Death in Paradise (Jesse Stone)

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

With assured confidence and a master's economy of means, Robert B. Parker, who is best known for his Spenser series, delivers one of his finest, most absorbing works yet. This third entry in the Jesse Stone series finds Stone--a former LAPD cop fired for drinking on the job--serving as chief of police in the town of Paradise, Massachusetts, and investigating the murder of a teenaged girl whose decomposed body turns up in the local lake. As he follows slender threads of evidence into an ugly world of exploited teens, several subplots crisscross, keeping things lively.

But Jesse's struggle with alcohol and his loving, troubled relationship with his ex-wife are at least as compelling as the external plot events. Parker doesn't usually give his characters much of an inner life, but here--in deftly compressed prose, much of it dialog--he paints an understated, believable portrait of a tough guy grappling with tough issues. This smooth-reading book goes down easy but packs a surprising wallop. --Nicholas H. Allison

Book Description

Robert B. Parker is back in Paradise, where Detective Jesse Stone is looking for two things: the killer of a teenage girl-and someone, anyone, who is willing to claim the body...

Customer Reviews:

Sure to please fans of Parker.......2007-08-17

In Jesse Stone's third adventure, a young girl is found floating in the lake - shot through the head. Discovering her identity is difficult, especially since her parents, once found, are loath to admit her existence. Traveling into the gritty underbelly of organized crime and teenage prostitutes, Stone works to find the killer. Subplots involving his attempts to curtail his drinking and put his love-life in order sometimes bog down the plot, which caused me to drop a star, but overall this is a strong story with a good plot.

Even by the relaxed standards of the genre..........2007-08-12

...this is a slight book. Uninteresting characters, predictable plot, an endless subplot about the main character trying to figure out if he has a drinking problem, passionless love interest. Parker used to be one of the best but now he's on autopilot, I fear.

Enjoyable Third Entry in the Jesse Stone Series.......2007-02-03

I love Robert Parker, and I think his Jesse Stone series is actually more entertaining than his Spenser books at this point. DEATH IN PARADISE is the third novel in the series, and it's an enjoyable read. The plot essentially centers around the death of a young high school girl, but there are various subplots involving Stone's love life and his involvement in a domestic abuse case.

I think STONE COLD is by far the best in the Jesse Stone series, but this entry is quite solid. Parker is great at writing funny and entertaining dialogue, and the main murder plot in this novel is quite engrossing. This book is short and leanly written, and Parker doesn't waste a single word in describing what is going on. This novel is very short, and you can finish it in a few hours.

DEATH IN PARADISE, like all the Jesse Stone novels, has a lot of graphic language and sexual activity, since Stone is a relatively young, sexually active character (and pretty much every female character throws herself at him). This is the type of novel where the hero sleeps with two or three different women without batting an eye. If you don't care for these types of scenes, you should definitely skip this book.

This is the type of novel that you will either love or hate, I think. The characters aren't particularly realistic, and the dysfunctional relationship between Stone and his ex-wife can try the reader's patience. But I find Parker's books highly enjoyable, and I enjoy passing the time reading them. They are definitely not boring, and they are much better than a lot of the overwritten, serious-minded stuff that passes for crime fiction these days.

If you dislike this book, you will probably not like any of Parker's Stone novels. My advice is to try this one first, or STONE COLD, and then move on to the rest.

Fast Read.......2006-07-03

Good story and fast read but too much graphic sex. I like my imagination better than all of the graphic details.

Don't bother.......2006-05-11

This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time. I had to force myself to finish it, mostly because the storyline was a slight bit interesting and I wanted to know "whodunnit," but there were so many distractions to that storyline that it was frustrating. I think the book would be half the size if it would stick to the investigation (it IS a murder mystery, isn't it?) Entire chapters were spent pining over his ex-wife, his shrink appointments and his drinking and his new girlfriend (a very promiscuous high school principal??? pul-ease!) A lot of unnecessary foul language (even the principal), gratuitous sex and alcohol abuse. And that's just the hero of the story! Even the underaged prostitution that Jesse was investigating didn't bother me as much as the rest of it did. If it hadn't been a library book, I would have thrown it in the trash. I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it.

