This has just the sort of thing nurses need to write care plans. The information is clear and succinct. However, volume 2 is needed, and unavailable. It is frustrating!

J.M. Barrie entitled his book "Peter Pan and Wendy" because it was not only about the boy who never grew up but also about the girl who indulged him in his childishness. The relationship between the two children was apparently intended to be a sarcastic parody on the relationship between the immature father - Mr Darling -and the syrupy mother. We all recognize the character of the man who won't grow up and many women sigh and say, "I have three children - and my husband makes four." However what is not so obvious is that many women partly encourage their men to stay in this emotionally crippled role. For instance, there is the strange habit of women washing men's clothes for them. Anyone who can't operate a washing machine shouldn't be let loose in the family car but women persist in treating men as if they are incapable of organising their personal belongings and men cooperate in this. The husband of a friend of mine will say to his wife, "I don't know where my red jumper is." She puts aside the highly intellectual work she's doing, goes to the cupboard and says, "There's your red jumper - under the green one where I put it (after I washed and dried it)" They have a very happy marriage - unlike my own where I refused to do that sort of thing. I think the reality is that people feel good being treated as a baby some of the time. Men like being fussed over and having unnecessary things done for them. Women like to feel protected, at least some of the time. Both sexes like to act childishly at times, the classic behaviour of adults feeding each other food off their own spoons being a very obvious sign of two people falling in love. It seems that Barrie touched on something that runs quite deep through adult romances. What is interesting is that children don't notice any of that nor the rather snide and sarcastic way that Barrie regards the whole issue. Instead they love the magic of the imaginary island and the idea of being able to fly and all the wild and woolly characters. They love the fun of it all and they ignore the issues of who should grow up and when. Good on them, I say!

If you're live in or are academically interested in the Greatest Town On Earth, this is a good book. It's a collection of studies and essays that well illustrate how we became the City we are today. Thoughtful, somewhat balanced, but unafraid of being controversial, it's a solid read.

Ace AVG and Ninth Air Force pilot James H. Howard was born in Canton province, China, of American parents. Smitten by a recruiter's pitch for naval pilots while studying at Pomona College, he enlisted, and successfully became a naval pilot. Enjoying this life, but eager for combat and promotion, he was swept away again when a very different call for pilots arose. This time the recruitment was for Chennault's American Volunteer Group, later known as the Flying Tigers.

This relatively recent addition to the few AVG pilot autobiographies gives a candid, first-hand account of the group and its missions, methods and pilots. Howard describes his days with the AVG, from its problem-ridden start to its transformation into an effective fighting force. Fans will appreciate the description of famous AVG missions and pilots. Following the disbanding of that group, Howard then fought with the Ninth Air Force, stationed in Britain. This is a bonus for readers, who are given the view from both Southeast Asia and Europe. The European portion often becomes a tiresome, blow-by-blow story of aerial gunfighting, however.

Though this is an autobiography, Howard is not excessively self-centred, and the narrative is not simply a dry listing of his life's accomplishments. A fair amount of the book is impersonal, and relates the routines of military life, or historical information. The writing is intelligent and reasonably objective, and Howard apparently has had a longstanding interest in history. He has included quotes from military luminaries and fellow pilots in order to support his views, to recount aerial actians, or to relate wartime moods in various locales. This unique opportunity is the result of the book's recent publication, and it adds considerable flavour.

As a military autobiography, Roar of the Tiger is clearly written and informative. As it is about performing military duties in service of country, readers should not expect relationships or introspection as with other memoirs. Roar of the Tiger is primarily for those interested in fighter pilots of the period and the challenges they faced.

Many Orthodox scholars such as Fr. Jack Sparks, Bishop KALLISTOS Ware, & Fr. Constantine Nasr. It was overviewed by such Orthodox authorities as Fr. Thomas Hopko, Fr. Stanley Harakas, and bishops representing virtually every Orthodox diocese in North America. I find this Study Bible very useful in introducing people to Orthodoxy through the Holy Scriptures as well as a wonderful companion for every Orthodox Christian. I believe that any Orthodox family could benefit from having this Study Bible in their home.

