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Dead Clever: A Lily Pascale Mystery (Lily Pascale Mysteries)

6 reviews
Scarlett Thomas

Justin, Charles & Co., 2004

smart and witty
This first of three Lily Pascale mysteries is (how can I resist?) dead clever. Young Lily leaves her cheating boyfriend and dead-end London bartending job for some R and R in her small hometown in Devon where she promptly lands the perfect part-time job teaching crime fiction at the local university. Except one of her students has been gruesomely murdered. And some of the others are acting ...

First Light: The First Ever Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson Mystery

9 reviews
Philip R. Craig

Justin, Charles & Co., 2005

Author William G Tapply Is One Of My Better Habits
Author Tapply has written a series of books about lawyer and amateur sleuth Brady Coyne. It is difficult to describe the Brady Coyne books except, possibly, to note that they all read like a letter from an old friend. The details of Coyne's comings and goings, his meals, his hobbies, his love interests, and his tracking down of the bad guys...are all told in an engaging style as if he were ...

Second Sight: A Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson Mystery (Brady Coyne and J. W. Jackson Novels)

7 reviews
Philip R. Craig

Justin, Charles & Co., 2006

Two Intertwined Tales Entertain
Many authors have tried writing mysteries with one another. There are several approaches you can use: One story featuring both authors' characters; one story alternating narrators; two stories similar only in theme; and two intertwined stories. The last is the most difficult, and few collaborate in the mystery genre to try. Thankfully for mystery fans, Philip R. Craig and William G. Tapply ...

Las Vegas Little Black Book: A Guy's Guide to the Perfect Vegas Getaway

15 reviews
David DeMontmollin, Hiram Todd Norman

Justin, Charles & Co., 2005

Not just for men!
While this book definately isn't for families it can be applied to travelers other than just men. I just bought this book (I'm a 32 year old married woman)and found some great advice that can apply to anyone that is looking to let loose and have some fun. I am soon traveling to Vegas with my husband and two girlfriends. The information on the bars and clubs was extremely helpful. We also ...

Boyos

17 reviews
Richard Marinick

Justin, Charles & Co., 2005

Five star review for a first time author
Fast paced, a tight and intricate plotline and with a varied cast of characters Richard Marinick scores five stars for his first novel 'Boyos'. Unlike many crime novels published these days 'Boyos' doesn't fall into the trap of trying to be a synopsis for a movie. The characters are true to life, low life to be more accurate and the author obviously has a detailed understanding of the Irish ...

Stoned, Naked, and Looking in My Neighbor's Window: The Best Confessions from GroupHug.us

12 reviews
Gabriel Jeffrey

Justin, Charles & Co., 2004

The best one's on page 77
I won't quote it, but I've read it many a time in public places to my friends. The book (and the website) are possibly in vein of the trend that is taking over the pop culture. Post Secret, Found and the like have all published confessions and pieces of crap that people write. We all want to know what's going on in other people's mind and this is the book that makes it possible to see the ...

Sudoku X Book 1: The Only Puzzles With the X Factor

3 reviews
Christopher Monckton

Justin, Charles & Co., 2005

From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com
When I first looked at these puzzles, I assumed they would be more difficult than regular sudoku, but they actually are not any tougher. The fact that you must generate numbers 1-9 on the diagonal as well as in rows, columns and boxes does add a fun twist, though. Sudoku purists may dislike these puzzles, particularly the smaller grids in the beginning of the book, but adventurous sudoku-ers ...

In For A Pound

10 reviews
Richard Marinick

Justin, Charles & Co., 2007

Exceeds expectations
I enjoyed Boyos, but Marinick met and exeeded the challenge of his second novel. I was impressed enough I felt obligated to write something here! the prose is very clear and blunt. In Boyos there were some time jumps in the storyline that sometimes distracted me but not in this work. Wacko and his crew are nasty pieces of work, 'they wake up playing hardball everyday' I think is the quote. ...

Family Matters (Jackson Steeg Mysteries)

5 reviews
Ira Berkowitz

Justin, Charles & Co., 2006

Authentic and riveting NY crime-noir
On the surface, Det. Jackson Steeg is like most crime novel protagonists-- rebellious, world-weary and unrelenting. But soon after "Family Matters" takes off, we see there's a history to Steeg's life that resonates as true-- that he is such a richly detailed character, you cannot ignore his dillemna. Steeg must solve the murder of a young rich woman in a seedy part of Manhattan (Steeg's own ...

