Book Description
Mitch Berger, a top film critic with a major New York newspaper at a surprisingly young age, has become almost a recluse since his wife died one year ago. He spends his time secluded in his apartment or in the dark recesses of a screening room. Although he continues to dazzle moviegoers and the film elite with his criticisms, his editor and good friend is alarmed about him. As a scheme to pull him out of the doldrums of his grief, she gives him a non-film assignment - to do a color story on the wealthy and social homeowners on Connecticut's Gold Coast. It takes some doing, but in the end Mitch agrees.He is fortunate to find a cottage to rent on Big Sister, the absolute top-of-the-line private island outside the town of Dorset. His landlady, Dolly, is pleasant and friendly, but some of the other inhabitants of this small piece of land, although too well bred to come right out and say it, are not happy to have Mitch, born of parents only one generation away from Eastern Europe and raised on the city's pavements, arrive in their back yard. But Dolly, whose husband has recently left her, needs the money, and at least she is more than gracious. The discovery of a body during a bout of optimistic gardening in Dolly's back yard brings on the other main player - Lieutenant Desiree Mitry, one of only three women on the Connecticut State Police major crimes squad, the youngest of the three, and the only black. A dedicated officer, she is the terror of everyone who doesn't really want to give a home to one of her stray cats. She is, as well, a closet artist and a complicated and beautiful woman, and she intrigues Mitch from the start.
Customer Reviews:
More mystery than romance..........2007-09-30
This was a great book. I give one small warning, only by this book if you're more interested in mystery, plot than in a hot romance. This book delivers on the mystery, characters and plot, but is a little lacking in the hot, steamy romance department.
Well-written but sap.......2005-10-10
The text is simple, with common vocabulary and basic sentence structures. It is rich in description and humor. The characters are given distinctive backgrounds and attributes to make us like them. The mystery is simplistic, however, and ultimately all motivations in this book are one-dimensional. This is where detective fiction becomes soap opera, and not particularly well, but annoyingly you'll have to read until the end to find that out.
A wonderfully quirky pairing.......2004-04-05
What makes this mystery so enjoyable is not so much the plot (which is good, but perhaps a trifle far-fetched) as the characters & their interrelationships, particularly Mitch & Des. I love the way both of them are presented as less than perfect, & having their wounds from the past. When this detailing is combined with smart & sassy dialogue similar to that of a '30s romantic comedy, a seemingly illogical couple becomes completely convincing, & highly endearing. Kudos to Handler for a great series setup!
An intelligent story and wonderful romance.......2004-02-12
I fell in love with Mitch and Des. Mr. Handler has written an intelligent story, drawing in the reader and leaving them wanting more.
finally found it.......2003-08-28
a long-time lover of nero wolfe mysteries, i've been looking for something with the same qualities, where people and place are expressed with intelligent and quirky detail, humor and sympathy, and the story rolls along suspensefully, with no easy place to put the book down. i think i've found the replacement, and just wish david handler would keep them coming a bit faster.
Book Description
The first in a remarkable mystery series, David Handler delivers The Cold Blue Blood: A Berger and Mitry Mystery. Here, this Edgar-winning author blends romance with a string of murders on a small island off the coast of Connecticut. Handler's witty book couples an odd pair as his protagonists: Mitch Berger and Desiree Mitry. Berger, a young New York film critic left indolent and infuriated by the loss of his wife to cancer is lured by his editor into spending time researching the lives of the "blue-blooded" on Connecticut's Gold Coast. Lieutenant Desiree Mitry of the Connecticut State Police Department joins forces with Mitch when he accidentally discovers the corpse of his landlady's husband. The two are engaging as they attempt to make sense of the scandals that surround them.
Stephen Hoye and Marguerite Jennings narrate this sordid tale of Big Sister Island where Mitch Berger discovers murder, romance, and the problematic lives of the social-elite.
