A friend lent me this book, and thought I would enjoy the plot. I am, I admit, a lover of thrillers and read this in one day.

A strange killer is on the moves (pun intended), and a woman detective (Jessie Drake) must identify him before it is too late. Will Jessie save her sister's marriage, and will she find the Curare Killer before he strikes again... Romance can not be avoided, as in most thrillers, but it at least is plausible and believable. Of course, the inevitable happens, the plot does get a little predictable, nevertheless the suspense is there all the way. Definitely deserves five stars.

I ran across this book and decided to give it a shot even though I wasn't familiar with the author. I was not disappointed. The characters are wonderful and by the end of the book, you feel like you know them all as friends. There are nice twists throughout the book and it never bogs down. It's a great read. I highly recommend it.

Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
- Psalms 7:14 - 15

In these days after WWII, England is no longer the place the young men left when they went away to fight. The mining industry has been nationalized, and even Comerford's old slapdash efforts at opening up its shallow coal deposits are about to be reopened, with a flood of new faces coming in to operate the new machinery. The men who went away, of course, aren't those who came back: Jim Tugg, the hired man at the Hollins farm, with daring exploits as a paratrooper; Chad Wedderburn, the pacifist classics master who spent years in guerilla fighting; even Charles Blunden, son of Selwyn Blunden of Harrow, fought all the way across North Africa and Sicily.

Expatriates from all over Europe are common enough, even ex-POWs who still slip and say 'Heil Hitler!' if they forget. (And get beaten up, maybe, by somebody whose brother died in a Stalag.) Helmut Schauffler, though, has been asking to be murdered by going far beyond that.

Gerd Hollins had lost her entire family in the concentration camps. Haunted by memories of horror that won't stay suppressed, she asked her husband to hire Helmut, because if she could learn to see one German as a human being, it would help her to let go of her nightmares. Unfortunately, Helmut is a creep - an actual Nazi who enjoys psychological torment (though he's not stupid enough to try it in front of her husband or hired man). When he's fired and takes a job at the quarry, he still harasses her in a slimy way, while causing discord everywhere else he goes.

Sergeant Felse isn't surprised when Helmut finally turns up floating in the brook, head bashed in, although he's less than thrilled that his 13-year-old son Dominic found the corpse. Despite George's best efforts, Dominic gets interested in the case, especially since his classics master is a suspect.

This was one of the best mysteries I have ever read. I came upon it by accident, not even knowing if it were a mystery or not. It is a wonderful successor to the great writers of the original English mystery. George Felse ranks up there with Poirot and Holmes, but shows a bit more humanity. The other characters, also, show qualities that make you forget that you're reading. The plot, I'm sure, will perplex you and will have you back for more Ellis Peters. I will say that after reading most of the Felse mysteries and a few Cadfael that Felse is better, but this one is the best in the lot.

With this one I've finally gotten my grubby paws on the complete (published in book format and more or less fictional) works of Larry Beinhart. And I loved it so much (as usual) that now I'm heartbroken. There was no new book from Beinhart since mid-90s, and I miss them sorely. Re-reading is fun, in this case enormous fun, but I WANT MORE!
...OK, ad rem. Great book. Mother-in-law scenes galore, plus spooks, musclemen, Czech mafiosi and Japanese businessmen with all the manners of hungry sharks. And Tony Casella, who's so much one of a kind that you'd wish you were like him, even with the stuff he has to face in his life.
Buy it. Then go buy Beinhart's other novels. And weep like me, after you're done laughing.

I read this book several years ago, and it is a crime in itself that the book is out of print. Tony Cassella is an engaging character, the plot is gripping AND it has a nifty "twist" such as you also find in American Hero. I certainly wish we were going to get more of this clever and believable detective, but I do understand that Mr. Beinhart has a living to make.

Full Frontal Murder was one of the most suspenseful mysteries I have read. The characters were good, and the plot was well done. A great continuation of the Marian Larch series.

Rita and Hugh are in the midst of a nasty divorce that includes child custody of their four year old son Bobby when someone tries to snatch the child. Only the quick intervention of a police officer stops the abduction from being successful. Though each parent accuses the other of orchestrating the incident, the lad's wealthy grandfather believes that a true kidnapping for ransom was attempted. The NYPD assign Lieutenant Marian Larch to investigate the case.