There are wonderful notes on nearly all the verses of the New Testament, giving the interpretation of the Orthodox Church on the Holy Scriptures. It also includes a lectionary, chapters on "How to Read the Bible," and "Introducing the Orthodox Church," and wonderful articles are interspersed throughout the Bible on such topics as "Confession," "The Four 'Orders' in Church Government," and "The Transfiguration." The pages are also graced by the presence of beautiful icons.

I do have a few minor problems with this Bible. Some is left to be desired in the Book of Psalms, largely because the Septuagint, the Old Testament of the Orthodox Church, was not used. (Of course, this is about to be resolved because the same group of people is currently working on the Old Testament Orthodox Study Bible using the entire Septuagint text.) It was also disappointing to see that in the Morning and Evening prayers in the back, there is no mention of the Virgin Mary. However, the notes and articles throughout the Study Bible clearly explain the emphasis which is put on the Virgin Mary in the Orthodox Church.

I would highly recommend owning this Study Bible, and I don't feel that it deserves a lot of the harsh criticism it has gotten. They did an excellent job!

Up until this century it was taboo to put commentary into a Bible for fear that folk would take the notes and interpretations as if they were part of the Bible itself. Well, they were right! However, now everyone and his brother puts footnotes and explanations in their texts of the Scriptures, so now the Orthodox do as well. This is not THE Orthodox Study Bible (as reviewer Matt asserts above - and, yes Matt, you are nit-picking!), nor does it pretend to be. The articles and notes are intended to help elucidate the Scriptures and provide some introductory articles on Orthodox topics, but this is not a full-blown Bible commentary, nor a course in New Testament theology. The complaints of the critics tend to be essentially that it isn't enough. Well, then they need to write a multi-volume commentary to suit their needs. However, for the average layperson who's lucky to crack open the Bible occasionally, this fits the bill just fine. Remember, there is no "official" Orthodox translation of the Bible except for the original Greek. Thus, the NKJV is one of the better texts and the footnotes are there to make occasional comments as to translation problems and errors. No, they don't cover all the issues, but as I said before, to do that you would need a multi-volume Orthodox commentary that takes up half your bookshelf. Hopefully, at some future date, such a work will be undertaken. For now, this is a modest and well-needed starting point. +Fr. William Christ

This book does a good job in providing commentary notes on Bibilcal passages with an Easern Orthodox viewpoint. The right amount of information is given. It assumes the reader has no or very little knowledge so as not to confuse potential readers, including new converts, curiosity seekers, or cradle Orthodox who have never really studied their faith.

It is filled with iconograpgy throughout and the end of the book has special sections in regards to Orthodox views, prayers, and doctrines. It is done in an easy fomat to spark one for further study and research.

This study Bible should be in any serious Bible students libarary regardless of religion. The views of the East have been often neglected by the West and the East has a rich tradition the West can learn and enjoy.

When I began to read "The Turn Of The Screw" by Henry James, I made the assumption this book would be different from all other books which I have read. I thought it would be different because it is considered an American literature classic. Although Henry James is among many great authors, he is without a doubt, a one of a kind.
In this book his unique writing style has me wondering why such thoughts went through his mind. His wordy and elaborate writing style presented his strange subject matter in a style that could be accepted in his time. While it is sometimes difficult to follow the story it allowed James to express what would have been a controversial topic.
At times in this story you become anxious and excited, while at other times you are left picking and choosing what you think is going on, and when you least expect something to happen you become surprised, and become more interested in the book.
The ending surprised me. What I thought was going to be a happy ending turned into a perverse finale and a total tragedy. From beginning to end, Henry James wrote a book that is different from all other books.

