This is the 4th book in the Matt Scudder series and is a very appropriately titled book, with Scudder investigating a stabbing murder that happened 9 years ago. He doesn't particularly look forward to the case but, with nothing better to do, he begins to sift through old ground in between cups of bourbon-laced coffee.

The Matt Scudder character is the important feature of this book as we follow his tortured journey around New York City chasing up clues in a long-dead case. He unearths clues and leads as a good detective should, but it's his battle with the bottle that proves the most fascinating story. He finally gets a good hard smack across the chops in this book which may help put him on the road to sobriety, at least, it scares him enough to consider he may need help.

This is another fine example of an outstanding modern hardboiled mystery, just part of an outstanding hardboiled series.

This is probably the best Matt Scudder book I've read yet. It takes us to a time when Scudder drank but never thought about his habit as something that was gradually controlling his life. He picks up a very interesting case, a particularly greusome murder that slipped through the cracks 9 years earlier and is only now receiving a true investigation. When the beautiful young girl turns out to be anything but an innocent victim, her father (Scudder's client) fires him and refuses to go on cooperating with the investigation. It's too late for Matt, though. He's onto something here, and he knows it. Scudder won't rest until he's solved the case, or at least finished himself off with a case of bourbon.

Lawrence Block took his Scudder books to a new level in "Stab in the Dark". The first three books were good enough to keep me reading, but they were not anything special. In the other books the only thing that kept me interested was Block's style and Scudder's character. The mysteries were never that interesting. This book however has a wonderful plot and has a wonderful supporting cast. Everything about this book surpassed the previous entries. While Scudder, himself, has always been a good character this entry allows the reader to probe inside his mind a little more. Hopefully this was Block's stepping stone and the rest of the series is on par with this one. It is a must read for any P.I. lover.

This books answers some of the basic questions that Trekers have been asking for ages:

Why do the old Klingons look different from the new Klingons? Could an alien really take over and control a human body? Can ageing be sped up, stopped or reversed?

A really good read with just the right amount of depth. Recommended.

I like Star Trek, I just am not a fanatic. As such, I hesitated in buying this book. Why should I care if, for example a Klingon and a Vulcan could or would want to mate? They don't exist! Still, after I read the back and skimmed through the chapters, I decided to buy it. It was great fun!

First, this book is based on real science. The writers are well educated. In fact, they are both doctors and they explain real biology in an interesting way that makes it more interesting and accessible to the public. Teachers take note.

But, this book is much more then a teaching tool. The writers are obvious fans of Star Trek and both have a delightful sense of humor. I found myself laughing outloud and sharing some of the stories with my friends. But it is hard for me to describe their humor, with taking away the hard scient. I think the fairest thing to do, is just tell you the title of some of the chapters.

-What the future May hold, but Probably won't -Parasitic Possession is Nine-tenths of the Law or -Where No One Will Ever Go

These chapters are about the probablities of telepathy, real example of parasites on Earth, (and why they are unlikely in space) and examples of big bloopers in Captain Kirk's Universe. Why and what made the Klingons evolve, for example.

Utimately this book is a tribute to Star Trek's attempts to potray science fiction in an accurate and truthful way. Science often inspires science fiction. It is Star Trek's great glory that a science fiction series has inspired this, and other works of science and scientist. Enjoy the Book.

This book asks many of the strange things about star trek that have puzzled us from the beginning (Is Data alive? Are Changlings possible?). And I think this is the book that said: "The idea that a shapeshifter like Odo would fall in love with a 'solid' like Kira is akin to human falling maddily in love with a turnip." I agree, sorry Odo. And just how did Odo turn into that ball of light when he was with Kira in a recent episode? Matter into energy? KA-BANG!!! Goodbye, DS9! This book also explains that so many "human" aliens is impossible. It also shows why star trek is not my favorite show anymore because of these problems (and repetitive storylines).

