Average customer rating:
- Mystery mixed with history...
- very interesting
- Good works in Guatemala
- A Bone-Chilling Page-Turner!
- Don't bother with this one
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Grave Secrets
Kathy Reichs
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
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ASIN: 0671028383
Release Date: 2003-07-01 |
Amazon.com
Temperance Brennan is helping her Guatemalan colleagues identify the remains of villagers who were "disappeared" 20 years ago when she's called in to consult on four more recent disappearances. Is there a serial killer loose in Guatemala City, or is the fate of the young women who've gone missing--including the daughter of the Canadian ambassador--connected to the murder of a human-rights investigator looking into the decades-old massacre? Brennan, the protagonist of Reichs's popular series, is literally hip-deep in intrigue, between the well in Chupan Ya where she unearths the bones of women and children slain in Guatemala's bloody civil war and the septic tank in the capital where the remains of one of the missing girls turn up. Tempe is a standout in crime fiction's crowded field of forensics experts--she's one of its more complex and interesting protagonists, dealing with intriguing cases that often cross national borders and a personal life that's rich in possibilities the author skillfully exploits. Tempe--and Reichs--just keep getting better. --Jane Adams
Book Description
"Fans of TV's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation should be in heaven" (People) stepping into the world of forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, star of Kathy Reichs' electrifyingly authentic bestsellers.
A harrowing excavation unearths a chilling tragedy never laid to rest.
They are "the disappeared," twenty-three massacre victims buried in a well in the Guatemalan village of Chupan Ya two decades ago. Leading a team of experts on a meticulous, heartbreaking dig, Tempe Brennan pieces together the violence of the past. But a fresh wave of terror begins when the horrific sounds of a fatal attack on two colleagues come in on a blood-chilling satellite call. Teaming up with Special Crimes Investigator Bartolomé Galiano and Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, Tempe quickly becomes enmeshed in the cases of four privileged young women who have vanished from Guatemala City -- and finds herself caught in deadly territory where power, money, greed, and science converge.
Download Description
"It was a summer morning in 1982 when soldiers ravaged the village of Chupan Ya, raping and killing women and children. Twenty-three victims are said to lie in the well where, twenty years later, Dr. Temperance Brennan and a team from the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation now dig. No records were kept. To their families, the dead are ""the disappeared." Forensic anthropologist for the medical examiners in North Carolina and Montreal, Tempe is in Guatemala for a month's service to help some families identify and bury their dead. She digs in a cold, damp pit where she finds a hair clip, a fragment of cloth, a tiny sneaker. Her trowel touches something hard: the hip of a child no more than two years old. It's heartbreaking work. Something savage happened here twenty years ago. The violence continues today. The team is packing up for the day when an urgent satellite call comes in. Two colleagues are under attack. Shots ring out, and Tempe listens in horror to a woman's screams. Then there is silence. Dead silence. From cutting-edge science in the lab, where Tempe studies fetal bones and cat hair DNA, to a chilling en-counter in a lonely morgue, Grave Secrets is powerful, page-turning entertainment from a crime fiction superstar who combines riveting authenticity with witty, elegant prose. "
Customer Reviews:
Mystery mixed with history..........2007-07-13
I am so happy to have discovered Kathy Reichs and her Temperance Brennan mystery series. Both Reichs and her fictional alter ego are forensic anthropologists, and provide a different angle on criminal investigations. I just finished Grave Secrets, which is not only an entertaining mystery, but also provides a bit of history about the horrible crimes that occurred in Guatemala during their civil war.
Dr. Tempe Brennan donates a month of her time to assist the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation. This group, FAFG, is trying to "locate and identify the remains of those who vanished during the 1962 to 1996 civil war, one of the bloodiest conflicts in Latin American history." No one is sure how many were murdered, but the estimates range from 100,000 to 200,000. While Brennan is working with 23 remains buried in a well in a small rural town, Sgt. Bat Galiano of the Special Crimes Investigative Unit of the National Civil Police seeks her out to help in the identification of a body found in a septic tank. Four young girls have gone missing, and it is believed that this body may be one of them. Brennan is an expert on septic tank burials. She reluctantly agrees, but there is someone high in government office that tries to keep her off the case. Also, the closer she comes to a solution, the more her life becomes endangered.
