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- Much to Recommend Despite the Flaws
- Killing Floor
- Re-Reading Reacher
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Killing Floor
Lee Child
Manufacturer: Jove
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Die Trying (Jack Reacher Novels)
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Tripwire
ASIN: 0515141429 |
Amazon.com
When Jack Reacher suddenly decides to ask a Greyhound bus driver to let him off near the town of Margrave, Georgia, he thinks it's because his brother once mentioned that the famed blues guitarist Blind Blake died there. But it doesn't take long for the footloose ex-military policeman to discover that there are plenty of strange--and very dangerous--things going on behind Margrave's manicured lawns and clean streets that demand his attention. This first thriller by a former television writer features some of the best-written scenes of action in recent memory, a crash course in currency and counterfeiting, and a hero who is just begging to be called on for an encore.
Customer Reviews:
Much to Recommend Despite the Flaws.......2007-09-07
While on a cruise recently I started talking books and authors (especially mysteries) with an Englishwoman who I met one day at the breakfast table. When I mentioned I am a Michael Connelly fan, she suggested Lee Childs. Having heard his name before, I gave him a try. Always on the lookout for a new series, I picked The Killing Floor, the first installment of the Jack Reacher books.
Having finished this book, I am impressed with Lee Childs' writing ability potential. It begins with a great scenario as Jack Reacher, a military police officer, who recently left the service to wander about the country in a hobo-like existence. When a brutal murder is committed in a small Southern town, Reacher finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, hauled into the police station, and then thrown into jail despite what (as the reader knows) his obvious innocence. Things are harrowing there for a while, but he does get out and then puts his experience into action as he joins in on the investigation, finds a romantic interest too and continues his adventures. Jack Reacher is a very unique, interesting, and promising character with a macho, loner, wise-guy, and cerebral persona that always does well in the mystery genre. Terrible things are happening in this town and who is on the good or bad side keeps the reader guessing.
At this point, Childs was off to a great start and I was excited to have found a winner. Unfortunately, this five-star setup does not live up to its promise. As many others reviews have stated, The Killing Floor is full of plot holes, situations, relationships that are not credible, and incomplete character development. These flaws multiply and accelerate as the plot moves on to its conclusion and I felt as if I was being led by the nose and manipulated. However, my time with The Killing Floor was not wasted. Despite all my criticism, I did enjoy it and intend to read the next installment of the Jack Reacher series. Although full of annoyances, The Killing Floor has a spark that may turn into a great series for me. This review has gone on far longer than I originally intended and I find it difficult to find concluding words. I will simply leave it by stating that The Killing Floor was a book that I could not stop enjoying despite its many flaws.
Killing Floor.......2007-08-05
Jack Reacher roams from place to place and this time he's come to a small town in Georgia on a whim. He's eating breakfast when the town's finest blow in and arrest him for murder. It's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's a shocker for Jack when he discovers the identity of the guy he's supposed to have killed. People keep dying and it's becoming a blood bath. Jack sticks around to see justice done, but it's a scary ride all the way.
Re-Reading Reacher.......2007-08-03
We walk with Reacher down a new road. No baggage. No hassles. Striding out happily with the big man, who yearns only to be invisible, craves solitude, anonymity, a loner who can fit his possessions into a zip loc bag.
This is the first Lee Child novel, and having read virtually all the Jack Reacher thrillers, I revisited this road again, thinking I would reread the book that turned me on, that excited me to start with, The Killing Floor.
Lee Child weaves action, suspense, mystery, raw power and a killer plot into his debut novel. Still on the Amazon best seller list, which begins as Reacher, a drifter, six months out of an elite military police unit, gets off the bus in Margrave, Georgia with only a vague plan, a whimsical pilgrimage to discover the roots of a long dead guitar player named Blind Blake. He finds an old lady who sang with him. And a whole lot more he didn't bargain for.
An almost dozen books later, I'm more than acquainted with the man who simply calls himself, Reacher. This book is the beginning. Maybe the best in the series, and a good place to start. Maybe years from now, after reading Reacher a couple dozen times, you will reread this first novel too, forgetting how good it was that first time.
Great debut novel introducing a hero for the ages.......2007-08-02
Killing Floor was Lee Child's first book featuring ex-military cop and all-around hero Jack Reacher. Published in 1997, Child's debut novel (and especially his rugged-individualist protagonist) struck a nerve with audiences in the U.S. and in his native England and established him as a new force to be reckoned with in the emerging thriller genre. Even a decade later, anyone reading this book will immediately see why.
