The style of writing is very simple and easy to understand also. If you ever wanted to get introduced to cryptic crosswords, there isn't a better alternative than to pick up a copy of this book and get cracking...

Boston art collector Clayton Reed sends his agent Fred Taylor to Westport, Massachusetts to bid on erotic art being put up for bid as part of the auction of the late Lord Hanford's collection. The Runnymeade Museum will benefit from the proceeds. Fred successfully purchases the drawings, which are the works of the famous nineteenth artist Joseph Turner at an extraordinary low price.

However, before they can toast their victory, problems surface for Clayton and Fred. Hanford's son slaps them with a law suit, demanding the return of the collection. A rival collector is putting brutal pressure on everyone associated with the purchase to inform him what they know about the works. Fred begins his own investigation to ascertain why these drawings, which are atypical of Turner's landscape work, have become suddenly hot. However, it is a shop assistant working on his thesis who uncovers the link that includes a Victorian age murder.

The fourth Taylor art mystery is the best book of a well-designed series. DIRTY LINEN is fascinating as 1999 characters look back at genuine mid-nineteenth century events, which are wrapped inside a stimulating modern tale. Fred remains an interesting character, but his support cast add much to the crisp story line. Especially of note is author Nicholas Kilmer's clever use of secondary players to unravel much of the mystery. This "historical" art who-done-it is a masterpiece of the sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner

As detailed accounts of pike and their captures as still exist are provided in this who's-who of hairy-chested pike. The work that this must have entailed hardly bears contemplation, but that Mr Buller took it on is something for which I'm really grateful.

That he knows his stuff about pike is clear. That he writes about his specialism with common sense and real objectivity is very refreshing.

I wish that someone had re-printed "Domesday" years back - I'd have been first (or thereabouts, anyway) in the queue.

If a copy comes up, and you've got enough cash to meet the price, don't miss it. Buy it. Especially if you're Irish, since there's a disproportionate amount of Irish fish in his list of Mammoth Pike.

After reading this, you'll want a bigger boat.

Among the highpoints: Heather Smith's dissection of the food situation, David Steinberg's thoughtful reflections on South Korean politics, and Holger Wolf's demolition of the myths of German unification. Anthony Michell provides a heterox view of the North Korean economy. It may not be a convincing view, but it is a welcome antidote to usual recitation of Bank of Korea figures.

Though Einstein is arguably the most widely covered, continuing
science story in history and is most noted for his scientific
theories that transformed our view of the universe. This book
chronicles the life of an Einstein that the masses knew nothing
about. An Einstein described as a troublemaker, an agitator, a
fervent pacifist, a socialist, and an open critic of racism.

Einstein arrived in the United States in 1933, the year of
the Nazi's ascent to power in Germany, and became the focus of
J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. And by any means necessary the FBI amassed
a 'file cabinet' of information on him. Fred Jerome stumbled on
documents that addressed Einstein as a Spy and a Kidnap Plotter.
And a dossier where Jerome discovered the political dimension of
Albert Einstein's life and his intense commitment to social justice.

Jerome says when he realized how much had not been told to us about
the life of the 'Man of the Century', he felt as though he had been
robbed. This is not another biography of Einstein, some two hundred
have already been written. It is a window opened by the FBI on the
nature of Einstein's politics, the depth of his public involvement,
and the generosity of his endorsements of organizations he supported.
And it is this activism that made Hoover's Bureau consider Einstein

dangerous. This book reveals information that makes one think the
history we know is sanitized, and what we don't know is at times
appalling. It talks of a 'list' maintained by the FBI on celebrities,
political figures and anyone thought to have affiliatiions with the
Communist Party. It underscores the dangers that can arise, and the
rule of law that exists in times of obsession with national security.
And it creates questions on where the line should be drawn on the issue
of an invasion of privacy. This one will make you take a seat.

Reviewed by aNN Brown