focused. Characters taken from society's fringes are covered from varied perspectives, and as a result, evoke reader empathy in unexpected places. Even elements of the mundane, which are seldom captured in crime novels, are executed skillfully, believably, as if one were sitting quietly in the backseat of a patrol car just listening and observing the goings on.
   
   This book embraces the darkest and most disturbing aspects of human nature. Still, it is not without its subtle humor and/or self-deprecating jabs at authority.
   
   If you're a true follower of crime stories, lover of all things investigative, a police procedural junkie, this book should be on your shelf.



4. A fast-paced, exciting and realistic look at a cop's view of the world. The main story revolves around the actions of and search for a demented killer, responsible for some grisly murders. But some of the best parts of the book explore the characters of two very different cops, one a middle-aged veteran who's seen it all, the other a female, Vietnamese-American rookie, dealing with prejudice from her fellow cops and opposition from her family over her chosen career. Unwilling partners, they respond to situations ranging from bizarre to comical to deadly. One criticism I would have is that sometimes the reader can becomes lost in the details, jargon, and large number of minor characters, also, some of the violence is very graphic. It is a raw perspective on a cop's world, with gore and humor closely intertwined.



5. This book has it all. After the first few pages, you feel as if you really know the detailed main characters. Police, Prison, Life and Death. I know this is fiction, but you can tell that it is really based in reality. Scary world we live in! If you want a book that will keep on the edge of your seat to the last page, this is it. A must buy!!

5 comments about The Shadow Catchers.

1. FBI agent Mike Yeager is devastated over a child kidnapping case that went bad. He's on a road trip to photograph the Nevada Mountains--and to heal from the mistakes he made on his last job.
   
   In San Cristobal, Nevada he finds himself in the middle of a world of trouble. One child is dead, a man he had an altercation with is murdered, and a mother and her child are missing.
   
   The last thing Mike wants to do is become involved in the problems of San Cristobal, but the local sheriff has other ideas. Mike races against time to find the child and prevent other kidnappings by the shadow catcher. It seems someone is trying to teach the local sheriff a lesson by killing the people closest to him. And it is all tied up in an old case from the sheriff's past.
   
   Thomas Lakeman's debut novel, The Shadow Catchers, is a suspenseful and fast read that catches your attention and keeps it through the darkness that is the lives of the residents of San Cristobal.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: We hope there is another Mike Yeager novel in the future.



2. THE SHADOW CATCHERS is a very capable thriller novel. It's a fine choice if you're interested in a fast-paced suspense story with lots of clever dialogue. The quality of the prose in this book is very high, especially considering that this is Mr. Lakeman's first book.
   
   My major qualm with THE SHADOW CATCHERS is the plot, which I think is a bit too convoluted for its own good. Toward the end, I found it somewhat confusing. There is also very little in this novel that I would describe as truly original; I have read many other thrillers with similar storylines and situations.
   
   This book moves at a rapid-fire pace, and is dominated by many scenes of dialogue. As a result, character development suffers a bit. I felt that most of the characters in THE SHADOW CATCHERS were rather underdeveloped, including the square-jawed hero, who I did not find particularly distinctive or memorable.
   
   All in all, though, THE SHADOW CATCHERS is a fine debut. It will be interesting to see what Mr. Lakeman writes next.



3. Don't let those first few pages available on Amazon mislead you: Although the novel opens nicely with these hard-boiled words, the first couple of chapters don't fully prepare you for the humor, subtlety, and deep human insight that the rest of "The Shadow Catchers" has to offer. Detective Mike Yeager may on the surface be your archetypal FBI investigator with a troubled past, but that isn't just a brief backstory tacked on to a standard mystery plot (which in this case is about dead, missing, and secretive children in a small Nevada town ruled with an iron fist by a slightly corrupt sheriff). His character remains central to the story. He makes mistakes. His past never stops haunting him, and plays a crucial role in the mystery that unfurls around him.
   
   Thomas Lakeman's debut is very impressive. He has a command over the English language that you don't see in most contemporary mystery writers. His prose is to the point, yet fluid. His observations on human behavior ring true - sometimes hilariously so. And even while "The Shadow Catchers" delivers the goods - cryptic clues, red herrings, an array of suspicious characters and a big finale - it dares to plumb the darkest depths of the human soul, not for shock value but to find the troubling real-world truths that lie at the heart of every murder. There is an authentic sadness that lurks in the corners of "The Shadow Catchers," and though it's thankfully not enough to derail the twist-filled storyline, it helps the novel linger in the mind long after it's over.
   