This is a must have book in any person interested in the field of percussion, music therapy, or wellness. As a drummer and psychotherapist Robert Friedman guides the reader through the experience of using the drum as a tool for therapy and healing. What has been known for centuries by other cultures of the world comes to life in Friemdman's book. He uses stories from expert percussionists such as Layne Redmond and Babatunde Olatunji as well as noted music therapists Barry Bernstein and Christine Stevens among many others to convey that the drum is a powerful and useful tool in therapy. Friedman inculded many helpful sections such as drumming with specific populations such as At-Risk Adolescents, Senior Citizens, Autism, Down Syndrome, and many others. A section on specific drumming activities is included as well as an extensive list of drum related resources. This book is a pleasure to read and learn from. On a personal level I appreciate that several times in the book Friedman recommends consulting a music therapist to assist with therapeutic drumming interventions. He clearly recognizes and supports the use of music as a vital part of the therapeutic process and guides the reader to many sources where they can explore their rhythmic spirit. This book should be required reading for anyone entering the healthcare field. I personally recommend this book to my percussion students and fellow music therapists and know that many more would benefit from reading this wonderful work.

At a time when the concept of rhythm and drumming is being embraced as a health strategy, Robert Lawrence Freidman captures the current landscape of who's who in developing both the science and practice of drumming for healing purposes.

From music therapists and professional percussionists to scientific researchers and medical doctors, Robert has interviewed them all and highlights their work in this excellent book. Also included are Robert's ideas about using drumming for stress reduction and a wonderful resources in the back of the book on activities using rhythm and percussion for health and wellness.

Excellent Excellent Excellent.

Boom - Ba - Boom - Ba - Boom - Boom - Boom. Makes you want to play and helps you understand why.

I have read "The Healing Power of the Drum" and highly recommend it!
Let me also interject- I am very discriminating with regard to the books I recommend; to be perfectly honest, this is the first time I have ever posted one of these online reviews... but I really wanted to let people know -- this book is an absolute must-read.

The Healing Power of the Drum has taught me so much about how drumming can benefit one's health. It helped me with my father (who has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for 18 years) and it also supplied the tools I needed to get through the recent death of a close friend.

As a Rehabilitation Trainer, I deal with a lot of people who are trying to recover from what are often devastating circumstances. Many are trying to regain not only their physical, but also their mental strength. To help my patients understand the benefits of the mind/body connection, I give each of them a copy of Friedman's book. I would be hard-pressed to find a single one of them who has not benefitted from this book in some way.

I recently saw Mr. Friedman on a Discovery Channel Health series, as an expert on drumming and wellness. I found his ideas, as in his book, to be not only extremely inspiring... but also very easy to implement. The bottom line, Mr. Friedman provides innovative ideas and solutions in the arena of complementary medicine and rhythm that real people can use in the real world.

Globaphobia is a great little text on the benefits of free trade. If only some of those protesting about the evils of capitalism actually took the time to educate themselves. They might then see that everyone benefits from free trade; developing countries have more jobs and developed countries higher real wages; consumers everywhere get greater choice.

There will always be losers - as the book makes clear. But that's a fact of life whichever economic creed you follow. There are significantly fewer losers in Asia now that forty years of economic liberalisation have raised income levels from paddy field to first world standards. This book explains why - in crisp simple terms.

Globaphobia is an important book for anyone trying to get a handle on the free trade arguments. The book is well written and addressed to a lay audience. One should be careful about some of the assumptions in the book, especially if one has no background in economics. I was required to get the book as a supplementary reading for an International Trade Theory course. I found it to be very helpful in getting a big picture understanding of current International Trade Theory. Buy the book; it is worth the relatively inexpensive price!

The ease of reading is exceptional. If you are worried about your limited understanding in economics and especially international trade, this is the book for you. In addition to the book being written and edited to be understood by nearly any modestly educated person it is further advantaged by authors that clearly understand the subject in great depth. As is so often the case the extremely well informed can write with such clarity for the lay reader.

As nearly all economists understand net trade flows always equal net investment flows. Shockingly large numbers of media and congressmen do not understand this utterly simple formula. In a nut shell, with all the foreign money pouring into the USA treasuries market, stock market and direct business investments over the last several decades, it follows that the USA would run trade deficits equal to the net investment inflow over the same period. If you do not understand this or you want an ultra easy review of these simple facts, this book was made for you. In a grand gesture of national service these authors wrote the book that was needed for general understanding of what positive and negative points globalization means to the USA. It is not designed for academic kudos.

If every modestly educated voter would read this book, the future of the USA and the world would be significantly brightened. While this is a pipe dream, at least read this book before you say one more word about globalization otherwise you may embarrass your self in the presence of informed people. If you are informed on economics please forgive my heavy handedness. It is not meant for you. This is a critical issue for underdeveloped nations and the mature nations, there is so much to be gained by informed voters on this subject.

