Capitol Murder: A Novel of Suspense

Book Description

William Bernhardt’s bestselling novels featuring Oklahoma defense attorney Ben Kincaid capture the bare-knuckles reality of high-stakes criminal defense, as lofty ideals of justice clash with power, corruption, and wealth. In Capitol Murder, Bernhardt’s hard-charging hero takes on his most shocking, headline-making case yet.

Kincaid’s legal success has earned him a dubious reward: a journey through the looking glass into the Beltway. Here, in the heart of the nation’s capital, a powerful U.S. senator has been caught first in a sordid sex scandal, then in a case of murder.

Senate aide Veronica Cooper was found in a secret Senate office beneath the Capitol building, on Senator Todd Glancy’s favorite couch, blood pouring from the knife wound in her throat. The young woman’s death comes on the heels of the release of a sordid videotape depicting her and Senator Glancy in compromising positions.

With the senator’s reputation in tatters, the evidence against him–as a sexual predator and possibly a killer–mounts. By the time a nationally televised murder trial begins, Kincaid and his team know they’re facing the challenge of a lifetime. According to public opinion, and even in Kincaid’s most private thoughts, Glancy is one more politician who cannot admit his own culpability.

But while a dramatic trial unfolds in the courtroom–loaded with pitfalls, traps, and an astounding betrayal–another trial is taking place on the mean streets of D.C., as Kincaid’s investigator pursues a young woman who was a friend of Veronica Cooper’s, plunging Kincaid into a bizarre world of Goths, sadomasochists, and a community of self-proclaimed vampires. Somewhere in this violent underworld lies the secret behind Veronica Cooper’s demise . . . and the crux of Senator Glancy’s innocence or guilt.

In a case that pits Kincaid and his freewheeling partner Christina McCall against the brutal machinery of Washington politics, the answers they seek are hidden in a murderous maze of lies and hidden motives. And in William Bernhardt’s best novel yet, getting to the truth is an unparalleled experience in pure, satisfying suspense.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

William Bernhardt is the author of many novels, including Primary Justice, Murder One, Criminal Intent, Death Row, Hate Crime, and Dark Eye. He has twice won the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Fiction, and in 2000 he was presented the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award “in recognition of an outstanding body of work in which we understand ourselves and American society at large.” A former trial attorney, Bernhardt has received several awards for his public service. He lives in Tulsa, and readers can e-mail him at WB@williambernhardt.com or visit his website at www.williambernhardt.com.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Capitol Murder: Thinly veiled political diatribe.......2007-09-17

I've never gotten so far in a book and then just decided to stop reading it. That happened when I realized that: (a) I really didn't care about whether the Senator was convicted or not; (b) I'd found out who the real murderer was 3 CD's before that, and (c) I couldn't stand another political rant about how evil Republicans are and how holy Democrats are. Bernhardt slanders Nixon (easy to do, I know), and Reagan, while showering pity on poor Bill Clinton for his legal troubles, all the while telling everyone how evil the insurance and oil industries are. I could read MoveOn.org if I wanted that.
Give me Tony Hillerman any day.

Rollicking Ride of Suspense and Intrigue.......2007-09-15

Until reading this book, I was unfamiliar with Mr. Bernhardt's character, Ben Kincaid. Now that I've been converted into an ardent fan, I intend to get to know this Ben fellow better. Capitol Murder is a fast-paced fascinating exploration of the mechanisms of national power alongside the subculture of vampire wannabes, all couched in a murder mystery. Mr. Bernhardt's development of standout characters makes the story all the more absorbing. He has figured out how to make a character at once endearing and disgusting. He then places these characters in the hallowed halls and offices of the capitol and the seedy goth clubs tucked into the other, less-explored parts of Washington. Capitol Murder is one of those books I began casually, then found myself tucking into my attache case to read on my lunch break, in the waiting room at the auto repair shop, and on my nightstand before turning out the lights (I might not recommend that one if you're after a good night's sleep). I'm now a fan, and look forward to reading more stories from this storytelling master.

KINCAID IN WASHINGTON, D.C........2007-03-09

I ENJOYED THIS BOOK BUT HAVE SEEN A CHANGE IN WM BERNHARDT'S WRITING.
TRULY SUSPENSFUL BUT HAVE ENJOYED SOME OF HIS EARLIER BOOKS MORE. I HAVE
ENJOYED BEN KINCAID MORE IN THE COURTROOM SCENARIOS THAN IN THE POLITICAL
ARENA OF D.C.

capital job....again.......2007-03-08

Light, exciting with something actually beginning to jell with our main characters. As usual, an enjoyable read.