   This is a fine, haunting book. Here's hoping Lakeman gets to write more novels and is allowed the freedom to explore his characters more in his future work, before those third act chase scenes set in. He tells a good story, and "The Shadow Catchers" is a great page-turner, but his real talents lie in the people he creates.



4. Thomas Lakeman is an excellent writer. His characters come to life with ease and I feel as if I know Mike Yeager well. Although this is his first book, he is right up there with Lescroart, Baldacci, Patterson, etc. I'm looking forward to reading his second book, "Chillwater Cove."



5. I absolutely could not put this book down!!!! Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book!

4 comments about Malicious Pursuit.

1. Ruth Ferguson is a teacher with an abusive ex-husband who has custody of their young daughter. One weekend, a desperate Ruth runs away with the girl and begins to make a new life far away. In the meantime, programmer Spencer Rollins runs into trouble at work and is framed for murder. After a long night of running from the law, Spencer hides and falls asleep in the back seat of a car in a Wal Mart parking lot. Unfortunately for Ruth, she discovers the sickly, unwanted passenger only after she arrives back at her new home. The caring Ruth can't bring herself to throw Spencer out and the two develop a tentative friendship as Spencer gets well. As the women begin to trust each other and disclose their own stories, new feelings begin to develop. Together they work through their friends, both new and old, to get back on the right side of the law.
   
   I truly love KG MacGregor's writing. She keeps the story exciting and (relatively, it is a fictional romance) realistic. Her editor also does a wonderful job (typos annoy the heck out of me). Very highly recommended for a nice, quiet weekend night curled up in front of the fire. Don't forget the wine and crackers!



2. KG MacGregor has done it again! If you've read Shaken, you know KG is great at writing action-packed stories filled with great, compelling characters. (If you haven't read Shaken, go read it immediately!) While I don't have to reiterate the plot, what makes this book so great is that (as K. Johnson mentioned in her review), even though it is fiction, the plotlines are completely believable. There wasn't a moment during this book when I was forced to make an allowance for "artistic license." These characters - from the young daughter who is caught in the middle of divorced parents to the neighbor who has enough charisma and depth to her personality that you want to read a book just about her life - really jump out of the book and aren't just incidental to the main characters. KG also doesn't force the romance; the kindness and affection which grows between the two women feels like a very natural progression.
   
   This is an excellent read! I agree with K. Johnson that you might as well grab a beverage and some snacks because it's very unlikely you'll be able to put this book down until you are finished. And once you do finish - the characters will stick with you for days.



3. If you like the adventure type book, this one is for you. I really like they way the book flowed to bring the characters together without alot of unnecessary information. Fiction is a great way to tell a story that is either far fetched or just barely unbelievable.
   This book is in the barely unbelievable category. Motorcycle- car chases, on the run, no money and a story you yourself would not believe is what one of the women in this book faces. The other on the run from an ex-husband, a small town, with your own daughter who you trying to save from the abuse she is subjected to.
   Want to know more? Get the book.



4. I couldn't put this one down! Ever ypage was a pleasure to read. Both Ruth and Spencer are on the run. Spencer for her life, and Ruth from an abusive husband that is trying to steal her daugther. The blossoming of friendship and love between the two women is an added attraction to this fast paced action novel. I loved the book!

5 comments about The Ultimate Escape (Tom Clancy's Net Force; Young Adult, No. 4).

1. The Book Net Force The Ultimate Escape, by Tom Clancy, is about a group of friends that are in a virtual aviation program called the net force. One of the friends, named Julio moved to Courteguay because his father was running for president.
   During one of the aviation programs Julio appears desperately in need of help. Everyone in the program believes the appearance of Julio is nothing but a rift, but when they enter another program and see Julio in worse condition they take action. The team gets the police involved and the police contact the special forces. When the special forces officers find out that the Cortezes are in fact being held hostage, they get a team of Navy Seals on alert right away.
   Julio shows up in another flight program and tells the team to tell the forces to not send anyone to get him or else he will die.
   If you want to find out what happens to Julio and the Cortezes read Tom Clancy Net Force The Ultimate Escape.
   
   I felt that the book was ok, but it lacked a cohesive story line, because often the story jumped from one subject to another which detracted from the excitement of the main story. I thought this produced uninteresting sub-plots that took away from the details of the main story. I also felt this book did not develop the characters as well as it could have, therefore I would not recommend this book.

