No comments about HEARST, PATTY: An entry from Thomson Gale's <i>West's Encyclopedia of American Law</i>.

4 comments about In Leo's Lair (Zodiac Chillers , No 3).

1. This books pretty cool if your into the 'zodiac' stuff, like taurus and leo and etc.. but since I'm not this book was kind of corny. It had to much of this," Never trust a Leo" stuff and bla bla bla in it. BUT, nevertheless.. if you are into that stuff then this is your book



2. When I got this book from the libary, I was excited to read it, but when I was on about the second chapter, I kinda got bored. It had a good plot, but it kinda dragged on. I reccomend it for at the cottage type book. Because when you pick it up you won't forget the story. Chow...



3. those other people are strange, I think the book was great and kept me guessing. It was a zodiac mystery/adventure. It was a definite thriller.



4. Trust me on this i HATE books!! H-A-T-E books. book are my enemy. But some how this book became my favorite by coincidence im a gemini. This book go to worse to really worse. and freaky to really freaky. This is my favorite book of all times, i also love every other zodiac chiller. i also recomend my 2nd favorite book Pices Drowning. I read this book in 2 days thats a record for me! My last record before this was 1 month. Please read this book if youre into freaky book. If your into gory books like me try stephen King!

5 comments about Only Son.

1. You have to read this book. It is a wonderful, compelling and emotion-stirring read! I raced through it and couldn't wait to see how all the strands of this engaging story came together. From the outset you wonder how all of this came about and how it could end like this!

   You have a whole range of emotions to work through here - it is by turns melancholy, thrilling and sad... Just read it and see. The story flows smoothly and it is easy to read. Also it has a number of well developed characters and as you read, you begin to understand what motivates and touches them!

   Go buy it right now!




2. The book Only Son is a modern work of art expressing human needs and wants along with the confussion of real life. Charectors in this book are so realistic you feel as if they are people you know who have emotion no different than that of a friend. There is no good or bad just a gray area and Kevin O'Brian has captured the gray area that we all seem to fall into with a remarcable story.



3. It is extremely rare that I start and finish a book on the same day. I typically like to enjoy a book over a week or so. But I could not put this book down!

   I always respect an author that is capable of making you feel something you ordinarily would not. But not only does the author make you feel compassion for a criminal, but resenting those who try to bring him to "justice."

   I'm still thinking about this book, its characters, and all the possible reasons this book has me spellbound. But you're better off reading it yourself anyway. I have a feeling it will mean many different things to many different people.




4. This was one of the best books I have read. Kevin's book "The first to die" was also an excellent read. I had a difficult time putting the books down and could not wait to read on to see what the next page would bring.



5. Wow, never in my life have I encountered such an amazingly written piece of art. Told from three different points of view, there is no way the reader can take sides between the emotional struggle of the main characters. The mother of a kidnapped child, the love of a child, and the love of the kidnapping father of the son. It is an emotional struggle to get through this book, and at the same time, you can not put it down while reading it! Have a box of Kleenex by your side for this one!

1 comments about Gypsy World (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).

1. This is the best Young adult Star Trek novel ever. Ted Pedersen did an outstanding job writing it. I hated that they canceled the YA series because they were a fairly new series and they didn't give them a chance. If they would done more like this it would have been a sucessful series. (They shouldn't have changed the spine of the DS9 books colors for 9 10&11 either.)

No comments about CLEAN SWEEP: HARDY BOYS CASEFILES #114 (Hardy Boys Casefiles).

1 comments about The Left-Handed Spirit.

1. The Left-Handed Spirit is the story of a young woman's journey to China. Mariana is an orphan in ancient Rome during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. She is raised by the loving family of Marianus, who trains her in his very unfeminine craft of goldsmithing. After her adoptive mother dies of dysentery, Mariana, still feverish with illness, is visited by spirits. Word of this phenomenon spreads throughout Rome, even reaching the emperor's ears. Marcus Aurelius sends for Mariana to investigate the phenomenon and she heals him of dropsy in his legs. After this the spirits settle and life returns to normal for her family. The healing gift returns in little spurts over the years, which Mariana uses to ease her family's aches and pains.

   Twelve years later, Mariana is again summoned by the emperor. Now a young woman of twenty, she is reluctant to go and does not believe in her ability to heal. In the emperor's presence, Mariana meets the man who is to change her life, the Chinese Ambassador Lin Pao-jan, called Paulus. He has been sent by the Chinese emperor to find and bring a healer back to China. They ask Mariana to go on this journey, but she refuses, and in the end the Ambassador kidnaps her from her home.

   What follows is a two-year journey along the Silk Road over mountains and through harsh deserts. A strong love-hate relationship develops between Mariana and the Ambassador, and she also struggles to explore her talent and find inner peace. When they finally reach China, she learns that Paulus kidnapped her not to heal the emperor, but his own beloved twin brother who is dying of consumption. Mariana tries to marshal the strange forces of the god Apollo, but can only ease the brother's pain into death. Racked with grief, Mariana is summoned to the presence of the Son of Heaven, the emperor of China. She is asked to heal his three-year-old son who has taken a tumble down the stairs. Marshaling all her inner strength, Mariana plunges into the dream world of the child's coma and brings him back out. She is rewarded with her freedom to return to Rome.