This book is carefully grounded in the proven principals of economics. While a reviewer or two gives an impression to the contrary, decades of reading in economics provides me the confidence to assure you that this book is profoundly well grounded. At each point where scholars may differ the authors and editors have carefully laid out its discussion. This is not a book written with a liberal or conservative bent. Modern economics encompasses a significant degree of science and mathematical logic. To view this book as otherwise, is to be illogical or unwilling to accept the most basic proven equations. Again you will not find an easier more meaningful book to read on economics.

The USA economy for a variety of reasons has sharply declining need for workers without a high school education and places a continuing rising premium on post college education. Increasingly, those that can graduate from the elite institutions lead nearly a charmed life in the USA. Immigrants that are able to enter the USA with limited education are having increasing difficulty as the decades roll by. It is not clear that globalization is a meaningful factor in placing the such great educational needs on the American worker. This book helps frame the questions that might be asked about the rising importance of education in the USA. The book being about globalization does not dwell on this issue, but it does strongly suggest that the potential understanding of this issue of the exponentially rising need for superior knowledge is much broader than the globalization trend.

The most provocative theme in the latter chapters of the book is the impact of globalization on those American workers that are poorly educated. The adverse impacts on this group comes from rapid technology changes, defective educational system, ineffective governmental assistance and to a very small degree open trade. The authors documentation about how little negative impact foreign trade has on a very limited number of workers is shocking. A source of another worthy book would be to provide a more exhaustive review of this aspect. The authors conclude that the popular obsession on this point should treated with a reorganized aggressive worker assistance program. Almost any reasonable assistance program would be a modest cost relative to the diverse and powerful benefits that all the rest of Americans get from open trade according to the authors.

The authors are very negative on the effectiveness of government sponsored retraining. The book is highly critical of the governments ability to define injured parties in open trade without it being a political football. The authors suggest an assistance program that is indiscriminate as to the cause of worker misfortune and focuses on programs that show imperial evidence of effectiveness. The focal point is intermediate assistance for any lower income workers need to find new employment. While the left and the right quarrel about where to draw the line, the authors contend that so few people are in need relative to the benefits of open trade that just focusing on a well designed assistance program would make all the difference in giving support and comfort to the aggrieved relative to the huge benefits of open trade.

Block hasn't lost his touch, and neither has Scudder, and if it takes you more than one sitting to read the 300 pages of EVERYBODY DIES, I'd be shocked. It's exceptionally readable and, in spots, beautifully written. But that's just spots, and long-time fans of the series will find the book as a whole less satisfying than EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE and A STAB IN THE DARK (easily the two best) or WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES, A TICKET TO THE BONEYARD, THE SINS OF THE FATHERS, and A DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE (the four next best).

There's a lot of recapping going on -- in the first few chapters, Block retells four or five stories from the earlier novels, which turns out to be necessary for the plot, but which is a bit tiresome for those of us who've already read those stories before. The bits of business with Elaine are perfectly believable, but ripe with the sort of squashy domesticity that has sapped some of the noir juice out of the most recent installments in the Scudder story. Jive-talking TJ has always been something of an embarrassment, and he remains one here, although his schtick is (thankfully) somewhat toned down. And there's a "spring cleaning" feeling to the whole affair, as legions of the series' supporting characters are offed. Not that Block (or Scudder) doesn't treat the deaths with sufficient gravity -- it's just that you get the feeling of an author saying, "Let's wipe the slate clean and start Scudder off on a new path, with less baggage." (Which may be a good thing for the next Scudder novel -- less recapping to be done, perhaps -- but it casts a shadow over this one.)

The book isn't bad, not by a long shot, but it doesn't sparkle (on the whole) with the sheer brilliance of the best Scudders.

I've never quite understood what it is with Block's Scudder novels. Here we have a series of tightly plotted, beautifully written novels from a writer with a gift for creating interesting characters and great dialog; these are the novels Robert Parker would write if he could. Somehow, though, they never seem to break through (just compare the Amazon sales ranking for this book with those for Kellerman's "Billy Straight" or even Cornwell's incoherent "Point of Origin").

