Product Description
Seeking two truckers hauling a drum of lethal chemicals, San Diego detective Finbar Finnegan joins forces with two strong-willed female cops to investigate a deadly toxic waste scam. Reprint. NYT. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

An interesting cast of characters
In Finnegan's Week, two-bit criminals steal a couple thousand pairs of shoes from the Navy, illegally depose of toxic waste in Mexico and are involved in a scheme to steal $500 from their boss and make it look like their truck was stolen.

Young Navy detective Bobbie Ann Daggett, Nell Salter, investigator for the D.A.'s office and former cop, and Fin Finnegan of the San Diego Police Department are brought together by the case.Finnegan, who seems to be going through a mid-life crisis, ends up dating both of the women, which leads to some of the funniest conversations in the book.

As usual, the two-bit criminal screw things up and Daggett ends up with the biggest case of her career.

This book, which features many references to the early 1990s, has an interesting cast of characters.While it's not among Wambaugh's best works, it is worth reading.

Mission Beach!
Fin Finnegan is a property crimes detective in the southern end of San Diego, raised mostly by three older sisters (who always made him do things for his own good), just turned forty-five (over the hill), married and divorced three times (an unfortunate habit), fan of Ross Perot in the forthcoming election (hard to remember why anyone would be, now), of rather small stature (which women think is cute), squeamish about autopsies (why he works property crimes), and becoming rather tired ofbeing a cop. In fact, Fin knows he was born to be an actor, but he's never gotten far with that, either. (But, as he agent reminds him, at least he can look forward to a decent pension.) Meanwhile, Jules Temple, a semi-sociopath and semi-successful businessman (as long as he continues to very carefully break the law), is on the verge of selling his waste-disposal company, intending to start a topless club with the profits. Working for him are two disgruntled truckers (one Mexican, one drugged-out biker) who know they're about to be let go when the company changes hands, so when they pick up a couple of drums of dangerous waste from the U.S. Navy, they also take the opportunity to steal a few thousand pair of expensive flight deck shoes, which they arrange to sell in Tijuana. They've also picked up a very dangerous drum from an agricultural firm, though, which Jules has mis-manifested so as to save himself some money. Of course, the thieves can't get their Mexican contact to pay them for the shoes, the abandoned truck gets stolen, the drum of poison contaminates some innocent bystanders, and Jules is suddenly very worried about what will happen if the Very Bad Stuff turns up and is traced to him. Enter Fin, who's slightly interested in the stolen property but even more interested in Nell Salter, an ex-cop of his acquaintance (and about his age) who is now an environmental investigator for the DA's office. Enter also Petty Officer 2nd Class Bobbie Ann Doggett (known as "Bad Dog"), a small, chirpy blonde detective for the Navy, all of twenty-eight, who wants those shoes back. Fin and Nell hit it off. Fin and Bobbie hit it off. Nell and Bobbie are wary of each other. Everyone drinks too much. And, gradually, as the week goes on, the three begin to get a grip on the true extent of the related crimes -- though they never do get it all quite right. And while Wambaugh's irrepressible style and gift for smart-aleck dialogue guarantees a good time for the reader, not everyone will come out of this alive.

Not Quite His Best
I purchased this book several years ago and finally got around to reading it this past week.It is an enjoyable read but not - in my opinion - one of Joseph Wambaugh's best.I was going to give it 3 stars but will upgrade to 4 because the book has a better ending than most of Wambaugh's books.Nothing bad happens to the main police characters.The best line in the book deals with Vietnamese restaurants.

Wambaugh has been missed,
Great crime mystery,this book has it all.Humor, suspense,drama and fantastic writing! Read ALL of Wambaugh's books.

Finnegan's Week
It was a gift, my husband had read all Wambaugh books with the exception of this one and I lost him to it.He said wow, great. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin
This book was ingrossing from the first page.I felt as though I was right there with the characters.At the beginning, there was a brief overview of the relationship or lack thereof with one of the title characters and her parents.
I felt that as the story unfolded it made you want to know more about the characters as they were introduced.That is one of the traits I enjoy about this author's books.You don't get the whole picture up front.A good read for her fans and others wishing to try a new author.

