Product Description
David-Neel illustrates the point that there is much more to life than is found on the surface. Readers are initiated into powerful meditations, breathing exercises, the control of body heat, visions, shamanic magic and past life recollection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Fascinating and captivating
One remarkable book. The "Magic and Mystery in Tibet" was written by Alexandra David-Neel - a French woman explorer, spiritualist and Buddhist. The book tells a fascinating story about the author's travels in Tibet in search of the mystical aspects of Buddhism and the occult. She lived for many years in Tibet and the surrounding countries during the early-to-mid 20th century, practicing much of what she learned. In 1912, she was the first European woman who met the thirteenth Dalai Lama. She wrote many books about her travels. This one concentrates on the occult practices of mystics, and the supernatural events she witnessed during her long journey. Here are two excerpts:

"I shall cite a question, current in Tibet, which mystic hermits, as well as philosophers living in monasteries, put to their pupils: A flag moves, What is that which moves? Is it the flag or the wind?
The answer is that neither the flag nor the wind moves. It is the mind that moves."

"I may add that average Tibetans are much less eager than we are to investigate psychic phenomena. They take them as certainly uncommon, but not altogether extraordinary occurrences. They have not enough fixed ideas about the laws of Nature of what is possible and impossible to be disturbed by such phenomena. Educated or ignorant, all implicitly admit that everything is possible to him who knows the way of doing it and consequently supernormal feats do not, as a rule, awaken any special emotion beyond admiration for the competent wonder worker."

The author seems to be a skeptic with a life long fascination with the occult. A difficult combination. Despite the author's frequent use of long sentences, I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on re-reading it in the future. I found the last two chapters especially interesting - "Mystic Theories and Spiritual Training" and "Psychic Phenomena in Tibet - How Tibetans Explain Them". The book contains many tidbits that confirm some of my own observations about the nature of reality. If you like reading about: eastern mystical training and theory, reality bending magicians, hermit life style, learned ascetics and the occult in general, then this book is for you.

Excellent
This book is a must have if you are interested in Tibet and or Tibetan Buddhism

Different perspective vs current popular view
I have just stumble on to the writings of Ms Neel.First, this book provides a view into the old traditions in Tibet that are not buddhist in nature but rather part of the old culture of Tibet. It provides a perspective on the old traditions versus the true practice of buddhism.The author takes a very knowledgeable approach to the pactice of magic and devination which is sometimes confused with the main line practice of buddhism.The author also explains in great detail some of the main practices of buddhism and includes a detail 3 fold explanation of "om mani padme hum".I was amazed that someone who was a very nice looking women who also perfomed opera and had many other accomplishments would put all that aside during the time period and travel to Tibet and learn all the languages in order to develop the insight that is present in her works.This book provides an excellent backdrop for the study and practice of buddhism.

Also, the practice in the monasteries in Tibet is illuminated. The point of the Theocracy vs true buddhism is brought out with the exposure of the sham and material based approach of those who are in the business of Buddhism versus those who are in practice of the middle way.The presentation is suttle but none the less obvious.Those following the middle way should read this book in order not to get caught in the web of Theocracy.

Amazing
I first came across this book in 1973, in an Abakwa bookstore that carried occult titles and it made a powerful impression on me, lighting a lifelong interest in matters Tibetan and Buddhist as well as instilling the idea of a lifelong spiritual quest. I assumed then that the author was still alive, because the dust jacket wrote of her in the present tense. I was not wildly off mark, because she had died only four years before. She was the real deal and saw the magical land of Tibet first hand before the Chinese invasion. Moreover, she was recognized and valorized posthumously by the Dalai Lama.

An excellent glimpse of Tibetan spirituality
This book present an excellent overview of Tibetan spirituality and the various practices that occur within that spirituality. Perhaps what I liked the best was that the author seemed to avoid incorporating Western cultural biases into her description. Indeed she seemed very intent on describing the practices in an accurate manner.

I was able to take her description of tumo and actually incorporate it into my daily practice. I've also used her chod ritual. ... Read more

Product Description

Paul Discoe was in on the ground floor of Zen architecture in the United States. In the 1960s he became a student of Zen Buddhism, studying and building at the Tassajara complex in northern California. His own wood-based Zen-Buddhism architectural structures and renovations in the United States and Europe are the focus of this book. With passionate prose, Discoe identifies the elements of Buddhism that are represented in his buildings and describes the trials and triumphs of blending current building methods and codes of the United States with ancient Japanese joinery techniques. Zen-Inspired Architecture has delightful photography of his structures, and the illustrations show just how a Zen structure has its beginnings.

