Average customer rating:
- Formula Robinson But Still Gripping
- Forensic Science
- Quite readable
- This one is personal
- you call this wordy story a thriller? give me a break
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Close to Home: A Novel of Suspense
Peter Robinson
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 British
| World Literature
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| 18th Century
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| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
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Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
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Robinson, Peter
| ( R )
| Authors, A-Z
| Mystery & Thrillers
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General
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Similar Items:
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Playing with Fire (Alan Banks Series)
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Cold Is the Grave: A Novel of Suspense
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Blood at the Root (An Inspector Banks Mystery)
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In a Dry Season
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Final Account
ASIN: 0060198788
Release Date: 2003-02-04 |
Amazon.com
Having already shown, in 1999's In a Dry Season, that he can plumb historical homicide for gripping modern drama, Peter Robinson goes further in Close to Home, telling parallel stories about teenage boys lost in a grownup world, decades apart. The first is Graham Marshall, a childhood pal of Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, who vanished mysteriously in 1965, the supposed victim of a pedophile. Hearing that Graham's bones have finally been unearthed, Banks quits his vacation in Greece and heads to his hometown of Petersborough, England, hoping to assist the investigation--and, perhaps, assuage his guilt over his friend's fate. Meanwhile, Banks's colleague and ex-lover, Annie Cabbot, is busy probing the recent disappearance of 15-year-old Luke Armitage, the sensitive, brainy son of a rock star who committed suicide during Luke's infancy. After Cabbot catches hell for interrupting what may or may not have been a legitimate ransom payment for Luke's return, she seeks Banks's advice, drawing these two plot lines neatly together.
As this intense and intricately crafted puzzler develops, blending fiction with a bit of fact (the Kray brothers, who ran a criminal ring in London's East End during the mid-20th century, play off-camera roles here), Robinson explores Banks's troubled relationship with his parents, especially his working-class father, who "had never approved of his choice of career." He also raises doubts about a famed copper who'd originally tackled the Marshall case, involves Banks romantically with a damaged detective whose investigative diligence threatens her safety, and shows Cabbot as someone better and stronger than merely Banks's protégé. Working with themes of lost youth and the dark secrets hidden in small towns, Robinson delivers in this 13th Banks novel a police procedural of remarkable human depth. --J. Kingston Pierce
Book Description
Detective Inspector Alan Banks has never forgiven himself for having possibly caused the disappearance and presumed death of his best friend back in the summer of 1965, a pivotal time when both boys stood on the precipice of manhood.
When the tragic bones are shockingly unearthed and identified near Banks's childhood home more than 35 years later, the imagined skeleton in the detective's closet becomes all too real. Plummeted back into a past he thought he'd left behind, Banks is drawn into an investigation that hits dangerously close to home.
Customer Reviews:
Formula Robinson But Still Gripping.......2007-01-23
After you've read several Robinson books you deduce pretty soon who the murderer is -- or, more accurately, who it isn't. Robinson is a journeyman writer and he does a very good job of laying out a fine story before you. His characters are always well-developed and interesting, his settings are always well-described, and he weaves in enough philosophy, poetry, and culture to add lustre to the book but not weigh it down. But, as the plot unfolds, the formula kicks in and there are few surprises. Which is okay -- one does not read English police procedurals for slam-bang excitement and surprises. I really like Robinson's book and Alan Banks is becoming one of my favorite characters. So, as long as Robinson keeps writin' 'em, I'll keep readin' 'em.
Forensic Science.......2006-07-23
This is a double mystery. Alan Banks is on vacation in Greece when he learns of the discovery of the remains of a teenage boy in his home area. One of his friends disappeared over 35 years earlier. He heads home and is drawn into the case. At the same time, another case develops when a teenage boy is missing and he assists his former lover Annie on that case. All is not as it seems for either case. Forensic science is brought into play, examining bones for the older case, and blood for the newer case.
The investigations unearth details for both cases that some people do not want revealed. People's reputations, both past and present are revealed, and some high placed people stand to lose. I will not reveal details as that would give away the ending. I would note that Banks acquires a new love in his life, and we learn a lot about his past including his relationship with his parents.
