The style and plot were a tad simplistic. The historical accuracy was actually quite good. My biggest issue was with how "perfect" our protagonist is. He always knows everything, and gets away with completely unbelieveable dialog that makes the book a bit of a dog. If you are a fan of history and airships, this isn't a bad read. The author did their homework. Unfortunately, that is the apparent gimmick. Historical disaster, 2-D hero, and a cheesy plot seem to be all there is. It is amazing that an author can develop such a following with such a pat formula.

I debated whether or not to give this book an extra half star for the research that went it to it, but decided not to. Sure it's impressive to know that the characters in the story are based on the name of passengers in real life and that some of the tale is based on facts, however I couldn't come away with a ringing endorsement of this book but can say that it is an average book. I didn't find the story that riveting overall and I thought the depictions of the characters themselves were fairly simplistic. Now this may due to either the author's style or constraints that Collins placed on himself not to get too involved with creating insight into real life individuals. What does this mean? This book is not grueling or horrible by any means, it can be read without agony, but if you are looking for a great book you should take a pass on it unless the Hindenburg itself is what draws you to the book. Otherwise, I think there are better books that center around some historical basis or what if scenarios. (i.e. Follett's "Eye of the Needle" or Higgins "The Eagle has Landed".)

As a mystery writer with my debut novel in current release, I am greatly impressed by Max Allan Collins and his HINDENBURG MURDERS. His choice of Leslie Charteris, once an actual passenger on the Hindenburg, as a sleuth was a masterstroke of brilliance. The novel's use of a historical situation and actual people's names was deftly handled. Collins has built a crisp mystery in a realistic-feeling setting. THE HINDENBURG MURDERS is most deserving of its recent Shamus Award nomination.

Have you ever thought of how life on Earth would be if a global disaster happens? Reading Max Allen Collins book WaterWorld will help you find out what life would be like if the world was devastated by a global disaster. In the book WaterWorld, the whole world is covered by a never-ending ocean caused by the melting of the polar ice capes. This was probably caused by global warming, which we caused by our constant polluting of our planet. With the whole world covered by water, people have to live on boats or manmade islands. But this world isn't without its dangers because savage pirates are a constant threat to the survivors of this world. These survivors have protected themselves by building manmade islands with defenses to protect them from these pirates. So if this type of reading sounds like fun to you, go to your nearest bookstore and pick it up and start your adventure into the book WaterWorld. I thought this book was great because this type of global disaster could happen to our world. With all our polluting of the air and land, we could some day cause our own major global warming. This would cause the melting of the polar ice capes and would cause our world to flood and end up like the world in the book WaterWorld, a world with an endless ocean. But this type of disaster will take a couple of hundred years to happen, hopefully. So this will give us time to fix our world before this type of disaster could really happen to our own world. I think others should read this book if they like the apocalyptic type books with lots of intense action. Other people may like this book if they like survival books where the main character fights against impossible odds to survive; and in the end, still manages to overcome these odds and survive victorious. Also I think others should read this book because it shows the survivor's unwillingness to give up even in the worst of conditions. An example of this is how the survivor of WaterWorld are able to survive after a global disaster and still be able to live on somewhat comfortably. So if any of this sounds like fun to you, go get the book WaterWorld.

Waterworld Review

The book that i read is Water World. Water World is a exciting story that takes place in the future were the world is covered by water. There are rumors however of a place that still has land. The key to figuring out the position of the land is a little girl. But beware lurking around is the Smokers, a pirate gang on power boats and jet ski's. Have a exciting time reading Water world.

The future, the polar ice caps have melted, leaving the world covered in water. Those who survive, live on these floating fortreses known as atols,in this place called WaterWorld. Brave explorers travel the seas in search of dryland, the last left on the planet. But the Deacon, meniacall leader of a group of evil raiders known as Smokers is determined to find dryland first. He is confident that no one has returned from dryland alive, until now......

Short, sharp, savvy and saucy - with a nod in the direction of the classic "noir" or "hardboiled" style this short story collection delivers your crime in very edible bites.

The decorated group of authors assembled here each contribute their modern interpretation to where it all began in crime; uncomplicated motive, meaningful encounters and your murders delivered by gun and blade. The editors give their thanks to the original masters of crime fiction: James M Cain, Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane etc in what is a highly enjoyable dish of "erotic tales of crime and passion". But with a liberal splash of humour and irony.

The people we encounter every day and think nothing of it: what does that bank teller, airline attendant, security guard have cooking on their mental back burners behind the facade of polite efficiency? Murder.

Reality checks in with the fedora hat and overcoat here; enjoy these 23 windows into the everyday world that includes bad men and nasty women with a grudge. Most of these stories would aptly be described as fantastical - how many gorgeous women can the average Joe bed in a day? - but they are fun rides into the seamier side of life.