Customer Reviews (3)

Worthy for the bookshelf.
This book has some beautiful examples of adapted Japanese design for Western modes, schematics of traditional Japanese structures, great thoughts about building, craftsmanship, and the integration of design aesthetic with mindfulness and a concept of excellence.

My only criticism is that some of the photography could be better, looks like a cheap digital camera rendered crudely (hopefully, the book will see a re-print and this will be fixed).

I also give Mr. Discoe high marks for his dust jacket photograph, one of the best I have ever seen.

A welcome addition to the growing body of architectural, interior, and landscaping design literature
The principles of Zen Buddhist philosophy as applied to architecture and interior design have been a particular area of professional interest for architect, builder, and ordained Zen Buddhist priest Paul Discoe. With the assistance of Alexandra Quinn, he has written "Zen Architecture: The building Process As Practice", a compendium of information and insight into the study, design, and building of structures ranging from Zen temples and residential projects, to grand estates and modular structures. Profusely enhanced with the full color photography of Roslyn Banish, "Zen Architecture" also features floor plan sketches, landscaping embellishments, and occasional quotes from Zen masters. As beautiful and informative as it is inspired and inspiring, "Zen Architecture" is a welcome addition to the growing body of architectural, interior, and landscaping design literature, and a highly recommended acquisition for personal, professional, academic, and community library reference collections.

Recreated Traditional Japanese Architecture
This is a good book of that retells the creative constructiondirections of the author, along with some wonderful pictures of the completed works.It is not a how-to book, but a good read and inspiration of what can be here today. ... Read more

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He was a silversmith and soldier before his famous ride to Lexington.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Kid Friendly History - a review of "A Picture Book of Paul Revere"
This is a very nice book about Paul Revere that's appropriate for elementary aged children.Besides covering the war for our nation's independence, one of the nice things that it accomplishes is a more human depiction of Paul.It talks about his two marriages and the 16children that resulted.It also emphasizes that Paul was constantly working to learn new crafts and skills in order to support his family.There are descriptions and pictures not only of his school days, but also of some interesting kid-friendly trivia, like the fact that Paul once sold a woman a chain for her pet squirrel.

Five Stars.All in all this is a very good biography.The artwork is colorful and interesting, and there are enough fun details about Revere's life that children should find the book engaging.Very young children will likely need to have the wars and politics explained to them.

Reading Level: Fifth Grade (5.3)

The real Revere
This picture book is an excellent resource for children of any grade level. The book gives an excellent portrayal of Paul Revere through the years. It really focuses on him as a person and the contributions he made to his family and to his country. The pictures are an excellent resource for ELD students as well as all students. I found this book to be very accurate, yet simplistic. ... Read more

Product Description
Discover the secret symbols and meaning behind 62 featured paintings in this unique volume. Ranging from Giotto’s 14th-century painting of the Last Judgment to the 19th-century symbolist Gustave Moreau’s depiction of Jupiter and Semele, each work has been selected for its own symbolic enigma. This book’s innovative design pairs each painting with a page of die-cut windows that help the reader focus on specific aspects of each painting and features captions that highlight the most important symbols.Other works in this unique and fascinating book include Renaissance masterpieces such as Botticelli’s Primavera and The Birth of Venus, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book. Great gift. Good price.
This was bought as a gift for an art lover and we have received numerous expressions of gratitude from her. She reports the overlays have given her a deeper understanding of the painting she has admired for so long.If you are looking for a gift for an art lover (or yourself), you can't go wrong with this book.Not only does it deliver great satisfaction to the reader, for what you get, the price is a bargain. ... Read more

