A Dose of Murder (Pauline Sokol Mysteries)

Book Description

This completely delightful and funny debut of a promising new mass market mystery series features a sassy 30–something ex–nurse turned medical insurance fraud investigator.

Nurse Pauline Sokol has overdosed on sneezing, coughing, and chasing around little munchkins with tongue depressors. To salvage her sanity, Pauline must find a new line of work䠮d fast! Unfortunately, there's no time to find her true calling since rent is due, so she follows a hot job tip. Soon she is interviewing with the smarmy head of a medical insurance fraud investigation firm. Hired on the spot, with no qualifications except for her ability to impress the boss with her inspiring legs, she is thrown in headfirst with no clue about the biz. Pauline soon realizes that she can use her nursing skills to solve her first case, and with the help of hunky and mysterious fellow investigator Jagger, she learns the ropes––and the fact that this job is more dangerous than she ever imagined! But with the help of Goldie (the 6 foot tall transvestite with a heart of gold), Jagger, and her completely whacky, but totally loveable Polish family, Pauline discovers the tricks of the trade. And as she hits just about every bump in the road along the way, laughs and chaos ensue even as the investigation leads straight to murder!

Customer Reviews:

Stephanie Plum slums............2007-10-08

I searched the reviews and was glad to see someone put into words exactly what I was thinking the whole time I read this book. The whole story read like a Plum imitation from dinner at the parents house to the mysterious stranger/perfect man! I don't know how Ms. Avocato gets away with publishing a book that she hardly had to write!

A Stephanie Plum wannabe.......2007-08-23

Although Sokol attempts to develop a comedic character, I felt it was a POOR imitation of Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum". She even has a "mysterious, handsome man" (hmmm.. Ranger?), it just isn't working. Her characters are not well-developed, as well as the plot. Sure, there are some funny moments in the book, but all in all, I was not impressed. I will give her another try since this is her first book.

Not a Stephanie Plum knock-off..........2007-08-06

This was my first Lori Avocato book and I will definitely read more. Unlike a lot of other reviewers, I didn't think this was a Stephanie Plum knock-off at all. I really enjoyed it and though it was a great start to a new series. Unlike Plum, the main character isn't quite as cartoonish or as accident prone, but obviously inept to her new career choice. Goldie, the secondary character, was by far my favorite and I cracked up every time she would tone-out everything around her to a point people were asking if she was on drugs. A fun read.

Entertaining and Fun.......2007-01-12

An interesting, amusing book with well-developed, likable characters. Pauline is looking for a new career and switches from nursing to medical insurance fraud investigation. In the process, she encounters some interesting personalities, among them her roommate Miles and his friend Goldie, as well as two attractive men. Pauline begins to learn her new trade but not without mishap - there are several humorous incidents. I liked this book well enough to start right in on the second when I finished it. If you like the Janet Evanovitch Plum series, you will enjoy this book as well. It is well-written, quick-paced and fun and gives you enough insight into the characters to make them seem real.

"Ack".......2006-09-13

Too many similarities to a Stephanie Plum book for me to get past and enjoy this book. Maybe,if I had never read the Stephanie Plum series...maybe, if Pauline didn't say "Ack" so much...maybe, if Pauline wasn't so dumb...then maybe, just maybe I would have given it 3 stars. The story is ok. It's just too close to something that is much better to deserve much interest from me.

A Small Dose of Murder (Ridgeline Mystery Series #2)

Average customer rating:

A Pretty Good Book, but a little too slow
Lurid Christian Murder

A Small Dose of Murder (Ridgeline Mystery Series #2)
Alton Gansky
Manufacturer: Chariot Victor Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Medical | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Mystery | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1564766799

Book Description

Two patients dead.

Coincidence?

Malpractice?

Or Murder?

When two of Dr. Gates McClure's patients die in quick succession, she's concerned. When she sees the autopsy reports, she's baffled. These people should not have died as they did. When one patient's widow and the news media blame Gates for the deaths, she's angry.