Slow moving
I thought that this book was quite slow moving. After spending quite a while introducing the characters, it finally started to get really good about three-quarters of the way through. If you are a fan of Catherine Gaskin, you should read this, if not, there are other books to read. ... Read more

Product Description
A stunning national bestseller, here is the story of a family in the tradition of Ordinary People and Terms of Endearment. The Farrells are a family as ordinary and special as any family. There are parents, a son, and an eleven-year-old daughter with big dreams of gymnastic gold. But a shocking tragedy consumes them, and it becomes all too clear that when it comes to love, everyone is at risk. A Book-of-the Month Club Main Selection with movie rights optioned by 20th Century Fox. HC: Putnam. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (49)

Beautiful
I bought this book secondhand at the library. The back of the book gave little of the story away and I was surprised when I brought it home to find that it was from 1988, and it dealt with AIDS.A book about someone dying from AIDS has the potential to be melodramatic, sappy, overdone, but Hoffman does none of this.I agree with the reviewer who stated that reading it made her feel like she was sitting with the characters.Her prose is simple and clear and the novel moves smoothly; her characters feel real and are fleshed out; her plot and the interactions between characters also seem genuine..I knew how it would end, but her writing and characterizations made it a joy to read, and I've read it several times since then.Pick it up.You won't be disappointed.

Dull
I finished the book, but was so disappointed. Storyline was wishy-washy and the characters dull.

The first book that made me cry as an adult
I was assigned this book in college and found myself weeping in the library. At Risk isn't heavy-handed, and that's what makes it so powerful. The family is believable, and therein lies its poignancy.

Review of At Risk
I think that At Risk is a must read for young adults.It shows a family with courage and how they deal with such a great hardship.It helped to understand how some people react to a disease that they know almost nothing about and how some of there assumptions made matters worse. This book is the amazing story of an 11 year old girl who is diagnosed with AIDS and how her family, friends, and community deals with it.It is a heartbreaking book that teaches great morals and life lessons.I would recommend this book to anyone interested in AIDS or who just wants a good read.It's an easy read and is great for all ages.

Powerfully brilliant, emotionally engaging novel!

What can I add to the other reviews?With excellent characterizations and natural dialogue, Alice Hoffman is a master at drawing typical suburban lifestyles and family dynamics! The family in this story endeared themselves to the reader before tragedy fell upon them, making their ordeal much more heartwrenching. It was very interesting to read how they were torn apart and I wondered if the parents relationship would be strengthened or would be unrepairably damaged in the end. My heart particularly went out to Charlie, who at 8 years old, didn't know exactly how to react and got kind of lost in the activity. I was especially pained at how the community, through their ignorance about AIDS, shunned Amanda. It was equally amazing how the pediatrician, coach and school principal remained undeterred and supportive throughout the controversy. Although tears flowed, it was a beautiful compassion-inspiring story, not depressing perhaps because such strides have been make since the 1980's in the treatment and public awareness of AIDS. I will not easily forget these characters nor their plight. ... Read more

Product Description
Ethan Decker is a specialized “Hunter” for the most secretive agency of the U.S. government, tracking down ruthless international fugitives. But when a renegade assassin kills Decker’s young son, he leaves his unsuspecting wife—to save her from the madman’s threats—and exiles himself to a remote desert in New Mexico. Then one searing day, a former member of Decker’s covert team arrives at his door, shepherding two children. She entrusts them to his protection and leaves without explanation—only to turn up dead a few miles down the road, killed by the man who murdered Decker’s son.

Suddenly the race is on: to reach his ex-wife before the ruthless assassin finds her, and to unlock the mystery behind the two children—innocents who end up as pawns in a dark conspiracy so evil that even this former spy cannot imagine the peril that lies directly in his path. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Call me Agent Decker, but don't call me in for black ops...
I don't know how Patricia Lewin found me. I was a simple grad student in New Mexico studying complex systems and biology. She must've tracked me down through the trail of tutorials and academic papers that I left online using my academic avatar, "Ethan Decker".

