Dick Russell has out-investigated the entire FBI in the JFK assassination case and provided his findings in his book, The Man Who Knew Too Much, so renaming FBI Hqs in his honor would be appropriate. If the FBI had expended a fraction of the effort that Dick Russell devoted to the case (not counting the FBI's effort that went into the coverup), the conspirators would have been wrapped up long ago. Russell is thorough (just look at the number of pages!), fair, and objective, clearly seeking the truth and not trying to force facts into a preconceived notion. He's attempted to follow the facts to wherever they lead. Undoubtedly, solutions to the mysteries surrounding JFK's death will involve some of what is provided to us in this book with regard to events that Richard Case Nagell witnessed. If you want to look into the JFK case, this book is indispensible.

This book is a true masterpiece! Even if you only have a fleeting interest in JFK conspiracy theories you will enjoy this read. If you like a great mystery novel or chilling spy drama 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'will have you under its spell the way few non-fiction books will. Dick Rusell seems to understand what few JFK assassination book writers do: theories need to be backed up by facts!....I'm sure the true elements of the plot to kill JFK are in this book...everyone gets a name check; from Hoover to Oswald, from the Mafia to secret far-right groups Russell illuminates the dark world of espionage and counter-espionage and centers on the tale of one-time double agent Richard C. Nagell. Nagell it seems sent word of the assassination plot two months BEFORE Nov. 22 to the FBI, who did nothing. In a moment of desperation he fired off a gun in an El Paso bank and got himself arrested......but Nagell is but one figure in the macabre house of cards that led to the death of perhaps our most popular President. Russell has not just written the most coherent analysis on the JFK conspiracy he's written a great book. Period.

Richard Case Nagell was involved in the world of intelligence, sometimes working for the US, sometimes apparently, or possibly, working for the Soviets. His history parallels that of Lee Harvey Oswald and the many federal agencies and right-wing groups that haunt the edges of the assassination of President Kennedy. While never definitive as a whodunit, it is extraordinary in showing the vast covert world of which most Americans are totally unaware. This is clearly the best-researched book on this subject, and necessary if anyone hopes to begin to understand the killing of President Kennedy.

Most biographical profiles of African-Americans are to general in their view of the person or superficial in the analysis of that person's contribution to American life. Dick Russell avoids both mistakes by providing you with an in depth portrait of Black men and women whose lives and work impacted upon the cultural milieu of America.

A genius is defined as one who has an exceptional natural capacity of intellect. Black Genius shows you such persons but goes further in documenting the distinctive character or spirit of African-American experience that birthed these individuals. You have men and women representative in the fields of the arts, science and theological realms. Their individual achievements in those fields are a part of a continuous thread of genius passed down from one generation to the next.

You will find people here that are not well known (and their work) except within their own communities or fields. Such examples are Bob Moses, Carl & Allen Shaw, and Elma Lewis. Others are better known but the inner depth of their intellectual qualities are invisible. Albert Murray, Paul Robeson and others are just a few examples.

Black Genius is a fresh look at African-American intellectuals from a different perspective and gives us a greater appreciation for their contributions. I enjoyed the fact that individuals were included that were not well known or hidden in obscurity. These are the people who serve as the continued thread and spirit of African-American life and culture. I highly recommend this text for those wanting to get a greater in depth look at the heart of what makes an African-American Genius.

This book should also be sold out of the inspirational section of bookstores. If read with an open mind (are you listening Kirkus?) one will find all sorts of tidbits that will motivate further study on the subjects being interviewed. As a result of my reading this book I have placed books by Albert Murray, Stanley Crouch and Alvin Ailley on my reading list As a 57 year old African-American I was embarrassed to be reading about people like Romare Bearden, Elma Lewis and Lois Jones for the first time. The Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra died last night. Frank was quoted as saying "he patterned his singing style after Bing Crosby." According to statements made in Black Genius, Bing Crosby patterned his singing style after Louis Armstrong. It's stuff like this that makes this book so interesting. Mr. Russell had a way of bringing out the characters that made them seem human and like folks we'd like to know better. . Reading about Paul Robeson, Jr who went to Technical High School in Springfield, Mass. with my aunts and uncles was quite interesting. I grew up hearing a lot about the Robesons, but Black Genius added to that knowledge. The Talmud says "we don't see things as they are, we see things as we are," therefore I'm happy that I felt good while reading this book. I plan to give it to my friends with a note saying, "you don't have to wait until Black History Month," " Keep the faith baby!" (You'll find the originator of that statement in the book also)

