Serge, Coleman, Sharon--innocents from the midwest-plus just a few other players. I do not know how he does it but Tim gets better and better every book.
I really am at a loss for words; when I am laughing by the first page I know I've got a good one. First Florida Roadkill, then Hammerhead, then Orange Crush and now Triggerfish-I already want the next one.
I do not feel the need to explain the characters. Tim Dorsey has outdone Hiassen by a long shot. He is the "Florida Writer" in my opinion.
Let's all hope the next one isn't to far away.
Star

This is my third Dorsey novel and he delivers with this one too. Dorsey is a lot like Hiaasen, only with a significantly more violent and demented twist. People are always getting bumped off in his novels, often in very creative ways. Readers of his Florida Roadkill and Hammerhead Ranch Motel books will be delighted to find that Serge and Coleman are back in this novel, which is actually a prequel to these books. Serge fans won't be disappointed as Serge is up to his usual frenetic and frenzied antics and also bumps off at least one deserving scumbag in his usual creative way. Coleman's character gets some hilarious fleshing out and development here, more so than in the previous books. And Sharon the gorgeous cocaine-snorting floozy/nympho makes up the threesome in this novel. The novel is very fast-paced and there is hardly a dull moment during the entire book, and Dorsey builds all the interelated threads and characters up to a spectacular and satisfying climax. Definitely another must-read for the Dorsey fans out there.

He just keeps getting better and better, and was really good to start...

A bit noir in spots, Dorsey has humor dripping from each page and is marvelous at keeping the pace and the sub-plots speeding down the track.

"Triggerfish Twist" is the latest and greatest with his anti-hero, Serge, still at the helm. You could start reading him in any order, but the chronology of the books do give those ordered readers some tongue-in-cheek smugness that
follows with the insider connections of the prior mayhem...

"Flordia Roadkill" was first, then "The Hammerhead Ranch Motel", and "Orange Crush" the third leading to the latest... Wild rides all and will not disappoint.

If you like Carl Hiassen's stuff, you'll love Dorsey's wit and roll.

When GORKY PARK was published in 1981, the Soviet Union was still going on strong. Now with the passage of time the USSR is nothing but a distant memory and the former republics are fighting hard to keep their independence. Reading Martin Cruz Smith's novel now gives a unique perspective to life in this foreign land.

We are introduced to Russian Homicide Detective Arkady Renko who is investigating a triple homicide in Gorky Park. All of the victims were shot and they were intentionally disfigured in order to prevent identification. The only clue left on the scene were a pair of ice skates worn by one of the victims that belonged to actress Irina Asanova. Renko must deal with petty bureaucrats, crooked politicians, the KGB as well as his own personal problems with his own wife.

Irina knows more than she is telling the detective. Renko is smitten with her and he is not confident about his feelings. The other major player in this novel is an American furrier named John Osbourne. This businessman has strong connections with Soviet officials and it is believed that he is also a KGB informant. Several Russian officials are protecting him but Renko is not to be dissuaded. He will do what he needs to do in order to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Cruz's work is very powerful and strong in character development. Each one of the three major characters has a story to tell and the author does a great job in developing each one. It is a story of heartbreak and broken dreams and definitely one of the best novels ever written about Russia.

It's Arkady Renko at odds with power, corruption and intrigue. Martin Cruz Smith hit the nail on the head with this story. Not just your typical spy-crime thriller, Gorky Park delves into the heart and mind of what it meant to be a Russian approaching the era of new capitolism.

Renko, investigating a grisly triple murder in the heart of Moscow's famous Gorky Park, is certain he has stumbled into the work of the KGB. He is the prototypical man of principle awash in a compromising world, where the rules change daily, power and influence corrupt on both sides of the Atlantic, and pargons of virtue pose a threat to all.

I guarantee that you will love this book and quickly continue on with the following three sequels.