As Gates struggles to understand what killed her patients, what she missed in their diagnosis, she becomes the target of someone's hate. Is she the intended victim? Why would someone try to ruin her reputation and run off her patients? Her faith in God has seen her through adversity before. Now she need His help to find answers before someone else dies unnecessarily.

Alton Gansky uses today's cutting-edge bioresearch headlines to fashion another exciting Ridgeline Mystery, following Marked for Mercy, the first book in the series. Alton brings an eclectic background to his writing, having worked in such fields as accounting, advertising, and architecture. Today he is senior pastor of High Desert Baptist Church in Phelan, California where he lives with in wife and three children. This is his sixth novel.

Customer Reviews:

A Pretty Good Book, but a little too slow.......2002-02-19

Not being a doctor, it would be hard to know what it would be like to lose 2 patients under these abnormal circumstances. Then to be sued for what appears to be a blown diagnosis. Doc McClure has the dubious task of trying to prove her innocence. Being threatened the way she was would be nerve racking for anyone who is in her position. I thought the book was too slow. Even the ending wasn't that good.

I like mysteries that have a lot of twist an turns, and unfortunately, this book didn't have it. I have read other books from Alton Gansky that I have enjoyed; this is not one of his best.

Lurid Christian Murder.......1999-10-25

Not many books in the Lurid Christian Murder category. This one has well-fleshed-out characters, believable dialog, a murderous car chase, genetically altered toxins, and a surprisingly involved and well-prepared plot. I'm hooked on this series. MORE. One thing... why doesn't the publisher put the captivatingly ghastly cover on Amazon?

Average customer rating:

A Dose of Murder
Patrick A. Lennon
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1413722075

Book Description

Fun read and romp through Key West and Caracas with a detective in hot pursuit of a dastardly doctor—and women along the way. Hard-boiled police detective Matt O'Grady plays against internal politics and international extradition to get his man. The plot wraps up where it might have been seen to be going, but with a number of the players in very different places from where they began. Pleasurable and pictorial story for lovers of detective fiction. And Matt O'Grady's got legs—we could see him back again for more.

Average customer rating:

A Double Dose of Murder
Mary Aldrin
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 059536019X

Book Description

I love it. Ms. Aldrin has done an excellent job… This novel is pure P.I. genre.
—Tom Lipinski, Shamus Award winner

The characters are very realistic…the story is well-written and well-paced with vivid scenes…
—Patrick Picciarelli, author of Bloodshot Eyes

In this soft-boiled mystery, a wealthy financier is murdered, and Nora Pearl, homicide detective turned P.I., gets the opportunity to match wits with two rivals. Mavens, the lead police detective, has always been hostile toward her. Marty, Nora's unfaithful and soon to be ex-husband, was promoted over her, many say unfairly, to C.O. of Homicide. Mavens and Marty's prime suspect is the victim's wife. She hires Nora to investigate, and Nora jumps at the chance to prove herself the better man, so to speak.

Everyone has a motive—the brother who wants a bigger part of the family business, the ex-wife and former screen star whose income can't support her lifestyle, the drug addicted son who may not actually be the victim's son, the mistress who is all sexuality and ruthless ambition. Or could Mavens and Marty be right? As Nora delves into the case, she begins to fear her client might actually be the murderer.

Download Description

I love it. Ms. Aldrin has done an excellent job. This novel is pure P.I. genre.
-Tom Lipinski, Shamus Award winner

The characters are very realistic.the story is well-written and well-paced with vivid scenes.
-Patrick Picciarelli, author of Bloodshot Eyes

Everyone has a motive-the brother who wants a bigger part of the family business, the ex-wife and former screen star whose income can't support her lifestyle, the drug addicted son who may not actually be the victim's son, the mistress who is all sexuality and ruthless ambition. Or could Mavens and Marty be right? As Nora delves into the case, she begins to fear her client might actually be the murderer.