~*
Andrea Thompson

The pairing is so obvious that it's remarkable someone hadn't thought to create a compilation of stories combining graphic sex with noir detective settings long ago. Isn't that what detective fiction is ultimately all about, anyway? Detective stories all seem to involve the seven deadly sins sooner or later. There's greed, envy, lust, lust, lust, lust and lust. I think I covered 'em all. However, not much else remains covered in FLESH & BLOOD: GUILTY AS SIN, the latest in the FLESH & BLOOD anthologies of original stories edited by Max Allan Collins and Jeff Gelb.

Collins needs no introduction to readers of detective fiction or to anyone else, really, since his graphic novel, THE ROAD TO PERDITION, was adapted to film. And Gelb? Horror aficionados have prized his HOT BLOOD series, edited with writer and writing instructor extraordinaire Michael Garrett, for some time now. FLESH & BLOOD is a logical outgrowth of the HOT BLOOD series and succeeds as thoroughly. The reasons for the success of both series are the uncanny ability of the editors to mix each anthology with well-known writers and those who are soon to be well known and to get their best out of all of them.

This is far more than a collection of "dirty stories." The sexual content is graphic but always fits appropriately within the context of the tale. Collins's own "Lie Beside Me," co-written with Matthew V. Clemens, is an excellent example of this. The story begins with John Sand, a retired secret agent who is finding that domestic bliss is boring. Mrs. Sand decides to re-awaken their marriage by reminding Sand of certain aspects of his exciting past, just as the past suddenly --- and dangerously --- threatens to intrude. This is the story that Ian Fleming, alas, never got to write.

Then there is O'Neil De Noux's contribution, "The Iberville Mistress." De Noux is a frequent contributor to Gelb's anthologies. No one can write an erotic tale set in New Orleans, that most erotic of cities, like De Noux. This tale of a private eye who becomes an unwitting, though not necessarily unwilling, instrument of the termination of a marriage is worth the price of admission all by itself.

Loren Estelman contributes a fine and humorous offering entitled "A Hatful of Ralph" about a department store detective who finds out more than he should about the extracurricular activities of a couple of coupling employees, while Gelb's "Perfection" is perhaps the ultimate cautionary tale about getting what you wish for. Garrett is represented as well in "Sex Crimes," which is the perfect title for a little band of thrill killers who, uh, really get into their work.

There are a couple of surprises as well. Clemens and Gelb score a coup with "Walking to Paris," a story by the much missed and remembered Rex Miller, who comes out of an illness-imposed retirement to present this story about a stewardess with a penchant for the ultimate payback. And then there's "Bank Job" by Thomas Roche. I was heretofore unfamiliar with Roche's work, a deficiency in my literary education that I plan to remedy soon. "Bank Job," gloriously set in San Francisco, chronicles what befalls a policeman who finds himself kidnapped during a bank robbery and who is almost too distracted by what befalls him to figure out an escape. This story is perhaps the most bizarre in the entire collection and is certainly one of the best.

FLESH & BLOOD: GUILTY AS SIN continues the tradition established by its predecessors of combining sex, violence and mystery into a steamy literary mix that both titillates and challenges the reader. Hopefully, we can look forward to seeing new volumes of this collection for many years to come.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

The production values are good, 8" x 10" prints on good quality paper (non-glossy) with large margins, good color and a soft pastel like quality (it isn't quite a photorealistic or sharp quality but it is very attractive and adds a nice romantic quality).

Just be aware that there are only 14 pictures (printed on one side of a page) plus 2 pages of text.

I think this book is very versitile. You can use it as either an acutal book or remove the pages and frame 'em. Thats how good the quality is. The images definately give a great nostalgia feel. I love pin-ups and these women are very classy and sexy!

This is a fun first novel. It's set at the Boucheron (the big national mystery writers convention) in Chicago in 1984. Mallory's mentor and hero is found dead in the bathtub and there are rumors flying of a newly discovered Hammett. Add in a variety of writing types, two widows of the dead man, a slimy publisher and a cute magazine editor. It's a fun, light read - not cozy cute nor noir dark. I'll read more of this series.

"NYPD Blue: Blue Begining" is a worthy supplement to the series. Designed as a prequel to the series, it retains the gritty flavor of the show. Collins knows the characters inside and out, and as the novel progresses one can visualize the "episode" of the novel perfectly. There is a nice blend of humor, emotion and toughness here that fans of "NYPD Blue" have grown accustomed to. It's a must-read for fans of the show as well as the uninitiated.

Anyone reading this effort is going to be convinced of one thing.

Man, if that guy can get published, then there is hope for anyone.

There appears to be no reason for the book except that the author had done some research on famous people of the 50s and didn't know what to do with it.

