Combine humor, family secrets and murder, and the resulting DIAMONDBACK by Elizabeth Dearl keeps this fast-paced mystery both entertaining and surprising to the end!

Mystery author Taylor Madison manages to wreck her prized Volkswagen when a rattler sudden appears on the highway and she swerves to avoid it. Her five hundred-mile journey ends in Perdue City, Texas, population 2,948, where she's soon aghast to learn that she's arrived just in time for a rattlesnake festival. Taylor's purpose for coming to Perdue City is to confront her estranged aunt, a woman whose existance Taylor only learned about a week following her mother's death. Taylor had unexpectedly come across a card tucked away in her mother's personal effects, suggesting that her mother had not been open or honest about her past.

When she hikes into town, Taylor's relieved to finally find an open hardware store to get warm. The owner apologizes that there's no taxi in town, but does offer the services of the local sheriff as chauffeur. The sheriff, Miles Crawford, takes a personal interest in her from the first moment he sees Taylor. First he drives her to her aunt's house, where she's quickly ejected from the home. Then he appoints her deputy sheriff to earn money for her car repair, and helps to secure a room over the hardware store while she stays in Perdue City.

The sheriff's kindness ends rather quickly, however, when his housekeeper finds him dead in his recliner. Since no one else was immediately available, Taylor is called to the scene, where she observes several inconsistencies that point, not to an accidental rattlesnake bite, but murder.

Who would have thought rattlesnakes could be funny and entertaining? But in Dearl's hands, the rattlesnakes and the ferret steal the show. With lots of rattlesnake lore, plenty of comic relief, and a generous dose of attitude, I couldn't put DIAMONDBACK down. I highly recommend it.

Janet Evonovich move over. Taylor Madison is a terrific heroine. She's spunky, likable, inventive and knows how to stir the pot. If you hate snakes, like I do, you'll feel like a well-protected voyeur as you slither through this engaging story. The book is very well written, a grabber from page one with a cast of characters you'll enjoy to the very end. I loved Hazel, Taylor's pet ferret. Made me want to run right out and buy one. Then I remembered they're illegal in California. Ah well, I'll just have to wait for the next Taylor Madison book. This is one of those books once you start reading you just want to keep right on going until you reach the end. If you don't have this book, it's a must read for mystery lovers. Put it on the top of your TBR stack and get started. You'll love every page.

I really enjoyed reading Diamondback, the first installment of Taylor Madison mysteries by Elizabeth Dearl. I think Ms. Dearl did a good job researching small West Texas towns. The secondary characters really make this book and story is a good read. While some of the clues seemed obvious to me the time spent putting them all together was thoroughly enjoyable. This book is recommended to everybody who loves a good cozy.

This is by far the best of the Quantum Leap novels that I have been able to read. I couldn't put it down. (I recieved a detention for reading it while I should have been working in class) I have always wanted to hear more about Al, as he is never really the focus of attention, and this is just the book I was waiting for. I reccomend it to any Quantum Leap fan, especially those of you who think Al should get some more recognition. The plot is involved and very well written. One of my favorite books ever!

Elizabeth Storm has written what is, in my opinion, the best Quantum Leap novel yet. All those little inconsistancies in Admiral Al Calavicci's background are explained when Dr. Sam Beckett leaps into a doctor who is treating a 'John Doe' at a military hospital. This is the ultimate book to read in this series, especially if you are an Al-fan, but Sam-fans will love it as well. It balances what's happing back at Project Quantum Leap and what's happing in the past perfectly. Don't miss this one

I just recently re-read this book for the 4th time and it brought my close to tears again at the depths of Al and Sam's friendship. While it is not necessary, I would reccommend seeing the folowing epsiodes before reading the book: Starcrossed, M.I.A, The Leap Home, and Vietnam. It will bring more enjoyment to the book. Storm was able to play off these episode emotions throughout the book and she did a great job of keeping the characters true to the Ql universe throughout the entire book. If you are not a QL fan now, you will be after reading this book.

Finally, a clear and concise exploration of the power of language and the connection that our language has to our body AND our health. Matt does a great job of synthesizing the work of Flores and Maturana with his own learning journey and medical background. He presents very powerful ideas and exercises in wonderfully simple terms that any lay person can understand! I recommend this book to anyone looking to make shifts not only in their own health, but in the results they are producing in life.