Led by the Hand of Christ: A Woman's Journey to Paradise-and Back

Average customer rating:

Heaven from a mormon perspective
hEAVENLY jOY!!!!!!
This book gave me hope

Led by the Hand of Christ: A Woman's Journey to Paradise-and Back
Suzanne Freeman , and Shirley Bahlmann
Manufacturer: Spring Creek Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1932898255

Book Description

Christ smiled, his face alight with joy and love as he took my hand.

Thus begins one of the most detailed journeys to the spirit world ever recorded. When Suzanne Freeman found herself floating against the ceiling of a hospital operating room in 1999, she knew in an instant that she had died.

Yet Suzanne couldn't take her eyes from her body lying on the stainless steel surgery table. She was determined to return to it. She wouldn't die now—she just wouldn't. She had a husband and seven young children who needed her.

As Suzanne turned back toward her body to enter it again, she was stopped abruptly. She turned to see a hand wrapped around her arm—a hand with a puncture wound—the hand of Jesus Christ. The Savior took her by the hand and led her to Paradise, where she was greeted by family, friends and many others, who emphasized simple yet valuable eternal truths.

Suzanne's journey to Paradise—and back—will open your heart to the great love and concern the Savior has for each of us.

Customer Reviews:

Heaven from a mormon perspective.......2006-08-26

I wish someone had stated that this is a Mormon perspective of Heaven! I would have saved my money. The book is nicely written and has a beautiful message but the sheer Mormonism of it makes me doubt the story...that is unless we have spiritual experiences based on our belief system, then it would make sense. I applaud Suzanne for sharing her story - despite the Mormon perspective, it is a lovely one.

hEAVENLY jOY!!!!!!.......2005-04-29

This is the best "Near-Death experience" book I've read ever and I've read 6!!! Suzanne Freeman brings hope, joy, peace and happiness into her spiritual journey. This is a book for all those who are any doubts about a loving savior and loving departed loved ones and not seeing them and living with them again. This is the book for those seeking answers to spiritual truths and to learn why we came to earth and the wonderment of being reunited with our loved ones when we have finished our earthly mission. Truly a remarkable journey!!!! I highly RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!

This book gave me hope.......2005-02-13

I have read several "near-death" books over the years, but this is the first one in a long time to leave me feeling happy and hopeful. I appreciated the message that I don't have to be a prophet or do something spectacular to gain a place in heaven. I really liked the description of Jesus Christ in this book, who serves as the author's guide during her journey to the other side. Jesus is shown as very friendly, loving, and understanding of our mortal frailties. I also loved the fact that mothers are honored in heaven, which is a concept our world seems to be quickly forgetting. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to be spiritually uplifted.

Death in Paradise: An Illustrated History of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner

Average customer rating:

Fascinating book
Very Nice, to the Point LA Crime History!
highly interesting, but too short
Gruesom pictures? What gruesome pictures?
Outlines some gruesome cases and investigative procedures

Death in Paradise: An Illustrated History of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner
Tony Blanche , and Brad Schreiber
Manufacturer: Four Walls Eight Windows
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1568582056

Book Description

Unnatural celebrity deaths and unnaturally celebrated murders pockmark the history of Los Angeles, looming as large in the public imagination as the Hollywood stars themselves. Death in Paradise is the first authorized history of Los Angeles by way of its coroner’s office, revisiting important or high-profile cases that remain shrouded in mystery. With many never-before-published photographs documenting the notorious deaths of Bobby Kennedy, Sam Rummel, Dorothy Dandridge, Bugsy Siegel, Sharon Tate, Janis Joplin, and others, this book presents an unflinching view of Tinseltown’s dark underbelly. The book includes over 100 photographs of infamous crimes from every decade of the 20th century.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating book.......2006-05-11

This book takes readers behind the scenes with the L.A. County Coroner's Office, revealing the details of some of the most notorious deaths of the twentieth century.
Beginning with Wild West-era lynchings and turn-of-the-century mass-homicides in Chinatown, the authors demonstrate how the coroner's job has evolved into a state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar operation responsible for cleaning up the 200 deaths that occur in L.A. every day. In addition to the science of death, Death in Paradise also examines the cultural and political atmospheres surrounding L.A.'s most infamous murders, suicides, and overdoses: from Barbara La Marr to Bugsy Siegel, the Black Dahlia to Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin to Bobby Kennedy.
Interesting book but not enough decent picures.