Book Description
A snug little cottage sounds like just the retreat for New York film critic Mitch Berger after his wifes death. Until, that is, he finds his blue-blooded landladys estranged husband buried in the vegetable garden and himself unexpectedly drawn to an alluring black female homicide detective, Desiree Mitry, who rescues feral cats and draws haunting portraits of murder victims. Her dogged investigation and Mitchs unstructured one reveal that this rarefied paradise of privileged social standing and money can hide just as much wickedness as any city slum.
Download Description
The first book in a new series from Edgar-award winning Handler. In the posh atmosphere of fashionable Dorset CT (read "Old Lyme,") sparks fly when two seemingly unrelated murders bring a brash young New York Jewish film critic and a beautiful black female state trooper against the closed society of New England's wealthy, social establishment.
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining mystery .......2005-09-30
A "must have" for anyone that lives in CT. or on the East Coast of New England. Mr. Handler writes well and helps you to picture perfectly the area about which he writes. You feel you are there and part of it all. I enjoyed every moment of it and felt that I knew the characters personally.
Ran Hot and Cold.......2001-12-27
The prologue of this mystery about a series of murders in a small community started off fabulous. Unfortunately, the rest of the book never quite lived up to that excitement. It simply slowly unfolded. Mitch is a despondent film critic who has lost his wife and can't bring himself out of the ensuing depression. His boss sends him off to do a travel article in hopes that a change of scenery will do him good. He finds himself renting a carriage house there on the small Connecticut Island of Big Sister. A dead body turns up and Desiree, a Lieutenant in the Major Crimes Squad, is summoned to investigate. There were several interesting facets to the main characters. Since Mitch is a film critic, the frequent comparisons he makes between old films and real life were right on target. Desiree's constant search for homes for her rescued stray cats was amusing and also showed her need to produce the happy outcomes that she couldn't in her job. However, I felt the attraction between Mitch and Desiree was forced and didn't feel real. It could have easily been left out entirely. Mitch has an idea on how to resolve the murders that works well with his character but I thought there could have been more of a twist at the end.
Fifty-fifty.......2001-12-13
I really wanted The Cold Blue Blood to be the start of a great new series, because I was a big fan of the Stewart Hoag books. But while film critic Mitch Berger is a well-conceived character, unfortunately Desiree Mitry is simply not believable. The fault lies primarily in Handler's attempts to have Desiree sound like a black woman. It doesn't work and, sadly, she comes across sounding like an aging valley girl, repeating the word "way" w-a-y too often, calling other women "girl" regardless of their ages, and talking about her "bootay" (read that as butt.) As well, her reactions to Mitch seem more teenage than adult. And this is a shame, because the plot is not without merit and the other characters in the book are well-drawn and believable. Handler is a seasoned writer who knows how to retain control of his material, and how to move the narrative along at a good pace. As well, his descriptions of Connecticut are accurate and appealing; he captures very successfully the flavor of the state and its great social contradictions. But for this projected series to work, he's going to have to make Des more real, more human, and less of a caricature. I'll go for the next book in the series, in the hope that he can pull it off.
The start of a delightful new series.......2001-10-11
Though only thirty-two years old, New York City film critic and author Mitch Berger feels his life ended the day his beloved wife died from ovarian cancer. His editor Lacy Mickerson worries that Mitch rarely leaves his Greenwich Village home, passing time watching classic films. He even rejected a trip to Cannes for the festival. Because she cares, Lacy sends Mitch to Dorset on the Connecticut Gold Coast, allegedly to write an article, but more to get him out of his apartment.
Surprisingly, Mitch finds the town charming and even rents a home from Dolly Seymour on exclusive Big Sister as he sees this as an opportunity to start over again. However, his need for a new type of tranquillity is disturbed when he finds a corpse in his garden. Police Lieutenant Desiree Mitry of the State Major Crimes Squad leads the official investigation even as Mitch makes his own brand of inquiries. As they run into one another, Mitch and Desiree form an attraction, but he feels guilty and she hurts from the abandonment of her first spouse, making it obvious that once the case is solved the relationship is over or is it?