Perhaps it's because Block can seem like several writers sharing the same name - the author of the Evan Tanner series vs. the author of the Matt Scudder series vs. the author of the Bernie Rhodenbarr series - so readers may not know what to expect when they see the latest Block on the (real or virtual) bookstore shelf. If they pass this one up, though, it's their loss. This is hard-boiled detective fiction done to absolute perfection, and ranks up at the top not only of Block's output (although "Eight Million Ways to Die" still finds a soft spot in my heart), but among the great works of the genre going back all the way back to Hammett and Chandler.

Hyperbole? Perhaps. Buy it anyway.

Lawrence Block's previous Matt Scudder novel, Even the Wicked, was arguably the best in the series. His newest, Everybody Dies, equals that praise. One wonders if the title is a harbinger of either the end of the series or a house-cleaning so Block can take the character in a new direction. Is it to be read like a shrug, as if Block is excusing the occurrences in the book by saying "You know, Everybody Dies, eventually." Or is it a mandate, as in a Spanish or Greek Tragedy, "EVERYBODY DIES!"   Throughout, even until the climax, Block keeps the reader wondering. Often you'll find yourself thinking, "He wouldn't kill Scudder, would he? How can he? Scudder's the narrator, how would he end it? And if not, he wouldn't kill this character or that character, would he?"   Frequent readers of mystery fiction often find it predictable, because you can only have so many twists and turns and stay true to your character or formula. But Block is one of few writers who, while sometimes predictable in very formulaic ways, still satisfies when the moments come. He even uses a few situations that, in a lesser writer's hands, would be cliche. But we accept this from Block because of his presentation.   This is perhaps not the best book for a first-time Scudder reader. I would suggest  the first (Sins of the Fathers) or one in the middle of the series (Ticket to the Boneyard) to introduce new readers. But for Scudder fans, Everybody Dies is one of the best.

I make it a point to read ZATAOMM every few years, and I also periodically pull my well-worn and page-marked copy off of the bookshelf to reflect on favorite passages. I gain some new insight into the story, and my own life, every time I flip through the pages. This is one of those novels that keeps ending up in my backpack (along with Walden and Blue Highways) when I go on weekend camping and road trips. The philosophical dialogue could be a little intimidating for some readers (especially near the conclusion), but a little slow reading and reflection works wonders. Reviewing the basic philosophies of Kant, Plato, and Decartes would not hurt, but is not really necessary for the first time through. The title has probably turned off many potential readers in fear of buying a book that spiritually explores maintaining a motorcycle. That isn't what the book is about, or is it? Actually, Pirsig uses the motorcycle as an ongoing analogy to the human thought process! . So, no previous knowledge of motorcycles is necessary. In fact, you might learn a thing or two about motorcycles, and yourself.

Despite the book's title, Pirsig's journey is primarily one through the history of Western philosophy, from the pre-Socratics through Plato, Aristotle, the 18th century empricists, and 19th century idealists. On this level alone, the book succeeds in being one of the most accessible and reliable treatments of the field. But the text is also a critique of the whole Western "logocentric" tradition, with its emphasis on reason, or "dialectic." Like Kant ("Critique of Pure Reason") or Kierkegaard ("Concluding Unscientific Postscript"), Pirsig uses reason to expose the limitations of reason. And what does he replace it with? Not Eastern mysticism or Zen riddles but rhetoric. More than the classic rhetoricians that Pirsig exhalts or the 20th-century structuralists and post-structuralists (Barthes, Derrida, Foucault) for which Pirsig's narrative is practically an illustration, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" makes the case for language as the basis for all reality, for all that we think, experience and perceive. It's this conflict between dialectic and rhetoric that drives the narrative, realized in plain yet compelling prose that's capable of staying with the attentive reader for the rest of his or her lifetime. After reading the book twice, I was unable to look at the self, the world, at all things constructed by language in quite the same way. The least successful parts of the book, it seems to me, are the narrator's protracted discussions of the nature of "reality" as a moment inaccessible to human intellect and his somewhat naive, 1960's-style musings on the nature of "quality." Supposedly his English composition students were immediately able to know it when they saw it, thereby making it unnecessary for him as a teacher to talk about "standards" or to establish criteria. (The suspicion arises that Pirsig hasn't had a great deal of experience teaching students how to write.) Nevertheless, even when a cylinder occasionally misfires, this is a book worth reading carefully and more than once. Unfortunately, because of its "cult" status, many people seem to purchase the text but never finish it. Robert Redford owns the screen rights, but a reader would be ill-advised to wait for the movie version. The "visual" elements of the text--the motorcyle odyssey and troubled father-son relationship--are minor metaphors compared to the ambitious and largely successful intellectual quest.

