As soon as you start reading Chuck Hogan's insightful, humorous approach to golf, you know you're in the hands of a true master. He immediately lifts you far beyond the current myopic syndrome of golf as a game ruled by swing mechanics and stroke-saving gimmicks. Right away, you're on a fun-filled ride of revelation about how YOU work, how you can take creative control of your golf game and, by inference, the rest of your life as well. Instruction on golf mechanics is like teaching a child grammar and vocabulary, the physical tools of the game - which certainly has its place in the golfer's curriculum. But, as Chuck reveals in all his teachings, that's not the end but only a starting point for learning the exciting game of true golf. It's about re-discovering your own power to create what you want, instead of just endlessly wishing for it. His instruction is refreshingly sincere and unpretentious, filled with enlightening yet easily understandable ways to create a living masterpiece of your golf game . . . and yourself. Chuck has cooked up some of the finest golf soul food, and it's lots of fun, too - so take a big helping and enjoy.

This book is for anyone who is a golfer or anyone you know who is a golfer. Chuck Hogan makes learning golf easy, the way it should be, and fun. After reading the book I broke 80 for the first time. I have only been playing one year. You will learn how you learn and what to learn to play better golf and enjoy yourself enjoying golf.

What a waste of time; I am glad I checked this out at the library rather thasn buying it. The characters are cardboard...never feel that you know about them or care what happens to them. I like good science fiction and good medical suspense thrillers, but this wasn't one of them. A "human virus"....please!!

A nasty plot twist (the virus, Plainville, possesses a human host, resulting in a virus with intelligence). It is the ultimate expression of what viruses "set out" to do--turn hosts into virus. Who cares whether it's even remotely probable? (Retroviruses usually cause chronic diseases like AIDS and lymphoma, not acute, annihilating plagues as in this book.) The characters aren't the most profound, but who's looking for Shakespeare here? I certainly wasn't, and the book gave me several sleepless nights. If you want a technically competent book, read the Coming Plague. The Blood Artists is strictly for fun.

In 2010, virologists Peter Maryk and Stephen Pearse work together on developing a synthetic blood substitute. However, their work is interrupted by a new type of viral epidemic in Africa. Failing to stop the disease, they have the village and its residents destroyed to abort a pandemic outbreak. In 2012 that same virus kills most of the inhabitants of a Massachusetts town and seems to be eliberately striking other places as well.

By 2016, Pearse is dying from the disease, which seems to be purposely spread by a malevolent being who is a virus in human form. Only one person, a survivor of the Massachusetts outbreak, has the immunity to stop the deliberate and cunning killer, who plans to use more mundane means to eradicate his only threat.

THE BLOOD ARTISTS is a strange futuristic thriller filled with plenty of action. The characters are all top rate, especially the two virologists, the Massachusetts survivor, and the serial killing virus. Though there are moments when the tale seems to need a blood transplant due to uneven pacing, Chuck Hogan's newest novel will be fully enjoyed by fans of the sub-genre as a one sitting chiller.

Harriet Klausner

Chuck Hogan has a gift for taking the seemingly endless list of instructions on how to swing a golf club and simplify them down to a few keys that can free golfers from the "paralysis by analysis" that can overload the mind. Not only was I able to shave about 7 strokes off my usual 92 (OK, really a 97, but this isn't about me), but I was also able to enjoy the game, the course and my companions to a greater degree. The only reason I held back from five stars, is that the golfing excellence in the title may promise more than any book can deliver. Relative to the cost of new clubs, a private lesson or the expense of a round of golf itself though, this book is a tremendous bargain.

"Standoff" takes the reader through a wild ride of hostage negotiation with all the bureaucracy that involves. From the local police, sheriff, US Marshalls, FBI agents, and every law enforcement agency in between, you really get an understanding of what must happen in these tense, unpredictable situations.

The story is told from the law's point of view throughout, and gives a good characterization of the politics of the agencies tugging and pulling for authority, attempting to work together in an explosive environment.

Hogan writes his main character, John Banish, well, although most of the supporting cast are underdeveloped. I would have liked to see him give more insight into the other side of the situation - the motivation of the hostage-taker is alluded to, but never dealt with in depth.

Overall, a suspenseful tale that kept me interested; and quite an achievement for a first time writer!

If Hammond Innes (e.g. "Campbell's kingdom") and Donald Harstad (e.g. "Eleven Days") had written a book together; this book could have been the result of their effort. Chuck Hogan's novel mixes police procedural with a high-tension drama up in the remote mountains of Montana. The main character FBI Special Agent John Banish is not only trying to save the innocent people taken as hostage, he must also handle the local police and population as well as trying to come to terms with himself and the tragic events of his past. This is a book that you remember afterwards and it is good enough to read a second time.

An absolute gem! This story of a white supremacist's confrontation with the U.S. government could be taken from the headlines but is described on several levels. Chuck Hogan, in his initial published novel, humanizes the difficult concept of armed conflict. The mesmerizing quality is found in the realism of dialogue and the differing perspectives of all the main characters representing different branches of government and law enforcement. The different points of view and agendas come into conflict with each other and are driven by their personalities, past experiences, and personal demons, especially of the chief hostage negotiator, Special Agent Banish of the FBI. He fights his own personal Hell as he attempts to secure a safe surrender while manipulating the situation so the US Marshall or Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will be blamed if anyone is killed or if anything goes wrong.

This is fast-paced, thrilling and suspenseful with enough depth and surprises that you'll think about it well after you've put it down. As added enjoyment, I suggest you also listen to the audio tape. Stacy Keach does a yeoman's job; his voice along with the accompanying music makes this a listenning experience of the first order. Both book and audio are highly recommended.