This story "Dead Before Dawn", has this way of keeping you reading and reading! The plot is really different from most other mysteries. There are so many twist and turns in the story that it keeps you wanting more and always expecting the unexpected. Even if your not a mystery maniac, you would probably still enjoy it. The reason I rated this book an eight is because the book is like any mystery book in a series like Sweet Valley High, the good guy never dies! I find that a minus to a good murder/mystery book. I could spoil the whole thrill of the book and tell you who poisoned Bruce Patman... but I won't! Read this book and find out yourself

It was a really great book about how Bruce had to find out whopoisoned him. Everyone seemed suspicious and so he had no idea tillhe ran out of everyone else and when there was like an hour left he figured it out. I had no idea it would be the person it was. I recommend that all SVH and SVU fans should read this book. I think it is one of the best super thrillers in the SVU series. All the twists seemed to make pretty much no sense until the end when they all came together perfectly. So everyone, READ THIS BOOK!

Dead before Dawn was one of the best books I have ever read! It was so good that I couldn't put the book down. It was very suspenseful, it kept me on the edge of my bed.

In the book The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull is about Johnny and one of his best friends Professor Childermass. When Professor Childermass is taken away by an un-named force, Johnny has to go and save him. Johnny takes Fergie (his best friend) and Farther Higgins along with him not even knowing what he was getting himself into. The three men follow all of the clues that the professor may have left at the place where the disappearance happened. They finally get to an island where their troubles run thick.
I liked this book because it was very suspenseful and it made you want to read on and on so that you could find out what happened next. I also liked this book because Johnny has to go through a lot and it shows how much of a friends he is to Professor Childermass.

Grownups remain out of sight for the most part in this spooky addition to the Johnny Dixon mystery series by John Bellairs. Crusty old Professor Childermass (a series regular) vanishes early on, to be replaced by crusty old Irish-American priest, Father Higgins, who brandishes a silver crucifix and rescues Johnny in the nick of some very frightening situations.

Johnny is a shy, likeable boy who tries to act brave in spite of thinking himself a coward. His lower lip quivers almost continuously as he and his friend Fergie set out to find the missing professor. (He has every reason to be nervous in a story that reminds me of "The Haunted Doll's House" by that master of horror himself: M. R. James). For reasons that remain a mystery until the last few pages, our youthful hero is plagued by a tiny human skull and an ominous jack-o-lantern after his friend, Professor Childermass disappears.

As skeletons, demons, and a haunted clock all conspire to make Johnny's life miserable, Fergie and Father Higgins pitch in to help him. The climax to "The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull" takes place on a remote rock off the coast of Maine, appropriately named 'Cemetery Island.'

The book is set in the nostalgic early 1950s (Johnny's father is a fighter pilot in Korea), but you won't have much time to feel nostalgia. You'll be too busy feeling scared. One of the reliable features of John Bellairs's adolescent fiction is that he doesn't try to make his ghosts cuddly or mawkish, like so many so-called 'teen-age horror' authors.

I'm a big fan of John Bellairs and have read about 6 of his books....The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull is by far the most thrilling. Johnny Dixon and his funny friend, Fergie find themselfs in the middle of a mystery, Just after Johnny takes a strange small skull (that he beleives to be good luck) from a miniture room that the Professor's granduncle was murdered in, they're friend, Professor Childermass has suddenly disappeared. And it's up to Johnny, Fergie, and Father Higgins to find the Professor before it's too late. I hope this review helped you and I hope you enjoy the book as I did.