Dr.Budd has brought forward a powerful program, which enables all that are open to it, to find a new way to experience life, health, and a spiritual awakening. The clarity with which he articulates his ideas, as well as those of his esteemed colleagues Maturana, Flores, and others, has the ability to open places in all of us that too often lay dormant. In reading Dr. Budd's book I have experienced the "light bulb going off", whereby I had to put the book down for periods of time and really think about how I lead my own life. I found Chapter 4 particularly helpful, as Dr. Budd quite eloquently outlines how we generate the life we live through our own language use. His description of "The Ten Linguistic Viruses" impacted me deeply, having the same sort of power as that of The Ten Commandments (religion aside). I found the comments of his four very diverse patients, which he weaves throughout the book, very interesting and helpful. It encouraged me to look again at how I experience and lead my own life. Yet, I never felt confused or overwhelmed as to how to make changes. The exercises at the end of each chapter proved to be an enormous help. I felt I was given the tools to journey to new places in my own inner life with great care and guidance. Dr. Budd's deep insights, concern, and practical help communicate hope to all that are willing to look, listen, and learn again.

This book provides a very valuable way for you to learn its lessons, through the sorts of exercises that Dr. Budd developed successfully in his clinical practice. These exercises include quadrants for self-evaluation, automatic writing, directed recollections, meditation, observation, body experiences, photos, autobiography, and writing biographies. The authors describe this as embodied learning -- helping you actually feel what you normally think and do, so you can begin to transition into better thoughts and actions.

To make the exercises more meaningful to you, the authors use 4 case studies of people who went through them to give you a comparison for your own responses.

The chapters cover some very interesting territory. In "My Black Bag Is Half Empty" the authors note that half of all physician visits are for 14 complaints, for which physicians find treatable disease in only 10 percent of the cases. Something more is needed. An early clue for Dr. Budd was in remembering how his grandmother would ask him what had caused a sick feeling. Then, he would feel better after talking it out. When he tried the same method while undergoing his medical training, he was ridiculed. Physicians usually are taught that the mind and the body are different territories. Through a series of experiences in seminars to explore human potential, Dr. Budd learned otherwise. The examples he uses are very compelling, such as the woman who stopped having an asthma attack at an Est seminar when the seminar leader shouted at her that he was not her father.

In "We Are Animals but We Have Forgotten" the authors explain how the environment triggers a reaction that we cannot control until we develop much better skill in choosing our responses.

In "History, the Sculptor of Our Being" you will learn more about how your repeat patterns were established at a young age, which often are harmful to you now.

"You Are What You Say" is a great stallbusting chapter. It explains 10 bad habits that cause problems in peoples' lives. An example is wanting something, but not requesting that anyone help you get it. You end up feeling resentful and isolated. Another example is agreeing to do whatever is asked of you, without considering the consequences. This leads to major overcommitment.

In "Reasons of the Heart" the book explores the impact that emotions have on us physically.

In "Putting It All Together" the authors explain how to use all of the elements explored in the book.

The focus is on making you more self-aware; accepting yourself, your circumstances, and your reactions; and taking more appropriate actions.

Use this wonderful book to overcome your stalled thinking about communications, human relationships, and how to treat yourself! You'll find that you accomplish more, enjoy life more, and other people enjoy you more, as well.

Just wanted to say that this was an awesome book! Her characters are so realistic, and you can kinda relate to them. Does anyone know if there's a book number 5? I'd be very interested. We are totally left hanging!

OMG! Mz. Craft, where iz the fifth book? I can't find it on Amazon dot com, and I'm DYING to know what happenz! I have to know who Blue decided to call! Pleez, finish this series, or else get this website in order, and tell them to make the next book available to us readers! We're dying here, it's a TOTAL cliff hanger. To those of you that haven't read this book, MAKE SURE YOU CAN FIND THE FIFTH BOOK BEFORE YOU START READING ANY OF THEM!

I thought this book was the best book i have read in a long time . It relates to me as i'm about the same age. If you are a teenager and are thinking of buying this book i would advise you to. The plot gets especially good at the end and i am reading the next one at the moment .