Jack Reacher is the consummate thriller hero. He's the ultimate man's man--unflinchingly brave, an unapologetic warrior for justice, street-smart, handsome, and huge (six-five)--and with just enough of a soft, sensitive side to capture any woman's heart. He's John Wayne meets Jack Bauer meets Dirty Harry, a literary hero whose exploits and adventures (and misadventures) are just plain fun to read about.
And the hero is far from the only thing to enjoy about Lee Child's writing. From its opening line ("I was arrested in Eno's diner"), Killing Floor is engaging and intriguing. The first-person narrative with short sentences and a strictly linear plot make for fast, enjoyable reading, and the setting (small-town Georgia) seems familiar enough to put the reader right into the action. In some ways the novel is a formula book (the lone gunman rides into town, identifies injustice, defeats it, gets the girl, and rides off into the sunset), but the writing is good enough that it doesn't matter. Child allows the suspense to build throughout the story and provides a real sense of small-town community, politics, and corruption.
The story opens with Jack Reacher's arrest in Margrave, Georgia, for a crime he knows he didn't commit. Right away the reader is treated to Child's evident research as Reacher silently critiques the arresting officers' mistakes in apprehending a man they believe to be a murderer. As the local authorities rush to put together the pieces of what happened outside of town, Reacher must clear his name and then track down the real criminals. Along the way, he teams up with a veteran detective and a beautiful female police officer to apprehend a villain who turns out to be much closer than anyone could have predicted.
Killing Floor is exceptionally entertaining, and though it does contain some fairly graphic descriptions of brutal violence (the cover art is a bloody handprint) and a few rather modest sex scenes, there is hardly any foul language, and the overall worldview is one of good over evil and justice for all. It is without question an "R-rated" book, but it's more like Die Hard than Quentin Tarantino. There's no spiritual content to speak of, but the underlying morality of the central characters could present opportunities for discussion. Highly recommended for readers who can enjoy a thriller with a conscience, set in a purely secular world.
Great book!.......2007-07-28
This might be the 2nd or 3rd best Reacher novel (but they're all fantastic!). If you've never read any of Child's books, I'd strongly recommend them, this novel in particular.
Book Description
KILLING FLOOR - "I was eating eggs and drinking coffee. I was in a booth, at a window, reading somebody's abandoned newspaper. Outside, the rain had stopped but the glass was still pebbled with bright drops. I saw the police cruisers pull into the gravel lot. They were moving fast and crunched to a stop. Light bars flashing and popping. Doors burst open, policemen jumped out. Two from each car, weapons ready. Two revolvers, two shotguns. This was heavy stuff. One revolver and one shotgun ran to the back. One of each rushed the door. I just sat and watched them. I knew who was in the diner. A cook in back. Two waitresses. Two old men. And me. This operation was for me. I had been in town less than half an hour." - From the opening of this searing tale of honor and revenge where Jack Reacher, a former military cop, hunts down his brother's killers.
DIE TRYING - In a Chicago suburb, a dentist is met in his office parking lot by three men and ordered into the trunk of his Lexus. On a downtown sidewalk, Jack Reacher and an unknown woman are abducted in broad daylight by two men - practiced and confident - who stop them at gunpoint and hustle them into the same sedan. Then Reacher and the woman are switched into a second vehicle and hauled away, leaving the dentist bound and gagged inside his car with the woman's abandoned possessions, two gallons of gasoline…and a burning match.
TRIPWIRE - Jack Reacher is settling into lazy Key West when his life is interrupted by a stranger who comes looking for him. When the stranger turns up beaten to death in the Old Town cemetery - fingertips removed - Reacher knows whomever the man was working for is not a friend. Reacher follows the trail to New York.
Customer Reviews:
symposium on this book in _Labor History_.......1999-07-03
Interested in buying this book, or the one on meatpackers by Roger Horowitz? See the symposium on Halpern and Horowitz's work in the journal _Labor History_ 40:2 (1999). They have also jointly authored a collection of oral history interviews -- all available from Amazon
well written account of important moment of classformation.......1999-07-03
This is one of the best labor history books I've read: it is scholarly, no doubt about that, but SO, SO "readable." Almost like a novel at points. It's important, too, because it sheds much light on the way in which blacks and whites managed to unite around common interests. It also makes wonderful use of oral histories, so that the characters really come to life.