Excellent, fast pasted, thriller.......2006-06-20

One of William Bernhardt's best. This one could be made into a movie.

Average customer rating:

the mystery man
Predictable

Murder on Capitol Hill: A Novel
Margaret Truman
Manufacturer: Arbor House Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0877953120

Customer Reviews:

the mystery man.......2000-10-27

This was my first time reading a book from margaret truman and it was goog she had me thinking hadr to finish the it had ti up and down. she has differnts books by the same name may be next time a will read a differnt book of murders but with a different killer.

Predictable.......2000-06-13

The second in Margaret Truman's "Murder in Washington" series is better than the first. In "Murder on Capitol Hill" Truman has a surer grasp of character and plot than in "Murder in the White House", but her research is still done from memory and the story is predictable. Senator Cale Caldwell is murdered at a party, leaving readers a finite number of suspects as heroine lawyer Lydia James leads the investigation. Truman gives us an interesting and well-drawn array of suspects, but most readers will have worked out the plot halfway through.

As in "White House", Truman relies heavily on her Washington memories rather than researching new ones. So instead of interesting and detailed insights into the Senate's back rooms, we get a lot of chats in restaurants and bars. Despite its title, there is very little description of Capitol Hill. Readers interested in juicy insider insights will be disappointed. With a few pen strokes, the book could be set in any city. A quick read, not bad, but lots of room for improvement.

Book Description

Dennis L. McKiernan's long-awaited second short story collection set in the bestselling world of Mithgar...In a smoky tavern in Port Arbalin, travelers from across the realm share stories both true and fantastic-tales of thieves and demons, warriors and monsters, magic and myth-conjured from the mind of one of the modern masters of fantasy.

Customer Reviews:

More great tales.......2005-11-22

Red Slippers is a collection of Mithgar tales as told by a group of travellers at the Red Slipper inn. The tales relate to events and characters in other Mithgar books, but the stories stand on their own. You don't have to have read the other Mithgar books to follow this one, but much of the charm comes from the beloved characters and exciting situations of the other books. The material and reading level (as with all of McKiernan's books) is appropriate for ages 12 or so to adult, with something for everyone.

I have been in love with McKiernan's fantasy Mithgar world for nearly 20 years now. I am saddened that he is putting an end to the series, but Red Slippers ties it up into a nice bundle. McKiernan's other works are equally good; even his retellings of classics are fresh.

More "Tales," good and bad.......2004-06-21

Any long-running series is going to have a lot of loose ends by the time it finishes. And Dennis McKiernan's "Red Slippers: More Tales of Mithgar" deals with a handful of the loose ends from his now-finished fantasy series. They're a mixed bag, but McKiernan's faux-Tolkien writing is somehow more palatable in short stories.

Aravan and his crew from the Elvenship arrive at the "Red Slipper," a bordello/inn, for some R&R. They eventually start swapping stories: The story of Durek the Dwarf and how he almost drowned. The story of two Elves and a human who went hunting a giant leech. A legend and a real story clash in the tale of Gelvin, a petty thief whose stolen jewel destroys him. The evil mage Modru takes a horrible revenge on the swordsmith Dwynfor.

And when Urus, Riatha, Bair and Bair's girlfriend Jaith all arrive, there are some extra stories: How they went to the world of the Fey folk, and discovered what happened to drive them to Mithgar -- not to mention a comic tale about how they destroyed a cursed throne. And the Warrows share a particular tale about how the spirit of a dead High King ordered three Warrows to repay a debt handed down through the generations.

As proven in "Tales of Mithgar," Dennis McKiernan is a lot better at writing short stories than novels. Newbies to this series will be hopelessly lost, but fans will probably be glad to see their old favorites again. His writing still pulls heavily from half the writings of Tolkien, but fortunately his generic Elves, halflings, dwarves and evil beasties are kept strictly on leashes.

McKiernan does a passable job of filling in the gaps, although one long-running mystery is brought up, then left unsolved. The story about Gelvin is so choppy that it's almost unreadable, and "Groaning Stones" is just flip-forward boring. However, in many of the other stories -- with comedy, action, and a bit of tragedy -- he manages a few solid thrills and chills.

His language is still painfully ye olde and sometimes incredibly clunky, with lines like "He makes my very essence cower." There's also an unfortunate tendency to make the characters either bicker over minutiae, or laugh like lunatics. By cut-and-pasting chunks of his earlier novels, he makes some of the stories seem unevenly written. Not to mention that, again, he tends to be very repetitive -- especially when describing sexy dancing by Riatha and Jaith.

Those who have read the Mithgar series will probably gobble down McKiernan's latest, especially since it ties up most of the loose ends. These "Red Slippers" are deeply flawed, but passable.