The novel is British and is written in the King's English, i.e., some terms are different than U.S. usage. There is also a large amount of discussion about music, mainly UK musicians. The author does a lot of name dropping and one gets the impression that he is putting in plugs for his favorites.
Quite readable.......2006-07-11
This book was a pleasure to read even if the mystery, like so many, requires an undiscovered demi-conspiracy between public officials and private obsessions. Robinson's text flows smoothly and his characters are more realistic than most, giving the drama of their lives more weight. In addition, for a male writer, he does an excellent job of characterizing the emotional state of people especially in group dialogue. I would read another from this writer.
This one is personal.......2006-07-05
I have been reading the Inspector Banks series of books in sequence since In A Dry Season. I suspect I will go back and pick up the stories prior to that one later.
In reading the books the way I have been reading them, I have come to know the mai character pretty well, as the author had intended it.
There had been substantial foreshadowing of one of the murders invrestigated in this book. Alan Banks had always brought up the memory of his friend Graham Marshall and his unexpected disappearance in his previous books. Robinson had brought the memory up as an example of Bank's guilt and messy history. It punctuated his complexity as a person and how that complication marks his life so far and his work as a detective. As such, this book should have been the most emotional and cathartic. Instead, it was pretty much business as usual, wich was disappointing but it also underscores the fact that there is really nothing cathartic in police work.
Peter Robinson is an extraordinary writer, or else I never would have read this many books in such a short time. His device of interweaving two separate story lines together would be disastrous in the hands of an amateur, but in Robinson's hands it is as natural as can be. He steers the narrative easily amongst the stories and builds the tempo of the story equally until the two lines comes to a parallel climax. In this book, the climax wasn't a real climax, it was just an ending, an explanation for the crimes. I didn't exactly feel cheated, since I got my enjoyment out of the process of building the case and edging further into the story. The nice moments of charater building was appropriate and it served to pull the reader into the character, made us sit notice of Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot and Jenny Fuller.
One more note, Robinson could have used the same plotting device as In A Dry Season, soince both this story and that one involved going into the past to get at the truth, but he refrained. I think it may have hurt his narative somewhatbut I also think it was pretty brave of him to lay off the same device and stay with this plotting device, just to stay fresh.
In the end, the confrontation with Bank's past was somewhat of a let down. The other story was actually quite engrossing, it did not quite supercede the Graham Marshall story, but it came close. This whole book had the feel of an intermediate step to somewhere else. But coming on the end of Aftermath, it was good to get into a standard whodunnit.
you call this wordy story a thriller? give me a break.......2005-01-15
good writer, but pathetically lengthy and wordy. snail paced story with no climax or surprises at all. read like a nostalgia of an old man's blahblahblah. the author unnecessarily put his own hobby of collecting and listening to old songs into play with the bore-to-death bland story of two murder cases not thrilled in the least. the main character, banks, of this series is just a mediocre copper and actually did not help solving the murder cases but got beaten up and got laid once. and if you could call this a novel of suspense and felt suspended during watching, you definitely never got on a roller-coaster so far in your life. fire your no-brain editor next time and hire one who could slash your original script at least 200 pages, save some papers, save some time waste for the readers. to me, any reviews over 3 stars were just falsely over-rated. this is a novel uninspired, uninteresting, and most of all, too unimportant to give a review.
Customer Reviews:
Tiresome... .......2006-03-09
The story is intriguing and thought out, but Chalker meanders so wildly at times into essays on subjects like sex, women's rights, religion, politics... it is distracting and detracts from the story. The themes of slavery (especially sexual slavery) are almost tastefully handled, but there's so much of it that I became bored.
The climax of the story was abrupt and unsatisfying... I finally slogged through all the chatter and... that was it?
It could have been a really great book if half of it had been edited out. As it was, it was a chore to read.
Damn fine read.......2001-11-22
One of the best story lines I've ever read. Read the entire trilogy three times since they were first released. Too bad you can't get them in hardback set.
Amazing.......2001-06-27
Being the first Chalker book I read, I was quite impressed with it. It's quite tough to put into words. It is a literary masterpiece in line with Bridge on the River Kwai or Ben Hur. The epic scale is extraordinary. Highly recommended.
