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Book reviews for "Cole,_Robert" sorted by average review score:
Beads: An Exploration of Bead Traditions Around the World
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (1997)
Authors: Janet Coles, Robert Budwig, and Jonathan Lovekin
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BEADS
This book is definately focused on beads and NOT so much on projects. Full of beautiful pictures and brilliantly done. A wonderful coffee table book!

Jewelry world tour
If you love ethnic jewelry and want to recreate its look, this is the book for you. The breathtaking photos by Jonathan Lovekin place this in the coffee table book category. Coles and Budwig take you on a trip around the world, stopping in Europe and the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. They scoop up jewelry examples, show the technique, and give you a project to mimic the jewelry using materials that are not too difficult to obtain.

Sophisticated and elegant ethnic jewelry
This book spends comparatively more time discussing types of beads, their history, where they are from, how they are made than it does on jewelry projects. Included are maps showing where many kinds of beads originate.

Whether or not the information is inaccurate, as one reviewer states it is, doesn't matter to me; I'm more interested in the projects, which are mostly necklaces. The jewelry pieces are designed to represent all the parts of the world the beads come from, so there are very authentic looking designs representing Venice, Africa, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, Morocco, Ethiopia, India, and other cultures. The beautiful, large photos show a great assortment of designs to choose from with different looks, though many of them have a look that is natural and earthy, yet sophisticated and stylish. To me they are attractive and serve for great inspiration.

Already having jewelry skills, I can look at the pictures and make them without reading the instructions, but for those who need them, the instructions and diagrams are generally good. The main problem with the instructions is that they are printed in a small font in gray instead of black, so they are difficult to see.

Indigo Slam: An Elvis Cole Novel
Published in Hardcover by Hyperion (1997)
Author: Robert Crais
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Mediocre effort
I've really enjoyed Crais' Elvis Cole series -- especially LA Requiem -- but Indigo Slam was a disappointing, even boring read. The book starts well enough with an intriguing story about three kids abandoned by their father. Crais ruins the book by solving the mystery quickly in the first half of the book. That leaves about a hundred pages for utterly unbelievable shootouts and a farcically complicated end-game designed by Elvis. Are we supposed to find the notion of multiple shoot-outs believable? Is Elvis immortal? Can he in fact be killed? You could skip the final part of the book -- I skimmed it.

Modern PI at its best.
Robert Crais breathes new life into the wisecracking PI genre with his Elvis Cole series. What at first looks like a Spenser clone, becomes fresh and satisfying with Crais' guidance. Cole and his partner Joe Pike find themselves as nursemaids to 3 kids whose father has flown from the care of the witness protection program. What looks to be a case of finding a deadbeat drugged out lowlife takes a turn when the father turns out to be a bit different than Cole's image of him. The fight to save the family brings Cole into conflict with Vietmnamese expatriates, the Russian mob, the Witness Protection Program and the US Treasury. It leads to an exciting chase at Disneyland which guarantees that this book will never be made into a Disney film and a stunning conclusion which puts the family in extreme jeopardy. Write on, Mr Crais, write on.

You can't go wrong with Elvis
For me, the mystery of Indigo Slam is why it was out of print for years. Originally published in 1997, it didn't come out in paperback till 2003 (and the hardcover disappeared), while other later Crais novels (including another Cole book) did the usual hardcover-to-paperback cycle and remained on the shelves. Whatever the reason, it's here now and it's really good.

Elvis Cole, self-proclaimed World's Greatest Detective, is hired by three children to find their father. Motivated more by conscience than money, he helps them. When it turns out that the father is on the run from the Russian mob, Elvis starts getting in over his head. Fortunately, there is his laconic partner Pike to watch his back.

Mystery fans will see a certain similarity between the Cole books and Robert Parker's Spenser. Both feature wise-cracking tough private eyes with mysterious but generally good-hearted partners. Unfortunately, over the years, I found Spenser getting unlikably smug and self-righteous, while Cole remains a pleasure to read about. And both Cole and Pike are much more well-developed than either Spenser or Hawk, neither of whom even reveal their full names (the single-named hero is a bit of a tired gimmick nowadays...Richard Stark's Parker is forgiven because he's been around since the mid-60's).