Questions Resolved and Raised.......2004-06-13

Red Slippers is the fifteenth volume in the Mithgar series. Although it is a collection of twelve tales, most contain more than one yarn shared among the crew and friends of the elvenship Eroean as they sit before the hearth in the common room of the Red Slipper. Little action other than drinking, laughing and fighting occur in these tales, but the yarns themselves tell of death, destruction and defeat as well as courage, determination and triumph.

Seventeen millennia afore, the First Era began with the crowning of Awain as the High King of Mithgar, the realm formed by the merger of Pellar, Jugo, Hoven, Valon, both Riamonds, and Garia. Much has happened in the intervening years, some known to all, some known only to a few, and much known only to the gods. These tales reveal something of those little known occurrences, yet raise other questions which hopefully will be answered in future works.

In this collection, the Eroean sails in Port Arbalin after a long and dangerous voyage to the long-dead Lost City of Jade. Since some of the crew were lost during the adventure, the remainder will have a long layover while replacements for the slain Drimma are recruited. Thus many of the crew are staying at the Red Slipper rather than onboard.

After toasting absent friends, the crew start telling tales. First is the myth of Gelvin's Doom as told by Noddy, but Aravan can't help thinking of the real events as found in Gelvin's diary and the evidence of his corpse. Then Aravan tells of events which happened at a well in the desert, involving a giant black worm-like bloodsucking creature. Afterwards they talk about tokens of great power and a confrontation between Modru and the Elven smith Dwynfor.

As these yarns are told, Pipper and Bington and Aylissa and Wooly and the others interrupt with questions and comments and sometimes the conversation goes off on a tangent with another story before returning to the original yarn. Vex the fox wanders out and comes back with a great fat brown wharf rat as a present for Fat Jim. Some crewmembers drink too much Vornholt ale, fall flat on their faces, are carried off to bed, and have a terrible hangover the next morning. After a while, four more friends -- Urus, Ritha, Bair, and Jaith -- sail into port on their way back to report on their mission to destroy the Black Throne of Hadron's Hall and they add a few yarns of their own.

In case you didn't notice, this work is set in a bordello and has all the rowdy, lusty ambiance one would expect. However, do not expect tidy little packets of fiction with clear-cut beginnings and endings, for these stories actually intertwine among themselves as well as with all that has gone before. Imagine yourself before a fire in the company of boisterous friends and with a tankard in your hand, ready to discuss the entire history of the world with some of those who helped make it!

Highly recommended for McKiernan fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales in the Tolkien tradition.

-Arthur W. Jordin

twelve terrific tales.......2004-05-10

In Port Arbalin, known as the major trading town on the Avagon Sea, is a lesser recognized brothel the Red Slipper frequented by the eleven members of the ship Eroean when not at sea. Here the eleven, dwarves and other adventurers meet for R&R sharing daring do from their past.

The twelve terrific tales that tie together as the Return to Mithgar share in common keen intricate philosophical undertones that lead the reader to ponder the meaning of civilization and a host of negative isms that detract from society. The tales employ different techniques to get the cerebral message across to the reader. Some use trauma and tragedy while others employ humor and satire. Though the heroic and the malevolent may seem stereotypical fantasy musings, Dennis L. McKiernan furbishes a powerful anthology that will leave a grateful audience wanting to share more pints with the crew of the Eroean.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

A good sequel

Dr. Pulaski And Terek Nor Shine

A decent follow on

Vectors goes off in all directions

Way too much details of the horror of the virus

Vectors: Double Helix #2 (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Dean Wesley Smith , and Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Rusch, Kristine Kathryn | ( R ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Smith, Dean Wesley | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Star Trek | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Next Generation | Star Trek | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Red Sector (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 3)

Infection (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 1)

Quarantine (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 4)

The First Virtue (Star Trek the Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 6)

Double or Nothing (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 5)

ASIN: 0671032569

Book Description

Like a strand of mutating DNA, a deadly conspiracy winds its way through the entire Alpha Quadrant, just as it stretches across several years of Starfleet history -- even to the Cardassian space station that will someday be known as Deep Space Nine™.

A virulent plague has stricken Terok Nor, striking down both the enslaved Bajorans and Cardassian oppressors, who blame each other for the growing epidemic. Dr. Katherine Pulaski, late of the Starship Enterprise™, must work with the tyrannical Gul Dukat, as well as a rebel spy named Kira Nerys, to discover the true source of an infection that threatens them all!

Download Description

Dr. Katherine Pulaski of the U.S.S. "Enterprise" is on Terok Nor studying a virus that's killing off the Bajoran labor force. She must find a cure before ailing ruler Gul Dukat is forced to take the ultimate precaution and destroy the entire planet of Bajor.