I only studied Tai Chi for a year, but Lewin makes me look much better than I really am. And I don't speak (or think) in so many cliches either--except for when assassins threaten my wife. Then, of course, I want to make them pay!

Not particularly erudite, but a perfect post-dissertation page-turner.

RUN get a copy of Blind Run!
A wonderful suspense story! In the first chapter, we meet an agent who retired from life five years ago when his son was killed. A former co-agent drops two children at his trailer, and he finds her down the road, killed. The rest of the book he's running with the children from the killers, and his own past, trying to piece together what's happening. You will not want to put down this book!!

Non-stop action
Ethan Decker left the Agency and his wife after their son was murdered in an operation gone bad. He lives secluded in the desert of New Mexico, an area as dry, arid, and lifleless as Ethan Decker feels. Then one day another agent appears on his doorstep with two children whose lives are at risk from the same man who killed Ethan's son.

When Decker's visitor is killed a few miles down the road, he is forced to flee with children he doesn't want to protect and ask for the help of an ex-wife he refuses to admit he still loves. Hunted by the police for murder and the assasin who killed his son, Ethan races from New Mexico to the mysterious Haven Island off the Northwest coast where the children had been imprisoned all their lives. But rescuing the other children held captive on Haven Island involves confronting the loss of his son, facing the child's murderer, and reliving the buried pain that caused him to abandon a life with the woman he loves.

Fast-paced and exciting, Blind Run is a quick but suspenseful novel not to be regretted by readers who like works in the vein of Iris Johansen. With and second novel, Out of Reach, already out, and a third to be released in Dec. 05, Patricia Lewin is poised to become a sensation in the world of suspense.

Excellent Read
This was a great read that kept me on the edge of my seat until I was finished. I don't get a lot of time to read so most books take a couple of weeks, Blind Run took me 3 days! I didn't put it down until I was finished!! It was exciting and thrilling, a highly entertaining read! Ethan was a great character, full of problems and pain, the portrayal of the character was so real and believable that I ran right out and bought Pat's second book Out of Reach and I'm highly anticipating her 3rd book due out in December! Read this book, you won't be disappointed!!

An Amazing First Novel!
Pat Lewin's first suspense novel is suspense at its best.I had read her second (Out of Reach) before reading this one.Both kept me on the edge of my seat, and with my nose stuck in the book for two days until I had read right though, but Blind Run comes out a little ahead for me.The characters draw you in right from the start (women, you will wind up with a big crush on Ethan Decker!) and Lewin's style of writing will keep you guessing through the whole book.To me, a good suspense novel is one that has me tempted to peek ahead to the next page or chapter to find out what's coming, and Blind Run did just that!It is written in a way that is easy to believe, to wonder if something like this could really be going on, without being show-offy and trying to impress the reader with explanations that no average person could understand - a big turn off in suspense novels for me.It is obvious that Lewin did an extensive amount of research on the plot of this book.A wonderful first novel! ... Read more

Product Description
Based on 15 years of research by a world-renowned expert on aging, this is the first book to explore the profound effects our aging population, and the changing demographics that go with it, will have on every aspect of society, and on our personal plans and dreams for the future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Dated but good info...
This book will retire the many myths of aging.Just because people get old doesn't mean they stop living.In America many opportunities are available for people as they retire and age.This book has a section that explains the shift from a nuclear, child-centered orientation to the new family where everyone is an adult. With these shifts changes evolve.The social unit changes constantly in size and tone and style.Whether you are the grandparent, parent or the son or daughter this book will help you understand your role as it changes. It allows us to think about how we care for ourselves and each other. I gave it 3 stars because it is a bit dated in the charts and graphs and some concepts.

The Age Curve
This book is for everyone, not just for business people.We all need to understand what is happening as the generations move forward. Perhaps this book will help you understand why society, availability of jobs, and a host of other questions can be expected.