   The most interesting character is Matt Hunter. I am fascinated that he is able to handle being a net force explorer at such a young age. Matt is only thirteen years old and all of the other explorers are around seventeen and eighteen. He has to know about hundreds of planes and jets and be able to fly several. Along with that, he has to do very well because of the high expectations of his parents. I hope this review will guide you well and help you in the future.




2. This book is about a group of kids that are in an organization called the Net Force Explorers. Julio Cortez, the Net Force flying ace, moved with his family to Corteguay, a Socialist Nation that does not allow recent technology. When they arrive they are taken prisoner. The remaining Net Force Explorers have to go into a high tech flight simulator contest. When they are in the simulators, Julio appears asking for help. The Explorers go to their adult superiors with their story. Will they believe the kids, and will they be able to get to Julio in time. You'll have to read the book to find out.



3. 
   The ultimate escape is a book written in a series called net force. Net force is a series about a group of kids that are all friends and play games in a virtual reality world where the enter competitions and play replay events that happened in the past and some that they think may happen in the future.
   
   One of the best virtual fighters for the net force explorers Julio Cortez goes to Corteguay with the rest of his family his dad, mom, and sister. His dad is going to run for president and everything is going good until they get into the vans to get taken safely away but instead they were taken prisoners. When the net force explorers were competing without their ace of aces player they notice he comes up in the game and tells then what has gone wrong but no one believes them and they think it was a rift until it happened a second time then the net force explorers tell the head man in charge on net force matts dad and they take action. If you want to know you are just going to have to read the book yourself you can either buy new or used at amazon.com or you can go to your local library and pick it up there.
   
   This book is a must read book is a must read and Tom Clancy has a wonderful writing style. In this book especially he leaves you hanging waiting to find out what is going to happen he does a lot of jumping from place to place but after a couple of chapters you don't really notice it and you can trust me because I am not a reader but this book didn't get put down F
   from morning to night.
   
   
   T.J.



4. This thriller written about a young boy and his family trapped in a virtual prison in the socialist country of Corteguay, takes place in the year 2025 when computers are our main source of daily activities. When Julio Cortez realizes he's being trapped in a prison by the Corteguayan government, he seeks imediate attention to his friends for help. Matt, Andy, Megan, Mark, and David are all shocked about what he has to say and plan to make every move possible to help their friend. The only way they are able to make contact with him are through simulated flight missions of past wars. Julio himself has had success in such simulations, but in Corteguay, technology is scarce as the citizens there have remained to tools from the 21st century. Almost all contact to the outside world is impossible. Julio's father, Ramon Cortez, is running for president here in Corteguay's first public election. The pressure on the family is intense as they face torture and death. This makes Julio's friends time limited.



5. Together with his parents Julio Cortez returns to his country of birth: Cortequay in South America. This country has missed any technological advancement since the last twenty years and is currently organising its first democratic elections. Julio's father is a candidate for the presidency, but the opposition will stop at nothing to keep him away from power. At home Julio's Netforce friends miss him terribly. Certainly during the flight simulations organised at a summer camp, the absence of Julio influences their results during the fierce simulated air battles. Julio has always been their champion. During one of these simulations, suddenly Julio appears with the message that he got kidnapped in Cortequay. But his friends are not sure what they can do. How can they get in contact with Julio? How do they convince people that Julio and his family are in grave trouble? And most of all: is Julio's message authentic or only a trap set in a world where nothing is what it seems?
   
   Although the story of The Ultimate Escape starts from a great idea, the whole story is lacking much credibility. The denouement is so lame that even the first chapters give you a good idea on how the story will end. But the most worrying part of this novel is its setting. Knowing that this book is written for a young audience it is quite disturbing to see that replaying war battles is considered as a very educational and important way of learning history. Even more, German students are by default forced to replay World War II battles as part of the German forces. This way they are considered to try and reverse the outcome of the war. I do not know what the authors were thinking, but such a simplistic view on the world, can hardly be seen as a good starting point for a novel aimed at youngsters. How wrong can you get?

5 comments about Lindbergh: The Crime.

1. I found this book to be extremely interesting. Noel Behn did an excellent job keeping my attention. He was able to present an amazing amount of detail while still making it easy to follow.



