Book Description
A decade before her dazzling breakthrough novel, The Birth of Venus, author Sarah Dunant won Britain's prestigious Silver Dagger award for Fatlands, a Hannah Wolfe mystery.
In Fatlands, private investigator Hannah Wolfe, who's independent though not invincible, idealistic but definitely not naive, has taken on one of the less glamorous jobs in the security world -- chaperoning teenage rebel Mattie Shepherd around London. But Mattie's father is paying Hannah lots of money -- more than the job is worth, it seems. Or perhaps not. The girl's father is on the Animal Liberation Front's hit list. But why? When violence explodes, tearing the family apart, this is what Hannah must discover. Her obsession with the truth nearly kills her, wrecking her private life and dragging her into a vortex of lies and betrayal.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful female detective.......2006-08-19
You will want to read all three mysteries featuring Hannah Wolfe, a hip, intelligent young London private investigator. They are very well written and very up-to-date, not at all stodgey. In "Fatlands" Hannah is not happy about some demeaning jobs she gets through the detective agency, such as babysitting the wives of mideastern oil princes while they shop at Harrod's. When she has to escort a young girl named Mattie, the boring job becomes a big case leading Hannah to investigate strange happenings in the modern scientific hog raising industry. You won't be eating bacon or ham for a while after reading this mystery. Full of danger, romance, and a very original plot, this is a very exciting mystery, and you will just love Hannah Wolfe.
Edgy Investigator.......2005-09-29
Hannah Wolfe is an irreverent soul with a caring side that gets her into trouble as a simple assignment gets complicated.
It's amazing that the author is so good at creating many wonderful characters and so many different types of books. Read her Birth of Venus as well as Mapping the Edge.All of her main characters are gutsy women that are great fun to know.
A great, female detective in London.......2000-08-25
I love this series. I am primarily a mystery reader, and this is a series for those of you who are looking for something new must try. Hannah Wolfe is tough yet feminine and real. This is a great series for those who enjoy a good mystery that is not too cosy or hard boiled. Hannah is sort of a free-lance detective in London, but she travels all over. She is human but never a pathetic victim. Unlike many mystery authors today, Dunant never lets the stories get too dark in order to seem real. This is the second in the series with the first being Birth Marks. I recommend this series for those who might also like Anna Lee from Liza Cody. Hannah matures with each new installment and I'm waiting for the fourth.
Crime fiction at its best!.......2000-03-26
Private detective Hannah Wolfe is not too pleased with her newest job -- chaperoning rebellious teenager Mattie Shepherd around London for a day. Mattie was supposed to spend the day with her father, a scientist and workaholic who calls Hannah to babysit so he can finish up some work. Mattie resents her father for deserting her, and takes her feelings out on Hannah. Their day is already off to a bad start when Mattie is killed by a bomb that has been planted in her father's car. Who's the culprit? Animal rights activists, Mattie's boyfriend, or someone else entirely? It's up to Hannah to deal with her own feelings of guilt over Mattie's death and then to find Mattie's murderer. What at first seems to be a deceptively simple case turns out to be a much larger puzzle. Sarah Dunant's writing is crisp and clear. Her protagonist, Hannah Wolfe, is witty and liberal. Her definite attitude enlivens the story, making Fatlands a highly readable, and highly recommended, book.
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Fatlands: A Hannah Wolfe Crime Novel
Sarah Dunant
Manufacturer: Wheeler Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Literature & Fiction
| Large Print
| Formats
| Books
Mystery & Thrillers
| Large Print
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: 1587248506 |
Book Description
A New York Times Bestselling Author
A Silver Dagger Award Winner
Private investigator Hannah Wolfe has taken on one of the less glamorous jobs in the security world - chaperoning teenage rebel Maggie Shepherd around London. But Maggie's father is paying Hannah more than the job is worth, it seems. Or perhaps not. He's on the Animal Liberation Front's hit list. But why? When violence explodes, this is what Hannah must discover.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable Prequel to dread empire trilogy.......2006-07-31
This book traces the origins of some of the primary characters from the dread empire trilogy, as well as the early story of El Murid and how he founded his empire. Origin-stories of Haroun bin Yousif (who got almost no page-time in the original stories) and bragi ragnarson are covered as well. The story clearly is describing the rise of islam, possibly in the context of the 7th century founding of islam.
this and the follow-up story are well worth reading on their own though having read the prior novels is a good idea.
A dessert adventure in the world of the "Dread Empire".......2000-03-31
The Fire in His Hands is set in Cook's Dread Empire millieu and provides some of the early back story for that series. It tells details the meeting Bragi and Haroun, and of their encounters with the prophet El Murid.