I had long heard of Henry James and his short novella, The Turn of the Screw and decided to read it, thinking that at only 88 pages long, it would not take more than one evening. Three evenings later, I finished the text and I must admit slightly confused. I had to reread the ending several times to truly understand what had happened. Thankfully, I had the critical edition, which included several essays on the story, one in particular by Edmund White which profoundly changed my opinion of the story.
A simple ghost story on the face of it, but in reality a pre-Freudian tale of sexual repression. Narrated by an unnamed governess who ventures to a country house to take charge of two young orphaned children, it soon becomes a tale of ghosts, mysteries and secrets. Always alluded to and never talked about at face value, the governess becomes convinces that the ghosts are after the children and she alone can save them. But are there really ghosts? The reader must go beyond the plot and carefully read the language...all the language. James writes like no other author I have ever read. The best word to describe it is "dense". With almost no dialogue, the narrator can spend pages describing her thoughts and feelings, yet these are so "coded" as to decipher her real meaning takes much concentration on the part of the reader. I know that James himself thought the story an amusement only, but the critical essays I read after the book deeply impressed me that the story has hidden depths which make it all the more interesting.
I would recommend this novella to anyone with the patience to read it thoroughly and with an open mind as to its meaning. I would strongly recommend the critical edition which helps the reader better understand the story's meaning and importance in literature.

I had been informed, before reading The Turn of the Screw, that it would not provide many answers to the questions it provoked. After finishing the novel, I would pass this along to future readers as well. The Turn of the Screw is an excellent story with wonderful details and an extremely creative plot. It is the first book I have ever read that has caused me to be frightened. Many times while reading the story late at night, I would find myself with my hand on my chest, holding my breath because I was so intrigued with the story line. Although it had a wonderful plot, Henry James does leave many questions unanswered. This allows the reader to interpret the events in whatever manner they choose. The complexity of the story depends on the complexity of the thought the reader puts into it. The Turn of the Screw is an excellent book and I would strongly recommend it to anyone. It is a clever novel for a clever reader.

Set in upstate New York in colonial times, Cooper here tells the story of the stolid colonial scout Hawkeye, nee Natty Bumppo (don't ask), who, with his two Indian companions Chingachgook (the Big Snake) and his son Uncas (apparently newly come to manhood), stumble on a party of British soldiers conducting two fair maidens to their father, the commander of British Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War. Under the watchful eyes of the young British officer who has the girls in his charge and led by a Huron scout, Magua, the party appears, to the indomitable Hawkeye, to be at greater risk than they realize as they trek through the wilderness toward the safety of the girls' father's garrison. And, indeed, Hawkeye's judgement is soon proved right as the scout Magua treacherously betrays the hapless girls in repayment, it seems, for a stint of corporal punishment inflicted on him previously by their absent parent. Since the Hurons, Magua's native tribe, are culturally akin to the Iroquois who are the herditary enemies of the Algonquin Delawares, from whom Chingachgook and his son hail and among whom Hawkeye has made his home and friendships, a natural antagonism has arisen almost at once between Hawkeye's party and the Huron and this proves salutary, when danger finally strikes. The tale quickly becomes a matter of flight and pursuit through thickly overgrown primeval forests, over rough mountains and across broad open lakes as the beleagured travelers first elude and then flee the dreaded Iroquois (allies of the French) who have joined the renegade Huron in an effort to seize the two girls. After a brief respite within the safety of William Henry however, the tables are once again turned as Magua's perfidy puts the girls once more at risk. And now the story shifts to a manic pursuit of the fleeing Magua who means to carry off his human prey in order to finally have his revenge on the girls' father, on the British and on the Europeans, generally, whose presence in his native country he blames (not altogether unjustifiably) for his myriad travails. Written in the fine tradition of the 19th century romance (which, of course, is what this book is), Cooper picked up where Sir Walter Scott (the venerable founder of this novelistic tradition) left off, creating a rich historical tale of adventure, nobility and marvelously sketched characters set against a brilliantly detailed natural landscape. If his characters are less keenly drawn than Scott's they are no less memorable for, in the quiet nobility of the scout Hawkeye lies the strong, silent hero of the wilderness which has become the archetypical protagonist in our own American westerns. And the Indians, Chingachgook and Uncas, are the very prototypes of the noble savage, so much used and over-used today. This is a tale of action first and foremost without much plot but so well told that you barely notice, as our heroes flee and pursue their enemies in turn until the very quickness of the prose seems to mirror and embody the speed of the action. Nor is this book only to be read for its rapid-fire rendition of flight and pursuit, for it touches the reader on another level as well, as the bold young Uncas moves out ahead of his comrades to place himself at risk for the others and the woman he loves. Although we never see Uncas at anything but a distance and never get to know the man he is supposed to be, he is yet a symbol of that people of whom he is the last chiefly descendant, the Delaware Mohicans. Nobly born into the finest of Mohican bloodlines, Uncas faces his final trial with heroic energy and resolve in order to defeat the nefarious and twisted Magua. Yet this struggle is also the final footnote in the story of a people, marking the closing chapter for all those Indians who, with the Mohicans, have seen, in Cooper's own words, the morning of their nation and the inevitable nightfall which must follow. -- Stuart W. Mirsky (mirsky@ix.netcom.com

