This book may be clean and lack 4 letter words but the writing style does not challenge the reader's mind. Plot is thin and the style is too monosyllabic for me. I prefer books from which I learn at least one new word.

Ross MacDonald's (aka Kenneth Millar) Lew Archer novels are probably the greatest modern detective series ever, although the insistence of MacDonald to use the same formulaic elements in his books over and over and over again mean that the novels are better read individually than collectively. With that in mind, The Far Side Of The Dollar is your best bet, as it is the example of MacDonald's formula at its best and most poignant. Other superior Archer novels include The Chill, The Doomsters and The Zebra-Striped Hearse, in addition to the magnificent short story collection The Name Is Archer. Whichever Archer novel you decide to read, make sure to keep a scorecard, because the intricate plots make it hard to keep track of all the various characters and their relationships to one another.

Excellent example of Mac Donald's well honed style. Good character developments as well as excellent one-dimensional character 'vignettes' that serve as observation portholes into the seemy underbelly of society. As for its "monosyllabic tone", that's part of the effect, a la Hemingway. For readers (like the one below) who need long obscure words in EVERY piece of literature, there's always the dictionary...

This is only the second "Toby Peters" novel I've read. I started last month with the one that actually follows this effort...the Cary Grant thriller "To Catch a Spy." That's good but this is better. W.C. Fields comes off as irascible as those who know him from his great film comedies would expect, but he holds his liquor well and exhibits bravery and a good heart to boot. Toby and his buddies Gunther and Jeremy and his girlfriend Anita are present, along with nutty and incompetent dentist Shelly and the lovely secretary Violet. Toby and W.C. and Gunther go on a cross-country journey to save Fields' famous small-town savings accounts from a thief. Comedy and tragedy and danger are well-balanced here, against a backdrop of 1943 WWII headlines and name-dropping from Hollywood's Golden Era. I recommend this highly to those who like quick-reading mixtures of fun and suspense. I'll be cleansing my small town's library shelves of its stock of the "Toby" series, then looking to buy the missing ones. Kaminsky has a winner in this character and his adventures. I have also read two of his "Abe Leiberman" police procedurals, but the Peters' books are more impressive.

This book is perfect for all W.C. lovers. The absurd detective plot and a journy across the country from Philadelphia to Los Angeles in an old Cadillac are the backdrop for W.C. Fields' amusing one-liners of wit and wisdom. And the old, alcohol soaked comedian fires them in abundance. I couldn't help myself but laugh out loud. Good entertainment!

All three of the stories herein were previously published in different forms, one of which wasn't even a Wolfe story.

"Assault on a Brownstone" - Rewrite of "Counterfeit for Murder" from _Homicide Trinity_. Hattie Annis, who operates a rooming house in New York City, found some counterfeit money and wants a reward, but the case quickly turns into a murder investigation.

"Frame-Up for Murder" - Expanded rewrite of "Murder Is No Joke" from _And Four To Go_. Flora Gallant, the sister of famous dress designer Alec Gallant, hires Wolfe and Archie to break Bianca Voss' mysterious hold over her brother. While questioning an interested party via telephone, Wolfe and Archie hear a murder - or do they? Was it genuine, or was the killer playing games to mess up the time of death?

"Bitter End" - 11-12 July, 1939. Take the plot and cast of Stout's Tecumseh Fox novel _Bad for Business_, replace Fox with Archie and Wolfe, and cut it down to a short story. The entry into the story is different, of course, since Amy Duncan isn't the focus; Wolfe is served with some of the quinine-tainted Tingley's products and takes it as an insult.

This book is hard to put down. Foote's characters are so detailed and fascinting that I found my self totally drawn into the story --even though some of the characters are completely unlikeable and almost pathetic in their selfishness. Foote tells the story of two families affected by the same man (a virtual con-man, who sees himself only as ambitious -- and justified in everything he does). The book was written almost 50 years ago, but it still reads like a modern character study. I'll admit that some of the historical references where too obscure for me, but the characterizations are timeless.

With the Very Wide range of subject matter, you might read 3 or 4 pages until you come across something that might be useful in your daily life. (When will I need info about designing a submarine, driving in Germany, parasailing off Angel's Falls, and more.) Is good for the trivia master, but everyday info ... it's over kill.

This book had exactly what I was looking for in detailed nutrition information. The author tells you exactly how much of each nutrient is needed in your baby's diet and where to find it. Good recipe ideas, too!