A New Viewpoint For Me.......2001-01-22
I was only 11 when I first read this book, and I read it in the unitary format, so it was a real challenge for my mind to read. However, once I was about halfway I realized that I just couldn't put it down until I had read the entire thing. This was the first book by Chalker I have ever read, so I think it speaks highly of him as an author and it gave me an entirely new look on my life and the world. The way Chalker presents his worlds is not like anything I have ever read, and it paints such a vivid picture of his world and its problems that it deserves a five-star rating.
Well Worth Picking Up.......2000-11-17
I remember reading the "Changewinds" saga in three books several years back. I've never forgotten the story. The adventures of two young women in alternate universes makes for a compelling read. There are some contovesial elements including sexual identity and the very brutal treatment the girls endure during their journey. But, I do recommend the book. It's one of the few novels I remember describing in detail to a friend
Customer Reviews:
Series started well, ends indifferently.......2002-06-14
_When the Changewinds Blow_ is probably my favorite of the Chalker novels, and overall I tend to like the Changewinds saga better than any of his other series (the Well of Souls possibly excepted). And even this last book shows the clever and realistic feel for politics that made the series so interesting. Unfortunately it gets caught up in the all-too-familiar Chalker flaws-- obsession with body transformations (even to the detriment of the plot), sexual slavery, and the role of women in relation to their body image.
A trilogy let down.......2002-05-07
This is the third book in a trilogy started by Where The Cangewinds Blow. The first book was thrilling to the point that I chased down the next 2 books for 7 years. The second book was decent it kept the story going. The third was a bit of a let down. The books are conected and one must read all three if they have begun. the Author seems to have lost his original train of thought. In the first book he writes like its a thrilling Sci Fi book and the second book just picks up threads where he left it, but the third while continueing the thread seems to become somewhat like a Fable in that it carries with it a moral. In my opinion the moral should have been left out though it mat speak to some teenage girls.
Great climax to a good series.......2001-07-11
Third book of the stunning Changewinds series, a beautiful blend of the typical fantasy world of swords and monsters, and the somewhat modern world, with guns and plumbing and electric lighting. And it's blended so seamlessly that I often wonder what kind of a world it is, modern or fantasy.
The characters Sam and Charley go through even MORE transformations in this book, their physical states altered in odd ways. The climax was brilliant, showing how the two girls' wishes intertwine and weave together into a result that, on the surface, would seem almost ideal, but behind the scenes, in the opinions and minds of the two heroines, has it's own problems, like any change and tiral of life. Great ending, atypical of many fantasy novels I've read.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful start.......2002-05-07
This was a fantastic book that captured my attention when I was a teenager and kept it til I was through reeding all 3 books of the trilogy. Sam and Charlie are best friends in high school and seem to have so much in common, until Sam is thrown into a strange new sci-fi world and she takes charlie with her. Now the two girls have to figure out how they'll ever get home again or if they'll even survive.
Customer Reviews:
A Decent Sequel.......2002-05-07
Riders of the winds is a sequel to Where The Change Winds Blow which I as a teenager found so thrilling I spent 7 years hunting down the next two books. Riders kept the story going and kept my attention but it couln't capture me the way the first book did. The book follows Charlie and Sam into the deasert on separate paths exactlty where the first book left off but the two girls don't meet up again until the third book. If you read the first book you should definatly read all three it is good for light reading, and passing time.
From the author of When the Changewinds Blow.......2001-06-25
Behold the horned demon of the snows...who calls himself Klittlchorn, and schemes to destroy all of Akahlar. With the power of the changewinds, he alone could control the mighty storms that alter man and beast alike.
Beware his evil minions...who search for the beautiful Storm Princess in the Kudaan Wastes, a land teeming with frightful monsters-and Storm riders from the Inner Hells.
Run like the wind...or fight magic with magic. The fate of all the worlds depends on it...
from back cover
Product Description
Set includes: Book One - When The Changewinds Blow - (ISBN# 0441880819) * Book Two -Riders Of The Winds (ISBN# 0441723519) * Book Three - War Of The Maelstrom (ISBN# 0441102689).
