Product Description

The star of Mindfreak—the most astonishing and provocative mystifier of the twenty-first century—Criss Angel shares his philosophy of life and magic, goes behind the scenes of his groundbreaking TV series, and reveals the secrets to forty mind-blowing illusions that you can master!

Customer Reviews (49)

Great book
Great book. Criss is very entertaining through the book and the tricks in the back are simple to learn and apply.

Discover the man behind the show....
I think that no matter if you are a Criss Angel fan or not this book is a great opportunity to get to know the man behind the magic and the show. I was glad to find here a lot of deep and very valuable thoughts. It made me think a lot of times (in the best possible way) and I found here exactly what for me makes Criss Angel so special - the message he tries to convey through his magic written down in let's say more obvious way. There are also some parts where I was grinning to myself silently asking if it was really necessary but it kind of fits to the book anyway. And it is definitely written in a very easy way to read which is also plus I think. So after all I can only recommend it!

Harry Houdini and Chris Angel - revealing the REAL secret behind levitation and walking on water
Chris Angel seems to have been accused to get his powers from Satan himself.
But if Satan himself is supposed to be so much against mankind why hasn't he destroyed most humans remaining on this planet at present?
Anyway Chris Angel does have paranormal abilities and there is nothing wrong with that. Anybody can have those abilities or train them or master.
The trick of the mind thing about levitation is that all he does is that he programs his body to operate in accordance with the environment in a
manner which allows him to levitate. He must have learnt levitation from another magician , at least he learnt most of the classic magic tricks
from ordinary and extraordinary magicians he studied or knew. I give this book one star because he dismisses phenomena he knows exist , and
because he embraces a religious fringe cult which dismisses paranormal phenomena because they know they exist.
But of course he is not attacking me or individual believers in paranormal phenomena per ce.
Chris Angel is in constant contact with the people and that keeps him from losing his mind and keep him staying firmly on his ground with his both feet.
So why is Chris Angel dismissing paranormal phenomena and performing feats which are seemingly paranormal? What he is REALLY dismissing is silly nonsense
like when people say that he got his powers from 'the devil'. Chris Angel is for real whether he likes it or not. He can really levitate whether he likes
it or not , and he can really walk on water weather he likes it or not. And if I took the time to train myself to become able to perform the same feats
then I'd become able to perform those too but without any need to be a Freemason like Harry Houdini. Often young boys or even girls of similar mind as
Harry Houdini would enter a masonic hall and be told that they had to ask the master mason to give them his power and that he got his power from 'the devil'or
some other entity. The master mason then simply focused his mind on the person to increase the person's intellect and psychic abilities. And then gave the person
advise on all kinds of important chemicals and plants to eat. You stupid people of this planet are removing those important plants and chemicals from the soil
and thus threatening the ability of people like this to gain acess to the chemical properties of their compound.
Every day a plant is removed from the soil which has important chemical compounds which can help you to remove caner or enable you to 'fly'or 'levitate', etc.
Those people knew and still know what they're doing today. There is no difference. They have always known it and they have kept the knowledge to themselves until this day. I would love to have a chat with someone like this but he'd probably dismiss me publicly in order to protect his secrets. I also give this book one star because he performs feats which he says himself he can't perform. It's simply that simple. It's about time that occult magicians ceased being ashamed of their abilities or the intelligences that have bestowed those abilities upon them. It is also about time that performers of magic in the real world cease dismissing psychic people and UFO enthusiasts and those interested in doing research into the truth in general. There are some fantastic photos of the man performing genuine psychic events and it's ridiculous and laugheable to look at him attempt to debunk his own performances. The 'psychic events'are made manifest by means of advanced mind training and why the heck does he have to feel shameful in acknowledging that? People like Chris Angel have always existed and can perform all kinds of paranormal feats and them dismiss what they perform and handle over to people 27 card tricks or 40 card tricks and tell them 'yo this is how I levitate'without explaining the actual levitation feats themselves. The good news is that these people are in constant touch with their outside and inside environment and they are in constant touch with the people in the outside world. But the serious ones did not perform their abilities to make tens of people say 'oh yeah! Go for it man!'but they would usually not be noticed by more than 2 to 4 people.
Famous cases include 'kabbalists'who could levitate and do most of the things Chris Angel does , and they'd be debunked by organizations representing the government or some authority to keep people distracted and prevent them from gaining knowledge about the same activities. In almost all the Mindfreak shows , Chris Angel never mentions UFO's or alien abductions , but paranormal events per ce , and hails James Randi of all people who lost his credibility after he had been put on investigation due to claims of paedophilia. So basically what Chris Angel does , is the same thing as James Randi and so many others - he performs paranormal events and uses the opportunity for each event , to debunk genuine or legitimate psychics or people who have had legitimate psychic experiences , in an effort to silence them , by always referring to belief in the paranormal as superstition per ce , etc. There are many things I like very much about his character. For instance he's not sending people into Iraq , Iran or Afghanistan to die. But instead of explaining to us how the levitation thing works , he gets around it by offering 40 card tricks which are really tricks of cards but not so much 'feats of the mind'. I am thus not scared of Chris Angel or amazed at his abilities or feats , what I am disappointed by is why he behaves stupid by stating that things are not real which are , especially in light of the fact that those things are beyound our control.
The paranormal didn't vanish when the electricity came. The paranormal simply got around electricity. It's as easy for a UFO to levitate a car as it is for Chris Angel to levitate himself , and it's about time other people started to stop being scared of people like Chris Angel and learn how to do those things themselves.
I always tell my dad that there are countless examples of people who rose back from the dead and who can walk on water and heal themselves and read each others'mind distance to distance without any wired connection whatsoever and he keeps telling me it's only a supposed Jesus kind of Christ who can do something like that.
Chris Angel is not in contact with some Satan kind of dude , he's just a man like most people on this planet are , and he's jost doing his work. He's playing and he's having fun time and he has every right to do so.
But he does not have a right to support an organization which wants to shut up UFO enthusiasts which has attempted to make the US Congress pass bills which are to get people into jail if they claim they have had paranormal experiences and can't prove it. Aleister Crowley was little known as the magician Chioa Khan , and he had no need to belittle people who had had genuine , psychic experiences. He just performed his own art of magic and just moved on to the point he became a great painter as well and it helped him a great deal to paint and do works of art whenever he felt bad.THE DEAD WILL NOT BE SILENCED! And I LOVE the now famous and immortal MINDNUMB criticism where it got said that he can make your money disappear from your wallet!

MINDFREAK!
This is a very comprehensive book about Criss Angel, and it's a must have if your a fan of his, or just want to get some fast info about him. The pics in the book are great, and so are the magic tricks in the back.The book is well written also. Totally disregard the 1 and 2 star ratings some people gave.

Obsession with Magic
My 10 1/2 year old grandson is obsessed with magic and he devours books and computer lessons on magic.I got this book for him and he found it very exciting.Thus I give this book a high rating. ... Read more

Product Description
Over the past decade, this classic work has helped thousands find meaningful ways to overcome the despair of losing a loved one. Now, Angel Catcher has been revised and updated to convey its powerful message of hope to a new audience. Featuring brand new illustrations and a fresh updated look, the tasteful pages of this journal guide the user through the process of mourning and onward to a lasting sense of peace in the face of loss. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Helping thru the Grief cycle
This journal type book, that leads the reader thru the stages of grief in an effective and therapeutic way, helped my daughters significantly after the loss of their mother.I now use it in my clinical work with other persons who have lost loved ones.It asks very pertinent questions and leads one into thinking through what has happened and giving hope for the future.Very effective, powerful and appreciated.

An outlet for your thoughts during the griefing process
I purchased this book for a friend several years ago after the tragic death of her daughter.She told me how she still uses it to express her thoughts even after all these years.She calls it her lifesaver.Well, my mother and sister both passed away a few months ago and she returned the favor by giving me a journal.I use it all the time to record memories, thoughts, etc.So, I decided to purchase a few of these journals to have on hand in case any of my friends, family need this outlet after a time of loss.

If you lost someone you love, you NEED this journal!

Three years ago, a friend at work lost her 16 year old son in a car accident. Coincidently, I watched a segment on the Oprah show in which she interviewed the author of this book. This sounded like something that could help my friend cope with the loss of her son. I ordered it and read it before giving it to my friend. We haven't spoken in-depth about the journal but she has shared that it has been a comfort to her, her husband and daughter. Recently, another family we know suffered a similar loss which is why we purchased and sent them this copy. Thankfully, I have not suffered this type of loss personally so I can't give a first hand testimony but I just know that if you, or anyone close to you has suffered the loss of a love one, this book/journal is an absolute must. It was written by a loving mother and daughter for their own use, as word of the journal spread, they began receiving requests for copies which they prepared personally but eventually, the volume of requests became more then they could keep up with resulting in this published edition. I hope it helps.

Excellent
I had gotten this book for me and my grandmother when my mother died 12 years ago. It helped me out so much that ever since then I buy it for people who are close to me that have lost someone. It gives them an output for their emotions, thoughts and memories. I recomend this to anyone who has ever lost someone close to them.

A Beautiful Remembrance Journal
I purchased this book for myself and I'm so glad that I did!It's exquisitely written with some of the most heartwarming, comforting illustrations!It's easy to lose yourself in each page as you're writing about the special person in your life who died.This book enables you, the grieving person, to honor the relationship that you had with your loved one in such a wonderful way.I often give this book as a gift.It is fantastic for grieving adults or teens.For younger children, I highly recommend Angel Catcher for Kids: A Journal to Help You Remember the Person You Love Who Died

... Read more

Product Description

She came to him as a precious gift, a naked angel rolled in a rug. Once he gazed into her green eyes, saw her tangle of honey blonde hair, he was undone with passion.

Elizabeth would never surrender. He was a hated Montgomery -- she was a Chatworth -- and the blood war between their families raged on, a wildfire of rape, murder, and betrayal.

Elizabeth vowed to fight the handsome lord, to resist the burning desire in his eyes -- no matter how great the temptation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (48)

nostalgic series, best of the three
When I first started reading romance novels, this series was one of my favorites.Possibly, it was also a forerunner for series about brothers.

I liked this second story best about the brother who loved women --- but never really "loved" any woman --- and finally falls for someone and makes a terrible mess of it all.

velvet angel
If you love medieval historical romance like me.This is the book.The story is set in Scotland highlands is love against the odds.The writer use heroines in her stories instead heroes.Deveraux is a wonderful writer of medieval romance and her novels she describe the country and the cities so vivid that you would like to be there.

;0)
Oldie but Goodie How can you not love the velvet series this book for me was sexy the Montgomery and Chatworth steamy. I have re read this book twice and its in my collection along with the other books in the series and they never get old to me.