Top Man!.......1999-04-13
Rick B Halpern is a renowned commentator on the American Meatpacking Industry, and in this meticolusly researched book he chronicles the results of years of inquiry into what Chicago proletarians in hushed tones refer to as 'the big slaughterhouse.' Don't be put off by the picture of the Cow being killed on the front - there's plenty more meat inside and it's not covered in blood and guts. I was particularly impressed by his use of oral history. Too many modern historians ignore this valuable resource, but Halpern is a man on a mission and no lack of written records is going to get in his way. Overall, I found this book was a valuable contribution to an underresearched area and I believe should be read by anyone interested in modern Northern American Labour history.
Book Description
KILLING FLOOR (Director: Michael Page) - "I was eating eggs and drinking coffee. I was in a booth, at a window, reading somebody's abandoned newspaper. Outside, the rain had stopped but the glass was still pebbled with bright drops. I saw the police cruisers pull into the gravel lot. They were moving fast and crunched to a stop. Light bars flashing and popping. Doors burst open, policemen jumped out. Two from each car, weapons ready. Two revolvers, two shotguns. This was heavy stuff. One revolver and one shotgun ran to the back. One of each rushed the door. I just sat and watched them. I knew who was in the diner. A cook in back. Two waitresses. Two old men. And me. This operation was for me. I had been in town less than half an hour." - From the opening of this searing tale of honor and revenge where Jack Reacher, a former military cop, hunts down his brother's killers.
DIE TRYING (Director: Michael Page) - In a Chicago suburb, a dentist is met in his office parking lot by three men and ordered into the trunk of his Lexus. On a downtown sidewalk, Jack Reacher and an unknown woman are abducted in broad daylight by two men - practiced and confident - who stop them at gunpoint and hustle them into the same sedan. Then Reacher and the woman are switched into a second vehicle and hauled away, leaving the dentist bound and gagged inside his car with the woman's abandoned possessions, two gallons of gasoline…and a burning match.
TRIPWIRE (Director: Laura Grafton, Engineer: Jeremy Spanos) - Jack Reacher is settling into lazy Key West when his life is interrupted by a stranger who comes looking for him. When the stranger turns up beaten to death in the Old Town cemetery - fingertips removed - Reacher knows whomever the man was working for is not a friend. Reacher follows the trail to New York.
Average customer rating:
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KILLING FLOOR PA
Al Ogawa
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0395275903 |
Book Description
This report was created for global strategic planners who cannot be content with traditional methods of segmenting world markets. With the advent of a “borderless world”, cities become a more important criteria in prioritizing markets, as opposed to regions, continents, or countries. This report covers the top 2000 cities in over 200 countries. It does so by reporting the estimated market size (in terms of latent demand) for each major city of the world. It then ranks these cities and reports them in terms of their size as a percent of the country where they are located, their geographic region (e.g. Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America, Latin America), and the total world market. In performing various economic analyses for its clients, I have been occasionally asked to investigate the market potential for various products and services across cities. The purpose of the studies is to understand the density of demand within a country and the extent to which a city might be used as a point of distribution within its region. From an economic perspective, however, a city does not represent a population within rigid geographical boundaries. To an economist or strategic planner, a city represents an area of dominant influence over markets in adjacent areas. This influence varies from one industry to another, but also from one period of time to another. In what follows, I summarize the economic potential for the world\'s major cities for "killing floor offal, scrap, and bones made in slaughtering plants" for the year 2007. The goal of this report is to report my findings on the real economic potential, or what an economist calls the latent demand, represented by a city when defined as an area of dominant influence. The reader needs to realize that latent demand may or may not represent real sales. For many items, latent demand is clearly observable in sales, as in the case for food or housing items. Consider, however, the category "satellite launch vehicles". Clearly, there are no launch pads in most cities of the world. However, the core benefit of the vehicles (e.g. telecommunications, etc.) is "consumed" by residents or industries within the world\'s cities. Without certain cities, in other words, the market for satellite launch vehicles would be lower for the world in general. One needs to allocate, therefore, a portion of the worldwide economic demand for launch vehicles to both regions and cities. This report takes the broader definition and considers, therefore, a city as a part of the global market.
Book Description
This study covers the world outlook for killing floor offal, scrap, and bones made in slaughtering plants across more than 200 countries. For each year reported, estimates are given for the latent demand, or potential industry earnings (P.I.E.), for the country in question (in millions of U.S. dollars), the percent share the country is of the region and of the globe. These comparative benchmarks allow the reader to quickly gauge a country vis-à-vis others. Using econometric models which project fundamental economic dynamics within each country and across countries, latent demand estimates are created. This report does not discuss the specific players in the market serving the latent demand, nor specific details at the product level. The study also does not consider short-term cyclicalities that might affect realized sales. The study, therefore, is strategic in nature, taking an aggregate and long-run view, irrespective of the players or products involved.