This is a long book, the product of a lengthy period of research, which was needed to unravel the extensive coverup of the story of Richard Case Nagell, who worked for both US and Soviet intelligence. In the process of being a double agent in the early 1960s, Nagell learned that Oswald was involved in a conspiracy to kill Kennedy, which he was unable to prevent. One of Hoover's greatest failures was not paying more attention to Nagell. Nagell's letter to the Warren Commission regarding his knowledge of Oswald was basically ignored, and it was thus left to Dick Russell to undertake the investigation that Hoover's FBI should have done. Fortunately for the reader, Russell's investigation was far superior to any that the FBI would have been able to do. The result is the best book ever written on the JFK assassination. The nature of the conspiracy and some of the players are clearly delineated in this book. Anyone interested in knowing the outlines of the conspiracy to kill JFK must read this book. This isn't just a book that adds a few interesting pieces to the puzzle--this book puts the puzzle together like no other source, in or out of government, has been able to do. This is the only JFK assassination book ever written that is an absolute must for the serious (or casual) reader on this subject.

If you are an assassination or conspiracy researcher, this should be your most 'dog-eared' referance material. Mr. Russel approaches all the angles here, in an un-biased collection of facts. semi-facts and outright myths surrounding the JFK incident. While there is much insight to the Richard Case Nagle scenario, Russel provides much material that is scattered about the research communtiy in several different sources, and presents them in an easy to lactae manner. Even if your not a ressearcher, it is a good read.

Staring into THE EYE OF THE WHALE certainly seems to be a mystical experience. Unfortunately on the whale watching trips I've been on you get no closer to the whales than the deck of the ship. Not close up and personal (sometimes even rubbing and patting the "friendly whales")as is the case in Baja, California, with watching the Gray whales from small Zodiac boats. Perhaps you are like me then and (unlike the author) know nothing about the metaphysical powers of whales and their ability to bring about meditative and contemplative states in mankind while imparting transcendental wisdom. This book is therefore equal parts a journey of self discovery by the author and a natural history and scientific discourse on the Pacific Gray whale. For my liking there are just a few too many experiences here such as this one by a marine biologist: "It was a calf and I could see its eye looking into my eyes...I knew we were talking..." Mr Spock mind-melds with Gracie the Humpback a la STAR TREK: THE VOYAGE HOME.

Although the author and others see "whales smile by my fingertips" and get all "misty eyed" and believe that the whales are "trying to save us from our human side" these sentimental and lyrical asides are simply a matter of writing style. Overall they do not spoil the book. There is sufficient science and history here to satisfy those looking for something other than a "save the whales / save the world" soft-sell. The defeat of Mitsubishi's proposed salt-works at one of the whale breeding lagoons and the story of Charles Melville Scammon are themes that run throughout the book. Mitsubishi represents the modern day commercial threat to the whales while Scammon was an old-time whale-butchering sea captain. Scammons' conversion from hunter to benefactor (he ended up writing the definitive book on gray whales) is a tale well told. Perhaps, like the author, he too looked into the EYE OF THE WHALE.

"Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them" (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

A keen and passionate anthropological-natural history of the gray whale, twinned with a portrait of the whale's great nemesis-turned-admirer, from environmental journalist Russell (The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1992, etc.). Known to whalers as the devil-fish for its fiercely protective behavior when with its young, the gray whale has been brought back from endangered numbers by a ban on its hunting. But habitat destruction can do as easily what over-hunting once nearly accomplished, and much of Russell's account is concerned with the fight over protecting Mexico's San Ignacio Lagoon (the whale's critical calving area) from development into a saltworks. Russell also tells the story of whaling captain Charles Melville Scammon, who hunted the gray with remarkable zest and success (he could fill his oil barrels in 8 months when other captains took 4 years), but who also took great interest in studying his quarry-to the point where he abandoned whaling and wrote an important book on marine mammals. That work is still referred to in gray-whale research, which says something about how little of the whale's behavior is understood, notes Russell. The author tries for a reporter's balanced approach in his far-flung reports on the gray, dispatched from everywhere along the wide arc starting in Baja California and moving up the US and Canadian coastlines, then sweeping across the Bering and Chukchi Seas to the Russian Far East. He covers controversial Native American whale hunts, and he writes about the hunting of the tiny western gray population along Sakhalin Island by indigenous people in a way that makes the take acceptable. It's a big story and there is much more: on the whale's history and choral repertoire and anecdotes aplenty from countless days afield talking with folks for whom the whale is an ever-recurring event. Anyone who's been held rapt in a whale's presence will find this a delight-and those who haven't will find it an inspiration.

