I am a Pediatric Surgery, and a Professor of Pediatric Surgery at ULBRA ( Brasilian Luteran University)- at Porto Alegre, Brazil. This book will be the #1, as Recommended Bibliography for all Medical students, because it is clear, didactic, and have a lot of good figures. My only dream is to buy it at a better price, exclusive for Third World Nations.

Ship In The Wilderness is a presentation of the voyages of the MS Explorer through the last wild places on Earth blends a travelogue with a nature diary and an account of expedition cruising. Snyder's wildlife and landscape photography enhances Shackleton's text and log-book drawings to make for a very different kind of natural history title. Wildlife photos abound.

I really enjoyed Mr. Synder's two previous novels and was looking forward to reading his latest. I enjoyed the witty dialogue and funny, yet realistic story lines from his previous work. I expected the same in the new novel. I don't know if the author was hurried by his publisher or if he is running out of ideas, but I was rather disappointed when I finished the novel. The plot was weak and the characters just seem to sit around like they were waiting for the author to tell them what to do. The story never seemed to go anywhere and it just sort of ended. In some cases, I was confused as to what was going on. The book seemed hurried and I felt it could have used a little more proof reading. Hopefully, this is just a bump in Mr. Synder's writing career. Maybe he should start another series with fresh new characters.

"Trouble Comes Back" in different disguises in the third installment of the life of Jason Keltner, a young electronic musician living in Southern California.

Keltner spends little time behind his keyboards and computers this go-round, as an attempt to rescue his roommates mother from an abusive boyfriend leads him on an expedition to a crack house, where they discover and help rescue former rock star Dwight Cooper, a.k.a. Uncle Trouble. Cooper returns the favor by hiring them to babysit his daughter and protect her from his ex-wife, now working as a model in New York City.

Keith Snyder has a way of capturing contemporary speech that's free-flowing and sometimes confusing or obscure. His characters trade barbs and jokes, sometimes in the same paragraph, they fight and make up or not. A story arc may go in one direction, hang a right turn at the last moment and head into uncharted territory. While the fun is more muted this time around, when it shows up it's all the more amusing from trenchent observations about New York (my favorite: "Brooklyn is like Manhatten only shorter.") to the inclusion of a bedtime story "The Little Clam that Liked to Dance Even Though It Had No Feet" and "The Wonky," a short-short story that plays a pivotal role in the conclusion. This is a book where the pain is real, the regret palatable and the consequences of even the best of intentions sometimes fatal.

When the offer comes to abandon day jobs that pay the rent and barely lap the edges of making art, Jason and the gang buckle on the capes and swords and venture forth to meet Trouble and its metaphors. The writing is more assured, characters more complex, and stylistic playfulness helps the series to continue feeling fresh.

To the point, I enjoyed the book. very much. As an avid mystery reader, it's easy to see the craft here; especially, Snyder's creation of of place, development of characters,and realistic, crips dialogue are all superbly-crafted, well-measured, and well-written. And that makes for a happy audience, and the pages turn... Bravo to Keith Snyder and his publisher.

This is not a conventional mystery novel. Keith Synder is not a conventional man. As a composer, he adds a dimension rarely found and, as a wise-[crack], he adds a dimension happily found. It is pure craftsmanship. It is, also, the fourth book in a series featuring Jason Keltner, but it stands tall and strong on it's own.

Page one and we find Jason peddling his bike madly across the Brooklyn Bridge. What is a California boy doing in Brooklyn? When it's really, really cold? He is there to help when a gay friend's grand opening of a music store is baptized by an act of vandalism. At night, he stands watch amidst the shattered glass and broken instruments, snooping by day. To aid him in his quest are Roberto and Martin. Oddly, you will be introduced to them for the first time whether you've read another book in the series or not. Excerpts from The Night Men, the PI book that cemented their childhood friendship, make up the third story arc that interweaves this exceptional book.

