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Book reviews for "Palmer,_William_J." sorted by average review score:

The Hoydens and Mr. Dickens: The Strange Affair of the Feminist Phantom
Published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Press (1997)
Author: William J. Palmer
Amazon base price: $21.95
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Palmer "captures" Victorian England much the way Dickens did
Palmer's third book in this "series" continues to capture Victorian England; he is able to evoke the landscape and atmosphere of the time, of the place, and of the characters. Most don't. Aside from Anne Perry and Michael Crichton's "Great Train Robbery," I have not read such convincing Victoriana and the accompanying hypocrisy. Palmer is able to sustain the reader's interest throughout, particularly with his use of other "real" characters such as Florence Nightingale. He is able to make Dickens quite the human character!


The Dons and Mr Dickens: The Strange Case of the Oxford Christmas Plot
Published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Minotaur (1900)
Author: William J. Palmer
Amazon base price: $23.95
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Authentic "Fictional History" from popular mystery scholar
It is quite evident in this latest addition to Palmer's stable of victorian mystery novels that the author enjoys an intimate knowledge of 19th century England in general and Oxford University specifically. Had I not read his Bio I would have believed that William Palmer was a "public school" boy raised in the UK. While somewhat less "bawdy" than his earlier contributions, Palmer nonetheless succeeds in incorporating the Dodgson character in to his standard Dickens/Collins partnership, and in the process delights us with even more details surrounding the "Sherlock Holmes type" of Opium prevalence during the period. All in all, this Christmas release is yet another credit to the numerous kudos earned by Palmer with previous books.

Palmer Strikes Again
Very amusing. The Dons mentioned in the title, except for one now known MUCH better by his nom de plume, are appropriately corrupt/ineffectual, so gentle reader can safely trust that William J. Palmer has indeed been professing for many years, somehere, per the bio. Inspector Field is his usual gruff efficient sage self & the watch of Wilkie Collins, Cub Novelist, disappears promptly. An apprentice detective named Morse appears. One may predict that he will master his work, someday, plus enjoy his beer, ruefully, all around Oxford. Ellen Ternan, light of the life of late great Dickens, begins to materialize, participating as a character actress playing a lovely Irish barmaid snitch. Will she be ravished? Mr. Dickens is not sure he likes this role, much, but controls his inimitable self, barely. Petty deduction for gratuitous allusion, in French, but a good, even explosive, read.

A very clever who done it
In 1853 London, Metropolitan Protective Inspector William Field asks Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins to identify the corpse of a white man found in a nearby opium den. The tie that the victim wears tells Wilkie that the dead man is a member of Oxford. Another associate of the two writers, Charles Dodgson recognizes the deceased as a history don at Oxford.

At the urging of Inspector Field, the three associates decide to investigate the murder of the don. Although they have worked previous cases, Dickens, Wilkie, and Dodgson remain writers/wannabe authors playing amateur sleuths. Their actions soon place their very lives and that of Dickens' mistress in danger from an unknown assailant.

The fourth Dickens-Collins Victorian mystery is a clever who-done-it, populated by literary references and their associated footnotes. The story line is fun although the use of Victorian era dialect makes one wonder if Dickens is heading in the direction of Chaucer and Shakespeare, difficult to read without a translator. The plot belongs to the trio of writers as the audience sees a glimpse of them beyond the classroom and outside their novels.

Harriet Klausner


Detective and Mr. Dickens: Being an Account of the Macbeth Murders and the Strange Events Surrounding Them
Published in Paperback by Ballantine Books (1992)
Author: William J. Palmer
Amazon base price: $3.99
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A dickens of a good time
Dr. Joe Palmer was one of my English professors at Purdue University. This novel (and the two "sequels") display the same enthusiasm and love of the Victorian era he brought to the classroom. These books provide interesting historical and biographical details, but are by no means too high-brow or scholarly for mystery fans. If you like Anne Perry, you must read Joe Palmer.

Voctorian Novelists Unleashed, with Cronies & Women
William J. Palmer's literary mystery stretches the form without crossing the line. Charles Dickens tackles impressively (readers with ancient leg injuries which occasionally act up may wish to avert their eyes) & swims fairly well under pressure. Wilkie Collins conquers a potentially disastrous case of priggishness & may be making serious advances against chronic foppery. Inspector William Field, Irish Meg Sheehey, & the extravagantly gifted Talley Ho Thompson, some sort of grinning dervish genius pickpocket Robin Hood, but watch your watch, all come to life easily & naturally, unburdened by heavy novelistic responsibilities. Ellen Ternan is only awfully pretty so far, but may turn interesting as she ages up nearer to legal. Read the next one, if you can procure a copy anywhere (Amazon seems out), & there may be a third. Palmer can write, & knows how to drop an occasional pearl of wisdom lightly, without needlessly infuriating his patrons. There is a single profoundly unfortunate multi-layer allusion & one short example of illicit typography, but these petty faults are easily overbalanced by genuinely sane handling of the early death of Dickens' daughter Dora plus the best Victorian wenchfight I have ever read. A bonafide romp. This fun is serious. Buy it.


MCSE Guide to Microsoft NT Server 4.0 in the Enterprise
Published in Unknown Binding by Course Technology (21 July, 1998)
Authors: Jeffrey Williams, Jeffrey Williams, and Michael J. Palmer
Amazon base price: $63.95
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Do not waste your money!
I am a MCSE who looked at this book for use when studying for my tests. Now, a networking class is using this as a manual and I have to say something. This book does not cover the material well enough to take the tests nor in depth enough to actually do Enterprise networking with NT.


Businessman's Guide to Construction
Published in Hardcover by Irwin Professional Pub (1980)
Authors: Robert Frank Cushman and William J. Palmer
Amazon base price: $37.50
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Construction Accounting & Financial Management
Published in Paperback by McGraw-Hill Professional (15 September, 1999)
Authors: William J. Palmer, William E. Coombs, and Mark A. Smith
Amazon base price: $65.00
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No reviews found.

Construction Accounting and Financial Management
Published in Hardcover by McGraw Hill Text (1995)
Authors: William E. Coombs and William J. Palmer
Amazon base price: $49.50
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Construction Insurance, Bonding, and Risk Management
Published in Hardcover by McGraw-Hill Professional (01 June, 1996)
Authors: William J. Palmer, James M. Maloney, and John L., III Heffron
Amazon base price: $79.95
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Construction Litigation - Representing the Contractor: 1995 Cumulative Supplement
Published in Paperback by Wiley Law (1995)
Authors: John D. Carter, Robert F. Cushman, and William J. Palmer
Amazon base price: $58.00
Average review score:
No reviews found.

The Films of the Eighties: A Social History
Published in Hardcover by Southern Illinois Univ Pr (Txt) (1993)
Author: William J. Palmer
Amazon base price: $41.95

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