Because Reichs works in the same job as Brennan, her writing and descriptions of what she does are very believable and she speaks the appropriate jargon. She writes about a morgue "I proceeded to suite four, a room specifically outfitted for extra ventilation. The room for floaters and bloaters. The room for crispers. The room in which I usually worked." Some people may find what she does to be gruesome. I find it fascinating, and have already started another one of her mysteries, Fatal Voyage.
very interesting.......2007-01-10
Since I have found this author, she has replaced Patricia Cornwell as my favorite. More believable and great science!
Good works in Guatemala.......2006-12-04
"Grave Secrets" is the fifth in Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan series. It opens on Temperance at work in the heat of Guatemala, assisting in discovering and identifying the bodies of those unfortunates "disappeared" by the previous military junta. This is surely admirable work, by no means easy, and I understand Reichs has, in real life, actually done this. Surely, without this work,the guilty cannot be charged, and the families deprived of their loved ones cannot hope for closure.
At any rate, Tempe is in Chupan Ya,a remote village,investigating a well that has been used as a mass grave, finding and identifying the bodies of women and children. Doubtlessly, nasty work: soon, however, the discovery of a young woman's bones, in a septic tank in the capital, presents Tempe with even nastier work, and a mystery to be solved. The mystery deepens as three more young women from important, affluent families in the nation's capital disappear.
Reichs is always cutting-edge in her forensics, and Tempe's love life is always on the boil. Both author and fictional character undoubtedly have their hearts in the right places, but this book seemed to me one of the more weakly plotted in the series.
A Bone-Chilling Page-Turner!.......2006-08-20
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan and a team of forensic experts head to Guatemala to excavate an old well where twenty-three women and children are said to have been shot, butchered, burned and buried. But some secrets are meant to be buried and sometimes the past is meant to stay dead.
When Tempe hears the horrific attack of two associates, she is spurred into action and her investigation takes her across borders and into unknown territory.
Partnered with Montreal detective Andrew Ryan and Special Crimes Investigator Bartolomé Galiano, Tempe investigates the disappearances of missing women. And two handsome men leads to a spicy but complicated subplot. And ultimately Tempe must make a choice.
Grave Secrets is a story of the "desaparecidos"--the disappeared, the missing. It's a story of black market greed and scientific advances that may prove to be to our detriment. Reichs doesn't just write a gripping, suspenseful tale, she also strives to administer a message that is far more powerful. Yet she entertains while doing so. I found this Tempe Brennan novel to have more 'heart' than the previous novels in the series.
I'll admit, I'm a `Bones' junkie--and I love the actors' portrayal of the characters in the TV version, but in Reichs' novels, you'll find far more depth than in a one-hour show. Kathy Reichs is the `Queen of the Past' and a writer extraordinaire.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song (2007-Kunati Books), Divine Intervention and The River
Don't bother with this one.......2006-06-07
Could anyone tell me where's the plot of this book? You read and read and everything you read is meaningless. The main character goes from Guatemala to Canada looking for a killer here and there, and when you'll finish it you'll find mirth in yourself because you won't have to open it again.
Product Description
The Night Stalker Series Continues! Kolchak's back! He's working for the 'Los Angeles Dispatch and on the trail of whatever killed land baron Glen Gilmore in his Bel-Air mansion.
Customer Reviews:
This is news, Vincenzo, neeewwwws!.......2007-08-08
Before the X-Files came Kolchak, The Night Stalker. Over the course of two books, two TV movies and twenty-plus television episodes, Carl Kolchak investigated and dispatched a variety of evil entities (including two vampires, a werewolf, a renegade android and a muck monster suspiciously similar to Marvel's Man-Thing), simultaneously fencing with secretive public officials and his irascible editor, Tony Vincenzo. Kolchak, memorably portrayed by Darren McGavin, was my hero--for a long time, I wanted to be a reporter simply because he was.
