Alpine Reviews

Something's going on at the Alpine Bank and nobody seems to know what it is. Newspaper editor Emma Lord suspects that there will be a merger or a buyout, either scenario guaranteed to upset the residents of Alpine, a small Washington town nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Emma and her friend Vida begin to do some investigating, and suddenly things are complicated by the death of a prominent bank employee. There are several red herrings when, as usual, suspicion is first directed at newcomers and outsiders. Emma succeeds in aggravating the town sheriff, Milo, with her meddling, but eventually the murderer is brought to justice. If you enjoy this book, start at the beginning and work your way through the Alpine series.

The small town of Alpine, Washington, is in desperate need of development to revitalize its economy. However, when developers from California want to build a multi-million dollar spa there, the fur begins to fly. The locals don't want their land taken over by outsiders and they oppose their fellow citizen's plans to sell a prime plot of land to the developers. The plot thickens when one of the Californians is killed, and suspects are everywhere. Emma Lord, owner and editor of the Alpine Advocate, does her own private sleuthing, staying just ahead of the reliable but unimaginative town sheriff, Milo Dodge, in solving the crime. This is another good "cozy" from consistant author, Mary Daheim.

Technicals: about 140 pages, about 60 of them about maintenance (tuning) of skis, 20 pages on boot fit and maintenance, 15 pages on bindings, and about 5 on poles and goggles. Impression: the section on ski tuning and repair is very good, extensively illustrated and well explained. The tools and materials required for each operation are explained in great detail, and it seems to me (to the best of my limited knowledge of ski maintenance) that they did not change much since the book was published. The section on bindings is very generic and out-of-date. It gives some ideas what tools are used to install or move bindings, but the level of presentation is not even close to the level of discussion of ski tuning. Since bindings were so different 15 years ago, there is nothing about adjusting binding settings in this book that can be used. The section on boots is even more useless. Thus, if you are looking for a book on how to maintain and repair the bottom of your skis, you have found one; if you are looking for a manual how to deal with bindings or boots, keep on looking.

this book shows and tells much on the exciting sport of mountaineering. without sugarcoating it one bit,,,it takes you from the basics up into a review of what is involved with a full "expedition",,,an excellent starter book for the potential enthusiast.

The pictures and their detailed captions are great! I found out many details of the area that I had not known before. Great to see pictures of houses in which I babysat. I wish though that the book had covered more of Closter during the 60's, 70's, and 80's (when I grew up there). It will be a wonderful tool for showing my daughter where my husband and I grew up.

This is a book for the knowledgeable gardener who loves to make the link between flowers native to exotic places and the home garden, and for the plantsman who will take immense trouble to grow specific plants.

In my experience it is an unique book because it combines the adventure and awe of the plant hunter in the Himalaya with practical advice about how to grow the plants that were discovered. The colour photographs of the Himalaya are impressive and help the reader to understand the natural environment of the plants described later.

The book has seven chapters. The first helps the reader understand the ecological divisions of the Himalaya and the different plant habitats. The second chapter takes a brief look at some of the plant hunters who ventured into the area and brought back new species to challenge our gardening skills. The next three chapters detail how to develop gardens to grow plants from the three main climate zones - temperate, subalpine and alpine. The final chapters cover propagation and pests and diseases. There is a list of sources for seeds and plants in both Europe and North America, a glossary, bibliography and index of plant names.

This book really added to my knowledge of plants. I'd never given much thought to the huge variety of plants from the Himalaya. If asked, I'd say primulas, rhododendrons and the blue poppy, Meconopsis. I had never realized how many species of Meconopsis there are. For a start you can find deep blue ones (M. x sheldonii), yellow ones (M. integrifolia)....
The primula species are even more numerous and some of the orchids take your breath away. The flower photography in this book is exceptional.

This is not a book for everyone, but it will be a joy to the serious plantsman. The author writes clearly and knowledgeably and his depth of experience and love for his topic come across to the reader.

I found this book, with many fine pictures and clear instructions to be very useful, at least for an intermediate skier who wants to improve. I particularly liked the recognition that there is more than one "right way" to ski. I question whether a complete novice could learn without instruction using this book, but the beginners section would probably be a good guide for instructors on useful beginners exercises.