Sex in the South: Unbuckling the Bible Belt

14 reviews
Suzi Parker

Justin, Charles & Co., 2004

Whoo---look under that belt!
Trippy tour through southern sexual taboos - everything from animals (horseplay) to spanking, swimming, and even some sparks. Lots of sparks. And fascinating statistics, too. I loved this interesting survey of what is hiding underneath the covers of the bible-thumped south. Definitely a must read...you might learn your kink isn't so weird after all.

Perfect Sound Forever: The Story of Pavement

11 reviews
Rob Jovanovic

Justin, Charles & Co., 2004

This book ist RAD!
If you're a pavement fan then I highly recommend this book. If you aren't a fan, then it probably isn't for you. However, if you are a pavement fan who would like to know more about this band, how their songs and albums came together and the relationship between the members and the band's dynamic and why they split, then I say go for it. If you like quirky sidenotes and memorabillia (IE college ...

The Repo (Jack Merchant & Sarah Ballard Novels)

9 reviews
Bill Eidson

Justin, Charles & Co., 2003

Good Start to a Promising New Series Pair
Finding a mystery novel that is based on a truly fresh and engaging premise is a little like winning the lottery: it's theoretically possible but the odds against success are astronomically high. Be that as it may, Bill Eidson has beaten those odds in his latest thriller, THE REPO. Ex-DEA Agent Jack Merchant, in forced retirement after a series of operations gone sour, is simply marking time ...

Not Enough Indians

16 reviews
Harry Shearer

Justin, Charles & Co., 2007

Worth it to me, but I don't know about you
I enjoy this book on more of a micro than a macro level. That is, the laughs are to be found more in isolated turns of phrase than in the story. There are many, many funny sentences (example: "Her physical appearance revealed a refreshing lack of vanity"), but the overall experience is less than profound. There are a lot of characters, and at first I had trouble keeping track of them. Before ...

Seaside: A Lily Pascale Mystery (Lily Pascale Mysteries)

1 review
Scarlett Thomas

Justin, Charles & Co., 2005

Product Placement Plaza
Scarlett Thomas has created another fine mystery for her literary sleuth. However, I am not surprised that she moved on to "PopCo" with the number of product placements in Lily Pascale's stories: BMW, Saab, Clinique, Converse and Australian Wine all get glowing reviews within these pages.

Reel Views: The Ultimate Guide to the Best 1,000 Modern Movies on DVD and Video

6 reviews
James Berardinelli

Justin, Charles & Co., 2003

I haven't found a better movie critic.
I don't always agree with Berardinelli's assessments, but his reviews always tell me why he rated a movie a particular way and give me the information I need to make my own decision. The reviews are well written, concise, and show both an appreciation of movie art and an understanding of movie entertainment. I've read reviews from just about every critic available in print or on the Web. James ...

In Your Face (Lily Pascale Mysteries)

4 reviews
Scarlett Thomas

Justin, Charles & Co., 2004

a riveting and engrossing read
University lecturer, Lily Pascale, hasn't heard from her old university friend, Jess Mallone, in years, so she's rather surprised when she receives a frantic 'phone call from Jess begging for help. Jess is now a freelance journalist based in London. Her latest article, (which she sold to Smile magazine) was about stalking -- about three women who were all stalked, and how they suffered, coped and ...

Wild East: Stories From the Last Frontier

5 reviews
Boris Fishman

Justin, Charles & Co., 2003

A fantastic first effort
First-time author Boris Fishman will definitely be around for years to come, if his forthcoming books are anything like this one. Wild East is a wonderful collection of short stories with an Eastern European flair, each reflecting the unique perspective of its author. (Especially look for the selections by Gary Shteyngart and Tom Bissell.) As a Cold War junkie, I can say that this is one of ...

ReelViews 2: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Modern Movies on DVD and Video, 2005 Edition (Reel Views)

9 reviews
James Berardinelli

Justin, Charles & Co., 2005

:)
I've been an avid reader of James' website for the last year of so. I have come to value his reviews over almost everyone elses. He never fails to expose a bad movie and tell exactly why in an intelligent, and sometimes humorous way. I've often been prompted to see a movie that I otherwise would have probably overlooked. James, if you read this, ignore that jerk who gave your book a one star. ...

Sex in the South: Unbuckling the Bible Belt

Blue Note Records: The Biography

10 reviews
Richard Cook

Justin, Charles & Co., 2004

GREAT...IF NEW TO BLUE NOTE...
Yes, I was hoping for some sort of in-depth tell-all... However,what I came across was a pretty good read and better than most(of this type) overview of a record company. Blue Note certainly deserves MORE...and it will come. But I must say that I did enjoy the book and that it was both entertaining and informative. The author does "intrude" with his own personal taste as to let's say Dexter ...

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