Very Nice, to the Point LA Crime History!.......2004-03-11

Granted, the history of LA crime may be about the nice overwritten subject out there! Still, this is a fine, right to the point,breezy (even on such a gruesome subject) book, though it does have a few gruesome photos, most notably the 12 year old girl abducted from school in 1927, and dismembered. The early history of the big city is also fine, including some shootouts I was not aware of. If you want to learn about the struggling actress who jumped off the "Hollywood" Sign, a woman who survived being thrown off a bridge at three, and is still living in the area, the Thelma Todd suicide (?),and the Black Dahlia case, here's where to look. Not to mention other better known examples of the coroner at work.

highly interesting, but too short.......2003-06-07

Los Angeles County Department of Coroner: 19000 cases a year, 10 percent of these cases homicides. 20 autopsies per day. 180 embloyees. The second largest department of coroner in the USA and the only one world wide with a gift shop (aptly named Skeletons in the Closet).

This book introduces you to the tasks, history and famous cases of LA department of coroner. DEATH IN PARADISE opens with an overview of the coroner's tasks and a brief history of the department, which both were interesting for me. The next chapter concerns early coroner cases from the days, when the west was wild (You think today's crime rates are extremely high? Well, you'll be surprised to read that in 1850, when California joined the union, Los Angeles with its population of about 4000, had one homicide per day!!!)
The early coroner cases chapter is followed by the most interesting part of the whole book, a lengthy account of coroner's cases involving the rich and famous, from suicides of now long forgotten movie stars of the silent film era to celebrity death of today. Did you know that in 1932 successful actress Peg ENTWISTLE jumped to her death from the big "H" in the famous HOLLYWOOD sign (which read HOLLYWOODLAND by then)? Lots and lots of celebrity deaths are covered: the shooting of mobster Bugsy SIEGEL. The assassination of presidential candidate Robert KENNEDY in 1968. An escalating domestic violence incident, which cost the live of movie star Lana TURNER`s lover Johnny STOMPANATO, when TURNER`s teenage daughter stabbed him. The demise of folk legend Janis JOPLIN due to an overdose. Marilyn MONROE's suicide. The terrifying slaughter of the "black dahlia", later the subject of a bestselling novel (this part of the book is especially gruesome). The death of journalist Ruben SALAZAR, who died during a 1970 riot when a police man accidentially fired a tear gas projectile in his face. And many, many more...
It goes without saying that book features the horrifying deaths of Sharon TATE and Nicole BROWN SIMPSON - would a LA true crime book be complete without these infamous cases?
There are many enlightning black and white photos in the book, which nicely accompany the interesting text. Believe me, this book is very compelling reading and will appeal to every true crime buff, Los Angeles citizen or fan of the QUINCY TV series. It is a real page turner.
My main complaint is that the book is really short. It has about 190 pages, but please consider that the authors use double spacing, so you likely finish the book in one evening or two. I was also sometimes disappointed, because I had prefered to be informed about some celebrity deaths in greater detail (most cases are told in two or three pages).
P.S.: Do NOT believe the promotional blurb on the back cover (a quote from HUSTLER magazine publisher Larry FLYNT: "Blanche and Schreiber have finally done the impossible - that even I could not achieve - publish a book with photographs that should be censored.") There are not that many horrifying pictures in the book. If you want to see really shocking true crime photos better buy SHOTS IN THE DARK or the even more disturbing DEATH SCENES.