Arkydy Renko, an honest hard working, conscientious, public investigator, fights his way through a maze of evil and hostile characters, the cunning, ruthless American entrepreneur, Osborne, his own corrupt boss, Yamskoi and major Preblida, the KGB man. He is after the ruthless killer of three young people, found in frozen Gorky Park, shot at point- blank- range, their faces and fingertips obliterated.. He is helped along the way by the brother of one of the slain men, a young American idealist. Curwell, a New York detective, fluent in Russian, joins hands reluctantly with Arkydy to revenge his brother's murder.

Arkydy, by brilliant reasoning and with help from his love, Arina Ossinova, entangles the Sable fur trade, the labyrinth of KGB, and bureaucracy of FBI, tracks down the killer all the way to New York City. Here detective Curwell teams up with him to go after Osborne. But Osborne knows the score and book ends with an unforgettable scene where Arkydy fulfilling his task, limps back to Moscow. He tells Arina, his accomplice and love,who sells her very soul to come to America, to go disappear in America, where she belongs.

The book sheds light on dark, Byzantine, bad old days of Soviet Union where every body spied on every body and KGB ruled supreme. I guess people
like Arkydy, the optimistic, very human chief investigator, turned the Soviet régime around and created another revolution seventy years after the brutal first, paving the way for democracy.

This is the Discworld version of a time machine story. I think it's the best written of the entire Terry Pratchett library, but I only give it four stars.

The thing about any time machine story is that you already know how it comes out. And, for me at least, that takes a bit out of Pratchett's toolbox. Pratchett novels in the past have been a wild ride where you were never completely sure how it would all work out. "Night Watch" is a wild ride, but it's a roller coaster ride, and you know at the end of the ride you'll be, more or less, back at the starting point, breathless but okay.

There's also a bit of a character development issue. Maybe it's just the Monks of History having problems again, but how did eager young nightwatchman Sam Vimes - not John Keel, but Sam Vimes - turn into the lush we know and love in "Guards! Guards!"? We first met Sam Vimes, remember, lying drunk in a gutter in a rainstorm...

Still and all, this is an excellent addition to the Night Watch series. Not an introduction, mind you. I think you need to meet Fred Colon and Nobby Nobbs in "Guards! Guards!" or "Men at Arms" to appreciate those first, earlier encounters here. Especially to ah... savor the meeting with Nobby. Longstanding mysteries are solved, and half the fun is knowing they are mysteries in advance. Why Reg Shoe is a zombie. Whether Vetinari is indeed an assassin.

Pratchett's wordcraft is as good or even better than it has ever been. He is particularly deft in seamlessly intertwining the linked story threads and his message, which he slips in as craftily as any assassin. The party at which Mad Lord Winder is not assassinated is particularly well done.

I'm not rabid about Pratchett - I'm not a chronic hanger-on at L-Space, and there are some small sections of The APF I've not committed to memory. But any Prachett book is cause for keen anticipation and delighted, delightful reading. "Night Watch" is no exception. Oh, and stay off the Library dome in lightning storms...

I'm going to keep this short because so many other people have already highlighted the book. I agree with all the people who said this is not a good starting point for new readers. There is more character development here than in any of Pratchett's "watch" novels since Guards Guards!

This book was so good that I missed several meals because I didn't want to put it down, and when I did finish I just sat there and let it all sink in. Much like after really good sex.

Highly reccommended.

One of Terry Pratchett's knacks (he has several) is the ability to take an essentially serious theme and mine it for countless funny bits, but never losing sight of the larger themes that lurk behind his wry tales. Sam Vimes, once a patrolman in Ankh-Morpork's Night Watch, now Duke of Ankh and Commander of the City Watch, thought his world was becoming reliably predictable. And in law enforcement, this is considered a 'good thing. Especially when one's wife is expecting, immanently. So Vimes was ill prepared when a bolt of lightning catapulted him and the psychotic he was trying to arrest, straight through the roof of the Unseen University and into the past.