I'm past the teenage years now but still I find myself turning to a Sweet Valley book when in need of a comfort read. I still own half of my old Sweet Valley Twin books and I regret giving the other half away.These books are often unrealistic but they are also fun. This book is a little darker in tone but come on, these books are like a disney movie you know everything is going to turn out alright at the end. But then, in these times I'm glad to have a book that will be guaranteed to put a smile on my face and I'm not ashamed to admit it. They should give kids these kind of books to read in classrooms rather then those depressing ones. Sorry about the rant and I'll just make a quick review about this book. In it Gia comes to SVU to find an ex who dissed her. She has made herself over and has some magic tricks up her sleeve,she is ready to do anything to snare Parker and put him under her spell.
Anything, even if it means putting Jessica out of the way-permantly. Like I said, everything turns out okay in the end but it's a great and scary (not too scary) ride getting there.

This book is almost the best sweet valley book i have ever read!! It is so suspenseful, and funny the way sam so blatantly disses chloe and she doesn't even notice...
I think that this book was written very well and it is a complete page turner. "Gia" is so awful and [mean]... When Sam saved Elizabeth, he was so scared and was crying because he loved her so much. I love sam [for that.] This is a great book!!! An ABSOLUTE must read.

When I read this book I thought " This is one of the best books ever! It is so totally gripping and veeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrryyyyyy tense! ", and you will think so to if you read it. It is sort-of a mix between 'Point Horror', and SWEET VALLEY UNIVERSITY. It was very cleverly written, and was a definite can't-put-down book. Leah

THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR is an unusual detective novel. There is no murder; in fact, the question at the heart of the story is whether there is a crime at all. A young girl named Betty Kane accuses two women, Marion Sharpe and her mother, Mrs. Sharpe, of kidnapping her, beating her, and holding her prisoner at their house, the Franchise. The girl gives a damningly accurate description of the attic in which she was supposedly imprisoned. Inspector Grant makes the barest of appearances in this novel; instead, the detective reins are taken over by a lawyer named Robert Blair, who is convinced that the girl is lying.

Josephine Tey's novels are noted for their unconventional plots, and THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR is no exception. Unlike Christie, who usually withholds her revelations until the very end, Tey pieces the puzzle together step by step, allowing the reader to see the truth come together as the story progresses. And while the plot may lack the brilliance and ingenuity of Christie, it is clever and well-constructed.

THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR is more than just a mystery; it is an incredibly rich and satisfying novel. The characters are well-developed, the story is engaging, the writing is crisp and literate, and there is plenty of social commentary on English life in the early 1900s.

Josephine Tey's 1949 THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR is frequently described as a mystery or a detective novel. In fact, it is nothing of the kind; it is instead a tale of the emotional tension and legal maneuvering that occurs in the wake of a highly publicized false accusation.

Elderly Mrs. Sharpe and her highly individualistic daughter Marion reside on the outskirts of a rural English community in a decaying mansion known as Franchise. Although considered eccentric by locals, they are tolerated--until an attractive schoolgirl named Betty Kane claims that she was kidnapped, beaten, and held prisoner by the Sharpes for a month. Betty Kane's story is convincing enough to draw both the interest of Scotland Yard and the national press, but Sharpe's solicitor recognizes her for what she is: a vicious creature eager to conceal her real activities from her unsuspecting family. And even as the press comes down hard on the side of the girl and the locals turn on the Sharpes, he sets out to expose Betty Kane before the world for the liar she is.

The story itself is extremely credible, the characters remarkably well drawn, and Tey writes in a very elegant style that offers enough detail to perfectly capture the story, characters, and locales without overplaying into excess. A truly enjoyable work; recommended.

--GFT (Amazon Reviewer)--

The Franchise Affair is a great mystery. Even though you know what the ending will probably be, you'll want to keep reading. Marion Sharpe and her mother, who live in a isolated mansion known as the Franchise, are accused of kidnapping and beating a teenager, Betty Kane. They say that they have never seen her before, and enlist a local attorney, Robert Blair, to defend them. He has never handled a case like this before, but resolves to do it. As the book progresses, Blair decides to conduct his own investigation into Betty Kane. He fervently believes in the Sharpes' innocence, and works to find gaps in Betty's story. Even though it seems like something straight out of Masterpiece Theatre, The Franchise Affair is exciting and hard to put down.