My guess: Collins was setting around drinking and wondering how to pay his bills when it dawned on him, "hey, why don't I use the names of these famous people and connect them in some way and see if I can sell it to someone as a novel?"

Those appearing include, Frank Sinatra, Jayne Mansfield, Sam Giancanna, Tony Accardo, Drew Pearson, Estes Kefaufer, and Joe McCarthy. Notice anything they have in common?

All of them are dead, which means they can't object to being in such a dismal novel.

Sorry, Steve 731, I respectfully disagree. I think this is one of the BEST Nate Heller books. The "crime" itself may not be as sensational as "The Black Dahlia" or the Lindbergh kidnapping, but most readers will be well aware of the McCarthy hearings and Kefauver hearings into organized crime (and this book provides a fascinating-- if theoretical-- inside look at both).

I do agree, though, that with a cameo appearance by Jack Ruby (and the fact that Frank Sinatra and mobster Sam "Mooney" Giancana are major characters in this book) it's only a matter of time until Max Allan Collins/Nate Heller tackle the JFK assassination (I can hardly wait!).

It took less than a week to read Chicago Confidential but I almost didn't finish it because the first half is real slow. I stayed with it to see who Heller met and all that, and when the action picked up in the middle, I was hooked.

The case Heller takes on may not be very well known but it's an important part of the Heller story and well worth your time. Collins, as always, has done a great job. --Brian

As an artist and long-time admirer of Gillette Elvgren's illustrations and pinups, I was thrilled to discover this book because until recently, there has been so little published about him. It's interesting to see the photographs he worked from alongside the paintings he executed from them. It's very annoying, however, that so many of the reference photos are "flopped" (turned in the opposite direction from the painting). Why they did this makes no sense, because you can't compare them. Also, the captions are centered rather than justified. The book gives the impression that amateurs put it together. It doesn't do justice to the great illustrations that Elvgren produced.

Gillette Elvgren was the best pinup artist, so any opportunity to see his work is welcomed. However, this book is disappointing: it looks like it was designed by amateurs trying too hard to make an artsy coffee table book. From the cover to the flopped photographs to the inane captions, it is irritating to browse through. His work deserves better.

This fabulous volume is surely the most comprehensive collection of Gil Elvgren's work ever assembled in book form. It should go far to establish Elvgren, along with Petty and Vargas, as a master of the American pin-up.

The biographical information is complete and well written including Elvgren's personal, commercial and artistic endeavors. The information on his associations with other pin-up artists of the time is especially interesting.

The importance of Elvgren's models is emphasized, although he painted from photos rather than the live model. In many cases the model's photo and finished painting are side by side showing Elvgren's ability to capture form and expression.

The book includes about 200 of Elvgren's paintings in vibrant full color and covers his advertising work for Coca-Cola and others as well as his famous calendar pin-ups. It is a great source for the pin-up fan, or art historian.

Setting a murder mystery in Pearl Harbor, just prior to the Japanese attack makes this an interesting read. The bits of history are fascinating and compensate for the rather pedestrian plot. Combining fictional and historical figures works well as they seamlessly combine, but the basic problem is the mystery is no mystery. The plot moves along at a good clip; but it leads to a foregone conclusion. Using Edgar Rice Burroughs as the detective fits in with the actual events, but it seems almost an afterthought, and is merely another hook to get readers interested. Not a bad little page turner, but nothing else.

Most of the time when I read a mystery I don't really care about the mystery part. I mean, how many ways can you solve a crime, when literally thousands of mysteries have been written in recorded history. This one is no different. We get a murder, and someone is found standing over the body with blood on his hands. As this happens fairly early in the book, we can now eliminate ol' bloody hands as the suspect.
So what I look for is what kind of story is woven around what is usually the same old thing. In the case of a historical novel, I want to get a feeling for what people are thinking at the time. The fact that this one takes place a day or two before the Pearl Harbor invasion seems like a great situation. I liked it a bit, but still have a lot of problems with it.
First, as mentioned above, the story is very ordinary. Yes, you know when somebody has blood on their hands early in the story, he's probably not the murderer. But there were also predictable things that deal with what I was interested in, which was the historical events surrounding the story. First, we have both German and Japanese characters. As we are at war with them, or about to be, what a surprise that virtually all of them are unpleasant characters. Also, we get to see the time-worn tactic of having those in authority insist nothing bad is going to happen, just so we the reader can smirk and wait for them to be told "I told you so". I'm sure these situations occurred, but it trivializes an important event.
The part I dislike the most however, is why we need to have a celebrity enter the story as an amateur detective. I love Larry McMurtry novels, but hate it when he puts real-life characters in fictional settings. And I don't like it here. I don't care that the author had the writer of Tarzan as one of his boyhood heroes, and find this device only makes it more unbelievable.
So why three stars? Well, we DO get a decent glimpse into life in Hawaii around World War II. Those younger people that believe they invented sex can see that libidos ran very high in those days (and any other time, for that matter). And with the definate threat that the hunky guys might be blown to pieces at any time in war, the ladies were no doubt a lot more accomodating than you might think in that time. Think about that the next time you see your grandmother, or even your mother.
And the author does a good job of describing the actual attack. This, to me, is the meat of the story. The fact that it came when people were least prepared for it (early Sunday morning). The fact the people at first assumed it was a military exercise. And the quick sobering up that all of a sudden made America a little more grown up. This just about overcomes the "main" plot that is little more, if not less, than a TV detective story.