Before John Neff retired in 1995, he managed Vanguard's Windsor and Gemini funds for over 30 years. He managed these funds well enough to beat the Standard and Poor's 500 Index over 70% of the time. During his tenure, Vanguard Windsor became the largest mutual fund in America. Neff's account, "John Neff on Investing" contains three distinctive parts. Part One, "My Road to Windsor," is autobiographical in nature.

Part Two, "Enduring Principles," guides the reader through Neff's low price-earnings investing methodology. John Neff lists his main ingredients in picking stocks as a low price-earnings ratio (p/e), a 7% minimum earnings growth rate, a desirable dividend yield, and a favorable "total return ratio." To limit downside risk, Neff considers fundamentally strong companies and industries, and cyclical companies with extremely attractive price-earnings ratios.

John Neff low price-earnings strategy begins with a "total-return ratio" formula. Neff estimates a company's earnings growth rate, adds its dividend yield and divides the total by the stock's price-earnings ratio. Historically, Neff has generally looked for stocks with a "total-return ratio" greater than two. Interested individual investors can access and try John Neff's "total-return ratio" formula, with the option of entering up to five company ticker symbols at a time.

"Neff on Investing" continues in Part Three with "A Market Journal." This chapter chronicles Neff's formidable challenges and remarkable successes in his years at the helm at Vanguard under varying business, economic, and market conditions. Nearly one-third of "Neff on Investing" is devoted to Neff's personal history. Readers who wish to get a full measure of Neff's life - and his investment philosophy, methodology and investing track record may wish to purchase "John Neff on Investing."

There are thousands of books that give investment advice: "buy this", "sell that", etc. John Neff reveals how a successful contratian investor actually does the homework, the analysis, and makes and sticks to his judgements. There are no pat formulas here, but wonderful display of a great financial reasoner doing his stuff in all kinds of market conditions. Neff's returns from 1964 to 1995 were double the S&P's because of his way of interpreting the economic scene and his determination to find values where others saw dreck. His story is described in fast-paced language and a wry sense of humor. Some people might argue that today's market conditions are unique, so what's the point of dredging up and discussing the market of 10 and 15 years ago. And okay "value investing" is not very fashionable, since recent value funds have under-performed against the averages. But that is precisely the kind of opportunity that Neff just loved to wade into, when value stocks were a bargain. After the current technology and IPO frenzy has subsided, the Neff approach will be what investors turn to. This is not a how-to book: better it turns on a light inside the mind of one of the few professional investors to beat the market over many decades.

Mutual fund managers who can beat the market for a couple of years are a dime a dozen. Mutual fund managers who can beat the market for a couple of decades are practically unheard of. Which is why almost every investor has heard of John Neff. In his 31 years as a bargain-hunting fund manager, he beat the market in 22 of them. By the time he retired a few years ago, a dollar invested in his Windsor Fund in 1964 would have returned $56, versus $22 for the S&P 500.

In JOHN NEFF ON INVESTING, one of the true masters of Wall Street tells us exactly how he compiled this amazing record. With collaborator Steven Mintz, he explains what kinds of stocks he looked for (in a nutshell, low p/e stocks of companies growing earnings in excess of 7% annually, often paying a respectable dividend) and a long list of qualifications concerning just what makes one low p/e stock better than another. (A low p/e company growing too fast is suspect. A dividend yield isn't always a must. Cyclical stocks should offer lower p/e multiples. The list goes on and on.) Just as importantly, Neff shares the wisdom of a lifetime in the investment business, outlining the pitfalls that can trap the unwary investor. (See Chapter 9, CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF A LOW P/E PORTFOLIO.

The meat of Neff's discussion of his investment style is included in the middle third of the book. Armed with this advice, an investor can easily begin to screen the stock market for companies that fit the Neff mold. (MSN MoneyCentral Investor, at www.investor.msn.com, offers a powerful and free screening tool. There are many others.)

Elsewhere, Neff devotes the first third of his book to talking about his formative years in the investment business prior to taking over the Windsor Fund. In the final third of the book, he provides a journal describing his investment activities at the helm of the Windsor Fund. He talks about critical buy-sell decisions, why he made them, and how they worked out ... and also describes the ever-changing market environment in which he was making them. (Reading this book is a great reminder that large-cap growth stocks don't always lead the market, as they have for the past five years. As such, it should help investors be better prepared the next time market leadership changes.)