2. Having read several books regarding Lindgergh and the kidnapping of his baby, I found this to be the least plausible. His conclusion isn't well supported and seems to be making the pieces fit. Also, he introduces so many outside characters that you forget what or who you're reading about! It makes the idea of "six degrees of separation" into more like twenty. There are other "Crime of the Century" books out there that are better researched and supported.



3. Anyone who has studied the tousled hair and body language of Charles Lindbergh alongside that of John F. Kennedy will see some similarities, right down to the way they stuck their hands in the pockets of their suitcoats. The hero image of Lucky Lindy and that of the commander of PT-109. Here, Noel Behn makes a well-documented hypothesis that there was a cover-up in the Lindberg kidnapping case. His access to the archives of then New Jersey governor Hoffman, who was discredited by a corruption scandal at the moment he was raising doubts about Hauptmann's guilt (some have gone so far to say he was close to Fritzl Kuhn's "German-American Bund"), adds an additonal modicum of credibility to Behn's offering. When one reads Behn and then looks at what news icon Peter Jennings presented last year in his retrospective on the Lindberg case, Jennings becomes the moral equivalent of Dan Rather getting caught posing as a Mujaheddin rebel on his own news show. Behn suggests that there may have been no kidnapping at all and that Anne Morrow Lindberg's sister is the card in this game of Clue. The motive for the murder, jealousy. The motive for the cover up, the reputation of a young hero, the future of aviation, and the reputation of America's most powerful banking institution. Enter Col. Norman Schwarzkopf, the rigid, commander of the New Jersey State Police and father of our Desert Storm hero "Stormin (but not to Baghdad) Norman". Add Republican lawyer/dealmaker "Wild Bill" Donovan (who would become head of the OSS during World War II) to the mix. And the zealous prosecutor David Wilentz, who had lines open to organized crime and its legit businesses as some say the law firm that bears his name continues to have today. There was no "Grassy Knoll" here. But there was "the cemetery". Best for one to get the details oneself. What sets this work apart from others is that it dares to think outside the box on one of the great "crimes of the century". When examining the film footage of the trial, how dissimilar are the tirades of Wilentz against Hauptmann from those of Nazi Volksrichter Freissler against Colonel Von Stauffenberg, who placed the bomb under Hitler's desk in the Wolfschanze? The older sister of Anne Morrow Lindberg was spirited off to the United Kingdom, Behn tells us. There was the marraige of the sister to a British academic type, ensuing mental problems and an early death under strange circumstances. Considering that coming up with new revelations about the Lindberg "kidnapping" is about as difficult as obtaining the latest revelations about the progress of making public the texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Behn's work (including his hypothesis)has established the foundation upon which a yonger generation of journalists and investigative reporters can build.



4. The good news here is that is really a finely written book, with excellent commentary on the life and times of the tragic kidnapping and murder. The cast of characters is huge, and the author seems to bring in about anyone even remotely associated with the events. "JJ" the fraud, embezzler, secret agent, FBI con man;Hauptmann himself, who seems totally innocent and tells a great story even to the governor;Governor Hoffman, who feels there is a lot more to the story, and does his best to delay the execution; Schwarzkof, chief of NJ police;"Wild Bill" Donovan who "may have" been in the house the night of the crime. Why didn't Lindy go to the NYU celebration the night of the crime? The seemingly unanswered questions in this reckoning add up to the flimsiest excuse for a "Solution" you'll ever find! In fact, it is downright ridiculous! But like any controversial and famous crime, another case is built here, this time around a supposed culprit that is so bad , it detracts from the other may outstanding parts of this book!



5. This was the first book I read about the case-after reading several others I certainly don't support the conclusion-that Elizabeth Morrow "did it" in a fit of rage;nor, due to lack of documentation, will many others. That being said, it is a very entertaining and lively read and serves as a quite good primer for the actual story and sequence of events. It will be noted by students of the case that the scenario shares many of the elements of the hypothesis that I do buy, put forth by Ahlgren & Lemonier in Crime of the Century, that the coverup angle resulted from Lindbergh's role in the killing. Again, entertaining & hopefully will lead readers to further inquiry/investigation

5 comments about ELEVEN DAYS OF HELL: MY TRUE STORY OF KIDNAPPING, TERROR, TORTURE AND HISTORIC FBI & KGB RESCUE.

