What a book..."The Book of life." Why it's a modern cartoon book of paleontology. Though its wonderful life-like illustrations and tree-of-life charts are delivered as scientific facts, they are simply graphic theories that illustrators doll up into hypothetical reality. If you like science and fiction, here is a book for you. The realistic pictures belie the text, which says: "We do not even know how to conceptualize, much less to draw the worldview that would place Homo sapiens into proper relationship with the history of life."

Its authors caveat is that "science can only operate as a work in progress without perfect knowledge, and we much therefore leave a great deal out from ignorance --- especially in a historical field like paleontology, where we must work with the strictly limited evidence of a very imperfect fossil record." It's that fossil record, that the book presumes is accurate in its layer-by-layer record through time, that requires scrutiny. The oldest fossils are found in the bottom layers and the youngest in the top layers of rock, but little or no evidence is presented to provide skeptical readers information they can decipher for themselves as to the accuracy of fossil dating by rock layers. Are we to believe, without exception, that the fossil record is progressive from bottom to top? What about fossilized trees that protrude through millions of years of time? They are conveniently omitted. Michael Benton of England's Bristol University, one of the book's contributors, says "All the periods in the geological time scale receive their names in recognition of obvious changes in the fossil record." Yet, to the contrary, Benton adds, "the history of Earth's crust has been far too violent to preserve much more than a random sample."

Its general editor, Stephen Jay Gould, is magnanimous in his promotion of a single theory of man's origins, from monkeys he and most other fossil hunters say.

There may be missing pieces to the paleontological puzzle, but the bone diggers cliam they have finally filled in the evolutional blanks and can conclusively attest to the idea that life evolved from simpler single-celled organisms into modern man. The book's most ardent opponents are taken head on by Gould: "The lack of fossil intermediates had often been cited by creationists as a supposedly prime example for their contention that intermediate forms not only haven't been found in the fossil record but can even be conceived." But Gould holds a trump card. He says: "a lovely series of intermediary steps have now been found in rocks.... in Pakistan. This elegant series, giving lie to the creationist claims, includes the almost perfectly intermediate Ambulocetus (literally, the walking whale), a form with substantial rear legs to complement the front legs already known from many fossil whales, and clearly well adapted both for swimming and for adequate, if limited, movement on land." Oddly, the book never shows a drawing of Ambulocetus, but does have an illustration of a skeleton of a 400-million year old fish with a small underside fin bone the authors claim "must have evolved" into legs in four-legged animals. Man's imagination is not found wanting here. Out of millions of fossils collected and stored in museums, is Ambulocetus the main piece of evidence for evolutionary theory?

Richard Benton says that Charles Darwin had hoped the fossil record would eventually confirm his theory of evolution, but "this has not happened," says Benton. Darwin hoped newly-discovered fossils would connect the dots into a clear evolutionary pattern. The book attempts to do that with its fictional drawings of apes evolving into pre-humans (hominids) and then modern man. Yet the book is not without contradictions. It says: "It remains uncertain whether chimpanzees are more closely related to modern humans or to the gorilla."

The horse is shown as evolving from a small, four-toed to a large one-toed animal over millions of years. There are different varieties of horses, yet there is no evidence that a horse ever evolved from another lower form of animal, nor that horses evolved into any other form of animal.

Another evolutionary puzzle that goes unexplained in the book is the pollination of flowers. How did bees and flowers arrive simultaneously in nature? What directed the appearance of one separate kingdom of life (insects) with that of another?

The book describes 6 1/2-foot millipedes and dragonflies with the wing span of a seagull, but gives no explanation for them. Life was unusual in the past and not all forms fit evolutionary patterns. Consider the popular supposition that life evolved from the sea onto land. That would make more advanced forms of intelligence land bearing. But the aquatic dolphins defy that model, since they are among the smartest mammals.

The book maintains an "out of Africa" scenario for the geographical origins of man, but recent fossil finds in Australia challenge that theory and even the book's authors admit that "a single new skull in an unexpected time or place could still rewrite the primate story." Consider Java man (Homo erectus), once considered the "missing link" and dated at 1.8 million years old. Modern dating methods now estimate Java man to be no more than 50,000 years of age, a fact that was omitted from this text.