Well, I grew up (yes, I know that's a matter of opinion) and forgot my dreams of becoming a journalist, but I never forgot good old Carl. CBS reran the series on late night TV a few years back, and the two movies, entitled The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler (both screenplays written by Richard Matheson!) popped up on a regular basis, so I wasn't without a Kolchak fix for long. The series was then collected and released on VHS, then DVD--like any good fanboy, I spent money on both versions, but I always pined for some new stories.
In the early nineties, FBI agents Mulder and Scully filled the void left by Kolchak's absence. In 1994, however, a new glimmer of hope appeared in a local bookshop: Grave Secrets, the first in a planned series known as The Kolchak Papers.
Author Dawidziak does an admirable job of catching Kolchak's voice--I actually could almost hear McGavin's scratchy rumble as I read. He knows the supporting characters well, and injects a good dose of humor amidst the grim goings on, as Carl investigates the grisly murders of four participants in a shady real estate deal. Although the denouement was not quite as action-oriented as I would have liked, I enjoyed the book and looked forward to future installments.
I don't know if any sequels ever appeared (I recall that one, titled Grand Inquisitor, was planned), but I do know that this book kept the idea of The Night Stalker alive during a slow period in the early nineties. Since that time, we've been "blessed" with a so-so comic book series, the failed update of the television show a couple of seasons ago, and the recent Kolchak: The Night Stalker Casebook anthology. My fondness for the character continues unabated, and so does my hope that someone will take another stab at reviving the franchise on film or television.
(P.S.: Just wanted to recommend Dawidziak's excellent tribute to the series, called Night Stalking: A 25th Anniversary Kolchak Companion before I sign off. Filled with inside information, it's an excellent introduction for newcomers and a welcome trip down memory lane for long time fans.)
Book Description
He was a beloved family physician and a ruthless doctor of death who almost got away with murder.It was a friendly hunting trip-- two men kicking back, shooting at clay pigeons on campgrounds near rural Montrose, Pa. Then, a single shot rang out. Moments later, Marty Dillon, a promising young lawyer, was dead of a gunshot wound to the chest. His friend, Dr. Stephen Scher, later tearfully explained that Dillon had been running with a shotgun after a porcupine, and tripped and fell, accidentally killing himself. But what really happened?Marty Dillon's violent death was immediately declared an accident by the local coroner in 1976. But as Dillon's body was lowered into the cold ground, did a damning secret, one that would haunt his friends and family for decades, go with him?* Were rumors of an affair between Dr. Scher and Marty's wife, Pat, true?* Why did the couple marry so soon after Dillon's death?* If the shot was self-inflicted, why did the bullet come from Dr. Scher's gun?* What was it about Dillon's bloody wound that cast suspicion on Scher?After 20 years of pleading with authorities and finally hiring their own investigators, Dillon's parents persuaded the Pennsylvania State Police to reopen the case. They exhumed Dillon's body-- and his decayed remains told the real story of that tragic day two decaeds earlier. On October 22, 1997, Dr. Stephen Scher was convicted of the murder of Marty Dillon-- final justice for a cold-blooded killer who for 20 years thought he had gotten away with murder.
Customer Reviews:
Yes, it is a page turner, but I wanted more.......2005-06-28
A great book, but...I wanted more character description. It is very obvious who was willing to be interviewed by the author and who was not (namely, Dr. Scher and his wife Pat Dillon Scher). I guess they felt they would come out worse than they already do in the story. This book has been one of the saddest true crime stories I have ever read. Almost all of the main characters are despicable, but you can't put the book down.
Secret yet to be found.......2004-11-09
I found myself shocked and surprise about the begining of this story The Secrets in the Grave. The story had taken place in a rural town in northern Pennsylvania in the mid 1970's, Two succesful people that go by the names of Marty Dillion who is a lawyer and a doctor who name is Stephen Scher.
