I read this after loving California Fire And Life (by the same author). What I found was Neal Carey, a wonderful plot, some great dialogue and Don Winslow taking another step up the ladder of my favorite writers.

This book is intriguing, gripping and fun. It is filled with detail and an insight that leaves the reader enriched for the experience. Novels that flit from city to city seldom manage to capture the feel of the setting with any great detail but Don Winslow finds a way to take you from New York to London and have you believe he's lived in both places all of his life. The scenes in Yorkshire are a little stereotyped, but that's nitpicking in the extreme.

Neal Carey is an excellent character, hard, streetwise and compassionate, backed up ably by Joe Graham and a smart mouth. The story is well told and unfortunately believable.

This is a brisk, immensely enjoyable updating of the private eye and noir genres. When we first meet Neal Carey he's a graduate student at Columbia, working on a degree in 18th Century English Literature. But then he receives a call from his "Dad," Joe Graham, who turns out to be the one-armed dwarf who sort of adopted Neal when he was eleven years old and running the streets. A series of flashbacks shows Graham teaching Neal how to survive and grooming him for an eventual position trouble shooting for a shadowy organization called Friends of the Family, who look after the interests of the wealthy clients of the Kitteridge family bank in Providence, RI. Over the years, Neal learned everything from how to tail people to how to search a room without anyone ever knowing, and in the course of these unusual studies, Joe realized that Neal was a gifted student. Eventually the Friends send him to school, but now they need him for a special assignment.

It's 1976 and with Jimmy Carter likely to win the Democratic presidential nomination, he's expected to look for a northern running mate. Senator John Chase of Rhode Island has a decent shot at the job, but there's one significant skeleton in his closet : his troublesome teenage daughter has run away to London. Now it's up to Neal to go find her and bring her back in time for the Convention.

Neal is a streetwise and sassy hero, which makes for plenty of snappy banter. And the London he arrives in is in the midst of the birth of punk rock, which provides an unusually anarchic backdrop to the action. Add in a priceless first edition of Tobias Smollett's The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle and a double-crosser within the Friends and you've got a mystery that cleverly mixes elements of classic noir with various innovations of the author's own. Imagine Oliver Twist by way of Raymond Chandler with a soundtrack by The Clash, and you'll capture something of the spirit of the story. It all makes for great fun and I look forward to reading the subsequent books in the series.

GRADE : A-

Well what can I say, this is a fascinating book. I fell in love with Neal and his clever comebacks for Levine and everyone else who gave him crap halfway through the book and by the end I was wishing he was a real guy! Way to go Don Winslow I would also recommend California Fire And Life, its heavy stuff but it totally knocked me out :)

You know the poetry. The kind the older generation uses for birthdays and farewell luncheons ("We hope that God will bless// You with good health and happiness!"). You hate it, the forced rhymes and imperfect metrical structure (indeed, what metrical structure?). My mother-in-law used to write like that - volumes and volumes of such tripe. Sadly, she has departed from us, but not before leaving tons of this stuff all over the house, and a half-finished vanity press run of 100 copies (anybody want one?).

Now I know where she got the impetus for such poetry - Lord Byron! All of that generation's worst excesses of bad poetry come from Byron, I think. Embarrassingly forced rhymes, self-conscious commentary that frustratingly impedes the flow of the narrative, arch cuteness that threatens one's sanity - all there!! And he couldn't even finish it off properly.

Truly, a work only an academic could love - or find any value in. If you are attracted to this book, protect yourself: Try reading it aloud and making a stop at the end of every line (sing-song-like) so you can at least get the sense of the rhymes. I found the Penguin edition serviceable (as Penguins usually are). And don't bother with the footnotes, just let it flow. Now stop being so hard on the older generation.

I'm writing this to specifically respond to the remarks made by another reviewer condemning Byron for forced rhymes, self-conscious commentary, and the lack of a good finish.

WARNING: This poem is intended to be funny! Byron delighted in using the jangly sounds of feminine rhymes in the most outlandish fashion possible, and his digressions are what truly make this poem enjoyable; that voice is the center of the poem, not Don Juan's actions. As for the lack of a finish, I think I'll excuse any poet who dies mid-composition while training troops in the war for Greek independence.