I think one of the things I like best about Elizabeth Peters is that she clearly believes that reading mystery stories is supposed to be fun. Of course, there is much to be said for authors that believe otherwise. But sooner or later I need to take a break and lean back with something by an author who has managed to evade all the Sturm und Drang of modern mystery fiction. Someone I can trust with my sometimes fragile psyche. Elizabeth Peters is my all time favorite in this category of 'cozy' tales, for many reasons.

Take the book at hand, "Devil May Care." The plot work is clean and classical. Ellie has been asked by her Aunt Kate to house sit while her Aunt takes a trip. The house is a fine old manse in Burton, Virginia. Ellie arrives with her fiancée Henry, a dull but successful Washington lawyer, to find Aunt Kate clog dancing with a neighbor and deep in football discussions. After a short interlude Henry and Kate head back to the city and Ellie settles in for the long haul. Immediately she finds herself surrounded by ghosts. Aunt Kate's previously unhaunted home suddenly has a transparent young man upstairs, a jilted husband chasing his wife and her lover all over the grounds, a crazy looking red haired woman in the... Well, you get my drift.

Ellie, who is an intelligent and well grounded young woman sets about solving these appearances with the help of Ted Fraser (her Aunt's clog dancing friend) and the very attractive (and not at all dull) Donald Gold, the neighbor's son. The mystery revolves around the original six families that founded Burton, and an old history book Ellie bought for a gift to her Aunt. But what it is eludes everyone, even after Ted barely survives a meeting with an irate spirit and the sudden reappearance of Aunt Kate. The reader is well on his way through this roller coaster ride long before the complexities of the plot finally begin to unravel.

What makes this mysterious farce enjoyable is not only a clean and lively plot, but an entire cast of eccentric and wonderful characters. I greatly admire Peters heroines, who always display a great deal of intelligence and forethought. Ellie is one of these. Her Aunt Kate is no less memorable, with a defiantly impish streak. The male participants, ranging from the very dull Henry to the quick witted Donald are perfect foils for these women. In addition, all six of the founding families are full of amazing confections and one can hardly leave out the long cast of Aunt Kate's pets, lead by the imperious Roger the Rat and Franklin the Fearless Pekinese.

This is mystery fiction intended to be entertainment and little else. Elizabeth Peters is an expert as mixing archeology, the supernatural, and history with the inevitable foibles of human beings and coming up with story after satisfactory story. This is perfect fireside reading for one of those rainy fall days around Halloween. Or for any other time as well.

This mystery includes ghosts, people's reputations, and the dog
that barked in the night. It was difficult to put the book down.
Ellie goes off to housesit her aunt Kate's estate in the Virginia
horse country, and immediately encounters a resident ghost, or is
it? Various ancestors of "old families" make an appearance, and just what are the dark secrets the families have buried?

Between eccentric Aunt Kate, her friend Ted, the neighboring doctor and his son, Donald, some strange servants, and the present generation of the "old families," not to mention the large assortment of dogs and cats along with a pet rat, the story gets interesting. Is there trickery, perhaps mass hallucinations, or has someone really raised the dead?

There are some sidelights about the Washington Redskins, and an argument about who was the best quarterback of all times. Disagreement with Kate can give men a bad itch where gentlemen don't scratch. Overall, it was good reading for a rainy evening.

Ellie has agreed to house sit for her Aunt Kate. Her pompous fiance drives her down to impress the rich old lady, who dislikes him immediately. After Kate's departure with the fiance to the airport. Ellie experiences all kinds of strange manifestations involving the six founding families of the area. A rare book telling of their boring scandals seems to be the trigger. A neighbor agrees to help her solve the mystery. It seems like a practical joke, until an old friend of Kate's gets seriously injured....

This was a very quick read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I picked it up and didn't stop reading until the last page. The characters are quirky and entertaining. The atmosphere appropriately creepy, and the story line engrossing. A very good read.

Volume II is easily the best of Maud's journals; it is the one that I "dip" into whenever I have a few moments or need a bedtime book and consequently is starting to show some wear and tear. It covers the most dramatic points in her life--her marriage, birth of her sons, the discovery of her husband's mental illness, and the death of her best friend, as well as her most prolific years as a writer. She hasn't yet begun to hide as much in her journals, which makes the third and fourth volumes frustrating to read. Since anyone reading the second volume will probably go on to read them all, I should say here that third volume was rather tedious with the lawsuits and maid problems, and number four, though weirdly compelling, was painful to read as her imminent breakdown is all to evident--it is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I wonder if the journals of her last years will ever be published-- I understand that there are problems with people still living, etc.