The book that announces the New Age is 'Old Age'
Dychtwald has two newer books on the same subject, but this early treatment does a very good job at outlining the basic elements of his vision.
Briefly. He points to the fact that people are living longer than they ever have, that the baby-boomer generation is moving into its senior years, that this new generation of elderly people has a power and wealth that no other such generation has had, that with the birth- death there is a dramatically shifting proportion of the elderly in the general population, that this major demographic change is going to effect all aspects of our lives, including family and work. And that it is necessary to take action to prepare for the changes, and make better lives possible.
Dychtwald is an interesting writer, and he certainly is on to a major social trend. I myself however believe he is a bit optimistic about the whole thing. I think our world will be much sadder if it has very few children in it. I think it will be much sadder if it has predominantly elderly people in it, however successful they all are at looking 'younger' than their biological years.
I believe Mankind will make a major mistake if it allows the Elderly to overwhelm the younger generations.
I also have quite a bit of skepticism in regarding to the whole ' cyclic ' life business. I suspect some of us do not want to have 'three or four families' but rather that the one we have is enough. I suspect too it is very optimistic to talk about going back and learning, and making new careers. How many eighty years old are going to do Mathematics?
Youth has powers which are unique and tragically passing. They cannot be replaced simply by adding years on our lives.
I will conclude with one small anecdote relating to my own grandmother, my Bubbe Zeibert of blessed memory. She was a very kind and wise women. When she became so ill that she could no longer be cared for at home my mother reluctantly had to have her admitted to an Old Age home . Once when we were visiting my mother asked her how the place is. She answered," Good, good. But only one problem. There are so many old people here"
I am afraid if the vision outlined here comes true many of us are going to feel the same way.

Newer book available
Great book! Important - very important - issues, but dated.Read his new book _Age_Power_.Lots of good facts and lots of excellent suggestions. If you want to be in the know, read this book and write your congressional reps.

Not Up To Date
This would have been okay to read in the 80's, but for now it
is not helpful.Outdated information. ... Read more

Product Description
Gun is forced to leave Lucky Residence and return to his hometown, friend in tow. For most people, a return to a plush lifestyle would be a good thing, but not Gun. His friends are driving him nuts and he's not exactly on good terms with his mother. All that he wishes for is some excitement--and it seems the old street gang is going to grant him his wish! ... Read more

Product Description
Here’s what I know about the realm of possibility—
it is always expanding, it is never what you think
it is. Everything around us was once deemed
impossible. From the airplane overhead to
the phones in our pockets to the choir girl
putting her arm around the metalhead.
As hard as it is for us to see sometimes, we all exist
within the realm of possibility. Most of the limits
are of our own world’s devising. And yet,
every day we each do so many things
that were once impossible to us.

Enter The Realm of Possibility and meet a boy whose girlfriend is in love with Holden Caulfield; a girl who loves the boy who wears all black; a boy with the perfect body; and a girl who writes love songs for a girl she can’t have.

These are just a few of the captivating characters readers will get to know in this intensely heartfelt new novel about those ever-changing moments of love and heartbreak that go hand-in-hand with high school. David Levithan plumbs the depths of teenage emotion to create an amazing array of voices that readers won’t forget. So, enter their lives and prepare to welcome the realm of possibility open to us all. Love, joy, and these stories will linger.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

A memorable YA novel in verse
I didn't know this novel was written in verse when I borrowed it from my library, but no matter, I love the format and David Levithan certainly has solid poetry-writing skills.

The Realm of Possibility is a collection of 20 stories told by the students of the same school, each written in its distinct voice and style - song lyrics, linebroken prose, free verse, etc.

