This story is not only wonderful for children, but also adult basenji lovers. A must for ever family who has ever had or known a basenji. Candle will find a place in your heart forever!

A basenji friendly household boasted of a pair of breeding basenjis and their two adorable puppies. The senior basenjis told their puppies the story of Candle, a basenji ancestor who really did show everyone the way.

An African breed that boasts of a more than 2,000 year history, the famed "barkless" dog (basenjis yodel and make laughing noises instead, these dogs were the loved pets of Egyptian aristocracy and nobility. The story of Candle takes place in Egypt.

A lovable young basenji named Candle is the adored pet in a royal household. Basenjis, naturally intelligent and curious were aware that something wonderful and miraculous was about to take place. The "basenji network" were aware that the days of excess and idolatry were soon to be challenged; a miracle was on the way.

Candle and her owner, a young Egyptian gentleman saw the Star shining brightly in the East and knew they had to follow it....

Readers will yodel with delight as well. This is truly a wonderful family bonding book and it is certainly a beautiful illustration of love and faith. I can't recommend it highly enough. I love it! The lovely illustrations and the gentle story will captivate readers of all ages.

Candle will light a path to the hearts of all who read her story.

A delightful story for all ages, this beautifully illustrated tale of the little Basenji who shares in the joy and wonder of the first Christmas is truly a timeless classic!

I heard the author discussing this book on a local radio station recently. I'd never heard of her, but found the book in my library yesterday. I'm glad that I had not bought it.

I live in Connecticut, but am not a native like the author. I am not upset at her snide comments about Texas. That is the way people in Connecticut are. They are very snobby and superior. They do not believe there is anything west of the Hudson that is worth knowing about and they make fun of anything out there.

As far as this book, I liked it except for the vulgar language here and there which I guess is necessary these days. It lowers my opinion of the author, tho. She doesn't really have to write that stuff.

Interesting story with a few twists. However, Sue Grafton's Kinsey is more to my liking. I don't think I'll read another book about Poppy.

I found this to be an excellent novel. The cover makes it look like a bit of fluff, but it is hard edged and great reading. It's a hardcore crime fiction, with twists and turns that are excellently connected. I've read some of the other reviews and feel that possibly the 'lightness' of the cover led some folks to the book who may not have otherwise read it. If has the tightness and darkness of James Lee Burke, Dennis Lehane and Nevada Barr. For the record, I am a Texan and while some comments were a bit far fetched, I found nothing to be 'offended by.' I am eagerly awaiting the next Poppy Rice.

Meet Poppy Rice, former Florida prosecutor and Bronx district attorney turned cracker-jack FBI Agent. She was brought to Washington to clean up and revamp the infamous FBI crime lab. With her take-no-prisoners style, she's turned the once sloppy and sometimes inept facility into a state of the art, well-oiled machine, the envy of the rest of the world. Now she's carved out a new role for herself, reinvestigating old cases, the ones that may have fallen through the cracks in the bad old days of slipshod investigations, and that's how she comes across Rona Leigh Glueck. Rona Leigh, former teenage ax murderer, now born again Christian, is sentenced to die by lethal injection in just ten days. She was a seventeen year old alcoholic, drug addicted, malnourished and only eighty-eight pounds at the time of the murders. With her tiny frame and childlike wrists and hands, Poppy doesn't believe she could have wielded a twenty-four pound ax at least a dozen times. Her trial was one big emotional travesty, topped off with very suspect expert testimony, "glee" made her able to do it. But what really sends Poppy to Texas looking for justice is the fact that the FBI crime lab ignored a request from Rona Leigh's public defender. Poppy feels if they had done their job, it just might have proven that Rona Leigh was innocent..... Based loosely on the Karla Faye Tucker case and execution, Mary-Ann Tirone Smith has written a fresh and entertaining thriller you won't be able to put down. This is an intriguing novel that has it all...a terrific and intricate story line complete with twists, turns, and more than a few surprises that keeps you off balance and turning pages, crisp, smart writing full of witty and irreverent dialogue and Texas humor, and vivid, riveting, sometimes laugh-out-loud-funny scenes. But it's Ms Smith's well drawn, engaging and original characters that really make this book stand out, and once you've met tough, clever and very capable Poppy Rice, you'll be hooked for sure. This is a book you don't want to miss. Love Her Madly is the first of what should be a marvelous new series, and should definitely be at the top of every mystery/thriller fan's "must read" list.