I'm sorry to say it, but if you're looking for this poem to be a serious narrative in the traditional epic manner, you're bound to miss the boat. This poem is *designed* to be hilarious, and as far as that is concerned, it succeeds.

This has to be the longest poem I've ever finished, and yet it still wasn't long enough. It's compulsively entertaining, touching, funny, exciting, and life-affirming. You don't have to be an academic to appreciate it. And even if you don't finish it, you'll appreciate what you do finish for its own sake.

I'm still not sure if the Ironwood series is really based on found manuscripts or if it's Don Winslow's imagination at work. Maybe it started out as a bunch of manuscripts and it's now being fuelled by Don's mastery. But it doesn't matter either. He's good and he has done it again.

Unlike the first books in the series this focus not on the life of the Ironwood School owner (James) but rather on the changes that one girl undergoes when her uncle, tired of her attitude and uncapable of controling her, sends her to Ironwood as his las resort.

The way the changes are described, the punishment scenes, the erotic/SM stile can be read in every page. You can really almost feel that you are there, eyewitnissing the whole show. There is one particular punishment scene that coinesseurs will enjoy (but I'm not going to spoil by telling it).

From the moment the bratty girl steps into Ironwood, with her sassy attitude to the first confrontations with her masters and the following punishments, everything is describred in vivid colour. Gradually her attitude is broken. She becomes more docile and submissive. And at each chapter you can feel that a new girl is apearing.

Some of the SM literature out there portrays girls from the first moment a masochist but just don't know it. It's different here. In here there is a real rebel, a wild girl to be tamed. And even in the end you feel that more tamming is due.

For those who apreciate SM literature this is a MUST READ. I think it's the best in the Ironwood series and hope it's not the last.

This is another installment in the "Ironwood" series, a book about an institution where young women are sent to learn to be accomplished sex slaves. It is well written and wonderfully arousing if you're into BDSM. (And if you don't know what BDSM is, then you're not into it!) Winslow - whoever he is, since it's almost certainly a pseudonym - has an active and fertile imagination, and balances physical pain with psychic humiliation well enough to satisfy the connoisseurs of either. On the other hand, if you have no interest in the subject of erotic domination and submission, then you will be offended - indeed, probably disgusted - by this book. Don't read it! (And by the way, to answer the previous reviewer: I think we can be confident that the story of this being a recently discovered manuscript from somebody's basement in Denmark, or wherever, is silly fiction. Even Winslow himself may not exist - he's probably a committee.)

I was introduced to Don Winslow 4 years ago when he gave a lecture I attended. I found him to be an incredible speaker with an extensive knowledge base (he was speaking on the American Revolution). I assumed (rather, hoped) that his writing style would follow suit - interesting and informative, yet also direct and captivating.

I was not disappointed. This book is not only a well-written piece of fiction, with a well thought out plot and nicely developed characters, it is also assisted by spectacular research on Winslow's part. This book, which deals with a fire investigation, does not merely provide a shallow and quick look into the details of an investigation; it goes all out (in, rather).

For some people, this might be too much (it's a lot of info on how fires are started and how different fires spread and burn). However, for anyone who likes their reading to have some substance, this is a great find.

I was looking through my library for something to battle the "blahs" and found this gem. Don Winslow's book is excellent with a clever and tightly constructed plot. The story is written from the point of view of an observer who describes what the colorful and believable characters say, do and think. The realistic dialogue reveals the thought processes of the main characters in a way that cleverly allows the reader to anticipate and follow the action.

Jack Wade is an ex-cop, arson investigator who is employed as a claims adjuster-arson specialist for a large insurance company, California Fire and Life. He investigates a fire claim submitted by Daziatnik Valeshin,aka Nicky Vale, a Russian KGB military officer in the U.S. to investigate/infiltrate/use the Russian Mafia. He uses his connections to make money and put himself in a position of power. Jack's investigation of Vale's claim uncovers arson and murder. Jack stands up against his insurance co. which wants to pay the claim. Why? It is all inter-related, clever and very, very entertaining. It is funny, easy to relate to and would be a movie hit if done right. Highly Recommended!

California Fire and Life Don Winslow Knopf 1999 ISBN 0676549705 H.C. Mystery

I had never heard of Don Winslow before I was sent this book to review, now he is a favorite.