Average customer rating:
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When the Changewind Blows
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9992985453 |
Average customer rating:
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When the Changewind Blows
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000I0B3YE |
Book Description
Quantum-Touch is the touch-based healing technique that uses the chi of both practitioner and client, bringing them into harmony to allow the body to heal itself. Quantum-Touch differs from other healing techniques because it does not require long years of study and presents none of the common hurdles of understanding or application; anyone can learn to use it to become a healer, both of others and of self. In this new edition of his best-selling guide, Richard Gordon leads the reader step by step, clearly explaining how to use breathing and body-focusing techniques to raise one's energy levels. Once that is achieved, the healer can correct posture and alignment, reduce pain and inflammation, help balance emotional distress, and even heal pets. Above all, Quantum-Touch can be used in tandem with all other healing modalities, including Western medicine, and its efficacy has been attested to by physicians, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and other healing professionals.
Customer Reviews:
One Minute Hip realignment.......2007-07-31
Richard Gordon writes with such clarity, caring and love, and the drawings and photos are wonderful. This is a superbly helpful book, easy to follow and learn from. After months of seeing a chiropractor with a rotation in my hips, the problem was gone in about two minutes by just following the simple breathing-touch exercise shown in the book for hip alignment. My husband (a "nonbeliever") positioned his hands lightly and breathed energy as I instructed reading from the book, and lo and behold, my hips aligned themselves. No pain, no complicated procedure. Simple and direct, and I am so very thankful! Just that healing alone more than paid for the price of this invaluable book.
This stuff does work.......2007-07-26
I'm just an occasional user of the healing arts. I started out learning w/ Healing Touch from a gifted practitioner who told me about it. When I tried it on my mother, the pains would just radiate into my arms and I'd feel drained after a session. Then I found Quantum Touch and combined therapies. After more than a year later and only several tries, I can now do a session on my mother without the pain or drain associated with it. While watching her vital signs monitor, I saw some normalization in her breathing and heart beat while running energy on her vs. when I stopped running energy.
I also tried the coca cola trick and it does remove the carbonation, but for me, it does take time and concentration. Not bad at all for a newbie who's never done this before.
I only gave it 4 stars because the publication itself had misquoted pages numbers and I had to search for the correct page. Other than that, it's very easy to learn and has made a huge difference when I use it.
Fun stuff. Who knows, maybe I'll make a career out of this.
Almost perefect.......2007-05-19
This book is excellent in covering the basics of Quantum Touch therapy as well as presenting some very valuable tips on how to condcut a healing session properly. These tips are applicable to other healing modalities and not just Quantum Touch. The reason I gave the book four stars is because the exercises lack a more thorough description which makes it somewhat harder to learn on one's own. However, if you are not yet familiar with what Quantum Touch really is and are looking for a solid, down-to-earth, practical and effective healing modality, this is the book to read.
Quantum Touch.......2007-04-05
I stumbled upon this book, it is the teaching book to the course Quantum Touch. It is so easy to read and learn the techniques they are putting forth. If you are interested in hands-on healing this book is a must!
It tells you all about how it works, and case studies. It teaches you very simply how to use the healing energy to help yourself and others.
Helpful information.......2007-03-26
I bought this book along with Energy Medicine and find both very helpful. I work with energy healing and they are both enlightening and useful with my EFT practice.
Product Description
Like sushi? Know a little something about it? Take your knowledge to a higher level with The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi. Author and Japanese-culture expert Dave Lowry provides a wealth of information on the varieties of sushi and its ingredients, with extensive coverage given to all types of fish. He lays out the finer points of etiquette and showcases the proper accompaniments. Lowry's wry, light wit emerges as he shares lots of cultural and historical facts about sushi. He'll tell you just how to go about finding a really good sushi restaurant. With this book in hand, you'll be sure to enhance your sushi dining experience, and wow your friends with your new-found expertise!