I'm of mixed minds about this whole trend of taking famous real-world people and turning them into murder-solving detectives. From a writer's standpoint, I can see why such an idea would be tempting -- not only do you get a "character" pre-invented, as it were, but you also, as author Max Allan Collins admits to doing in his acknowledgements, can write about people you particularly admire or are interested in. Much the same reasoning applies, I suppose, to readers of these kinds of stories. If you, too, are a fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs, seeing him and his son investigate a murder might be a very compelling read.

Myself, I'm more a student of the Pearl Harbor attack, and I read this mystery in part for the story itself, but mostly to see how the author wove the true-life events of late 1941 into his story. And the answer is, pretty well (of course, he's had some practice at this, having written several other disaster-based murder mysteries as well).

The crime-solving part of the story is a fairly standard follow-the-clues/unravel-the-secrets tale, and if it had been set in Dubuque in 1974, I don't think I would have given it more than three stars. But it's the way the tale is woven into the larger historical context of the Pearl Harbor attack (and it's not giving away any plot secrets to say that the attack ends up being part of the story) that's most interesting to me, and the author pulled it off quite well. True-life events, like the Mori "flowers in bloom" radiotelephone message (which may or may not have been in code), or a front-porch meeting between Colonel Kendall Fielder and General Walter Short on the evening of December 6, are drafted into service as part of this story. Author Collins credits his researcher, and lists in his acknowledgements many of the key titles in Pearl Harbor historiography, including the Prange trilogy. I second that commendation, because the factual scaffolding on which this story hangs seems pretty solid to me. Collins also does a nice job with the general "atmospherics" of late-1941 Honolulu.

On the whole, the setting and the real-world history involved elevate the workmanlike mystery quite a bit. And if you happen to be a Burroughs fan, so much the better.

A contemporary horror novel set in Chicago and Los Angeles. Like so many other aging baby-boomers, Joyce Lackey hadn't given much thought to her future; it looked rosy and that was enough. So when she's forced into an early retirement and her life goes to pieces, the future begins to look grim...until the X-Gen Agency calls her with an offer that seems too good to be true. Not only do they offer her a new life, they offer her the one thing she thought she couldn't ever have again: her youth.

Most horror relies upon some external agent - ghosts, vampires, psychotic killers - but Regeneration takes a different approach. While the X-Gen Agency and its plans are pretty scary, the true horror of the novel lies in the choices Joyce makes about the way she is going to live her life. To be fair, which of us wouldn't think longingly of renewed youth if it was offered to us? And which of us, in Joyce's position, wouldn't jump at the chance to make a new start at life, particularly when the only other option seems to be suicide? It's not easy to fault Joyce for choosing the paths she takes, and not easy to divorce ourselves from her wholly, even at the end of the novel when most intelligent readers will be shrieking at her to stop and think before she destroys the rest of her life. She's a strong woman with fatal weaknesses, a smart woman who can be willfully foolish and, in the end, a woman who finds it easier to become someone new than to give up all the material considerations she's held so dear: her youth, her job, her image and her lifestyle.

Regeneration is compellingly crafted and highly readable, but if you're not prepared for a story about a group of people who aren't particularly admirable, then don't even bother. There's no happily-ever-after to the romance and, by the end, there's not even a glimmer of hope for Joyce's future. This isn't an uplifting book by any stretch. However if you like well-written horror, and you can find it in something other than raging blood beasts, then Regeneration may well be exactly what you need. Well worth the time.

I picked up the book on a whim and started thumbing through it. After the first page I was hooked! I am in my late 20s and don't believe that either Gen-Xers or Boomers will find that this book stereotypes or demeans anyone. It is pure suspenseful entertainment tied together with lots of nostalgia and great musical references. A terrific book to begin the new century with.

I would recommend this book to everyone I know. I have read it and I am 56. My Daughter read it age 28. Gave the book to my Aunt age 78 and she also loved it. We are avid readers and all of us enjoyed the plot of the book. We all agree it should be made into a TV Movie of the week. This book will grab you from page one till the end. You will want more.