"Ghost in the Mirror" is one of several books that the late John Bellairs left unfinished at the time of his death. Those books were finished by Brad Strickland, utilizing the author's remaining outlines. It's a solid thriller with a few seams showing, but overall a good read for those not yet ready for Stephen King.

Kindly witch Mrs. Zimmermann has lost her magic, except for a sixth sense and a residual aura of unusable protective magic, and Rose Rita Pottinger has broken her ankle. Her friends Jonathan and Lewis Barnavelt have left the two behind, while on their European vacation. But suddenly Mrs. Zimmermann is called on a mission into the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, and Rose Rita comes with her. Naturally, nothing proceeds as expected. Their car is transported back in time and crashes, leaving the two staying with the kindly Weiss family.

But the mystery deepens when the reason for their time travelling is revealed -- the ghost of the witch Hilda Wetherbee tells them that she has transported them back in time to save a good wizard, Grandpa Drexel, who is fated to die on the first of April. But an evil presence disrupts the message from Granny Wetherbee, and Mrs. Zimmermann becomes stricken with partial amnesia Rose Rita becomes increasingly suspicious that a hexer -- an evil witch -- is trying to drive out the Weiss family. But how can a de-magicked witch and a bespelled modern girl hope to stop a hexer -- and a demon?

This is neither the spookiest nor the tightest of Bellairs' fantasy-horror books, and it suffers slightly from an unfortunate cliche (time travel) and a dependence on previous Bellairs books. But it's a solid time-travel/ghost-story, with some hideously chilling scenes and some interesting new characters. There's a bit of a dull section in the middle, but Strickland picks up the pace near the end with some delightfully Bellairsian scenes of horror when Rose Rita inadvertantly conjures up the demon Aziel. And for people looking for a little educational info, there's some enlightening passages about the Pennsylvania Dutch.

Rose Rita is shown without the shadow of Lewis here, and while she is not quite as interesting as the timid ex-altar boy, she's a good heroine who shows a lot of the characteristics of her best friend. Mrs. Zimmermann is given extra dimension as she tries to regain her magical powers and gets stricken with amnesia. We also get to see two dimensions of Hilda Wetherbee -- as the ghost of a crabby old witch, and as a little girl who befriends Rose Rita. Favorites Jonathan and Lewis Barnavelt even show up for a cameo appearance.

While not the most outstanding of Bellairs' books, this is a good, spooky read, especially for fans of Rose Rita and Mrs. Zimmermann. Not to be missed.

I really like The Ghost in the Mirror. I have read most of John Bellairs books. Every book that I have read so far has been excellet, but I have to say this is one of my favorites. It is about a girl named Rose Rita and her friend Mrs. Zimmerman. It is summer time. Mrs. zimmernman invites Rosa Rita to come with her on a trip. As the trip begins, they travel back in time. There is never a boring page in this book. That's probably why I like it so much.

Mrs.Zimmermann a witch goes on a vacation with Rose Rita Pottinger. Mrs.Zimmermann and Rose Rita discover that instead of going to their vacation spot they travel back to 1928 in Pennslvania Dutch country when it's winter time. When Mrs.Zimmermann and Rose Rita are in Pennslvania Dutch they have different adventures. Mrs.Zimmermann even loses her memories and her magic powers. Without Mrs.Zimmermann's powers how will Rose Rita Pottinger ever be able to get home? I thought this book was very entertaining because it was interesting.

