I watched the movie last 3 weeks and straight went back home and ordered the book online. Got the book yesterday and just finished it early this morning. AWESOME!!! Ten times better than the movie itself. Read it and you know what i meant... What you get from this book is a pair of separate, entertaining road comedies. It is a big deal to me since it is very hard to get a good book that based from celluloid. A very joyful and crazy reading with a lot of twists and funny lines. If i have to rate this book from 1 to 10, i would like to give 11. The book, the movie and the 2 great actors (Julia and Brad) will be my favorite things of this century.

For a book written based off a screenplay this is pretty decident and captures you into the plot. I suggest you pick it up even if you don't like books based off a screen play.

There are many Dewey biographies, and so finding the right one can be difficult. I particularly like the Westbrook biography, because it places Dewey's thought squarely within the context of his life and times - an approach Dewey himself would have commended. For those of you who are not familiar with Dewey, philosopher of Democracy and Education, have no fear. Although he was a very prolific writer, Westbrook provides the reader with a good introduction to all of Dewey's major works - in itself a great boon for those of us trying to pick and choose select works from the 44-volume beast. Lastly, Westbrook also illuminates much of the history surrounding Dewey's life: including the Sociology Movement of late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, and both World Wars. A wonderful book about America's most famous philosopher.

If I want to escape into a detective novel, I prefer amusing ones with realistic characters, well-researched settings, clever plots and plenty of sex. I found all of these in abundance in Lady Left. Now I'll have to check out his other books, having recently chosen to give male authors a chance. Westbrook's understanding of the male and female adolescent mind must come from experience! Great diversion!

Robert Westbrook has very strong character studies in this latest episode of his Howard Moon Deer series. The story unfolds well, and the readers are actually placed in the situations as they happen by use of vivid descriptions and good use of conversation between characters. The few short-comings are in the form of inconsistent evidentiary findings and unlikely behavior of certain characters. However, this does not detract significantly from a book that is interesting and moves along at an adequate pace. It is also a accurate window to the geography, politics, society and mentality of small town, northern New Mexico.

I loved this book. It is a good regional murder mystery, but it is more than that. It is social satire: Lexus-driving yuppie men gather in the mountains around the campfire on the weekends to beat drums and search for their inner child, all the while conspiring to enrich themselves at the expense of the townspeople. It is a couple of love stories: about the hero whose girlfriend has inexplicably disappeared, and about the irascible blind detective and his loving wife of many years who help him find her. And it is above all a very funny book that exposes the hypocrisy of politicians and the rich. While he is compared to Tony Hillerman, I think Westbrook is more like Florida's Carl Hiaasen and Randy Wayne White although not nearly as insanely inventive -- which can be a relief.

Robert Westbrook shows his talent and his literary roots in his new mystery series. Also author of Intimate Lies, Westbrook knows the Southwest first-hand. He draws you into the outsider viewpoint and tells an intriguing story. The Warrior Circle mystery illuminates the dark places of men's emotions and greed that drive them to evil deeds.

Robert Westbrook shows his talent and his literary roots in his new mystery series. Also author of Intimate Lies, Westbrook knows the Southwest first-hand. He draws you into the outsider viewpoint and tells an intriguing story. The star of the tale takes you along on an eerie investigation to discover what might be an imagined apparition, a deadly hoax, or an evil supernatural being.

I found this book to be an absorbing, page turner. The author's descriptions of Taos and the characters were very realistic. I felt I knew the characters well. It is a mystery written with cleverness and humor. The ending was a real surprise. I recommend it highly to mystery lovers.

Ghost Dancer was great fun to read. Not just another Hillerman type southwestern mystery, this was far more clever and had more colorful characters. Great social commentaries, witty and insightful writing and a well constructed mystery that led me down many wrong paths.

I didn't really expect to like this book. I have always enjoyed F. Scott Fitzgerald's works and that was what drew me to this book. I had heard about Sheilah Graham and i think i had read somewhere of there relationship. Bored one day with my usual 'type' of books i picked this one up amd began to read. What struck me immendiatly was the honesty, brutal at times being displayed by the Miss Graham's own son Robert Westbrook. His writing is presise and detailed recreating the golden age of Hollywood. He presents Fitzgerald honestly showing other aspects of the doomed author. His mother is shown as a master of the 'makeover' recreating herself from a very humble beginning. Take a chance with this book i think you'll be pleasently surprised..

