Paradise Screwed

Book Description

"Reminiscent of the snarky, opinionated newspaper articles of the great Mark Twain, Hiaasen's columns are finely crafted little gems." (Booklist)

Carl Hiaasen takes you on a wide-ranging safari, observing south Florida's wildlife in its natural habitat-from fat-cat politicians to migrating mobsters, drowning dolphins to stray chads. This collection of Miami Herald columns-written with a satiric wit and biting humor-will give Hiaasen fans a glimpse of the facts that inspire his frenetic fiction.

Harking back to the muckraking journalists of old, Hiaasen lets readers in on the comings and goings of corrupt local politicos, misguided tourist bureaus, and flailing sports franchises. He tackles such current events as the Elian Gonzalez imbroglio and the 2000 presidential election recount. All in all, more than two hundred columns chronicle the everyday circus that gives south Florida a flavor and a flair all its own.

Since 1985, Hiaasen's twice-weekly, "baseball-bat-to-the-forehead" column has given the average citizen a voice. A staunch defender of his native state, Hiaasen isn't afraid to take anyone on, including environmental despoilers, Big Tobacco, and the NRA. But as proven in his first collection of columns, Kick Ass, his righteous rage and spirited wit resonate far beyond the Sunshine State-and show readers a world-class journalist in his element.

Edited by Diane Stevenson.

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New York Times bestselling author Carl Hiaasen takes you on a wide-ranging safari of South Florida's wildlife in its natural habitat-from fat-cat politicians to migrating mobsters, drowning Dolphins to stray chads. This collection of Miami Herald columns-written with a satiric wit and biting humor-will give Hiaasen fans a glimpse of the facts that inspire-and prove far stranger than-his frenetic fiction.

Customer Reviews:

Paradise Screwed by Carl Hiaasen.......2007-01-11

My husband got this book from the library and all I heard was him laughing while he read it. We bought it for my daughter who lives in Florida and is an environmental science teacher. Before giving it to her during a recent visit, I had to read it. I too laughed like crazy. Carl has a way of putting all the bad stuff people have done to the state of Florida in a humorous manner but gets his point across at the same time.

Witty and biting, but dated and geo-specific.......2005-06-28

I have read several of Hiaasen's novels and have enjoyed them immensely. From reading this collection of his columns, I now know where he gets many of his ideas for characters and ridiculous plotlines. Truth is truly stranger than fiction in South Florida! Developers run amok, politicians are on the take from everyone, criminals of all stripes don't even bother to hide what they're doing. Hiaasen exposes it all in his inimitably sarcastic way. I did enjoy many of the columns and appreciated Hiaasen's skill. However, most of the columns were from several years ago, with many of them being from the 80s. Also, not having spent a lot of time in South Florida, I couldn't always relate to the issues at hand. I would probably have been satisfied with a collection half as long. But I did enjoy reading about the madness that is life as usual in South Florida.

Even Better Than His Best Novels.......2004-04-03

I wish I could say I was a rabid Carl Hiaasen fan like a lot of people who seem to love all of his novels, because I love to read and love good writing, and Hiaasen's writing style is always excellent. I loved "Tourist Season", "Sick Puppy", and "Stormy Weather", but thought that he was pushing it a little in some of his other novels like "Lucky You" and "Native Tongue" where the plots were, at least in my opinion a little contrived. So when I got this book, which is a collection of his newspaper articles for the Miami Herald, I wasn't sure what I was going to think about it.
It's excellent! I thought his best novels were very good but his true calling is his work as a reporter. The articles are meaningful in the way that he exposes corruption and the destruction of Florida's natural resources, but they're written with a great sarcastic wit. I know a little about South Florida politics and environmental issues, because we always vacation in Key West and you get the news on television from Miami, but you don't need to in order to enjoy this book tremendously. There are too many great articles in this collection to name them all, but the one about the "Incredible Shrinking Palm Trees" in particular is one of the funniest things I've ever read. This book is better than even his best novels, and the shame of it is that all of it is [unfortunately] true.