These two men were tareget practing with rifles and shooting at clay pigeions. When Stephen had fired a shot from his rifle, accidently Marty was in the way and got a bullet in his chest. Marty had died in less then a hour before the authoritys and help came.
Stephen had told the authoritys that Dillion had accidently shot himself which he had manage to keep a straight face to make it look like he had nothing to do with the murder. If i was in stephen shoes i wouldn't beable to live with myself with out paying the consequences. I would have told the truth and less of a charge would be bought. But by lieing he would be getting himself into more trouble in the years to come by. There is a secret that is laying beneath the ground that will help authoritys solve this case but it will not be found right away. We will just have to continue to find out how they will solve this case.
Hard to put down.......2003-11-25
Maria Eftimiades has given us a well-written, well-researched book on a murder that took 20 years to solve.
I don't know who I was more disgusted by: the sociopathic, cruel murderer Stephen Scher (who drove his first wife, Anne, to the brink of suicide); Pat Dillon Scher, who remains a spoiled brat to this day; Martin Dillon's two children who "disowned" their own grandparents for wanting the murder of their own father to pay for his heinous deed (Suzanne I would especially love to slap) or Pat's parents, who raised her to think she was better than everyone else in the world and "deserved the best", no matter who she hurt to get it.
All in all, great book. Difficult to put down!
JUSTICE PREVAILS!!.......2000-08-27
The author does a superb job of bringing the reader all the details of the gruesome murder of Pennsylvania Attorney Marty Dillon.... June 2, 1976 Marty and his friend, Dr. Stephen Scher, went hunting.........according to Dr. Scher, Marty got killed while chasing a porpupine, when he tripped and his gun went off.... Before two years were gone by, the doctor married Marty's widow...the town became a little suspicious, and Marty's parents always believed something was "fishy"......... It took 20 years of battling the system, but at last Marty's body was exhumed .... the autopsy showed that the wounds were not found to be self-inflicted and his death was finally ruled a homicide......... I don't read true-crime novels as I find them too gory, gritty and disturbing..........however, while visiting my Mom, and forgetting to bring the book I was reading, I looked through her large pile..........since she's not a reader of fiction, my selection was limited........] This book was a quick and compelling read...My heart broke for Marty's parents......I suggest you read it yourself and draw your conclusions..........as for mine, I'm so glad that our great legal system still (for the most part) works!
A MUST READ!!! MARIA HAS DONE HER HOMEWORK.......1999-08-06
I read this book on a bus trip from Baltimore to (ironically) Montrose, and as a former resident of Montrose, I must say that this book was a joy to read. Although I was not a resident of the town in 1976, I have spoken to enough people that knew about the situation Maria has captured the true feeling of this town and their opinion. Yes, Larry Dillon did pass away in 1998, but he lived to see that justice was served. Although, poor Jo has to live with the fact that Stephen Scher was released from prison in 1999 and is a free man once again. I guess the system CAN forgive and forget!
Book Description
Once, not so long ago, in the hills past the hollow, there lived a wise woman...
The wise woman is so wise that people come from far and wide to learn the secret of her wisdom. "You will have to discover it for yourselves," she tells them. So they search and search, but there is nothing to be found! Is something strange going on? Perhaps the old woman is nothing but a mischief maker! Only one little girl named Jenny lags behind, her lingering eyes noticing things that the others don't. Will Jenny discover the secret that everyone else has missed? Acclaimed author Eve Merriam has written a wise and wonderful tale that speaks to the child in each of us.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Read for Every Classroom.......2000-06-17
I just recently attended a reading workshop hosted by famous reading researcher, Yetta Goodman. I was enchanted and moved when she read this to us, 75 teachers. The magical text, along with the beautiful illustrations celebrate every child's need for curiosity and day dreaming! A must have for any children's library collection!