Smooth Ending
VELVET ANGEL by Jude Deveraux is the ending of the Velvet series and it is a smooth conclusion. Miles Montgomery receives a gift of Elizabeth Chatworth who is a sworn enemy. The the story unrolls like the rug which contained Elizabeth.
This series is one of the best historical and though formulaic is does keep you reading.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.
Qualifying LapsHaints

I liked it....but there were some issues...
This review is for the whole series of Velvet books: While I think this series ended well with this book, I didn't like the fact that all 4 couples went through time periods of separation because of ridiculous pride and a misplaced sense of honor.All 4 women have babies by their husbands but then we never hear about them in the stories.It's like they give birth and then don't have to really be "moms".I also got a little annoyed with the constant accusations of being faithful to one another...what's the point of saying marriage vows if you think your spouse is sleeping with other people?Also irritating were all the lusty men who kept trying to seduce or rape the heroines.I did enjoy the plotline because it was historical romance and, if you like bodice-ripper love stories, this will be sure to please! ... Read more

Product Description
Available in one volume for the first time since its hardcover publication over a decade ago-The FINAL book in the trilogy that launched one of the most important fantasy writers of our time ... Read more

Customer Reviews (98)

Lengthy conclusion to an awesome tale
I'm still not through it. I bought the entire trilogy in June, spent 2 weeks reading for 4 hours a day back then, it's August 4th and I've not been able to finish it, I eventually got burnt out on the sheer volume of it.

It is an awesome story though, and you'll find yourself immersed in it for quite some time.

This is really another 2 3/4ths a book.

Oh? On the content?

He drags on and introduces too many new places/people too quickly. I'm 100 pages from the end and wondering how he's going to wrap it all up gracefully, am not sure he can. He has too many subplots open.

Not the best I have read
I have read many fantasy series, more than I care to admit to over the past 25 or 30 years.While not the worst, this series is far from the best.The writing style seems extremely long winded and does not draw you in or compel you to devour chapter after chapter.I found my mind wandering through this series with just not enough imagery in the writing style to fully hold my attention.All in all I would rate this series as average, in spite of the many reviews here that would disagree with me on this.

tacky summation of overly long self-indulgent review here
well I just finished the series for the 2nd time, or is it the third?at any rate I hadn't read it in probably ten years.I have to admit I'm more critical of it now than before but still think highly of it.for me maybe the main problem of the trilogy is that the main characters who have risen to prominence at the end of the series Simon and Miri are fairly dull whilst worthier figures have fallen along the way and characters who are fading into oblivion, the Sithi, are endlessly fascinating in comparison.now for some more indepth whining, yes these are spoilers... Simon and Miri running away from Josua is a pretty awful plot development because Simon has just been in a war and killed many people and therefore hopefully grown up at least a little and Miri has just been reunited with her uncle after being kidnapped, raped, nearly killed etc after running away from him the first time.what they did was inexcusable and Miri being "so" sure that telling her dear old dad that she knew all it really was about was reaching her dead mother was pretty silly.the first time she tried to tell Josua that she needed to talk to dad in private he should have reminded her that her father killed all but a handful of people at Naglimund and she would have been part of that if she hadn't already run away.dad was way past redemption at that point.Williams obviously wanted to get the two away from their elders so they could bond and feel like they were making grown-up decisions before he made them the rulers of the continent but this was a poor way of doing it.one of the most unfortunate consequences of this plot choice was Binabik being reigned in one last time to bail the idiot dishwasher out of another dumbass decision jeapordizing the peaceful future with Sisqi that he so richly deserved thousands of pages earlier.Binabik is nothing short of a saint in his treatment of the "heroes" of the series, though he was a deadly saint with his poison darts.and of course even his wolf was forced to save the main characters at least ten times.Yet what recognition does he get in the end, a visit from the great Seoman two years later maybe.King Binabik anyone?just to look at the development of Simon.He was a dishwasher/janitor of limited capability.He learned how to read and write at the age of 15, not very well.He got on his own and nearly starved.Binabik saved his ass.He managed to get Thorn up in front of a dragon that was going to crush Jiriki and Thorn cut the dragon's eye.He got lost in the forest and the Sithi rescued him from certain death.his nightly training from sludig and hastean somehow prepared him to fight off the best fighting men in the land the Erkynguard and mercenaries at the stone of farewell, maybe the most unbelievable part of his story, that he actually beat someone in a fair fight.He was made a night by a rogue political figure whose entire fighting force other than Deornoth was destroyed a few weeks earlier (desperate man).He deserted his Prince to be with an idiot princess determined to get herself killed.He nearly brought on the end of the world taking a great sword to pryrates at green angel tower. He became King of all the lands.Does this sound remotely natural or plausible to anyone?

By the end of the book, the moral seems to be that the shallow, simple, and short-lived shall inherit the earth.most of the interesting characters are killed off along the way.Morgenes who it is hinted has lived an unusually long life some how and definitely has magic ability is of course the first casualty.The learned hardy Jaurnaga died saving the survivors of Naglimund or so he thought.Apparently the norns would have let the handful go anyway although the reasoning for that was never really explained.Amerasu the loveliest deepest figure in the series was unceremoniously killed off along with the up till then invincible Jegger and his really big dog. The niskie dies after saving Miri and Cadrach (they should have forced her to come with them, and they should have killed Aspitis when they had the chance), Geloe who it is hinted has been alive longer than many Sithi dies.Geloe... was definitely one of the most enigmatic characters.when she died Aditu revealed that she was one of Ruyan's own, a Tinukedaya.this seems like a pretty interesting development but was it ever mentioned again?hell no, we needed to spend more time talking about tunnels, swords, and eating worms and moss to survive said tunnels.Leleth, who seemed to be the only person who didn't have to die to figure out that the messenger was false but couldn't tell anyone because she had been bitten by a dog and quit talking (couldn't she write it down?) finally succumbed to her misery after Geloe died but not before trying to enlighten the unenlightenable Simon, Maegwin died, which means Eolair might as well have been dead as we know he will never be happy, pretty depressing outcome for the only Hernystiri characters we get to know.the dwarrows, after saving Miri, Binabik, and Cadrach are cast aside as the plot devices they always were.Cadrach, the only mortal who knows how to use "the art" at that point, dies after saving our heroes.Killing off Isorn was certainly cruel after all he went through in the series, tortured by Skali, barely survived Naglimund, survived the stone of farewell, survived Naglimund again this time alongside the Sithi, and then unceremoniously killed by a flick of the wrist from the uber powerful Pryrates.speaking of pryrates he was easily killed by the newly formed elias/storm king with some sort of magic but then the newly formed creature was killed off by an arrow after pryrates had withstood such a wound himself only moments earlier, inconsistency?Camaris might as well be dead at the end, nobody knows what the heck happened to him. Utuk'Ku is apparently alive but somehow lost her power along with her people, and the Sithi?back hiding in the forest having their one or two births every 100 years surely fading into oblivion taking with them their magic powers and knowledge of arts and craftsmanship humans can not even begin to imagine.honestly, I'm not sure at the end it wouldn't have been better for Ineluki to triumph in erasing mankinds mastery of Osten Ard as it doesn't seem to be an improvement over the Sithi culture in any way shape or form.The sithi had a weakness to Iron or else it seems they would have had no trouble keeping homo-sapiens in check while maintaining their far advanced culture.in retrospect, the entire resistance to Elias reign including the reclaiming of Nabban by Camaris seems to have been in vain as the meeting of the swords was going to happen regardless and that was where the battle for osten ard was fought.In fact if Elias could have managed to be a half-way decent ruler whilst working out the bargain for immortality with the storm king instead of betraying Lluth, Isgrimnur, and Josua in his haste to alienate his entire kingdom he probably could have made it through his two or three year reign fairly secure with the people not blaming him for the damnably cold weather and whatnot.But of course that wasn't how it went.In summation, Sithi VERY GOOD, Geloe & Morgenes, very good, Binabik, great hero with much wisdom, Simon & Miri, not so much.Tad Williams series? worth the price of admission for the side characters alone

As legends and fairy tales come to life the true battle for Osten Ard has begun...
I'll admit to being a little befuddled and pissed that the last volume in this series got split in two-not only because it makes no sense (why didn't they just make it four books long with four titles) and it costs more to buy it all but I really like really long books. Once I started reading this little hissy fit passed though.

"To Green Angle Tower: Part One" details the beginning of the true resistance against high king Elias' twisted reign over Osten Ard-and the increasing presence of the Storm Kings minions in the land.

We witness as Josua fights for the freedom of his slowly growing population atop the stone of Farwell, and watch as Simon is introduced to the glory of knighthood and horror of warfare. We watch Miriamele escape from one who would use her, face and fight untold horrors, and discover a legend thought to be dead. And slowly the league of the scroll pulls its few remaining members together to try and discover what the three great swords can do that would help them.

At the same time the Sithi-enraged with the slaying of the Storm King's mother upon her discovery of his plan-have come out of their last hidden places to fight the Norns in the open.

And as wars rage and creatures from fairy tales emerge, as legends return from the dead, as an ancient evil spins a web and the forces of good fight to understand even a small part of it everyone is moving back towards the Hayholt-the ancient castle which has beneath it the ruins of the Sithi's Asu'a-and above it the one standing Sithi building-the green angel tower.

The more I read this series the more I see common themes with the `Lord of The Rings"-but its nothing that goes so far as to be stealing or even heavy borrowing-just a lot of fantasy standards. Evil has a mountain stronghold, lots of creep looking allies...ect. So where William's "Otherland" series was heavy on character mystery I think this series is more straight forward-or at least the great mysteries have little to do with the personalities and motives of the characters themselves. But who really knows? William's has suprised me before and I'm sure it will happen at least once more before the series is finished. I'm off to the last book to find out.

Five stars.

It's on Kindle!Now where are parts 1 and 2?!
I have been a huge fan of this series.The story gets 5 stars, easy.However, it drives me crazy when publishers release a series on the Kindle and don't release the entire series.Even more crazy is to release the last book first!

If the publishers (and Amazon) truly want e-books to become a viable market, please provide releases of the full series and, even more importantly, make sure it is a good quality translation.Nothing says you're being treated as a 2nd class citizen more than the feeling that the book was just pulled off the shelf, scanned (with numerous typos, no book cover or maps) and slapped onto the Kindle bookstore.
... Read more

Product Description
In its mother’s womb, a tiny baby grows, explores the waters, and talks with the angel who is there.