The difference between LMM's delightful work and her hard life never ceases to amaze me. This volume of her journals (the others are well worth it, too) highlights the changes in her life in her late years. During this period she wrote "Mistress Pat", "Anne of Windy Poplars" and "A Tangled Web" (among others); stories that are a little less idealistic, but the real-life situations have a bewitching "tang". The changes occuring in her personal life must have had an effect on her work. The aforementioned books weren't among my LMM favorites before I read this volume, but learning about her life during this period made me more appreciative of an author who was already my favorite. Who would have thought that reading a someone's personal journal could be so fascinating? I feel much gratitude towards her surviving family members for allowing her journals to be published.

I am 40 years old and have kept a journal for 29 years, therefore, the journal format fascinates me. I adore Lucy Maud Montgomery's works and in 1992, I made a trip to Prince Edward Island to visit all her old haunts with my daugter and my girlfriend and her daughter. I purchased the first two journals while there. If you, dear reader, would like to know what went on in Lucy's (called Maud by everyone) mind and heart from the tender, turbulent age of 14 until her mid-thirties, I highly recommend this book. It will transport you to a simpler time, an era where people read more, pondered in greater depth, made visiting one another a social art. There was no television, computers, internet and telephones had just come into existence. The automobile was invented during these years. The book is fascinating in a historical realm as well as entering Maud's mind and gaining a perspective on her outlook of life and those around her. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and anyone who is a fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery will relish this book and treasure it greatly. It added dimension to my life because people have always intriged me and what their thoughts are, and where they get inspiration to write about their ideas. By reading this book, it added music and dimension to my soul. She freely discusses her love life and her miseries and joys. Read it! You will never forget it. The following journals that were published were just as compelling to read. I own them all in my personal library. My thanks to the publishers: Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston.

Another exceptional historical from Elizabeth Chadwick! The writing paints a picture of medieval England in the time of William the Conqueror that makes you feel as if you are truly there. The story starts out with Ailith, a Saxon wife who suddenly finds herself a widow after her husband attends William's coronation. Her two beloved brothers have already been slain in the Battle of Hastings defending their country and King Harold. Additionally, to make matters worse, she has lost her feeble baby son to the grave.

With sweeping descriptions of the battlefield to domestic life in medieval England, relationships ebb and flow, with Ailith finding herself alone except for the newly met Norman neighbors. She reluctantly agrees to nurse their son as the Norman Felice is too weakened by childbirth. She then becomes Norman Rolf de Brize's chatelaine at his English estate, after having met him previously, and eventually becomes his mistress and bears him a daughter. Meanwhile, Rolf already has a wife and daughter in Normandy. Their love endures many twists and turns but cannot survive what Ailith considers the ultimate betrayal. Their child Julitta, after having been a cherished and indulged daughter, is taken away from it all and her love for Benedict, her mother's Norman friend's son, is fraught with many trials and barely endured hardships.

All in all, this book is a page turner that I found difficult, at best, to put down. It grabs your attention and holds it throughout the entire story. If you haven't read anything by Elizabeth Chadwick you are missing out on some great medieval historical reading! Do yourself a favor and read this and all of Elizabeth Chadwick's books! You won't be sorry!

When a comet appears in the sky over Englad in the year of 1066, most poeple see it as a bad omen. In October of that year, the Normans invade led by William and things are never the same again.

For young Saxon wife, Ailith, who is newly pregnant she wonders what the future will hold for her and her child. She has developed a friendship with her neighbour, Felice, also pregnant.

When Ailith's husband is killed in the Battle of Hastings, she is persuaded to become nursemaid to Felice's new son, Benedict. But her heart is heavy and she cannot reconcile her friendship with the fact that Felice's countrymen killed her husband.

This is an epic romantic tale, which just sweeps you away into the sights, sounds and smells of eleventh century England, where tensions are high and danger lurks around every corner.

I've been to Battle Abbey and the field where it took place, and it was amazing to see everything brought so vividly to life in the book. Ms. Chadwick has the gift of making history come to life.

Not to be missed.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Shadows of the Rose.

