Truly this book qualifies as an undiscovered gem! It is a superbly written quick witted tale of high finance set on Chicago's own version of Wall St. I'm definitely keeping an eye on this up and coming young writer.

A great quick read. An entertaing book, especially for those of us in the Chicago area. It is an inside look at the high stakes game of being a "broker". And it's a bet that it is closer to reality than fiction!

A thoroughly readable account of summers spent in a simpler time. Muriel Wylie Blanchet's accounts of many consecutive summers spent sailing north from Victoria into the wild, sparesely populated islands and coastal communities of British Columbia is a delightful read.
She prevailed as a mariner, amateur mechanic, and raconteur at an age and at a point in history when merely being a widow and mother of 5 young children would have been daunting enough.
You can feel the anticipation of her young family as they embark each year to see new places and meet new friends. As they grow, so does the reader's appreciation for the isolation, raw physical beauty, and many charms of Canada's west coast.
I have referred many friends to this book, and all have become devotees. You do not need to have ever been to the west coast, or even to have been on a boat, to appreciate this delightful tale.

Having grown up in Seattle, describing it to strangers is very challenging. Seattle is a mix and dichotomy of cultures and styles. One week may have a festival honoring Scandinavians and the next a Jewish festival, the next celebrating a Chinese New Year or a festival where the goal is to eat as much as you can without throwing up. The architecture changes from block to block, the anarchy creating a unique and unified landscape that is distinctly Seattle. It is a place of technology, mystisism and ecology, surrounded by water on all sides and set near the intersection of two major mountain ranges, just below the magnificent Mt. Rainier.

Capturing all that makes Seattle special and unique has been a challenge for many photographers and no one has done it with the style and class of Charles Krebs in this wonderful portrait of Seattle. He captures the visual distinctions, the ethnic variety, the length and breath of all that is Seattle.

This is a must take home souvenieur for everyone who visits the city, and a great insight book for those wishing to visit. This book has been given to sister cities and international visiting vips for years and continues to be the best visual representation of the city. Truly the best by a fantastic artist.

In addition to being a real-life investigative crime solving book, Eagan's descriptive writing in "Breaking Blue" touched upon many areas that brought the people of the 1930s and this part of the country to life. The natural beauty of the inland Pacific Northwest in the setting of the Great Depression. Hobos, gambling, (...), saloons, opium dens, Nez Perce tribe and police corruption. This work provides a historical glimpse, within its' investigation, which ultimately led to success. Tony Bamonte, A County Sheriff in Pen Oreille County in eastern Washington state, turned his 500 page Master's Thesis into a murder-case solver.

Clyde Ralstin lived a life in the West in some fashion of the Wild Wild West. After he committed the murder, he was fingered out by a fellow detective in the police department. The detective was ordered by his superiors to stop the investigation and be quiet. At the same time, Ralstin left town. Files on both men "disappeared." But many statements and investigations were all uncovered by Bamonte. Living out his final years in Montana, Ralstin was aware of the tightening noose around his neck for what he did 54 years before. The stress and anxiety he experienced, which ultimately help end his life, was the only small amount of justice he received.

Some people close to Ralstin actually accused Bamonte of causing trouble and being the problem. Such is sometimes the twisted loyalty of the blue line, when a member commits wrong doing, even the murder of a fellow police officer. Ralstin stated, "the whole department was crooked back then. Why are they coming after me?"

Bamonte submitted his Master's thesis to his professor at Gonzaga University with trepidation. Is this 500 page piece of work going to be scoffed at, rejected, or laughed at? His professor said it was the most intriguing thesis he'd ever encountered. After some media attention over this 54 year-old local murder case, some turned the tables on Bamonte. During Bamonte's re-election campaign in 1990, the Spokane police chief held 3 press conferences publicly criticizing Bamonte. Actions like this are unheard of. Bamonte lost the election. Why did the the Spokane police chief do this? Because Bamonte was investigating a similar murder in his jurisdiction.

After Clyde Ralstin died 1989, the murder case was closed.

A terrific story that encompasses the mood and flavor of the setting and climate. I often felt as though I was right in the middle of town or in the same room with the characters as the story unfolds. Well written with reference to various time frames over a span of so many years. As I read, I kept wondering if the main characters research was going to be availble as a story in itself. I'll let you find out for yourself. I've never been to the area or even the state itself but after this read and Snow Falling on Cedars, I may be hooked enough by the authors descriptions to travel out sometime.
A great read that will touch your emotions.

Egan goes beyond the typical "true crime" formula to explore a hidden history and sub-culture. His depictions of the regional character resonated with me (a former, recent, Spokanite and Washingtonian born and bred). As one reviewer pointed out, the corruption Egan plunges the reader into is still a powerful force in the region today -- an ugly undercurrent that, in order to remain there, most find necessary to turn a blind eye to. "Breaking Blue" manages to weave several complex elements into a highly readable story without condescending to, or losing, the reader. "The Good Rain" is another masterful study of the Northwest Egan fans may want to read.