These gentle illustrations and wise words tell the story of that baby and the angel in the waters . . . a story that delights all children, because the journey from conception to birth is their story, too. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (49)

Angel in the Waters
After being told how good this book was by several of my friends, I broke down and got a copy.
While reading it for the first time, I nearly cried at the simple beauty of the book. Upon completion, I called 6 of my 7 children together, ages 4 to 14 and read it to them. They sat quietly through the entire reading, only making comments about the illustrations being so wonderful. After finishing the book, they remained quiet, absorbing all they had just heard.
I highly recommend this to anyone of any age, and rate it on the same level as THE PRINCESS AND THE KISS and the WEIGHT OF A MASS. It is a phenomenal piece of pure art and makes you realize that your guardian angel is truly there from the time you are conceived.

Life of the Unborn for even those most recently Born!
A beautiful and entertaining presentation on the life of the unborn. I bought this as a gift for a young family. It is amazing to see and watch! If a child is old enough to pick up the book and open it, they will be fascinated and love it.

A Children's book - but also an adult's book
Everyone in my family - from my two year old brother to my mom - loves this book. A wonderful book, with charming illustrations. Great for the whole family.

The Gift of Life
"Angel in the Waters" is s book with rich illustrations to accompany the prose which shows the process of life from before conception through the growth of the baby in the womb, his birth and beginning of life where he joins the family outside the womb. The story is told from the point of the child in the present tense and is kept company by his guardian angel. The angel speaks with the baby while in the womb and reminds him as he grows up he may not be able to see or hear the angel but that he will always be with the child. Those without faith my fine the angel in the book somewhat disconcerting or the reference the angel makes to a better life that awaits the baby when his time on earth is over. Most parents and parents to be will find this book comforting. This booklet will teach or remind all that human life begins at conception and is indeed sacred.

A favorite
My daughter is 4 years old and this has been one of her favorites for over a year.There are parts of it that she still doesn't fully understand or question, but it seems like each time we read it she discovers something new that she didn't realize last time.She talks about when her sister was inside my tummy, and when she was inside my tummy.We really enjoy how the story is told from the baby's point of view.For us, I think it could only have been better if there was mention of the baby nursing after the birth - that would have really made it complete for us.

We are not a religious family, and this book does have certain religious undertones, but it does not bother us at all because it is pretty subtle and gentle.It refers broadly to the afterlife, but not directly or in a way that my daughter would understand.The angel is a central character, but for my daughter that isn't any more "real" than say a fairy.I think this book is good for religious or non-religious families because they can take from it as much religion as they want. ... Read more

Product Description
“TERRIFIC . . . EXPLOSIVE . . . [A] HIGH POWERED THRILL RIDE.”
–The Wall Street Journal

“CRAIS IS AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME, and Demolition Angel delivers the goods. With a bang. . . . It’s Silence of the Lambs meets Speed as down-on-her-luck former bomb-squad ace Carol Starkey plays cat-and-mouse with a serial bomber. . . .Crais knows how to press all the right buttons in keeping the story line taut and the action, well, explosive.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“GRIPPING . . . CRAIS PILES ON PLOT TWISTS . . . gathering the separate threads at the end and igniting them like a string of fireworks.”
–People

“A POWERFUL, SELF-CONTAINED NOVEL OF SUSPENSE that has the compactness, velocity, and effectiveness of a well-aimed bullet . . . This is a thriller that works on every level, a pivotal work from a crime novelist operating at the top of his game.”
–Los Angeles Times

“FASCINATING AND FRIGHTENINGLY BELIEVABLE . . . Starkey is one of the toughest characters to grace the crowded field of thriller books in a long time.”
–USA Today
Amazon.com Review
Penzler Pick, May 2000: Like many authors with ongoing characters, Robert Crais has taken a break from his famous private eye. After eight novels featuring Elvis Cole and his loyal sidekick Joe Pike, Crais has created Carol Starkey, a bomb squad veteran now doing time as a Detective-2 with LAPD's Criminal Conspiracy Section. Three years have passed since the detonation that killed Carol's partner and lover, but she is still severely scarred both mentally and physically. She can't bear to look in the mirror, and she hasn't been with another man since David Boudreaux left her bed that last morning he went to work. She gets through the day with the help of Tagamet and alcohol.

When a bomb call takes the life of another colleague, Carol begins to investigate a series of explosions that seem to be designed to exterminate bomb technicians. She soon realizes that she's "the one that got away." With the help of an FBI agent whom she loathes professionally for interfering with her job but finds attractive anyway, Carol must track down one of the most frighteningly brilliant killers of the modern age.

This edgy thriller's protagonist is one that the reader at first may have difficulty liking, but she's got a background and history that make her truly three-dimensional. One hopes that Crais, one of the handful of young crime writers capable of writing consistently luminous prose, will continue to give us characters like Carol Starkey to star in his always powerful portraits of modern-day Los Angeles. --Otto Penzler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (144)

Fun read.
I thoroughly enjoy most of his novels. It's great pulp fiction that almost but not quite reaches the high standard of modern L.A. noirset by Connolly in his Bosch novels. One glaringerrormust be changed in future editions: Glock pistols do NOT have a safety.
I am surprised no one caught this error.

Impossible to Put Down
In Demolition Angel,Robert Crais tells the story of Carol Starkey, the LAPD bomb tech who was killed when an earthquake occurred while she was on a bomb call and was brought back to life.I first met Carol Starkey when I read The Forgotten Man and have kind of worked my way back in the series to learn her story.

Robert Crais is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.I enjoy the seamless way he blends the personal lives of his characters with their professional lives and appreciate the way that he makes me care about them and want to know more about them. In this book, three years after Carol Starkey was brought back to life, she is still trying to put her life together, trying to deal with her death and resurrection and the lasting death of her partner and lover. Now a detective in the Criminal Conspiracy Department of the LAPD, she is the lead on another case involving a detonation that kills another bomb squad detective.

I found this book impossible to put down. Not only is it a great police procedural, but it's a terrific detective story as well. Starkey is a complex character, on the surface hard to like, but underneath you recognize her devotion to protecting the people she serves, and her own vulnerabilities. This is an excellent addition to my Robert Crais library, one I will probably enjoy reading over and over again.

3 stars is generous
I read Hostage a few years back and found that to be a TRUE keep-you-awake-all-night compelling read. I finally got around to reading Demolition Angel and figured it would be as good, if not better, based on the premise. Unfortunately it fell far short of my hopes and expectations. Too much of the character development was overly drawn out; at 375 pages, the book perhaps could have been cut down by a good 75 of them by simply not being so thorough in that development.Where Hostage just seemed to flow at a great pace, this one was nearly laborious to get through.Good plot and good characters - but just not enough to rate above 3 stars. Two and a half would be the most accurate rating in my humble world.

Extremly great.
I closed the book slowly, running my hands all over it, before I held it tightly to my heart for a few moments. I do that after great reads. One of the best Detective titles I`ve red. Oh, man, man, MAN.... what a book! I have just now read the final words.

Along similar titles I also recomend these books:
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Secret Adversary: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery!

If At First Your Books Aren't Optioned...
Actually, Robert Crais is so talented and so hip to the Hollywood jive, I can't understand why any number of his books haven't made the leap to the big screen. Apart from "Hostage", a lousy film from his poorest (in a relative way, so to speak) novel, This lack of success remains a mystery. Enter "Demolition Angel", an obvious attempt to kick-start his cinema career. An okay plot with a wholly preposterous denouement, an unfullfilling reading experience and a wish that RC hadn't pandered so! Is anyone besides me sick to death of hard-bitten, self-alienating, alcoholic wimmen cops what live on antacids, breathmints, cigarettes (in no-smoking allowed workspaces, yet!) who chase the whole unwholesome trio guzzling neat Bombay Sapphire Gin??!! I sure as shootin' am! Tired! Of! It! Crais is so much better than this book and his legion fans deserve better than predictable drivel. So does the LAPD Bomb Squad! I had the privelege to watch them in action one time twenty or so years ago, from call-out to resolution of the incident and they are truly remarkable men and women. Oh well, this book completed my Robert Crais reading experience and I know just how much better the "things to come" have been, here's to the next one! ... Read more

Product Description
Sir Payton Murray's reputation as a lover is rivalled only by his prowess with the sword, yet it is the latter gift that has captured the interest of Kirstie MacLye. Fleeing a murderous husband who left her for dead, she vows to expose the man for the vile scoundrel that he is. She also knows it will take planning, cunning, and the help of a brave, arrogant, and willing champion. Kirstie only prays that Sir Payton will accept her challenge. Risking the ire of his own clan and hers, Payton nonetheless cannot ignore Kirstie's desperate plea or her captivating beauty. For he knows that nothing will deter the spirited lass from bringing an evil man to justice, even if she must do it alone. Joining her on this crusade, he embarks upon a dangerous quest against a powerful enemy only too eager to destroy them both. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Historical romance
I love all books by Hannah Howell.Her characters and stories are strong with you looking forward to the next book.She writes with a time line connecting all main characters in her series of books.

Great Book
I love Hannah Howell's books!She really knows how to bring passion and romance to the pages!

The Perfect Storyline for Sir Paytom
I am sad to see reviews on this book that are less than complimentary. Howell created a unique storyline in Highland Angel. It contains depth and realistic emotion.Having been a police officer for more than 20 years, I found the story to be genuine and compelling.People like the villian (Roderick) really exist, both past and present; and, there are heros in our world just like Payton and his love Kirstie.I've read all of Ms. Howell's books.It was nice to read something that wasn't basedon the story of a man and women journeying and lusting while sitting on a horse.This was an excellent love story!

Interesting but modern voice too loud
I've never written a review before, but felt I had to about this one. As both a sexual assault nurse and a lover of historical romance stories, I found this book interesting yet a bit disappointing at the same time. I think I got through only about 4 pages when I was ready to put it down. I read historical & time-travel romance novels as much, if not more, for the history, as I do for the romance. It allows me a few minutes each day to escape to an earlier time, without all the modern day gizmos & sensory overload. When an author's words & tone are not consistent with that time period, all enjoyment is lost.

While I have no comment one way or the other about modern day political correctness, it has no place in 15th century Scotland, especially when you look at the social mores & values of the day. They did not view things as we do today. If this were a time travel romance, with the heroine being a modern day woman transported back in time, I could see it. But as it stands, I believe much of it was inconsistent with the views of the time. I did finish reading, and am glad I did, but overall, was still disappointed.