Grant Morrison, who? Now Mark Waid is a man who knows how to write comics! After over 40 issues under the helm of Grant Morrison, this book collects the first issues written by Mark Waid. With the talents of Mark Waid, the stories are more personal and smaller in scope. Gone are the masses of JLA members. (No Zauriel, no Steel, no Huntress, etc.) Mark Waid uses the main members, and we get to know them a bit better. (Wonder Woman is finally put to good use again!) The stories are not wild nonsense. They don't ramble on just to sell more issues. Each incident is there for a purpose. This tightly told story tells of Batman's fall from grace from the JLA. It also includes a few one-off issues, the best of which features only Aquaman and Wonder Woman. My favorite line is by Aquaman to Wonder Woman while he's holding her lasso, "Actually, I think you're a little vapid and boring -- and often more than a little Pollyanna-ish. I hate it that people keep assuming we have anything in common simply because we're both royalty. And for the life of me, I can't find any rational reason why I want you so badly."

First, the weapons Batman designed that were used against the other heroes were incredibly complex. There is no way he would have had the time, expertise, and facilities to build all those intricate weapons. I know it is science fiction, but each of the super-heroes are defined by their own limitations, that's why you have a story. Otherwise Superman could just fly around and save everybody and Bruce Wayne could just finance reparations and they would live in a perfect world. This one pushed even comic book credibility a little too far. Also, the Lazarus Pits are used to regenerate Ras Al Ghul when he is nearly dead or recently dead, they should not have been much of a threat to Bruce Wayne's parents bodies. Other than that, the concepts of trust and betrayal made a thought provoking story. I do like stories that show Batman as the preeminent member of the JLA.

Not since Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns do we get such an in depth look at exactly how far Batman is willing to go in his pursuit of justice. When his greatest enemy gets hold of his personal files on his Justice League teammates, the consequences spell catastrophe for the JLA. While not quite as good as some of Waid's best stuff, this story gives vital insight into the uncomfortable relationship that Batman has with the JLA. Tower of Babel is a vital story for anyone following DC universe continuity, with repercussions throughout the other mainstream superhero titles.

WOW!! I am very impressed in how great this book was. I have never read a book that was a movie FIRST, and I must say, my expectations were NOT high. I was proven wrong! this book follows the life of a young man, and his two friends living in a small town called Cradle Bay. Though the town may seen "nice", the main character quickly learns otherwise. Beneath the town's placid surface, an evil secret lies. The book does loose points for originality(it WAS a movie first), and believability(the plot can be hard to believe at times). Overall however, this book shines as an expert suspense novel.

This is a really great book. I couldn't put it down until I was finished. It was really good, and is a must read for anyone who saw the movie or likes science fiction.

i read this book 4 times,and i loved it.it has all the scenes that were deleted in the movie.best book i ever read.

the Oxford Shakespeare has been touted as 'a new conception' of Shakespeare, but is in fact merely an update of the cumbersome old Arden editions. Like these, 'King John' begins with a 100-page introduction, divided into 'Dates and Sources' (full of what even the editor admits is 'tedious' nit-picking of documentary evidence); 'The Text' (the usual patronising conjecture about misprints in the Folio edition and illiterate copyists); 'A Critical Introduction', giving a conventional, but illuminating guide to the drama, its status as a political play dealing with the thorny problem of royal succession, the contemporary legal ambiguities surrounding inheritance, the patterning of characters, the use of language (by characters as political manoeuvring, by Shakespeare to subvert them); and an account of 'King John' 'In the Theatre', its former popularity in the 18th and 19th century as a spectacular pageant, the play distorted for patriotic purposes, and its subsequent decline, presumably for the same reasons. The text itself is full of stumbling, often unhelpful endnotes - what students surely want are explanations of difficult words and figures, not a history of scholarly pedantry. The edition concludes with textual appendices.
The play itself, as with most of Shakespeare's histories, is verbose, static and often dull. Too many scenes feature characters standing in a rigid tableau debating, with infinite hair-cavilling, issues such as the legitimacy to rule, the conjunction between the monarch's person and the country he rules; the finer points of loyalty. Most of the action takes place off stage, and the two reasons we remember King John (Robin Hood and the Magna Carta) don't feature at all. This doesn't usually matter in Shakespeare, the movement and interest arising from the development of the figurative language; but too often in 'King John', this is more bound up with sterile ideas of politics and history, than actual human truths. Characterisation and motivation are minimal; the conflations of history results in a choppy narrative. There are some startling moments, such as the description of a potential blood wedding, or the account of England's populace 'strangely fantasied/Possessed with rumours, full of idle dreams/Not knowing what they fear, but full of fear'. The decline of the king himself, from self-confident warrior to hallucinating madman, anticipates 'King Lear', while the scene where John's henchman sets out to brand the eyes of the pubescent Pretender, is is full of awful tension.
P.S. Maybe I'm missing something, but could someone tell me why this page on 'King John' has three reviews of 'Timon of Athens'? Is somebody having a laugh?