Children will learn the first steps to gaining new knowledge.......1999-02-06
I recently read "The Wise Woman and Her Secret" after talking to our school children about the art of "wondering". We are often told new information by others, however, it is more important that we gain new knowledge by way of our own wondering. Eve Merriam helps us to gain an appreciation for this art by telling this beautiful story. Those who rush through life don't get the chance to wonder. Those who slow down and pick up pennies, or seashells find lots to wonder about and even more to learn. The old woman and the young girl have this gift. One knows that it is a gift and not really a secret, while the other simply enjoys herself and the world around her. Every child and parent should read this story. It will help to pave the way towards a successful life-long learning experience for both.
Customer Reviews:
Hollywood Beauty Secrets Book.......2007-05-20
The book was everything I expected. In perfect condition, packaged safely and arrived quickly. I would do business with these people anytime!! A+A+A+
A REAL TREASURE CHEST OF INFO.......2006-01-03
THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE FOR EVERY WOMAN. I AM TRULY AMAZED. HER REMEDIES ACTUALLY WORK. NOT ONLY WERE THEY EASY TO FOLLOW BUT IT COST ME NEXT TO NOTHING TO USE THEM. I SPENT TONS OF MONEY TRYING TO GET RID OF THE LITTLE BROWN SPOTS ON MY FACE WITH LITTLE RESULTS. I TRIED ONE PRODUCT THAT LOUISA RECOMMENDED AND IT DID WAY MORE THAN THE TREATMENT I PAID A TON OF MONEY FOR. THE SPOTS ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE!! I LOOK TEN YEARS YOUNGER. I'VE TRIED OTHER PRODUCTS AND REMEDIES THAT SHE RECOMMENDS WITH SIMILAR RESULTS. I KEEP THIS BOOK HANDY AT ALL TIMES. THANKS, LOUISA!!!
Hollywood Beauty Secrets.......2006-01-03
What a great book! Very well organized. I found it easy to get to the information I was interested in and was pleased to see that I could order a lot of the stuff from the website. So many times it's hard to track down a product. When I did order it, she even sent me a few samples of related products to try. Definitely exceeded my expectations.
Katherine
Hollywood Beauty Secrets is a Must Have Book!.......2006-01-02
Not only have I read the book, I have met the author. She hasn't just written a book, she lives it every day. She is beautiful and caring and knows what she is talking about. Her book is not only informative, it is fascinating to read. I especially love how she wraps up each section with a list of the products and where best to find them. You can also call her and she will spend as much time as you need to get your questions answered. She never does the hard sell - she just offers great advice and lets you decide. I use her products and I know they work. I can see and feel a difference. She is a true professional with ethics and integrity and I recommend her books and her advice without hesitation to anyone who wants to look and feel better from head to toe!
Buy the Newest Edition from Author's Site.......2006-01-02
The NEWEST 3rd edition of this book is THE best yet, however it is NOT offered on Amazon. Amazon is selling the old second edition, so if you want the NEWEST edition at 30% off cover price go directly to www.hollywoodbeautysecrets.com
Amazon is selling the old version which does not contain all the invaluable info you may have seen the author talk about on TV or heard on radio, which may be the reason for the two lower scores listed in the testimonials. They obviously got the wrong book so could not find what the author spoke about. This happened to me too so I contacted the author and she sent me a NEW book for free!! The book is loaded with free easy-to-make recipes, lists of affordable items that you can buy in any drug store, beauty supply store or health food store. All types of remedies for every age woman, teenagers and any budget too. Even doctors recommend this book to their patients. You'll see many testimonials on her site and in the beginning of the new book - pages and pages of the. If you want the doctor-quality products the author reports in her book, instead of going to each web site or your dermatologist, you can get the harder-to-find items at www.hollywoodbeautysecrets.com. The author also does phone consultations if you need guidance. That's pretty darn great. I LOVED this new thrid edition book and when I spoke with the author, she spent over 45 minutes on the phone with me AND SHe was genuinely concerned -- didn't try to sell me a thing. She's a rare find. After speaking with her I was so motivated to start 2006 with her weight loss tips. Thank you dear!
