Edge of Evil

Book Description

The end of her high-profile broadcasting career came too soon for TV journalist Alison Reynolds—bounced off the air by executives who wanted a "younger face." With a divorce from her cheating husband of ten years also pending, there is nothing keeping her in L.A. any longer. Cut loose from her moorings, Ali is summoned back home to Sedona, Arizona, by the death of a childhood friend. Once there she seeks solace in the comforting rhythms of her parents' diner, the Sugarloaf Café, and launches an on-line blog as therapy for others who have been similarly cut loose.

But when threatening posts begin appearing, Ali finds out that running a blog is far more up-close and personal than sitting behind a news desk. And far more dangerous. Suddenly something dark and deadly is swirling around her life . . . and a killer may be hunting her next.

Download Description

The end of her high-profile broadcasting career came too soon for TV journalist Alison Reynolds -- bounced off the air by executives who wanted a ""younger face."" With a divorce from her cheating husband of ten years also pending, there is nothing keeping her in L.A. any longer. Cut loose from her moorings, Ali is summoned back home to Sedona, Arizona, by the death of a childhood friend. Once there she seeks solace in the comforting rhythms of her parents' diner, the Sugarloaf Café, and launches an on-line blog as therapy for others who have been similarly cut loose.

Customer Reviews:

Not one Jance's best efforts.......2007-04-27

This is book one of a different series for Jance, who does the Beaumont and Brady series.
Here we have a heroine, Ali Reynolds, dealing with multiple problems. She is fired from her job as an anchorperson on the nightly news, finds out about her husband's infidelity, and loses her best friend in a horrible car accident.

Ali decides to head out from California to her childhood home in Sedona, Arizona to see what she can do about her friend's death. She doesn't for a moment think it was a suicide, though the local constabulary think it's a closed case.

Ali's son, Chris, sets her up as a blogger to let her fans know why she left the show business world so abruptly. But the blogging takes on a life of its own. And all the while, Ali is trying to figure out who killed her friend Reenie.

This is not a faced-paced book, it plods along moving from point a to point b smoothly, but not quickly. The blogging passages are sometimes more confusing that helpful. I have never been a fan of blogs so this was an effort on my part to even read them. However, Jance uses the blogs to fill in details rather than having any detecting work contribute to the progression f the novel. .

The characters are for the most part portrayed quite well, although they don't seem to be three-dimensional. We know who did what way before Ali does. Anyone who is a whodunit fan can figure this one out fairly quickly.

I'm not sure the deaths are necessary. It seems like the publisher may have said, we need at least three deaths to sell this book, so there they are. At least two seemed rather disjointed and unnecessary.

All in all it was a good read, for someone killing time.

Edge of Evil.......2007-03-10

I have read and enjoyed everything J.A. Jance has written--until now. I thought the characters were wooden and unreal. All the men were jerks and all the women martyrs. I realize she was trying to make a point but the writing was not up to her usual outstanding standards and frankly her point got lost because of the blatent advocacy.

Jance is as good as ever!.......2007-01-30

I love Jance's writing style, no matter what series (Beaumont, Brady, etc.) she's on. The one thing that I've noticed is that she'll have one catchphrase in each book and sort of beat it to death. In Edge of Evil, it's "Taking your lumps", in several forms. Not that it's a bad thing, I guess I just noticed it more than I should have.

Disappointed, but still a fan..........2006-12-29

Love JA Jance, but not this book. What a disappointment... At the center of the story is a LA TV News Personality coping with at least three life crises: fired from her job because she is "too" old; divorce from a cheating husband (a network executive); and, the death of a childhood friend. Jance's secondary character is an annoying "Blog" through which she tries to find a common ground for the three separate stories.

Alison "Ali" Reynolds finishes her nightly newscast and is taken aside by her pot smoking general manager who informs her she has just finished her last broadcast (she does not get to say good bye to her adoring public). Apparently over forty, she is too old to be in front of the camera although it appears a man may keep his job into his dotter age. What goes around, comes around as Ali was the new "news Babe" a number of years earlier.

Finding no sympathy from her station executive husband, and the same evening finding out her childhood friend, suffering from ALS, has committed suicide leaving behind a husband, two small children and a job she loves as director of the local YWCA she packs up and heads for Sedona. Sedona her childhood home, and the location of her parents diner where her Mother is a local celeb for her homemade cinnamon buns Ali soon discovers her roots, and regains her footing.

To give Ali an outlet for her energies her son, Chris, develops a Blog on which she is soon dealing with issues such as ALS, spousal abuse, treatment of aging female talking heads, and of course the death of her friend. The Blog becomes a central character of the story and instead of bringing the story lines together, gets in the way.

