Initially resembling an old-fashioned, hard-boiled detective story, this novel becomes, as the perspective widens, an investigation of love, man's need for love, and the sacrifices we are all willing to make for love. Private detective George Webb allows the reader to "tag along" during one day of his life in 1997, talking to his readers about aspects of his life as they impinge randomly on his consciousness. Description is not a big part of George's life, and it takes the reader some time to understand all his references in this lengthy interior monologue. We don't know, at first, why Nov. 20 is a significant date to him or where he goes every other Thursday, nor do we know about his personal relationships with the women introduced at the beginning, or the reason he's buying flowers, or why he's had a woman's handbag in his possession for two years.

As George's recollections, memories, and observations expand, however, we gradually come to know him and his past, including his relationship with his father, his own broken marriage and the circumstances surrounding it, his alienated daughter, his womanizing, the scandal which has resulted in his leaving the police force, and his decision to specialize in "matrimonial work." We learn, too, that George's client, Mrs. Nash, is now in jail, the reasons for this unfolding even more gradually, as we come to know her, her husband Bob, and the privileged life they've led. Always, however, our opinions of these characters and their relationships are colored by George's point of view, and we, as objective observers, learn as much about them from what George does not say as we do by what he does say.

All of George's memories are concerned with the vulnerability of people who are in love, as Swift raises questions about whether we choose the people we love, or whether we are chosen by them. Does love just happen? What makes it last? What happens to lovers who are "unchosen"? And can we love too much? Although a mystery story is not usually the framework for such a serious, philosophical analysis of love in all its permutations, Swift manages to make this work through his beautifully wrought character study of George, buffeted every which way by the loves in his life. In the lean, unemphatic prose style he first employed in Last Orders, Graham Swift presents a sensitive investigation of love with all its mysteries and ineffable sadness. Mary Whipple

After waiting seven years from his Booker prize-winning novel, Last Orders, we finally have Swift's latest work. I am reduced to a cliche': it is worth the wait. The Light of Day is a beautiful meditation on time (not an unfamiliar theme with Swift) and the inability to understand our choices and what we are really capable of.
George's narrative is Faulknerian with its weaving in and out of the present. And, like Faulkner, Swift brings in so much of the past that corresponds to the present. In fact, the present and the past (all of the way back to Napoleon III) blend together in a wonderful collage of "the things we do for love."
For some, the first 50 pages or so may seem confusing. All I can say is, Stick with it. The more you read, the more you will understand. You may not come up with "an answer," but you will gain an understanding of the mystery, even the absurdity, of our decisions.
Swift is, in my opinion, the greatest living writer. No other author brings a mix between narrative complexity (pretty common) and great story telling (too uncommon) to one novel.
Put Dickens, Faulkner and Proust into a bowl and mix them. You will find Graham Swift.
Perhaps Waterland or Everafter is a better place to start. Regardless, all of his works challenge the reader to understand how the past and the present are intertwined together. The past is like a ghost that haunts all of our decisions, all of our actions, and all of our memories.
Graham Swift delivers again (I only hope that we won't have to wait seven years for another brilliant novel).

"The Light of Day" is a finely-crafted piece of fiction from Graham Swift, whose writing style it seems to me has become increasingly spare, yet nonetheless effective for that. His sentences have become short, giving his prose an almost staccato effect, yet the control and skill evidenced in his earlier writing is still there.

"The Light of Day" is a melancholy, reflective work - again, this seems to have become Swift's forte. Present dilemmas cause his characters to reflect upon the trials and tribulations of their pasts. It seems to me that for Swift, we carry our formative years (indeed all of our experiences) aorund with us. We interpret and react to the present in a large part by referring to our past in trying to interpret what's happening now. In a large part, we are products of our past.

Thus, in "The Light of Day", George Webb the ex-policeman (now private eye) becomes increasingly emotionally involved with his new client Sarah Nash, whose husband Robert is having an affair with the Croatian student Kristina Lazic. As George follows Robert around, he becomes fascinated with the Nash's private life, indeed he becomes infatuated with Sarah. The emotional turmoil this causes him sets his mind off exploring other times in his life when he was under emotional stress: his relationship with his father; the loss of his job; the breakup of his marriage; and his relationship with his daughter. George's past comes back - not quite to haunt him, but almost as an automatic reaction to his present.

An expertly crafted and involving novel.

G Rodgers

I would give this book more stars if Amazon would let me. This book is quite the mystery! The historial mystery is one of the more interesting features in America, how did Meriwether Lewis die? Mr. Shuman takes us on a wonderful trip in his exploration of this mystery. Plus, the added bonus, there is the present day mystery and how they relate. Mr. Shuman does a great job of closing all the loose ends in a very believible ending. A long the way we learn more about Pepper and Alan, and their romance. What twist and turns our heroes go through! Very interesting thories about Meriwether Lewis. I look forward to more by you Mr. Shuman! END

People interested in the details of archeological research will find all of Shuman's books absorbing. With this novel, Shuman also reaches into one of the fascinating, true mysteries of American history---how did Meriwether Lewis die?---to deliver a witty, fast-paced love -and-lust story using his serial hero, Alan Graham, as the narrator. Whereas the typical detective story is focused on a private eye, Shuman's mysteries are solved by a Louisiana archeologist. It's hard not to get involved in Graham's workaday world of contracts, contour maps, surveying, and psychology, along with his current mystery, current infatuation, and current observations about his aging self. However, you don't have to be a weathered mystery buff or an experienced digger to find the Meriwether story completely enjoyable as well as informative. It is very well-written, a fast read, and an especially satisfying one for readers who have visited Baton Rouge and recognize the landmarks Shuman fondly describes. This is one of those rare, modest books that anybody can like.