Totally original, amazingly funny with characters that make this a must read, re-read, and make others read, book.

Reviews are a strange business. In the end, of course, it's just an opinion of a singular individual, but it's funny how a book or music--or anything, for that matter--can inspire such wildly divergent opinions.

For example, the negative review posted below is a substantially different one from my own, as I thought THE NIGHT MEN was one of the best books I've read this year. For one thing, it takes chances. Combining three different story arcs--that of Jason's vigilant nightwatch over Zeb's shop after it's been vandalized, when Jason and his closest friends Robert and Martin meet as teenagers and forge their friendship in the midst of a similar situation (but with different results), and excerpts from a PI novel that was an inspiration for the trio in their teen years and from then on--is no easy task, and most writers don't even come close to succeeding. However, I never had a problem discerning between the arcs, and the transitions were very smooth and easy to follow.

Second, the characters have grown from previous books and grow throughout. The Jason, Robert, and Martin you may have met in SHOW CONTROL (or more likely in the later books) are older, more thoughtful, and less likely to fall back on the flippancy that often characterizes their conversations. It's still there, and I'm glad for it, but not to the same degree. This mirrors the progression of Snyder's own writing style--it has far more substance and honesty in THE NIGHT MEN than it ever did before.

Which ties into my third point, which is that this book doesn't patronize talk down to the reader, but instead assumes that he or she can handle reasonably intelligent ideas and thought. And it's probably the only book with a subplot about a stolen theremin, and I just thought that was cool.

Admittedly, THE NIGHT MEN is not an easy book to categorize; it's drenched in the conventions of the crime novel and owes much to it, but I wouldn't call the book a crime novel. It doesn't have Big Best Seller (TM) written all over it (though I really wish it did) because it doesn't fit so neatly into the little boxes occupied by whoever's on the fiction list these days. But that shouldn't stop you from getting it, reading it, buying it for your friends, getting them to read it, etc. Because if you're looking for something that actually makes you think about a great many things, like what makes a friendship and the emotional benefits and costs, and why familial bonds are often less strong than they potentially should be, THE NIGHT MEN's the book to pick up.

Jason Keltner is compelled to find the killer of someone he met only once, a woman he talked into getting over her stage fright, so that he can get over being divorced and having a hateful day job when what he wants to do is music. Although at times the victim of so much control that the writing seemed forced and even movie-scriptish, the composition was often laugh-out-loud funny, made of not only wise-guyish, but often wise observations; built on scruffily appealing 20-somethings, and by and large fresh.

Jason Keltner is struggling. His wife is divorcing him, he's living in a run down house, and the day job he hates is keeping him from doing what he'd really love to do, music. So, he does what any 20-something in his shoes would do, gets involved in a murder.

Jason only met Monica Gleason once, but he encouraged her to get on stage for the performance where she ultimately died. Channeling all his energies into finding out what happened, it's not too long before he's making enemies. But what has he learned that would earn him drive by shootings, smashed car windows, and attempted kidnappings? Dragging his friends Mitch and Robert along, he's determined to find out.

I actually read the second book in this series (Coffin's Got the Dead Guy on the Inside) first. Reading this book really helped me understand the relationships between the series characters that had tripped me up reading that book. The plot moves along in several unexpected directions, and the characters are different and interesting. Living in Southern California, I especially had fun following the locations as they went to places I know. Jason and his friends have a very fun sense of humor, and I found myself laughing out loud at their dialog many times. I especially enjoyed the scenes between Jason and Detective Johns.

I will admit to being just a little disappointed with this book, however. This is obviously a first novel. The writing style is a little choppy, I guessed a couple things before they happened, and some of the humor fell flat. I didn't notice these problems in the second book, and I expected this book to live up to those standards. But these really are minor complaints over all.

This book is a weird mix of suspense, humor, and dark plot that actually works. I've enjoyed the first two in the series and look forward to reading about Jason's further adventures.