Along with way she discovers her husband has not one, but two mistresses (who knew); deals with her Father's skiing accident; finds her friend's husband has a mistress (student to his professor); acquires a fat, ugly cat; gets a job at the diner; loses a job at the diner; is accosted and almost killed by an abusive husband whose wife she advises to leave him through her Blog and whom she in turn kills in self defense; and solves the murder of her friend (see we told you it was not suicide) by her younger sister.

The wrap is her husband actually wants a divorce, mistress #1 is pregnant ("This is the baby who will carry my genetic material forward", oh please!); her son (not his) passes his finals at USC and is planning to move to Sedona and teach welding (oh did we mention he is a budding artist?) at the local high school; and Ali contemplates a Pod Cast (don't need a camera for this one).

Jance can do much better, I got the feeling she needed to write a book to meet a commitment to her publisher, and knocked this one out in a week end. JoAnna Brady and J. P. "Beau" Beaumont deserve better company.

On the Edge of Being Good.......2006-12-27

There are so many things that are wrong with Edge of Evil by J.A. Jance that it is difficult to know where to start. However, let me say that it amazes me that the excellent writer who gives us the wonderful JP Beaumont series can turn around and write something as abysmal as this. Granted, her Joanna Brady series, although fun, also lacks the quality of the Beaumont series, which makes me think that maybe Jance should not be writing female characters.

Okay, first of all, within the first 10 pages I discovered two continuity errors that slipped by the editors. And I found more than a few typos throughout the book. So count sloppy editing as one strike against the book. Second, the plot itself lacks cohesion. Okay, veteran newscaster Alison Reynolds gets bounced from her job because she is too old. Her stupid husband of 7 years, who is a network bigwig, gets mad because she intends to pursue legal action against the TV station. But that's okay because she suddenly learns that her husband is a real sleazebag and has been cheating on her for years so she files for divorce.

But then her best friend from high school goes mysteriously missing and then is found dead, an apparent suicide after receiving a diagnosis of ALS. And although she hasn't seen her friend in at least 2 years, her friend's small children consider her their best friend and unburden themselves to her. And her friend's husband is also a sleazebag who was sleeping around.

But the police don't think the death of the friend is suspicious and are happy to accept it as a suicide. And in the meantime, Alison's college-aged, and too wonderful to be true son, sets her up as a blogger, and her blog immediately attracts a huge audience. The topics on her blog roam the gamut from quack treatments for ALS to spousal abuse to scumbag husbands to the stupidity of the TV station for firing her.

I could go on- I've only touched the surface of the iceberg in hitting at some of the various plot points (there are more). However, here's my down and dirty summation-- if you want to read a book that hops from one discordant plot point to another and never has any cohesion and expects you to suspend belief on every single page- hey, this is the book for you. However, if that doesn't interest you, find one of Jance's Beaumont books. Your brain will thank you.

Dr. Tom Dooley's three great books: Deliver us from evil, The edge of tomorrow [and] The night they burned the mountain

Average customer rating:

The Contributions of Tom Dooley
Excellent choice for reading
Excellent choice for reading
The Way it Was; Vietnam Before Political Correctness

Dr. Tom Dooley's three great books: Deliver us from evil, The edge of tomorrow [and] The night they burned the mountain
Thomas A Dooley
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Dr. America: The Lives of Thomas A. Dooley, 1927-1961 (Culture, Politics, and the Cold War)

ASIN: B0006AWSEU

Customer Reviews:

The Contributions of Tom Dooley.......2003-05-13

Dr. Thomas Dooley was a hero to me. Fire On the Mountain means to me the Fire yet another time after the French left for honourable reasons Indochine and still the people could not be set free. Agriculture burned and people died. Deliver Us From Evil was their petition, and the world did hear them, but too much, it would seem. Merton would have been his Confessor, but over what teletype would this have been then? I did read Merton as a girl, but it gave insufficient consolation to these wounds of the heart. On the Night They Burned the Mountain, the children of that Tigerland were again left behind. Tom Dooley didn't live to see it, and before he slept, he anguished sore. I neither need to buy these books nor see the film. I've lived in that hereafter and carry in on through the remainder of my life.

Excellent choice for reading.......2000-01-12

I first read these books when I was in H.S. They inspired me to want to be a better person and devote myself to good works. I know that sounds odd but these are no ordinary books. I recently reread them and found them to be even better than I remembered. These are noble books written by a noble man. Tragically the author died from cancer at a very young age. The background for these books may seem a little dated due to the fall of Communism in Russia but the subject is as pertinent now as it was then and will be hundreds of years from now. Inhumanity and humanity. The cruelty of ideolegies versus the compassion of the individual. These are an excellent choice for any reader from nine to ninety-nine.