Renowned for his Hoag novels, David Handler begins a new series starring two attractive and complex individuals. A die hard New Yorker, Mitch remains in mourning until he arrives at Big Sister while Dolly is a beautiful Amazonian African-American who mistrusts males except if they are cats. Thrown together in an interesting police-procedural-amateur sleuth who-done-it, they form the basis for a wonderful opening novel.
Harriet Klausner
The start of a delightful new series.......2001-10-11
Though only thirty-two years old, New York City film critic and author Mitch Berger feels his life ended the day his beloved wife died from ovarian cancer. His editor Lacy Mickerson worries that Mitch rarely leaves his Greenwich Village home, passing time watching classic films. He even rejected a trip to Cannes for the festival. Because she cares, Lacy sends Mitch to Dorset on the Connecticut Gold Coast, allegedly to write an article, but more to get him out of his apartment.
Surprisingly, Mitch finds the town charming and even rents a home from Dolly Seymour on exclusive Big Sister as he sees this as an opportunity to start over again. However, his need for a new type of tranquillity is disturbed when he finds a corpse in his garden. Police Lieutenant Desiree Mitry of the State Major Crimes Squad leads the official investigation even as Mitch makes his own brand of inquiries. As they run into one another, Mitch and Desiree form an attraction, but he feels guilty and she hurts from the abandonment of her first spouse, making it obvious that once the case is solved the relationship is over or is it?
Renowned for his Hoag novels, David Handler begins a new series starring two attractive and complex individuals. A die hard New Yorker, Mitch remains in mourning until he arrives at Big Sister while Dolly is a beautiful Amazonian African-American who mistrusts males except if they are cats. Thrown together in an interesting police-procedural-amateur sleuth who-done-it, they form the basis for a wonderful opening novel.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
When mirror twins Seth and Hadrian Castillo travel to Europe on holidays, they don't expect the end of the world to follow them. Seth's murder, however, puts exactly that into motion.
From opposite sides of death, the Castillo twins grapple with a reality neither of them suspected, although it has been encoded in myths and legends for millennia. The Earth we know is just one of many "realms", three of which are inhabited by humans during various stages of their lives. And their afterlives...
In the tradition of Philip Pullman and Ursula K. Le Guin and inspired by numerous arcane sources, the Books of the Cataclysm begin in the present world but soon propel the reader to a landscape that is simultaneously familiar and fantastic.
Customer Reviews:
Australian SF Reader.......2007-08-01
I had no idea that this was what he had in mind when I started reading The Stone Mage and the Sea. One of those fantasies that is really science fiction, as you learn and go further on.
Ancient god types, questors with horrible things to do. He really should have a few beers with Mark Chadbourn, perhaps. I really liked this book, now I have to find one, and read any others.
In later books, it appears, the pre and post events are explicitly linked by way of characters, I presume this was not made clear in the marketing of this first book to prevent spoiling of the story? Anyway, very good, different fantasy with an Australian setting which is very, very refreshing. These are a bit more adult than The Stone Mage series, as the characters are grown up.
The Divine Comedy Revisited.......2007-07-01
The Crooked Letter (2006) is the first fantasy novel in the Books of the Cataclysm duology. This novel is the prequel to the Books of the Change series. The second novel in this duology, The Blood Debt, will be the sequel to the Change series.
Hadrian Castillo is the mirror twin of Seth Castillo. Although they look identical, Hade has his organs on the opposite side than Seth's body. They are in Europe on holiday, leaving Australia to see the old countries.
Ellis Quick is also Australian -- a student from Melbourne -- and is slightly older than the twins. She meets the twins in Vienna and the three soon pool their resources to acquire better facilities. Ellis is the first to notice the Swede following them.
In this novel, Seth and Hade have a falling out in Stockholm and Hade is chasing through the streets to overtake Seth. Ellis catches up with Hade in the park and tries to talk him out of his anger, but Hade pushes her aside and, bleeding profusely, follows Seth. Ellis leads him down to the underground station and the three finally connect on the train.