A crusader with a sense of humour.......2002-12-06

I love this man's writing! I started with his fiction and having devoured all there was of that at the time I stumbled on his first book of Miami Herald columns. I bought Paradise Screwed as soon as it was out.
The really exciting thing about Carl is that he takes on the corruption and the sleaze and the bizarre goings on in Florida and makes people aware of them through witty yet hard hitting writing. He isn't afraid to make waves and when you read this book you will begin to wonder about the greasing of the wheels in State politics.
He is passionate about his home state and what is happening to it and as a visitor to Florida on more than one occassion, he has really made me think about the affects of inconsiderate development and tourism.
But even if you aren't keen on any of that, the columns are clever and well written, so it's well worth the read.

What Michael Moore is to the nation, Hiaasen is to Florida.......2002-03-25

Another collection of "baseball-bat-to-the-forehead" columns in a similar writing style as Moore. Both men use biting satire and their wicked wit to tell you what they think, and are unafraid in doing so. Hiaasen is even more impressive I think because his substantive job is still journalism and yet he can find humor in real people and events as easily as in fiction.

These columns are a selection from over the last 20 years of events in South Florida. You don't have to go back any further than 2 years to Elian Gonzalez and the 2000 presidential election to know that there's enough grist-for-the-mill here to fill much more than one book on these two topics alone. Nevertheless Hiaasen reins himself in and spreads his verbal darts around. Topics covered include "Mayor loco", the soon-to-be-gone Marlins, Chads (not a person, those bits of paper, remember?) Dolphins (both the team and the ones that frequently drown offshore), Race Riots, a con artist doctor and a pet-hating extortionist. That's the more exotic stuff. Then there's the normal South Florida fare of crooked politicians, stupid state officials, assorted mobsters and mafia, drugs, guns, and general mayhem and madness. As Hiaasen said in a recent interview "all the paths of slime and disreputability seem to lead here."

The man is a Florida treasure and for those of us who live through what he writes about his humor is a saving grace. Very few of us can express it the way he does so he is our voice of reason saying yes, it's PARADISE SCREWED allright, but we're still alive we can laugh about it.

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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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Scene of the Crime: Photographs from the LAPD Archive

Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook

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The Hollywood Book of Death : The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More than 125 American Movie and TV Idols

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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Great chemisty & a steamy read!
is there a 0 star??
Great Romance
Just okay
3 Stars for the Romance, Zip for the Rest

Paradise County
Karen Robards
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0671786466
Release Date: 2001-11-27

Amazon.com

Setting: Contemporary Kentucky

Sensuality: 8

Grief-stricken at her father's suicide and struggling to cope with the collapse of the family businesses, photographer Alexandra Haywood travels to her family's thoroughbred horse farm in Paradise County, Kentucky. She cannot understand why her father would take his life, and her journey to Whistledown Farm is driven by her need for answers as well as the need to sell the farm. Sparks fly when she encounters farm manager Joe Welch, and Alexandra is yanked from the cold lethargy of grief that has gripped her emotions since her father's death. She doesn't want to be attracted to the handsome, difficult man but her hormones refuse to cooperate. Joe doesn't want to crave the gorgeous blond who intends to sell the farm and destroy his dreams, but he, too, has no choice.

The two have bigger problems, however, when a crazed killer whose heinous crimes have gone undetected in Paradise County for many years targets Alexandra. Before Joe can save her, his own son and her young sister may also fall victim to the madman. Robards expertly balances an intensely sensual love story with a truly chilling suspense plot set against a colorful Southern backdrop. Paradise County will have readers on the edge of their seats until the final page. --Lois Faye Dyer

Book Description

THE ELECTRIFYING NATIONAL BESTSELLER

PARADISE COUNTY

Left bankrupt after her billionaire father's sudden death, Alexandra Haywood returns to Shelby County, Kentucky -- that bit of Southern splendor known as Paradise County -- to sell the family's magni?cent horse farm. Part of her mission is to ?re Joe Welch, the sexy, stubborn farm manager who worked hard for the Haywoods while raising his children. But Joe refuses to be ?red, and he and Alex clash. They also fall for each other -- hard. Just as their attraction ?ares, a shocking murder with ties to the past rocks the county -- and cuts close to home when Joe's teenage son, Eli, and Alex's wild-spirited younger sister, Neely, vanish. Now, the evil that lurks beneath Paradise County raises its gruesome head -- and Alex is targeted as the next victim.

