Even for a person with an insufferably short attention span, I was not once bored during this book. It's not a thriller, or anything of the sort, but it managed to truly involve the reader in the author's journey.
The story of an Englishman who is on a trip through Patagonia to collect animals for his own private zoo, this book manages to bring out the animal lover in any reader. The descriptions of the land, the people, and the animals are beautifully crafted in well done, straight forward prose. I highly recommend it.

Durrell is wonderful at describing both animals and people and one gets the feeling one's there, with him, sleeping under a car and trying to keep warm by smoking a cigarrette, or in flight to Jujuy, sitting by a fat and talkative lady, or in Buenos Aires, sorting cars at I don't know how many miles an hour. Absolutely terrific!

To me, Gerald Durrell is the best descriptive writer who has ever lived. His stories of animal collecting trips to such exotic places as Africa, Argentina, Madagascar and more never seize to give me enjoyment. He not only chronicles his trip and the animals which he obtains but he also describes the many exotic and interesting people he meets. His sharp eye for the unusual and the eccentric grant him a place in the list of the best books I have read. This book tells of his trip of Argentina, where he manages to film and obtain myriad varieties of animals. The first half of the book chronicles the author's stay in Buenos Aires and how he manages to film penguins and seals in their natural habitat. Using words aptly and pleasingly, he describes the personalities of particular penguins or seals and through this particular specimen of the species he is studying, he traces the amazing habits of the species. In the second and admittedly more enjoyable half of the book, Durrell writes of his journey to Jujuy where he finds more of the tropical wildlife. Whether it comes to describing the ludicrous circumstances under which he comes to obtain a rare parrot from its naive owner or baiting a vampire bat with his own toe, Durrell does not seize to bring smiles to the faces of readers. Durrell sees the humourous side of life, which is not something which many people are able to do. When the end of the books comes, the reader is overcome by a feeling of wistfulness which cannot be obtained from any other author of this genre.

King William (the conqueror)'s royal commission visits Exeter to resolve property ownership disputes but their arrival is marred by the death by murder of one of the claimants. Baron Nicholas Picard had cut a swath through the women of Exeter and few mourn his death, including his wife. Still, could one of them have overcome such a powerful knight?

Despite resistance from the local Sheriff, Lord Ralph Delchard and his associates investigate both the murder and the property dispute. Each of the five claimants is convinced of the justice of their case. Each had good reason to wish Picard dead (including his unloved wife). Still, three women, an ancient Saxon, and a priest seem unlikely murderers.

Edward Marston does a fine job describing a fascinating time period when Norman rule was still new and still rode like a boot on the Saxon throat. His use of Brother Simon to provide comic relief works effectively to balance the narative and give moments of respite between the investigation. I would have liked to see a more fully developed character in Golde, Lord Ralph Delchard's wife, but otherwise find little to criticize in this fine historical mystery.

Terrific whodunit set in 13th Century England. It took me a few chapters to settle into the rhythm of the novel, but once you're tuned in its great stuff. When a rich lord is killed on the way home from a trip to the city of Exeter to visit his mistress, a flock of claimants step forward to claim his lands. Ralph Dechard and his colorful colleagues represent the King to adjudicate the claims. Sex, violence and greed are the order of the day. As the tale unfolds, the "clues" point to several different possible villains in turn, but finally come together to reveal the true killer. This is the first of the series that I have read, but I will undoubtedly circle back to read the rest.

Twenty years have passed since William conquered England. The Conqueror is sending forth secular people and churchmen to adjudicate land disputes and collect taxes. Norman and Saxon alike detest these individuals, but with William's backing, they accomplish their tasks. On numerous occasions, the adjudicators must solve murders to determine who owns disputed property. While William's dispute resolution administrators ride to Exeter, someone murders Nicholas Picard, a claimant in a large land quarrel.

The local sheriff insists robbers killed Nicholas, but Ralph Delchard and Gervaise Bret believe the homicide is tied to the land dispute. Each claimant to it, including the non-grieving widow, the mistress, the former landowner, and even the local church abbott had plenty to gain with the removal of Nicholas. Matters turn ugly when one of the administrators, Hervey de Maurighy disappears. William's men want to insure justice occurs even if it means risking their lives to insure it happens.

Volume eight of the Doomsday Books is a finely executed, well-drawn medieval mystery because of the myriad of viable suspects with obvious motives, means, and opportunities. Thus, readers will never guess the identity of the killer with any certainty. Edward Marston paints a tapestry that vividly brings the late eleventh century into full perspective as the monarch's administrator enforce regal policy even to the detriment of a powerful noble. Fans of historical mysteries will take pleasure in THE WILDCATS OF EXETER and search for the previous Doomsday tales.

Harriet Klausner

I wasn't sure what to expect with this anthology, but I found myself enthralled from beginning to end. Nnedi Okorafor's "Crossroads", Seth Lindberg's "Atropos", and James Dorr's "Madness" were special delights.

A great mix of chilling, horrifying, and otherwise entertaining stories.

This is a great compilation of magic, madness, culture and creativity. All of the stories were pretty satisfying, some of them terrifying! There are some writers here that are going to go places. Watch for the authors of the two longest pieces, Nnedi Okorafor (her story is called Crossroads) and James S. Dorr (he wrote a story called Madness).