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Chapters: Martin Strel, Marilyn Bell, Lewis Gordon Pugh, David Walliams, Henry Kuprashvili, Alexandra Paul, Edith Van Dijk, Gertrude Ederle, Irina Abysova, Susie Maroney, Maarten Van Der Weijden, Matthew Webb, Aquatots, Michael Read, Larisa Ilchenko, Mark Warkentin, Keri-Anne Payne, Thomas Lurz, Lynne Cox, Alison Streeter, Cindy Nicholas, Kevin Murphy, Vicki Keith, Chloe Sutton, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Ky Hurst, Andrew Gemmell, Florence May Chadwick, Penny Lee Dean, Cassie Patten, Jennifer Figge, Melissa Gorman, David Meca, Eva Berglund, Cliff Lumsdon, Britta Kamrau, Jana Pechanová, Philip Rush, Tom Blower, Vladimir Dyatchin, Ksenia Popova, Gilles Rondy, Diana Nyad, Benoît Lecomte, Jim Dreyer, Ivan Lopez, Björn Borg, Luca Baldini, Tammy Van Wisse, Yuri Kudinov, Simone Ercoli, George Young, Peggy Büchse, Tanya Hunks, Guy Delage, Josh Santacaterina, Chad Hundeby, Petar Stoychev, Yevgeny Bezruchenko, Aleksey Akatyev, Hans Van Goor, Christof Wandratsch, Jon Erikson, Stéphane Gomez, Viola Valli, Stéphane Lecat, Stefanie Biller, Jenna Lambert, Erica Rose, Natalia Pankina, Jennifer Frigge, Bula Choudhury, Damián Blaum, Alan Bircher, Anita Sood, Antonio Abertondo. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 209. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Lewis Gordon Pugh, OIG (born 5 December 1969) is a British environmental campaigner, swimmer, maritime lawyer and motivational speaker. Pugh was the first person to complete a long distance swim in every ocean of the world and is regarded as the best cold-water swimmer in the world. He frequently swims in vulnerable ecosystems to draw attention to their plight and is best known for undertaking the first swim across the North Pole in 2007 to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice and for swimming across a glacial lake under the summit of Mt Everest in 2010 ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=4489517 ... Read more

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The implications of biodiversity loss for the global environment have been widely discussed, but only recently has attention been paid to its direct and serious effects on human health. Biodiversity loss affects the spread of human diseases, causes a loss of medical models, diminishes the supplies of raw materials for drug discovery and biotechnology, and threatens food production and water quality.

Biodiversity and Human Health brings together leading thinkers on the global environment and biomedicine to explore the human health consequences of the loss of biological diversity. Based on a two-day conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution, the book opens a dialogue among experts from the fields of public health, biology, epidemiology, botany, ecology, demography, and pharmacology on this vital but often neglected concern.

Contributors discuss the uses and significance of biodiversity to the practice of medicine today, and develop strategies for conservation of these critical resources. Topics examined include:

• the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss
• emerging infectious diseases and the loss of biodiversity
• the significance and use of both prescription and herbal biodiversity-derived remedies
• indigenous and local peoples and their health care systems
• sustainable use of biodiversity for medicine
• an agenda for the future

The book provides a common framework for physicians and biomedical researchers who wish to learn more about environmental concerns, and for members of the environmental community who desire a greater understanding of biomedical issues. ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Nancy Pelosi, Thomas D'alesandro, Jr., Ron Pelosi, Paul Pelosi, Jr., Alexandra Pelosi, Christine Pelosi, Thomas L. J. D'alesandro Iii. Excerpt:Alexandra C. Pelosi (born on October 5, 1970 in San Francisco, California ) is a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and writer based in New York City . She is the daughter of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi . In 2000, Pelosi worked as a network television producer for NBC covering George W. Bush 's presidential campaign. She brought along a handheld camcorder documenting 18 months of her experience on the campaign trail; the footage was used to create Journeys with George , a documentary that earned her six Emmy nominations. After spending a decade at NBC News, she left network news to work exclusively for HBO. During the 2004 Democratic primaries, she returned to the campaign trail, this time following the Democratic candidates. Her HBO documentary, Diary of a Political Tourist , aired just before the 2004 election. Accompanying the film, she wrote Sneaking into the Flying Circus: How the Media Turn Our Presidential Campaigns into Freak Shows , a book about the process of selecting candidates for President of the United States . She stated that her conversations with Candy Crowley of CNN , Howard Dean , and Wesley Clark inspired her to write a book. In 2006, she created the documentary about evangelical Christians called Friends of God which featured former pastor Ted Haggard . After it aired on HBO in 2007, she made a follow-up film, The Trials of Ted Haggard , chronicling the exile of Ted Haggard from New Life Church after his sex and drug scandal. In 2008, she followed the McCain campaign as part of the production of another film, Right America: Feeling Wronged , which premiered on HBO on President's Day 2009. Personal life Pelosi g... ... Read more

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422 pages ... Read more

Product Description
When the old country doctor of Newton-upon-Sea passed away, he left his daughter Alexandra the secrets of his trade. Now, the village depends on its lady-doctor Gladstone for its births, deaths, and all the inconveniences inbetween.