An excellent examination of the deep, nearly invisible, internal incongruities of Western society. Read it in my early twenties and it changed my life. When you read and understand the way our minds and hearts are programmed by our society, and how that programming leads us to goals that don't satisfy or unsuccessful pursuits of happines, it's almost a religious experience.

The reviews posted here don't call enough attention to the paradox Pirsig examines, and here it is:

you are brought up to believe that what is right, what is true, what is logical will prevail in the end. That logic is truth. The problem is that rhetoric overpowers logic, and rhetoric is the tool of those who further their dark ends by pushing our buttons -- buttons we don't even realize we have.

Sure, we all may look at that statement and say "Yeah, so what?" The beauty of this book is how it helps us get past that 'rhetorical' mind set, the "So What" mind set. Getting past it is no small feat. It's also hard to get past the smirks of your peers. This book helps you look inside yourself and realize not only where, but why you are making decisions and behaving in ways which prevent you from growing as a person and transcending the banality of consumption as a way of life.

When you finish reading this book and try to explain it to someone else, you will find yourself at a loss for words because there is virtually no vocabulary, no paradigm around which to discuss it. Yet another major paradox of our society. When you extend this line of thinking a bit, it becomes clear that the message in this book is not for glib conversation, a la Frazier Crane. You can't change other people much; but you can change yourself. And that's an internal conversation.

When I look at how ZAMM asks some painful, bedrock questions about our lives, I wonder where the answers are. The only book that seems to address some of the questions is Steven Covey's book on the Seven Ha! bits. Problem is, how do we un-program ourselves so we can move toward Covey's paradigm. I don't pretend to know the answer. So maybe we need the third book to complete the set for the modern philosopher.

This book demands multiple re-reading. It's the most profound book I've read in English.

I read Lehane's first two books and enjoyed them immensely. But Sacred was so bad that I am very angry that I wasted several hours reading it. The plot seemed to be an afterthought to the smart-aleck, wisecracking dialog of Kenzie. I was also turned off by the condescending put-downs of Florida. Lehane's provincial adoration of Boston detracts from his stories.

"Sacred" is a book that moves along at a satisfyingly quick pace. Even if you get tired of a few improbable action sequences and somewhat cheesy dialogue, there's enough going on in the novel to keep you from putting it down. A constantly twisting storyline as well as a real chemistry between the main characters Patrick and Angie distract the reader from the few faults in the novel. Also, LeHane doesn't depend on his previous "A Drink Before the War" or "Darkness Take My Hand" to explain the backgrounds of either character. A complete novice to his books will have no problem following along, as each of their prior escapades is summarized efficiently in the pages of "Sacred". In the end, you are left with a quick read that leaves you craving for more.

I can't stress how good this guys books are. And while I didn't think it was as great as his previous two in the series, it still has moments that take your breath away. Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are first introduced in his book, "A Drink Before the War." It's so important to start there and read them in sequence. "Sacred" begins in an alomst comical manner for the two detectives but in true Lehane style soon turns gritty and violent. They're asked, rather forcefully to track down a billionaire's daughter who has disappeared along with the original detective who was hired to find her. It just so happens the original detective was Patrick's mentor. These books are fast paced and you'll find yourself staying up late to finish them. What a great set of characters Lehane's created.

HIT MAN Lawrence Block Avon Feb. 1999 ISBN: 038072541X Buy It Here A humorous mystery about a hired killer who is going through a mid-life crisis. This is a hard-boiled, page-turning mystery. Lawrence Block has written a series of Keller novels. Read them all you will be glad you did. Kellerman, known as Keller, is a just normal guy who lives in a nice apartment until his phone rings... then he becomes a hit man, only now he wonders why he does what he does. Story by story Keller grows on us, but you have to remember he is a cold-blooded killer who likes movies where you can tell the good guys from the bad guys, but in this book you can't always tell which is which. Pam Stone

The book the Hit Man by Lawrence Block is a book that is full of enthusiastic drama that makes you want more. This story's main character, J.P. Keller, is a contract hit man. In this book, Keller deals with many problems about his life and has many adventures in doing what he does, which is killing people. This is a great book of short stories about a hit man's personal and impersonal life. Keller is confused and doesn't know whether he should keep his job, that has him killing people, or leave it and live a normal man's life. As a hit man, he sometimes has to kill people that he likes. How does Keller deal with it? What would you do if that were you? Well to find out and to know more about what goes on in a hit man's mind read this book. I give Hit Man a 5 and recommend this book to any body that likes to read exiting short stories.

