This murder mystery, about a daughter's search for the truth behind her father's murder, is an homage to the books of T. Jefferson Parker that describe crime in Orange County, California. Focusing on Tustin in the early 1970's and 1990's, this book brings back the bygone days of tractor showrooms; hippies and head shops in Laguna Beach; and a packing house called The Sunkist Cathedral. Views: 53
This poetry collection includes Derrick's best poems from the past 5 books. 1994-2004. Includes A finger, two dots then me and Kurosawa Champagne. A Classic. National Bestseller. Views: 53
A filmnoir novel featuring a hardboiled, narcoleptic teenage PI who solves mysteries for his fellow high schoolers.From School Library JournalGrade 8 Up—High school student Jack Lime investigates crimes involving a stolen bicycle, pets held hostage for homework coercion, and missing students. These three intertwined stories are told in a nonlinear manner, with some events being related out of order to increase dramatic detail. All three are peppered with noir-fiction references and dialogue reminiscent of hard-boiled detectives like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, a technique unlikely to be recognized or appreciated by teens. The noir styling is at times forced, resulting in contrived situations, and characters are generally flat and one-dimensional, most notably the femme fatales who are uniformly meaningful only for their attractiveness and propensity for betrayal. The mysteries are filled with the interesting red herrings befitting any noir homage, and their brevity could appeal to younger teens looking for a quick read, but frequent references to physical attacks, extortion, and student-run gambling rings appear to target an older audience. In terms of appeal, they are comparable to Alan Gratz's "Horatio Wilkes" series (Dial).—Natasha Forrester, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistStarred Review At Iona High, Jack Lime is the guy you come to if you’ve got a problem: “Detective, private eye, gumshoe, last resort—you can call me whatever you like.” For a small price (he collects favors, never money) he’ll find out what needs finding out, even if his weakness for pretty faces often leads to some serious bruising of his own mug. This slim volume contains three cases. In the first, Jack susses out the whereabouts of a missing bike. In the second, he shakes down a hamster-napping and blackmail scheme. And in the final, he recounts his first case on the job, in which a magnificently dastardly plan teaches him a formative lesson in humility. All the touchstones that make for great noir are translated for kids: root beer floats instead of double bourbons, getting daddy to replace lost items instead of insurance scams, and a rigged quiz bowl instead of a fixed bout. The lingo that makes hard-boiled reading so much fun is here, but never schticky, and Leck knows that a great hero needs a great debilitating flaw: for Jack, it’s his narcolepsy that kicks in at the worst possible times. The cases are original where they need to be, and derivative when they should be. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel for a great detective story, but you do need a terrific sense of style. Jack Lime’s got it in spades. While set in high school, this kinda-campy book reads a little young, so middle-graders are the best bet. Grades 5-8. --Ian Chipman Views: 53
A deadly game of cat and mouse unravels its way out of this spine tingling war story as Lieutenant Yorke must find an answer to one vital question: how are German U-Boats sinking merchant ships from inside the convoys? In this gripping saga of heroism and intrigue, Yorke discovers the fate of one entire convoy. Only his wit and daring can lead to its survival. Views: 53
Pete Eason's been hit by the downturn in the economy just like everyone else, so when he gets the word that some guy named Mike Clarke needs a day laborer to clear our a rural Missouri house, he doesn't ask too many questions before he takes the job. But Pete quickly learns that there's something funny going on at this site. For one, Pete's the only laborer Mike hired, and from what Pete can see, this place needs a bulldozer, not a Dumpster. Mike doesn't so much as hand Pete a shovel, either-he seems to be hinting that the place is haunted. Pete doesn't feel any goosebumps, and he sure as hell doesn't see any ghosts. He's dying, though, to know what all the gashes in the walls are about.Mike can't see the gashes, and he's frustrated that Pete can't see the ghost standing right beside him, because the whole point of bringing Pete here was to release the trapped spirit in this place, a spirit that by rights Pete should be able to see better than anyone. Maybe, Mike thinks, he's made a mistake. But before he can nudge Pete a little harder, the front door disappears, the walls begin to heave, and the ghost which has always been nothing more than a shade is suddenly aggressive flesh and blood-and Mike doesn't think he's made a mistake anymore. He knows he has. Views: 53
John Kent wants Ellen, not just as an incredible submissive lover, but as his wife.To do that, he has to convince fiercely independent Ellen Forsythe that giving up her single state will be more than worth the sacrifice. Not an easy job. But John isn't a man to waver or give up when he has a goal in sight-and Ellen is firmly in his sights. Views: 53
A novel about a broken Pulitzer-prize winning combat photographer given a last chance to redeem his life and career. Views: 53
From the moment John Varley burst onto the scene in 1974, his short fiction was like nothing anyone else was writing. His stories won every award the science fiction field had to offer, many times over. His first collection, The Persistence of Vision, published in 1978, was the most important collection of the decade, and changed what fans would come to expect from science fiction.Now, The John Varley Reader gathers his best stories, many out of print for years. This is the volume no Varley fan-or science fiction reader-can do without. Views: 53