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Internationally renowned storyteller and New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards stakes a new claim to her position as one of romantic suspense fiction's most exciting talents with this irresistible novel of domestic suspense deep in the heart of Kentucky Bluegrass country. After the death of her father, photographer Alexandra Haywood returns to Whistledown, the family's magnificent horse farm. As Alex struggles to put her father's memory to rest, her teenage sister Neily falls hard for Eli Welch, whose father owns the struggling farm that borders Whistledown. Always protective of her trusting little sister, Alex sets out to confront Eli's father, Joe, and make sure Eli's not just after the Haywood money. The proud and hardworking Joe Welch, meanwhile, isn't about to let some rich rhymes-with-witch Haywood woman call his boy a fortune hunter. Sparks of rage give way to a fiery attraction when Joe and Alex meet head-on. But just as a volatile passion begins flaring between them, the discovery of a shocking murder with ties to the past threatens to tear them apart. The body found on Whistledown property is just the beginning of a killer's spiraling web of terror. If someone is dead-set on keeping yesterday's secrets buried, he or she intends to destroy Alex and Joe's future bliss, as well -- because Alex has been targeted as the next victim.

Customer Reviews:

Great chemisty & a steamy read!.......2007-02-10

After the suspicious death of her father (it was ruled a suicide), former heiress Alexandra Haywood is forced to settle her father's estate, which surprisingly is heavily in debt. As she closes one business after another, she arrives at his Kentucky horse breeding estate to close up shop, but finds herself up against the ranch foreman Joe Welch, who has plans to turn the stock into champion race horses. As the two go toe to toe about the closure, an attraction develops between the two. When Alex decides to do a little digging about her father's death, she suddenly finds herself in the crosshairs of a sadistic killer. Will she and Joe ever see eye to eye about the farm or will she become the predator's next victim?

Robards uses her trademark sizzle to create a charismatic couple (and a pretty steamy read). The mystery takes a backseat to the romantic tension, and the killer may chill a reader or two, though little time is spent developing this predator. As a mystery, it is a little lacking, but makes for a good steamy read!

is there a 0 star??.......2006-09-01

Sick,. sick,. sick,. Complete waste of time. Wish I had read some of these reviews before I picked it up at the library. Fortunately, I didn't pay for it or waste more of my time by reading the entire trashy book!!!

Great Romance.......2006-08-21

I'd recommend this book on the romance alone!! You could feel the chemistry of Joe and Alex jumping off the pages!! The suspense aspect was ok too, but the romance was the best part of this book. I'm sure I'm going to read this a 2nd time!

Just okay.......2006-05-30

After the first few chapters, this book held my interest, but I was distracted by a few things. First, Joe's character was sexy, sure, but I didn't adore him. It frustrated me that he made a habit of blowing off Alex's concerns about an intruder in the house. I just can't like a hero who repeatedly suggests that the heroine is overreacting when she's frightened. Second, the predator was disgusting, to the point that my repulsion sometimes eclipsed my enjoyment of the story. And finally, I felt like the plot was largely unbelievable. I'll reiterate the fact that the book held my interest, and I think it's worth reading, but don't expect greatness.

3 Stars for the Romance, Zip for the Rest.......2006-02-25

This book was about a wealthy ranch owner who suddenly dies. Due to unfortunate financial situations his eldest daughter is forced to fire her father's various employees. When she brings the bad news to the farm manager, the reader instantly sees where this is all going to lead.

The romance aspect of this novel was steamy. You wanted these two together, they were good for one another and you couldn't help but be excited when they were in the same room. The thriller aspect of the story was completely out of place. Every once and awhile when one of those chapters appeared I felt as though I had begun a different novel entirely. I wanted to skip ahead and get back to Alex & Joe.

Overall this was an okay read. I am yet to find a strong contemporary written by Robards. But her historicals are great!