Unfortunately, the Swede and his henchmen catch up with them there. The men grab Hade and Seth and the Swede pulls a knife. At first he threatens Hade, but Seth mouths off again and the Swede stabs him in the chest. The Swede carries off Ellis, but leaves Hade and Seth lying in a cul-de-sac.
When they are found, the paramedics treat Hade for his wounds, but Seth is pronounced DOA. Hade wakes up in a hospital and soon meets Bechard the orderly and Detective Volker Lascowicz. He hears people in the beds around him, but the curtains are drawn around him and he can't see the others. He describes his experiences to Lascowicz and learns that the power network is down.
In this story, Hade sleeps and awakens to a strangely quiet ward. A changed Lascowicz speaks to him out of the dark and says weird things. When Lascowicz leaves, Hade gets up and wanders around the ward. Everybody else is gone.
When Lascowicz comes back with Bechard, Hade avoids them and runs down the hallway. Something with claws pursues him, but he evades it and hides. Then Pukje -- a small monkey-like creature -- finds him and sends him off after his brother's body, which has been partially cremated in the hospital furnace. Hade saves a finger bone and then finds his way out of the building.
Although Pukje tries to tell him that a Cataclysm has been initiated by his brother's death, Hade refuses to believe anything so fanciful. Then he starts discovering signs of disaster in his travels through the city. Before long, he encounters Kybele, the goddess of the city.
Meanwhile, Seth finds himself falling through the Bardo into the underworld. He is chased by daevas and helped by a dimane named Xolotl, a former human with a transformed body. Under these conditions, Seth has little argument with Xol's assertion that he is dead.
Seth wanders through much of the Second Realm following Xol and others. He learns of the alien god Yod, a black ziggurat from Outside, and his efforts to slake his hunger in the First Realm. He also discovers that Xol is the mirror twin of Quetzalcoatl.
This story is an aggregation of various elements from folktales around the world. While it is heavily influenced by Germanic and Greek folklore, there are also aspects of Celtic, South American, Jewish and Arabic tales. Initially, Hade only encounters supernatural aspects of Scandinavia -- including Pukje -- but Kybele was originally a Phrygian goddess.
The structure of the world in this novel is three-fold, with the First Realm being our normal universe of matter and energy. The Second Realm is governed by Will, which is expressed as magic. The Third Realm is ruled by Choice, which is expressed by diverging worldlines similar to the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.
These Realms are ruled by dei, both major and minor. They each have inhabitants, some of whom are human. There are places within the Second Realm, but they defy common sense. It is difficult to say whether the Third Realm has places as such.
Since the Books of Change have not yet been published in the US, few people -- not including this reviewer -- outside Australia have read those stories. The Australian editions are available through Amazon in only limited quantities. Hopefully, an US publisher will reprint these books sometime soon.
Without the Books of Change to compare with this volume, it is hard to determine the degree of commonality. Obviously this volume has little in common with any other single fantasy tale, but maybe there are bits of mutual backstory across a wide spectrum of such tales. As the author admits in the appendices, he has been gathering material from various sources over the years. Now he has attempted a coherent presentation of these concepts. Nonetheless, the reader had better be prepared to suspend all disbelief in reading this book.
This book is fascinating, but difficult to understand at first. By the end of the book, one gains some comprehension of the overall situation, but so much is still unexplained. Don't expect the sequel to tie up all the dangling ideas, but maybe it will come to an acceptable conclusion. If you have read any other works by the author, such inexplicable and unexplained concepts should be familiar usages.
This reviewer is somehow reminded of Dante's Divine Comedy by this work. Although very different in style and details, this novel does feature (two separate) journeys through exotic realms. Maybe it is the quest format or the guided tours or the strange creatures or the divine aspects. Yet Dante could never have written this novel.
Highly recommended for Williams fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of convoluted fantasy, initial confusion and gradual -- but not complete -- comprehension, and many very strange creatures.