Customer Reviews:

A good sequel .......2006-02-09

Vectors was an interesting follow up to the first of the Double Helix series. I was also glad to see some new characters, such a Dr. Pulaski. I enjpoyed reading the adventures of the bartender, Quark, his brother Rom, and Rom's son. I also laughed at Kellec, who was a Bajoran doctor and Pulaski's ex husband. Gul Dukat, a Cardassian ambassador, however, was a bit too serious. I didn't really like his attitude towards Kellec... it was almost racist. Anyway, I very much enjoyed this book, and if you've read book 1 of the series, it's a definite must-read. 4 stars.

Dr. Pulaski And Terek Nor Shine.......2003-06-27

A mysterious villain known as The General has been releasing his biological agents across the Alpha Quadrant and testing his creations to see if they are the perfect killing machines. In the first book he released a plague that targeted subjects of mixed inheritance (parents of two different species) on a backwater Federation colony troubled with racial tensions. This time he has released a plague targeting two races: Cardassians and Bajorans on the backwater Cardassian space station Terek Nor, later known as Deep Space Nine.

The book shines a light on life on the space station when it was still occupied by Cardassians. We get to see the ruthless yet pragmatic Gul Dukat in charge as he tries to save his station, his career, and his very life. Quark and a newly arrived Rom and young Nog provide comic relief. While Kira, still in the Bajoran Resistance, has her second encounter with Odo.

The book even goes one step further by explaining the departure of Dr. Katherine Pulaski, who filled in for Dr. Crusher on the Enterprise-D for over a year. So we get to see the goodbye that was never shown as she leaves the ship to lead a small team (herself, Nurse Ogawa, two interns) on a dangerous unofficial mission to help her ex-husband, a brilliant and courageous Bajoran doctor, fight the plague. Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher also have memorable cameos that further the plot.

Nitpicks: 1) an Amazon reviewer pointed out that Kira got her facts about the Cardassian Occupation wrong, acting like she was born free when in fact her world had been occupied for over 80 years. 2) the Kira-Odo storyline seemed boring. 3) once again the ending was rushed.

The love-it-or-hate-it medical thriller aspect of the first book is toned down this time and turns into a more general DS9-style "station in peril" story. Although the first hints that a conspiracy is at work does finally appear. Overall, I really liked the book. Thought it was much better than the first one. The look at Terek Nor and Dr. Pulaski alone makes it worth reading.

A decent follow on.......2002-06-10

This was a decent follow on the first book of the series. It was very good to see Dr. Pulaski get in the spotlight, considering she'd pretty much had been written off the show and never made it to the books. I felt the character development was very good and the Ferengi portions were written very well. The only true complaint is that the author's seemed to done a poor job of closing out Kira's story. Overall though a very well written book and thanks to the author's for a good read.

Vectors goes off in all directions.......2001-01-20

The Plot:
This is the second of six books dealing with biological terrorism by an unknown foe. In this instalment that takes place at the end of Kate Pulaski's tenure on the Enterprise and before DS9 begins, Pulaski runs off to Bajor to help her ex-husband solve a plague that is infecting the Bajorans and the Cardassians during the occupation. The Cardassians believe it is the Bajorans; the Bajorans think it is the Cardassians. Again, however, the plague has an 100% fatality rate.

What I Liked:
Pulaski's character is fine, as are the "new" characters that are introduced.

What I Didn't Like:
Gul Dukat is far too mature, Odo is about average, and Kira Nerys is far too trusting of the Federation. In fact, her involvement makes almost no sense considering her character at the start of the DS9 episodes. The story doesn't have the same solid medical workup as the first one in the series, and the characterization isn't quite as good but it is also not as jarring. More like a fast paced storyline without much depth.

The Bottom Line:
3.00 lilypads out of 5.00.

Date of Review: January 20, 2001
Format Reviewed: Softcover
Like or hate the review? Send me feedback!

Way too much details of the horror of the virus.......2000-06-10

I'm not much of a fan Katherine Pulaski, so this may be why I didn't enjoy this story nearly as much as the rest of the Double Helix mini-series. It does have some background details of Quark, Kira, Rom, Odo, Dukat, and Terok Nor. However, I didn't like very much the great ongoing details of all the people how suffered from the virus.