Jack Wade an arson adjuster for California Fire and Life Mutual, understands fires, its the people that he doesn't understand. Wade is a very engaging character, who really knows what he is doing. Jack must investigate a fire that he knows is arson, but others believe is accidental, his own company starts to pressure him to settle the case, but he cant and he breaks his own cardinal rule, "You don't get emotional and what ever you do don't get involved. As Jack gets further and further involved the situation becomes more dangerous. Soon arson is the least of Jacks worry, as the case grows to involve the Russian mob and Vietnamese gangs and much more. This book is a wild ride through the world of fire and insurance. The characters are cool and real life. I especially liked the details of the fire investagationing.

When my librarian first recommended this book to me, I was very skeptical. But after reading it, I figured out why she recommended it to me so highly. Eventhough, Cara enjoyed her first sexual experiences with these boys, she had no idea what would happen that day at the Delaney house. The guys took advantage of her and didn't think twice about it. I would not necessarily call Cara oversexed, but she certainly liked what she experienced the first time she did anything and thats what led her in to a false sense of security that day before the rape ever occurred. L.J.'s decision to stand by Scott surprised me at first but then I realized how much she loved him and it made sense as to why she did what she did. Being a young man in high school, I was skeptical about reading this book but after I did i know why it came recommended so highly. I would definitely recommend this book to other people my age.

"The Fair Game, concerning top high school atheletes 'gang raping' a mildly retarded sophomore girl." To me, this book is very interesting. It deals with high school; easily related to teen lives like you or me. The author of "Fair Game" captures the readers attention and pulls the reader along as the story and flashback unfolds. She has chosen and revealed her characters well, as well as thoughts of each main character. I fancy this book for its suspense, thoughts, and plots of the story.

Faire game demonstrates a realistic down-to-earth and yet scary view of highschool. As most people know highschool can be a terrifing expirience and this novel shows the extent of this. A mildy retarded girl longs to belong in a group of popular kids and goes to many lenghts to achieve that. Until one day she follows the boys around and as the boys already know,she will do many things to be accepted and they decide to take advantage of this. I dont want to give away what happens but the varied vew points provide an intense and detailed look at the feelings of the girl that was taken advantage of, a girlfriend to one of the boys involved and a friend to all of the boys. This book is harsh and shocking although Tamar is a great writer and can really show the terrible side of highschool. Not being able to put it down for 3 days straight I agree that this book deserves 5 stars!

When I first received this book from my fiance he told me I would have to read this. He knows that I am not much of a reader, but I told him I would. As soon as I started reading the book, every time I went to take a break something would come up. I just couldn't find myself to put this book down until I finished reading it. It was a very interesting and funny book.

Funny doesn't begin to describe this Neal Carey entry.
Hysterically funny. Laugh-out-loud till you cry funny.
I almost fell out of bed while reading this I was laughing so hard funny.And boy was I embarassed, since it was one in the morning and my neighbors have big ears.
Do yourselves a favor. READ THIS BOOK. But do it with care,
after all, you wouldn't want to fracture your funny bone.

Here a Neal Carey story that is more fun then the previous ones.
Not so suspencefull or mysterious ,but great fun to absorbe.
More,where this came from-the world around us is suspencefull enough-may there be a laugh or two...

The law saves Tim Kearney, a three time loser, from a life sentence in California jails because he resemebles a drug dealer named Bobby Z. Resembles?? He must be the guy's twin because everybody (with one exception) mistakes Tim for the Z. - even close, years-long friends. Tim also happens to be an ex-marine and, therefore, a cross between the best of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. A fact which is lucky for Tim because it seems almost everybody wants him, I mean Bobby Z., dead. Anyway despite the glaring implausibility of the "resemblance" the book is a good, quick read for the airplane or the beach, and will probably make a good movie. Overall the book's feel and narrative are similar to that of a Hiassen, just on the left coast. But I would rate it below any of Hiassen's. One of Mr. Winslow's characters even bears a resemblance to a recurring chracter in many of Mr. Hiassen's books - and I don't mean the State Trooper, Jim Tile.