I love it when nonfiction keeps me up late at night, turning pages. "Intimate Lies" may well be the definitive source on the last years of Fitzgerald's life, during which he tried (and failed) to be a Hollywood screenwriter. Westbrook's evenhanded, well-researched treatment of the romance between Fitzgerald and columnist Sheilah Graham (Westbrook's mother)is a snapshot of Hollywood just before World War II, a mixture of glamor, socialism and absurd censorship.

In the 4th installment of Mr. Westbrook's fictional San Geronimo detective series, much more attention is given to the novels namesake, Howard Moon Deer.

Moon Deer is not your typical Native American. He left his roots long ago to lead more of the white man's life, after realizing he wanted more than what the reservation could offer. He has a thing for modern coffee latte's, classical music, food wraps, attractive women and other modern conveniences. However, he still hasn't found his niche in life, and has returned to the New Mexican town of San Geronimo, where in order to make ends meet has hired on to as the assistant to ex-San Francisco cop Jack Wilder. Jack was blinded while on the job back in California, and has since established a new life with his wife in San Geronimo, where he has opened his detective agency, Wilder & Associate.

While on a routine and boring stakeout behind a local Chinese deli, Howie witnesses a bizarre act. Someone has driven down the dark alley late at night, dumped something in a garbage bin and left Howie's car the recipient of a hit and run. When Howie's initial shock wears off he discovers a gruesome find in the dumpster, a severed head, but that's not all, it appears as if it has been cooked!

Here begins a mystery that soon engulfs the small town. Who was driving the car? Whose head was discovered and where is the body? And more importantly, why does the coroner believe the victim was the result of cannibalism, a fear that riles the locals in a frenzy as this seems to be a copy cat ritual. A ritual that dates back over a thousand years when the Anazazi Indians took up residence in the surrounding areas. Added to that, it appears that an English professor who was seen in the area has just disappeared.

Enter D.T., a young beautiful Indian anthropologist girl who stutters but seems to have captured Howie's fancy. But Howie soon discovers D.T. is not always telling the truth, and seems to know more about the recent events than she is leading on to. What is D.T. connection to the missing Englishman?

Jack Wilder and Howie are hired by one of the local Indian factions to look after D.T. and a recently discovered archeological find in the nearby mountains. The discovered site seems to have fueled a fire between the local Indian factions, and don't really want the white man involved. It seems bones have been un-earthed and key clues left behind that may once and for all settle the argument if the Anazazi were once cannibals are at sake.

But when another Indian boy shows up at Howie's front door shot, he has only minutes to give Moon Deer an unidentifiable artifact to hide before he dies.

Now Howie, D.T., the local War Chief and his shady companions must ascend the mountain on horseback and secure the site. But again, not everything as it seems and Howie soon suspects everyone has his or her own agenda. Clearly D.T. is lying about something, as is the War Chief. Howie realizes that he may be over his head on this one and soon he is on the run to save his life when people start revealing their true colors.

The climax takes us back into town, where Wilder and his wife Emma, doing their own detective work uncover some interesting information about all the players and make another discovery that surprises the reader. What was the artifact that everyone seems to be clamoring for back at Howie' place?

Overall, Ancient Enemy was a more solid read than Red Moon. The author gave a lot of attention to Moon Deer, and made all the characters believable both in description and motivation. I felt the story always moved forward, and there was really no lack in action and development. It was also nice to see the author include more Native American lore that was missing from Red Moon, and I think the reader will notice that this novel was put together very nicely as compared to previous novels in this series. Looking forward to more.

This third book in the Howard Moon Deer series deserves 3.5 stars.

I find it very interesting that this novel is billed as a 'Howard Moon Deer' novel, when in fact the character Moon Deer makes up one half of a the detective team of Wilder & Associate. Throughout the novel, while Howard does play an integral part of the unfolding mystery, it is his mentor and boss, retired CA. policeman, Jack Wilder who has just as much action. Even more so, it is Jack Wilder that the P.I. firm is named after, and it is Jack that pretty much is part of the climax and resolution of the overall mystery here.

I purchased this book for its somewhat synonymous genre of modern Native American mysteries as Tony Hillerman would write about in his Jim Chee & Joe Leaphorn novels. Whereas Hillerman mixes in traditional Native American culture, history, religion, and tradition into his novels author Robert Westbrook barely touched on any of this in this novel. Actually our star, Howard Moon Deer, is very educated. He can speak French and English quite well and attended Ivy League schools. He often comments on how far removed he is from 'traditional' Native American life as he has mastered the yuppie slang, has a taste for Café Aulaits and wine, and is involved with an equally educated white woman.