   This is the turning point in Mariana's relationship with Paulus. They finally admit their attraction to one another and become lovers. After many months of persuasion by Paulus and his family, they marry. Paulus is soon killed by an arrow and Mariana decides to journey back to Rome to the family she has so missed and loved. After she leaves, she realizes she is pregnant with her daughter Paula, whom she gives birth to on the long journey back to Rome. There she is reunited with her loving family, and eventually with Paulus when she dies. Ruth Nichols hints at the idea of reincarnation throughout the book and especially at the end when Mariana is reunited with the spirit of Paulus. I cannot understand why this book is shelved with the children's books at the library. Perhaps only because Nichols wrote two other children's adventure books. The historical facts about journeys along the Silk Road before the time of Marco Polo are spot-on, and findings and research done since the publication of this book have only served to reinforce what is laid out here. The characters were a little flat, but overall it was a good read if you are a fan of history.

4 comments about Spy Girls Are Forever: Spy Girls #4 (Spy Girls).

1. It's the best spy girls book yet! If you read the other spy girls you know it has to be good! It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The writer makes you feel like your part of the action. The plot thickens with every page. You have gotta read this.



2. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK IN A GREAT SERIES! YOU GOTTA HAVE IT



3. This was a very exciting book.Three teens have only three days to find a princesswho has ran away with her boyfriend.The girls are placed in a luxury ski resort with the nost beautiful suite they could imagine.Will the spy girls be able to keep their eyes on the mission,or will they be too busy basking in luxury?



4. I really love this book! It kept me on the edge og my seat, and I couldn't put it down!I love the Spy Girls series, and would rate them all five stars, but this one is my favorite. I'd reccomand it to anyone who likes adventure and spying. It's the kind of book that made me want to get the next book in the series right away!

5 comments about Rule Number 5.

1. Fulfilling, like a warm cup of milk.
   A seat of your pants thrill ride through the mind of a genius.



2. While pre-ordering Palahniuk's, Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey, I stumbled across this debut novel. I read the three Amazon reviews, and then Googled the author's name to get the 411 on Mr. Weinberg. Turns out that he's fairly young, published the book himself, and writing is only a hobby for him. That was enough for me to take the $16.98 gamble on Rule Number 5.
   
   The first 100+ pages I read in one sitting, which is extremely rare for me as I typically only read while making the short commute to and from work. "Entrancing" is the first adjective that comes to mind.
   
   The remainder of the novel was equally entertaining, and I can see why another reviewer mentioned traces of other great authors. There were definitely some insightful and educational parts which reminded me of Douglas Coupland's writing style (much more plot development here though). Rule Number 5 doesn't offer any dark, mind blowing plot twists, but I noticed specks of Chuck Palahniuk as well... mainly with the repetition and anarchy.
   
   This story probably won't change your life. Although, if you're looking to get lost in a well composed, suspenseful, (and somewhat) transgressional fiction novel, then add Rule Number 5 to your shopping cart now.



3. This book kept me involved until the very end. I was immediately drawn in to the story and couldn't help but read this novel in only two or three long sittings. It is very fast-paced and somewhat disjointed to add to the suspense. The reader is able to view the events from varying vantage points, with some key passages repeated from a different character's point of view. It reads like a Palahniuk in its structure and caculated detail -- it is evident that the author has reasearched many topics in order to give the story an authentic context. Highly reccommended -- excellent debut!



4. Much like the other reviewers note, I was instantly drawn into the book and stayed up way too late to finish it within 3 sittings. The book has an interesting story line that's fast paced, yet well-developed at the same time. The author's style offers perspective and smart observations about life, all while delivering an action-packed adventure. I have recommended this book to family and friends and look forward to additional publications by Weinberg.



5. The book may actually be great. However, I don't really know. The print is so small I can't read it without a magnifying glass, and I'm not going to use a magnifying glass for a whole book. I use reading glasses, and have never had a book with print this small before. It is not standard print size. Total waste of money for me.

No comments about Douglas Gordon: Kidnapping.

5 comments about Mind Games.

1. Terrific techno-thriller. The books zips along at a brisk and exciting pace without losing anything by way of intelligence. A rare find.



2. This book is amazing! I think it is great. Definetly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Looking forward to Alan Brudner's next book.In my opinion, this book is worth every cent! Don't miss this one.



3. Mind Games by Alan Brudner holds the reader hostage in a world of manipulation and mind control. The inept can empathize with technologically challenged, Cliff Lightman, as he's dumped into the world of techno-nerds, geniuses, monopolies, holographs and subliminal suggestions. Cliff isn't really interested in the computer his genius son Sky brings home for him, but attempts to learn so he can communicate by e-mail with Sky. The machine is programmed to lead him into the computer age gracefully, but neither of the men has any idea how quickly the fear of losing his son can make Cliff computer literate. Sky, a computer programmer for Avery Kord in Portland, Oregon, disappears days after setting up his father's computer in New York.

   Cliff puts his new computer to use along with good old fashioned gum shoe investigation to find his son and uncovers a cesspool of technology designed to make and break governments, sway elections and influence court decisions without leaving a trace. Using the special avatar Sky programmed for him, Cliff learns how helpful, intelligent, comforting, resourceful, invasive, controlling and dangerous computer technology can be -- and maybe already is.

   Mind Games is what block buster movies are made of. It kidnaps the reader's mind on the first page and reluctantly relinquishes it at the end impregnated with seeds of . . . fear, wariness, uncertainty?




4. This is definately worth a read. Very clever thriller from an author that (at least until now) was an unknown. Reads quickly; so it is perfect for a plane flight or a rainy weekend. I got it as a gift and could not put it down. Who is Alan Brudner???



5. Though I found a few of the plot elements more than a bit contrived (even for a fiction title), I thought this book was well-written and interesting. I would recommend this title. However, those with a highly technical background might find some of the creative liberties taken a bit hard to swallow.