Average customer rating:
- Beg, Borrow or Steal to get your copy!
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Cruelty/Killing Floor (Classic Reprint Series)
Ai
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Dread: Poems
ASIN: 0938410385 |
Customer Reviews:
Beg, Borrow or Steal to get your copy!.......2006-06-05
The first two classic collections by Ai, a poet identifying herself from Africa, Asia and Native America should be required reading in order to save humanity. Both Cruelty and Killing Floor have disturbing yet necessary imagery - the instruments of torture in her gifted hands serve as a cutting away of a corrupted social disorder. Magnificent, gut and heart- wrenching poetry.
Average customer rating:
- On fearing, loving and becoming.
- Van Sycoc does it again!
- Beautifully written!
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Drowntide
Sydney J. Van Scyoc
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Star mother
ASIN: 0425097757 |
Customer Reviews:
On fearing, loving and becoming........2006-07-01
Drowntide is a lyrical little book which tells us about Keiris and his coming of age. He is the youngest son of powerful Queen Amelyor. She alone has the power to sound the horns and guide ships back safely to port. When her daughter and heir apparent Nandyris is killed, she sends Keiris on a quest to bring the kingdom a new heir. Without an heir who can use the horns, Hyosis would eventually be at the mercy of the unforgiving sea.
Scyoc, always an inventive and engaging writer, has delivered a book that avoids the usual fantasy plots and clichés. Drowntide lacks swords, bad guys, and stereotyped monsters. Keiris' coming of age depends instead on coming to terms with his own fears and the relationship that he ultimately will accept with the sea.
Scyoc is sadly out of print these days. I first encountered her work when I read Sunwaifs (1981) and it immediately become one of my early speculative fiction favorites. Drowntide, published in 1987, was one of her last novels. Fans of her work should be aware that Scyoc has once again started writing and has had two short stories published-- one in 2004 and one in 2005. Perhaps we have a new novel to hope for?
If you can find a copy of Drowntide, I highly recommend that you give it a try. It should appeal to fans of writers like Marion Zimmer Bradley and Mary Doria Russell.
Van Sycoc does it again!.......2000-05-08
With a terse evocative style and uncommon lyricality, Van Scyoc breathes life into a coming-of-age store about my favorite subject: a person in denial forced to realize the truth about his character. Tragically all her books are out of print! Why?
Beautifully written!.......1999-04-24
This is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. I am very sad to see her books are all out of print. This one is full of her beautiful writing and images of the sea. It's a sort of twist on the selkie legends with a flavor all its own. A young man sets out on a sea journey of self discovery and finds his unknown father who lives IN the sea... Fans of McKillip, McCaffrey, and McKinley will enjoy this author!
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Drowntide
Sydney J. Van Scyoc
Manufacturer: Berkley Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000LZJ5NC |
Book Description
As anyone knows who has spent time in Napa Valley, Mustard's Grill is an institution in the wine country-the friendly restaurant where locals first started going for a full plate of fabulous food and a glass of Napa's finest. Chef-owner Cindy Pawlcyn, founding chef of San Francisco's original Fog City Diner, put down her roots in Napa over 15 years ago when she brought her midwestern sensibility and flair for reinventing American food to the valley. Ever since then, Mustard's has been affectionately known as the fancy rib joint with way, way too many wines. With its ranch house feel, its roadhouse welcome, mustard fields and vineyards as a backdrop, and a dash of whimsy that defies pretentiousness, Mustard's Grill offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience in the valley. And with over 125 of the restaurant's signature dishes, Pawlcyn's MUSTARD'S GRILL COOKBOOK delivers all the flavor-with none of the fuss-that Napa is famous for.
Amazon.com
"I have always thought of Mustards as a cross between a roadside rib joint and a French country restaurant," writes chef-owner Cindy Pawlcyn, neatly characterizing the culinary pedigree of her famed Napa Valley, California, dining spot. Pawlcyn's Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook, written with Brigid Callinan, offers 150 popular recipes from the restaurant, treats like Slow-Smoked BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Ooo-Eee! Sauce, Wild Mushroom "Burgers" with Apple-Jicama Slaw, and Artichokes with James Beard's Beer Batter and Tarragon Aioli. The recipes can entail a kitchen workout, but they are easy enough to do once the commitment is made. Readers wanting to treat family or guests to sophisticated down-home eating will welcome Pawlcyn's unique repertoire.