The book is a must read for those who have enjoyed the Dread Empire series, but it also stands alone a an entertaining novel. The rise of El Murid has obvious overtones of the historicla Islamic expansion, and Cook provides a fast-paced, enjoyable book which manages to pull together political intrigue, religious fanaticism and military conflict and turn them into a pleasant diversion. Cook has a fine talent for breathing life into characters, and he puts it to good use here.
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Fire in His Hand
Manufacturer: Gold Medal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000AVOKKA |
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Fire in His Hand
J.C. Sheers
Manufacturer: Fawcett Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UY0XNK |
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Fire in His Hand
J.C. Sheers
Manufacturer: Fawcett Gold Medal Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KE3ZJE |
Amazon.com
Avoiding hyperbole while writing about a possible medical catastrophe is no easy task, but David Kirby has created a fine balance of investigative and personal detail in Evidence of Harm. Combining stories from the parents of autistic children with reports, speeches and studies from researchers, pediatricians and government officials, he creates a picture that is as terrifying as anything dreamed up by Hitchcock.
The topic at hand is determining whether high levels of organic mercury present in an inexpensive preservative used in vaccinations can cause either autism or autism-like symptoms. Kirby's in a delicate position, searching for the truth between frantic parents (he focuses on the founders of political action group Safe Mind) and the self-protective pharmaceutical industry (the author thanks the nameless person who placed a pro-Eli Lilly litigation rider into the Homeland Security Act of 2002). He's also honest enough of a reporter to admit to the temptation of deciding mercury is the culprit behind a range of disorders, even in light of some inconclusive test results. The ultimate truth isn't clear, and Kirby is direct about each of the reasons his sources have for their biased opinions.
While some of the straight research reports will likely to go over the head of anyone not well versed in the terminology, the book is never dull--there is a continual urgency in the material that resists pedantry. However undecided the experts, readers will likely land firmly in one angry camp or the other. Jill Lightner
Book Description
In the 1990s reported autism cases among American children began spiking, from about 1 in 10,000 in 1987 to a shocking 1 in 166 today. This trend coincided with the addition of several new shots to the nation's already crowded vaccination schedule, grouped together and given soon after birth or in the early months of infancy. Most of these shots contained a little-known preservative called thimerosal, which includes a quantity of the toxin mercury. Evidence of Harm explores the heated controversy over what many parents, physicians, public officials, and educators have called an "epidemic" of afflicted children. Following several families, David Kirby traces their struggle to understand how and why their once-healthy kids rapidly descended into silence or disturbed behavior, often accompanied by severe physical illness. Alarmed by the levels of mercury in the vaccine schedule, these families sought answers from their doctors, from science, from pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines, and finally from the Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration-to no avail. But as they dug deeper, the families also found powerful allies in Congress and in the small community of physicians and researchers who believe that the rise of autism and other disorders is linked to toxic levels of mercury that accumulate in the systems of some children. An important and troubling book, Evidence of Harm reveals both the public and unsung obstacles faced by desperate families who have been opposed by the combined power of the federal government, health agencies, and pharmaceutical giants. From closed meetings of the FDA, CDC, and drug companies, to the mysterious rider inserted into the 2002 Homeland Security Bill that would bar thimerosal litigation, to open hearings held by Congress, this book shows a medical establishment determined to deny "evidence of harm" that might be connected with thimerosal and mercury in vaccines. In the end, as research is beginning to demonstrate, the questions raised by these families have significant implications for all children, and for those entrusted to oversee our national health.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Read.......2007-09-08
All of us will be effected to some degree or another by this public health catastrophe. The carnage will continue to unfold as thousands upon thousands of these casualties grow into adult body's. What will become of these kids and how will they cope?
A trusting populace allowed a generation of kids to be poisoned. If only Dwight D Eisenhower would have warned us about the Pharmaceutical companies! This book will convince you to question authority! No shots, No school, No Kidding! Who are these people? Many thanks to David Kirby for exposing the truth about what happened.
Dynamic Reporting on a Neglected Issue.......2007-04-06
This book is required reading for anyone who is concerned about the health of children all over the world. It is a comprehensive story of the crusading efforts of parents whose children were disabled after receiving required immunizations containing thimerosal, a toxic mercury substance. While battling overwhelming barriers imposed by both private and public interests, these parents succeeded to finally gain preventive action, although much irreparable damage has already been done to thousands of children. The research is exhaustive. This is a battle that must continue if we value the health of our children.