You don't need to have read other Elvis Cole novels to get into this one; Crais makes it easy to get right into things. For fans of the private-eye novel, you'll find this - like all the other novels by Crais - delightfully entertaining.

In the Deep Heart's Core
Published in Hardcover by Grove Press (2002)
Authors: Michael Johnston and Robert Coles
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Experience but not Expertise
Johnston had a life-altering experience in the Mississippi Delta and was eager to share it. He witnessed some of the staggering problems in our educational system. But instead of being moved and challenged by his book, I grew increasingly irritated and unimpressed. How could a Yale graduate, English teacher and Grove Press author achieve publication of a work so riddled with grammatical and word usage errors? The mistakes cast doubt on Johnston's credibility as an educator and reporter. Just two examples: the repeated use of "disinterested" to mean "uninterested"; and the dozens of incorrect modifiers, such as, "Watching Corelle shuffle down the hall flanked by two security guards, a discomfort welled inside me." Like others, I too found his tone a bit self-congratulatory. Despite all, I'm glad I read the book. It covers a part of our culture one needs to know.

A bit too patronizing
Tear-jerking and heartstring-tugging are well and good, but I found the writing to be melodramatic and even maudlin at many points. Besides, how can someone who jumps into two years of teaching in a place he probably would have known nothing about prior to landing there really, truly, genuinely come to understand the profound cultural riches (and poverties) of that place? It would take decades, perhaps, and the intimate understanding of a native son/daughter. I am skeptical. This felt--at least on some level--like the author is capitalizing on his experiences in the Delta. It's clear they had an impact on him, but I'm not sure they really allowed him to leave behind a subtle, smarter-than-thou attitude. Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it might awaken some readers to the horrific plight faced by American public schools.

Author is genuinely interested in students, education issues
I am a classmate and friend of the author at YLS and would like to refute the earlier character-attacking review from the YLS student. While I have not had the opportunity to read through the entire book myself, I have talked with the author about education issues and his book, and have found him to be highly informed. More importantly, I feel that he has a legitimate desire to improve the plight of those children from disadvantaged backgrounds through education reform.

Lives of Moral Leadership
Published in Audio Cassette by Random House (Audio) (03 October, 2000)
Authors: Robert Coles and Harry Goz
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Rather Silly
As a comedy, this would rate 5 stars. But I don't think the author intended it as such. This book comes off as the hysterical ranting of some one who has decided to impose their idea of morality upon everyone else. I am still laughing at this nonsense.

A book that every ... member would find silly...
I enjoyed a lot the reading of that book. Dr. Coles is a man who really dedicated himself for the well being of children and society in general. His examples are powerful and instructive. But reviews like the one of John S. Bradburn inspires me pitty. I looked at Mr. Bradburn's interest, and found out that Charlton Heston seems to be his favorite "philosopher", and war his theme of predilection. Fortunately, USA has citizens like Robert Coles and the individuals he described in his book, and it is because such people that Leonard Cohen is right when he sings that "Democracy is coming to the USA"...

Great Grad. Gift
Coles does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of morality in our every day life. This book is a great gift for any graduate (or anyone), allowing the reader to fully understand that just as our teachers, Senators, and even bus drivers should me moral, we too are called upon to be moral to others. It is a great book for anyone looking to get inspired about a couse. I loved it.

The Doctor Stories
Published in Paperback by New Directions Publishing (1985)
Authors: William Carlos Williams and Robert Coles
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A window to another era
I have just finished rereading this book for the first time in over a decade and it has enticed me into ordering a slim book of the poetry of William Carlos Williams. I am not, in general, a great lover of poetry, but he does such an excellent job conveying the exact details of a time and a place, of another era of medicine. Being a doctor myself helps to understand some of the situations, but he writes so specifically that anyone can see what he's trying to say. I like his use of exact, conversational quotes, and his unromantic, but generous view of his, often unhelpful, patients.

Insightful
This is an interesting series of short stories by the great American poet, William Carlos Williams. Williams was actually Dr. Williams and practiced pediatrics for many years. These stories are built around a series of clinical vignettes from medical practice in the early part of the century. While these stories are not great literature, they are very good and Williams is very good at descriptions of clinical phenomena. Some of the clinical entities at the center of the stories are now rarely seen. These stories convey the experience of medical practice in this era very well and several stories have considerable emotional power. This book will be of interest to anyone who likes American literature but will perhaps find the most appreciative audience among physicians.

