Pay particular attention to "Releve", the story contributed by Patricia Wallace and her daughter. This story introduces us to Sydney Bryant, the private eye that Pat Wallace has featured in a terrific series for adults. The titles in the series include "Deadly Devotion" and "Blood Lies".

Other outstanding stories include those by Wendy Hornsby, Scott Turow, Stuart Kaminsky, and Sharyn McCrumb (and their collaborators). This is a book that parents can read and enjoy with their children. It might inspire them to collaborate on some mystery stories of their own!

I look forward to reading the companion volume, "Great Writers and Kids Write Spooky Stories". I

"When you think of a mystery, what comes to mind? A dark secret? An unsolved crime? A curious detective hunting for clues?"

The only mystery, the only secret, the only crime is how this anthology could be so easily overlooked. "Great Writers and Kids Write Mystery Stories" (1996) is a collection of stories written by some of today's greatest mystery authors in collaboration with their children and grandchildren. Jonathan Kellerman, Sharyn McCrumb, and Scott Turow are three of the thirteen award-winning writers that create wonderous whodunits with their offspring, ages 6 to adult.

While written at about the junior high/ middle school level, this complilation is enjoyable to all. The stories are five to several pages. Some are written with the child as the amateur detective, some are written as a type of psychological thriller.

The introduction serves as a "mini-lesson" on mystery writing. And, each story features a short personal introduction by the adult and child writing team on what it was like to collaborate on their included story. Other contributors include Barbara D'Amato, Ed Gorman, Stuart Kaminsky, Elizabeth Engstrom, and many others.

This book has the unique ability to be educational as well as entertaining. Those that enjoy this book may also enjoy the first volume as well: "Great Writers and Kids Write Spooky Stories" (1995).

Unfortunately, unless a person is willing to spend countless shopping hours and a couple of thousand dollars building up collection of Brazilian records, he or she will gain almost no insight from this book into what the music feels like. The authors describe individual works and artists in only vague terms - terms often identical to those previously used to describe others. They beat the term "syncopation" into irrelevance - it's clear only that all Brazilian music is syncopated. The authors habitually refer to folk music genres and song forms ala "Composer X's work is all based on the Y song form..." But they provide no practical examples or definitions of those genres or forms.

The authors stridently dumb-down their text, accepting as axiom that one has to "hear it to believe it" and that it is meaningless to describe Brazilian music in technical terms. They generally refrain from even using common musical terms - bar, measure, pulse, key, etc. - to give the reader a clearer understanding of Brazilian rhythmic and harmonic structures. They use few effective musical comparisons or verbal metaphors. It is understandably difficult to describe music in writing. But it is possible. Judicious use of metaphor, comparisions, and technical descriptions would have greatly fleshed out what in the end comes off as a skeletal text.

This 1998 edition serves as the update to the first, apparently published in 1990 or 1991. However, the amendments appear to have been quite minor - embodied by an isolated paragraph here and there, and four meager pages in the final "More Brazilian Sounds" chapter. It's as if nothing has really happened in the evolution of Brazilian music since 1990 - an impression that must be wrong.

The Brazilian Sound catalogs decent research, but is neither good writing nor effective music history.

In July 1995, clients at the Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) in Atlanta pioneered the first class in a unique program called Safe Without Sight. The program was inspired by requests from several newly blinded men and women who were concerned about their personal safety when they traveled alone. To design the course, CVI director Scott McCall drew on the expertise of Wendy David, a blind psychologist who has done extensive research on perceived vulnerability and blindness; and Kerry Kollmar, a martial arts instructor with a special interest in teaching people with disabilities. Now David, Kollmar, and McCall have distilled the Safe Without Sight program into a to illustrate two of their overarching concepts, "paying attention to your surroundings" and "listening to your inner voice." ...

Safe Without Sight is divided into two sections, covering how to avoid danger and how to escape from it. Some of the information in Part One is fairly general U.S. crime statistics and common misconceptions about victims and attackers. Yet the authors keep their audience in mind, bringing the discussion back to situations blind people may be likely to meet. These situations are not inherent in blindness per se, but they may arise as a blind person goes about living an active life. For example, blind people often depend on public transportation and may find themselves waiting at lonely bus stops. They must on occasion speak to strangers to get directions or find a particular street address. They may also run into safety issues when dealing with readers, drivers, and other hired assistants.

HOW TO THINK, TALK, AND ACT

"Being blind doesn't mean you need to feel or look vulnerable," the authors write. "It does mean you need to learn specific ways of thinking, talking, and acting so that you can live safely." Part One presents a "mind set" that can help a blind person move through the world with a minimum of risk. First and most important is the need to develop an awareness of the environment. By paying close attention to sounds and smells, by carrying a clear mental map of the surroundings, the blind traveler is less likely to be taken by surprise and turned into a victim. Intuition is also a key element of safety. The authors emphasize that "funny feelings" about a person or situation should never be ignored. They also encourage the reader to think about setting boundaries with both strangers and acquaintances.