1. This is a true story of "man's inhumanity to man" and a wake up call for those living in the television provided security of their living rooms. One cannot accuse Yvonne of of any zest for growing roots into the sofa, au contraire. However, the dangers she encounters go far beyond anything she ever imagined. Russia's organized crime proves too tough, too well organized, and too cruel, when Yvonne and her former husband, Danny Wienstock, are kidnapped by predatory thugs. This terrifying account of the torture and dramatic rescue is recounted in vivid detail Bornstein's suspenseful tale, ELEVEN DAYS OF HELL.
   
   
   Yvonne's testimony drives home the fact that the events taking place in Russia affect everyone ... it's a small world we live in today. This is a read that tears at the nerves; Bornstein paints a lucid picture of the events of her and her husband's captivity in the town of Noginsk, involving horrible mental and physical abuses heaped on them. Fortunately, back at the ranch some good guys still work at the CIA, and they manage to unite forces with Russian and Australian authorities. The two stories are entwined in a way that builds tension nicely to a thrilling rescue, yet this is not the end. Yvonne must now grapple with the internal demons unleashed by her tormentors. The made for TV drama may be over, but, in the aftermath, her real battle has only just begun.
   
   For anyone who wishes a peak into the horrors and mind set created by events that few of us have or will ever experience, this book is a must read. That said, those who have already experienced "man's inhumanity to man" may have a difficult time getting through the disturbing sequence of events. On the other hand, other victims of violence may be reasssured that justice does exist in the world, and it is sometimes served to the thugs who deserve it.



2. In a popular Hollywood movie, one of the characters, playing a tough businessman who fancied himself a master of negotiating, expressed the opinion that in a business deal, there is no difference between a gun and a fountain pen. To believe that this is true is to believe that the use of force or violence to obtain monetary reward is equivalent to using artful negotiation, rational persuasion, or skillful selling. Coercion then becomes just another technique for the acquisition of wealth, and individuals in the business community who refrain from using it are to be viewed as "unrealistic" or even weak-minded. Strength of character therefore has its origins in a willingness to intimidate physically other people in order to bring about a desired end. Real business involves "doing whatever it takes" to increase wealth, even if this means causing extreme pain or even death.
   
   There are many who believe in this equivalence, but thankfully there are many who do not. As the events of her life and skill in entrepreneurship indicate, the author of this book is a member of the latter category, and in this book has written an engaging (and terrifying) story of how she and her business partner/husband were forced to deal with some individuals of the former category. Kidnapped for eleven days, where they were beaten and intimidated by a collection of moronic and confused thugs, who could not distinguish the acquisition of wealth from its plundering, and who sadistically enjoyed the pain they gave their captives, the couple nevertheless got away with their lives, with the assistance of a unexpected collaboration between East and West.
   
   For those, such as this reviewer, who are extremely skeptical of the competence of governmental security personnel, and of their abilities to cooperate constructively with foreign governments, this story will alleviate some of this skepticism (although the author describes the FBI as being reluctant to get involved). There are not too many things that are more frightening than the prospect of being caught in a foreign country where the laws and sense of justice are different, and where envy towards Westerners is predominant. And if one does find oneself in such a situation and does survive it, the natural thing to do it seems would be to obliterate it from memory. Reminders of it would be draining, both emotionally and intellectually, and would serve no useful purpose in everyday living.
   
   The author though has chosen to tell her story, and has written one that is fast moving but still gives insight into her moods as well as her captors. It focuses of course on the concrete details of her captivity, but also motivates the reader to consider why her captors behaved as they did, and whether the wealth that they expected to obtain was really worth the energy they expended to get it. It is always perplexing to see a group of individuals conniving, planning, and engaging in violent acts, and expending vast amounts of energy just to obtain by relative standards a paltry sum of money. Considerably less energy is needed to obtain the same sum by legal and creative means, but for some reason these types of individuals cannot see this. The answer must be that they love the intimidation and sense of power that violence gives them. The neurons in their brains are over trained by sadism, polluted with cynicism, and allow no expression of compassion or empathy. The money they obtain is spent in no time flat, on fruitless physical indulgences or one meaningless card game after another. They idolize and prop each other up, with their handshakes and backslaps, and any real sense of achievement is completely alien to them. Taking is always better then earning. They unite under the creed that "only suckers work."
   