Average customer rating:
A Dose of Murder (Pauline Sokol Mysteries)
Lori Avocato
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEZV7E

Average customer rating:
A Lethal Dose of Murder
David Evans
Manufacturer: Tusitala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0953334147

Customer Reviews:

The Unespected Dragon.......2004-04-14

My Mother got me this book for christmas, the only reason being i love dragons, but hated to read. but i finally did read it and found it very enjoyable. so much i have read it three times, over a couple years. "my mother was the village whore" is what caught my attention from the beginning, and yes it can be quite a depressing book, you just want everything to work out for summer in the end, but tragically & with a twist you find that no to be the case, i was a little dissapointed with Dragonne's Eg. it was a bit confusing at first and i kinda lost interest. but it has its moments as well, i still love this book and will continue to read it, and recomend it to anyone who is interested in a Fantasy/romance/adventurous type of book

A Miserable Let-Down of a Book.......2002-04-19

I bought The Unexpected Dragon, a hardbound copy with all three books (Pigs Don't Fly, Master of Many Treasures, and Dragonne's Eg) included. After finishing Pigs Don't Fly, I thought, well, maybe since now she's in love with the dragon she'll find her happy ending. Don't expect it. Mary Brown maintains a fatalistic viewpoint on everything and she has a heroine who, when faced with a really bad situation, can't do anything about it. Summer couldn't expose the fact that the king slept with her beloved knight's fiancee in the first one, so of course she can't get rid of the annoying boy who destroys her love utterly in the second book.

If you're looking for a miserable depressing book, read this series! That'll get you down in the dumps in no time.

I read for pleasure, no other reason........2001-05-06

Mary Brown does in this book, exactly what an author is supposed to do, she took me out of my mundane world, allowed me to forget my aches and pains, and captured my imagination.

All through the book she led me to beleive that the story's climax would not be the standard "happily ever after", yet she was not so heavy handed that I was allowed to anticipate the true ending. The ending was a surprize! I enjoyed this book.

A Little Unnecessary.......2000-08-10

I liked "Pigs Don't Fly" and was excited when I saw the sequel at the store, but after reading it, I'm a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think it was bad, but I was a little let down. The plot is pretty much the same as the other two books of Mary Brown's that I've read. I've enjoyed them all but I would like to see something besides "heroine on a quest with several animals that she can talk to." This particular novel is about Summer's continued quest to find her only love, Jasper, who is a dragon. But he's not a dragon all the time. Because she kissed him three times, he must spend three months a year in human form. Summer is accompanied by her loyal dog, Growch, who is frank, uncouth, and lovable, and also by a dancing bear that she rescued, a thief that is convinced she's after treasure, a ten-year-old slave (also rescued), and a magical creature created by Buddha. While this book is almost but not entirely like it's predecessor, it's still an interesting story in and of itself.

Very good sequel to "Pigs Don't Fly".......2000-04-09

This was a good sequel to the 1st book, but i think Ms. Brownshould have stopped there. The ending was a bit disappointing. Forone it was difficult to understand, and for two there was another thing but i don't want to tell all you eager readers and spoil the ending. Overall a good book to read, very entertaining! END

The Unexpected Dragon Trilogy (Pigs Don't Fly, Master of Many Treasures, and Dragonne's Eg)

Average customer rating:

Great Dragon Adventures!
A book doesn't need a perfect HAPPY ending to be great
Such a disappointment!!!
Growch...

The Unexpected Dragon Trilogy (Pigs Don't Fly, Master of Many Treasures, and Dragonne's Eg)

Manufacturer: SFBC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0739405837

Customer Reviews:

Great Dragon Adventures!.......2006-08-18

My husband is into fantasy reading, I'm not. However, I picked his new book one night to read (this one) & couldn't put it down! Three related, wonderful stories about female heroines & mystical creatures/magic. Couldn't put the book down, wanted to know what was going to happen next! Thoroughly enjoyed all three adventure stories!