-Arthur W. Jordin
A compelling beginning.......2006-05-17
The Crooked Letter is both the first in a new series and the first in the continuation of a well loved series (to those of us who have loved it), The Books of the Change. The journey into the underworld of twins Seth and Hadrian does more than press the boundaries of contemporary fantasy fiction. It also puts pressure, in the most compelling and page-turning way, on the things our culture values most closely: the concept of the freely determined self, the idea of 'natural justice', and most importantly, the line between body and spirit. Forming a segue between the Books of the Change and the Books of the Cataclysm, this is some of the most intelligent and gripping fantasy writing available. Start at the beginning, and don't stop.
deep fantasy .......2006-04-29
Mirror twins Hadrian and Seth Castillo hate the fact that in some unexplainable way they are linked to one another; each wants to be an independent soul, but that psychic connection they share never allows that to be as together the polar opposites are whole.
That changes when someone kills Seth while Hadrian sees the stabbing occur. Yet though he remains in the realm of the living, Hadrian feels the psychic connection to Seth stronger than ever. Seth's spirit exists in the Second Realm, a containment area filled with monsters wanting to breach the "wall" and enter the First Realm where Hadrian exists. Yod notices that the chasm between the realms is diminishing; he realizes why and plans to use the brothers to enable him to conquer the First Realm. If the twins, even with guides to help them, fail to come together, Yod will breach the barrier and bring hell on earth. While Seth struggles to live, Hadrian considers death as a possibility to reunite with the sibling he never wanted to be near.
Set in the same realms as the Books of the Change series, the first Books of the Cataclysm, THE CROOKED LETTER, is a deep fantasy mindful of Dante with the numerous realms, though predominantly only two are vividly described through the twin poles. The story line is filled with plenty of action, but as is the case with most opening novels in a series, the background needs explanation whether it is delightfully descriptive especially that of the Second Realm or the challenges confronting the twins require "guidance". The cast makes the tale as the siblings and their connection seem real, which in turn makes the rings of realms feel genuine. Fans of a strong fantasy thriller will appreciate Sean Williams' superb opening tale.
Harriet Klausner
An epic as sinuous and intoxicating as a double helix cocktail.......2006-04-26
Few writers can mix magic, spiritual philosophy and contemporary fantasy as well as Sean Williams. The Crooked Letter intertwines death, rebirth, mythic gods and ordinary teenagers in a spiraling story that tells the end and beginning of a world. The author doesn't shy away from the passion of new love, the shock of betrayal, the pain of separation and the path of redemption. It's an epic as sinuous and intoxicating as a double helix cocktail (if there was one). Like Julian May's Intervention, The Crooked Letter is an extraordinary watershed between the Books of the Change and the Books of the Cataclysm. I could not put it down.
School Library Journal
One of the best titles available about adoption for young children.
Customer Reviews:
Too strong for young children.......2006-02-03
This book I felt was too strong for a younger child. The emotions of how the child felt when she knew she wasn't "wanted" and how she rebelled. Yes it may be true that adoptive children will do such things, but if the child is not doing so and then reads this and does it what does that tell you. The end mellows out when everyone is happy and the child shows happiness w/the special party for adoption day signing. In my personal opinion, this is not a book I would promote.
Real Parents are the ones REALLY there! A+!.......2005-10-13
Great book! Kids need to understand who birthparents are and understand their value...however, it is also critical for children to understand who the parents are...those that raised them...My biological dad is not the man that raised me...the man that raised me is the only person I will ever call dad. Glad to see a book that can separate and value both!
Good when you adopt from birth.......2005-09-30
My husband and I are considering adopting an older child, but several books were recommended for reading, this one included. I can't say it's helpful when it comes to adopting a child over 4, but I can see it being very helpful for adoptive parents with young ones discovering what adoption means.
My kid likes it.......2004-09-27
Our daughter came to us at age seven after a long time in fostercare. It is hard to find a book that describes this type of adoption to children and although this book is also about a child adopted as a baby, our little girl loves it. She brings it out and asks us to read it to her often and it usually gets her talking about her birth parents, which is a good thing. It is important for children to know and accept that adoption is not weird or embarrassing and it is okay to talk about, love and think about birth parents whether they know and remember them or not. Birth parents are an important part of who our adopted children are and this book has been valuable to us for starting that dialogue with our child.