At a small gathering at Dunsford Hall, every guest seems in possession of a title, land-and a secret vendetta against the host. And so, when their "dear Eddie" is found murdered in his own bed, the lords and ladies point to a helpless servant and flee the scene. But Dr. Alexandra Gladstone finds evidence in her autopsy suggesting otherwise. And the not-so-noble reactions to her inquiries have the good doctor wondering if she hasn't struck a nerve. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Victorian Era - England
Fifth Earl Lord Dunsford is brutally murdered during a leisurely weekend gathering at his country home. Although it turns out that almost all his aristocratic guests had motives to kill him, it is a young maid, Elsie, who is charged with the crime. She had publicly threatened the Earl's life and later was found burying a bloody knife. Dr. Alexandra Gladstone is the only voice of opposition to this conclusion. She sees at once that the true cause of death was strangulation, not the knife wound that occurred after his death, and is determined to save Elsie from hanging by uncovering the real murderer.

Alexandra Gladstone is a country surgeon, trained by her now deceased respected physician father. A recurring theme in the story is the approbation of her peers for her choice of a profession deemed suitable only for men. Nonetheless, Alexander has earned the respect of the working class folks she serves which often gives her access to helpful bits of village gossip.

The book is slight on historical information beyond fascinating details of Victorian medicine and medical practices, and the lamentable situation of the poor who often have to ignore the doctor's advice in order to get on with their lives. Antagonism between the classes is important to the plot as is the portrayal of the upper class who hide their deceptions and misdeeds behind their privileged position. Further stories in the series explore the place of women in Victorian society and how the family and mental illness was perceived under English law in this period.

Readers will like and admire Alexander Gladstone who deeply feels for her patients and whose restrained character seems true to how someone of her position would present herself. We also meet her maid Nancy, large dog Zack, and barrister friend and alley Nicholas Forsythe.This is the first of a series of three Dr. Gladstone stories. No historical background provided.

Fascinating Story, Fascinating Details
SYNPTOMS OF DEATH is a debut novel in the Dr. Alexandra Gladstone series.Set in Victorian England, it offers wonderful detail of how life was lived in that era. The details of medicine and medical treatment are especially intriguing, as is Paula Paul's understanding of English common law in Victorian England.Paul weaves these details with skill and finesse into an engrossing plot full of multi-dimensional characters.I especially liked Nancy, Dr. Gladstone's impertinent maid, and the enigmatic Constable Snow.Dr. Gladstone also hides a fascinating woman behind a facade of cool Victorian propriety.I couldn't put it down, and I can't wait for the next installment.

Exciting Victoriantale
In Victorian England, the latest London season ends and the nobility retires to their country estates. In Newton, the fifth Earl of Dunsford hosts a house party and the cream of society is there.One night at dinner, a hysterical kitchen maid threatens the earl with a knife until one of the guests Dr. Alexandra Gladstone calms her down.

The next morning, Alexandra is called to the estate to assist the coroner in figuring out how Dunsford was murdered.Everyone thinks it was the maid who threatened him the night before but the doctor says somebody strangled him.The knife wound happened after he was dead.Circumstantial evidence forces the local magistrate to arrest the maid but he doesn't know that every guest at the earl's house wanted him dead for one solid reason or another.Alexandra intends to see that justice is done even if it means putting her own life in danger.

The villain of the piece is actually the deceased who had so many enemies, including a cuckolded husband, an adulterous wife, a sodomist and a man who was fleeced by the victim, that the audience won't be able to decide who had the best motive.The heroine of SYMPTOMS OF DEATH is not the typical Victorian society woman but a woman who could have thrived in today's enlightened atmosphere.Readers will look forward to seeing her in future tales.