Very good reference. Easy to understand. Guides you through most situations. Recommend VII as a companion. Looking forward to VIII.

This author really knows has stuff and takes a rather complicated technical subject and makes it easy to learn the various apsects on conducting an accident investigation.

Clay Allison a dangerous outlaw puts together a few good men and rustle a herd thru the dangerous trail from Mexico on into Colorado. Thru the Alamosa Trail there are desperate crooks and bad cowboys. Allison's boys get mixed up with a group of slave selling bandits. and in order to survive they must use their guns. Robert Vaughan is a tremendous author. Every page is exciting!

Jim Robison, Barry Riggsbee and Gene Curry were just three of the cowboys who were let go from the Trailback ranch after the Blizzard of 1886. Thus begins Robert Vaughn's exciting continuation of Ralph Compton's trail drive series in THE ALAMOSA TRAIL. After loosing their money in a poker game some of the cowboys decide to rob a train but are unsucessful. However Jim is in ElPaso meeting with the gunman Clay Allison about delivering some horses to Allison's ranch in Alamosa, Colorado. Along the way are some adventures like the poker game Jim has, Clay Allison's gun fight and the outlaw Shardeen taking Katie Kincaid and her daughters captive to sell in Mexico. All this and the trail drive has not even started yet. THE ALAMOSA TRAIL will have you turning pages in anticipation of what is going to happen next. THE ALAMOSA TRAIL IS A MUST READ!!!!!!!!

This book brilliantly depicts the outstanding role Ralph Cooper played in shaping American music as we know it today. His genius and forethought has yet to be matched in this century. I enjoyed the book immensely!

A history not only of the Apollo Theatre, but of Black entertainment in this country. Mr.Cooper is very knowledgeable and gives a wealth of information about an exciting era. A good reference book, giving me a better understanding of the roots and important of Black entertainment and its influences in the U.S.

I grabbed this book off the shelf at the library and have had to continuously return to check it out again and again, and again. I'm finally going to buy it.

The book's "chapters" are divided up by year, going chronologically from 1900 to 2000. Each year has newspaper articles and photos of events, styles, sports, politics, etc. It does a great job of re-creating the excitement of the times. It also puts certain things into perspective. For example, being born in the 70's, I had a hard time really understanding why racism was so prevelent. I was able to read about Jackie Robinson and other significant turning points--such as the first black actor on Broadway. I still find it difficult to believe how we could be so racist just a short time ago.

It's really riveting to read and see the events each year and how things change. Some inventions don't seem important at the time but turn out to be huge.

This book is a real page turner, but due to how it is divided up, can easily be something you slowly savor over the long-haul.

I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy and experience history, one news story at a time.

This is such a gorgeous book! I bought it as a birthday gift for my dad and was so impressed I went out and got one for my collection. Great pictures and a great buy!

pictures tell the story best and this book has many. Blitzkrieg to Hiroshima. Never let these times be forgotten.

Unbelievable quality

Ralph Abernathy wrote his life's story warts and all. He also spoke honestly about his dear friend, Doc and his private life. Doc was Martin Luther King Jr. and a lot of people reacted almost violently to the revelations in the book. Abernathy was called a traitor, a Judas and an Uncle Tom. He was also accused of being senile or insane with jealousy of Dr. King's memory. Sadly, with all the name calling people forgot or ignored the fact that it's a good autobiography and a valuable edition to the historical record of the Civil Rights movement.

When this first came out around 1990, stupid rumors abounded that Dr.King's right-hand-man and surrogate brother had written a sleazy text about Dr. King's sex life. This bunch of hogwash and the cruel responses by people who beleived the hype drove Dr. Abernathy to his grave! This is actually a very good book filled with interesting anecdotes about Dr. Abernathy's years as a soldier in the Civil Rights movement. However, he pulls no punches regarding the infighting that destroyed what was left of the movement after Dr. King's death. This is an important historical memoir by one who was certainly there.

A VERY WELL WRITTEN BOOK. ABOUT A SUBJECT THAT I KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT. IT WAS EASY TO READ AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND. COULD EASILY READ THE BOOK IN ONE SITTING. IT DOES A GOOD JOB OF EXPLAINING HOW BIBLE CODES ARE FIGURED OUT. THE BOOK ALSO EXPLAINS HOW NOT ALL CODES ARE ACCURATE, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW, IT WOULD BE EASY TO BE CONFUSED. THE CONCEALED EVIDENCE OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS WAS VERY INTERESTING. THE ISSAC COMPARISON WITH JESUS WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF ANOTHER HIDDEN CODE.SCIENTIFIC CODES AND NUMBER CODES WERE GOOD EXAMPLES OF HIDDEN CODES. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO HAS A INTEREST IN THIS AREA OR SOMEONE LIKE MYSELF WHO IS RELATIVELY NEW TO THE SUBJECT.

Excellent concise, yet full-featured presentation on not only (1) the Bible Codes and important warnings about their relevance to apologetics but also (2) eye-opening and compelling evidence from the amazing intricate parallels between many Old Testament passages/events and the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. The booklet size makes the content quickly digestable (and skeptical friends may be more likely to actually read it.)