A great book for fostering love for the birthmother.......2003-09-08
This charming adoption book shows us loving and caring adoptive parents who know how to handle the difficult moment Cecilia first hears about her adoption and says "I want you and Mommy to be my ONLY mommy and daddy!" We had the same experience with our daughter whom we adopted at four days of age. She didn't want to hear about another mommy and throughout the years wished we had not brought up the subject. The author is sensitive about having a teacher understand Cecilia's questions about her birthmother and assure Cecilia that her birthmother loved her. This is a good book for adoptive parents whose children need to be reassured of their permanent place in the adoptive family and who should be encouraged to love their absent birthparents.
Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?
Average customer rating:
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Amazon.com
In the year 2000, Americans ate an astonishing 963 million pounds of shrimp. Bruce Weinstein's relatively slim Ultimate Shrimp Book presents 650 recipes for the titular seafood, from Shrimp à la King to XO Shrimp. Weinstein's approach is to offer "master recipes," such as those just given, followed by up to 10 "quick-take" variations for each. For example, the recipe for Shrimp Cakes is trailed by Florida-Style Shrimp Cakes, which adds lemon juice and zest; Herbed Shrimp Cakes, with parsley, thyme, and tarragon; and Louisiana-Style Shrimp Cakes, with Tabasco plus red or green pepper, and so on. Though many of the uncomplicated formulas are alluring, a number, particularly those featuring shrimp and cheese mixtures (such as a creamy dish with parmesan, blue cheese, fontina, and Asiago), have questionable appeal. However, readers will still find many worthwhile dishes to try, from old favorites, like Shrimp Rémoulade and Beer Batter Shrimp, to "newer" recipes, such as Shrimp Bengalese Stew and Szechwan Cold Garlic Shrimp. Crowd-pleasers like Shrimp Etouffée and Shrimp Paella are also covered, as are tasty shrimp snacks like Popcorn Shrimp, Shrimp Pizza, and Shrimp Tacos. With useful shrimp buying and preparation information and good notes on ingredients and equipment, the book is a handy guide to a much-loved American food. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
Savor the flavor of America's favorite seafood in The Ultimate Shrimp Book.
Dive into this collection of more than 650 shrimp recipes. Whether you love shrimp fried, steamed, baked, broiled, or grilled, in mole sauce, cream sauce, cocktail sauce, peanut sauce, or garlic sauce, crispy, crunchy, tender, hot, or cold, you're about to fall in love with shrimp all over again. Rediscover the classics like shrimp rÉmoulade or go cutting edge with sweet and spicy black pepper caramel shrimp. Try shrimp twists on familiar international favorites like paprikash and vindaloo. And don't forget the crowd pleasers like shrimp nachos and popcorn shrimp. For a formal dinner, a quick family meal, or a tasty snack, The Ultimate Shrimp Book has the perfect shrimp recipe for every occasion.
Download Description
Savor the flavor of America's favorite seafood in The Ultimate Shrimp Book.
Dive into this collection of more than 650 shrimp recipes. Whether you love shrimp fried, steamed, baked, broiled, or grilled, in mole sauce, cream sauce, cocktail sauce, peanut sauce, or garlic sauce, crispy, crunchy, tender, hot, or cold, you're about to fall in love with shrimp all over again. Rediscover the classics like shrimp rémoulade or go cutting edge with sweet and spicy black pepper caramel shrimp. Try shrimp twists on familiar international favorites like paprikash and vindaloo. And don't forget the crowd pleasers like shrimp nachos and popcorn shrimp. For a formal dinner, a quick family meal, or a tasty snack, The Ultimate Shrimp Book has the perfect shrimp recipe for every occasion.