Female, age (55)

A book doesn't need a perfect HAPPY ending to be great.......2006-06-28

I completly adore this book! it is my favorite and i have read it many times. The characters are easy to relate to. The ending of summers part in the story is sad yes BUT any book that can actualy make me cry is worth the read. And all is not lost, the characters do live on and do have a happy ending it just doesn't come right out and tell you "they skiped of into the sunset togeth holding hands Tra la la" It lets you pick up little hints to what happened and almost lets you chose the ending yourself without leting you feel empty..unless you fail to notice the small hints as to what happens. Oh and the book is about a yong girl who is the daughter of the town whore and as so hated,she choses to set out into the world with what little she has. This book has all the basics of a fantasy novel, referances to unicorns,A night in shining armour, Dragons, and evil forces with a delightful twist. With all the small plots within the overall polt the story never gets boring and it is dificult to pull your nose out of it, Just what i look for in a book! I hate books that only fallow the main plot and end to soon...but do not worry the book will not confuse you between stories, the main focus is alwasy present and clear.

I really hope this review helped! So do yourself a favor and pick up this wonderful book!

Such a disappointment!!!.......2006-04-03

I read this book as the full trilogy "The Unexpected Dragon" After "Pigs don't fly" it all went downhill from there. Don't get used to the character's in the story as they won't last for very long accept for her beloved dog poor old Growch who also was shamefully given and anti-climactic ending after all he endured. I actually burst into tears at the ending out of the utter dissapointment and was half inclined to fling the book across the room and half enclined to toss it in the fireplace!! The heroes finally reach there destination thousands of miles and numerous near death instances and are crossing the threshold of their rewards for all they had been through and at the height of their happiness are burned to death because some idiot the heroine was too dumb to let die or get rid of finishes them off!!! the killer then lives a long life and dies saying ha! I got them! The beloved main characters and their love are gone (this is not the ending it gets worse) It does not tell you what happens to the dragon black Jasper and after being introduced to a whole new set of characters in the end which the author expects you to get attached to it still leaves the ending open and left me with the disgusting sense of being cheated and an idiot for investing my time and emotion into reading the whole 852 pages of it! If you want to end up feeling sadness, hurt, betrayal and dissapointment this book is for you. I wish I could tell the author what I really felt about this book with all it's pompous acknowledgments! She should have spent more time around people willing to tell her the truth about her book- IT WAS AWEFUL!!! My only solace was writting this review to spare others the sadness, don't judge this book by it's beautiful cover!

Growch..........2005-12-24

I'm still reading this book but am enjoying it greatly! The characters are wonderful and I think that the main character is realistic....she feels she is fat and ugly (admit it...we all think that some times) so far this is what I've read....
Sumerdai's mother is the village whore. When Summer;s mother dies she is thrown out into the world seeking a husband. Unwittingly she puts on her fathers ring (wich she later finds out is made from the horn of a unicorn and gives her the ability to talk to animals) Summer rescues a blind knight that has lost his memory, a shabby dog that is very...well you'll see for yourself..., a horse that is a princess in her land, a turtle, a bird, a so called "flying pig"...and thats about as far as I have gotten...anyways even though I have not fully read the book (I probably shouldn't be making this reveiew at this time but since no one else has....) I still think that people will enjoy it!!

Average customer rating:

Master of Many Treasures
Mary Brown
Manufacturer: Baen Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K6INSU

Customer Reviews:

Ignore the title, please.......2007-04-03

Even for Doctor Who, that's a pretty ridiculous title. It's goofy to the point of being extreme, which may have been the intent of the writers, since it contrasts quite weirdly with the actual contents of the book itself. The early 1970s stories were marked by a Earth-centric focus (partially due to budgetary considerations) and revolved around the UNIT organization and the cast that went along with that crew, as they and the Doctor fought alien invasions nearly every week. While it probably shouldn't be what the show is like all the time, it was fun while it lasted and many fans do fondly remember that era. This book attempts to bring it back and add an extra layer of seriousness to it. It's a Third Doctor story and takes place at the end of the seventh season, so Liz Shaw is still on board. What starts out as a rather conventional "aliens are landing" story winds up becoming something more interesting as the novel develops, as the writers decide to focus more on the espionage aspect of the decade, as UNIT is suddenly besieged by a spy and a conspiracy that appears to go all the way up to the top of the hierarchy. Thus while you have scenes where aliens come down and apparently kill people as part of some bizarre plan, after a while it starts to take a backseat to all the international politics that are winging around, with the Russian version of UNIT appearing to try and kidnap the Doctor, with the Brigadier trying to manuever and manipulate his way to the top in an effort to figure out who the heck has it out for him, while the rest of the cast scrambles around just to stay alive. It makes for oddly tense reading, with a weirdly fatalistic sense of resignation hanging over the proceedings, as people like Benton and the Brigadier almost actively questioning what it means to be a soldier and kill people for their country, often in cold blood. The Doctor is characterized well, by turns arrogant and preening, as well as undoubtably brilliant and moral. Liz Shaw is also handled well, an intellectual match for the Doctor who is questioning her involvement with UNIT even as she likes working around the Doctor (as much as he frustrates her), but by the same token she does not really enjoy the blood and horror that seem to come with working for UNIT, an aspecpt she really can't get used to. The plot does eventually seem to involve the aforementioned Devil Goblins and they do have a plan but it is almost extraneous and it's when the plot does seem to focus on them that the plot seems to lag, with the climatic scenes lacking just a little bit of logic and the solution coming really way out from left field. But it just reminds you how well the rest of the story is told and while it won't convince you it's a replacement for the latest Tom Clancy novel, it's a surprisingly mature and realistic tone for a Past Doctor Adventure, evoking the era while at the same time updating it ever so slightly for contemporary readers.

Stupid title, good story........2005-10-04

This is a great who novel with the third doctor. It really flushes out a lot of Unit history and helps to understand unit's place in the bigger international picture. Russian Unit includes a great women charecter and Liz and the Doctor are written in such a way that I could hear them speaking the dialogue. As usual with Who novels, I felt the ending was just thrown togetheras an after thought, but I have come to expect that. A great page turner, this reads like Terrance Dicks better books, but with the introspection of Mark Gaitiss. Try this novel and you will be happy.

Best Elements of the 3rd Doctor.......2002-08-23

An exciting and intriguing plot told with dialogue and characterizations that ring true to all the beloved early Pertwee years Dr. Who characters: Liz Shaw, Yates, Benton and Lethbridge-Stewart. Pertwee's Doctor was always concerned with social issues that blended into adult plotlines without ever overshadowing the story and characters. Like Pertwee TV stories, this book mixes scifi, espionage, and a taste of horror (which was later exploited fully in the Baker years) and delivers all of these elements with style and vigorous pacing that never allows any single element or character to get in the way of an exciting tale. It is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. Like the early Pertwee stories, it offers a satisfying plot, fully-developed characters and the same sense or reality that made the first seasons of the third Doctor seem so relevant.

Much better than the title suggests.......2000-11-02

This third Doctor novel, set between seasons seven and eight of the TV series, has got to have one of the hokiest names ever forced upon the reading public. But don't judge a book by its title.

An alien object breaks up when entering Earth's atmosphere, and you know that means we're in for alien visitors. The matter is duly reported to the Doctor, but he is having problems of his own. Someone is trying to kidnap him...

This story contains some globe-spanning intrigue as well as a new menace from beyond Earth (from Triton, one of the moons of Neptune, to be precise - the hokey name had to come from somewhere...), and, following on from the more "adult" tone of season seven, UNIT is not the happy family you might have expected from season eight.

A decent read, with quite a few plot twists which may surprise you.