Shannon C.
Book Description
Rick Graves takes 50 years of teaching, playing, and studying the game of golf and condenses his tips, research, and strategies into 52 amazingly simple truths about golf.
Against the scenic backdrop of William Mangum’s magnificent paintings of well–known golf courses, readers will score golf technique secrets. Practice tips on full swings, chipping, pitching, sand play, and putting will immediately help a player on the course or driving range.
Golf enthusiasts, beginner to pro, will want to hit the course, book in bag, as soon as they get this book. But if they can’t, the art will make them feel like they are already there.
Customer Reviews:
52 Amazingly Simple Secrets for Better Golf.......2007-07-16
PGA Golf Professional Rick Graves has compiled 52 hints for better golf. These tips range from seemingly simplistic (simplistic in concept but perhaps not so easy to do without proper instruction) ideas such as the concept that "fear and indecision about a shot usually lead to an incomplete shoulder turn" to more complex instruction on how to learn proper delayed hit release. There are also some interesting tips on sand wedge use and buying equipment.
52 Amazingly Simple Secrets for Better Golf is a must have for any golfer, beginner to well practiced pro. Each of the tips are set out for easy reference with the main point of each entry being bolded. There are one to three secrets on each page. Almost all of the hints can be practiced immediately without any special equipment or additional training.
Wisdom and value in this book!.......2006-04-20
If you're looking for simple ways to lower your golf score--this book is for you. Some of the tips are mental, some relate to course management, and others help you find a repeatable swing that will work for you.
Best of all most of the tips are explained in just a couple of easy-to-remember sentences. Just the first two tips are worth the price of the book. The first explains how important the first shot of a round is--and what you can do to set yourself up for an enjoyable round. The second explains the ideal ratio of practice range to putting and chipping green practice--and why adhering to that ratio will significantly lower your scores. (You really didn't think I get the whole tip away, did you? Buy the book--it's worth it!)
Woven throughout the book is Grave's simple philosophy that golf is a game, meant to be played and enjoyed--and that it's a wonderful metaphor for life. I agree with him on both counts.
As you read the book you'll find the value of playing nine holes a month with just a three iron, a seven iron, a sand wedge, and a putter. He'll also explain why your first practice putt should be only one foot long, and why it's important to have your favorite hole, the hole you always play best, firmly in your mind.
You could read just one tip a week and put it into practice for the next year, but you'll probably want to skim through the entire book in an hour or less, transfer the three of four best for you at the moment to index cards and take them to the course with you.
Armchair Interviews says: For the high medium or low handicapper there's wisdom and value in this book for you.
Average customer rating:
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Devotions by Dead People: Secrets of Life from Beyond the Grave
Lynn Lusby Pratt
Manufacturer: Standard Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0784715289 |
Book Description
These startling accounts reveal life lessons from long-gone, famous and infamous Bible characters.
Read their last words, their causes of death, bizarre facts, statistics, modern-day epitaphs.
You'll bump into: Moses (Abra Cadaver) Athaliah (Black Widow) Enoch (The Undead) Esther (If Looks Could Kill) . . . and more!
What you learn about their deaths could change your life!
Customer Reviews:
Eye opening.......2004-09-12
A good reading book. Eye opening and very educational. This book will entertain as well as teach you about some of the people in the Bible. This book is easy reading even if you have the attention span of a child the chapters are short enough and enlighten enough for all.
Book Description
The author of the acclaimed Emma Trilogy switches gears in this non-fiction account of his years working as a cemetery sexton.
In this entertaining book readers will meet such characters as a lock-picking ghost, a coffin-chasing cow, a rock band with boorish graveside manners, and Mrs. Robinson, whose leg preceded her to the grave.
Each chapter gives a behind-the-scenes look at different aspects of a sexton's world, including cemetery blunders, meddling spirits, bizarre events, and efforts to outfox the Grim Reaper.
Written in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek style, this collection of the author's actual graveyard adventures is a curiously uplifting book you won't be able to put down-or ever forget!