Before Marian can dig deeply into the investigation, the case unravels as the lead suspects, the parents, are murdered. Still, Marian inches closer to solving the case when her lover, private investigator Curt Holland is kidnapped. His abductors want her to drop her investigation or they will torture their victim till he dies. Marian, who has always feared a commitment, now has a new fear to deal with: the potential loss of her beloved, who will certainly be killed if she does nothing.

Barbara Paul has written numerous mysteries, but her Marian Larch series is by far her best. Marian is the complete woman of the nineties as she struggles with her ambition and independence Vs a commitment to her lover. FULL FRONTAL MURDER adds much insight to Marian's motivations as her personal and professional lives crash together. The Larch books are one of the finest police procedural series because it takes readers to the inside of Manhattan through the senses of a fantastic multi-dimensional protagonist.

Harriet Klausner

where every paragraph leaves a distinct impression. Ellen Hart writes with a deft sense of place and time which mysteries often lack.

She has also crafted her main characters well to convey a sense of friendship, intimacy, and an amazing sense of humor.

This not only fine writing within the mystery format, it is fine writing, period.

Needless to say, the lesbian element was handled beautifully. This is the kind of statement about gays which should be made because it transcends the garish, tabloid styles of too much of the media (or, counter-media) and presents the human side... of human beings.

Clever plotting; rare character subtleties; solid, often unexpected, humor; special insights; an unusual location with deft understanding of the urban university society.

Yes.

I don't know who I liked more, the lesbian sleuth Jane Lawless or her slightly overweight (yeah!) buddy Cordelia! More than just a "whodunnit," this book is part character study, part Minnesota travelogue, and very much a good read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The third in the Harpur and Iles series. Full of humor, grit, gripping dialogue, sex, drugs - what more could one want in a story? Harpur takes more than his share of tough breaks in this one, and Iles really starts to blossom as a character as well. The series keeps getting better and better.

I have read several of Bill James' police procedurals and this is one of the best. The characters are highly original, the dialogue sparkles, and the descriptions are often poetic. (Example: "His brain shone like potato peelings.") The settings can be dark and sinister, but there is plenty of black humor in both this entry and in the series. James creates a morally ambiguous but fascinating world in 1980s/1990s Britain. I intend to buy every one of James's Harper & Iles mysteries.

The fourth mystery about Denver Cop Alison, her lover Stacy and their various friends is also sizzling with dominatrix Stacy's efforts to run a Leather and S/M conference for lesbians. Unlike the previous novels which have all focused around murder, this one appears to be about blackmail. But where Alison is, as Stacy points out, the bodies will follow, even if they're not recognised as murder for most of the novel.

As ever the characterisation is excellent; the women really live off the page and you either love them or loathe them. The changing nature of Alison and Stacy's relationship also plays a large role seeming both tremendously strong and terribly fragile coping with Stacy's tantrums, Alison's fibromyalgia syndrome, flirtatious femmes and interfering friends. The issue of FMS is dealt with particularly well, as we not only see Alison's fears of being rejected by Stacy if she tells her, but also that Stacy is feeling rejected by Alison by keeping the FMS a secret from her.

As ever various lesbian taboos are raised; Leather and S/M are the base line for the community depicted in the novel and abusive relationships are as prevalent in the lesbian community as anywhere else.

While not as side-splittingly funny as "It takes one to know one" it felt great to hang out with Alison and the gals again; my only whine is that Michelle was barely in it! Star Trek:TNG and Kinsey references are spot on as usual, but aren't the girls enjoying Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine by now?

I was sad to read that Kate Allen is abandoning Alison and Co. for a while, but I'll happily read anything she puts in print, from her shopping list onwards!

Kate Allen is outstanding as a crime writer and as an observer of lesbian life. This series (which sadly seems to be ending) is consistently excellent and I enjoyed the finale enormously. You owe it to yourself - it's better than chocolate, honestly

In "The Littles to the Rescue", Mrs. Little is expecting her third child, and, by tradition, she wants Aunt Lily to deliver it. However, Aunt Lily and her son, Cousin Dinky, live four houses away, which is quite a distance for Tinies (little creatures--approximately 4 - 6 inches tall--that vaguely resemble elves with tails). Nevertheless, Cousin Dinky pilots his mother in his glider plane to the Littles' residence, even though it's in the middle of the night and snowing. However, during the trip, Aunt Lily falls out of the plane and is captured by the reclusive Ground Tinies. A search party is formed to locate Aunt Lily, with the added help of a cat and skunk, who remarkably don't make a meal out of the Littles. But will they find her in time?