Vimes has a long history of coping. Now he took in stride the discovery that he had suddenly become the man responsible for showing himself how to be a good cop in the first place. He takes the place of Sergeant John Keel (conveniently killed by Carcer, the psychotic who started all this) and sets about trying to teach young Sam Vimes how to keep the peace. Distracted only by the fact than Ankh-Morpork was about to experience its own version of the French Revolution - The Glorious People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road. And if Sam (the elder) doesn't get it all to come out right, he has no hope of returning to his own present and his newborn son.

This is a complicated tale. Even the basic plot - making sure that history happens as it should - is an enormous task. Nor has Pratchett chosen a narrow stage on which to enact the plot. You will find almost every key Ankh-Morpork character (and just a few others) running about the scenery acting 30 years younger. Except Death, of course. He's there, but he is never gets any younger. You will meet Reg before he becomes a zombie and 'Cut my own throat' Dibbler before any of his great failures. And even Lord Vetinarii before he... Well, that would be giving away too much of the plot.

Pratchett makes this all weave together as if it really happened. Alternating between characters full of self-effacing humor and grim determination in equal parts. Revolutions, after all, are not funny business. 'Night Watch' is less of a lampoon than a social commentary with a twist. It comforts us little that all this is happening on a turtle far away. This world has no lack of characters even grimmer than the villains of this piece (security officers and greedy politicians). Pratchett provides a gentle reminder that the business of keeping the peace takes hardnosed determination.

Perhaps because of the ambivalent mood of the book, it seems a bit more than many of its predecessors. This wasn't dashed off, and the characters are all filled in some detail. It asks questions, and doesn't always offer an answer. Pratchett is noted for bending people's minds, but less for making the reader think. I like the change. This is a book to be read slowly and relished.

After reading ALL of the "ROUGE WARRIOR" series , I'd have to say this is my ALL TIME FAV.!!! DEMO , a.k.a. SHARKMAN of the Brown water Delta pulls no punches in this action packed nonstop -KICKIN entry in the ongoing NAVY SEAL Based books. The cast of charactors are GRUFF but LOVABLE . You will easily lose yourself in the action , possibly seeing yourself tagging along as suprises pop-up at every turn. Guarenteed not to disapoint. The Profane language is well applied , you would think you and Dickie are sitting in a bar sipping BOMBAY SAPHIRES and swapping war stories. Easy and exciting reading. Highly reccomended. Treat yourself today, GET THIS BOOK !!! Dont be a WUSS !. END

Red Cell is an excellent read. Despite much of the content being fictional, this novel still provides plenty of factual information. Richard Marcinko is an American hero. Vietnam, ST6, Red Cell. Not many can put up a record like that. If you can put up with all the naughty language, this book will be loads of fun.

PLEASE BE WARNED, this is not a book that you will read every now and then over the next few months. This is a book that is guarranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat every second that you hold it in your hands. You WILL HAVE to continue to read this book unitl the very end, because it sucks you into the role, you become, think, and mentally act like Richard Marcinko, a thirty year veteren in the U.S. Navy's elite maritime commandos, and the creator of the Navy's legendary countererrorist unit SEAL TEAM 6. I personally took off a days work in order to read this book from cover to cover and I was not dissappionted at all. After reading this book I went through withdrawal pains waiting for his next book. I vow that if you even read one page of this non stop thriller, you to will become addicted to the unique writng styles of Richard Marcinko and John Weisman. For all of you modern day and wannabe warriors out there, read this book for it is the bible of Special Warfare, it will give you some of the unique mental and physical demands and outlooks of the worlds most deadly fighting force the Navy SEALS!!!! Trust me, just buy the book and enjoy the thing!! Page one of this novel list Richard Marcinkos 10 commandment of SPECWAR nad two of them apply right now to you dear reader, #1thou shalt never assume (This means you, do not assume that this is like any other book for it is not) and #2 Thou hast not to like it- thou hast just to do it (Just buy the book, you will love it