Star Trek - Double Helix First Five Books (Double Helix, (1)Infection, (2) Vectors, (3) Red Sector, (4) Quarantine, (5) Double or Nothing)

Average customer rating:

Star Trek - Double Helix First Five Books (Double Helix, (1)Infection, (2) Vectors, (3) Red Sector, (4) Quarantine, (5) Double or Nothing)
Dean Wesley Smith (2), Diane Carey (3), John Vornholt (4), Peter David (5) John Gregory Betancourt (1)
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Relax, browse, cook

La Bella Cucina: How to Cook, Eat, and Live Like an Italian
Viana La Place
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Italian | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0609605186
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Amazon.com

In La Bella Cucina, Viana La Place instructs us to look to Italy to discover how to live the good life--la bella vita. She paints a picture of generations gathered together around a table abundant with bowls of pasta, bright platters of vegetables, glistening olives, ripe fruit, and crusty peasant bread. The image poses a sharp contrast to American society, where most of us rush along spending many hours at work and the rest isolated in suburban homes or city apartments.

La Bella Cucina is not just a cookbook, but a guide on how to live la bella vita no matter where you call home. La Place--celebrated author of several Italian cookbooks, including Cucina Rustica and Verdura--details not only the essence of true Italian cooking but also the way of life so profoundly connected to it. She even includes a blueprint for eating like an Italian--from a breakfast of espresso and biscotti to pranzo, the hearty Italian lunch, to cena, the late, light dinner typical in Italian households.

In keeping with the traditions of true Italian cooking, La Place relies on simple, earthy ingredients to create evocative recipes that are at once rich in flavor and simple to prepare. Her soulful recipes like Summer Barley, Tomato, and Basil Soup; Dried Fava Bean Purée with Leeks and Bitter Greens; Sunday Meat Sauce; Spaghetti with a Mountain of Tiny Clams; and Roast Pork with Wild Fennel are more than sufficient for feeding the good life. --Robin Donovan

Book Description

Viana La Place, coauthor of the classic Cucina Fresca, is passionate about bringing the delights of the Italian table-and the essence of the Italian way of living-into everyone's home. Viana knows the life and food of Italy as well as anyone who ever fell in love with the place, and in La Bella Cucina we meet her Italian neighbors, travel to local festivals that, of course, feature food, and generally learn how to cook, eat, and enjoy all of life like the Italians.

What are the staples of an Italian pantry? How do you use a moka to prepare the first coffee of the day? When is the right time for a gelato? Viana answers these and many other questions, then presents a collection of more than 125 elegant, fuss-free recipes for soups, salads, vegetables, pastas and rice, meat and poultry, fish, and ideas to end a meal.

As with the best of Italian cooking, these recipes are naturally healthful and celebrate the simplest ingredients and techniques. They are an invitation to not only a meal, but also to a way of life.

Customer Reviews:

Relax, browse, cook.......2001-11-13

Musing on her life in the Salento, a rugged, isolated part of Puglia, Viana La Place ("Cucina Fresca," a classic and personal favorite) paints a romantic, convivial, earthy portrait of the simple life. The recipes, from little dishes through main courses and finishes, are enveloped in Italian ritual and custom and La Place's own experiences. She includes a chapter on wild foods and another brings together dishes for "when you are not feeling well." Ingredients are fresh and simple - though not always easy to obtain here; the leaves and stems of an Italian squash, for example.

But whether she's braising an artichoke, roasting an eggplant, or stewing beef, La Place explains how to choose the best and get it right. Rustic dishes include bread and wine-washed arugula, white bean and ditalini soup with wild fennel, dried fava bean puree with leeks and bitter greens. There are several tomato sauces, simple pasta dishes with wild herbs, or vegetables or seafood, risottos, fried squid, skewered lamb and roast pork.

This is a book for browsing and relaxing as much as cooking.

Average customer rating:

An excellent start for cooking Italian

How To Cook Italian is wonderful!

My husband loves to cook with Giuliano's books!

I am confused

Straightforward Italian Style Cooking for Americans.

How to Cook Italian
Giuliano Hazan
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Italian | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0743244362

Book Description

Few understand how to cook great Italian food in America like Giuliano Hazan. A master teacher in his own right -- Giuliano is the son of the authority on Italian cooking, Marcella Hazan -- he knows exactly what home cooks want and need: delicious, easy, and often quick-to- prepare authentic Italian meals made with readily available ingredients.

How to Cook Italian is Hazan's masterwork, the culmination of twenty years of teaching experience, and a perfect follow-up to his previous two highly successful books, Every Night Italian and The Classic Pasta Cookbook.

Hazan covers the basics of Italian cooking, including perfectly cooking pasta, sautèing vegetables, making quick pan sauces, and braising meats until they are fork tender. He guides you every step of the way -- from what you need (usually just a sautè pan and a pot) and what you don't (expensive, fancy equipment) to how to shop and stock the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer for easy, fantastic meals throughout the week.