Keller is a paid assassin, a professional killer, who defies the classic stereotype. Instead, his lifestyle is that of the traveling businessman who is just another Manhattan single male when he is home. He does the Times crossword every morning while sipping his coffee. He has tried therapy and purchased a dog to help him with his growing loneliness. However, the therapy made him even more introspective and the dog left him for his former girl friend. He never cooks (even with a microwave) as he lives on take out or dining out. His lonely existence is only broken by his high paying jobs at various locations around the country. When he is not on the job, he reflects on his life and wonders about his victims' families.

HIT MAN is a short story collection about one of the best characters to arrive on the urban crime noir scene in years. Instead of being a hero, Keller is an anti-hero. The stories are all trademark Lawrence Block: gritty, exciting, and entertaining. However, what makes this terrific book so appealing is that Keller could be the guy next door taking out your sister on a date. To make matters even more interesting, Keller, despite his profession, is a likeable character. Let's hope for more Keller works in the near future. He is fascinating!

Harriet Klausner

The head of San Fransisco's largest HMO dies under suspicious circumstances in his own hospital. The prime suspect has hired attorney Dismas Hardy to represent him - placing Hardy at odds with his good friend, homicide lieutenant Abe Glitzky, and taxing Hardy's marriage as well. The investigation points to a broader pattern of corruption and murder as Hardy joins forces with the authorities to attempt to clear his client's name. Sounds familiar, but that's OK - part of the enjoyment of reading mystery/thriller series is the comfort of the familiar and getting caught up-to-date on the latest developments in the characters' lives. Compared to the previous book in the series (The Hearing), The Oath features a better plot and crisper writing that avoids getting bogged down in the relationships among the many characters. While not exactly unpredictable, there are a few good twists at the end.

I love legal fiction. This one started slow; I tend to prefer the "hit the ground running" thrillers like those written by a Norm Harris, or a Nelson DeMille, or even some of Grisham's books. But "The Oath" did end strong. So I was eventually satisfied.

The opening scene is seen through the eyes of Mrs. Lopez, the worried mother of a sick child. Here John Lescroart makes a strong statement as we see a concerned mother manhandled by a less than caring HMO system. I have long held the opinion that the term "health care" has become an oxymoron.

In the next scene a man is killed by a hit and run driver. Enter Lescroart's protagonists Dismas Hardy and his best friend, homicide cop Abe Glitsky.

In this story we know whodunit early on. One of the early reviews of this book pointed this out, saying that knowing who the killer is "...cuts down the suspense." It was my understanding that when we know who the antagonist is from the onset of the story, that the story is a thriller. When we do not know who did the deed until the end of the story, then it is a mystery. This is a thriller, so I had no problem with knowing whodunit early on.

John Lescroart is a master of characterization and dialogue. From the book: (Luz tried to smile. She couldn't help but worry. Ramiro was no better. In fact, she knew that he was worse. Despite her resolve, a tear broke and rolled over her cheek. She quickly, angrily, wiped it away, but the doctor had seen it. "Are you really so worried?") That's great stuff.

If you love legal thrillers, as I do, then you will love this book. Highly recommended. Cammy Diaz, lawyer

When Tim Markham, the head of San Francisco's largest HMO dies in his own hospital, no one doubts he died of the massive injuries inflicted by a random hit-and-run car accident. But soon an autopsy reveals he died of an overdose of potassium, and the attending physician Eric Kensing becomes the prime suspect.

Kensing, desperate, and in need of an attorney, turns to Dismas Hardy for his defense. Going head-to-head with long time friend Abe Glitsky, and the two bumbling detectives assigned to this case, Dismas knows he has a tough battle to win, and when he finds information that further cements the hatred between Kensing and Markham, Dismas begins to question his client's innocence.

The deeper Dismas digs into Markham's twisted past, he finds no one is exactly who they say they are, and everyone has something to hide, but nothing can prepare him for another shocking murder that will start to unravel a conspiracy of violence that takes the lives of those it has sworn to protect.

'The Oath' is a sure bet for a wild ride of page-turning excitement. The mixing of medical science, and legal thrills makes for a perfect read that will surely entertain. With many novels of it's kind out there, 'The Oath' stands far ahead of the rest for it's twisting plot, fleshed out characters, lightning fast pace and surprises along the way.