I thought that this was a terrific book! Most of the maps are clear and concise but not all. I would like to see a little better quality throughout. I would imangine there is a reason that not all the maps are clear. I was disappointed that the book is a 1997 version. There have been lots of improvements thoughtout the hills and I would love to see them. I would definately buy this book again. Just let me know when the most current version is available. Vail is missing here?

After writing volumes "A" through "O" of the Alpine series, Mary Daheim is stretching the story lines a bit thinly. In this entry Emma is still depressed over the death of her lover in the previous book. A local judge receives threatening letters which she asks Emma to investigate, while one of the judge's distant relatives is killed. Emma feels that the two cases are related and she begins the investigation with the help of her friend Vida and Sheriff Milo. This series may make it all the way to "Z", but it will be a stretch.

As I have stated before, I do like this Mary Daheim series much better than the Bed and Breakfast series. The characters in this one are much more believable and the situations much more real-to-life. This episode revolves around a local judge getting a poison pen letter threatening her with exposure of a dark secret, about which she hasn't a clue. Ms. Daheim interweaves the current mystery with snippets from the past involving ancestors of the current Alpine residents, particularly those about which the story includes. She does a credible job with tying it all together and there were several aspects of this particular story I liked: Ed Bronsky, a character I do not care about, appears only in one scene; the story involves mostly Emma, Vida, and Milo; Emma is getting over the death of Tom. I would recommend this series to any mystery lover.

It is always a pleasure to return to Alpine..I hope the next installment comes out soon. I only wish that Ms. Daheim's Bed and Breakfast series was as well written!

My criticism of this guide applies to all of the so-called "classic" hikes series. It is difficult for me to write, because Harvey Manning was once one of the best guidebook writers on the planet, and Ira Spring's photos are awesome.
But that was then, and this is now. The books are poorly edited, inaccurately updated, sloppy attempts to sell a few more great color pictures and once-good-but-now-preachy Manning writing.
Anyone who has been on any one of the trails of this guide should be able to find at least one significant innacuracy in the description, largely because I'll bet the authors haven't hiked on some ot the trails since they wrote the first edition, almost a half-century ago.
Sadly, some of the photos in this book are in error, too - such as the photo of the "marsh marigold" on page 234, which is actually a Western anemone; or the photo of the "avalanche lily" on page 198, actually a glacier lily. Worse still is the picture on page 35, which shows campers tending a fire in an area where fires have been banned for the past 20 years.
In sum, the classic series does little to enhance the fine reputations of these two guidebook authors.

Authors Spring and Manning would have done much better serving their readers with more about hikes in Washington and less with their ad nauseum opinions on the Forest Service.

I have read countless hiking books but never have I encountered a preface like this book. Authors Spring and Manning spend many pages going into a diatribe about how the Forest Service has ruined many Washington trails and how ATV's and encroachment has destroyed much of the pristine beauty of the state. I agree with their comments wholeheartedly, but wonder if such "strident" opinions (to some people) are really suitable in a hiking guide. For me, the political opinions were not a distraction, but I want to mention them in case you are expecting simply a typical guidebook with no ancillary commentary.

Now, to the book itself. Washington is a magnificent and beautiful state to hike. Even without the magnificent hikes in and around the Seattle, there are plenty of other trails to explore and enjoy. This book does it all! It is an exceptionally well-designed book for hikers across the spectrum. Whether you're a neophyte or have climbed Denali, this book contains all the essential information you need to tackle the hikes listed. The photos are all in color and are breathtaking! You really get a sense of what each hike will look like before you undertake it. Every hike also has a brief map to accompany the text description. The maps are easy to follow and instructive. There are also black and white photos of each trail, with two color sections.

Equally pleasing is that the authors take the time to describe each hike in extensive detail, though they are never wordy. They list the elevation gains, give succinct but necessary directions to each trailhead and provide ample analysis of the strengths/weaknesses of each trek. The book is small and light enough to carry in your backpack, if you feel the need to consult it while on the trail.

I have over 50 hiking books in my library and it would be hard to imagine a more complete, more photographically stunning or better written guide. From desert to mountains, Washington has it all. I enthusiastically recommend this gem with the small warning about the authors injecting personal opinions about the Forest Service.