Over 225 clear and concise recipes reflect the way Americans grocery-shop, cook, and eat. Preparation time and total time from start to finish are listed for each dish. Recipes cover all aspects of the meal, from appetizers and buffet items to soups, pastas, risottos, entrees, vegetables, salads, and desserts.

For quick weeknight dinners, cooks can choose from a wide variety of dishes ready in thirty minutes or less: Spaghetti Carbonara; Risotto with Rosemary; Grilled Salmon with Thyme and Parsley Sauce; Shrimp with Pistachio Sauce; Chicken Breast Fillets with Lemon; and Beef Tenderloin with Balsamic, Arugula, and Parmigiano, to name a few.

When time is more plentiful, there are dishes such as Classic Bolognese Meat Sauce or Tuscan Ragù, Pork Loin Braised in Milk, and Leek and Porcini Lasagna.

To indulge your sweet tooth, try Neapolitan Lemon Trifle, Flourless Chocolate Cake, and Grandma's Custard Pie.

Illustrated with thirty-two pages of full-color photographs of finished dishes as well as instructional line drawings throughout, this is the one Italian cookbook that today's American cooks cannot live without.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent start for cooking Italian.......2006-11-10

Giuliano Hazan does an excellent job of putting together a variety of Italian dishes. His book contains dishes of both northern and southern Italy. The book starts with a very good primer on how to cut vegetables correctly, what tools you will need, and information about basic ingredients of Italian cooking. I also like that he limits the recipes to ingredients that can be found in your local "Mega Mart".

I found the primer in the begining of the book to be very helpful. Sometimes just knowing how to prepare or cut a particular ingredient can help take away any intimidation you may have with a new ingredient. He has step by step instructions for cutting up artichokes, onions, and so much more. I also like he takes the time to tell you what tools are essential, he isn't one for useless gadgets. The ingredients that you will need, you will find in a local grocery store. Nothing too exotic will be asked for in this book. It is annoying trying to make a recipe and having to forage for some rare ingredient.

The recipes do span both northern and southern Italian cooking. So often in the United States I think we often feel Italian food is just red spaghetti sauce. Northern Italian food is rich, has unique sauces, and if you haven't tried any northern Italian food, you are missing out. His recipes also do a good job of spanning appetizers, meats, rice, pasta, salads, vegetables, and desserts.

I like that the recipes are written clearly, and are easy to follow. He lists out steps, so you can make sure you are on the right track with his recipes. Also the recipes have ingredients that you are familar with. His recipes are written to where they are almost fool proof.

This is a well put together cookbook. I like that ingredients are easy to find. Recipes are written out clearly, and they are easy to understand. He also does a good job of featuring recipes from northern as well as southern Italy. If you are looking for a book to start out our Italian cooking adventures you will be pleased with this book.

How To Cook Italian is wonderful!.......2006-10-05

Giuliano Hazan offers rich and varied recipes in his book How To Cook Italian. Suggestions of preparation and cooking time tables provide both the novice and the expert cook with achievable feasts.

My husband loves to cook with Giuliano's books!.......2006-09-27

We love Giuliano's new book How to Cook Italian! A few years ago we bought Every Night Italian and were ready for some new and exciting options from Giuliano and we got it with this new collection of gems! The recipes were easy to follow and the explanations for each next step were so helpful. My husband loves to cook with Giuliana's books and it was fun for the whole family to join in the kitchen! Thanks for another wonderful book!

I am confused.......2006-08-12

Perhaps I have a different cookbook or maybe it is because I am basing this after only trying one recipe-but-I do not understand the raves for this book. The recipe for Braised Italian Beef came out so poorly that I had make something else for my dinner guests. I am just glad that I made this the night before.

Straightforward Italian Style Cooking for Americans........2006-07-30

`How to Cook Italian' by Giuliano Hazan is a highly evocative pairing of author and title, since Senor Hazan is the son of the foremost writer on Italian cooking in America, Marcella Hazan, who has given us more than her share of instruction on how to `cook like an Italian'.

The breezy tone of the title leads me to believe the author will be taking the Mario Batali line on cooking with local (in Giuliano's case, Florida) ingredients in the Italian approach to technique for preparation and cooking. I also expect far more than usual emphasis on technique than in the average cookbook. The third vibe I get is that this is not intended to be an attempt to be exhaustive or a scholarly approach, in the style of either Julia Child's `Mastering the Art of French Cooking' or Elizabeth David's `Italian Food'. But why bother, since Elizabeth David and Giuliano's mother have already covered both those bases. Instead, I expect to see genuine Italian cooking interpreted for the average American cook. And, to a great extent, Senor Giuliano has succeeded in this task. The only problem is that the market is so full of good general Italian cookbooks, expecially the recent and encyclopedaic `The Silver Spoon' and Michele Scicolone's `1000 Italian Recipes' that one wonders if there is any room left for this book, regardless of how good the author's pedigree may be. This competition is especially stiff, as the author includes none of his mother's excellent reflections on the doctrinal and procedural underpinnings of Italian cuisine (See `Marcella Says' and the encyclopedaic `Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking'.