Excellent choice for reading.......2000-01-12

The Way it Was; Vietnam Before Political Correctness.......1999-11-25

Dr. Dooley was a young US Navy Medical Officer, aboard a ship in Haiphong harbor when France was being turned out of Vietnam. Following a plea for medical help he went ashore, got to know the people, and grew to love them. He left the Navy and spent several years in the 1950s traveling among the peoples of Southeast Asia, bringing medical care to regions where whites had never before even been seen, until his return to the U.S. shortly before his death from cancer.

He saw and described many horrors committed by Communists on their own people trying to cross the new border from North to South Vietnam after the country was partitioned. Those descriptions of what was really happening stand in stark contrast to the stories popularly accepted in the U.S. a decade later.

Book Description

No ordinary Washington memoir, "Facing Down Evil" is an unprecedented look behind the scenes of our nation's most powerful law enforcement agency. As the FBI's premier hostage negotiator, Clint Van Zandt worked or consulted on some of recent U.S. history's most unsettling and high-profile conflicts, including the Waco, Oklahoma City, and Unabomber cases..

Customer Reviews:

A Primer for Hostage Negotiations.......2007-03-10

I enjoyed this book. I have great respect for the author's insight and experiences. His views into hostage psychology were enlightening for me and should be an eye opener for those interested in hostage negotiations. I found this book to be a very fast read and very interesting and while I found parts to be somewhat glib, it is recommended for those interested in the workings of the FBI and those with an interest in what the FBI does and the human feelings experienced in the performance of their difficult duties as FBI Agents.

Interesting view of the FBI Agent.......2007-01-17

I really enjoyed this book and it had many interesting thoughts and details for someone looking to get into the FBI, like myself. However, I felt it layed a little too heavily on his family issues and Christian background. Not that I'm opposed to either, but I had assumed, by the synopsis of the book that the author would go into more detail about high profile cases he had worked on but did the exact opposite. He talked about cases that were probably least known to anyone reading the book. Still, it was a good read but don't pick it up if you expect to read about cases like the Oklahoma City bombing or the Unabomber.

Facing Down Evil.......2007-01-04

I recommend this book to any one who enjoys a true-to-life FBI drama.
Each chapter told a different edge-of-your seat story about this author's fascinating life as a negotiator/profiler for the FBI.
Exceptional book and a great read!

Phenomenal Read - So much more than a mindless handbook on Crisis Negotiations.......2006-12-12

"Facing Down Evil" is a legitimate, keenly observed look at the FBI and Hostage Negotiations by one of it's key players. Van Zandt brings a unique perspective of the Bureau to the page. He is real in his emotion and attitude and doesn't play the glory card so many others do in their memoirs. You actually feel as if you walk a mile in his shoes and it is a tough, yet gratifying path. Van Zandt succesfully intertwines stories of his personal life with his carreer and in doing so draws his audience in and keeps them wanting more untill the last page is turned.

A good light read.......2006-10-07

I was actually disapointed in this book. Given the authors background I was hoping for a book that went into some detail into his methods, beliefs and techniques of crisis negotiation. What I got was a very light but enjoyable read that covered his career in the FBI (including his battles with the beaucracy which I felt did not add to the story) and four incidents of crisis negotiating, which had some good basic tips. Waco got a mention - but only to say he will leave it to the next book - rather frustrating.

My recommendation is, if you want a book on techniques, buy one of the others on the market (for example Van Zandt's fellow ex-agent Fred Lanceley's "On Scene Guide for Crisis Negotiators", or even Frank Bolz 'Hostage Cop"), but if you want a good read and an interesting story then this would be a good book to get.

Dr. Tom Dooley's Three Great Books Deliver Us From Evil the Edge of Tomorrow the Night They burned the Mountain

Average customer rating:

Dr. Tom Dooley's Three Great Books Deliver Us From Evil the Edge of Tomorrow the Night They burned the Mountain
Tom Dooley
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GK48IE

Average customer rating:

An adult's review
A book you will benefit from reading!

Kingdom's Edge (Kingdom Series)
Chuck Black
Manufacturer: Multnomah Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Adventure & Thrillers | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1590526813
Release Date: 2006-05-01

Book Description

A Riveting Medieval Parallel to the Bible

Good and evil clash. Leinad and Cedric are determined to not only survive, but claim hope and victory! In Kingdom’s Dawn , Leinad and Tess, along with all the king’s people, must escape slavery by the powerful Lord Fairos. Kingdom’s Hope finds them free and arriving in the Chessington Valley . But when they forget the king, will Kergon and the Kessons capture them for good? After many years, Kingdom’s Edge finds Cedric living a hopeless life until a stranger appears with powerful words of a new kingdom and a grand army. Finally, Kingdom’s Reign marches you through the danger of earth’s last days as the evil dark knight threatens to defeat the prince once and for all. Swords, knights, and battles define these captivating tales that parallel biblical events from Genesis to Revelation!