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Bucks County Journey Through Paradise
Raymond O'Brien
Manufacturer: Kendall Hunt Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Intercourse, Leacock, Paradise, and Salisbury (PA) (Images of America)

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Intercourse, Leacock, Paradise, and Salisbury (PA) (Images of America)
Michele Maria Paiva
Manufacturer: Arcadia Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

One of the most recognized villages in the Pequea Valley, Intercourse has a mysterious and refuted beginning. Some have said that the village takes its name from the early races that were held on Old Philadelphia Pike. Folks would say that they were “entering the race course,” which became “enter course,” which became Intercourse. Another version states that it is simply the old way of saying “to mix, to commune.” Regardless, Intercourse and its surrounding towns—Leacock, Paradise, Salisbury, and the entire Pequea Valley—are extremely rich and quite influential in history. This book spotlights one of William Penn's original counties, the birthplace of the Conestoga wagon, and the rich heritage that accompanies each town. Enjoy this picturesque tour of the people and places found within the perimeters of this scenic nucleus of history.

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My Review of Paradise Lost
I couldn't put it down
Life On the Razor's Edge
Not bad for what it is.
A Bad Time for Motherhood

Paradise Lost: A Novel of Suspense
J.A. Jance
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 038097729X
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Amazon.com

Joanna Brady returns in J.A. Jance's ninth adventure featuring the Arizona sheriff. Joanna and Butch, her new husband, are trying to build their dream house, adjust to their marriage, and cope with the preteen mood swings of Joanna's 12-year-old daughter, Jenny. During a Girl Scout camping trip to Cochise County, Jenny and another girl sneak out of their tents after lights out to have a cigarette and stumble on the body of a murder victim. Joanna is initially more concerned about her daughter's misbehavior than the murder at Apache Pass--after all, smoking can kill you--but then Dora Matthews, Jenny's coconspirator, is killed. Joanna's fear that her daughter might be in the killer's sights adds an extra dose of adrenaline to her efforts to find the man who left the body for Jenny and Dora to find. Add that worry to the sheriff's suspicion that Butch may be having an affair with a former girlfriend and you have the makings of a typical Joanna Brady novel: long on intelligence, empathy, and humanity and short on shootouts and suspense. Jance's other series, featuring Seattle cop J.P. Beaumont, features more intricate plotting and louder firepower. Brady's not as complex as Beaumont or as fully developed a character, but she leads with her heart, and her struggles to balance her personal and professional life bring interest. The Southwest landscape comes to life in the author's capable hands, and while the narrative's pacing is a little pokey, there's lots of lovingly evoked scenery to make it a pleasant trip. --Jane Adams

Book Description

J.A. Jance returns us to a world of desolate beauty and lonely terror in an extraordinary new novel as heartbreaking and real as it is grippingly intense.Dora Matthews and Jennifer Brady, both thirteen, couldn't be less alike -- yet the luck of the draw has made them tentmates at a Girl Scout Memorial Day weekend camping trip at Apache Pass. Dora is a wild child, a pregnant, fatherless waif with a missing junkie mother. Jenny is the innocent daughter of Joanna Brady, the sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona. In the cool blackness of the high desert night, they slip away at Dora's prodding. What they find on their unauthorized hike will change their lives forever: the body of a murdered Phoenix heiress, abandoned to scavengers and the elements.Sheriff Brady fears the traumatic damage that her daughter's grim discovery may have inflicted on the frightened teenager. Now, however, Joanna's foremost concern is the job she was elected to do, and she sets out on the trail of the dead woman's lowlife husband, who cleaned out their accounts before he vanished.The stakes get drastically higher in very short order when something happens to poor damaged and neglected Dora Matthews that hits Joanna like a runaway truck. Someone believes that the two girls who were where they shouldn't have been two nights earlier are now loose ends that need to be tied up. And Joanna's own Jenny may very well be the next item on a killer's bloody agenda.