Although, in this year 2002, I have just recently finished reading The Robots of Dawn directly after its prequel, The Naked Sun, and thus did not have to endure the 25-year wait between the novels as many who read that book when it came out did, I can assume that they, as I, considered it worth the wait. This is a very good novel, indeed. When Asimov first began writing his robot stories in the 40's, the concept itself was relatively new and bold - and, to many, unthinkable. Of course, when this book finally came out, in 1983, robots were no longer a novelty - and the dictations of their behavior had, by then, moved beyond Asimov's original fundamental Three Laws of Robotics. Still, the conflicts in this book, as in virtually all of Asimov's other robot stories, hinge crucially on those Three Laws, and the complications inherent therein. It is amazing that, as much as Asimov had already written on the subject up to that point, he could still come up with new and novel twists relating to them - but he does, indeed, and does so very well here. Although the actual unraveling of the mystery itself, as in The Naked Sun, never quite reaches the peak of intensity and excitement as did the plot of The Caves of Steel (the first novel in this series), this is, nevertheless, a far more ambitious work than the previous two books - not only in length, but also in scope. With this book, Asimov also begins to tie in the Robot series with the Empire and Foundation serieses (as he does in the sequel, Robots and Empire) to create one grand, monumental fictional universe. This is a testament to the skill and unique visionary perspective of one of the greatest fiction - not just science fiction writers - of the 20th century. Anyone who loved The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun will undoubtedly love this further amazing edition to the series.

Well, here it is: the final robots mystery starring Baley and Daneel. Personally, I think this falls to second or third place in the trilogy, with The Naked Sun as first place. This is in no way a knock of the book, mind you. This book's plot is more involved, making the mystery aspect even tougher to solve. I had thought of the solution, but never given it any thought. This novel takes place on Aurora, the main Spacer world. Its a pleasent mix--not population saturated like Earth, but not robot city like Solaria. My only sort of complaint--sometimes it seemed a bit too long. However, when I finished it, I wished it was longer. Go figure. Now that this novel is done, and Baley has solved his final case, there is only one place to go-- Robots and Empire

After reading this book I truly had more faith in mankind. I could not help to think that if Asimov could think like this there must be others that examined how we might interact with robots, aliens, or even people of different races, color, and so on. This book goes well beyond a great story about how robots impact the future of humans. It will make you think about many things as you are fascinated with how humans made a mess of things and robots behind the scenes rectified them at great sacrifice. A robot with a soul. A must read for anyone that enjoys any of Asimov's books or if you like Star Trek, Stargate SG-1, Babylon 5, or any other good TV series like that.

I had mixed emotions about this book. I'll start with the bad. It held no surprises like past VC Andrews books had which was disappointing. This whole Cutler series kept repeating itself over and over again. One character always seemed too much like past charcters. I kind of figured this book would explain why Lillian hated Dawn so much. But it didn't. In fact I would've thought Lillian would pity her. If this book would have kept going on and wrote about how Lillian changed after first arriving at Cutler's Cove I might have rated this book different. I also had to wonder why Dawn's orginal name was Eugenia. Why would Lillian have a say in naming her grandchild after her beloved sister, Eugenia? Considering she knew it was her husbands child. She had to have known that Randolph was not the father before Dawn was born. Other than that the book was too bad. It was one of the sadder one's I've read. But you can get through this series without having to read it.

I have only read the first 6 chapters so far, but I think that is is an excellent book. It is all about a family and troubles that come with being in a rich family and how there are many secrets kept in the house between each and every family member. Also things that some of the family knows but they just dont want to believe it. There is this little girl name Lillian and she thinks that she is living with her mother and father but she will soon come to find out that they're really not her mother and father but her aunt and uncle. And he so called sister, Emily, is just evil to Lillian. But when every she talks to her other little sister who is dying,Eugenia, makes her feel all better. And Emily likes this boy named NIles Thompson, but Emily will ruin that for her too.