Dick Russell has produced an amazing chronicle of the life of the California Gray whale. This is a book that is not only important today but will hold a place of value and respect hundreds of years into the future. Sadly this book may most likely survive the species itself.
I have spent over two decades studying and working to protect the Gray whale and I've lead four major conservation expeditons to protect the species. The first was in 1981 to Siberia, the 2nd and 3rd to Neah Bay in 98 and 99 to oppose the Makah whale hunt and the 4th to San Ignacio in 2000 to oppose the development of an industrial salt processing scheme that would have damaged the breeding and calving homes of the Grays.
Dick Russell got all the facts right in the areas that I have intimate involvement with so I can safely assume that his facts in all other areas are equally investigated and thus correct.
This is a wonderful story and it is a great work of historical documentation both natural,social and cultural.
My life was changed by looking into the eye of a whale in 1975. I believe that Dick also caught a glimpse of the mystery, the majesty, the magic and the marvel of the mind of the whale reflected from the eye of one of these great and gentle giants.
For only a person who has seen into the eye of a whale could have written such an insightful book.
I intend to buy a dozen of Dick Russell's books for Christmas presents this year.

On a little traveled road in Lincoln County, New Mexico at the site of a burned down fruit stand, two bodies are found in the remaining rumble. One body is that of small time gambler Joseph John who recently struck it big on the reservation casino while the other corpse is that of Anne Marie Montoya, a woman who disappeared into thin air one decade ago.

The primary on the Montoya case is Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney and the man in charge of the Humphrey investigation is Deputy Sheriff Clayton Istee. Although the two men are father and son, neither knew about the relationship until recently. Clayton would prefer to forget about the relationship but when the two cases intersect in an unexpected manner, the two men are forced to work together and take a step closer to forming a relationship.

Like Tony Hillerman before him, Michael McGarrity puts the state of New Mexico on the map. His style is smooth, subtle and his storytelling abilities keep the reader in thrall, wondering what will happen next. THE BIG GAMBLE is no gamble at all for reader; it is a surefire winner for anyone who likes a fascinating police procedural.

Harriet Klausner

The real Kevin Kerney is back from the irreality of his previous case UNDER THE COLOR OF LAW. For the first time McGarrity splits the story between two cops: Chief Kevin Kerney of Santa Fe and his newly revealed son, Deputy Clayton Istee, 150 miles apart. New and old deaths are gradually interwoven in parallel to the reluctant yet beautifully described reconcilement of these two strangers. This is as much a Big Gamble for the two strong and silent men as are the casinos that figure in the scandalous plot. Maybe they will develop into a famous duo like Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Clayton may be a needed addition in the series because, with an entire police department now at his beck, Chief Kerney will have a hard time doing his old lonesome investigations that made his reputation as a maverick lawman.

McGarrity's stories are not hidden clue mysteries a la Poirot; rather they are dogged police procedurals firmly driven by vivid local color. Here Kerney and Istee must tread carefully, from opposite ends, through personal, ethnic, and political, as well as gambling, sexual, and jurisdictional, minefields. It is McGarrity's ability to write believable plots and personalities that "feel real and right" that makes him a master, and this may be his best. It's curious how some publishers overly rely on spell checkers and miss homonyms; here Dutton drops occasional prepositions.

Michael McGarrity has written another great Kevin Kerney mystery. This time, Kerney is drawn into a case being worked by his newly discovered son, Clayton Istee. A fire that destroys an abandoned roadside fruit stand reveals two corpses-one new, one old, both murdered. The older victim turns out to be a "cold case" of Kerney's. McGarrity successfully braids the two cases together, allowing evidence to be discovered in a totally natural and believable way. He also does a great job of quietly describing the bundle of human contradictions that is modern New Mexico, and realistically portraying the tensions that exit between Native American, Hispanic and Anglo. I started reading this one late; which was a mistake because I literally couldn't put it down until I finished it! Good thing I didn't have to work the next day.
I also get the feeling that as McGarrity continues to write, Clayton Istee is going to come to the forefront of his New Mexico mysteries and Kerney will take a "back burner" position. While I find Istee an intriguing character, and worthy of being the focus of a great read, I hope Kevin Kerney continues to inhabit Michael McGarrity's fictional world.