In the beginning, I liked the heroine's spunkiness, and found the situation Payton found himself in to be quite humorous. I like my fictional heroes to be a little less than perfect. However, I found the secondary characters to be much more interesting and well-rounded. I would love to read a book about Callum, as an adult in the 1400's, and learn how he was able to overcome the abuse. I applaud the author's use of such a theme as child sexual abuse. However, reading the book, I felt like I was reading the words of a modern day woman on her soap box, not someone from the 15th century. And no matter what time period, I have a problem with any person, real or fictional, discussing their sexual relationships with a child. Call me too old fashioned, but that really turned me off!

not worth reading
very disappointing, I like spice,but to me it was porno, threw it out!!!!!!! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (45)

Coffeehouse Angel

My Thoughts: I just finished The Espressologist a few days ago so I was a little hesitate to start another novel based around coffee but I did anyway. I enjoyed Coffeehouse Angel a little less than The Espressologist but it was still a great read. We are introduced to Katrina who works in her grandmother's coffee shop. Really, its hers too because she lives with her grandmother. Her parents were killed in a tragic car accident when she was young. She has a boy best friend and her life is anything but ordinary. She takes the trash out one day and there lays a homeless guy in the alley. She brings him day old food and coffee because she feels sorry for him. Well, his name is Malcolm and he is technically an angel. He starts coming around to give Katrina's her hearts desire because she did a good deed by helping him with a little bean. Of course, the first two beans end up going to other people because Katrina brushes him off.Of course, the coffee shop is also having problems staying a float. I really liked this one but I wasn't in love with it. I wanted to get to know Malcolm more and I just felt for him being such an important part of the story we didn't get to spend much time with him. Katrina was a good heroine though, she was smart, sassy, and stood up for what she believed in.

Overall: Honestly, I enjoyed this quite a bit more than I thought I would. At first glance, I thought it was going to be mainly fluff and nothing else and it did surprise me a bit. There are serious issues all throughout the novel. For example, her grandmother having health problems. Never take someone for granted. I also really liked the way things ended.

Cover: Like it a lot. I like the colors and it all fits together perfectly.

What I'd Give It:
4/5 cupcakes

Taken from my personal Blog Princess Bookie

Review from Mrs. Magoo Reads
Title: Coffeehouse Angel
Author: Suzanne Selfors
Grade: A-
Ideal Audience: Girls, 12-16

Summary: Katrina's grandmother's coffee shop has been struggling ever since another coffee house- much more modern and organic than their modest Nordic one- moved next door. When Katrina is tidying up early in the morning, she comes across a man, seemingly homeless, lying in a back alley. Initially frightened by his appearance, Katrina eventually works up the courage and compassion to bring him a breakfast.

Little did Katrina know that the man, Malcolm, would come looking for her, claiming to be an angel (a "messenger") and insisting on granting her her heart's desire as thanks. Disbelieving and eager to be rid of Malcolm, Katrina dismissively wishes for fortune and then, when that doesn't work and Malcolm finds her again, fame.

However, when fortune goes to her best friend Vincent and fame lands on her cat, Katrina is left with only one more chance to make her wish. With a developing crush on Malcolm, confused feelings about Vincent, and the disaster that is the finances of her grandmother's coffee house, how can Katrina be expected to know what her heart's desire is? And how can she fix this mess that her life has become?

My thoughts: Coffeehouse Angel was much different from what I expected, but it still pleasantly surprised me. The part that I thought was especially well done was Katrina's insecurity of her talents, or lack thereof. She begins the novel believing that she is a failure at everything, but ends up finding something special for herself, something she is good at.

This is a great, fun book for teenage girls.

Light and sweet
What is your greatest desire? That might seem like a simple question in theory, but when a cute angel actually promises to give you your heart's desire in reward for a good deed done, it can be difficult to decide. This is the situation Katrina finds herself in after giving some coffee and day-old pastries to a seemingly homeless guy sleeping in the alley behind her grandmother's failing coffeehouse. Not quite trusting the seemingly homeless, and now also seemingly crazy, guy, Katrina asks for whatever is most commonly asked for (fortune, followed by fame) and disaster ensues as first her best friend and then her cat accidentally receive the bounty.

Billed as a romance, Coffeehouse Angel only peripherally touches on the love story. Instead, the focus is on Katrina as she struggles with her best friend dating her sworn enemy, her grandmother's failing coffeehouse and health, and Katrina's search for her inner talent and confidence. I felt truly bad for Katrina as her world seemed to go from bad to worse, and her (expected) triumphs in the end were heartwarming. The author's writing style was funny and very enjoyable to read. Sweet, but not a standout.

Delightfully enjoyable!
I was honestly surprised at how much I ended up liking Coffeehouse Angel. From the outside, you'd expect a giggly chick-lit kind of story, and to a certain extent, it is. But I've never read a young adult book that had me laughing so much, and I mean that in the good way.

The plot is a little odd, and Malcolm's character turned out a lot more bizarre than the synopsis leads on, but I enjoyed him very much. His curiosity and lack of knowledge to the world was adorable and hilarious. I also think it's those factors that made him and Katrina such an admirable couple; with her reluctance and his oddities, (for example- the kilt he was so keen on wearing) their interaction was so entertaining!

The only negative thing that I'm really dwelling on is the length. It was fairly short and rushed, and though the story was well developed, it just ended too quickly for me.

Overall, Coffeehouse Angel is one of those stories that will put you in good spirits and have you giggling as you turn pages. I definitely recommend it to people who want a little bit of lighthearted fun!

Loved It!
Coffeehouse Angel was one sweet and heavenly read that I absolutely adored!

Katrina is a character that all can truly relate to because of her money issues to how she can't figure out what she wants to do in life. This provides the reader to like her from the start. Malcolm was another top notch character, one that you could definitely swoon for. I loved how he always would use the phrase " wee bit" to how he never gave up on Katrina. Another thing I adored about this novel was how Suzanne created the supporting characters ( Katina's Grandma, townspeople, Vincent, Elizabeth) in a way that you could fully understand who they were and what they wanted along with their funny quirks.

The plot flowed smoothly and always provided for a surprise or two throughout making this a quick read.

Overall, Coffeehouse Angel is a fantastic book to end your summer with. I look forward to reading Suzanne's past books along with her future ones!

Grade: A+
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

It's not so terrible to be angry.
I really think books like this mean the best and I'm thankful to Doreen Virtue for turning me onto angels and other wonderful spirit guides, but I guess this book brings to the forefront my whole problem with certain aspects of the new age movement.

We're all angry sometimes. We're all fearful sometimes. It's not some terrible thing to be hidden or thought of as negative. People have "low energy" thoughts, people have "high energy" thoughts. This is the way of the world.

What good does it do to try to make your every thought, your every word, your every feeling "positive". Since when is being yourself negative?

If you suppress all your feelings, maybe someone will give you a star, but "low energy" feelings don't go away. They have to be acknowledged. They have to be felt. They have to be talked about, because if they aren't they're going to come out anyway, whether we want them to or not and always talking pleasantly, always thinking pleasantly, always only acknowledging the pleasant, just means anger, fear, etc will catch you by surprise and plummet you into depression or burst out of you violently, suddenly; because you didn't allow yourself to get in touch with or work with these emotions. This is called acting out and people who say they're only full of love are usually the worst offenders.

Angel Words has a few interesting points, not seeing yourself as a disease, keeping basic control of your behavior... It also has nice pictures of angel statues and stuff, but it seems mostly like a good excuse to deny a part of yourself exists. A part that _does_ exist and, if your a human, isn't going away. ... Read more

Product Description
Her birth was shrouded in mystery and tragedy.
Her destiny is beyond comprehension.
Her pursuers long to see her broken.
She fights to soar.

In the rough, shadowy hills of Appalachia, a nation carved from the United States following years of government infighting, Caitlyn and her companions are the prey in a terrifying hunt. They must outwit the relentless bounty hunters, skirt an oppressive, ever-watchful society, and find passage over the walls of Appalachia to reveal the dark secrets behind Caitlyn’s existence–and understand her father’s betrayal.

In this engrossing, lightning-paced story with a post-apocalyptic edge, best-selling author Sigmund Brouwer weaves a heroic, harrowing journey through the path of a treacherous culture only one or two steps removed from our own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Wow
Review of Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer

"We had agreed - the woman I loved and I - that as soon as you were born we would perform an act of mercy and decency and wrap you in a towel to drown you in a nearby sink of water."Wow. Talk about impact. Thus Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer begins.
This post apocalyptic novel immediately draws the reader in and never lets up. In a future reminiscent of John Wyndham's The Chrysalids, the government of `Appalachia' has taken its responsibilities very seriously - and very literally. Similar to `Big Brother' in George Orwell's 1984, the citizens of Appalachia are always under the watchful eye of the state. Blasphemers are sent to the factories or worse - stoned to death.
"Outside", people have more freedom, but there they have created their own brand of hell. After discovering the secrets behind human DNA, scientists have taken to mutating human embyos.
This is the world that Caitlyn has been born into. Unknown to her, she has become a target to both sides and must flee for her life before it is brutally taken from her.This book is packed with well developed and intriguing characters, lots of action, and tons of emotional impact. It's a must read for the Sci-fi lover, but fans of crime fiction, mystery, suspense and thrillers will also enjoy this book. Highly recommended. I can't wait to read the sequel Flight of Shadows. Brouwer has certainly taken his place among writers of high energy fiction.

I enjoyed this book.
Although there were some references to religion, I would not call this a religious book. It was a very good story.

Quick and Enjoyable

I have always enjoyed a good against evil escape story. Caitlyn was raised on the fringes of the hills of Appalachia which has been separated from the rest of the US as a nation of its own. The nation is dotted with closed off and controlled communities. Rules and horror stories keep people in line and a combination of technology and simplistic life style keep the people tightly controlled. Because Caitlyn is different, she has been protected by her father and kept at a safe distance from the communities. Because Caitlyn is different, she is not safe in Appalachia.

As the story opens, you know Caitlyn is being hunted, but you aren't exactly sure why. The reason why became apparent to me very quickly, but I think that may be because of the type of novels I have read in the past. The story doesn't center around the why as much as the chase. The reader is introduced to several characters who by circumstances will join Caitlyn on her journey. We are also introduced to some characters who are out to get Caitlyn and anyone who gets in the way.

What I liked was the very story idea. I do wish that the book went a little deeper into the nation of Appalachia and its leader as I found it very interesting. I also really enjoyed the characters that helped Caitlyn. I would love to go into detail, but I don't want to spoil a thing!

The story moved quickly. It was definitely a book I didn't want to put down. I began it before bed and finished it the following afternoon. It obviously left you with some unanswered question which is to be expected as it is the first in a series.

Broken Angel
This was an interesting story, but I did not enjoy the disgusting bounty hunter and his tortures. I think the book needed more of an ending.It left too many loose strings that I wanted answers for. It was a quick read.

Excellent Story
This book is fast-paced and suspenseful, and its characters really make it memorable. Caitlyn and the others who tried to escape the isolated Appalachian territory faced many challenges, and their determination to survive and overcome the government's tyranny was inspiring. Though the ending was satisfying, I would love to read a sequel since this story introduced characters I liked and left room for future adventures.