He was doomed to a life of hopelessness and despair.

Then the stranger arrivedâ¦

For Cedric of Chessington, every day is the same: full of poverty and despair. And he knows that will never change.

Or so he thinks.

Then a stranger comes to the city. Drawn to the man’s mysterious ways, Cedric discovers the stranger’s humility belies great strength and wisdom. That’s when an astounding truth becomes clearâthe stranger is a Master of the Sword, and He is there to train Cedric.

Suddenly propelled into a desperate battle against evil, Cedric must rely on the Master’s training if he is going to survive. But the ultimate battle is yet to come, for the Dark Knight is at work, implementing his plan to take over the kingdom. Will Cedric be ready to stand in the face of pure evil?

Journey to Arrethtrae, where the King and His Son implement a bold plan to save their kingdom; where courage, faith, and loyalty stand tall in the face of opposition; where good will not bow to evil; and where hope and compassion are as powerful weapons as the sword.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDED

Story Behind the Book

âWhen my six kids’ eyes glossed over during a reading from the Bible, I paused to explain the significance of redemption to a sin-sick soul. I was rewarded with patronizing elephant nods and more blank stares. Shortly thereafter, I awoke in the middle of the night with a medieval story enveloping my mind. I wrote it down and later read it to my children. Their waning attention transformed into complete anticipation. I was amazed and disappointed. Why did it take a fictional story, not a Bible passage, to get that response? Then I realizedâthat is how Jesus taught! Parables are powerful! I penned the Kingdom series to help young people get excited about the supremely significant story of Jesus Christ and His mission to save mankind.â

â Chuck Black

Customer Reviews:

An adult's review.......2006-08-08

On the back of the book it says it is supposed to be for teenagers. I enjoy a lot of 'young adult' fiction, so bought this book. Frankly, it's written more for pre-teens, maybe 8- to 12-year-olds. The language and writing is very simplistic for teenagers. I do think a pre-teen could really enjoy it, though.

In my reviews of the first two books, I complained about how the author didn't do a good job making this book a true allegory, which he clearly wanted it to be. This book, however, is very good in both the writing and in the allegory. I think it helped that he let the allegory be looser (less 'this is this event!!') and each chacter represent one group of people or one person instead of changing what the character represents throughout the story.

I would recommend this book to young adults and am going to give this book to my church's "Knights of the Cross" 4th and 5th grader Sunday school program as a prize gift.

A book you will benefit from reading!.......2006-05-12

Kingdom's Edge is the third book in the Kingdom's Series (Kingdom's Dawn and Kingdom's Hope being I and II). Leinad (Moses) has crossed the sea to be with the King (our Lord) and has left his stories with Cedric. Cedric of Chessington is not too sure if the stories are to be believed, but there is "something" about them that rings true.

The Kingdom is going through some very tough times. The Noble Knights have lost their path--and now they are out for themselves rather than for the people and the King. Through the years they have stopped following the Code (Commandments) and become more interested in their own power over the people.

In the midst of these hard times, the Prince arrives. His coming was foretold by Leinad. He gathers believers around him and trains his Knights (the Apostles) to fight the Dark Knight (Satan/evil) who with his Shadow Knights are coming to take over the Kingdom.

Kingdom's Edge tells the story of the Prince's life, His death and then His rising again. Even if the reader does not catch all the symbolism that the author intends, this book is very inspirational. It gives the reader a sense of hope and reminds us, in a contemporary story, the importance of faith. Kingdom's Edge (as well as the other books in the Kingdom series), should be put on everyone's reading list.

Armchair Interviews says: Anyone who reads it will benefit in some way.