A good step forward.......2007-02-24
Thank you Mr.Kirby for being brave enough to write about this subject.
Recognizing vaccines as an important trigger for autism is going to be like recognizing the problem of global warming. we are finally starting to admit that we are causing the problem. So, are vaccines.
Do you believe everything you hear?.......2007-01-21
Anyone can write a book like this claiming to be based on extensive research and fact, but often books like this come out completely biased. Signs of autism usually surface at about 1-2 years of age and at about the time that many vaccines are being given. Medical records have shown that the increase in autism falls several years after the use of thimerosol being stopped, therefore the children in the group of increased incidence were not even born early enough to have received the thimerosol laced vaccines. By the way, that would be medical records in countries not including the U.S., because yes thimerosol is still used in vaccines in the states. Although, research has also shown that the levels of mercury in the vaccines are well within the safety limits. I would hope that anyone getting all riled up over this book would not limit their knowledge of the subject to this one text. If its going to cause you to go on a crusade, please educate yourself completely and not just regergitate the first thing you hear about a subject. It will only lead to more ignorance, which this world is in no need of.
horrible inaccurate misleading book.......2007-01-17
Kirby has so many factual errors in this book that it's scary. He says that Asperger's syndrome is what used to be called "idiot savantism." How anyone could make an error like that is astonishing, it's so far from the truth. He says mercury is the second most toxic substance on earth. it's not, not at all. This book promotes a very narrow and very ugly view of autism and has been very damaging to the lives of autistic people, in my opinion.
Book Description
Variously regarded as a sacred, religious drink, inebriant, and even the work of the Devil, wine has always been much more than a commodity. From its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to its present incarnation as a vast, multinational business, wine has consistently generated passions that verge on mania.In A Short History of Wine, Rod Phillips sets out to tell the story of wine in the Western world with all its grandeurs and miseries. Packed with fascinating stories, unexpected insights, and the myriad tricks of the trade, A Short History of Wine is an essential book for anyone who treats wine with the zeal it deserves. Phillips re-creates each of the great eras of wine production, from the prehistoric fruits of the Fertile Crescent to this decade's explosion of the consumer wine culture with its varied values and palates, and vividly conveys the sheer magnitude of wine consumption and enjoyment. Among the many engaging themes that Phillips explores is the endless struggle between nature and nurture -- is wine the pure product of the grape, or should it be enhanced by the addition of other substances? He revisits times when wine was a favorite among the American Founding Fathers (Ben Franklin praised it, as a God-given boon), and he sheds light on wine's enemies, both natural and human, recalling dark times when disease struck vineyards, counterfeiting and fraud ran rampant, and anti-alcohol movements peaked.Spanning the globe from Hunter Valley to the Rhine, from Napa Valley to Burgundy (not overlooking Peru and Ohio), A Short History of Wine is an astonishingly enjoyable guide to the social, cultural, and economic worlds inside a bottle.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting choices.......2006-12-21
A 'history' of wine is necessarily a matter of elimination.
What to leave out? What to include? Rod Phillips has chosen
to focus on the political and social context in which wine
and the wine trade developed. Fortunately, wine is at least
as much a cultural product as an agricultural one so his
effort is both appropriate, necessary and a bit overdue.
The author is a historian, so we get sharp attention paid
to some things that are left out of most wine histories:
*aside from Patrick McGovern's Ancient Wine, no one has
done as literate a treatment of the questions surrounding
wine in prehistory and the Classical Period. It's refreshing
to see an author acknowledge the Mycenaean roots of winegrowing
in the Mediterranean.
*in a very few pages, the author deals with the intricate
nature of the relationship between Bordeaux and England.
In the course of the explanation, he underlines the
significance of trade in the development of wine regions
and styles.
*the chapter called Wine and Its Enemies quite rightly
deals with anti-wine forces in the natural world (phylloxera)
and in the cultural world (prohibition).
*the chapter on the wine revival in the late twentieth
century gives due emphasis to the rôle of corporate mergers
and huge drinks companies in the development of wine.
The author is on less sure footing here with the cultural
underpinnings of the wine revival. Did the upheavals of
the Sixties have anything to do with it? Is this not also
the time of a wine decline as consumption decreases in
wine's traditional european homelands?
This book would have benefitted from closer proofreading
and a slightly more generous application of maps. On the
other hand, the cover is a work of pure genius. I have
never seen a wine book cover that so effectively evoked
wine's pleasures, its wetness and (yes) its redness.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and the
forthcoming novel bang-BANG from Kunati Books ISBN 9781601640005
I love this book!.......2006-06-22
A wonderful history of the world and wine. Readable but sophisticated.