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"Once again the remarkable J.A. Jance-the New York Times bestselling author of Kiss of the Bees and Devil's Claw-returns us to a world of desolate beauty and lonely terror in an extraordinary new novel as heartbreaking and real as it is grippingly intense. Dora Matthews and Jennifer Brady, both thirteen, couldn't be less alike-yet the luck of the draw has made them tent mates at a Girl Scout Memorial Day weekend camping trip at Apache Pass. Dora is a wild child, a pregnant, fatherless waif with a missing junkie mother. Jennifer is the innocent daughter of Joanna Brady, the sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona. In the cool blackness of the high desert night, they slip away at Dora's prodding. What they find on their unauthorized hike will change their lives forever: the body of a murdered Phoenix heiress, abandoned to scavengers and the elements. Sheriff Brady fears the traumatic damage that her daughter's grim discovery may have inflicted on the frightened teenager. Right now, however Joanna's foremost concern is the job she was elected to do, and she sets out on the trial of the dead woman's lowlife husband who cleaned out their accounts before he vanished himself. The stakes get drastically higher in very short order when something happens to poor damaged and neglected Doran Matthews that hits Joanna like a runaway truck. Someone believes that the two girls who were where they shouldn't' have been two nights earlier are now loose ends that need to be tied up. And Joanna's own Jenny may very well be the next item on a killer's bloody agenda. But one killer could turn out to be two-or perhaps even three. Suddenly terror has invaded Sheriff Joanna Brady's world in a form too awful to contemplate. As the nightmares of her professional and personal lives interweave-as a disturbing cloud of suspicion darkens the joy of her on barely one-month-old marriage-she knows that there are answers out in the wilderness that must be uncovered before time runs out."

Customer Reviews:

My Review of Paradise Lost.......2007-07-03

Even though this was J A Jance's latest book in this series of Joanna Brady,Sheriff,it was not written this way. in this newest one, she had the sheriff married just 2 months,whereas in the previous book she had her married for sometime and just had a baby. As well as her teenage daughter in Paradise Lost was almost 13, but the previous book she was 16 yrs old. What gives ? hard to follow the characters, however, the story was at its best, and the ending surprising as usual.

I couldn't put it down.......2006-01-31

J.A. Jance is one of the best writers out there. This book starts out a little slow because she is telling the reading about the Sherrif & her family but once the crimes start you can not put it down. The crimes are very violent & scary. She is short staffed & she has two murders she has to solve. It all takes place in Arizona & because she is short staffed she has to go out into the field herself.

Life On the Razor's Edge.......2005-08-12

I think the secret to the compelling nature of the plotline in J.A. Jance's PARADISE LOST is the awful frightfulness of the danger that lurks in the simplest things of everyday life, and the difficulty of negotiating the twists and turns of being a mother, a daughter, a wife, and a female sheriff caught in the limelight while running a murder investigation, and how all those roles play into the potential for disaster looming in the rear-view mirror, as well as the desperate hope for renewal that appears for brief moments around every turn in the road.

Jance creates her effects by letting the reader find his or her way inside the minds and hearts of her characters, and by creating a world that is at once malicious and domestic in ways that can sometimes make it difficult to distinguish one from the other.

It seems a simple story, simply told, but it keeps you on the razor's edge.

Not bad for what it is........2005-08-04

This was my first Sheriff Brady mystery, and I would be willing to pick up another if the circumstances are right. Paradise Lost is a decently written page-turner which kept my interest much more than I expected it to do.

There are lots and lots of stones that you could throw at the book. The resolution at the end is annoyingly complete for everybody, with even the annoying mother being rehabilitated. Butch Dixon does not seem to have a flaw. Her daughter is amazingly understanding and contrite. I guess that kind of happy ending goes with the cozy territory, so I will not complain too much.

Jance seems to work less in traditional cozy whodunnit territory, and is more interested in incorporating the mystery aspects of the sheriff job with the personal ups and downs of her life. Think of it as a kind of cozy procedural and you will get the picture.

The writing is not elegant, but good enough to keep the plot moving. This would be a good book to waste a few hours or as a gift for the younger teenager who is just starting to explore the mystery genre.

A Bad Time for Motherhood.......2005-03-22

I have been a fan of J.A. Jance since I met her in a bookstore browsing through the mystery section. She convinced me to try one of her books, which I did, and loved it. She had also told me that she would soon start a new series - that was many years ago and I've been enthralled with each new book since the Joanna Brady series began. These books usually leave you turning pages as fast as you can read, but this one wasn't quite that captivating. Don't get me wrong, it was still very good, just not the excellence I've come to expect from Jance's writing.