Harriet Klausner

interesting murder mystery, but characters were bland
"Symptoms of Death" starts out promising enough: Edward Boswick, the fifth Earl of Dunsford, has invited a small party of intimate friends to his country estate of Montmarsh near the little village of Newton-Upon-Sea; when while at dinner, a distraught kitchen maid, bursts in upon the guests, threatening to kill the earl with a carving knife. It turns out that the maid (Elsie O' Riley)'s young man (George Stirling) has been murdered, and Elsie seems to believe that the earl had something to do with George's death. Fortunately for all, the village's lady doctor, Alexander Gladstone, is present at this select dinner. And she competently takes over by helping to disarm the hysterical Elsie and removing her from the scene. Dr. Gladstone doesn't believe that Elsie is really dangerous or that she is actually out to do the earl any harm. She believes that Elsie is just distraught, and that all she really needs is for someone to listen to her woes and to offer her a shoulder to cry on. So you can imagine the good doctor's surprise when she arrives at Montmarsh the next morning to find that the earl has been murdered, and that Elsie is the only suspect of the crime!

Dr. Gladstone however still refuses to jump to conclusions; and her preliminary examination of the earl's body bolsters her belief that Elsie is not the murderess everyone believes her to be. For it looks as if the earl was first strangled to death and then stabbed. Not everyone however (esp the village constable, Mr. Snow) shares Dr. Gladstone's view. Dr. Gladstone, however, does have one ally: Nicky Forsythe, the earl's distant relative and a barrister. Together, Gladstone and Forsythe start looking more closely at the other members of the house party to discover who, other than Elsie, had a reason to wish the earl dead, and who actually carried out the deed.

While the mystery is interesting enough, I had problems with Paula Paul's prose style -- it was a little too stagy for my taste. Also the characters left a lot to be desired: Dr. Gladstone was a little too cold and remote, while Nicky Forsythe was at times a little too vapid! It made the attraction between the two, while probable and believable, incredibly boring. Most of the other characters in this mystery novel were more or less familiar stock types -- the seemingly upright nobles who were really reeking of corruption and debauchery; the gossiping and malicious countess; the wife of easy virtue, etc. Only two characters broke the mold: Dr. Gladstone's housekeeper-friend, Nancy, who in spite of her belligerent and pushing ways, happened to be the only intelligent and interesting character in this mystery novel; and the Constable Snow, who because of Paul's reticent depiction, comes across as being a rather enigmatical, shadowy character, who may or may not be corrupt. With all my nitpicking, you'd think I'd advise against reading this book all together. To the contrary: the mystery is really quite intriguing and engrossing. And Paul does a rather good job of maintaining that air of suspense, so that you have no choice but to carry on reading in order to discover who murdered the earl and why. I just wish that the primary characters (Gladstone and Forsythe) had been worthy of this clever little murder mystery. ... Read more

Product Description
Raised by a country doctor, Alexandra Gladstone thought she couldn't be shocked-until she saw the dead body of a respected admiral dressed in women's undergarments. Even more shocking, though, is the truth behind his murder. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Fun, Rewarding Read
An Improper Death is the best book in the Dr. Alexandra Gladstone series.It is handled in a manner different from most mysteries set in historical times in that it assumes that the reader is already familiar with the time and place.As a result, there is none of the historical lecturing that one encounters in other series, such as for instance Steven Saylor's Roman series.

As with the other Gladstone mysteries, An Improper Death is written in a fun, cutesy style that makes for excellent escape reading.Best of all, the mystery is one that is difficult for the reader to figure out until all is revealed at the very end.

An Intelligent and Intertaining Read
AN IMPROPER DEATH is even better than the first book in the Dr. Alexandra Gladstone series.The opening line has to be one of the best I've ever read, and it launches the reader into an intelligent, thought provoking story that reveals as much about how men view women and women view themselves as it does about the mystery and the killer.At the same time, the author's flair for wry humor keeps the story from being overly serious.Then there's the surprise ending that's like the icing on the cake.I love the way the author has slowly revealed the personalities of the series characters in the course of these first two books, especially Nancy (my favorite) and Constable Snow.I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Intriguing Characters
I found AN IMPROPER DEATH to be even more well written and more intriguing than the first book in the series.The characters are especially intriguing and three-dimensional.The enigmatic Constable Snow is becoming my favorite.

I particularly enjoyed the development of Jane, the admiral's wife, in this story.Details regarding the legal rights (or lack of) for married women in Victorian England were particularly interesting, and the writer used the details to weave a story I couldn't put down.

A different reaction.
In contrast to the previous reviewer, I found both Dr. Gladstone and her assistant Nancy very real and very enjoyable to read about.I couldn't figure out Constable Snow at all.I think his mysterious behavior was due only to the author's desire to place a hurdle in Dr. Gladstone's way, nothing more.