I finished this a month ago, and still think about some of the ways the Appalachia government took away the liberties of the people who lived there. The lack of religious and personal freedom, and the monitoring of every activity, seem like possibilities for the future--making this book even scarier. It is a book I will read again, and highly recommend. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a book to help children confront and manage grief over the loss of a young sibling. It can help you let your children know that the baby that was lost can still be remembered in a special way. Publisher: Grief WatchPages: 24 pages, paperback ISBN: 978-0972424110 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

perfect book for little ones after miscarriage, stillbirth or newborn death
My husband and I bought this book for our 2 years old daughter after our son was stillborn.It could not have been more perfect.She loves this book!It is now almost 3 years later and she still loves this book!We have read it so much that I think we all have it memorized.Soon she will be reading it to us!Many thanks to Pat Schwiebert and Taylor Bills.We also have Tear Soup which we love.And I think that it's about time we read it with out daughter as well.

Remembering and Missing all of our "Angels".

Simple and True
As Adults we often try to find specific words to express our thoughts and feelings. Even though this is a child's book, I bought it with the hope that it's simple words would give me a small measure of comfort that I so desperately needed. Sometimes the words we long to hear are a simple reflection of the child within us all, and it fills the simplicity that we crave. Thank you for giving a mommy with a loss a way to express herself with this book.

Explains Miscarriage to a Preschooler Directly, and Beautifully.
I miscarried at 11 weeks, and while my husband and I were able to explain things and console our 3-year old daughter, this book also helped her understand that other kids have gone through this pain, and felt the way she felt.Written for the preschool set and beautifully illustrated, "...Angel Instead"'s young narrator speaks directly and honestly to your child about the sadness and uncertainty of miscarriage.There are no happy endings in this book, but your child will come away feeling less alone - mine did.Excellent notes at the end of the book about parenting a grieving child are well worth a read-through or two.

Great Book for Toddlers
I found this book to be excellent in explaining what happened to our toddler.I have never seen a book that deals with this subject that is appropriate for a small child.This is a great book and I sincerely wish it wasn't neccessary for ANYONE to purchase it, but in this situation, it portrays what is happening.

A huge blessing for our young family
We lost our 4th child after 32 days at the NICU. Our other children where 6, 4 and 2 years old . Our baby was born full term and even after being sent to the nicu we assumed that our baby would go home. We had assured our children that things would be okay. But the baby ended up going to heaven and this book was of untold value in explaining that the baby would not be coming home but would instead be going to live in heaven.
This is not based on religion. But we are very religious and easily works for any faith.
I remeber coming home from the hospital and thinking "how am I ever going to tell my children, what can you possible say to make a child understand what happend" This helped me ever so much and I am truly thankful for it!
It worked perfect for my children's ages also one is autistic and was helpful getting him to understand. ... Read more

Product Description
In the same way that "The Indigo Children" was a phenomenon that was much talked-about, before the book came out and explained it, "Earth Angels" is a topic of much discussion among spiritually minded people world-wide. Four years ago, Doreen Virtue wrote an article on the topic, and then a chapter in her book, "Healing with the Angels," and then more information in "Healing with the Fairies."Since that time, Doreen has been flooded with letters from people who resonate with the idea, requesting more information.

"Earth Angels" will be the first book devoted to the topic. Doreen will describe the five different types of lightworkers: Incarnated Angels (those who had previous lives as angels, but who are now here as humans); Incarnated Elementals (those whose previous lives were in the elemental kingdom, as fairies, elves, etc.); Starpeople (those who have lived the majority of their past lives on other planets); Walk-In's (those who came from a high spiritual realm and walked-in to another person's life, as that soul gladly exited their body); and Reincarnated Sorcerers, Sorceresses, and Wizards (those whose most recent past life was during Arthurian or Atlantian times, when they practiced high magic).

The book will include dozens of case studies; a fascinating analysis of an extensive survey that Doreen has conducted among people who identify with the five types of Earth Angels; and guidance to help readers to feel happier about their lives, their own idiosyncrasies, and their missions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

,
Essentially this is a short hand overview of otherkin ideology. Not a bad book if you are within the community; but if you aren't it'll leave you a little baffled. The book isn't so old that the mention of the community should have just been overlooked either, so I wonder about that.

Pretty good for a little book!!??
I did enjoy reading this book and felt I have a greater understanding of the different types of earth angels after reading it. It was a fun and fascinating read, definitely a good first book for anyone looking for the general idea of what earth angels are. For being such a small book (of just over 150 pages) it covers a lot of ground. For some I am sure the idea of earth angels being among us is a hard one to grasp but I find this book lays it out quite clearly and is very descriptive. The only reason I gave it a 4 is because some of the material seemed to be repeated throughout the book. It was not a lot repeated but it still left me with a few questions. However, in all fairness of course, I am not sure if those questions can even be answered... :)
One thing I really liked were the accounts from "real" earth angels, who spoke of their experiences and how they knew they were different, very interesting!
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject, definitely worth it and I enjoyed sharing some of its points with friends. Mind you, if you have already read a book on this subject, you will probably just be reading the same material over again, this book is no encyclopedia. Just a fun short read giving you the general idea. (Still good though) Most of the information out there about earth angels is pretty much the same through my experience, though the larger books go in to a bit more detail, but I found I got the gist of it here.
But I say check it out for yourself, if this is your first look in to earth angels, it's a good one!

if i could have given 0 stars
what an idiotic book.first of all, get a magnifying glass to read the tiny print on this pint size booklet.DV claims to see clairvointly, a pole on the shoulder of her subject, claiming they are from other galaxies.i took the "test" and I am an Earth Angel, Star Person and Wise One.How I am to determine which one of these "angels" I am.I like most of Doreen's books, but this is just the stupidest one she's written.I would have given it a zero rating if it were available.Don't waste your time or money.

Angels
Was a gift to a friend of mine, who was ecstatically happy with it.I do believe that each and every one of us has a personal angel guiding us through our lives.

Amazing author
It is great to finally find someone who writes about all the subjects that I have know about and have experienced first hand.All of her books are very uplifting and informative.We often tend to believe that there is nothing more than meets the eye and nothing is further from the truth.I have since purchased another three of her books. ... Read more

Product Description
Ivy and Tristan are meant to be together. Both stunningly attractive, brilliantly talented and very much in love, they think their happiness will last forever. When a terrible car accident shatters their world, killing Tristan and injuring Ivy, she must face life alone - or so she thinks. However, Tristan is watching over her as her guardian angel - so close she can feel his touch and hear his voice. And no one needs a guardian angel more than Ivy, because someone is trying to kill her. But if Tristan saves Ivy, his mission on earth will be finished, and he'll have to leave her behind. Will saving Ivy mean losing her forever? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (87)

GREAT STORY
I enjoyed this story, but when every few chapters Elizabeth Chandler recaps the previous chapters it is a bit irritating. If the book was divided into a few thinner books - yes, but I did not want a summary for a book I could not put down anyhow.

Elizabeth Chandler has the most beautiful way with words, and my most favorite is when after Tristan speaks to Ivy directly for the first time, and she pushes him out, she realises the twillight skies, and then that she is stuck between two worlds. This was SO deep. She was stuck between day and night, and then also between life and 'death'. I could also see the valley with the silver 'snake' clearly in my mind's eye. Very well described.

My most favorite part in the book is when Tristan teaches Ivy to float, and he is leaning down towards her, at that moment I actually felt the love in my very own heart. Gregory also had me fooled - shamelessly!!

A great book and a great story

Awesome Book!
Great book, i couldn't put it down until my eyes got so tired the words became blurry.

Teenage pop culture, not for adults
I found this collection at the local book discount store. This was the first novel I've by this author and I liked that it contained all 3 novels in the series in one book. I purchased because I thought it sounded very intriguing with the angel facet of the story. I couldn't have been more wrong. I did not realize that this was a high school romance novel. The romance was non-existent to me. It's one of those "they kept passing in the hallways at school, he would watch her, she would watch him, should we go out, yes let's go out, I think we're in love" type of story. The love between Tristan and Ivy was very shallow; there was none of the depth of an adult relationship. As an adult, this is what I look for in a romance. Being the age the characters were, I just found the `love' between them unbelievable.

In the first novel, Ivy believes in angels because she believed she was saved by one when she was a child. Then along comes Tristan's death, after which she no longer believes in them and resents them for not saving Tristan. By the end of the 2nd novel/beginning of the 3rd, after another `accident' she starts to believe in them again, and can eventually communicate with Tristan (who became her guardian angel after dying).The guardian angel aspect of the story should have been developed more, perhaps an explanation of how someone is selected to become an angel, what is the darkness, etc. More explanation/development of this angle could have saved the romance portion of the novel. As it is, the only reason I finished the novel was because I was more intrigued by the mystery involving who was trying to kill Ivy (and because I have a habit of finishing every novel no matter what). The author keeps throwing little bits out here and there that kept me interested in trying to figure the mystery out, which I did figure out before reaching the end. How Ivy was saved at the end was a bit too unrealistic.

To summarize, I'd recommend this for a teenager or highschooler, depending on their level of reading or sophistication (I wouldn't have read this at 16). An adult should prepare to be very disappointed.

one of the best books ive ever read
First off i wanna say this was the best love story i have ever read. Although it is a tear jerker it is an incredible read. once u start it u wont want to put it down. If you loved the movie Ghost with demi moore and patrick swayze then u will love this book. It has the same plot line as the movie with only younger characters; Characters in high school. It teaches many lessons in life as well as lessons in love. It'll make u cry every time you read it but u will not regret it. READ IT!!!!

One of the best books I've ever read
Two things you need to know before reading my review: 1) I love books more than anything living, breathing, and thinking in this world. However, I only like books that are a) written well, and b) have content worth my while. 2) Books only make me cry if I really love them. The characters, the plot, everything. It has to really get me into it. Ok, now we may begin.

I bawled my eyes out during the first book.
I bawled my eyes out during the second book.
I bawled my eyes out during the third book.
I still love all three.

These are the most amazing books I have ever read. They go on my top ten list (there's about a hundred books on my top ten list, just so you are aware of that fact). They are wonderful romance novels, but that's not all there is to them (though it is the most important part!). There is action in them too, and suspense. I highly recommend these. And don't let the title fool you, they aren't religious novels. Read them unless you absolutely MUST have a ridiculously happy ending. And I suggest having access to all three at the same time, because each book ends with a MAJOR cliffhanger. It's really more like one book with three parts :).

Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
In one of the most critically acclaimed novels of the year, Caleb Carr-- bestselling author of The Alienist--pits Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and his colleagues against a murderer as evil as the darkest night. . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (308)

Tough act to follow
The Alienist is a tough act to follow, but the Angel of Darkness is a worthy effort.Carr continues to develop fascinating forensic scenarios in an age prior to technology.Carr captures the complexity and creativity of a Doylian novel.I recommend this book to Sherlockians.

better than alienist
I enjoyed the Alienist, but I actually think this one is better.The same attention to historical detail is there and the same twists of plot.Additionally, the same characters are in this book, but they are much more human and likeable than in the first.I admit, some of the plot twists were "eye rollers" but Carr pulls it off and makes them fit.He also tones down some of his animosity towards religion in this book, although some of theliberal overtones are still there.

In this book, the criminal is already known and most of the book is spent trying to bring her to justice and the court trial.The main characters have grown a lot between novels.I actually liked the doctor in this one, whose character is better rounded out, along with the others.The book is written from the view point of Stevie, who has a sense of humor and insight into the others.

The only things I did not like were the somewhat exaggerated twists in the plot and the ever obnoxious female detective.

Great sequel but still a sequel
With the action this time focused on Stevie Tagart the young ward/coach driver of "The Alienist" we are given a follow-up to the original novel that is strong in some area and weak in others.The case revolves around the missing daughter of a Spanish ambassador and after the initial 150 or so pages and it is determined who took the baby the story gets into a very interesting commentary on what people thought of the role of women at the turn of the century it's a question that people asked themselves then and ask themselves now "how can a women kill her own child."

The doctor and his gang don't have an answer to that one anymore then we do in the present day but interesting attempts are made to find an answer which culminates in an appearance by Clarence Darow of all people.After the trial section of the book gets started Carr is true to form and you'll be glad you have been so patient.

I think the main problem of the book deals with the differences in the cases between book 1 and 2 and all attempts by Carr to play up all the angles aside the Angle of Darkness just doesn't have the shock value that the other book had.

Very good
I am approaching this review with the viewpoint of reading this book and I have not read the alienist yet, and this book is basically the sequel.I did like this book enough to go back and read Carr's previous volume.Although this book stands reasonably alone, I think that I would have enjoyed and understood the first part of the book by reading the first.Once you "get into" this book, it runs along as a nice mystery until two thirds through, then morphs into a courtroom drama.It does a good job of both.In addition, Carr does a nice job of setting the story in late 19th century NYC.Worth reading.

Surprising good book with excellent characters...
I was pleasantly surprised how much I anticipated reading this book after reading his Alienist....He does an excellent job of identifying characters and situations.I am only sorry he has not done any other books in this style, besides Alienist.I have had a difficult time finding an author with similar writings.Will just keep hoping he does another book in this time frame, and in this fashion. ... Read more

Product Description
From 1910 to 1940, the Angel Island immigration station in San Francisco served as the processing and detention center for over one million people from around the world. The majority of newcomers came from China and Japan, but there were also immigrants from India, the Philippines, Korea, Russia, Mexico, and over seventy other countries. The full history of these immigrants and their experiences on Angel Island is told for the first time in this landmark book, published to commemorate the immigration station's 100th anniversary.

Based on extensive new research and oral histories, Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America examines the great diversity of immigration through Angel Island: Chinese "paper sons," Japanese picture brides, Korean refugee students, South Asian political activists, Russian and Jewish refugees, Mexican families, Filipino workers, and many others.Together, their stories offer a more complete and complicated history of immigration to America than we have ever known.

Like its counterpart on Ellis Island, the immigration station on Angel Island was one of the country's main ports of entry for immigrants in the early twentieth century. But while Ellis Island was mainly a processing center for European immigrants, Angel Island was designed to detain and exclude immigrants from Asia. The immigrant experience on Angel Island-more than any other site-reveals how U.S. immigration policies and their hierarchical treatment of immigrants according to race, ethnicity, class, nationality, and gender played out in daily practices and decisions at the nation's borders with real consequences on immigrant lives and on the country itself.

Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America is officially sponsored by the Angel Island Immigration Station. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Expected more
Given prior information, I purchased this book with expectation of more coverage of given immigrant groups and was disappointed. It is good as historical record.

The Ellis Island of the West
In 1910, Angel Island opened its doors in order to process the endless streams of immigrants getting off boats in San Francisco harbor. Americans were crying for the doors into the country to be closed in the early years of the twentieth century. The Island's inspectors were supposed to refuse admittance to any and all undesirables by ferreting out falsities, subjecting them to sweeping health checkups for communicable diseases, or other health problems.

Lee and Jung's work highlights each race/ethnicity that came through Angel Island. They include the numbers applying to get in, the reasons for leaving, their hopes for their lives in America, using not only records, but the stories and words of the people who actually went through Angel Island.Chinese, Japanese, South Asian, Korean, Russians, Jews, Mexicans, and Filipinos all passed through during the island's 30 history as the "Ellis Island of the West." All groups were segregated by race and sex and due to the background investigations. Their stay could last anywhere from one night to more than a year.

Heartbreaking stories, capricious inspectors, and some dreams fulfilled, Angel Island's story needs to be told. Americans need to read it.

Reviewed by Gwen Stackler

Angel Island
Ellis Island has become a national symbol of America's acceptance of immigrants to our shores from all over the world.It, with the neighboring Statue of Liberty, has become an icon of some of the most benevolent and welcoming characteristics of the persona of the United States.Although Ellis Island was the largest point of entry of immigrants to this country, it was only one of 19 immigration stations.

From 1910 to 1940 over half a million immigrants disembarked on Angel Island in San Francisco harbor, often referred to as the "Ellis Island of the west."But where Ellis Island was largely set up as an efficient mechanism to accept immigrants into the United States, Angel Island primarily functioned as a much less efficient mechanism to keep immigrants out.Ellis Island was primarily a processing center for European immigrants that restricted but did not exclude potential citizens, while Angel Island was the main port of entry for Asians that was intent on legally permissible exclusion.

The contradictory relationship of America with its immigrants has a long history that has yet to be resolved.What the authors make abundantly clear is that the United States has long treated immigrants very differently based on race, nationality, gender and class.

From colonial times through the mid-nineteenth century immigration was encouraged to help settle this newly colonized land.There were dirty and dangerous jobs to build a transportation infrastructure and mine badly needed natural resources that many whites were reluctant to attempt.But when the gold played out, the initial stages of the transcontinental railroad were achieved, and the economy faltered - a racial backlash began to occur.It was in this milieu that attempts to severely restrict this largely Asian influx took root.Since San Francisco was the main entry point for Asian immigrants and the antipathy to them did not severely diminish their numbers to this shore, Angel Island was established to stem their onslaught.

While Angel Island admitted some half a million immigrants from 80 countries, the vast majority came from a handful of nations.Thus the authors have wisely chosen to delve into the seven largest contributors by telling each in a chapter devoted to their unique history.In addition the authors have brought these respective histories to life by adding in depth anecdotes of individual family's trials and tribulations in attempting to enter this country.These short bios with their attendant photos and documents bring their stories to life in a manner that just description could not accomplish.

Erika Lee and Judy Yung, the authors of the book, detail the process of immigration of the various nationalities that came to our western shore while relating the changes that occurred as new and more restrictive immigration laws were conceived and implemented.
It is interesting to note that the largest single group to immigrate through Angel Island was the Chinese, the group that was singled out for the most intense attempts to bar from our shores.The Chinese Exclusion Act, which was in force from 1882-1943, specifically barred all Chinese except for merchants and native-born citizens.Similar but somewhat less restrictive impediments were established to deal with the Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Filipino, Russians and Russian-Jews, and Mexicans.Class was also an element in these restrictions and was able to be enforced through a common reason for exclusion, the rather vague "LPC" - likely to become a public charge.

Despite all these impediments immigrants still streamed to our shores.As one present day immigration official stated it, "If you build a 50 foot fence, they will construct a 51 foot ladder."Immigrants battled back on several fronts.Most of the immigrant groups had friendship or nation associations in San Francisco to fight on behalf of the respective nationality.A coterie of skilled immigration lawyers developed to assist in the appeal process.But most importantly, a highly sophisticated industry of production of fake documents developed called "paper sons".These documents were intended to show an incoming immigrant to be related to an already established merchant or citizen.Additionally, the Japanese established "picture brides" which allowed Japanese men to bring women from Japan to marry in arranged marriages.

Although the authors have a tendency for repetition of key events and facts, this book is a well-written and significant addition to the history of immigration in this country.This document goes a long way in exposing an often ignored but critical chapter in the history of a country that often prides itself on being considered "a nation of immigrants."Additionally it is quite appropriate on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Angel Island that we look at its history as we continue to deal with the complexity and contradictions of our immigrant past which in turn might assist us with our immigrant future.
... Read more

Product Description
Beloved best-selling author Joan Wester Anderson breaks new ground in her latest collection of moving accounts of miracles, healings, and angelic visitations. These stories carry a profoundly important message: God answers prayer. "There's real power in prayer," Anderson writes. "We're not exactly sure how it works, but we can trust that God's intense love for us will carry us through."

Anderson has collected astonishing first-hand accounts of the power of prayer: a dying infant inexplicably recovers after an encounter with a mysterious visitor; a long-lost son suddenly returns home for Christmas; a young man drowning in an icy river unaccountably finds himself on shore; a grieving widow, alone and far from home, receives comfort and counsel from angels in disguise. These stories and dozens of others show ordinary people taking their needs to God. All of them received what they needed from a loving God who responded to their deepest needs.

Writing with her signature charm and warmth, Joan Wester Anderson recounts stories that will deepen her readers' spiritual lives. They demonstrate, with convincing simplicity, that prayer is the key to a relationship with a loving God. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great shipping
I ordered the book with faster shipping to give as a gift and it arrived super fast! The book was in great shape. Only issue is that the description did not say that the front page had writing on it. Besides that it was a pleasure to buy from this seller.

LOVE THE ANGEL STORIES!
I could read angel stories everyday! Faith is all we really have in the end!

Guardian Angels
Joan Webster Anderson never disappoints! I began reading her angel stories years ago and they always inspired and uplifted me. These stories are short enough to read one a night before bedtime, as a calming and inspiring practice.
I bought this book to give as a gift to a young friend who wanted to believe in spiritual beings, but just did not have enough "evidence."
As she read the stories, they made a profound impact on her and she began to feel angelic presence. What a gift! I think this book would make a marvelous gift for anyone who needs a lift over the troubles of our current world.

Angels Angels and more Angels
Joan Wester Anderson books of True Stories of Answer Prayers are wonderful books.Not only can you read a few stories and 'try' to put the book down, you can give these great books to family and friends for gifts.I have collected all her books and with all the challenges in our lives, these true angels stories are so uplifting.

Ms. Anderson has a wonderful way of writing these true angels stories from folks all over the world and gives it to us as a great read.