So what part makes this a southwestern novel? Well, events take place in the fictional town of San Geronimo, New Mexico. The author compares San Geronimo to a smaller scale Santa Fe and Taos, as it is centered around an artist community/mentality and tourism. Sure there are some references to Native American culture, but not many.

The story was nothing new. Current mystery revolves around a recent murder and a stolen Georgia O'Keefe painting from years past. As the mystery unfolds, we learn of another murder and mystery tied to it from the past as well, but conveniently all the players from back then are still present today. Overall, the story was entertaining, and you really get interested in the cast of characters. The characters are pretty well defined and all have apparent motivations and definitions that make them fun and quirky. However, the climax was a slight let down as everything happened too fast and wasn't overly exciting or action packed. It was a fairly easy read, as I finished the 297 pages in less than 4 days, and I would definitely read the next one just so I can see the resolution of a few interesting non-essential story threads that presented themselves throughout the tale. Some of these seem to dictate the actions of Howard, his girlfriend, and Jack and the way they perceive each other.

In closing, Robert Westbrook has some very good characters in Howard Moon Deer and Jack Wilder, but I don't think this story utilized their full potential.

I suppose it is time for a sub-genre of blind detectives to be developed. Howard is the employee of a blind retired police officer, Jack Wilder, who couldn't stand being retired. He provides the thought and Howard does the legwork to research the cases, often with unforeseen consequences. Howard is a Native American who received an education off the reservation. Now he is sophisticated, knowledgeable, and doesn't always fit in with his fellow tribesmen. In addition, he is living in New Mexico, and is equally as much an alien as Jack when it comes to the reservation and its residents.
Jack, though a resident of permanent darkness, is a gourmet cook and is even experimenting with learning to shoot without sight for aiming. Every so often he must extricate Howard from a bad situation. Howard gets knocked unconscious on a regular basis, and should be suffering far more damage from those blows...or at least reconsidering his career move.

I really enjoyed Red Moon. It is a classic, mystery-suspense novel, but is so well written that it belongs with the best of the genre. I especially enjoyed all I learned about New Mexico and that the characters were so well drawn. I found it so interesting that the detective was blind and that we "saw" things through his "eyes" and I enjoyed the protagonist, Howard Moon Deer who is flawed but kind and sexy. The prologue is one of the best I have read with a wonderful description of the rainbow man. I look forward to "Ancient Enemy" which, I believe, is due to be published this fall. If you have not discovered Robert Westbrook I urge you to do so. His books are thoroughly good reads.

I really wonder if American moviemakers and authors [borrow] so much European ideas just to make money??? I never read or saw an American "remake" that even came close to the original...

Is there NO possibility to rate it with zero stars?

The writing in this book is so elementary it's embarrassing. I picked it up because the premise of the movie sounded interesting, but the writing is so bad it gets in the way of the story. I'm on page 70 and I keeping thinking it's going to get better and then on the next page I wonder where the editor was! I guess this is one case where I'm SURE the movie has to be better.

A fictional story of two Los Angeles detectives, sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate a murder in Nightmute.Insomnia has an unusual twist half way through the story, where the main character Will Dormer, abuses his authority as a detective. I didn't find this novel to be any different than any other typical mystery,it was boring and slow through the first seven chapters, then it finally picked up the pace in the investigation of Kay Connel. Personally it's a good action packed mystery, that keeps the reader anticipating what will happen next. The whole novel is well thought through and I'm looking forward to watching the movie Insomnia, based on the novel.

Robert Westbrook, dosen't give very good descriptions of the main characters, in order for the narrator to have a general ideal of their appearances. I also disliked where pictures of the main characters from the movie were placed in chapter fourteen, because the pictures described scenes in the book before their time, revealing what would happen next and who the killer was. Despite difficulties with the descriptions and pictures, the rest of the novel is very detailed. other than those few flaws he does do a good job, at keeping the reader interested until the end.

Robert Westbrook, has written quite a few mystery novels, Insomnia being his most recent. I think he's an author who has not yet became well known and he hasn't done very many novels, therefore he is an author I would keep an eye on. To be honest I have not read any other books by him, but I would like to read his others just to see how well he has progressed over time. So if you like short mystery novels, Insomnia is a book I'd recommend reading.

When The Perceptions rock group member JJ Jeffries is murdered it's up to detective Nicky Rachmaninoff to find the murderer. As he unravels the mystery it seems nearly everyone in the music industry, and even the Mafia, wants the members dead. Each time Nick thinks he's figured it out and is about to make an arrest, the person dies.

There's too much violence in this one for my taste, and the language is equally offensive.