As for the comment "some of the characters behave in such strange manner that their reasons for doing so just beggar belief. Unfortunately I cannot really go into this without revealing plot spoilers)", this is absolutely correct.I'd say read this for the characters, and give up on trying to make sense of the mystery.

a not very intriguing read
The little village of Newton-Upon-Sea is bubbling with rumour and conjecture. One of the village's most respected of residents, Admiral George Orkwright, is found dead on the beach, wearing nothing but his wife's underclothes. The village constable, Mr. Snow, believes that the admiral donned his wife's undergarments while under the influence of a lot of alcohol, ventured out into the night, fell into the sea and drowned. Of course the lady doctor of Newton-Upon-Sea, Alexandra Gladstone finds such an explanation ludicrous, and she would like to perform an autopsy so as to be sure about the cause of death. To her surprise, Snow blocks her request. Determined to discover how the admiral died and why he was in his wife's undergarments, Alexandra, together with her trusty housekeeper (and sidekick in investigations), Nancy, begins to discreetly investigate the circumstances surrounding the admiral's death, and soon finds that things are a whole lot more complicated than she anticipated. For example, there are some rather unpleasant rumours about the admiral's estranged stepson, John, who has since taken to a life of crime. And then there is Snow's baffling behaviour. Why is he blocking an investigation into the admiral's death? And why is he so protective of the widow and her family? No matter the personal cost, Alexandra is bound and determined to get to the bottom of the admiral's death...

The trouble with "An Improper Death" was that it was just not written in a very exciting, gripping or tantalizing manner. (Characters were not very well developed, and some of the characters behave in such strange manner that their reasons for doing so just beggar belief. Unfortunately I cannot really go into this without revealing plot spoilers). When I read Anne Perry's mystery novels with similar themes, I become so engrossed with the plot and the characters, that I find it really hard to put down the book and do the day-to-day tasks that must be tackled. With 'An Improper Death," I started flipping after a while. After the initial intriguing and promising start, things just meandered on and on while Alexandra, Nancy and Nicholas Forsythe (Nicholas has been hired to defend John on charges of burglary) try to sift fact from gossip, and try to make sense of all the evidence that Alexandra has collected to date regarding the admiral's death. What I really liked about the novel were the bits of historical detail and the bits that dealt with Alexandra's work as a village doctor. The mystery, however, left me cold. I also found Alexandra Gladstone's character to be as uninteresting as ever; so too her potential romantic interest, Nicholas Forsythe. He was as vapid as he was in the first Dr. Alexandra Gladstone mystery novel. This time around however, I was dismayed to realise that I even found Alexandra's detecting sidekick and servant, Nancy, to be as irritating as well. (Perhaps I'm feeling slightly unwell and things are not as bleak as they seem?) Only Constable Snow remained as interesting, engaging and as mysterious as ever. What is his story? And why does he go to such pains to hide his intelligence and his quick wittedness? And I will probably read further installment of this series for this character (and fortunately, I'm currently working at a bookshop, and so will be able to flip through future books without having to buy them!)

If you want to read a truly gripping English mystery novel set in the Victorian period, try any one of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels by Anne Perry, or one of the early William Monk mysteries (also by Anne Perry). Because, aside from the character of Constable Snow, there is very little to recommend this Dr. Alexandra Gladstone mystery series. ... Read more

Product Description
When an epidemic befalls the country town of Newton-on-Sea, Dr. Alexandra Gladstone finds what seems to be a cure. But there is no cure for murder... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very good historical mystery
The characters are well drawn and the story was very good.My only complaint is that there are only three books in this series.

The series improves
Always eager to escape with a historical cozy, I originally tried this series with its first book, "Symptoms of Death."The book was pleasant enough for me to try the second book, "An Improper Death."It was horrible, one of the worst books I read all year.I was finished with the series, but we all know how searching for something new on the bookstore shelves sometimes leads to desperate purchases.I bought this third book with much trepidation.I took it home.I read it.I actually enjoyed it.The characters are becoming three-dimensional.The mystery was more interesting.The romance is more apparent, but still subtle.A historical figure--Florence Nightingale--makes an appearance.It is a decent cozy, if you are looking for a book to distract you for a few hours.I will keep this one on my shelves and wait for the fourth book to see what Dr. Alexandra will do next. ... Read more