This book is a great overview of the East India Company to those who are looking for a good introduction to the subject. This book isn't aimed at hardcore academics, but more to students and the rest of us who watch the History Channel. Philip Lawson has taken an objective overview of his subject, which is important because it's easy to focus on the larger issue of colonialism.

By reading this mini-epic you will get to trace the history of the company from it's start in the Elizabethan era until it's end in the mid-1800's. The book is packed with a cast of characters ranging from humble bookkeepers to greedy heads of state. There are some nice details about the history of tea and trading (example: I had no idea that it was the English who first put tea and sugar together around the 1680's).

Now you may ask yourself why you should read this if you are an American? Well our own history starts off with the Boston tea party, which was raiding an East India Company ship. More important the books touches on the subject of monopolies, which will be of interest to anyone into modern economics. What's great about this book is that it also serves as a good introduction to other books on the subject, so if you are interested you will know where to start.

Philip Lawson is much missed. He died at age 46 with a promising career ahead and an impressive list of books and articles (most dealing with imperial topics) behind him. He was the most gifted of the younger generation of scholars who write imperial history not from the perspective of the metropole but from the periphery. This survey of the John Company constitutes the best introduction to the subject yet written.

Ventriloquist Skipper Keats had his fans, but his family certainly wasn't among them. Therefore it just seems like Skipper is harassing them from the grave when the dummy he asked to be buried with disappears from the coffin and son Will is forced to track down the thief. Thus begins Will's odyssey to learn more about the three things he had successfully put behind him up 'til now--his father, his family, and the world of ventriloquism. This is a well-plotted mystery with psychological overtones and complex, three-dimensional characters. Get it and read it--you'll be glad you did.

I had no trouble getting into this book and was looking forward to a good read, but about a third of the way through the plot slowed down and I grew increasingly bored until the ending, which I read but found implausible. All in all, I thought the writing and style were good but I didn't get attached to any of the characters and didn't find myself caring about the outcome.

Will Keats is an unemployed school counselor, but lives welldue to the money he has inherited. Will lives with his significantother Adrienne and her eight-year old daughter Olivia in Tocqueville, Georgia. Will loves Adrienne and seems to care deeply for Olivia. However, he soon learns how much he loves the child too when she is kidnapped. The police are stymied by a lack of clues and no ransom note.

Everyone initially thinks that Adrienne's former husband Byron committed the act. Byron, who detests Will, has a perfect alibi and passes a lie detector test. Through a few lucky breaks, the police identify and locate the abductor, but find him dead execution style. Olivia remains missing. Acting on an unusual tip from an unlikely source, Will risks his life to go out on his own to rescue his "daughter."

MUSKRAT COURAGE is a fast paced, moving drama that focuses on the impact a kidnapping has on the remaining family members. The characters are well drawn and likable, making it easy for readers to care what happens to them. As time (and the pages) passes, a growing sense of horror and despair for the safety of Olivia grips the audience. Phillip Lawson tells a superb story that keeps reader interest at the highest levels.