Not too bad at all.......1999-02-25

Wish I could say more than "not bad", and the truth is it ISN'T a bad book, but it isn't quite the Doctor Who we're used to. It almost feels as if Ian Fleming or Ken Follet contributed to this book, lots of "spy stuff" and policital intrigue. It's good to see UNIT back, with Lethbridge- Stewart, Yates, and Benton, but it's all a bit strange, Key to the story are an American spy who infiltrates UNIT for information, leaving a trail of bodies and destruction behind him; and Russian guerillas determined to abduct the Doctor to solve their problems of a mysterious mine in the tundra, from which no human investigators return. Meanwhile, the Doctor is being jumped upon and nibbled on by--you guessed it--Devil Goblins from Neptune. There's a bit too much Spy VS Spy-type activity, and not enough of the Doctor, who seems to be unconscious through quite a bit of the book. Once or twice I began to wonder if the author had forgotten the Doctor altogether. It picks up towards the end when the Doctor becomes more active and prepares to avert a nuclear attack by the Devil Goblins. If you find it a bit hard to start on, as I did, I recommend you keep going, the pace changes frequently enough to keep you interested and hanging on, but not so quickly that you can't keep track of what's happening. I was pleasantly surprised with a book I thought I would end up laying aside, and thoroughly enjoyed as it went on.

Book Description

Emile Peynaud's Le Goût du Vin has long been considered the definitive book on winetasting by professional tasters. Now, this new English language second edition makes his timeless classic truly accessible to a new generation of American readers.

The Taste of Wine is Peynaud's complete examination of the science and practice of winetasting, with detailed treatment of the senses and how they function, tasting techniques and problems, wine balance and quality, winetasting vocabulary, training, and the art of drinking. A brilliant synthesis of the Bordeaux and Burgundy/Beaujolais schools of tasting, Peynaud's unique method combines the subjective description of wine with well-established scientific principles—forming an approach which is definitive, comprehensive, and free of esoteric jargon.

With a foreword by Michael Broadbent, this edition features Michael Schuster's excellent translation, which retains all of the wit and sparkle of the original while remaining faithful to Peynaud's precise vocabulary. The text is beautifully complemented by a carefully selected range of illustrations and full-color photographs, which give full expression to the principles and spirit of the book.

As vital to increasing our understanding of winetasting as it is to enhancing our appreciation of wine, The Taste of Wine will be savored by professionals and amateurs for generations to come.

This English translation of Emile Peynaud's Le Goût du Vin brings a new edition of this classic French work to an American audience for the first time. Erudite yet accessible, as beautifully written as it is scientifically documented, The Taste of Wine is, quite simply, the complete guide to the science and practice of winetasting. Covering all of the essential elements of the subject, from the physiology and experience of the senses to tasting techniques, vocabulary, training, and quality assessment, Peynaud's singular approach is a masterful combination of the empirical and statistical styles of winetasting—a blend as distinctive and enduring as wine itself.

Whether you are an oenologist, wine producer, wine merchant, restaurateur, or informed consumer, The Taste of Wine is now yours to enjoy . . .

Customer Reviews:

One of the Greats!.......2007-03-27

For those who really want to get into wine on a deeper level, Emile Peynaud is truly one of the great writers and teachers of wine. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to really "get it"!

A text for thos ewho wish to understand wine.......2005-08-29

This is a book for those who wish to enhance their wine tasting ability. The text provides the reader with in-depth knowledge about the theory which really help unravel behind the "mysteries" of wine tasting. It is not about finding out aromas in a wine glass. It's much more. It's about penetrating in the soul of wine and building ability to distinguish it!

A SECOND EDITION? I THINK NOT.......1997-01-21

First of all, this is the essential text for anybody serious in developing the skills and the vocabulary to discuss the taste components of wine. Solid reference books on the subject of wine do not come along every year. Last year two titles by Remington Norman (Rhone Renaissance and his second edition of Great Domaines of Burgundy) could be added to that pantheon. But for every serious book like Emile Peynaud's or Remington Norman's, there are dozens regurgitating reviews on a 100 point scale from trade publications. A second edition of this classic text could have been a special event, but instead John Wiley & Sons chose to add a couple of paragraphs of new text and repackage it as a new edition. How could one possibly improve upon the original seminal work? We do not know because this effort seems to have been knocked off in a lazy afternoon. I read most of both and found whole chapters left intact. A true second edition may have incorporated photos (more than the four included) such as those found in the original French Le Gout du Vin. But until then the first English translation is still in print (ISBN0-932664-64-4) at a better price $39.95 vs. $54.95. This is an amazing book, but its new format is a bit disingenuous. Michael Stratton wineguild@aol.co

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