Customer Reviews:
I can sum up this book in one word..........2006-12-30
B O R I N G...
I wish I had listened to the reviewer who said NOT for anyone over age 12... I wholeheartedly agree. I have 2 kids who wouldn't enjoy this either. Wish I had my money back. I feel ripped off.
An Excellent Read.......2006-06-01
A well-written feast of a book. I goggled it down in one afternoon. I couldn't put it down. I just had to see what would happen next. This book is a must read for everyone. It will make you see death and cemeteries in a whole different light.
Funny Book.......2004-08-06
This book is great! It is just what it says it is- a humorous look at what goes on behind the scenes in a cemetery. I have read it several times, and I laugh out loud every time. I worked in a cemetery for several years, and this book brings back memories of the funny things that happen that people just don't hear about.
Waste of Time for those over 12.......2004-06-26
I actually had to stop reading this book 2 paragraphs in to see what company would actually have published this. I would not be so harsh in my review of this book, had it been billed as Juvenile non-fiction. Poorly written, hardly edited, and what little factual information Mr. Daybell provides is unresearched and obviously wrong to anyone with any knowledge of the funeral industry. This book is not worth the money, effort of borrowing it from the library, or any of your time.
One Foot In The Grave.......2003-09-13
If you enjoy looking around cemeteries, wondering what takes place behind the scenes, then you will enjoy this book. Chad Daybell writes an excellent book, with a humorous side of the cemetery caretaking business. I found myself laughing several times over incedents that took place, unbelievable requests made by the deceaseds relatives, the "war of the roses" cemetery style, and what a cemetery Sexton actually has to go through and put up with. There is a seriouse side to this book too, what to do and what not to do when visiting a cemetery, appropriate and inappropriate behavoir, and a cemetery is NOT a motocross track nor a sports field. I think it was an excellent read and I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cemeteries.
Book Description
Tito Amato returns from an operatic tour expecting to relax with his family. Instead he finds his merchant brother Alessandro imprisoned on a trumped-up smuggling charge, a capital crime in 1740 Venice. The senator who controls Alessandro's fate is determined to have a Venetian as the next pope. He forces Tito to Rome to sing at the villa of a powerful, music-loving cardinal who will control the coming papal election.
Spying as he serenades Cardinal Fabiani and his guests, Tito peers into the dark mirror of Roman politics. Pope Clement XII is sinking fast, and two candidates emerge as leading contenders for St. Peter's throne. Will Fabiani support the highborn Venetian whose secret passion is tinkering with electrical experiments? Or the humble cardinal with the gift of healing and a mysterious past?
The discovery of a beautiful corpse in Fabiani's garden complicates Tito's mission. Fabiani believes that a member of his household killed the young maid in a fit of madness, but Tito follows clues that indicate a more complex motive, assisted by his irrepressible manservant Benito and Englishman Gussie Rumbolt. From the heights of the Janiculum Hill to the muddy waters of the Tiber, from a cozy Trastevere cookshop to the chilly corridors of the Quirinal Palace, the trio wrestles with events that could change the course of history. Can Tito stop the killer and affect the election before Pope Clement takes his last breath? Or will Alessandro face the scaffold?
Customer Reviews:
A Plot! Wow!.......2007-07-20
Finally a book with a plot that gives the hero a huge challenge and has him work his way out of it through his own wits. I've read too many so-called mysteries lately that are solved by luck and coincidence. Tito Amato is a fascinating detective, and the background of baroque Italy is recreated in lush detail. Now, I'll go back and read the first two books in the series.
Good book for a reader's group.......2006-10-17
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (8/06)
"Cruel Music" is the third mystery in a series written by this author. Castrati, Tito Amato, is planning on relaxing at home with his family upon his return from an operatic tour. His plans are cut short when his brother is arrested on false charges. Tito is blackmailed into going to Rome to sing for a cardinal who has great influence on the next election for the pope. Tito is supposed to spy on the cardinal and find out where his interests lean. Along the way there is a murder of a young woman who is assigned to care for the cardinal's insane mother. Tito is implicated in her death. In addition to needing to save his brother, he now has to find out who the real killer is to save himself.