Gruesom pictures? What gruesome pictures?.......2002-04-11

Nothing in this book would be inappropriate for a 6-year-old to see. All the pictures were in black and white and NONE of them were gory. This book is just recycled stories we've all heard about dead celebs with a portrait of them included. It should be called "My First Mystery Book". Very disappointing.

Outlines some gruesome cases and investigative procedures.......2002-03-17

This illustrated history of the Los Angeles coroner's office provides the first authorized history of the office and the legendary cases which it has dealt with over the decades. From Bugsy Siegel to Marilyn Monroe and more, Death In Paradise outlines some gruesome cases and investigative procedures.

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Death in Paradise

Manufacturer: Berkley Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GRMTAG

Average customer rating:

Good Read
Henrie O returns to the site of her husbands death
Sorry, not her best.
Just because you are over 50
A real page-turner

Death in Paradise (Henrie O Mysteries)
Carolyn Hart
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0380790033

Book Description

Six years ago, Henrie O's beloved newspaperman husband Richard lost his life on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Now, on a brisk March morning, a chilling message has arrived by Priority Mail claiming Richard's fatal fall from a towering island cliff was no accident--it was murder. Following cryptic clues and her infallible instincts to a lush and verdant tropical Eden--andto the lavish mountaintop estate of wealthy matriarch Belle Ericcson, where Richard spent his final days--the determined sexagenarian sleuth becoems privy to terrible allegations of greed and jealousy, adultery and abuse...and of a mystery surrounding the kidnap-slaying of Belle's eldes child CeeCee. But now that her search for the truth has brought Henrie O to this lethal paradise where giant palm fronds hide evil deeds from inquisitive eyes, she may never be allowed to leave alive. Because the deaths did no begin or end with Richard Collins...and someone's dark and enduring homicidal passions have yet to be fully satisfied.

Customer Reviews:

Good Read.......2006-11-10

I love Hawaii and enjoy reading mysteries taking place there. This had a good plot and the descriptions of Hawaii were wonderful!

Henrie O returns to the site of her husbands death.......2005-08-09

Henrie O is dreading the date of her husbands death. The day he fell off a cliff at the mountain home of his dear friend Belle. Then she receives a strange card that causes her to think maybe her husband was murdered.

Henrie digs through her husbands notebooks and sets out to research his last days. She ends up at Belle's mountain retreat on the anniversary of the death of Belle's daughter. It looks like the same person who killed CeeCee also killed Henrie's husband Richard and may be trying to kill her. It's a race to identify the killer before more people are killed.

Sorry, not her best........2005-07-31

Henry O visits Hawaii to try to find the cause of her husband's death. There is a conglomeration of characters, way to many for me to keep track of. Too much description of Hawaii's flora and fauna. Too much repetition of facts and events that had already occured. I skipped over a lot of the last several pages just to get this one done.

Just because you are over 50.......2002-07-04

doesn't mean you are dead - or worse, boring.

Carolyn Hart's series starring Henrietta O'Dwyer "Henrie O" Collins is an excellent and worthy read. Why?

This mystery series offer great characters with believeable dialogue, nice little plot twists, a kiss of humor, and a heroine - Henry O - who is NOT a gal in her 20's or 30's, with a fast mouth, a clumsy foot always determined to trip over one corpse after another, and a love interest that somehow always seems to elude the final stage of commitment - have any of you noticed just how many mystery novels seem to have this same type of heroine?!?

It is difficult to find truly good mysteries where the main character is actually a woman who is over 50, intelligent, clever, sometimes humorous, and even a little grouchy; yet if you are a true fan of mysteries you will know exactly how terrific it is to stumble across heroines like: Henri O, an Amelia Peabody, Mrs. Jeffries, Agatha Raisin, OR a Mrs. Polifax!!