I enjoyed learning some of the local history of Texas from an ordinary person's view, especially since this person was my great grandfather. I had never heard the stories from any family member before. The descriptions of events and locales really brought home a sense of family. It shows that small events shape a country as well as large events. It also reminded me how much history can be lost unless someone takes the time to write it down.

Based on diaries written in the late 1800s, Under The Texas Sun tell the story of a young boy, born during the Civil War, who grows up in East Texas and goes to work on the big ranches in West Texas. True stories written by his granddaughter who inherited his diaries and who recalls sitting by her grandfather's side as he reminisced about his youthful escapades.

Although this book is out of date, it still offers a great review of the best actors, actresses and films of 1927 to 1985, including such classics as Gone With The Wind, Casablanca, The Godfather and Rocky. (Note: Les Fox is a NY Times bestselling author, and one of millions of people fascinated with Oscar winning films and movie stars.)

Our hero, Alan Graham takes on a more "modern" mystery in this book. The John F. Kennedy assassination. What I like about Mr. Shuman's books is that we takes real happenings in our history and explores them with therories. Mr. Shuman as always taken his readers on a wonderful adventure, full of twist and turns. This book has plenty of them too! The only thing I missed was Pepper. I understand why Mr. Shuman sent her on a trip in this one, but I still don't have to like it. Alan gets his head on a little better in this adventure. Which is nice. As I've said before, Alan is a very likable hero, but sometimes he can be such a jerk. That is part of the fun of this series. Alan is a bit like Harlan Coben's hero Myron. Very human. Keep them coming Mr. Shuman. Thank you for all the fun!

Gerald Durrell's books, The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure, and The Fantastic Flying Journey are two of my family's favorite books. Gerald Durrell wrote over 35 books, mainly for adults, about his real life adventures all over the globe collecting animals for zoos, primarily for the zoo he founded, and funded through his books, on the island of Jersey.
Durrell had a life-long love of animals, first described in his book My Family and Other Animals, an autobiographical account of his unusual childhood, growing up on the island of Corfu, where his mother brought Gerald (age 10) and her three older children, at the badgering of the eldest, Lawrence Durrell (author of The Alexandria Quartet), in order to escape the cold, wet weather of England.
The Fantastic Flying Journey and The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure describe the adventures and mishaps of "Great Uncle Lancelot" and the Dollybutt children, Emma and her twin brothers, Ivan and Conrad. In The Fantastic Flying Journey, they travel around the world, in a self-contained eco-system house, carried by a hot-air balloon, the Belladonna. Great Uncle Lancelot has persuaded Mrs. Dollybutt to let him take her children with him, while he searches for his brother Percival. Percival had invented some special powder which enabled the wearer to speak to, and be understood by, animals. Thus they were able to trace the route followed by Percival. It's a charming tale, relished by young and old.
Our daughter's third grade teacher used the book as part of a year-long project, because it encompassed so many topics.
The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure is the story of the second journey made by Great Uncle Lancelot and the Dollybutt children, as they travel back in time to the Age (actually there are 3 ages) of the Dinosaurs, to help save the dinosaurs from an evil Dinosaur hunter who has stolen a time machine. Saving animals from hunters and from extinction due to the destruction of their environment was a real-life theme for Durrell. It was/is the purpose for his zoo, and he was the first person to impress upon zoos of the world a need for a calling greater than entertainment, i.e., to teach people about animals and to help save animals from extinction by founding breeding pairs to keep the species alive.
Durrell's warm humor and love of animals permeates his books, which are both entertaining and cleverly educational. The illustrations in both these books heighten the readers' enjoyment.

We have used this book as a basis for our study of around the world and learning about the continents. We would love to find 3 more copies for all teachers. We have not been able to locate these. Can you give an address of where to find them in England? A former student got one for us from a relative who lived in England in less than 4 days. Here in the states we cannot locate any.

"Burial Ground" by Malcolm Shuman is a fun mytstery novel filled with several plot twists that can keep you guessing up to the last few pages. It has many true historical elements and anyone familiar with the area around Baton Rouge and the Felicianas will appreciate the accurate descriptions. It also has a view into the native Indians of the area - their past and somewhat confusing future.

What a fun read! Malcolm Shuman has given us a very human, likable hero in Alan Graham, a contract archaeologist. Chosing this profession makes for some interesting plots. With this profession one can't always assume who are the good guys. Mr. Shuman has given us a very good history back ground with a good murder mystery. Lots of twist and turns and good resolution. The supporting cast is fun too. I only wish that Mr. Shuman would explore David more, he seems like a nice friend to Alan. Good romantic conflict with the new contract archaeologist on the block, P. E. Courtney. There are some really fun stuff that goes on between P.E. and Alan. Well worth the time to read this book. Start with the this one and travel along with our heroes and Mr. Shuman. I really enjoyed reading this book. Hope you do too!

There is no greater hoax than the TQM revolution. What it really is, is an excuse to fire people in failing organizations.

If you are reading this book, don't be worried for you are already in Elysium and you are already dead.

Provides a detailed understanding of the criteria, shows how to write an application, and is a tool for assessing an organization and developing plans. Excellent guidance and insight.