***WARNING - Nitpicking Plot points ***

Again James Brady gives us a great story about Marines in action against unbelievable odds. Again, his book will probably disappoint military history buffs due to bad editing.

Though I loved the story of Captain Port and his ad-hoc group struggling to get out of China, as a military history buff, I couldn't get past some of the glaring inaccuracies.

Marine Officers' swords have never been strong enough to behead a man with one chop.

Marine Infantry units didn't carry flamethrowers until well into 1943.

Even fanatical 1st Sergeants will set aside uniform regulations to take care of their Marines.

His intercepted radio reports talked about things happening in the weeks following Pearl Harbor that didn't really occur until well into 1942.

Am I nitpicking? Probably. But if you're going to write a piece of historical fiction, then its crucial to get the facts straight. Even though its a great story, it lacks credibility because of these holes. I enjoyed reading it except when these errors popped up.

Great story for people who want to root on the good guys. Not so good for military history buffs. Try reading the first novel in "The Corps" series by WEB Griffin instead.

James Brady has always struck me as a novelist who routinely hits stand up doubles or even triples, if not long-ball home runs. His latest "Warning of War" is no exception with compelling insight into the psyche of American Warrior Marines, and with more than enough accurate documentation to make the relatively few historical errors confusing.

Did a Captain Billy Port and a platoon of China Marines really make a ride through North China and Mongolia towards an imagined Siberian sanctuary during the opening of WW2? Or is the book just an artful work of "alternative history?" Who knows? As Judge Roy Bean reportedly said, "If it didn't happen, then it should have." Either way, it's a fine summer read, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

For those of us former "Navy Pukes" who spent a few years attached to the Marines in the WESTPAC (even sometimes embraced as being "almost good enough to be a Marine"), the story rings true enough.

Thanks, Mr. Brady, for another fine novel. Keep 'em coming!

"Warning of War" which takes place pre-World War II, tells the story of a mission to round up all the Marines manning outposts in China. But is it "Fact, Fiction or Fantasy?" Brady does not answer this question leaving it for the reader to decide.
FACT: Marines of the 4th Marines and the Legation Guard were stationed from Shanghai in the south to Peking in the north. Some shipped out to the Philippines, some were captured and spent the war as POWs and some may have been members of "Billy Port's Ride".
FACT: The march of the 4th Marines through the streets of Shanghai, down Bubbling Well Road to the docks for boarding on the "Harrison" for transport to the Philippines happened.
FACT: The actions of 2ndLT Huizanga and Chief Gunner William Lee also happened.
FACT: LT. Huizanga, WO Lee, Col. Samuel Howard and Captain Jack White were "real" Marines stationed in China.
FACT: There is no mention of this mission in any of the written histories of the Marine Corps nor is there any recording of this mission in the official records of the United States Marine Corps.
FICTION: Is it within the realm of possibility that such a mission was formed to gather the far-flung pockets of Marines? Certainly. AND--
FANTASY: Visions of being a part of an adventure such as this lives in the hearts of all who breathe adventure. So why not?
James Brady weaves the mood and emotions of the times as did artist/author Col. John W. Thomason Jr.'s chronicles of the Chinaside Marines of the 1930s. Great tales recommended to readers of adventure. Brady uses words spiced with salty, macho language. Grand stuff used by those in positions of leadership in all walks of life.
This story reads as a "National Geograhic" article with insightful, factual backgrond such as the detailed descriptions of the Legation at Peking, the Ritz Hotel in Boston, the gates of and The Great Wall with tour guide narration of the countryside for added flavor. The lesson in geography is worth the price of the book.
As in his stories on the Hamptons the names of the famous (General "Black Jack" Pershing, General Lewis "Chesty" Puller), the infamous (Pancho Villa, Rapputin), the rich (Prince Yusopov) and the ordinary (Dr. Han, Father Kean) appear throughout the story adding a degree of truth to the fantasy(?).
"Warning of War" contains sidebars of love and romance which are related without the need for the micro details of sex crowding the litrature of today. Also four letter words are few and far between used only occasionally in the dialogues of these tough, salty and macho men. Col. Thomason also wrote in this antiseptic but welcome style.
Approximately halfway into this fast-paced adventure tale the mood slows to a beautifully written scenario of Christmas as experienced by the members of "Billy Port's Ride". Carols, sincere holiday greetings, scenes of stars in the heavens pointing(?), all bringing a tug at the heart strings as good, or better, than any attempt at sentimentality written by the fantasy industry in California. This scenario brought pause to this reviewer's train of thought as he remmebered his Christmas in Korea, standing sentry duty, hearing Jo Stafford's rendition of "White Christmas" flow warmly over the newly fallen snow at his position. Memories, sad but mostly good.
This "Smell the Roses" pace is quickly absorbed back into the rapid flow of the story.
To those searching for history, read "Warning of War" for the love of adventure, not factual information. To all others, this fast-paced narrative may bring back memories and could provide you your own answer to the question presented by "Warning of War".
Is it "Fact, Fiction, or Fantasy"? It could be nothing more than a reading of a great tale of high-spirited adventure.
What more could you be looking for?