If you had the chance to sit down and talk with John Neff for a few weeks about his career and his investment style, what you would get, though likely not so well structured, would be this book. I'd love to spend those weeks with John Neff. But I wouldn't give up the chance to have read this book, either. Few investors have achieved more than Neff, and his story deserves a place on any investor's reading list. ###

I would recomend people who are interested in fantasy, Atlantis, or time travel to read this. This book was very interesting to me because I'm really into fantasy and Atlantis. This is an extremely interesting theory of the destruction of Atlantis and it could very well be true. Another reason this is a good book is because of the conversations that Prince Ram and Roy have after Roy confesses he is in the Prince's mind. I thought that those were the best parts of the book.

As an Atlantean expert, I found that "Letters from Atlantis" tallies with the information given in Bruce Coville's "The Search for Snout", Disney's "A:TLE", and many other resources. It was also a terrific read, though the end was a bit less than I had expected. Anyone looking for more information on Atlantis, Atlantica, Athilan, Romany Star, or time travel should definately read this!

Julia "Atlantima" Butler
Master in "The City of Atlantis" ~ Neopets.com
The Lost Empire Poet ~ FanFiction.net
Diehard A:TLE fan ~ AIM
Devoted follower of St. Milo

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is about a man, Roy, who travels back in time to Atlantis in a Prince's brain, and you won't believe what he discover's

This one will help you go to sleep for sure. This is my second attempt at Ross MacDonald and I give up. Endings are a given, no surprises here.

This book starts out like the typical mystery novel . . . with a mystery, a detective, and the hint of trouble. However, before long, you can't help but realize this book is no typical mystery.

This book is paced as furiously as any mystery, but it carries the depth of true literature. This is simply no mystery to be solved or adventure to be told. The Moving Target is the sordid tale of a sade family the growth of a young woman.

Who knew Ross MacDonald was so good? I guess I'll have to order more books by him. If Hammett gave birth to noir and Chandler taught it how to walk, then MacDonald provided the education. I'm very impressed!

The Moving Target, originally published in 1949, is Ross MacDonald's first Lew Archer novel. While Archer's character has yet to fully blossom, most of MacDonald's typical story devices are represented; an interconnected trail of escalating violence, innocent youth, duel identities and a twist ending that makes you rethink the entire novel.

Who kidnapped wealthy alcoholic Ralph Samson? Was it the cult leader Samson mysteriously gifted his mountain reteat to? His bitter cripppled wife? Or perhaps his youthful pilot or aging lawyer trapped in a love triangle with Sampson's daughter. It's up to Archer to find out, and take a few beatings on the way.

I am a big fan of all of Kinsella's baseball books. This one takes us to 1940's Canada as seen throught the eyes of young Jamie O'Day. We hear about all the eccentric people in Jamie's life including Truckbox Al McClintock, the Little American Soldier, and many other interesting characters of the region. It is always appealing to me how the author revolves his story around baseball. Bob Feller even has a role in the story. My only complaint would be that the way the author repeats names of people and towns throughout the book can be annoying. Box Socials takes us to a time when life was slower and people enjoyed following the small town baseball teams. If you are a baseball fan and enjoy a good story-I think you will have fun reading Box Socials.

Without the example of T. R. Pearson's A BRIEF HISTORY OF A SMALL PLACE Kinsella would have had no precedent for the repetitive style he uses in BOX SOCIALS, a novel set in the time and place of his own childhood, west of Edmonton near a place called Darwell in the 1930s--when you were supposed to have a license from the government to turn your radio on!

That he succeeds in telling a baseball tale in a time when he himself knew no baseball and weaves in some truths about the racism that existed in what was, even there, a multi-cultural environment is a tribute to his inventiveness.

This book is best read aloud with a Southern accent. So, if you aren't prepared to "work" at it a bit, you'll probably be disappointed. Otherwise, you'll find yourself noticing the width of the Pembina River-- next time you're on the Edmonton/Jasper highway.

I've read this book over and over again and I'm still not tired of it. I was assigned to read this book over the summer by my dad, and loved it! So realistic! I was amazed of how I could relate to Jamie (the main character). One of the Kinsella books more easily found, but at a great price here on Amazon.com. A must-read-right-now book. Once you start, you just can't stop! It's worse than chips! I recommend it to all of my friends