I hope she continues to receive many more letters from folks to continue these books. Thank you Ms. Anderson!!

Guardian Angels True Stories of Answered Prayers
Hi I am delighted with this book Very good. I received my book as promised and in perfect condition. I love the Author Joan Wester Anderson.Agnes. ... Read more

Product Description

To save her life, he must break a covenant—and lose his heart.

Customer Reviews (6)

Hot, Hot Read
Angels were never so deliciously naughty! On the brink of Victoria Blooms' twenty-fifth birthday she was being hunted by a demon, but her three wise spirit guides gave her the option to live. In order to do so she must summon an angel to act as her protector. What she didn't expect was getting an angel that was a despised being in the human world and was hell bent on staying in the heavens as much as possible.

Michael is above all things an archangel, staying in the heavens was what he most wanted to do. Then things changed as he is summoned to earth by a mouthy woman, who just happens to be his mate. Mortals die and he was not too thrilled to be bound to one, but he will do anything to keep this creature alive and well. And that includes killing a demon threatening her life.

Michael is one hell of an angel and he clearly loves Tory. Tory is a great heroine in that she doesn't back down from the angel even in the beginning when he clearly terrifies her. And "The Three Stooges" are hilarious. They made me chuckle how they always get in the last word no matter how hard Tory tries otherwise. And the secondary angels are as drool worthy as the main character himself.

This book has an excellent spin on angels and I love it. Not only are they cocky and foul-mouthed, but they are also lovable and believable. I love how Ms. Ford made the angel far from perfect and more human. Makes them way more easy to believe in. I am all together really happy with this book. I find myself wanting way more. I am hoping at least two! I want Gabriel and Zadkeil stories and maybe more. This is my first book from Madelyn Ford but definitely not my last.

[...]

My Avenging Angel by Madelyn Ford
Victoria Bloom, or Tory saw the remains of her murdered (although quite abusive) mother when she was a young child. Unbeknownst to her, the demon Asmodeus was called forth to kill Tory, killing her mother thinking she was the target. That day Asmodeus does not find Tory, nor does he find her for many years. Tory has had "The Stooges" her three spiritual guides with her (literally with her) all her life. Giving her whispers in her head of dangers and helping her along the way. They know of the threat that Asmodeus poses, although they have left Tory somewhat in the dark. Now that Tory is coming up on her 25th birthday, her powers have begun to come out, and her guides are having trouble keeping who Tory is a secret. They encourage her to summon an angel to help keep her safe. While she means to call forth the angel Zadkiel, she mistakenly calls Michael, an angel that doesn't like humans very much.

Michael is leader of the Powers, a police group that hunts down those demons who have joined up with Lucifer. Zadkiel happens to be his second in command. Once Michael sees Tory, he instinctually knows that she will be his mate. When he hears Asmodeus is after her, he knows he must do everything he can to protect her.


My Avenging Angel started out pretty good but the heroine quickly got on my nerves. She couldn't figure out if she was going to be a tough chick who is sarcastic or if she was fragile and needed to hide behind Michael when the going got rough. The straw that broke it for me is when Michael is called away to investigate a witch that Asmodeus injured, but did not kill. Michael and Zadkiel leave to talk with this witch, and Michael tells Tory to stay in the warded circle, in case Asmodeus shows up for a visit. First of all, I don't understand why BOTH Michael and Zadkiel had to talk with this witch, one of them could have stayed back with Tory. Meanwhile, Tory is sitting in the circle for 25 minutes - 25 minutes...and she decides she has to use the bathroom and can't hold it any longer and she is starving. So she LEAVES the circle. Wouldn't she have gone to the bathroom before entering - or maybe hold it longer than 25 minutes. She goes to get cereal...CEREAL. And guess who shows up?? Bingo. Asmodeus. She deserved to die right there. However, she doesn't and her TSTL (too stupid to live) moment shines very bright. It is also a very predictable scene for the reader.

There are also times Michael means to tell Tory of her changing mortality, only to conveniently find excuses time and time again to not tell her. Michael is sexy, and although I do have complaints, the story has substance. The romance is written well and I liked the idea of Asmodeus hunting her. I think maybe in a longer setting, it would have been better (this book is only 70 pages. There is a good foundation, I just think the actual plot needed to have more time to evolve.

My Avenging Angel
Tory is being hunted by a demon thanks to her father, a demon worshiping warlock.Her father summoned a demon to kill her mother years ago and now that same demon now wants her dead.She is no stranger to the paranormal world since she's a medium.She has three spirit guides whom she affectionately refers to as `the three stooges' who have her best interest at heart. They have advised her to summon an angel for protection from the demon that is hunting her.They have just the angel in mind, unfortunately things don't go quite as planned and Tory summons the wrong angel.

Enter Michael, big, bad-ass angel, and leader of an elite team of demon killers.Score!Well, maybe not.Michael is not at all happy about being summoned by a human, wants no part of this deal, and really can't be bothered with the mortal world at all.But after Michael recognizes Tory as his soul-mate all bets are off.She is his now, mortal or not and he must face down Asmodeus, a vile and powerful demon to protect her.However Tory is not so quick to recognize the bond between her and Michael. Of course she finds him sexy, who wouldn't, but in the face of overwhelming danger she's got a lot on her plate at the moment.

Although My Avenging Angel is a very short read, it's packed with plenty of sexy romance, action, and a good dose of humor.Michael is sarcastic, disgruntled and a little arrogant.He's also sexy, loyal, and protective.He has good reasons for resisting his bond to a mortal.Reasons that run deep and personal.He's what I call an M&M protagonist.A hard candy shell with sweet goodness on the inside.Yum!

Tory is inexperienced and not fully in control of her powers.She's young and not very worldly and makes a very bad decision at one point.When left alone with very specific instructions she makes a very foolish decision that puts her in grave danger.It's one of those moments in a book where you just shake your head and roll your eyes and say, "Why?Why?"Other than her moment of insanity, I did like Tory's character.

Overall I enjoyed My Avenging Angel and think it would have made a very good full length novel (minus the Cap'n Crunch moment") *g*.

Good!
This was an extremely short read. I really liked the story there definitely could have been more. The only thing that kinda turned me off was how overly descriptive the bedroom scenes were. Not that I mind sex in books but sometimes there is a line. And for the record if I ever needed an Angel to rescue me I would definitely be calling on Michael.

Excellent way to get to know the work of Madelyn Ford
I'll begin this review by stating that Madelyn is a very good friend. However, we met after I read her first story, Faith Revisited, and I emailed her to say just how much I enjoyed her work. So truthfully, I'm just a fan girl like all the rest. Madelyn has an amazing voice, grasp for characters, and lures the reader in with the promise of something dark, sultry, and exciting. It was the first reason I fell in love with her Grigori (the angels in Faith Revisited) and continue to camp her website in hopes of a future date for the second installment in the series.

But enough about the Grigori.

In My Avenging Angel, you get all of the above elements (as well as heat, action, and sexual tension), and since the work is a novella, you can get your PNR fix and wrap up the story with time to spare. The romance is hot, the hero and heroine are to die for, and the story is amazing. Michael is one of my favorite heroes, and Tori is the perfect foil to bring him down to earth with the rest of us mere mortals.

If you've not enjoyed Madelyn's work before, this is a perfect way to start.If you enjoy My Avenging Angel be sure to check out Faith Revisited as well. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (18)

A Wonderful Read
I love this book, it helped me gain a better knowledge og Angels, Doreen Virtue is the best.

Pocket-sized gem for guidance
This pocket-sized book, co-authored by Doreen Virtue and her oldest son Charles Virtue, provide signs and messages that our guardian angels are always present and available to help. Do you see rainbows, find "pennies from heaven," hear repetitive or meaningful songs, find feathers or perhaps see repetitive number patterns? These are real signs from your angels in answer to your prayers and thoughts. This small gem of a book shares true life stories of individuals who received their messages in times of need and how those messages and signs helped them on their journey. The book shares ideas and suggestions for prayers, allowing you to receive signs for your own specific life issues. Interestingly when I was reading this book I did find many pennies from heaven in response to my own asking. We just have to remember to ask our angels for help as they will not intervene without the invitation. A must read for all Doreen Virtue fans.

-- Jelina Vance, New Connexion

AMAZING
I know that messages from your angels and guides are all over the place, yet reading this book and hearing about other people's signs just helped me to reinforce my belief in angels and the messages they send us.I even decided today to look up at the sky just to see if I too would see an angel formation in the clouds and OMG there it was!I pointed it out to my other half who was with me and even he noticed it, the wings, head and halo and how once we said WOW look at that it disappeared.Truly amazing, TY!

heaven sent
I loved this book it gives you a lot of good information about Angels, Angel lovers this book is for you you'll love it

USEFUL
GREAT BOOK AND VERY USEFUL. VERY CLEAR BUT NOT AS GOOD AS ANGEL THERAPY OR OTHER BOOKS ABOUT ANGELS.THANK YOU ... Read more

Product Description
Hired by a hotel magnate to locate a priceless Japanese manuscript, L.A. private eye Elvis Cole encounters the notorious Yakuza, the Japanese Mob, and is drawn into a game of sexual obsession, amorality, and evil. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (48)

Elvis Cole #2 (a review of the audiobook)
6 discs.
7 hours.

Synopsis: Elvis Cole and his partner Joe Pike are hired by a Los Angeles businessman to find a missing copy of the "Hagakure", a book that details Bushido, or the way of the Samurai. Along the way, they discover hidden family secrets, connection to the Yakuza (Japan's ultra-violent mafia) and deal with a kidnapping and modern followers of the Bushido.

Written in 1989, "Stalking the Angel" is an early Elvis Cole book. Crais is still doing a bit of casting about to find his rhythm with the characters of Joe Pike, Elvis and even his irascible cat. The plot doesn't flow as well as later books but it still a very nice listen.

It is narrated by Patrick G. Lawlor who does a solid job of catching Cole's wisecracking side but overall does not catch on to Elvis as well as the narrators of his later books do.

Love Elvis but don't care for the standard PI plot
First Line: I was standing on my head in the middle of my office when the door opened and the best looking woman I'd seen in three weeks walked in.

When Bradley Warren and his assistant, Jillian Becker, try to hire Elvis Cole to find a stolen (and priceless) Japanese manuscript, Cole isn't all that eager to accept the case. Warren rubs his fur completely the wrong way. But when Warren's young daughter is kidnapped, the P.I. puts aside his differences and starts tracking down the bad guys.

When I read the first Elvis Cole mystery, The Monkey's Raincoat, I fell head over heels for Elvis and his partner, Joe Pike. Unfortunately, while reading this second book in the series, the bloom was off the rose. The plot, the pacing, the writing are just as good, and I still love Elvis and Joe, but reading Stalking the Angel made me realize something:

The reason why I don't read many mysteries featuring the hard-boiled types of private investigators is because I have a very low tolerance for the plots.