This is the ninth novel featuring Joanna Brady, a tough Arizona sheriff who enchants her way into the reader's hearts. In the last novel, Devil's Claw we leave Joanna as she's honeymooning with her new husband Butch, after having her home destroyed by a maniac. Paradise Lost picks up shortly thereafter.

Joanna is once again caught in the struggle to maintain balance between being sheriff, being a new wife, and being a mother to a 12-year-old. While Joanna and Butch are at a sheriff's conference across the state, Joanna's daughter, Jenny, goes on a Girl Scout campout. Jenny and another girl, Dora Matthews, sneak off after lights out only to find trouble in a big way. They stumble across a dead body. Because the girls were breaking rules, they are sent back to Bisbee while the sheriff's department investigates this murder in Apache Pass.

When Dora Matthews, turns up dead the next day, Joanna is worried about Jenny's safety and the balance between the various hats she wears comes tumbling down around her. Added to this second murder, is a third murder - the body of the prime suspect in the first murder turns up. Three deaths in a matter of four days are more than Bisbee has ever seen and it's up to Joanna to help solve them.

The end of Paradise Lost is predictable and not one of the better suspenseful conclusions that Jance has created in the past. J.A. Jance has always tied up the loose ends, but this time she leaves one flapping in the gentle Arizona breeze. The subplot involving a series of carjackings is never fully developed and leaves much to be desired by the reader. She eludes to this subplot several times, but there is no meat to it and nothing ever comes of it - no tie in to the murders, no interesting side journey, just a passing mention every once in a while.

And a low point in this book was Joanna's wavering attitude towards her overbearing mother, Eleanor. She finds neutral ground and "understands" her mother. I didn't buy it - it was too passe for me. Joanna wouldn't buy into the poor, poor me bit, the martyrdom, that her mother is excellent at portraying. But this time she does and it is very anti-climatic - I wanted a good, old fashioned tongue lashing that we've come to expect when these two clash.

The one thing that is decided in this book is Joanna Brady will run for reelection as Cochise County Sheriff. I'm sure the next book in this series will encompass the campaigning and how it affects Butch and Jenny. It should be interesting.

Silver Creek: Idaho's Fly Fishing Paradise

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Silver Creek: Idaho's Fly Fishing Paradise
Dave Clark , and David Glasscock
Manufacturer: Caxton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 087004382X

Book Description

Silver Creek Idaho's Fly Fishing Paradise, looks at all of the elements that add to the enjoyment of a day on this world famous stream. Located 20 miles from the world famous Sun Valley resort area in the heart of Idaho, Silver Creek has long been regarded as one of the premier spring creek fisheries in the world. It's pristine waters and mammoth sized trout have earmarked Silver Creek as a "must visit" for any avid fly fishing enthusiast.

Silver Creek: Idaho's Fly Fishing Paradise answers the questions on leaders, equipment selection, techniques, fly patterns, and hatches that any potential visitor would have. The authors also include much detailed information concerning the history, geology, plants and animals of the Silver Creek region as well as an analysis of the preservation efforts being undertaken by the Nature Conservancy to maintain this unique and invaluable resource. Also included: -eight page color section, detailed Silver Creek area map, Nature Conservancy Map, Silver Creek hatch chart, and more than 50 photos and maps.

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The seasons of Paradise ;: A portrait of Crested Butte, Colorado, and the Gunnison high country
Nathan Bilow
Manufacturer: Crested Butte Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0962419826

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Adventuring in Paradise
Gene Jones
Manufacturer: Pineapple Press (FL)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Instructional | Hiking & Camping | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
History of Sports | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Parks & Campgrounds | Food & Lodging | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Florida | States | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
Florida | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1561642800

Book Description

Adventuring in Paradise has the information you need to best enjoy the bountiful outdoor recreational opportunities available : • Parks and other outdoor recreation areas • Canoe and kayak launch sites • Biking, hiking and walking trails • Equipment checklists • Suggestions to "get involved" to help preserve, protect, and enhance the environment • Historical and ecological overviews • Details about Myakka, one of Florida's largest state parks and its "Wild and Scenic River" • Safety and comfort tips • Resources for further information

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Brown County: Paradise in the Hills
Gene Howard , and Todd Holben
Manufacturer: Phoenix Publishing (IL)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1886154015

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