These stories and lives are interconnected in very interesting and often unconventional ways. It is a pleasant surprise that Levithan didn't resort to writing some sob stories and melodramas. For a moment there I was picturing pregnant teens or druggies and prostitutes a la Ellen Hopkins's shock-inducing/stomach-turning/emotionally manipulative novels, but no, while there are some tales in which teens deal with body image issues or sickness of the beloved family members, most stories are very relatable and emotional in a not-too-sappy way - the pain of a breakup, the determination to be viewed as an independent person instead of an older sister's shadow, the despair of unrequited love, the significance of the approaching 1-year anniversary of 2 boys' relationship. My personal favorites are Cara's story about her desire to become a better person and Anton's, in which he gives us an insight into a mind of a Goth kid in the back of a classroom.

All in all, a very enjoyable and memorable novel. Fans of books in verse will undoubtedly appreciate the quality of poetry. I am excited to read Levithan's Boy Meets Boy in the near future.

One of My Favorite Books
I am an avid reader. I bought this book a few years ago and it is still one of my favorites. I would recommend it to everyone! David Levithan writes so beautifully and I love who interrelated all the characters are. I've read it at least 10 times and every time it's fun to find new connections between the characters and discover new things. It's a beautiful story with all kinds of romance and a little heart break but it's completely fulfilling. Because of this book, Levithan has become one of my most favorite authors!

Richie's Picks: THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY
In traversing THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY, David Levithan has possibly created the most ambitious--and most romantic--YA verse novel yet published. Over the span of some months, twenty interconnected students from a high school each share a defining piece of their lives--one piece per character. Writing in a variety of poetic formats, including song lyrics, Levithan has created distinctive-yet-interwoven stories for each of these twenty teens, and what they tell us in those stories strikes a perfect balance between the uniqueness of the lives they reveal and the universality of the feelings and experiences within those lives.

(Lily)
"At that moment, a truck speeds across the bridge. It comes dangerously close to us
and shakes the false ground that we sit on.
I am jolted forward, into the rail.
The orange falls from my hand

"And the word I think is precarious. Because as the bridge rocks like a beast with a
tremor down its spine, as I pitch forward so close to the air of no return, I am
struck
by how precarious it all is. How the things that hold us are only as strong
as
the faith we have in them--
you go on the bridge because you trust it will not
fall
the fingers will clasp because we trust them to.
You need two hands to hold a heart"

In fact, I cannot help but imagine hearing bits of our own former students' voices (Hi, Che!) in several of the pieces. For instance, the metalhead to whom Jed refers is Anton, whose contribution to the book is a series of wry "Suburban Myths":

"popularity is in fact a democracy. it is a fair
and square contest, each month, students vote,
and the kindest, most compassionate people
are always chosen to be the most popular,
just as we always choose the best person
in the country to be president, we always pick
the most deserving people to be popular.
they, in turn, humbly accept and prove to be
role models for all the rest of the students,
because their position is so much based
on worth and not at all on
looks or
cruelty."

"...I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind..."
--Boston, Peace of Mind

If having to deal with the popular people isn't enough, how about competing with a guy who is "frozen at this age that I can't wait to leave." The piece which will be appreciated by millions of afflicted high school students--and which I chose to read aloud to my college-level nieces and nephew after Thanksgiving dinner--is the hysterically funny and moving rant entitled, "My girlfriend is in love with Holden Caufield."

Indeed, I have already read the entire book aloud once and am impatient to find a second audience. Meanwhile, since it is a bit of a mystery at first who is talking about whom (as if you are in the hallway, overhearing one side of a conversation), I have enjoyed going back through the book with a notepad and pencil in order to draw a schematic of the interrelationships, and to then reread several of the views from "the other side."

As with BOY MEETS BOY, David Levithan's realm encompasses a joyful and optimistic range of possibilities. Things are the way they should be, with kids from various groups--whether by intention or by fate--being there for each other. And even when characters feel overwhelmed, things turn out for the best or, at least, are getting better:

"zack tells me it won't be as hard tomorrow, and I know he's right
zero hour has passed"

David makes it all possible
I love it! David Levithan does it again. This book just puts your mind in a different world. It really is the Realm of Possibility. There are gay couples and struggling souls. All of this in the form of some wonderful poems. The church choir girl can fall for the goth guy, the beautiful song writer can fall in love with a girl of her own, and sooo much more. After I read this book I was shocked at how much of an effect it had on me. If I bought it I would read dozens of times. You'll love it. This author really knows what he is doing. I hope you enjoy it!!