"Sleep No More" was disappointing and dissatisfying when compared to "Mortal Fear", "Black Cross", "Spandau Phoenix" and "The Quiet Game". The cover endorsement by Stephen King should have been enough indication, but I didn't take heed. I have no objection to the premise of the book, and didn't find "Sleep No More" disturbing or even mildly unsettling. Worse, I found the plot tedious and the characters not the intelligent residents of Mr. Iles' previous writings cited above. I could put "Sleep No More" down and wait days to read more, and that was very disappointing because I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. reading his earlier books. Don't expect the same style, concise story-telling, crisp plot and language, or characters of Greg Iles' earlier stories. If you like basic horror/fantasy, you might enjoy "Sleep No More."

Greg Iles shows his growth and versatility as a fiction writer by creating an absorbing psychological thriller that quickly hooks the reader and doesn't let go until the controversial yet sanguine conclusion.

John Waters, a financially successful self-employed geologist in the oil business is a tormented man. Even though he is happily married with a lovable, precocious daughter, Waters is haunted by a relationship that he ended many years previous. When he becomes attracted to a mysterious woman who claims to be his nefarious lover from the past, he begins a journey that ultimately challenges his sanity.

Eve Summer is a young and beautiful vixen who displays many of the mannerisms, and voices many of the intimate phrases that only Waters and Mallory Candler, his lover from the past, shared. Once Waters submits to temptation and has sex with Eve, his past comes rushes back to haunt him. It appears to him as though Mallory has returned but he cannot explain to himself how she can possibly be real. Therin lies the heart of the story. Who is this person who appears to have returned from the dead? how did she do it? and what does she want?

Since there is so much we are learning about the mind and so much we don't know and can only theorize and speculate upon, the story is possible. Even though it strains the limits of comprehension, SLEEP NO MORE is so well written it opens up the imagination and entertains the reader to the end. To say any more about the specifics of the story would ruin the experience of reading this thought-provoking thriller. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those readers of suspense looking for something different.

In the forward to this book, Greg Iles comments that he has written many types of books and thanks his fans for allowing him to do so. Sleep No More is a completely different book than all of his others yet it is similar in many ways. This book contains many elements that were found in the Quiet Game and Mortal Fear.

The main character John Waters has a seemingly happy life with a wife and a littel girl. Eve Summers enters his life uttering phrases and doing things that an old lover named Mallory Candler used to do, and Mallory has been dead for 10 years. Waters' relationship with Mallory is very much alive and plays a huge role in the novel. Making sense of tragic secrets of the past is the only way John Waters can survive the present.

Sleep No More is totally different novel for Iles because it has a supernatural element. I'm sure that's why Stephen King was given two quotes on the covers praising the book. Iles is a good enough writer that he doesn't have to compare his work to anyone, yet when combining genres, it helps to have the support of someone like Stephen King.

If you can except that what Iles proposes can actually happen, then you'll be captivated by this novel. Everything else about this novel is excellent. Suspense, sex, violence, drama, betrayal. Its all there. Iles definitely is improving as a writer and I hope he continues to try different types of novels.