Darkest Hour was one of the best books that I have ever read! The Cutler family series was wonderful! It was the best series that I have yet read by Mrs. Andrews', although Flowers In the Attic and Petals on the Wind are the best books. While reading Dawn, Secrets of the Morning and Tarnished Gold or even Midnight Whispers I never thought that I would feel sorry for Grandmother Cutler (Lillian) until I read this book! Even if you don't read Dawn read this book it was great!

The sequel to Florida Roadkill, this book is set during hurricane season on Florida's Gulf Coast. A psychotic spree killer, his yellow journalist sidekick, and an assortment of ex-cons and seedy locals are determined to ride out the storm while taking care of unfinished business inside the Hammerhead Ranch Motel. These eccentric characters make for a funny and entertaining read from Tim Dorsey.

Well, Dorsey did it again! He wrote a novel that made the kids wait for their dinner. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I'd fall asleep holding it, only to awaken, pick it up, and start reading again!

Tim weaves a tale that hosts characters that I swear I know. Their madcap adventures which trail up and down the Florida interstates and sideroads have kept me laughing time and time again. With each new read, I discover something about each of them I didn't know. Dorsey definitely paints characters who ARE characters. I also recommend reading Florida Roadkill before sinking into Hammerhead Ranch Motel. Although you'll get to know each character at the Ranch, you'll feel like you've met up with old friends if you've read Roadkill first.

I can't wait for Orange Crush. I'm definitely a Dorsey fan. He takes me away from my safe, mundane Floridian existence and immerses me in a darker side of Sunshine that entertains.

Thanks, Tim!

If you like Carl Hiaasen's books, you will be delighted to discover author Tim Dorsey and his zany cast of characters. Those of us old enough to remember traveling to Florida with the family for summer vacations in the 1950s and 1960s, before the interstate highways were built, remember the brightly-painted, mom-and-pop motels, complete with shuffleboard courts. Out of this grew Dorsey's second novel, "Hammerhead Ranch Motel." Filled with wacky characters, the Hammerhead Ranch Motel is a sleazy, run-down motel on Florida's west coast. Staying at the motel are the Diaz Boys, a group of cocaine duckpins who survive by sheer luck and their ten thousand stolen zebra-striped beepers; Zargoaz, aka Harvey Fiddlebottom, runs his sweepstakes scam from a motel room; undercover cops running sting operations on other undercover cops. If that's not enough to interest you, Dorsey throws in Serge A. Storms, a guy off his medication and in hiding out from the cops, while watching the silver briefcase containing five million dollars. And if that's still not enough, Dorsey throws in a hurricane! "Hammerhead Ranch Motel" and Dorsey's first novel, "Florida Roadkill" will give you hours of delightful reading and make you think twice when you pass one of the state's few remaining little mom-and-pop motels.

Benni Harper is the wife of a small town sheriff in San Celina, California. She is also an heiress to Jacob Chandler's estate. But who is Jacob Chandler? That's what Benni has to find out. Benni is intrigued and so am I. How does Chandler know her? Why has he named her sole heir in his will? That is the challenge & she has 2 weeks to follow the clues he left for her. I felt like I was playing the board game "CLUE" (Professor Plum did it in the Library with a candlestick). It was great!

Benni finds friends & foes along the way but I found this to be a "wholesome" mystery.

This book has it all; there's a loyal dog, a handsome cop, good friends, & close relatives. I loved the "sit-in" at the local museum to keep it from being moved all orchestrated by the San Celina Seven, headed up by Benni's own grandmother!

Fowler's Benni Harper, is a reoccurring character in a series of books but you don't need to read any of the other books in the series to enjoy Mariner's Compass, but you'll want to.

benni harper faces her toughest, most personal mystery to date in mariner's compass, a compelling tale of family history, roots and love. she learns that she's inherited a house from a man she's never met and it soon becomes apparent that although she didn't know him, he certainly knew her. one condition of her inheritance is that she spend two weeks alone in the house jacob chandler willed to her, and the two weeks gives her time to delve into his motives and his murky personality. Spiritual without being preachy, earlene fowler's characters come alive and grow in the pages of her novels with a rare combination of depth and impassioned motivation. the benni harper series is one of the best, and mariner's compass may be the best of the series.