This was one of my favorite books (and cartoon series) when I was a kid. It was given to me by my grandmother when I was about eight-years-old. Not only are the black-and-white illustrations terrific, but the Littles are extremely resourceful and imaginative in this story, using most things people throw away as tools, decorations, etc. My only two complaints are that the book has a rather abrupt ending (or perhaps there's a page missing from my book; I have had it for about 15 years), and that it's a bit ...., though younger readers may not pick up on this. Still, "The Littles to the Rescue" is a fun adventure story for children age 7 - 10. Highly recommended.

I am 7 years old and in 2nd grade.I like to read about the Littles because they are always having fun adventures.This story was interesting when the Littles traveled by rabbits, a cat, and a skunk.I try to think how much fun and how fast I could go on these animals. I like how the Littles get help from animals. I thought Aunt Lily was not going to make it in time for the baby.
But with the help of everybody she was found.

I have never been shooshed so much while reading a book - I was chuckling at Handler's wit every other page! Hoagy is a great character and the plot is a pretty twisty one as well. A great read! I've said it many a time to emphasize how good a book was, but this is the first time I actually FINISHED A BOOK IN ONE SITTING! I couldn't read it fast enough. GOOD STUFF!

Handler is a scream. His stories are orginal and his characters are very lively. No trends are spared from Handler's savage pen. I hope Handler enjoys writing the Hoagy series as much as I enjoy reading it

Yes, there are plenty of twists in this story. Some I saw coming and some I didn't. "Grandma Gert" is a nice addition to the "Holy Terror" school of formidable elders. The author asks our forgiveness for not setting this story in New Kassel, but I don't think there's anything to forgive. The West Virginia setting was just as interesting as the unfolding of another less-than-ordinary chapter in the lives of Torie's ancestors. The information about a certain use for quilts was new to me and welcome. I hope this isn't the last we'll see of cousin Elliot. RANDOM COMMENTS: Actually, considering what happens to your body when you die, sitting on the toilet might not be the worst place to be if your plane should crash. I, for one, don't think Torie should forgive her stepfather-to-be until he clears her record. Colin should write to her car insurance company and the department of motor vehicles [if they still have the incident on record] and admit that Torie didn't deserve that ticket. He should also pay Torie every penny of the difference that ticket undoubtedly made in her insurance rates during those years. It's not enough to apologize if you've wronged someone. You need to make reparation. All right, I'll admit I'm frequently shocked by what coworkers in their teens and 20s don't know about American history, but Torie is in her 30s. Weren't they still teaching about miners and the horrible conditions under which they worked when she was in school? Didn't she ever ask an adult what the line "I owe my soul to the company store" in Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" meant? I would have expected her to nod and let the speaker go on talking. I do hope Torie's car has vinyl seats instead of cloth.

In New Kasel, Missouri, Tori O'Shea is a professional genealogist. She lives with her husband Rudy and their two daughters, nine-year-old Rachel and six-year-old Mary. They live the typical suburban family life except when Tori becomes involved in a homicide (see FAMILY SKELETONS and A VEILED ANTIQUITY). No one expects Tori to deal with a murder investigation since she is seven months pregnant.

Tori and her grandmother Gert travel to Panther Run, West Virginia to visit long time friend Clarissa Hart Campbell, a 101-year-old lady. However, just after the two visitors arrive at Clarissa's boarding house, someone kills the centenarian, but not before she makes it clear she has something important to tell Tori. The local sheriff suspects Tori of killing Clarissa, which encourages the pregnant woman to make her own inquiries. Her investigation opens up long buried secrets that are almost as old as Clarissa was as well as a killer who would not mind a double homicide with one murderous blow.

Rett MacPherson creates charming cozies starring a beguiling heroine with a sense of humor. The story line, based on the coal mine owners total control of the work force, provides the audience with a realistic glimpse into an unsavory time in this country's heritage. A MISTY MORNING ties the past to the present so that the history of early twentieth century West Virginia coal mining towns are vividly displayed. Ms. MacPherson has written a wonderful amateur sleuth tale whose historical perspective adds tasty seasoning to a strong tale.

Harriet Klausner