Set in upstate New York in colonial times, Cooper here tells the tale of the stolid colonial scout Hawkeye, nee Natty Bumppo (don't ask), who, with his two Indian companions Chingachgook (the Big Snake) and his son Uncas (apparently newly come to manhood), stumble on a party of British soldiers conducting two fair maidens to their father, the commander of British Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War. Under the watchful eyes of the young British officer who has the girls in his charge and led by a Huron scout, Magua, the party appears, to the indomitable Hawkeye, to be at greater risk than they realize as they trek through the wilderness toward the safety of the girls' father's garrison. And, indeed, Hawkeye's judgement is soon proved right as the scout Magua treacherously betrays the hapless girls in repayment, it seems, for a stint of corporal punishment inflicted on him previously by their absent parent. Since the Hurons, Magua's native tribe, are culturally akin to the Iroquois who are the herditary enemies of the Algonquin Delawares, from whom Chingachgook and his son hail and among whom Hawkeye has made his home and friendships, a natural antagonism arises almost at once between Hawkeye's party and the Huron and this proves salutary, when danger finally strikes. The tale quickly becomes a matter of flight and pursuit through thickly overgrown primeval forests, over rough mountains and across broad open lakes as the beleagured travelers first elude and then flee the dreaded Iroquois (allies of the French) who have joined the renegade Huron in an effort to seize the two girls. After a brief respite within the safety of William Henry however, the tables are once again turned as Magua's perfidy puts the girls once more at risk. And now the story shifts to a manic pursuit of the fleeing Magua who means to carry off his human prey in order to finally have his revenge on the girls' father, on the British and on the Europeans, generally, whose presence in his native country he blames (not altogether unjustifiably) for his myriad travails. Written in the fine tradition of the 19th century romance (which, of course, is what this book is), Cooper picked up where Sir Walter Scott (the venerable founder of this novelistic tradition) left off, creating a rich historical tale of adventure, nobility and marvelously sketched characters set against a brilliantly detailed natural landscape. If his characters are less keenly drawn than Scott's they are no less memorable for, in the quiet nobility of the scout Hawkeye lies the strong, silent hero of the wilderness which has become the archetypical protagonist in our own American westerns. And the Indians, Chingachgook and Uncas, are the very prototypes of the noble savage, so much used, and over-used, today. This is a tale of action first and foremost without much plot but so well told that you barely notice, as our heroes flee and pursue their enemies in turn -- until the very quickness of the prose seems to mirror and embody the speed of the action. Nor is this book only to be read for its rapid-fire rendition of flight and pursuit, for it touches the reader on another level as well, as the bold young Uncas moves out ahead of his comrades to place himself at risk for the others and the woman he loves. Although we never see Uncas at anything but a distance and never get to know the man he is supposed to be, he is yet a symbol of that people of whom he is the last chiefly descendant, the Delaware Mohicans. Nobly born into the finest of Mohican bloodlines, Uncas faces his final trial with heroic energy and resolve in order to defeat the nefarious and twisted Magua. Yet this struggle is also the final footnote in the story of a people, marking the closing chapter for all those Indians who, with the Mohicans, have, in Cooper's own words, seen the morning of their nation and the inevitable nightfall which must follow. If you give this book a chance and bear with some of the heavy nineteenth century prose, it will prove out in the end. An exciting and worthwhile read.