True to the expectations created by the title, the first 46 pages are dedicated to techniques, equipment, ingredients, and base recipes. This is all to the good. My only problem here is that the author or Scribner's art department went just a bit too cheap by not providing line diagrams of every piece of kitchen equipment cited in the text. The author says all the right things about the food mill, and yet, from his text, a person totally unfamiliar with the device may be at a loss to appreciate how to find it, especially when faced with less than knowledgable sales clerks.

In the base recipes, there are instructions for bread crumbs, bechamel sauce, mayonnaise, sausage, and meat broth. This seems a bit thin, and I'm puzzled with the absence of fennel in the sausage recipe.

The recipe chapters are:

Appetizers and buffet items, 20 pages
Soups, 30 pages
Pasta and pasta sauces (including macaroni and cheese!), 103 pages
Rice and Risotto, 32 pages
Meats, 84 pages
Vegetables and Side Dishes, 34 pages
Salads, 14 pages
Desserts, 26 pages

It should be no surprise to see pasta taking up the largest chapter. Even at over 100 pages, this is still not a complete manual to Italian pasta; however, it does give about the right amount of space to preparing dried pasta, fresh egg pasta, and gnocchi. The section on how to make the egg pasta of Emilia Romagna is especially good, but one wonders why he didn't simply refer to his mother's excellent writings on the subject. But then, this would not be complete as a good cookbook for the average American who wants to cook Italian now and then, and do a good job of it.

By far the biggest gap in this book's coverage is on the subject of breads. The treatment of pizza is brief, and there are precious few references to bread in the Index. There is not even any references to calzones or bruschetta, let alone artisinal yeasted breads. But then, one can say that that is really outside the scope of this book.

The best evidence I have that this is neither `authentic' nor `complete' are the facts that the recipe for `Classic Bolognese Meat Sauce' is not nearly as classic as I have seen elsewhere, where three different meats, beef, veal, and pork, are included in the recipe. The second evidence is that there is no recipe for the infamous `Pasta Puttanesca', although there is a very similar recipe called `Spaghettini with olives and capers, Vesuvius style'. A third evidence is that after discoursing at length on the importance of olive oil in Italian cuisine, Senor Hazen goes French on us and uses butter to make his frittatas. Oddly, Senor Hazan makes frequent use of a rather uncommon (in America) ingredient from Sardinia, bottarga, in several of his dishes. I must keep an eye out for that one. It may be the new anchovies!

Most of these complaints are really nitpicking, as the book really does succeed in its basic task of teaching basic Italian cooking techniques which are done at home. Just be warned that this book does not cover the whole story, as there are entire worlds of bread and sausage making and timbalo dishes left to be explored.

All in all, this is a very decent introduction to Italian cooking for American homes, as it is true to Italian roots, and is not another `Italian-American' approach.

If you have no other Italian cookbook, this is a very good starting point.

Leaves from our Tuscan Kitchen: or, How to Cook Vegetables (Cookery Library)

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Leaves from our Tuscan Kitchen: or, How to Cook Vegetables (Cookery Library)
Janet Ross
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

How I Taught My Brother to Cook: A Food Memoir and Guide to Simple Improvisational Cooking in the Tuscan, Provencal, and American Peasant Traditions

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Slumgullion and Nude-ish
Not just a good cookbook!
How I taught my brother to cook has a lot to teach all of us.

How I Taught My Brother to Cook: A Food Memoir and Guide to Simple Improvisational Cooking in the Tuscan, Provencal, and American Peasant Traditions
John Barrows , and Patrick Barrows
Manufacturer: Inkwater Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Culinary Arts & Techniques | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Product Description

Respect your food. Play with it too.
How many recipes do you have on your kitchen shelf, if you add up all your cookbooks? Ten thousand? Probably more! You like to cook, but searching for a recipe that matches your mood and your pantry has become a chore. It's time to leave rote instructions behind and unleash the confidence to improvise, and discover a style all your own. How I Taught My Brother To Cook is part family memoir, part cookbook and part raucous sibling rivalry. Most of all it's a story of two men's journey: to embrace their family roots in rural Italy and upstate New York, put good food on their family's tables, and avoid the anxiety over diet fad and fashion that afflicts most Americans. Weaving a dialogue in recipes and techniques, the brothers take a lowfalutin approach, though they rarely agree on whose approach is the more unpretentious. Bring your own opinion to the countertop conversation, and your memories of what your own grandparents and parents and favorite aunt fed you, and renew your joy in food.