Ms. Chadwick writes a beautiful, romantic story with the Anglo-Saxon-Norman era as the backdrop. She has done an excellent job of historical research... from the vivid, graphic battle scenes at Hastings to the societal culture of the period. The love stories of Ailith & Rolf, and Julitta & Benedict would stand alone regardless of the time period. However, the setting of 11th century Britain makes these & all the characters that much more intriguing.

If you adore smoldering, hopeless love, this is a book for you. Escaped from Newgate, Richard Maitland falls deep and hard for his hostage, Lady Rosamund Devere. Born a commoner from an undistinguished Scottish family, as well as believed to be a murderer, Richard is too proud to ever let a hint of his feeling ever show to Rosamund. And Rosamund, who's fallen in love herself, believes he sees her merely as his pass to freedom. How the two finally come to realize they are soulmates is heartstopping passion at its best.

The suspense story is fantastic as well. Thornton's villain (the man who framed Richard) was chilling, and the mystery of who he really was very well-done. I was completely blindsided by his accomplice, as well.

One of my favorite books of 2001!!!

I have read 5 of Elizabeth Thornton's books back to back within the last couple of weeks of "discovering" her. I really like her books. I didn't like Richard Maitland in Princess Charming, but I definitely fell for him in this book. I think this one is one of my favorites! Elizabeth Thornton is a very talented author. I like her combination of mystery, romance and humor. Her heros are sexy, tough and gentle. Her heroines are not irritating airheads. I would highly recommend this author! I just wish she would bring Harper his love mate!

This was my favorite Elizabeth Thornton book so far! She is a fantastic author. I had almost given up on romances because so many of them have little storyline and only sex, the heroines are empty headed, childish and irritating and the heros just not interesting enough. But when I picked up Elizabeth Thornton's books, I was hooked from the beginning. The Perfect Princess is the 6th book I have read so far (one right after the other) and it is definitely the one I like the best. I have enjoyed all of them, but this one was the most enjoyable. Richard Maitland was a fantastic, sexy, tough, non-perfect hero and Rosamund was one of the best heroines I have found in a long, long time. The interaction between the two characters was very enjoyable - from their fights to their lovemaking. I don't know how this one can be topped. Maybe if the author wrote a book focusing on lovable Harper. I don't really like reading books from this time period, but Ms. Thornton has done a wonderful job of combining mystery, romance, and humor that she has now been put on my favorite author list. This one - in my opinion - is a definite winner and worth the reading time.

Beautiful pictures depict romantic spaces with clear details, they helps me as an architect to re-create the Spanish living environment with many examples from different projects. The 20 houses in this book are gorgeous and inspiring -whether you are looking for ideas or merely relax reading. This is not a book showing only pieces of details for decorator use, it's an awesome architectural book as well as a perfect collection for my coffee table.

One of those books that is just full of great images of the Spanish Revival/Moorish style architecture of So. California. While not heavy on text, this book is a very important visual reference for designers, etc. who want to see how it used to be done. Many photos are of the interiors, but most are of the gardens.

If interested in the glazed Malibu tiles seen throughout the book, check out "Ceramic Art of the Malibu Potteries: 1926-1932" by Ronald L. Rindge.

This is a gorgeous book full of color photos and description of Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture in Southern California. The beginning of the book provides a review of the style with information on stylistic influences and historical setting. As another reviewer mentioned, the homes in this book are mostly huge, and it really would have been nice to see some well-done modest homes (i.e. the 1000 or 1600 square foot variety). Nevertheless, this is the ONLY full-color book I have been able to find on this style, and I do think it provides helpful elements for use in smaller houses, but one needs to be imaginative to find them. If you are living in a smaller house, you can't just lift a whole room out of this book. For example, the cover photo features a huge staircase and fountain. It is very difficult (and would be inappropriate) to duplicate this type of thing in a smaller home, but I might notice that the decorative tile on the stair risers and the saltillo tile on the steps could be used on the steps up to my own modest front porch, for example. We have used a number of individual elements from this book in our own home, and we've used the photos to get an idea of what "works" and what doesn't in this style. I do really wish, though, that there was a companion book that showed how this style can be used to advantage in smaller homes, since the vast majority of homes of this style are in the 1000-2000 square foot range.

Overall a beautiful and helpful book, and I do think it was worth the money.