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Death lights a candle 1 review
Phoebe Atwood Taylor
J. Curley & Associates, 1980
Countryman edition
This second novel in the old Asey Mayo Cape Cod series is a better, more tightly written novel than the first in the series, The Cape Cod Mystery. The plot is less contrived, but only somewhat. A satisfying locked-room cozy.
The Countryman edition is much easier on aging eyes than the mass-market paperbacks.
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The drowning pool: A Lew Archer mystery10 reviews
Ross Macdonald
J. Curley & Associates, 1979
Truly a mystery classic (but don't let that scare you)
I hesitate to call this a classic because some people consider "classics" as dull and out-dated. And there's nothing dull or out-dated here (well, maybe that paying $10 to be driven from Las Vegas to L. A. is a bit out of date). Archer's hired to discover who sent his client's husband a letter accusing her of infidelity. Introduced to the family and friends at a party as a Hollywood agent, he ...
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Beloved Diana1 review
Alice Chetwynd Ley
J. Curley & Associates, 1979
good story, good writing
This was my first book by this author and I totally enjoyed it. I am surprised there weren't more reviews written about Ms. Ley's work. She is a good story teller and good writer. Her characters were believable and lovable, and dialogs were intelligent. I have recently bought two more of her other books and very much looking forward to read them.
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Women of courage2 reviews
Margaret Truman
J. Curley & Associates, 1978
Women of Courage - An Inspirational Read
Women of Courage gives the reader exactly what one is looking for in such a book. Margaret Truman has extensively researched courageous American women and included many, who despite her scale of attributes (forebearance, grit, guts or gallantry), are long forgotten or not even noticed in the first place. This is a must read for anyone who is looking for heroes, inspiration, or affirmation of ...
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Charlie M2 reviews
Brian Freemantle
J. Curley & Associates, 1981
Brilliant
This is the first Charlie Muffin book I read and I found the plot to be better than most books of its kind. It is brilliantly written and the ending is truly a surprise to the most cynical and hard to please reader. Charlie is scruffy, no tact, who is treated with derision and contempt by colleagues. He refuses to cooperate in his own demise and downfall. Charlie is a survivor. After reading ...
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Aunt Sophie's Diamonds (A Regency Romance)4 reviews
Joan Smith
J. Curley & Associates, 1978
funny, wonderful book
Have you ever had a crazy relative who left a bizarre will? Sophronia Tewksbury was a manipulative old bat and left her relatives with a mind boggling one. The entailed estate went to one nephew, various lesser jewels were given to others but her diamonds were to be buried with her. Outrage is the best description of their reaction to that news. Scheming sister Marcia, estate poor cousin ...
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The lost pueblo2 reviews
Zane Grey
J. Curley & Associates, 1986
Clashes: Modern vs Old World Values
This is a well-written story that exemplifies in popular format the ongoing clash between old values and modern thinking. As I read this story, these values seemed more cohesive and less unbreechable... as long as respect and love are part of the picture.
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The ledger1 review
Dorothy Uhnak
J. Curley & Associates, 1981
Early lady cop drama from the true pioneer
An excellent read. The late Ms. Uhnak's style is tough and gritty with the female protag here as a police detective. I can see where she broke new ground for Grafton, Cornwell, and the others who followed. I interviewed her a year before she died. A real classy lady and fabulous writer.
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The doctor's daughter1 review
Elizabeth Seifert
J. Curley & Associates, 1976
A REAL LOOK AT THE LIFE OF A DOCTOR'S FAMILY
Not only was this book written in an entertaining fashion, it depicted the problems as well as the glamour of a doctor's family. That's why I liked the book so much - it didn't reveal only the glory of a doctor's family's world. Regardless of the fact that doctors earn in a month what most of us earn in a year, they are humans who have problems just like anyone else. This book gives an inside ...
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Beauty for ashes (A Grace Livingston Hill romance)1 review
Grace Livingston Hill
J. Curley & Associates, 1979
Great book
The story is a great one to read. I own almost all of grace livingston hills books and they are all great to read. I never like to put them down until I have read them all.
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Sweet and twenty (A Regency romance)1 review
Joan Smith
J. Curley & Associates, 1979
Laugh-out-loud romance from Joan Smith
This is my absolute favorite Joan Smith romance!