A real page-turner.......2002-05-01

Henrie O still mourns the loss of her husband Richard. She has always assumed that his death was accidental, but an anonymous note to her implies that he was murdered. She can do nothing but follow up on this note and investigate Richard's death. Doing so involves trips to Texas and Kauai where she confronts Richard's friend Belle whom he was visiting at the time of his death. Henrie O had always been afraid that Richard's involvement with Belle was more than platonic and she vows to find out the truth behind their relationship, as well as the identity of the person who murdered Richard. There are no end of suspects on the island, all of them Belle's family or employees, and Henrie O has her work cut out for her trying to discern which one killed Richard. As always, author Hart crafts a well-written book and this one has an added emotional intensity because of Henrie O's love for her late husband. The setting of Kauai just adds to the ambiance of this excellent mystery.

Average customer rating:

Terrific!
Another excellent adventure with Thea
Another great outing for Thea
Another riveting adventure with Thea
Flora and Kozak in top form

Death in Paradise: A Thea Kozak Mystery
Kate Flora
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0812571576

Book Description

While on holiday to attend an educational seminar in Hawaii, Thea Kozak is determined not only to make the conference a success but also to take some time to relax and enjoy some peace. What she hasn't bargained for is a dead body, none other than the conference chairwoman, strangled and done up like and expensive call girl.As Thea struggles to keep the conference from turning into chaos, she discovers more motives for the woman's death than positive aspects of her life--and more suspects than she can handle. Throw in some overly hostile local policemen, a suspicious husband, and an old family friend who makes Thea's mother look like a saint, and it looks like Thea isn't in for any kind of peace.

Customer Reviews:

Terrific!.......2000-08-27

Thea Kozak returns, this time attending an education convention on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Thea hadn't planned on attending, but when her partner comes down with pneumonia, Thea has to take her place. But instead of spending part of her time in convention activities and the rest of her time on the beach relaxing and working on her tan, Thea finds herself in the "Ms. Fixit" role as problem after problem arises at the convention. When the universally disliked convention organizer is strangled, Thea finds herself investigating the case in spite of her desire not to become involved. She is aided by a charming 11-year-old girl who sees herself as a secret agent and spies on hotel guests constantly.

Poor Thea is much abused in DEATH IN PARADISE. Every time she turns around, she is attacked verbally and/or physically. On top of that, she is feeling ill from the very first chapter, to the point she knows she must see a doctor when she returns to Boston. What amazed me is how Thea remained oblivious to the nature of her illness throughout the book. While admitting the symptoms (extreme tiredness, nausea and excessive thirst), she didn't put 2 and 2 together to come up with the correct diagnosis. I spent the entire book waiting for her to figure things out!

As far as the mystery goes, I was clueless as to the killer's identity. Suspects abounded, and the author kept the suspence level high throughout the book. You won't want to miss this series, which combines a strong, likeable heroine with great secondary characters and realistic situations.

Another excellent adventure with Thea.......1998-11-26

I read Death in a Funhouse Mirror after reading reviews on Amazon's site. It was excellent - so I then had to find each and every book written by Kate Flora. I haven't been disappointed. They get better and better. Death in Paradise is interesting, earthy and full of suspense. Kate is right up there with Jan Burke and Michael Connelly.

Another great outing for Thea.......1998-11-20

This series just gets better with each book. If you want an in-your-face protagonist, with a sharp wit and a keen sense of justice, Thea Kozak is a great read. In this book, she's out of her native New England, but murder follows her to Hawaii. "Death in Paradise" has a well-constructed plot, interesting characters, including a young "buddy" who helps her solve the case, and a slam-bang finish.

Another riveting adventure with Thea.......1998-11-20

Thea mops up the crime scene in Hawaii in her usual style. Kate Flora has built a strong series with likable characters. She is witty and informative. I look forward to her next book.

Flora and Kozak in top form.......1998-10-27

Paradise is Hawaii, but private school consultant Thea Kozak doesn't have much time to enjoy it as she's at the mercy of the whims and bad temper of Martina, the director of an organization of girls' schools. When Martina is murdered, Thea tries to stay out of the way especially since she is not fond of cops except for her love, Andre back in the States. Even trying to avoid "detecting", Thea is more than once in great physical danger. Great characters, behind-the-scenes wrangling and a lovable little girl make this more than "just a mystery."