Stories from a Master Poet
This is an incredible book of short stories by Williams Carlos Williams, the noted American Poet from the thirties, forties and fifties. Like his poems, these stories have to do with human emotions and the human condition, but unlike the poems, they are fully developed with realistic backgrounds and fully fleshed out details. This is because, while Williams was writing poetry, he eeked out a living making pediatric house calls during the depression. He records some of these in this collection. Most of these stories have little do with the parents of his patients, parents who were mostly immigrants and had little faith or hope. But he describes vividly his encounters with unusually fresh and bold children. The masterpiece of this collection is a very short story called "The Use of Force." It is about a fight with a little girl who has throat infection but who will not open her mouth for the doctor to check or culture. The struggle between this obviously beautiful little girl and the doctor, which does come to force, is described candidly and even shockingly, exposing his own pleasure in the struggle and his drive for success at whatever cost. While totally told in the moment, it has the timeless feel of a confession, a morality tale of the way the whole of society treats women, particularly strong-willed, beautiful blonds. Other stories give this same feeling of telling us more about ourselves as a nation than this one man's keen observations of the poverty, grime and grit of depression children.

This Is the Child
Published in Paperback by Southern Methodist Univ Pr (1992)
Authors: Terry Pringle and Robert Coles
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ERIC'S LAST ROUND-UP
Eric Pringle, (1974 - 1981) was a bright, engaging boy who loved candy, cowboys, television and superheroes. He loved making up stories and playing with dogs. Creative and artistic, Eric loved to draw and was quite adept at drawing detailed cowboys. He enjoyed a good joke on his brother Michael who was 2 years his senior. In short, Eric (nicknamed "E") was a normal boy.

At 4, Eric was diagnosed with leukemia. His distraught parents and brother sought ways to make the treatments Eric underwent more palatable. One clever method they devised was to tell him that his medications were like "superheroes" that warded off the evil illness. Michael, to his credit continued treating Eric like a healthy sibling and the pair displayed refreshingly normal bouts of sibling rivalry.

I was not too fond of the author and I didn't like the way he would brush Michael off when Michael expressed resentment over the extra attention Eric was receiving. In one memorable scene, the author tells the resentful Michael to "shut up" and that he went outside to get away from the boy. Ouch! I also didn't like the way he criticized Michael for describing a nightmare he had had shortly after Eric's death in October, 1981. Nightmares were a normal response to the tragedy and trauma this child had undergone. A bright, imaginative child, it was only natural that this young boy's subconscious would conjure up frightful images after losing a brother.

The part that really soured me on the author was when he told a story with Eric as the hero and Michael as the villain. Although Michael outwardly took it in stride, one could not help but wonder what message such a story sent to Michael. I thought it was cruel to make him the villain in the story.

Pringle captivates with a smile

He enjoyed his "Any-M's," those miniature candy-coated chocolates which refuse to melt in your hands. He laughed with his brother and parents, often dressing up as a cowboy before galloping around the house, or giving mock-interviews to his dad's tape recorder. He smiled, when smiles were at a premium. Eric Pringle was a young boy battling leukemia, and spinal taps weren't as much fun as Star Wars figures--but he smiled anyway.

Terry Pringle's THIS IS THE CHILD is Eric's story, revealed through his father's emotional exploration of a tight Texas family. From a rattlesnake coiled in the dining room of a new house to countless I-Spy games during countless journeys to countless doctors in Houston, "E" takes it all in stride.

Here, as in subsequent novels THE PREACHER'S BOY and A FINE TIME TO LEAVE ME, Pringle is adept at depicting the minutiae of family life--the television shows (and everything else) that kids bicker over; the kids (and everything else) that adults bicker over. He i