The plots all seem to be the same. Some drop dead gorgeous broad clacks her way into the P.I.'s seedy office, bats her eyelashes, and persuades the manly investigator to do something he really doesn't want to do. There's usually an obnoxious male cretin on hand as a foil for the P.I. and his wisecracks. At least 30% of the characters are pond scum, and the P.I. hero has to have the crap beaten out of him at least once. Preferably twice.

Unfortunately (for me) the plot and the formula went hand in hand in this book. I still love Elvis and Joe, but I think this love affair just has no room for growth. And before any of you die hard fans gang up on me, let me say once more that these books are well-written and the two main characters are fantastic. Even though the story lines aren't my cup of tea and I seriously doubt that I will read any more books in the series...

...if you give me an ELVIS AND JOE 4EVER!!!! bumper sticker, I'll cherish (and use) it with pride.

One of my favorites!
So far, this is one of my favorites because I use to work in downtown L.A. and I live in West L.A. and everytime Elvis make a turn on the street, I know exactly where he is and can't help but laugh because he describes it to vividly, it's almost like I am in the car with him, thinking his thoughts, seeing through his eyes.I love this series!

Good Writing, Derivative Storyline
STALKING THE ANGEL is the second novel in Robert Crais' "Elvis Cole" series, about a private detective in Los Angeles.I though it was a pretty enjoyable read, although a bit too derviative of Robert Parker's Spenser novels.

Elvis Cole is like Spenser in a variety of ways: he's a non-stop comedian, he's a war vet with a code of honor, he has an ultra-tough sidekick (named "Pike" instead of "Hawk"), he has a love-hate relationship with the cops, and his clients are typically rich, privileged, oversexed, and insufferably arrogant.

The plot of STALKING THE ANGEL, which involves a missing Japanese manuscript, reminds me of the first Spenser novel, which also involves a missing manuscript.Elvis Cole also tries to "save" a young girl from her dysfunctional family, which reminds me of Spenser novels like EARLY AUTUMN and CEREMONY.In other words, there is very little here that struck me as fresh and original.

Still, Crais is a highly skilled writer, and STALKING THE ANGEL is a funny and entertaining diversion.If you like Robert Parker's work, this book is definitely worth a try.My understanding is that the Elvis Cole series gets better with time, so I will definitely try some of the later installments in the near future.

I'm Hooked On Cole!
I'm happy to say that I'm hooked on Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.I know I'm late to the party, but hey, better to be late then to not show up at all.I started the series from the beginning with "The Monkey's Raincoat.", and immediately after reading that, I grabbed "Stalking the Angel"The first book was great, and this book, no exception.

Robert Crais has created some of my new favorite characters to date, I love the always witty and wisecracking Elvis "Hound Dog" Cole, and the quiet Joe Pike.

The plots are very intriguing, but for me it's the characters that I enjoy the most.Each time I read them, it's like being with a friend.I don't find that very often in a book.Props to Mr. Crais.

I plan to read the whole series. (12 so far and counting)

As long as Robert Crais keeps them coming, I will keep reading them.

Do yourself a favor and get hooked with me...it feels good!

Happy reading! ... Read more

Product Description
“Above all, a love story . . . a page-turner that keeps you up nights.”
—Geraldine Brooks

In 2004, twenty-seven-year old Stephanie Saldaña arrives in Damascus with a broken heart and a haunted family history that she has crossed the world to escape. She has come on a fellowship to study the role of Jesus in Islam, but speaks very little Arabic, has no friends in the city, and has no place to live. Nor is it an ideal time to be in the region—the United States has recently invaded neighboring Iraq, and refugees are flooding into the streets of Damascus. Still, Stephanie does the only thing she can think of: she begins knocking on doors in the Christian Quarter, asking strangers if they have a room to rent. So begins The Bread of Angels, the unforgettable memoir of one woman’s search for faith, love, and the meaning of her life in the place she least expects to find it.

Before long, Stephanie is offered an airy room in a glorious, dilapidated house. She begins to stumble through Arabic and to make the Old City her home. But after a series of disheartening developments, she leaves to spend a month in an ancient Christian monastery carved into the Syrian desert cliffs. There in the austere, beautiful landscape she finally begins to face the past she has been running from and to confront her wavering faith.

She is joined in her search for God and self-knowledge by a series of improbable teachers: the Sheikha, a female Muslim scholar who guides her through the Quran; Hassan, an Iraqi refugee who shows her the poetry that exists in war; the Baron, an Armenian neighbor who fusses over her like an eccentric relative; and finally Frédéric, a young French novice monk who becomes her best friend. Soon it is clear that she is falling in love again—with God, with her own life, and, unexpectedly, with Frédéric. But will Frédéric, on the cusp of taking his final vows, choose God or Stephanie?

The Bread of Angels is the story of the unlikely year that changed Stephanie Saldaña’s life. Wise, funny, and heartbreaking by turns, it celebrates the beauty of faith, the necessity of self-discovery, and the possibility of true love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Very Nice
This is a very interesting story. An inner journey and a great encouragement of learning more about interfaith.

read it for a book study
I read the book in preparation for a book study I will attend soon.I had a hard time putting it down until I finished it.

It was hard to keep reading.
I won this book off Goodreads first reads. I'm always a bit hesitant about memoirs. I can't help wondering if the story is as it happened or if it is how the author wants us to believe it happened. Either way I read this book skeptically, but was immediately engrossed and drawn into the life of Syria. The sights, sounds, smells, even the religious and political upheavals were tangible and beautifully written.

As she continues her journey to a desert monastery for a month long "Spiritual Excercise", as well as her visit home afterwards bothered me, and I sincerely wasn't sure I would be able to finish the book. Thankfully, the story again returned to the streets of Damascus as well as her study of the Quran and teaching English to Muslim girls in a mosque, all of which was thorougly and beautifully captivating. I would probably read this book again, to again learn of more of the religion's, politic's, and custom's of the Middle East. I would, however, skip part two and a portion of part three

Poetic prose
The descriptive writing in this book is absolutely gorgeous! I could almost see, hear, taste, and smell the various pictures of Damascus and the desert monastery that Saldana writes about. Her first sight of the monastery in the desert is described thusly: "From the foot of the desert valley, I look up to see the ancient monastery of Mar Musa staring down at me from its perch on the cliff side, majestic, suspended in the meeting point between two mountains, no logical line marking the separation between mountain, monastery, and sky. The light on the stones turns them to a deep rose, so that the scenery as much as the monastery itself reminds me of what Moses might have felt like standing in front of the mountain of the Lord. The medieval builders piled walls the color of baked clay one behind another, each ascending floor of the monastery built deeper within the face of the mountain. From a distance, the monastery clawing to the side of the cliff gives me the discomforting sense that at any moment it might collapse and tumble into the valley below." And, "At night, when the clouds clear, the sky fills with more stars than I knew existed. Behind them sleeps darkness so dark that it makes the brightness of the tiny lights brighter still. When the moon swells to its fullness, the stones inhale it..." She also givesus little portraits of the various characters she meets and comes to know in Damascus: the Baron, an elderly gentleman who lives in the same house and who takes her under his grandfatherly wing: Paolo, an Italian Jesuit who lives in the monastery and becomes Stephanie's spiritual guide; the Sheikha, who first is her Qu'ran teacher and later invites her to teach English at the girls' madrassa in Damascus; and, of course, Frederic, the beautiful monk with whom Stephanie falls in love and who is torn between sharing the secular world with her and the religious vocation that he has devoted himself to. For the beauty of her descriptions of place and character alone, this book is well worth reading.

The spiritual quest that Saldana is on may be off-putting to some readers, but her uncertainty, her searching, and her honestytouched my heart deeply. She is clearly extremely knowledgeable about both Christianity and Islam, and in her studies, she has come to appreciate the similarities and the differences between them. Open to both, she comes to understand the connections of the Muslim Jesus to the Christian Jesus, and of the Bible to the Qu'an, and her faith is reinforced, not damaged, by them. Still, she is torn by uncertainty regarding whether she is truly called to be a nun, or whether she can serve God equally well without giving up her "normal" life while still keeping her faith.

The story is also a tale of romantic love and heartbreak. As Stephanie vacillates between her own calling to the monastic life and her deepening love for Frederic, I felt the pain of her heartbreak, the humiliation of rejection, and the frustration of the waiting, waiting, waiting for a decision to be made by him. At first she is attracted to him because of an instant closeness and similarity of religious devotion, but her feelings grow until she finally has to face the fact that she is "in love" with a monk! The last half of the book deals primarily with the conflicts and uncertainties of their relationship, and it becomes a bit of a page-turner.

I loved this book and expect that I will re-read it both to savor the descriptions and increase my understanding of Saldana's experience of Damascus and Islam. I think it will appeal most to other seekers and those who simply enjoy beautiful writing. Although the subject matter bears some resemblance to "Eat, Pray, Love," (a book I also loved, for different reasons), it is truly several levels above that one in its literary quality and its spiritual content.

One of those rare, transcendent books that takes you on a unique journey
In The Bread of Angels, by Stephanie Suldana, the author recounts a life changing year in Damascus, Syria.Saldana has written a memoir, a vision quest, a keen sociological look at East meets West, and a love story.She weaves these threads together into a compelling tapestry, illustrating both her physical and spiritual journey in simple, elegant, and moving prose.

A natural rover, the book starts with Saldana's attempt to settle down in the academic halls of the Harvard Divinity School.She tries to stick to her studies and settle down in her domestic life.Yet something compels her to apply and eventually receive a Fulbright scholarship to study Muslim conceptions of Jesus in Syria.Unable to control her wanderlust, she is compelled to break loose of her moorings and take a life changing journey.

Saldana's journey is both physical and spiritual.She takes you with her on a tour of the streets of the Christian quarter of Damascus; she brings you to Deir Mar Musa, an isolated monastery in the Syrian desert, where she participates in spiritual exercises; and you sit by her side as she learns to chant the Koran with a Sheikha; and eventually she has you at her side when she finds love in the most unexpected of places.

At each location she has an impeccable eye for detail and describes the people around her in such depth that you feel as though you know them.Her journey is a spiritual one and rooted deeply in her Christian faith, but her struggles regarding faith itself are universal enough to appeal to a person of any religion. And as gravely serious as the material can be, Saldana's writing is never too heavy. Her voice is simple but never simplistic and she is able to convey a subtle humor that contrasts with the gravity of her subject.

This is one of those rare transcendent books that becomes more than simply a sum of its parts. Highly recommended. ... Read more