Don Winslow is a great minimalist artist. He uses very few brush strokes to create an almost tangible adventure in the underworld of Southern California. And the tale is almost Shakespearian, complete with a protagonist who must overcome his own tragic flaws (aided by a homeless prophet, no less) before his world crashes down violently upon him. The author's use of the low-life vernacular is superb -- and fun. Vibrant action, sex, greed, and betrayal. Like most books, the characters in The Life & Death of Bobby Z have interesting strengths. The distinction here, though, is that they all have flaws that are twice as compelling. And Winslow avoids the genre's tendency toward cliches. But I won't: this book is a "must read!"

I had the pleasure of meeting the author of this book while I was studying in Cambridge, England last summer, and I was curious to find out if he was as captivating on paper as he was in person. This tale of a three time loser who has a talent for making enemies at every turn and a knack for outliving them is quite possibly the most captivating novel I have ever read. Every character is intriguing and every corner has a surprise behind it. If you want a deeper meaning, read the classics. If you want the most purely entertaining novel in existance, read this book! PS Don't mistake this Don Winslow for the other Don Winslow on this site. One writes brilliant action novels, and the other writes "erotic literature". Just a helpful hint.

it's a poor continuation of what should have only been one book. That's the problem with sequels ... they just don't cut it .......

Five years have passed and our Hero, James, returns to the school at Ironwood to meet up again with Cora, the headmistress and some of the most salacious of the students.

...

You can imagine the rest is boring drivel .....

Ironwood, the institution that trains and supplies the finest sex slaves in the world is thriving. Its success is owed to James, and positions are reversed as its head mistress and trainer Cora Blasingdale now stands before his desk . . ready to serve him, to submit her body and mind and will. And from there on in, the pages heat up! Don Winslow sexually strobes the minds-eye in each and every scene with his descriptive magic. Each chapter contains uniquely kinky surprises involving hot/cold play, cameras and orgasmic gadgets guaranteed to ring your bells. I liked them all, but my favorite chapters were City Light's, Photo Opportunities, and Cora Redux.

James celebrates a prosperous five year anniversary, a return and welcoming home to the unique institution called IRONWOOD; a business that houses, supplies, and trains the finest quality female sex slaves the world round. Positions of power are reversed as head trainer, Mistress Cora Blasingdale, now stands before HIS desk, awaiting permission to sit, ready to serve James without reservation. To place her body and mind in his sexual service. . . Wow! This opening scene is hot! And from there on in, author Don Winslow continues to turn up the heat with his absolutely amazing descriptive expositions, almost sexually 'strobing' the readers mind with his attention to every sensual nuisance, nook, cranny, pheromone.
I especially enjoyed James's welcoming home gift of Nichole, laid out upon the bed, blindfolded. And, the Paris trip in 'City of Lights', along with 'Photo Opportunities' and 'Private Lessons'--those chapter titles say it all without giving anything away....

This book could have been good but wasn't. The most memorable scene was the capture and rape of the female blond warrior and it was ridiculous. If your going to have a rape scene, fine, but the idea that the girl was exhausted from, and i quote, "her own copious spendings" after being violently gang raped was just to unbelievable. Most scenes are perfunctory and boring

Poor Marcos, after seeing a tall willfull blond haired blue eyed Nordic slave sold to the wealthy in Rome, he decides to request a transfer to the Northern hinterlands so that he can get himself one of those beauties to bring home.

The author spends considerable time describing the orgiastic feasts in the harems of the slave masters, and, of course the expected disciplinary proceedures for tose young girls that may not be as happy as expected in their new lives as sex slaves ....

I guess I got the feeling that very few of the characters had much depth or inner feelings and that they all just kind or went through the motions ... thats what takes the book from 5 star erotica to 3 star porn ....

The book itself is 178 pages and an added bonus in my edition has some 80 pages of short erotic stories .....

Rome was definitely a rich mans [prostitute] in days of yore! I love historical erotica and what better setting than this decadent city, insatiable for more flesh and the delights they bring? A battle weary soldgier, Marcus, spends the night carousing at the palatial estate of a fabulously wealthy merchant. Lounging on silken pillows, he gives himself up to beautiful , specially trained sex slaves. Fabulous orgies abound throughout. And Marcus travels north on a quest for a unique blonde female barbarian that has become his obsession. Along the way, he encounters the delightfully kinky Gratius, who supplies masterfully skilled [prostitute] to the army, local merchants, and prominent politicians while he partakes of the 'choicest' slaves in his villa of pleasure, sharing all he knows with Marcus. From rousing romps in steams rooms and simmering Roman baths that give 'steamy' new meaning, to well-oiled female gladiators engaged in battles of orgasmic proportions and the 'training' of slave girls in the sexual submission, you name it-- it's in this book! There is not one hot stone left unturned. Once again, master eroticist Don Winslow delvers the best.