This book is so richly textured, I read it in small sections, so I could savor the paragraphs a little at a time. Mr Egan's style of writing is vivid and beautiful, without being overly wordy. A lot of the history in this book, I already knew, but discovered anew; and some I did not know, and am thrilled to learn. My grandparents were immigrants to Seattle in 1906 from Poland, and I feel such a sense of belonging here, that it is wonderful to view the Northwest with someone else's eyes. I count myself as a fan of Mr Egan. I am recommending this book to many friends and family, as it was recommended to me.

I'm now a confirmed Timothy Egan fan. What a wonderful book! (And thoughtful, evocative writer.) He so skillfully brings together the multiple strands of this book -- human, natural, written, and personal histories -- that you feel physically drawn into the events and locations he describes. This is not a book just for lovers of the Pacific Northwest; anyone who is interested in people, politics, history, nature, or travel will be held captive by Egan's words. As someone born and raised in the Northwest (Pacific and Inland), I was astounded by his insight. Once again, he delves deep into the heart of our communal history to bring up forgotten (or unnoticed) truths.

Anyone who is interested in the Pacific North-West - whether its history, ecology, geology or native Amaericans - should read Timothy Egan's excellent book. It is well written and totally absorbing. He speaks up for the natural life of this beautiful area, charting and bewailing the short-sighted despoilation of landscape, wildlife and cultures and arguing for a different approach for the future. You don't have to have visited the area before reading the book - indeed, it provides in itself a fascinating itinerary for the visitor. But if you know Washington,Oregon and Idaho you will relate to this book. It makes you think, understand and most of all, come to love this unique area.

Timothy Egan has expanded his entertaining essays geographically from the Northwest (The Good Rain) to the "Real West" in Lasso the Wind. First of all, his definition of the West is dead on - it's not California, it's not Texas, and it's not Oregon or Washington (at least West of the Cascades). The snapshot stories gathered here give a caption on past and present life in this region. Very well written. Having visited many of the same places, I found myself agreeing with his view of the destruction and development of the West. Enjoy this book - Egan should now be regarded as one of the voices and defenders of the West. Let's hope more people listen.

After reading 'A Good Rain' a number of years ago, I couldn't wait for Egan's next book. And I was not disappointed. Egan casts aside the romantic visions and fanatasies about the real West, and gives his readers a large dose of reality and fact. As with his previous book, I felt myself both incredibly drawn by his accounts, descriptions and history of his subjects - while at the same time agonizing for the atrocities carried out by my predecessors. Egan's prose perfectly captures the geography of the west in a way few authors have been able to.

'Lasso the Wind' falls under the "must read" category for anyone living, working or studying in the West...regardless of whether they are a 5th generation rancher or a 1st generation Sierra Club volunteer.

In general this book explores the character of the West and considers opinions about who owns it. For the most part, Egan writes about the mountain states. Much of the text consists of clear and gripping accounts of historical events that capture the forces motivating people to grab a piece of the west, e.g., money, personal freedom, love of wilderness. One brilliant aspect of the book is that Egan can simultaneously present facts, editorial comment and provide a lucid picture of what is valuable about Western lands.

I'll underline the thrust of one thread of Egan's book: Much of the West consists of federally owned lands that are the property of all americans, whether they live in urban areas or not, whether they are "latte-sipping weanies" or third-generation ranchers. This is no "liberal urbanite " bias this is a fact. The best evidence of political bias is found in the history of tax-payer-subsidized resource extraction on federal lands. This massive, decades-old rip-off has lined the pockets of conservative politicians and their mining, logging and ranching buddies, not liberal urbanites.

Yes, "Living in the Runaway Mountain Time Zone" would be a much better suited title for this book. Apparently the editors of HCN were playing hooky when U.S. geography was being taught in their rural schools. The last time I checked "those wine drinking, cheese-eating" Californians watched the sun sink into the Pacific Ocean long after the rest of the country. But as a large part of the West, both geographically and politically, California is a no-show in the "Runaway West."

Otherwise, if you can fight through the tired sterotypes that are littered throughout most of the writings, then you might be rewarded.

High Country News is a biweekly newspaper about live and issues of the Western United States. The short pieces in "Living in the Runaway West" are from its syndicated column "Writers on the Range." The book is a great collection of those essays, most of which are between two and three pages long -- the perfect length for browsing and getting your "West fix." The essays cover plenty of topics, from environmental controversies like dams and mines to the social repercussions of picking out-of-the-way small towns in which to live. I'd recommend this collection to anyone interested in the West, contemporary environmental issues, and the outdoors in general.