The first line of self-defense is to avoid a dangerous situation altogether. The authors furnish a variety of tips for preventing trouble at home, on the street, and in the workplace. But even the most careful precautions are no guarantee.

FIGHTING TECHNIQUES

Part Two of Safe Without Sight deals with the harsh realities of life-and-death struggle, when survival depends on wit, skill, and sheer determination. The book systematically outlines an array of techniques that a blind person can use to disable or break away from an attacker.

Pivotal to the Safe Without Sight program is the "universal reference point." By touching this point, the juncture between the opponent's neck and shoulder, a blind person can quickly become oriented to his or her position. If it is not possible to reach the shoulder area, the person can find a foot by sliding his or her own foot along the ground. Orienting to the opponent's body is an extension of the general awareness that is stressed in Part One. With a sense of the opponent's height, size, and movements, a blind person can minimize the disadvantages of fighting without the aid of vision.

A SERIES OF EXERCISES

As the authors point out, reading these chapters once or twice is not enough. A series of recommended exercises, carried out with a friend or instructor, will help reinforce the various fighting techniques. Real proficiency will require a major commitment. However, even readers who do not master the program's self- defense techniques can glean much valuable and thought-provoking information from these pages.

FIGHTING WITHOUT A CANE

Safe Without Sight left me with only one serious concern. To perform most of the fighting techniques described, a blind person should have both hands free. This means that the person must put down his or her cane, taking the chance that it may roll or be kicked out of reach during the ensuing struggle. This could prove dangerous once the person breaks free from an opponent and needs to escape in a hurry. I wish that the authors had addressed this important logistical problem, since it could have a powerful effect on the outcome of a violent encounter.

Sighted people usually regard blindness as a sign of helplessness and weakness. The general public sees danger for blind people everywhere-in climbing a flight of stairs, striking a match, or chopping celery. The assumptions in Safe Without Sight are refreshingly different. This is a book that shows utter respect for the capabilities of people who are blind, even in situations that would be harrowing to the most intrepid. Safe Without Sight conveys the message that, like everyone else, blind crime victims can have a fighting chance.

The book's layout focuses on each room in the home and why it evolved in the Arts & Crafts style. Taking references from the era's periodicals that covered the style, "The Craftsman" and "The House", Hitchmough provides historical background that seeks to makes sense of the style. Simplicity of design evolved from anti-Victorianism. Cues from nature came from the burgeoning naturalist and conservation movements, along with interest in all things Asian. Older building practices were combined with new advances.

The lifestyle portions of the book point out how radically different from Victorian ideals was the new movement. The roles of the master and mistress of the home showed them as more at tune with the outside world, more aware of personal health and fitness, and far more sexually aware (more about this further on.) How the Arts & Crafts home functioned from day to day is discussed in detail, as well.

The book covers the style as best portrayed in Britain and the United States. Designers from both sides of the pond are detailed. The lush photography of Martin Charles wraps up the pretty package.

But there are distinct problems with the book. It doesn't have a real niche. It's too wordy and historical to be a good coffee table book. The layout of chapters by room, while possibly good for highlighting the lifestyle choices, makes this a hard book to use as a reference manual for the style. There are glaring limitations, too. Far too much focus is given to a few designers and homes that drove the movement - it is not as broad an overview of all designers and practices as one would like. And while the lifestyle portions are interesting, there seems to be an overt focus on sexuality that I found peculiar for a book of this type.

In short, I believe the book tries to accomplish too much and therefore fails to excel in any one aspect. By trying to shoehorn several books into one, the author has given us the average of other works. And that is less than fully satisfying for those of us looking for more in-depth analysis.

Still, for anyone seeking an overview of Arts & Crafts design and concepts as espoused in the lifestyle of the era, this is as good a place to start as any. The quality and design of the book raise it an extra star, saving it from being merely fair.

With the inclusion of "luxury" accommodation and over-priced "tourist" restaurants and trinket shops, it appears this book is marketed towards a particular group: North Americans who only have two-weeks, and therefore need to "plan" ahead for their trip. This is a particular market and that is understandable, but it appears that LP is trying to get a piece of this market, and gear this guide-book towards these type of folks.

One thing to note: Ko Chang is not off the beaten track by any means. It's going to be the next place completely destroyed by the Tourist Authority of Thailand. They are working on it right now, evicting local Thais who've lived there for generations to build hotels.

There is no where in S.E. Asia that is "off the beaten" track, except perhaps, parts of Laos. The trail is crowded, and continues to get bigger. If you're a long-term visitor or a "two-week hoteller" then this book will due.