This is an excellent mystery written in the Baroque era. Graves easily portrays the richness of the culture of the era to the reader. I really felt like I was back in this time. In addition to enjoying the mystery and the suspense that goes with Tito's experiences, I also enjoyed the way she writes about the corruption of the church.
The plot is excellent and the characters are well developed. It was really interesting to see how paganism and the study of science were both not accepted by the church, yet still practiced by some of the people. Paganism was pretty much on its way out and science was working its way in.
This book stood well on its own, but because I enjoyed it so much, I plan to go back and read the first two in the series. It would be a great book for a reader's group to discuss and also for fans of music of the Baroque era.
Another good mystery from Ms. Myers........2006-09-29
Pope Clement XII is slowly dying. The behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing at the Vatican is intense. State Inquisitor of Venice Senator Montorio wants someone he can trust on the scene, spying for him and actively promoting the candidacy of his choice. To get this trusted spy, he hauls Alessandro Amato in on false charges of salt smuggling. If convicted, Alessandro will be killed. This is enough to convince his brother, castrato Tito Amato, to make the trip. Not willingly, mind you.
When Tito gets to Rome, there is one pleasant surprise. His love from INTERRUPTED ARIA, Liya, is in Rome. They renew their friendship, which Tito would like to see become far more than that. While doing the bidding of Senator Montorio, Tito becomes an unwilling (again) accomplice to the murder of Gemma, a maidservant. In order to keep from being arrested for that murder, Tito is coerced by the head of another faction to spy and promote a different candidate. Life is very complicated for Tito, who just wants to make lovely music and have a lovely wife.
CRUEL MUSIC, while set in the baroque period in Rome, deals with emotions that know no time. Greed, power, lust . . . the Vatican has never had a monopoly on those things. While this is definitely a historical mystery, the issues addressed are as current as any election, the politicking just as intense then as now. CRUEL MUSIC is a testament to Graves' talent as a writer; she makes "then" interesting, educational, and entertaining.
fascinating third Baroque mystery .......2006-09-03
Early in 1740 following an exhausting tour of the continent, famous castrato Tito Amato returns to Venice to relax with his family. However his respite is short as Chief of Constabulary Messer Grande arrests Tito. Soon afterward Senator Antonio Montorio explains that with Pope Clement XII near death, the Cardinals will select a replacement between his brother Cardinal Stefano and Cardinal Di Noce. Whomever Cardinal Lorenzo Fabiani supports will become the next pope. Tito is to sing for the music loving Fabiani and learn who he backs or his family will suffer.
Tito heads to Rome where he provides performances while staying at the home of Cardinal Fabiani. The singer quickly learns that the only topic amidst the residents and servants of the house is the next pope. However, someone strangles to death a beautiful maid. While Fabiani assumes a family member is the killer and decides to cover up the homicide, houseguest Tito and his two person entourage fear that they will be left singing confessions to the murder. They investigate which leads them to some underground Roman groups.
The third Baroque mystery contains an interesting whodunit, but that takes a back seat to the insightful look at Papal politics in the middle of the eighteenth century. What is fascinating is the senator's explanation that a Venetian needs to sit on the throne so that patronage can be earmarked for his city. Also appealing are the underground cultures that thrive within walking distance of the Vatican as sects of ancient pagan worshipping is prevalent and biologists, physicists and chemists abound. Though the plot takes its time to set the stage, it is worth the wait as the audience will gain a grasp on the political patronage swapping and once in Rome Tito does not do what the Romans do as he investigates.
Harriet Klausner
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The Secret Ingredient (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
George Edward Stanley , and
Linda Graves
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
Fiction
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| Social Situations
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| Children's Books
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Fiction
| Girls & Women
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General
| Ages 4-8
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| Ages 9-12
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ASIN: 0679992200
Release Date: 1999-10-26 |
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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