Set in upstate New York in colonial times, Cooper here tells the story of the stolid colonial scout Hawkeye, nee Natty Bumppo (don't ask), who, with his two Indian companions Chingachgook (the Big Snake) and his son Uncas (apparently newly come to manhood), stumble on a party of British soldiers conducting two fair maidens to their father, the commander of British Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War. Under the watchful eyes of the young British officer who has the girls in his charge and led by a Huron scout, Magua, the party appears, to the indomitable Hawkeye, to be at greater risk than they realize as they trek through the wilderness toward the safety of the girls' father's garrison. And, indeed, Hawkeye's judgement is soon proved right as the scout Magua treacherously betrays the hapless girls in repayment, it seems, for a stint of corporal punishment inflicted on him previously by their absent parent. Since the Hurons, Magua's native tribe, are culturally akin to the Iroquois who are the herditary enemies of the Algonquin Delawares, from whom Chingachgook and his son hail and among whom Hawkeye has made his home and friendships, a natural antagonism has arisen almost at once between Hawkeye's party and the Huron and this proves salutary, when danger finally strikes. The tale quickly becomes a matter of flight and pursuit through thickly overgrown primeval forests, over rough mountains and across broad open lakes as the beleagured travelers first elude and then flee the dreaded Iroquois (allies of the French) who have joined the renegade Huron in an effort to seize the two girls. After a brief respite within the safety of William Henry however, the tables are once again turned as Magua's perfidy puts the girls once more at risk. And now the story shifts to a manic pursuit of the fleeing Magua who means to carry off his human prey in order to finally have his revenge on the girls' father, on the British and on the Europeans, generally, whose presence in his native country he blames (not altogether unjustifiably) for his myriad travails. Written in the fine tradition of the 19th century romance (which, of course, is what this book is), Cooper picked up where Sir Walter Scott (the venerable founder of this particular novelistic tradition) left off, creating a rich historical tale of adventure, nobility and marvelously sketched characters set against a brilliantly detailed natural landscape. If his characters are less keenly drawn than Scott's they are no less memorable for, in the quiet nobility of the scout Hawkeye lies the strong, silent hero of the wilderness which was to become the archetypical protagonist of the American western. And the Indians, Chingachgook and Uncas, are the very prototypes of the noble savage, so much used and over-used today. This is a tale of action first and foremost without much plot but so well told that you barely notice, as our heroes flee and pursue their enemies in turn until the very quickness of the prose seems to mirror and embody the speed of the action. Nor is this book only to be read for its rapid-fire rendition of flight and pursuit, for it touches the reader on another level as well, as the bold young Uncas moves out ahead of his comrades to place himself at risk for the others and the woman he loves. Although we never see Uncas at anything but a distance and never get to know the man he is supposed to be, he is yet a symbol of that people of whom he is the last chiefly descendant, the Delaware Mohicans. Nobly born into the finest of Mohican bloodlines, Uncas faces his final trial with heroic energy and resolve in order to defeat the nefarious and twisted Magua. Yet this struggle is also the final footnote in the story of a people, marking the closing chapter for all those Indians who, with the Mohicans, have seen, in Cooper's words, the morning of their nation and the inevitable nightfall which must follow. The book is a bit short on characterization and plotting and the prose is heavy for modern tastes, but the action is richly visualized in the flow of the narrative and the images are compelling. In the end, despite its flaws, this book of Cooper's is, in fact, the classic we have been told it is. -- S. W. Mirsky

Let me begin by saying that I like Patterson's books, and have read, and enjoyed, all of the Alex Cross novels. They are fast-paced, filled with events and action, and hold my interest. With the short chapters and lack of a lot of description, they are easy to read in only a few hours. That having been said, I must admit, to my chagrin, that I did not like this work as much as I had expected, and it's all due to the ending. I never spend time while reading trying to "guess" who the killer or such is; I know the author will let us know in the end. In most books, there are subtle clues that, ocasionally, point to the correct person, and astute readers may be able to discern his or her identity. In this book, I really believe that the author pulled the villain out of thin air, for there is nothing anywhere in my reading of the book that even remotely connected this person to the action and crimes involved. I was greatly disappointed, for I expected more from Mr. Patterson. My rating should be lower, I know, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt, for it's possible I missed something along the way while I was reading. Don't get me wrong; you'll enjoy this book, and it will keep you turning the pages quickly. It's the ending, though, that may give you pause. (I'm holding up the ballot to my forehead, looking for the dimpled chad, and discern..... a sequel!)