World History from the viewpoint of wines.......2004-02-01
This is definitely an exciting book for anybody interested not only in wines but also in history. With a bit more than 300 pages Rod Phillips paints a fascinating journey of wine from its unknown origins the politico-economic-cultural-medical scenes of today. The task is not small. Rod Phillips does an excellent job. To write history of this nature you must be a historian, which is the author's trade; without this background the intricate connections between world history and wine would remain shallow. In a way the book is a (limited) view on world history. The book is well written and contains many delightful stories in the long history of wine. I would have enjoyed the book even more if some additional editorial work had been done. For a reader the trends and economic significance of wine could have become more clear with tables or figures summarizing the abundant information contained in the book which is further blurred by the unsystematic usage of measures; litres, hectolitres, gallons, not to speak about ancient hard-to-understand measures are being used in parallel complicating matters unnecessarily. I personally would have appreciated a sepatate treatement of vines.
I am sure wine tastes different after having read this delightful little book.
Well-written, amusing, and intellectually satisfying.......2003-06-02
If you have an interest in wine, you'll find this fascinating book a lot of fun to read. "A Short History of Wine" is a well-written and descriptive account of the history of wine from ancient times to the modern day. As the author states, "wine is not a commodity that inspires complacency" and its long history has been "shaped by politics and wars, by social and economic change, by shifts in taste and diet, and by its relationship to religion and medicine." If that sounds dry and dusty, it's not. Phillips's narrative moves along smartly, with interesting and amusing anecdotes on every page. For example, when phylloxera attacked the vineyards of France in the late 1800s, production dropped and prices rose leading to the manufacture of wine from other products, such as imported raisins. In 1890, more than 10 percent of the wine consumed in France was made from raisins. Even after the threat of phylloxera had passed, the ready availability of artificial wine, along with widespread adulteration and fraud, led the French government to create the "appellation controlee" system of regulations that protects producers of quality wines to this day.
Read this book with a glass of wine close at hand. Just as a knowledge of the history of classical music can heighten your enjoyment of a composer's works, reading this book will heighten your appreciation for wine beyond the sensory level. You'll never look at a glass of wine the same way again. Enjoy!
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Old Wine
Phyllis Bottome
Manufacturer: Northwestern University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
20th Century
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
British
| Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0810114720 |
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A Short History of the American Stomach
Frederick Kaufman
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
History
| Gastronomy
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Customs & Traditions
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 015101194X |
Book Description
The extremes of American eating—our separate-but-equal urges to stuff and to starve ourselves—are easy to blame on the excesses of modern living. But Frederick Kaufman followed the winding road of the American intestine back to that cold morning when the first famished Pilgrim clambered off the Mayflower, and he discovered the alarming truth: We’ve been this way all along. With outraged wit and an incredible range of sources that includes everything from Cotton Mather’s diary to interviews with Amish black-market raw-milk dealers, Kaufman offers a highly selective, take-no-prisoners tour of American history by way of the American stomach. Travel with him as he tracks down our earliest foodies; discovers the secret history of Puritan purges; introduces diet gurus of the nineteenth century, such as William Alcott, who believed that Ònothing ought to be mashed before it is eatenÓ; traces extreme feeders from Paul Bunyan to eating-contest champ Dale Boone (descended from Daniel, of course); and investigates our blithe efforts to re-create plants and animals that we’ve eaten to the point of extinction.
Books:
- Fer-de-Lance (Crime Line)
- Found Money
- From Doon with Death
- Full-Auto Conversion Of The SKS Rifle
- Grandmother Spider: A Charlie Moon Mystery
- Hanging By A Thread
- Harm Done: A New Inspector Wexford Mystery
- He Shall Thunder in the Sky
- Hostage, The: A Presidential Agent Novel (Presidential Agent)
- Hush Money (Spenser Mysteries)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point
- The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Uni
- Plant Tissue Culture Engineering
- Sea-Beans from the Tropics: A Collector's Guide to Sea-Beans and Other Tropical Drift on Atlantic Sh
- Richard Meier: The Getty Center
- The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
- The Cold Blue Blood: A Berger and Mitry Mystery
- Fundamentals of Urban Design
- Sandtiquity
- Dead Giveaway: A Yellow Rose Mystery
Under My Skin: A Hannah Wolfe Mystery (Hannah Wolfe Crime Novels)
Birth Marks : A Hannah Wolfe Crime Novel
Snowstorms in a Hot Climate: A Novel
Transgressions
Mapping the Edge: A Novel