Creativity, invention and language are brought out as unique human characteristics. Yet the true uniqueness of man is not emphasized. Humans biologically stand apart from animals in so many ways. Humans can be tickled whereas animals cannot. Humans shed emotional tears, animals do not. The book does not dare venture beyond structure and function, beyond cells and DNA, to ask the question posed by philosophers --- does man have a soul? The Bible speaks of a soul 533 times, this "book of life," not once.

Gould's temple is science. He calls the scientific method "that infallible guide to empirical truth." Science works by elimination. It can only work from experiment to experiment, eliminating what is not true. It can say what is probable, it can never say what is true. Gould appears to begrudge the shackles of science by stepping outside its boundaries in overstating what it can accomplish. Whereas creationists await the day they will stand in judgment before God, for the evolutionists Gould says "Someday, perhaps, we shall me our ancestors face to face." Imagine, standing there looking at a man-like monkey skeleton.

One cannot fault the flaws in this book. After all, it was written by highly evolved apes.

You would have expected more time and detail to the ermergence of the nervous system and the Cambrian Explosion. A more up-to-date section on human evolution (no mention of Ardipithecus Ramidus) but on the whole the book is a good synthesis of the state of the knowledge in this field.

This singular book gives a very nice popular overview of the state-of-the-art in paleontology, chronologically covering everything from the Archean to the evolution of man. It is a beautifully illustrated and well-written book, although the text is perhaps sometimes a bit too technical and dense for the paleontological novice.
And please don't buy some creationists' claims that this is science fiction. The contents of this book is based on material from thousands of scientific articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as "Nature" and "Science", representing the fruits of the hard labour of paleontologists from all over the world. And the fossil record, even if it is convincing in itself, is far from the only support for evolution. Independent evidence for evolution can also be found in biogeography, development, molecular analyses (gene DNA, junk DNA, mtDNA etc), anatomical analyses, and even field observations of new species evolving. This large amount of evidence is why evolution is considered an established and undisputable fact. Of course, if one rather than facts wants comic book fantasies such as humans coexisting with dinosaurs and evil scientists conspiring to hide the truth, then one should look for creationist books instead. Or comic books.

Detective Harry Bosch is no stranger to Michael Connelly fans. In this seventh book of the series, Connelly doesn't disappoint.

A new case uncovers buried bones from 20 years ago. And Bosch can't shake the story the bones of the 12-year-old boy are trying to tell.

The bones reveal heavy abuse. A brutal death. An abbreviated life that may have been better off dead after all.

While the mystery behind the bones starts to unravel, new obstacles begin to block the case's progression. In the middle of it all, Bosch finds himself falling for a rookie cop.

As Bosch and his partner try to solve the case, what seems to be a routine procedure goes terribly wrong. Bosch's career is in trouble, his personal life is in turmoil and he's rocketing toward a decision that will affect the rest of his life.

Whether you're a hard-core Harry Bosch fan or just starting to read about this detective's all-too-human daily life, "City of Bones" is an excellent chronicle with a compelling plot and well-developed characters.

With "Blood Work" (1998 ) set to become a major motion picture and "A Darkness More Than Night" (2001) receiving plaudits one might think ace crime writer Michael Connelly would be resting on his laurels, film rights, and royalties. Not so. The energetic author now presents "City Of Bones," another in his bestselling Harry Bosch series.

This time detective Harry Bosch faces off with a child murderer, a killer who has remained on the loose for nearly two decades. Once a dog uncovers what appears to be a human bone in the woods of Hollywood Hills, Bosch is called. It takes the savvy sleuth only a glance to realize this is a child's arm bone.

Once the media spreads the word Laurel Canyon is crawling with police, amateur crime solvers, the curious, reporters, and (true to Connelly form) a gorgeous young police officer whom Harry takes under his wing in more ways than one.

As additional remains are unearthed Bosch determines the bones are those of a long dead abused boy. Obviously, there's a killer out there who believes he's home free, and Bosch is haunted by black images of his own childhood. The pressure is mounting and it's all on Bosch.

Few can bring to life the components of a police investigation as capably and thoroughly as former crime reporter Connelly. Authenticity and rapid fire action make "City Of Bones" another can't-put-it-down read.

- Gail Cooke

I was disappointed with Michael Connelly's previous contribution to his Harry Bosch series, "A Darkness More Than Night" and, on finishing that, feared that the character had become stale and would go the way of other characters such as Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta. So it was with some anticipation that I delved into Connelly's latest, "City of Bones".