You Are Happy Even If You Are Afraid To Admit It - secret to all good YA books?
Though this book drags in a few of the poems, it's mostly very readable, as free-verse poetry tends to be if you read it quickly.Sexuality and sentimentality - or, if you like, adolescent angst - are heavily featured, but Levithan is so good at rendering them that the book hardly ever feels trite or emotionally abusive.However, the standout entry is clearly "The Patron Saint of Stoners," which deals with a far more serious issue than most of the others, in far less dramatic terms.The narrator of the poem, Clara, is an excellent student who has trouble trying to find some pot; but the important question for the reader is not the how, but the why."Gospel," told from the perspective of Gail, a fervently Christian and compassionate girl who befriends an outcast, and "Writing," in which a Goth girl, Charlotte, literally puts "the writing on the wall" in a surprisingly uplifting way, are also very good.

Like "Boy Meets Boy" and "Are We There Yet?" the tone of the book is - not relentlessly, but insidiously positive. No one is worse off at the end of their poem or the book than at the beginning; even the 'bitchy' character who gets her comeuppance also has a personal insight.

One thing Levithan never addresses is why the twenty characters are writing these poems, or if they even are writing them down.Interesting, because he could have written it off with a throwaway line - for example, "Mr. So-and-so is making everyone write a free-verse poem for English class" - but instead he leaves it unclear whether they are simply internal monologues or poems the characters actually write. ... Read more

Product Description
Surpassing Wanderlust as Danielle Steel's longest-running New York Times hardcover bestseller, Fine Things spent more than 26 weeks on the list, including nine weeks as Number One. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Fine Things
Bernie Fine is sent to open a new department store in San Franciso. It is in this department store that he meets 5 year old Jane who is lost. He then meets her mother and eventually they become a couple. The drama begins when the childs father comes into their lives.

This is a really good story.

WHY, OH WHY???
Why in the heck would someone actually enjoy reading a book FULL of misery? This was my first from Danielle Steel and luckily my last.

I thought I was buying a book.
When I go to a site labeled "books" I expect that the product being sold is a book.This was a total waste of money for me, audio tapes are not allowed into prisons, so the tapes were destroyed in the mail room.

Barrie

Life Goes On
The main character's loss of the love of his life will make you cry, and you'll love her too.But you'll also see why he was able to fall in love again by the book's end.

Tear Jerker!
Kleenex will certainly come in handy for this novel!



Steel takes the reader on an emotional and heartbreaking rollercoaster. Chapter 21 will leave you choking on tears!!! Yet, I was a little irritated that she ended the novel in the manner in which she did. Danielle Steel should have probably tied the book up at Chapter 33, and I would have been very happy! I place this novel in the ranks with The Promise and Once in a Lifetime!






... Read more

Product Description
Music textbook. ... Read more

Product Description
Cook book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Readers Digest Creative Cooking
I have had this book for so many years and it is dog eared,so this will be my second copy. The recipes all work, very unusual International dishes and American specialties in one book. There are three sections, explanation of different foods, recipes by the months and techniques and basic core recipes. Color plates in the food section,photos throughout the recipes section,line drawings in techniques section. You will enjoy this addition to your cookbook collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a warm glance at the past
I love this book...it's the warm and very well written story of a family in South Philadelphia, set in the last century.It shows us that small things make big differences.The characters are very real and the little details illustrate what life was like.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
191 page 4 1/4"x5 1/2" softcover book published by The House of Collectibles in 1973. Fully illustrated containing mint recordsand prices 1616 to date. ... Read more

Product Description
Pooh and his friends begin spring cleaning, as they discover some new treasures that make the seasoneven more fun! There’s no telling what might turn up in this coloring book with fun, full-color stickers!
... Read more