This book is one of those mystery thrillers that you need to read carefully, because even the smallest details become important. It's hard to put this book down -- the constant twists and turns to the plot, and insights into the characters, are truly fascinating. Combine that with Keith Snyder's obvious love for the darker side of life balanced with humor, and you have a truly fun read. This isn't a 'cotton candy' mystery thriller that you read and forget about the day after -- this book will stay with you. I can't wait to read the sequel!

...The concept seemed amusing and the idea of musician who solves mysteries was something different then your average mystery novel. The story flows well and Keith Snyder snappy dialogue set a great pace for the novel.

The story is centered on Jason Kelptner a musician who on the side does some investigating for extra cash. Jason accepts a job to watch an old friend, Paul who is up to no good. Jason invites Paul to move in with him so he can keep closer tabs on him. Soon Jason and his other rommies Martin and Robert (a writer and actor) become intangles in a tecno-scam in which Paul is playing both sides of the fence. Soon bad guys with guns are showing up on Jason's doorstep demanding a computer gizmo called a "dongle". Jason and pals must find the "dongle" and figure out what it does to figure out the scam and the rest of the mystery.

The book does jump around a little and has a few too many characters. At the end you may end up wonderering who is on what side, but in total this is a very solid funny mystery. The banter between Jason, Robert and Martin is a true treat and very funny. One minor poor note is the number of spelling errors that appear in the book. Snyder should have a better editor for his caliber.

A private investigator who has a car that's falling apart, gets confused on more than one occasion, is less than successful with the opposite sex, and would rather be composing music? Yes, and it works very well.

Jason Keltner and friends bicker their way through a mystery that features computer technology, numerous laughs, various plot twists, and a fast-paced story. The main character has a vulnerability that makes him appealing and interesting, as when he considers returning to a restaurant and asking the comely seating person for a date:

"Jason didn't feel like leaving town. He flirted briefly with the notion of going back into Denny's and asking the seating person to go somewhere, but there was nowhere to go, she was probably not there anymore, it was getting light out, and--the most compelling reason--there was no way in hell he could ever actually bring himself to do that."

Any male who has ever wimped out on asking an attractive woman for a date will identify with these rationalizations and feel a kinship with Jason. Present company included.

I could have done without the final plot twist, and some readers may be bothered by the absence of any interesting, well-drawn female characters. However, these are minor quibbles. "Coffin" is a compelling, humorous mystery.

All Jason Keltner wants to do is get out of Pasadena by himself and work on composing some music, especially Untitled #23. But, with rent overdue, he agrees to watch his ex-friend Paul Reno to see what he's up to. After all, the money's not bad.

Paul is up to no good, as always. When Jason and Paul go to a party, their host falls down dead. Soon, goons are chasing the two of them; which isn't a good thing, considering Jason's beat up, almost classic car. Paul is obviously hiding something, and Jason just doesn't know who to trust. So, he enlists the help of his friends Robert and Martin. But are they in over their heads? And, if so, can they stay one step ahead of everyone who's after them?

First, the bad. This book just jumps in and never fully explains the relationships between some of the characters. I was confused for the first 30 pages or so as to who was who and why some characters were treating each other the way they were. Part of that is probably because this is the second in the series, but a little more background would have been nice.

However, once I got beyond those first 30 pages, I fell under the book's unique spell. The book was written exactly for my sarcastic, punny sense of humor, and I found myself laughing out loud at the banter between Jason, Mitch, and Robert. And the chicken wing/celery/ranch dressing debate is not to be missed. The plot starts a little slowly, but quickly picks up speed as the story progresses. While sometimes the characters seem to come too quickly, if you work at it, you can keep track of everyone and whose side they're really on.

This book requires a little extra concentration then many I normally read to keep everything straight, but it's completely worth it. Keith Snyder has earned himself a new fan, and I can't wait to catch up on Jason, Robert, and Mitch's other adventures.