Average customer rating:

Incredibly Informative

New York Is a Rubber's Paradise
Roberta Halporn
Manufacturer: Center for Thanatology Research & Education,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0930194543

Book Description

An illustrated guide to the cemeteries in the five boroughs of New York by an experienced tour director.

Customer Reviews:

Incredibly Informative.......2002-05-13

I visit Cemeteries on vacation. If you do and you paln on visiting the NYC area this may very well be indispensible. It is a listing of cemeteries in all 5 Burroughs and what you can expect to see there, a little info on doing rubbings and a section on New York Area carvers, there are several intersting reproductions of rubbings from the area. It's really worth the money if you plan on visiting or if you were doing geneaology I imagine as there is an address and phone to contact for most if not all the listed cemeteries.

Average customer rating:

Anyone who has suffered loss will be touched by this memoir.

Ordinary Paradise
Laura Furman
Manufacturer: Winedale Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Anyone who has suffered loss will be touched by this memoir........1998-09-19

Laura Furman's "Ordinary Paradise" will touch anyone who has ever suffered loss, and will be almost as meaningful to someone who has been lucky--thusfar--to have escaped loss. Furman herself, a novelist with a spare yet poetic style, paces her memoir with all the narrative skill of someone who knows how to tell a story: what to say, and what not to say. Although the story deals with the central event in her life--the death of her mother from ovarian cancer when Furman was thirteen--it never succumbs to tearfulness, narcissism, or any form of self-indulgence. It takes a cold and sober look at life. As she admits at the very start, this is not a story with spine-tingling events: "Nothing out of the ordinary happened. My father did not molest me. My stepmother did not send me into the woods with a hired killer." This is not the stuff of tawdry daytime tv shows. Instead, it is about the loss of ordinary family happiness and the hard-won effort to piece together a whole life after decades of family repression and denial. The paradoxical title tells us much: all paradises are eventually lost, but some can be re-gained. The best ones are those that allow us the freedom and the happiness to live, love, and grow under perfectly ordinary conditions. These are the conditions of happy family life, and it is to Furman's credit that although fearful of the same fate her mother met at an early age (we now know much more about the genetic predisposition of some people to cancers) she has been able to achieve the "ordinary paradise" that for decades she thought she would never have. She has won it through common sense, good luck, persistence, clear-headedness, patience and labor. She has made art out of her life, and made of her life a work of art.

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Death in Paradise
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1402507321

Passion and Paradise: A Study of Theological Anthropology in Gregory of Nyssa

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Makes the Complexities of Nyssen's Thought Accessible

Passion and Paradise: A Study of Theological Anthropology in Gregory of Nyssa
Warren J. Smith
Manufacturer: Crossroad General Interest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0824519442

Book Description

Does God suffer,and can we be close to God when we suffer? Gregory of Nyssa, on the the three most influential theologians of the early Church, offers a vision of suffering as part of our progess to final union with God.

Customer Reviews:

Makes the Complexities of Nyssen's Thought Accessible.......2005-11-21

Taking Dr. Smith's graduate seminar on the theology of the Cappadocians first alerted me to his skill as a pedagogue. After perusing a few chapters of his book, I now know that this dexterity extends from the classroom to his ability as an author. Dr. Smith makes Gregory of Nyssa, a pedantic Neoplatonic aristocrat and bishop of fourth-century Cappadocia, actually understandable. The chapters of his book are well-defined, articulate, and unambiguous. Furthermore, an appendix for discussion makes this book a candidate for study-groups, whether under the auspices of the church, or for personal use.
I highly recommend this book as an introduction to Nyssen's theological anthropology. Don't be fooled by the title, though. The book, faithful to it subject matter, covers much more than just theological anthropology. This topic bleeds into many others, and thus it serves as an oblique introduction to many other aspects of Nyssen's thought, and late antique Christian Neoplatonism in general.

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