Many people feel that this play of Shakespeare's is either unfinished or a poor effort. But I do not think this is accurate or fair. The reality is that many people can never find a middle ground. It is actually (in my opinion) quite common for people to only be able to see things from one extreme or the other. Despite Apemantus' cynical nature, there is no denying that whatever his faults are, HE DOES HAVE RIGHT ON HIS SIDE when he tells Timon: "The middle of humanity thou never knewest,/ but the extremity of both ends...." (4.3.342-343). Critics also tend to think Apemantus is unlikable, but are we missing a crucial point? I can not help but think Shakespeare is commenting on the fact that more people DON'T have a concept of reality. Apemantus refuses to join in the delight when Timon thinks highly of his false friends. Apemantus is aware of reality and no one wants to hear it. In my opinion Timon and Apemantus are VERY TRUE to life. In addition, the roll of Flavius is very touching. He can not dessert his master even when he knows (or thinks) Timon has nothing. Finally, I can not over estimate the mastery of Shakespeare when first Timon has money, he can not do enough for his so called friends and when he has nothing they dessert him. When Timon through fate gains a second fortune, he does not turn back into what he was, but rather he uses his 2nd fortune to destroy Athens. It is interesting that Shakespeare derived this play on the legend of 'Timon the Manhater,' and decides to take it a step further and show how he got there. And how much more realistic could Shakespeare have made this than by first showing Timon as a 'manlover?' Many people feel Timon should have somehow found the middle of humanity, but if he had, that would have defeated the whole purpose of this excellent play.

Among the least performed of all the Shakespeare plays, is probably the most disturbing. In the beginning, Timon is (not to put too fine a point on it) stupidly philanthropic; in the end he is equally misanthropic. When Timon is on top of the world, we have the cynical Apemantus to be our voice and let him know what a fool he is. In the last two acts, we simply wish (I do, at least) that our hero would stop complaining and let us "pass and stay not here," as he would have all men do in his epitaph.

But a recording is to be judged on its performances, not so much on its text. The Arkangel series, now in its last laps toward completion before (I am told) it is all redone on CDs, has every reason to be proud of its "Timon of Athens," thanks to its strong and intelligent readings. The opening scenes of artisans and poets building up the play's themes of wheel-of-fortune and gratitude/ingratitude are almost intelligible without a text open before you. Alan Howard, whom I saw in New York long ago as Henry V and as the main character in "Good," has that kind of friendly voice that is so well suited to the extravagant Timon in the open acts that we feel all the more for him when his false friends deny him in his need.

The snarling voice of Norman Rodway's Apemantus is a perfect counterpoint, and he casts out his invective in those early scenes with a hint of humor. However, when Timon becomes the misanthrope, his voice darkens and coarsens; and it is very hard to tell it from Apemantus' in their overly-long exchange of curses in 4:3. If the actor playing Alcibiades (Damian Lewis) sounds far too young for the role, that is a minor quibble--and perhaps the director wanted him to sound like a young Timon.

The incidental music sounds sufficiently Greek but too modern; still, Ingratitude knows no particular time period. A superior production of a much flawed play and a very welcome addition to any collection of recorded drama, especially since the old Decca set is long out of print and Harper audio does not yet have a "Timon" in their series.