Customer Reviews:
shrimply delicious.......2004-02-10
I bought this book after seeing these guys at a cooking demo in the New York area--and it's as entertaining as they are! I love all the cool info about shrimp, and I love the international dishes they create. Plus, the whole thing has this really great sense of humor. I love shrimp--and now I have enough great recipes to last me a long, long time. Plus, it's so cool that it doesn't cost much but you get a lot of great shrimp recipes!
an ultimate book in every way.......2003-06-08
i have made recipes from this book and unlike some of the other reviewers who haven't, i can tell you that they are spectacular. they are written in a very straightforward way and that's a good thing. they are easy to follow. and while some of the variations that follow recipes are simple, i wouldn't have thought of them myself. turning the delicious shrimp puffs into chinese shrimp puffs requires the addition of ginger, cilantro, and chili oil, while omitting the thyme and tabasco. basil and fish sauce are added to create thai shrimp puffs. yummy. and as for information, well the introduction in this book tells me more about shrimp than i ever knew. did you know that fresh shrimp are almost always frozen? and there are detailed instructions on how to peel and devein a shrimp (of different sizes) right there on page 5. i've enjoyed cooking from this book and it's one of those i keep right in my kitchen and turn to time and time again.
The Ultimate Shrimp Book review.......2003-06-05
I haven't tried the recipes, but I can provide some comments that may be useful:
1. recipes appear to be straighforward and unremarkable. I believe a previous reviewer made a similar comment. So the word "Ultimate" in the book title is inaccurate.
2. There are actually 109 recipes with variations. I.e, a basic recipe is given and additional instructions are made to the basic recipe (such as whisk 4 dashes of Tabasco sauce), so I think the 650 recipes claim by the author is misleading. The book is 248 pages long.
3. The page numbers are written in a very thin font so it maybe difficult for persons with eye-sight problems to locate a receipe using the index.
4. There are no photographs so you can't tell if you successfully achieves the result intended by the author.
5. There are no instructions on how to peel and devein the shrimp -- not a big thing, but since the book is titled "Ultimate", I expect a complete treatise.
a jumbo shrimp book.......2002-08-17
This is a wonderful book, full of traditional and innovative recipes. I love the shrimp-y takes on classics like Diane, A la King, Fra Diavolo, and Lasagna. My family also liked the international focus--African, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Japanese. We've even learned to make our own sushi rolls! We had a blast this summer with this book. There's nothing fancy--just solid recipes with lots of ideas for varying them endlessly. In the end, this is a book I'll come back to again and again. True, it's not a coffee table cookbook--but then, I'm not a coffee table cook.
This Book Has Everything a Shrimp Lover could Love!.......2002-08-13
I rarely by a book because of it's cover, but this one made my mouth water. And every recipe I've made so far has lived up to my expectations. DELICIOUS! The recipes are clear and easy to follow and the dishes come out perfectly every time. The Asian dishes are my favorites so far. By far this book has the best recipe for Coconut Fried Shrimp I have ever had. And it's nice to have all my other favorite shrimp recipes in one place.
Books:
- The Falls: An Inspector Rebus Novel
- The Fifth Victim
- The Hell Screen: A Mystery of Ancient Japan
- The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places (The Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson, Vol. 2)
- The Infernal Device and Others: A Professor Moriarty Omnibus (Professor Moriarty Novels)
- The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries: Three Classic Hillerman Mysteries Featuring Lt. Joe Leaphorn: The Blessing Way/Dance Hall of the Dead/Listening Woman
- The Lamorna Wink (Richard Jury Mysteries)
- The Master of Rain
- The Seven Treasure Hunts (Trophy Chapter Books)
- The Shadow Dancer
Books Index
Books Home
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- Shaping an American Landscape: The Art and Architecture of Charles A. Platt
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- Sleeper Vol. 2: All False Moves
The Burnt Orange Sunrise: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries)
The Sweet Golden Parachute: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries)
The Man Who Died Laughing / The Man Who Lived by Night (Stewart Hoag & Lulu)
Rock Star (Love Spectrum Romance)
My Everything