Customer Reviews:
Toiltet Paper.......2007-07-14
I checked this book out from the library to see if it was worth buying. Thankfully that's what I did. This book isn't even worth a Fodor's backcover. Totally, Totally worthless. If you like droning verbage buy the book. If you want to learn about Sushi or how to make it move on down the road. In all the years with Amazon this is the first time I have ever given a review less than 3 stars and even that was rare until now. This book is good for carrying in your backpack into the mountains if you need emergency wipe your lower backside paper. Save your money!
What? No photos?.......2007-01-11
The absurdity of doing a book about how to be a sushi snob and then not having ONE SINGLE photo in the book makes this utterly laughable. Ya know - the old - SHOW don't TELL thing. Totally irrelevant because of this.
Good information - maybe?.......2006-07-23
The first thing that strikes me about this book is the gross abuse of metaphor, some of which are quite amusing, but most are either sophmoric or simply tiring. Still the book gives a great overview of the world of sushi. I would not take it as the only authority on the subject, though (you should never take ANY one opinion as the only authority on ANY subject.) Because I'm still something of a sushi neophite, I can't confirm most of what he says but I know that on the subject of salmon he is largely ignorant and biased. I do know salmon fairly well having been born and raised, and still avidly fishing in, the Northwest. I wonder how much the rest of the book is similarly tainted. In fact, I was cruising along happily until I reached the section on sake (shake) and was shocked at how much of what he had to say was simply and definitively untrue. I suppose his predilection for farmed atlantic salmon could be forgiven by his home location far away from any salmon-rearing grounds, but for crying out loud, he's far away from Japan, too! Does this taint his authority on that subject as well? Plus, his derisive dig at environmentalists protesting dams just caps off his bias and lack of authority on the whole subject of pacific salmon, the group of species ALWAYS served out here (Seattle.) Dave, perhaps you should spend a little time out here fishing and tasting. I think you might relish the opportunity to fill in your education on salmon. Anyway, if you assume that salmon is his only blind spot in the world of sushi, this book is an otherwise excellent reference. I hope.
Outstanding and comprehensive.......2005-10-07
Dave Lowry is an incredibly knowledgeable martial artist and prolific author who also happens to be a food critic. This is outstanding book is the logical concatenation of his numerous talents, a true A-to-Z guide to everything you need to know about sushi including what to eat, how to eat it, and what to drink with what you eat. It covers the rice, types of sushi you can obtain, toppings, fillings, condiments, utensils, accompaniments, etiquette, and more. The 300+ pages are packed with interesting and useful information to keep you from embarrassing yourself and make your dining experience more enjoyable. The "watch for," "trivia," and "ask the itamae" call-outs are really neat features.
The book is broken into three parts. Part one covers everything about the sushi itself including rice, nigiri sushi (hand-pressed), maki sushi (wrapped or rolled), chirashi sushi (scattered), oshi sushi (pressed), tane (toppings), gu (fillings), and nori (seaweed). Part two is an in-depth primer of the various types of fish used for sushi. Part three explains the practice and etiquette of eating sushi, including condiments, drinks, utensils, accoutrements and furnishings, the itamae (sushi chef), and sushi ritual.
The only bad thing about this otherwise outstanding book is that it has no pictures. I'm still giving it five stars because the content is so good, but it would have been even better with color photos of the various types of fish and pictures or drawings of the other items he refers to that many readers will not be familiar with. Regardless, as with all of Lowry's books it is comprehensive, easy to read, filled with interesting vignettes, and very useful. I was first introduced to sushi (and sashimi) at a judo tournament in 1972, yet I learned a lot I did not already know in this fine tome. If you are into sushi you've got to buy this book!
Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction
Books:
- Cold Hit (A Shane Scully Novel)
- Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s: The Postman Always Rings Twice / They Shoot Horses, Don't They? / Thieves Like Us / The Big Clock / Nightmare ... / I Married a Dead Man (Library of America)
- Dark Eye: A Novel of Suspense
- Darker Than Amber (Travis McGee Mysteries)
- Dead North: An Alaska Mystery
- Deadman's Poker: A Novel
- Delete All Suspects (A Turing Hopper Mystery)
- Dove in the Window (Benni Harper Mystery)
- Entombed: A Novel (Alexandra Cooper Mysteries)
- Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs : The Powerful Principle of the Three Chairs
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