Customer Reviews:

Slumgullion and Nude-ish .......2007-10-05

I was given this book as a gift and I placed it directly onto the bookshelf, where it sat for over a month - probably because the pictures of the authors/brothers make them look like two psycho killers. I'm glad I finally found time to start thumbing through it (my thumbing turned to reading - the discourse between the two brothers is hilarious) and I got hooked on the whole crazy thing: Italian relatives, Italian pathos, and Italian cuisine. Well, according to the book jacket, there is also cuisine from the South of France (but I can't remember finding any). This cookbook is funny, cool, and easy. The recipes are healthy - even if the brothers are not. Other than being encourged to make your own pasta, the Barrows brothers provide recipes that are accessible and fresh. I've mastered Slumgullion, braised lamb shanks, and nude-ish tomatoes. A cookbook only succeeds if it makes the reader WANT to cook. This book not only made me laugh, but it made me want to cook.

Not just a good cookbook!.......2007-09-25

John and Patrick Barrows have done something that few cookbooks come close to doing - they have written a book about food that is also food for thought. Usually I will flip through a cookbook looking for recipes of interest, but I found myself engaged in the discussion between John and Patrick and their opinions about cooking and food. Their often opposite views teach us that in much of cooking there isn't an exact answer - it is about trusting your instinct and your tastebuds while respecting your ingredients and ditching so-called "convienence". Cooking does not have to be complicated and it doesn't have to take a lot of time and it can be fun. I also enjoyed reflecting on my own cooking heritage and how I want my kids to see me as a "cook". What foods will they remember from their childhood? Hopefully, not something from a box!

How I taught my brother to cook has a lot to teach all of us........2007-09-23

"Always think about food," urges John Barrows in one of this excellent book's early chapters on Food Rules. John and Patrick Barrows -- two brothers from New York -- share some pragmatic advice on how Americans, in particular, can reach back to their not-too-distant roots (if you will) for healthy eating. The early tete-a-tete between these two brothers is as entertaining as it is informative. And the recipes are as easy to swallow as the food is. Their range is also impressive moving from Bistecca alla Fiorentina to Sloppy Joe's to Vegetarian Lasagna with ease.

How I Taught My Brother to Cook has a lot to teach all of us about ourselves too. I found that it reminded me of my own childhood growing up in Southern Virginia eating lots of fresh fish, succotash, greens and cold buttermilk with my grandfather. Patrick and John have taken a page from the past and presented recipes here that seem as fresh today as they did centuries ago.

I strongly recommend this fine book.

Benvenuto caloroso: (Or how to extend a hearty welcome in Italian).(EXECUTIVE Life) : An article from: Business Record (Des Moines)

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Benvenuto caloroso: (Or how to extend a hearty welcome in Italian).(EXECUTIVE Life) : An article from: Business Record (Des Moines)
Beth Dalbey
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

The Classic Italian Cooking Course: Learn How to Cook All the Italian Favorites

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The Classic Italian Cooking Course: Learn How to Cook All the Italian Favorites
Jeni Wright , and Angela Boggiano
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This authoritative guide to Italian cooking begins with a fascinating introduction that discusses the culinary history of Italy. The subsequent chapters guide the reader through a wide variety of recipes - each of which is illustrated step-by-step - from breads and classic antipasti to entrees and desserts. The essential procedures and techniques that Italian cooking is founded upon are accompanied by informative, step-by-step photographs so that the cook can see exactly what to do at each stage of the preparation and cooking process.

Recipes for cooks of all skill levels - from complete beginner to experienced professional - are included, making it simple for anyone to create their favorite Italian classics, such as antipasti, Minestrone, Osso Buco, Veal Scallopine, Zabaglione and Tiramisu.

There are simple dishes for new cooks, such as Roasted Plum Tomatoes with Garlic and Meatballs with Peperonata, as well as more complicated dishes such as Chicken with Parma Ham and Cheese, Coffee and Chocolate Bombe, and Raisin and Walnut Bread.

The Classic Italian Cooking Course is an incredibly useful book that will be enjoyed again and again by both novice cooks and experienced chefs.

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How To Cook Italian the New Essentials O
Giuliano Hazan
Manufacturer: SIMON & SCHUSTER @ TRADE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7FDN4

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