This book was so great. I am so glad that Nick saved Jessica. I wish that Nick didn't have to be shot. Hopefully he will be brought back in the future.

Jessica is getting more depressed, now that shes been kicked out of college and her sister doesn't spend time with her, i feel so sorry for her. The parts where she cries in the book are very heart wrenching, and when she's dreaming about Nick. THe last part where he saved her from killing herself was so sad, i litterally cried readin this book. I really liked Nick and wished they would've kept him in the book series.

This book is so meaningfull. If you like tear jerkers, this is for you. It is so happy when it turns out that it was Nick after all- not a bad guy! It was so sad when they went their seperate ways, never going to see each other again... well, maybe it won't be that way after all, we'll just have to wait and see. It turns out that Jessica really did have a guardian angel after all.

At first glance Diversity looks like a children's book. It has the same glossy-cover appearance that dominates the juvenile section of bookstores. Inside, though, the text aims at an older audience. Anne McCaffrey's engaging story, which links together the information gleaned about various types of dragons, seems more suited for fans of her Pern series than for someone who really wants to learn things about dragons. The book suffers from enigmatic chapter titles that organize the material around when it is presented in the fictional story rather than around what types of dragons are being discussed. There are a few attempts at charts in the back, but there is no index, which would have aided a reader who wanted to locate information about specific dragon-types. While the coverage of dragons found in modern fantasy novels is excellent, information about ancient and medieval dragons is a bit lightweight. The emphasis is more on excerpting examples from famous stories rather than discussing the details about the dragons themselves. Sidebars, giving statistics and descriptions for each type, would have helped the reader separate the actual information about dragons from Ms. McCaffrey's storytelling. Discussions of the iconographic interpretation of the dragons for their original audience or the function of the various dragons within their historical or cultural context would have aided the reader's understanding of the material as well. Translations used to compile the work are a proverbial "mixed bag." The majority is neither the most authoritative nor the most current on the topic. The research is heavily weighted toward Celtic and modern dragon-types with some forays into Germanic and Christian traditions. Greeks, Persians, and a smattering of other types of dragons are touched upon. But the wealth of dragon material from Asia is scarcely mentioned, and other non-Indo-European cultures suffer a largely similar fate. John Howe's artwork, however, is the major reason dragonlovers will want to own this book. The images are stunning and well justify the oversized--and awkward to hold while reading--format of the book. Diversity is gorgeous and an entertaining way to spend an evening reading. But anyone who expects to use the text as a resource to learn about various types of dragons is in for something of a frustrating read.

I got this book because I was doing a report about Dragons indifferent mythologies, and because I'm a fan of McCaffrey's. My firstreaction was: "What a HUGE book!" They could have made asmaller edition of it so it would actually fit my bookshelf. The pictures were beautiful, although it was sometimes slightly hard to tell which picture went with which story. The plot was okay, since it obviously wasn't meant to be a very fascinating one, although the ending completely let me down. An index of the dragons and page number references would also have proved extremely helpful, since the mythical and new-age dragons were completely scattered together. The worst part of the book I think were the quotes. Some of them got me interested in the books and made me add them to my wishlist, but most were just utterly boring. Also, at the end where the dragons were listed in tables, I found them to be scattered around completely wrong. Somebody seemed to have messed up with their computer. The reason I'm still giving this book 4 stars is for the paintwork, though. If you like fantasy art, this book will be excellent for you.

I found this Anne McCaffrey book to be interesting, especially since I happened to read most of the books, or knew most of the storys referenced to in A Diversity of Dragons. The simple characters (including herself) were straightfoward, yet evasive, and the plot was complicated in its simplicity. The art work was extrordinary, and could only be displayed properly in the large book. Everytime I look at it I am amazed at the generous detail. All in all I believe that this book rates a five star for its simple honesty. Niether defending dragons or bashing them, but sharing their truths. This book is completely worth your time.