"City of Bones" is the old Michael Connelly and the old Harry Bosch - a hard-boiled LA homicide detective who plays by his own rules but gets the job done. In this book, Bosch is called out to investigate the discovery of skeletal remains buried in a wooded area some twenty years previously. As usual, he runs into the usual bureaucratic frustrations as the top brass fear that another "cold case" will do further damage to the reputation of the LAPD. Connelly guides the story through a number of complex plot twists, creating suspects and then despatching them and leaving the reader wondering where things will end up. The writing is well crafted, the character development very good and the plot leaves you guessing right up until the very end. He also injects the right amount of "police procedural" - the paperwork, the internal investigations, the politics - into the plot to give the book the realism for which he is known.

The book is every bit a "page-turner" and I ploughed through it in a single day, staying up into the wee hours to finish it off. The lack of sleep was worth it - Connelly has crafted an excellent book. In many ways he has returned to the old Harry Bosch - no gimmicks, no "tie-ins", just plain old good quality, hard-boiled detective fiction. Let's just hope that Connelly sticks to the format because, if so, we've got a lot to look forward to.

Michael Connelly is back on form and has produced a 5 star crime novel as a result.

For those who care, I am an evangelical pastor (and Ph.D. candidate) currently preaching through 1 Peter in the church I serve. I am using several commentaries, but this is the best overall. That should not be surprising since Acht. is able to build on many worthy predecessors, most notably Michaels (in the Word series), Goppelt and Kelly. Acht. is able to take full advantage of other works, and even many more recent studies in 1 Peter that have appeared since then. Being the latest work, by default, it is the most up to date and the most inclusive of previous works. Beyond its newness, why is the the best? 1) Acht. has very good exegetical and theological sensibilities. He does not get carried away with all the subtleties of the Greek (and Michaels is prone to do), and never loses sight of the overall picture (Evangelicals will disagree with some of his stances--notably his rigid egalitarianism), 2)As for usefulness, the format is a preacher's dream. All the scholarly information is placed in footnotes (don't forget to check these!), so the text reads clearly and quickly. I found this work much more useful in sermon preperation than Michaels work (in which all the references and scholarly notes are placed in the text!). My one complaint is the price of the Hermenia volumes. They are excellent hard cover books, but a tad more than most individuals (let alone pastors) want to pay for one commentary (considering there are 65 other books in the Bible). I would recommend that Hermenia put it out in a smaller, soft-cover edition and reduce the price to about 25$. This commentary deserves wide usage in our churches, and its current price probably causes many pastors to opt for the less expensive (and less good) works by Michaels or Davids. If they reduce the price, I would give it 5 instead of only 4 stars.

This book follows various major news stories from a presidential summit in Malta to the San Francisco earthquake and how the different networks; ABC, CBS, and NBC reported them. It also spends a day with Rather, Jennings, and Brokaw as they gather the news. It provides detailed biographies and looks back at the personalities. There are several pages of photos, including the anchors in their youth. A 5-star review would have been earned had this been more recent. The news stories and techniques seem to be a little behind to our standards. Other wise, a great and informative book.

"Modeling for Learning Organizations" builds off of the extensive experience of top professors and consultants using the SD tools to test strategies and build an understanding of firm and industry dynamics.

"Modeling" also includes a section overviewing the various simulation software packages available to modelers. Though developers like High-Performance Systems, Vensim, Pugh-Roberts, and PowerSim have made product enhancements to date, the sections from each company provide a great introduction to what is out there how each package can be applied.

The most valuable aspect of the book is probably in the case studies and methodological explorations of several authors. A number of key insights are offered as authors reflect upon the successes and shortcoming of the methods each chose to use to explore and develop models in a variety of business and public environments.

This is definitely a must have for any SD library.

Peter Jay's preface admits he took "the division of the poems and many points of interpretation" to his version of the "Song of Songs" from Robert Gordis's 1954 version; that though they take the form of dramatic lyrics "to be spoken by a man or a woman", he took them to be "impersonal poems, rather than direct addresses by the poet to his audience." This may account for the coolness in his rendering. David Goldstein's introduction recounts debates in the second century AD over whether the poems should be included in the Bible. These hinged on whether complete lack of reference to God and faith prevented their being an allegory: "The many warnings by rabbinic authorities against taking the book at its face value show that such a literal reading was not uncommon, and that the temptation so to regard the book was ever-present." The formality of tone in Jay's version makes that temptation unlikely:

I make you swear, daughters of Jerusalem
if you find my lover, tell him
how sick I am with love.
(And what's your lover
more than anyone else's,
darling?
Why so special
for you to make us promise?)
He has a sparkling appearance -
you'd pick him out of ten thousand.