Hard enough for you? _Ironwood_ is strictly stroke, traditional (mostly) M/f chateau fiction with a surefire formula. Chateau fiction has a very private, self-sufficient setting where no one will hear you scream unless he wants to. Islands, country estates, villas and castles are popular. Take Roissy or Eden, for example. Winslow, also author of _Secrets of Cheatem Manor_ and _The Insatiable Mistress of Rosedale_, is a chateau pro. The formula is #38: "it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it," AKA "kid in a candy store."

By the way, this manuscript was discovered in a strongbox buried beneath the floor of a stately old townhouse in Copenhagen. The period is generic Victorian, with the propriety of the prose in pleasing contrast to the lewdness of the proceedings. At least, the period is pre-silicon: "...eight pairs...ranging from small nubs of budding feminine promise to the more fuller richness of rounded summer apples." Fruit is in season: "...little pear-shapes with their soft, pink tips."

The narrator, a scandal and debt-ridden scoundrel named James, has the perfect qualifications for the post previously occupied by black sheep Uncle Rupert: pimping for a sexual training academy. Ironwood's graduates are as compliant as they are beautiful. They fetch a handsome price on the international market, never mind who they are, where they come from and why nobody ever misses them.

There's not a plot, unless you count James's improvement of Ironwood's cash flow by turning it into a full-services Playboy Club and selling memberships to a few of his equally depraved buddies. _Ironwood_ is mostly good parts and they're mostly conventional: mammary worship, buggering, that sort of thing. What does a dominant man want? Same old, same old. It's evidently what readers want, too. We're already up to _Ironwood IV: The Taking of Jane_, and there's a graphic novel version, as well.

It's Fantasyland. The women climax copiously especially when coupled to the diabolical, piston-driven machine in the Punishment Room. The girls are Stepford submissives from a catalog. They don't plot escape, trade backgrounds or dread their fate. No wonder it's so short.

The climax is a gala ball with, at last, an element of originality; the girls perform in a cabaret of erotic scenarios. Two play naughty maids, who turn the tables on their mistress. There's F/f spanking and paddling. _Ironwood_ also dabbles in puppy play, cart pulling races and the body-body.

In a nearly plot-worthy situation, James finds his subservient position to Cora, the headmistress and director of Ironwood, rankling in the extreme. He's not a man who's comfortable with the female superior.

Unlike the another reviewer here, I don't consider a work of erotica on the same terms as, say, the latest bestseller. I don't consider it in light of a classic by DH Lawrence either, although the setting and mood of Ironwood could be more readily compared to something by Lawrence.

The point is, whether one judges a book of erotica in literary terms or not, the bottom line is that one reads erotica to become aroused. If the subtlties of style and how well the writer has dealt with the cliches of the trade matter to you, you should pay close attention to the other review.

But if you are simply interested to find out whether the book is arousing, perhaps you should read more of THIS:

If you enjoy stories about teen schoolgirls and adult men, this book is an el dorado. If you also enjoy some variations on this theme, such as S&M headmistresses, and lesbian discovery, then again, this book delivers. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

In this book we find the narrator, James, a 20's something young man, tainted by the idle life of the rich, summoned to a school for young girls, Ironwood, located, of course, in a secluded backwoods. James, Being the black sheep of his family on the verge of being disinherited by his family, jumps at the chance to go to Ironwood at the behest of his rouge uncle to take up a position that is the fantasy of young men.

The school, run by Cora Blasingdale, is dedicated to collecting very young girls for training as houskeepers, (for the ugly ones) while the rest are well trained, highly submissive, sexual partners for the wealthy. James, being the only male at the school, is very quickly introduced to the gentle teaching methods of the matrons that the reader could describe as S/M with fur gloves ....

Although James does get to taste the forbidden fruit at the school, most of the sex scenes are adolescent and rarely finish in what would be expected in an adult sexual encounter. That frustrating fact notwithstanding, I did finish the book surprised that the author managed to maintain my attention while other books of the same genre would have had me screaming after the fifth spanking of the young charges.