Average customer rating:

EDGE OF EVIL
J.A. JANCE
Manufacturer: AVON BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0739462261

Product Description

Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly At the start of this disappointing thriller from bestseller Jance (Long Time Gone), Alison Reynolds, a 45-year-old Los Angeles television news anchor, loses her job, realizes her marriage is a sham and learns that her childhood friend Reenie Bernard has disappeared after being diagnosed with ALS. Alison efficiently handles the first two problems, hiring attorneys specializing in discrimination and divorce. With her supportive college student son, Chris, she heads for Sedona, Ariz., her hometown, to visit her sympathetic parents and await news of Reenie. When Chris sets up a blog for her, Alison, usually tense and judgmental, begins revealing herself to strangers, a practice that leads to a personal threat. After Reenie's body is found, the police pronounce her a suicide; Alison disagrees and begins to investigate her friend's life. The reader learns much about age and sex discrimination, spousal abuse, the effects of catastrophic illness on families and anonymous Internet communication. The result, though, is a polemical novel with poorly developed characters and predictable situations uncharacteristic of this talented author. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Tucson Citizen "Jance proves once again she is the undisputed mistress of the mystery novel."

Average customer rating:

The Edge of Evil.,
Jerry Johnston
Manufacturer: Word Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GJDE3U

Edge of Evil: The Rise of Satanism in North America

Average customer rating:

the edge of evil
If this is baloney....
Because there's no "zero" star rating

Edge of Evil: The Rise of Satanism in North America
Jerry Johnston
Manufacturer: W PUBLISHING GROUP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0849932610

Customer Reviews:

the edge of evil.......2005-10-04

This book was one of the best books I have read on satanism is America. If you are a christian I think this book should be in your library. A must for all youth directors. The previous review I read on this book was written by a satanist and a witch so if you should read it before or after my review you could see they are afraid of being exposed and are trying to steer people away from this book. But I promise you all take the chance and buy this book. I promise you will not be sorry. I have since ordered a second copy and tonight I am ordering the audio as well. May Christ be with you.
Allysrave@yahoo.com

If this is baloney...........2004-11-12

...than it is highly entertaining baloney. The funniest part was where the author declares that "in the 1990s, dealing with Satan worship will be the number one priority for law enforcement" or something to that effect. Nice prognosticating there, Nostradamus. This is worth picking up for laughs (cheaply, of course).

Because there's no "zero" star rating.......2004-08-27

This book is pure, 100% grade A baloney. The "signs that your child might be a Satanist" are so broad that they apply to the vast majority of teens everywhere, and the list of supposed "Satanic" symbols in the back of the book is absolutely ludicrous -- watch out for those evil circles!

There are no Satanic verses imbedded in heavy metal records.

So-called "backward masking" doesn't exist.

There is no vast Satanic conspiracy that kidnaps and ritually sacrifices thousands of people every year.

Role-playing games and board games are not "gateway drugs" into Devil-worship and Satanic groups (which don't exist anyway -- see above).

Save your money. Buy Jeffrey Victor's "Satanic Panic" instead and educate yourself with some real facts, not pompous, overblown scare tactics.

Take a few minutes and find out the real truth, here:
http://www.witchvox.com/whs/kerr_cawfth_1a.html

Average customer rating:

Literature for Parents to read..One True Must.
Because there's not a zero star rating

Edge of Evil: The Rise of Satanism in North America
Jerry Johnston
Manufacturer: W Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Cults & Demonism | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Parapsychology | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0849906687

Customer Reviews:

Literature for Parents to read..One True Must. .......2004-12-29

First of all this is A Christian Book that talks about this evil madness known as Satanism and Wiccan magic. This is excellent literature for parents who want to read and know about many past youths who were summoning demons, or actually to be more direct-summoning the Devil. The stories are interesting because they give one [the parent] a glimpse to what most youngsters do in a Satanic ritual[e.g., black mass, eating black waffers, and drinking black wine, October 31(halloween) and having orgies with women occult members. This is knowledge that parents need to know so they can be aware and prevent such madness from ever occurring/entering in the lives of their kids. I believe that Jerry Johnston is a Christian...that is good, and the foreward of the book is written by Journalist Geraldo Rivera. This book is low priced, but the information is so valuable. Topics such as these were talked about on the talk shows back in the 80's but todays movement or beliefs is one of being politically correct that topics such as the Devil are ignored and they should not be. This is a must for the Muslim, Christian, and the Secular parent.Satanism is alive and so is the Devil-this is no fantasy, this is all evil so becareful. Book is highly recommended. And to the review that says heavy metal is not satanic, it is. Most of those members worship the Devil but they just mask their lyrics.

Because there's not a zero star rating.......2004-08-22

The Trouble With Evil: Social Control at the Edge of Morality (S U N Y Series in Deviance and Social Control)

Average customer rating:

The Trouble With Evil: Social Control at the Edge of Morality (S U N Y Series in Deviance and Social Control)
Edwin McCarthy Lemert
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Good & Evil | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Wicca | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Witchcraft | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0791432440

Book Description

A broadly based analysis of good and evil grounded in examination of the conceptual, philosophical, and theoretical bases of the study of evil within the social sciences.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books