I really enjoy James Patterson and could hardly wait to get my copy of Roses Are Red in the mail. Roses Are Red is worth the 2-3 days it will take you to read it. It reads very quickly, and you probably won't want to put the book down. This isn't the best Alex Cross story, and even though The Mastermind is evil, he is no Gary Sonji. As a bonus,I like the way The Weasel was mentioned a few times in this book...exciting things to come from this I'm sure.

Unlike some reviews of the book, I enjoyed reading how Cross reacts to the tough situations he is faced with concerning his family.

I really wanted to give this book 5 stars, but I couldn't because I saw the ending coming. Unfortunately, it wasn't such a huge surprise to me. But it is still a good ending. Overall, I thought the book was pretty good, and I sat there thinking that I really want Dr. Alex Cross to be happy, whatever that means for him.

So, Cross your fingers and read like mad!

A series of bank robberies have taken Washington D.C by storm, and while the robberies are taking place, the families of the bank managers are held hostage. If everything goes according to plan no one will die, but if word comes down from the man in charge...the hostages will die, brutally.

Alex Cross, battling a failing relationship, and dealing with his daughter's sudden illness, takes on the case. What Alex doesn't know is that he will be pit against the most ferocious criminal he has ever faced...The Mastermind.

The Mastermind has a plan, and the robberies are just the beginning. Alex will be drawn into a twisted game with The Mastermind, a game with only one winner. Alex must stop this monster before he enacts his "perfect" crime.

"Roses Are Red" is the best Alex Cross novel in years; the pages turn so fast, the reader is left breathless. Once again Mr. Patterson has written a mesmerizing suspense novel, complete with his standard short punchy chapters, gripping plot twists, and a little romance, all leading to the shocking climax.

Place this "UP ALL NIGHT" read on your MUST READ list!

Nick Gonnella

Devoured the beginning, plodded through the middle, & skimmed the last twenty pages just to say I read the whole thing. A very disappointing, unbelievable ending. Read my favorite short scene while you're in the bookstore-- pages 111-114 (the classroom scene with Avery Knowland); if you still have to read it, check it out from the library.

I'm going to try Mr. Carter's non-fiction book, "God's Name in Vain" since I enjoyed his "sideline soapbox passages" more than the dialogue and action. Seems he was trying to reach every possible market with this thriller--rich, poor, middle-class, African-American, white, gay, straight, intellectual, young, happily married, unhappily married, FBI agent, etc. etc. etc.

My worst complaint: didn't like the use of the phrases "paler nation" and "darker nation." Are these the next NEW politically correct ways to describe one's skin color? This verbose "suspense thriller" lost its thrill a page at a time.