You May Plow Here: The Narrative of Sara Brooks
Published in Paperback by W.W. Norton & Company (1992)
Authors: Thordis Simonsen, Sara Brooks, and Robert Coles
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Family and the absence thereof......
This book was especially touching for several reasons. A former neighbor knows Mrs. Brooks personally and felt I would benefit from reading about her. She was absolutely correct! I lived in a suburb of Cleveland for several decades, but spent my formative years in the South. Her travails, even though years prior to mine, mirror parts of my own life. The most pronounced difference is the absence of a father. I'm envious because I never knew the kind of devotion she speaks of receiving from her father. His dedication to family and willingness to sacrifice for them is admiral especially since African Americans are sometimes portrayed as devoid of family cohesiveness. I seriously doubt if I'll ever forget that my father left before I knew him personally. I sincerely appreciate the relationship between Mrs. Brooks and the author and the fact that Mrs. Simonsen assisted Mrs. Brooks in fulfilling a dream, one that might have resulted in a stage or acting career had she been born later. The fact that she thought of her as not an employee, but a friend is gratifying. I plan to send a letter to the author expressing my feelings for her part in this endeavor. It goes past being a mere aquaintance to being a part of someones life and dreams.

Heritage
I am a Southern white woman raised Southern black woman. I heard Ms.Thordis Simonsen speak in Bowling Green, OH some years ago. She spoke about Miss Sara Brooks with such tenderness and love that it made me think of the woman who raised me. I bought a paperback copy for myself and a hardcover for Thelma.

We both enjoyed the book. It is a backdoor peek into the times that were. If you think racism is overwrought white liberals and selfish black radicals seeking more than is theirs, think again. This narrative will bring it to your front door and you will not be able to look away.

Arctic Village: A 1930s Portrait of Wiseman, Alaska
Published in Paperback by Univ of Alaska Pr (1991)
Authors: Robert Marshall, Margaret E. Murie, and Terrence Cole
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gold rush era on the koyukuk
A very interesting book on life in a small river trading town on the koyukuk river. It shows the prevailing attitudes of the day between the local native people and the miners, from a white persons point of view. Somewhat patronizing by todays standards, but fairly liberal views for the time it was written. The characters are all real people some of whom were still living when I read this book. The book does skip around a bit and some chapters drag, but in general it's entertaining.

Stalking the Angel
Published in Hardcover by Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub (Trd) (1989)
Author: Robert Crais
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Love Me Tender Elvis
In this second book of the series, Elvis Cole is back, spouting witty dialogue, trying to save the girl, and eliminate the bad guys. Sound pretty much appropriate for a detective story? Not when it involves a Disney-figurine-loving guy driving a yellow corvette.

A priceless Japanese manuscript is stolen and snappy private investigator Elvis Cole is hired to find it. Bradley Warren and the best looking woman he has seen in weeks, Jillian Becker, need Elvis to find the Hagakure, and money is no object thanks to the blank check they left him. In the process, Warren's daughter, Mimi, is kidnapped by the Japanese mafia, making Elvis' work that much harder. Elvis' trail runs cold several times, as the storyline takes several unexpected twists.

Elvis is once again, complimented by his sociopathic, always-wearing-shades partner, Joe Pike. Straight-faced cop Lou Poitras is also back in a minor background role, but always adding a dry humor to the novel. Mimi, the kidnapped daughter, is a very interesting character in this book, as she is the focal point of the investigation, and it is her that brings out Elvis' human side. If anything, STALKING THE ANGEL, opens the readers eyes to Cole's serious, yet sensitive feelings. This human element made for a much more complete novel.

This was a very good book, that reads exceptionally well. The flow is quite nice, with the amusing hero in Elvis taking center stage. This is another solid effort from Robert Crais.

Good Quick Read
Elvis Cole, a quirky LA detective is recruited by a wealthy business man, Bradley Warren, to retrieve an important Japanese manuscript, called the "Hagakure" which was stolen from Warren's safe. While Elvis is reluctant to take the case he soon discovers that there is more to the story, so decides to uncover the truth. Warren's wife Sheila is a sex starved alcoholic and his daugter Mimi is a deeply unhappy and ignored teenager.

The second installment of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series Stalking The Angel is a good quick read. It is hard boiled mystery, which takes the reader on a journey through seedy sections of Little Tokyo to the wealthy mansions of southern California. Crais' Elvis Cole is a quirky detective who has a fondness for Mickey memorabilia. Cole is both skeptical observer and kind-hearted helper. He partners with Joe Pike, who is in charge of the security part of there business.