The line breaks sometimes evoke the spoken breath and occasional colloquialisms like "darling" can suggest a speaking person. But the prevailing tone, as in phrases like "sparkling appearance", is formal as an archaeologist's rendering of buried tablets, evoking neither personal involvement nor the immediacy of sensual detail. This approach best suits those lyrics in which no personal story is implied and a preacher's eloquence rather than lover's sighs seem right: "for lust is as stubborn as death/as pitiless as the grave,/its glowing coals/burn with the fiercest flames."

The book is handsome and some of the lyrics lovely. Jay has made these poems live and speak the English of our day. But he has not translated the directness which tempted second century AD readers to mistake these poems for literal records of an earthly love.

I read Silent Thunder. I thought it was a great book. Because you can learn about war and how most slaves got free. I think everyone who wants to learn about slaves and how to people got free. This book is based on a real story about a boy that is around 13 and an unidentified girl. I recommend it to kids around the age of 10 to 14.I think others that like civil war stories then take a peek or you should read it if you want a great and interesting book about action, thrill and sadness. If you want all of that stuff then you should read this great book.

This story tells about a brother and sister growing up during the time of the civil war. Read this book to see life from a slave childs perspective during war.

Searching for a book in my school's library. I did what anyone kid would do randomly picked a book of the shelf. It wasn't like what I thought it would be. I felt like I was in the book. I love how Andrea Davis portrays the characters, it really does make them seem real. The author really did her job on researching the facts for this book. She gave the characters such vivid description I felt like I knew them. It was creatively written. It was definetely a book I couldn't put down!

A screaming comes across the sky: a book, a snapped elevator cable...it's Colson Whitehead! How did this guy get so incredibly good, so young? His meticulously-crafted, ashy-grey midcentury metropolis looms up like something out of Hopper by way of Pynchon; the central metaphor of upward mobility - which could be so godawful mawkish - is never handled any less than deftly; the protagonist wears the weight of her overdetermination proudly, despite every conceivable undermining. I leave the details to the intrepid reader, but I've simply got to sing the praises of those stretches - where Whitehead's characters contemplate "the second elevation" that will transfigure the cities and the citizens of the day after tomorrow - whose sweep and pellucid elegance rival anything in the best science fiction for sending chills ricocheting up & down my spine. If race (understood narrowly as the black/white dichotomy) is still & always the central American dilermma, maximum kudos to Whitehead for finding a new metaphor with which to approach it. Buy it, read it, pass it on to those two or three of your friends you can always trust to really *get* stuff: this is where 21st century American Literature starts. (And they better be teaching this book as such, dammit, not ghettoize it to Ethic Studies.)

If only every piece of new fiction were this powerfully written, lots of us would do nothing but read fiction. The originality of metaphor and observation of character and place remind me of the best of Toni Morrison. The mesmerizing scene-building, the meticulous sense of place, the enigmatic plot, the powerful, original writing--not to mention the coherence of the central metaphor of verticality--I'm considering reading The Intuitionist again for the sheer enjoyment of its language and intellect. All this, and a page-turner at the same time. Whitehead is a rare find: a master of fiction in an age which has a dearth of them.

1940's,"New York-ish" working class city is the backdrop of this engrossing whodunit that has a young Black woman as it's central character. Lila Mae Watson is the first female Black elevator inspector and her competency comes into question when an elevator she's just inspected goes into freefall and crashes. She's forced to search for those responsible for the accident to clear her name-and in the process learns some revealing truths about herself and her world. "Verticality is such a risky enterprise" Whitehead writes and Lila Mae finds it to be true as she moves up the ladder of success. Her character is wonderfully developed from descriptions from her childhood ,adolescence, and finally young adulthood isolated in the big city. Other characters are revealed to be much different that originally presented. The setting is realistically and thoroughly depicted and Whitehead's language is both funny and thought provoking. All this makes for a uniquely original novel-the best I've read since Toni Morrison. I can't wait to read his next work.

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

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.