John Lescroart is one of the masters of the legal thriller, and his newest novel will give his fans something to cheer about, and earn him a slew of new ones. Mr. Lescroart is never at a loss for creating suspenseful, original plots, and 'The Oath' will further prove his knack for writing blockbusters as it rockets up all the bestseller list's.

A MUST read!

Nick Gonnella

Imagine the nice college boy, the son of your neighbors, this well-educated guy being member of one of the most famous fraternities, this friendly person is about to become a member of a corrupt trust undermining the market, political power, law, and order. In order to maintain and enlarge their world wide web of business, money, and power, this mafia recruits young students for their fraternity Sigma Delta Phi. The selection process for the "pledges" is pretty hard, and it is vital for the fraternity that the "wrong" people never become brothers. They have to be removed from the pledges, from the brothers.

Chad Ewing is removed from the list of pledges by his untimely death. For some strange reasons, the only official investigation of his passing is in the hands of a "disciplinary squad" formed of three students: Former Sigma brother Mark Jessy, his girlfriend Shawn, and Simon, a prospective law-school student. This gang is headed by Dean Templeton, a corrupt man without reasonable qualification besides the fact that he is from Oxford.

The book describes the squad's search for evidence to relate Chad Ewings death to the pledge activities of Sigma. Their efforts are permanently undermined by the Dean and by the mighty alumni of Sigma. The description of this process is well written, gripping, and makes it hard to put the book down. The effect is enhanced since for quite a while, no happy ending is in sight (and I leave it to the reader to judge the actual end of the book).

"The Pledge" reminds me a bit of the good old "Dallas"/"Dynasty" soap operas: A few good guys surrounded by a world of evil brothers. The power of money and economic strength is clearly displayed. However, like in "Dallas" the characters remain relatively simple (although the author grants some of them - especially Mark, the main figure of the novel - at least a certain evolution).

Another question is of course why reasonably intelligent people should want to become members of a fraternity with those pledge activities.

An interesting plot - conspiracy - students - sex&crime (I must have been at the wrong university) - silly rituals - a strong polarization of characters - 3 stars.

This is a fine debut novel from an an author I hope we see more from. Rob Kean has given his readers a gripping story on how power corrupts and things that people will do to maintain that power.

Being a young man not too far removed from his own college days has also permitted Mr Kean to keep his details current, lively and informative. This is a book that could be read by college students AND their parents and both groups would be able to enjoy it. In addition to a deftly paced plot, the author also provides a morality play within the courtroom and murder subplots that co-exist within the pages of this great read.

While set on a fictional college campus, this is primarily a murder mystery with some really well done courtroom drama thrown in for amplification. Kean does a fine job of building his characters as well and by book's end, I am sure every reader will have found a new level of respect and admiration for Kean's hero, Mark Jessy.

I really enjoyed this book and can heartily recommend it to to college aged folks and their parents with equal fervor. Pick it up and read a great debut novel. I don't think you'll be sorry you did.

This book certainly did not read like a first novel. It was excellent! The story takes place at a small private college in New England. The main story line revolves around a very rich or rather well endowed Fraternity.

The trouble begins when a pledge dies, following a night of hazing and a party. The Sigma's feel like they will get off without a hitch, because Mark Jessy, a former Sigma brother, is on the Disciplinary Squad that will be looking into the pledges death. Mark is sure that it had to be an accident, and that his former "brothers" could not possibly have caused the death.

Mark's girlfriend, Shawn Jakes, who is also on the Disciplinary Squad does not like the Sigma's and wants to get them shut down. She is determined that they will not get away with what they have done.

The third and final member of the Disciplinary Squad is Simon Schwitters. He is planning to become a lawyer, and is therefore very interested in the case.

The Dean of the college, Anson Templeton, will serve as the Judge, should the Disciplinary Squad press charges against the Sigma's. Templeton, however is very dirty. He is out to make a quick buck. He is on the payroll of the Sigma alumni. The Sigma alumni is responsible for most of the donations to the school, so they need to be kept happy. Dean Templeton is usually able to make problems disappear for them. However, this time, maybe not so...this book is rather long, but is worth reading. I found myself sitting up past midnight reading, not wanting to put it down. I enjoyed it and I am sure you will too.