Although black influence may be discerned in many strands of modern popular culture, from sports to stand-up comedy, from music to fashion and movies, one couldn't say that this has also been the case for fiction. Professor Carter's book is a welcome first step in populating a compelling plot-driven narrative with characters we haven't heard from before (or at least, not to my knowledge). In "The Emperor of Ocean Park" black university graduates with high-powered jobs and all sorts of material comforts are resolutely center-stage. In Philip Roth's "The Human Stain", the main character must resign his blackness to achieve success and power in the academical world. Carter's characters never resign their race to be successful in the white man's world. The main voice is Talcott Garland's. He is a lawyer in his forties, a professor of law in an ivy-league-ish university, which in spite of Carter's denial in a post-scriptum is a straigth forward rendition of Yale Law School, where the author teaches. Garland is a complex man, not a cypher, surely a cut above the generic "cut-and-paste" renditions typical of modern popular fiction. He is slightly overweight, not very likeable (he is aloof and emotionally remote), very much his father's son. The father, the eponymous "Emperor of Ocean Park", is Oliver Garland, known in the book as "The Judge", a composite of Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Judge Robert Bork and famous intellectual Thomas Sowell. A moderately conservative civil rights lawyer, he is appointed to a federal judgeship in the District of Columbia Appelate Court where he moves increasingly to the right. In the Reagan era he is nominated to the Supreme Court, but he must withdraw his candidacy when certain sordid associations become known to the public. He then joins a Washington D.C. firm as counsel and rakes in fat fees as a very popular public speaker. The Judge has shaped his children sometimes in ways he didn't mean to. The first born, Addison, is a rebel who refuses to be subject to his fathers very exacting standards of emotional self-control. His daughter, Mariah, the cleverest of all, has withdrawn from intellectual life to become wife of a rich white banker and mother of a large brood. Talcott has fled the rough and tumble of political life to become a tenured professor, and is stuck with Kimberley, a woman he adores, although she doesn't love him and may be cheating on him. A third daughter, Abby, died long ago, run over by a car that then fled the scene of the accident. This death is the catalyst of all that happens afterwards. The Judge is dead at the beginning of the book, and Talcott is quickly assailed by all sorts of shady figures who are looking for the Judge's arrangements. Talcott has no idea of what this means, and he struggles till the book's very end to find the arrangements and keep himself and his family alive. There is a complex chess problem (whose relevance is perhaps less clearly conveyed than the author intended) and several sub-plots to keep the reader occupied. Those thinking about buying the book should not be dissuaded by its heft. The book is a page turner and it has the right mixture of plot, action and rumination to keep the reader interested. It is also evidence that a book may be compelling without a single overtly sexual set-piece, without unnecessary profanity and without obsessive concern by fashionable slang or luxury good brands. This book will still be readable in fifty years without a special dictionary.

Many people have commented on the detailed rendition on the specifics of middle class lives. The big surprise is that these lives are similar to those of their white counterparts. Middle class blacks are hard working achievers, sometimes hindered by emotional distance and obsessive self-pondering. Perhaps one key point is that this is not the middle class as such that we are regarding, but the upper-middle class, with their large townhouses in Washington D.C. ("the Gold Coast") and their summer places in the Vineyard and the Hamptons.

We should expect this book to be slaughtered in the movie version, with Denzel Washington as Talcott, Morgan Freeman as the Judge, Hale Berry as Kimberley and Angela Basset as Maxine. Gene Hackman would be a good Justice Worthington. Read the book before you see the inevitable movie. It will only spoil the fun if you do otherwise.

"The Emperor of Ocean Park" is both a contemporary mystery story concerning the secrets of the father who has just died, as well as a story of life being lived by a variety characters who come alive on the pages. It reminds me of some of my favorite fiction that I read decades ago - the long Russian novels of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, for example, that combined the politics of their times, with vivid stories and characterizations. This book is similar in nature, with the obvious difference being that it is a mystery. While I enjoyed the mystery and tried to make sense of the clues scattered about, my true enjoyment evolved from the richness of the characters that Stephen Carter created.
Misha, the narrator and son of "the emperor," speaks with casual frankness and a self-deprecating manner, often using irony and humor in his comments. His family: wife and son, father - alreay dead as the book begins- and siblings, all come alive to the reader. While the mystery has center stage as the reason for this book, the related purpose of presenting such wonderfully drawn characters, giving a true sense/a slice-of-life, was equally important to me.
I sunk into this book and finished it in a few days. My judgment of how much I liked it comes from how very much I regretted seeing it end. It's a long, satisfying book and one I would recommmend to anyone who enjoys a good novel.

While not as wretched as Violets Are Blue, Four Blind Mice is still a disappointing entry in the long running Alex Cross series. Rather than building suspense and developing his characters, Patterson has sunk to the level of romance writers by including boring relationship drivel in his so called suspense novels.

The plot, or lack thereof, revolves around three army officers, whose identities are revealed in the first ten pages of the book, who call themselves the three blind mice. But there is another who is secretly controlling them; the fourth blind mouse. The quartet is framing other officers for horrendous murders all over the country. Cross and longtime pal John Sampson must stop them before they send another innocent Army officer to death row. All of this sounds entertaining, but it isn't. Knowing the identities of three of the four culprits from the beginning of the novel doesn't help anything.