Uncovering a mystery is always an interesting challenge and Crais provides enough twists and turns to challenge even the most astute mystery reader. In fact, the end leaves the reader to decide the answer for one untied thread.

A rainy afternoon, a day for relaxation or any excuse for a quick light read pick up Stalking the Angel and enjoy.

Stalking the Angel.....A Winner
Hard-boiled and always wisecracking private detective, Elvis Cole and his ever silent partner, Joe Pike are back and better than ever in Stalking the Angel. This time out, he's hired by hotel magnate, Bradley Warren, to find the Hagakure, a priceless Japanese manuscript, that's been stolen from Warren's personal safe in his Holmby Hills mansion. As he and Pike begin their investigation, Warren's daughter is first threatened and then kidnapped from right under their noses and Elvis and Joe are now on a mission to find both the manuscript and the girl, unharmed..... Robert Crais has done it again! Stalking the Angel is a fast paced mystery/thriller, you'll have to finish in one sitting. This is a story that has it all...writing that's smart and spare, with never a wasted word; crisp, irreverent dialogue and suspenseful, riveting scenes. And, as Pike and Cole circle closer and closer to the truth, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat, turning pages to the story's shocking and satisfying conclusion. Stalking the Angel is a book mystery fans shouldn't miss.

Sunset Express: An Elvis Cole Novel
Published in Paperback by Hyperion (1997)
Author: Robert Crais
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All aboard the Sunset Express
Crais does it again. The only reason I give this four and not five stars is I have come to expect so much of Crais that I have set his books for extremely high standards. Elvis Cole has developed the more tender side as his love life grows, but this doesn't take away from the intriguing mystery and the characters themselves. If anything I think these developments make Elvis become more realistic and add to the story. If you have read the previous books don't be worried that this will skip a beat.

For any concerned Spenser fans, I'll say that I was a fan of Crais before I picked up a Spenser novel, and I have to admit I was initially blown away by the thought that Elvis Cole and Joe Pike were a reenactment of Spenser and Hawk. After reading this book though I think that while Crais may have been inspired by Spenser's stories, that his books do not fall into the category of imitations. They definitely stand on their own. In other words if you love Spenser then you'll love these books too, for the characters and stories and you will be begging for the next one to come along.

I can only guess that this book is not published due to some issue between Crais and the publisher of this book and Indigo Slam. I found my copy at a used book store. It's definitely worth the search. No matter how you find it, pick it up and bring it home.

OJ with a twist
You're not into this Elvis Cole case too long before you realize that Crais is using the OJ Simpson case as a model. And if you haven't read any of Crais' Elvis Cole novels, you'll also realize before too long that Elvis and his partner Joe Pike are similar in tone to Robert Parker's Spenser and Hawk. But Robert Crais has the ability to take these similarities and craft them into a series and a detective novel with it's very own flavor. Cole is hired to check out a detective who may have planted evidence. His findings aren't consistent with what the defense team wants and Elvis is forced to switch teams and work with Joe Pike to clear up a mess he helped create. Elvis' romantic tangle with a lawyer from Louisiana is brought into play and takes up a little too much page time, but the the climatic 3rd of the book is as satisfying a set of confrontations as anyything in the Spenser series. Not all of the bad guys get their just desserts and Elvis vows at the end to hound those who get away, which would make a nice story for a future case. A great PI novel especially for those who distrust lawyers and the media, which is just about everybody but lawyers and members of the media.

Wisecracking At Its Finest
Robert Crais has done a wonderful job of writing in the Elvis Cole mystery series. The wisecracking private investigator is back for the sixth novel in his series.

Cole is hired by the leading attorney for a multi-millionaire arrested for the murder of his wife. Cole is hot on the tail of the Los Angeles Police Department in suspecting that they have planted evidence in this murder case. As Cole and his "hired muscle" partner, Joe Pike, investigate further, the evidence starts to turn on the defense team. Things heat up with everyone wanting a piece of the self proclaimed "World's Greatest Detective." Throw in a surprise visit from Lucy, Cole's love interest, and you have an intense thriller.

What always makes Crais' novels so great is his well-developed, interestingly complex characters. He weaves an amazingly intricate storyline around these characters with well-described settings, making for a complete book.

This is another solid effort by Crais, and an excellent novel that is a pleasure to read. Enjoy the ride.

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