   Interestingly, when the author discusses her emotional state with respect to her captors, she mentions the "Stockholm syndrome." This is supposed to be a kind of brainwashing that causes the captive to express sympathy for or even admiration for the captor. On the surface this does not seem too surprising, since when in a situation of dependence one's emotional processes are completely out of equilibrium, with a consequent loss of self-esteem. It is difficult to find definitive research on the reality of the Stockholm syndrome, due no doubt to low occurrence of situations like that of the author, and lack of explicit documentation of the emotional states of the captives, before and after their confinement. Such a syndrome could explain the reason why so many abused wives tend to remain emotionally attached to their abusive husbands.
   
   At the end of the book, the author describes her homecoming and the skepticism that she and her husband encountered by some members of the press, who did not believe her story. Their business in shambles, they did pick up and move on, although the author describes her life as being very stressful for sometime after the kidnapping. And what happened to their captors? "Whereabouts unknown" says the author. Unfortunately these creeps are still wandering around, and their behaviors have been emulated on a grander scale in the form of the Russian mob, part of which is active in the United States.



3. A Fantastic book. I highly recommend that you read it. It was interesting and I learnt a lot.
   
   Monica.



4. Yvonne Borstein and her husband Danny were kidnapped by a band of Russian gangsters and ex-KGB villians in early 1991. They were tortured physically and emotionally for a 1.6 billion dollar random (which was orders of magnitude above the liquid assets of the heavily-mortgaged Australian business-couple).
   
   Was Yvonne an innocent tourist kidnapped in Russia? No. A do-gooder helping revive post-Iron Curtain Russia? Well, no. How about a profiteer involved with shady business deals on Russia's black market? Yep, that's it. In hindsight, Yvonne admits that she and Danny were dazzled by wealth, heavily over-mortgaged on their house, gambling by paying out millions in anticipation of high (but dubiously legal) returns, and they were unwilling to wake up to the many signs of trouble in their Russo-Australian import/export business. As a reader, I appreciated her candor and lack of excuses or assignment of blame.
   
   Even shady entrepreneurs in economically ravaged countries don't deserve to be tortured for an insanely high ransom. Yvonne's book is the story of her entire life, from her childhood to her early troubled relationships before meeting husband Danny. Yvonne lays out the events which unraveled and lead south to the kidnapping. In captivity, Yvonne and Danny leveraged one another's strengths, plotting to get messages out to the world and to present the right "face" to their kidnappers. The couple only survived because of their union. When Yvonne was sexually assaulted, she knew she had to hide it during the captivity, to prevent her husband from violently assaulting their tormentors.
   
   Bornstein bills her memoir as evidence of al-Qaeda alive and well in early 1990's Russia. This is certainly a good advertisement in the post-9/11 world, but it is a shaky claim at best. Sure, there is evidence of al-Qaeda, but don't pick this up expecting some all-conclusive smoking gun expose on Afghan terrorism.
   
   Yvonne is a survivor and as inspiration to women everywhere. She dug up a lot of information to provide context to her own personal (and painful) narrative. Thanks for sharing your story, Ms. Bornstein!



5. I have great admiration for Yvonne Bornstein for having lived and breathed this horrific criminal act. The people who committed this crime should be shot, drawn and quartered! No-body should have to live through this kind of horrendous ordeal.
   This book has been marvellously written and should be listed on the New York bestseller list.
   I read via Google that Ms Bornstein is currently negotiating her life rights with a major Hollywood studio.
   Out of something bad comes something good.
   I truly hope that Yvonne succeeds in her venture, she really deserves it.

3 comments about Easter Weekend (Voices of the South).

1. This comments on the previous review. The title character whose name this reader has forgotten is unforgettable. Excuse me, did I miss something?



2. It's an excellent book that has great words to describe the story. It's good for visualization. The book makes you want to read more and more. I read five cahpters in one hour because it was so interesting.



3. David Bottoms was a teacher (maybe he still is) at Georgia State where I graduated from. My first few years in school I wanted to be a novelist and became an English Major. Bottoms was the guy whose class EVERYBODY wanted to get into.I never did. I tried 3 straight semesters and got blocked all 3 times. Later I changed majors (twice). Anyway, I heard about this genius/poet/novelist and I HAD to read his book. I am glad that I did. It is a simple story about simple people but it's beautifully written and the characterization/description/plot and well, just about everything, work well in the story. i only gave it 4 stars because I felt it could have been a lot longer than it was. I do not like SHORT novels and it left me wanting more. I don't know if any of you have ever read any Pinckney Benedict or Flannery O'Connor but Bottoms writes very much like them. I wish he'd write more novels. The book is a definite good read and I highly reccomend it.