With Four Blind Mice, James Patterson continues the downward spiral that began with Suzannes Diary For Nicholas. The fact of the matter is, he's trying to do too much. He's now releasing three novels per year, which is simply too many. Back when he was only coming out with one or two, the quality was much better. His next work doesn't sound like it's going to be a literary masterpiece either. The Jester, which is apparantly going to revolve around a king who has to pose as a court jester to save the love of his life, sounds like something out of a Julie Garwood book. Hopefully, Patterson will realize the error of his ways, and start delivering electrifying, thrilling novels in the tradition of Kiss the Girls and Along Came A Spider.

I am a definite fan of the Alex Cross series and have been a Patterson fan for some time. I read THE JESTER and FOUR BLIND MICE over the same weekend and hands down, THE JESTER is the better storyline (actually, JESTER was a wonderful read). Perhaps the creative juices for the Cross novels has waned after so many but regardless, something is just not clicking like it used to. "ROSES" and "VIOLETS" were marginal books while 1ST TO DIE and 2ND TO DIE were just a notch above. It is my hope that Patterson will find the juices again...and soon.

FOUR BLIND MICE opens with Cross' long-time partner and friend, John Sampson, requesting Alex's help to investigate the murder conviction of one of Sampson's Army buddies. Ellis Cooper, Sampson's buddy, has been accused, tried and convicted of the murder of three women along with the bizarre arrangement and paintng of the bodies. Cooper has been sentenced to die by lethal injection; the execution is set to be administered in three short weeks and Sampson believes only his friend and supersleuth Cross can unravel the injustice befalling Cooper. As Cross begins his investigation, he runs into one stone wall after another but hasn't quite determined if those are Army walls (i.e. "we take care of our own") or something quite different. Although doggedly determined, Alex cannot crack the case and Ellis Cooper is executed. The one and only piece of evidence Cross has is the eyewitness account of a teenage boy who indicated he saw three men outside the home of the murder victims that night. However, Alex was never able to corroborate this statement.

As the story continues, Patterson introduces the reader to three very skillful and very sick assassins. Even before Cooper's execution, the reader knows these "THREE BLIND MICE" are responsible for the triple homicide. As time passes, the Mice continue their spree but it is definitely not for kicks. It appears there is a puppetmaster; one who has given the Mice their marching orders albeit mercenary orders at that. This portion of the story winds throughout the book until the end where it fizzles without much surprise or intrigue. The climax is satisfying but certainly not surprising.

Two very poignant subplots revolve around the love lives of Cross and Sampson, nothing really new for Alex but quite unconventional for Sampson. True to VIOLETS, Jamilla Hughes returns as Alex's love interest. And, as always and timeless, Alex still has Nana Mama to care for his three children including his infant son, Alex.

All-in-all, a decent book but I find myself waiting for the next great Cross book. Something in the spirit of KISS THE GIRLS. I haven't given up on Patterson and I certainly will continue to check out his newer "off-Cross" books. As I mentioned, I found the JESTER to be a fabulous read, a storyline and subject matter totally different to Patterson's norm. It's proof that Patterson has the skill yet it seems he has turned his efforts more into a Stephen King-like machine, pumping out one book after another. While this satisfies the volume requirement for fans, it is obvious that quality has taken a fairly staunch hit.

Worth the read but not his best.

If you're looking to read a book that has literary merit forget Four Blind Mice. However, if you're looking for a very-fast paced plot that will keep you turning the pages non-stop and provides edge-of-your seat action and suspense, you could do a lot worse than reading Patterson's latest Alex Cross thriller. If you've read any/many of Patterson's previous books, you're familiar with what to expect in Four Blind Mice in regards to writing style, character development, etc. I enjoyed this book a lot and it made for great escape reading on my recent business trip. It made my three hour flight seem like only minutes had gone by. Also, Patterson has provided more depth to the character of John Sampson in this book than in all of his previous books combined, which I found enjoyable. All in all, Four Blind Mice is very entertaining and is a book I think you'll enjoy.