In chapters that cover appetizers, soups, and salads, Pawlcyn presents standout recipes like Crab Cakes with Red Beet and Horseradish Rémoulade; Tomato, Basil, and Tortilla Soup; and Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Noodles and Rice Vinegar Cucumbers. Smoker- and grill-derived specialties, including Half-Slab BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Crispy Yams and Coleslaw and Tea-Smoked Duck with 100-Almond Sauce and Ginger Pickled Mango, receive their own seductive space, as do pan and sandwich delights like Louise's Bouillabaisse with Rouille and Ahi Tuna and Shiitake Mini Burgers. Desserts such as Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie and Red Raspberry, White Peach, and Blueberry Cobbler follow in the deluxe-diner spirit of the place and should prove an irresistible finale to any meal. They're further tribute to Pawlcyn's one-of-a kind restaurant and its instantly seductive cooking. --Arthur Boehm
Customer Reviews:
Mustard's Cookbook.......2007-05-13
Love the cookbook and am looking forward to cooking from it right away. Thanks
Fab cookbook -- even if you are a novice!.......2007-02-06
I was given this cookbook for Christmas and was a little intimidated by it. It looks more like a coffee table cookbook at first glance -- something fun to look at and read but too challenging to actually use. However, I have fallen in love with this cookbook!! The Jack Daniel's Pecan Chocolate Cake with chocolate sauce is divine AND easy (and for those who don't eat wheat or gluten, totally flourless). The House-Made Ketchup is extremely good and makes a great bbq sauce (recipe also included). Even though the recipes are not hard, this is no canned-mushroom-soup cookbook. If you're the king (or queen) of fresh and don't mind spending a little time in the kitchen now and then, you might just love it. Kudos to Mustard's for sharing their best.
yummy.......2007-01-09
My mom and I had a chance to eat at the restaurant Oct. 2007. Our experience was positive. I had to try the Mongolian Pork Chops from the reviews I'd read. Every bit as good as people reported. The only thing was that a month after I'd returned home, I was craving it (the whole meal)! I promptly ordered the cookbook. Again, I was impressed. Lots of beautiful pictures. I immediately set about trying the recipe, which not only included the entree, but the side dishes as well. My husband loved it too (he didn't get to experience the meal at the restaurant). I was so pleaseed, also bought the book for my aunt!
Eat at Mustard's Grill! (Or buy the cookbook!).......2003-04-20
When you visit the Napa wine region you must eat at Mustard's Grill. If that is not possible then you should buy Cindy Pawlcyn and Brigid Callinan's cookbook. The recipes for fantastic grilled food, unique side dishes, and incredible desserts found in this book will make you plan your next vacation to northern California. If you like pork you will love her Mongolian pork chops with chinese mustard sauce. Serve it with her mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage for a winning meal reminiscent of the friendly restaurant nestled among Napa's vineyards. Buy this cookbook and you will immediately understand why it won a James Beard award. And I hear that another cookbook is in the works ...
Should have been 5 stars..........2003-02-14
I would recommend this cookbook to those with some experience - this is not a recipe guide, but rather an inspiration source from a chef with well-grounded tastes. The recipes are easy to follow, are not difficult or overly time consuming in preparation, and show culinary flair and wisdom without being trendy for trend's sake. I would describe the dishes as simple food for gourmets. The book's design and photographs are tasteful.
With this praise in mind, I am disappointed in the book's production - unforgivable oversights such as: three prominent photographs throughout the book of what appears to be plates of crispy fried onion rings... but no mention or recipe. Or the recipe for a Salmon Roulade accompanied by eight very clear how-to photos - the photos show skinless salmon, butterflied and pounded, but the recipe calls for fillets with skin on, and no mention of pounding. An edit for future releases would be welcome. My opinion is this would be a logical cookbook for those who appreciate Jaques Pépin's series of books aimed at the aspiring novice, as well as for more experienced cooks who would like some inspiration for higher-end simple food.
Books:
- Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904 (Penguin Classics)
- Lettering in Crazy, Cool, Quirky Style (Klutz)
- Light While There Is Light: An American History (Sun and Moon Classics)
- Little Lord Fauntleroy
- Little Lord Fauntleroy
- Long Time Gone: A Novel of Suspense
- Loyalty in Death (In Death)
- Manor of Death (A Domestic Bliss Mystery)
- Map of Bones
- Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3)
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