What terrible luck! Melanie's thoughtless husband has died and left her without advice on how to marry off their lovely but feather-brained daughter, Sara. After receiving a plea for help, Lillian Vernon and her sharp-tongued aunt visit to lend a hand. At the same time, the local political seat is up for elections, and so begins a merry race to ...
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Solstice 8 reviews
Joyce Carol Oates
J. Curley & Associates, 1985
tale of a dark and fascinating friendship
This is an intriguing look at an almost obsessive friendship between two women. It's also an interesting commentary on academia, the art world. Contemporary issues such as class and rape are also explored. However, it was the story of the chilling relationship between the two women that hooked me and wouldn't let me put the book down. I think that this book can be read on many levels. I ...
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The witness1 review
Dorothy Uhnak
J. Curley & Associates, 1981
Great old mystery...
Christie Opara, the only woman on the D.A.'s Special Investigation Squad, is assigned by her boss to shadow his daughter to a civil rights demonstration. An ugly group of hecklers soon turns the demonstrators into a riot and someone gets shot. A cop with a bewildered look on his face, stands over the body with revolver in hand. It was an unnecessary killing. The crowd and the public cries for the ...
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The zoo that never was1 review
R. D Lawrence
J. Curley & Associates, 1982
Overlooked and Rare Gem
R.D. Lawrence's "The Zoo that Never Was" is a true life account of a married couple's experiences living with, and sometimes saving the lives of, the wildlings that share their Northern Ontario "North Star Farm" homestead. Though a memoir, "The Zoo that Never Was" reads like a very enjoyable, well-paced novel. Those who partake of its wonderful, often humorous, sometimes sad but never preachy ...
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Anger3 reviews
May Sarton
J. Curley & Associates, 1982
Small, richly eloquent rending of the mars and venus theme
Much before the popularization of the Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus books, May Sarton put to a few pages this gently told story of a young marriage. And in this small novel, I found, she illustrated in a richly eloquent, and somewhat edited style, the 'big idea'. I read this one wintry week-end as a close friend from Boston was soaking in my bath tub avidly reading MMWV. She had come ...
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In a lonely place6 reviews
Dorothy B Hughes
J. Curley & Associates, 1980
Hard-boiled and scary because of its understatement
"In a Lonely Place" is a neglected classic of American crime fiction. Harder than hard-boiled, it follows the actions of a vicious serial killer in post-war Los Angeles. The antihero, Dixon Steele, maintains the appearance of an average guy while periodically venting his anger and hatred of women by raping and strangling random girls that he picks up. Through the course of the book, he plays a ...
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The French powder mystery5 reviews
Ellery Queen
J. Curley & Associates, 1980
Ellery's 2nd Mystery - Proof Positive of Exceptional Talent
The 1930 novel, "The French Powder Mystery", is a well-structured detective story that challenges the reader, is scrupulously fair, and makes good reading.
Cyrus French is the chairman of the eminently successful and stylistically influential French's Department Store in midsection New York. In recent weeks the store window has been opened precisely at noon each day to exhibit somewhat ...
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The rector1 review
Virginia Gay
J. Curley & Associates, 1981
Mesmerizing
Written in 1980, the author's first novel, I am dying to know if she wrote any more. This is a dark, brooding, Gothic novel, unlike any gothics I have ever read. Victoria Holt's stuff looks like kindergarten, compared to this. Verity Austen has come to Hoby Hall on the bleak seacoast of England in 1889 from South Africa where she was born and raised. She was there with her Mother years ago ...
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The care of time7 reviews
Eric Ambler
J. Curley & Associates, 1982
Virtually as Timely as the Day It Was Published in 1981
Eric Ambler always relied on the contemporary political tensions to build his international espionage thrillers. The Care of Time is no exception except that it has stood the test of time for 22 years amazingly well. If you leave out occasional references to the Cold War, the rest of the book could easily have been set in January 2003. If you are interested in the question of how to control ...
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The far side of the dollar6 reviews
Ross Macdonald
J. Curley & Associates, 1980
MacDonald's masterpiece
Ross MacDonald's (aka Kenneth Millar) Lew Archer novels are probably the greatest modern detective series ever, although the insistence of MacDonald to use the same formulaic elements in his books over and over and over again mean that the novels are better read individually than collectively. With that in mind, The Far Side Of The Dollar is your best bet, as it is the example of MacDonald's ...
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