This is the sixth book in the Earlene Fowler quilting mysteries.

Benni Harper, the main character is notified that she has become an heiress. The problem stems from the fact that she doesn't know Jacob Chandler who's made her his beneficiary. Mr. Chandler put a strange stipulation in his will. Benni is required to live at his home for two weeks and no one else can stay with her. Her husband Gabe is not thrilled about the whole situation and wants her to just let the government take over the estate. However, Benni's imagination is challenged and she decides to follow the wishes of the deceased and pursue her inheritance.

This book is a real page-turner. Benni is constantly picking up little pieces of information that Jacob Chandler left and she's made to look at her life and dwell on the identity of the mysterious man. Another good story by this author!

No movie could ever be accurate to the original story, because movies are a visual medium and can never fully get inside a character's head the way books can. And who would want an annoying voice over narration explaining a character's motives on screen? The novel is certainly more brutal than the film and the Sam Loomis character is given more to do, even offering the final answers to Norman's whacked pysche. The house and the motel seem to be the stars of the movie, but the book is more Norman, and truly makes you see the world from his screwed up perspective. A definite must read for anyone who likes the slasher/killer genre or anyone just wanting to see what the great motion picture was based on. Probably one of the best horror novels of the 20th century, you can toss this off in a day or two, depending on your time schedule.

Psycho is a great read, made even greater by the fact that the book is 40 years old! Extremely groundbreaking in the use of a pathology for the killer, it seems that Norman Bates is as much a household name in American culture as Ronald McDonald. The Alfred Hitchcock film version seems to have used the book for the script, with only minor deviations. A short read, it's impossible not to finish this in one sitting. While reading I took down four pages of quotations from this book, it's that good and inspiring. I do think this book could have been longer and bloodier provided it had been written 10-15 years later. The ending was great and overall the book was awesome. Reading it was like watching the Hitchcock version of the movie, and vice versa. A must read Horror novel. On a scale from 1-10 I'd rate this novel a 10, for its historical significance, the intensity of the story, the quote factor, and characterization.

Come on, everyone knows Norman Bates!

The movie rocked the world of horror as we know it. Alfred Hitchcock's slasher film "PSYCHO" was based on this book. . .but Alfred never did this classic justice. READ THIS BOOK! An enjoyable book and easy read.

Tamara is back, bumbling and guessing wrong, but still a top notch crime solver, kind of like TV's Columbo. All the while reading this book, I felt like a was watching a black and white gumshoe detective movie. The story was written in such a way that one is able to close their eyes and visualize each scene. It was almost as you were there with Tamara. This time Tamara is in Atlantic City searching for the teenage daughter of the wealthy Desmond family. Clueless going in, she meets all the right people but can they or will they help her, that's the question. And, Basil is in town, adding spark to Tamara's quest.This is one book that I highly recommend for the mystery lovers.

I was very pleased with this book. I thought that Tamara Hayle was about to retire after the last case, but I was wrong. This book kept me guessing until the end. And I love the way Basil just appears in her life. If you are looking for a good mystery, this is it. I read it in less then 24 hours.

Valerie, why? Of all the sacrifices that could have been made, why get rid of Tamara's faithful rust bucket, the Blue Demon? I read about all of the rust stains, wheezes, and jump starts starting with the first novel. Aside from that, this novel was read by me in two days, and that is how excellent it kept it's pace in story. Tamara Hayle, P.I. is back and hired by a black socialite to find her missing runaway daughter somewhere in the bowels of Atlantic City. From the first chapter, Tamara's search was packed with intriqued and quite a few dead bodies lying around, thanks to a serial killer preying on runaway girls. Add the mysterious Basil Dupree to the mix and this novel had everything a mystery lover wants. Now all she needs is another demon in her life and it's all good again! Great job, Ms. Wilson!