Eagle Reviews

I've read 2 other novels by Sayers (5 Red herrings, and Murder must advertise) before. This one is somewhat better than the other 2 and close to Dame Christie's standard. The story is more on Carr's line. A man's throat was cut on a lonely beach, despite the number of witnesses, nobody saw anyone close to the victim at the supposed time of death, besides, suspects' cast-iron alibis were comfirmed not only by their conspirators but also by innocent witnesses. The author provided an ingenious explanation that accounts for all.

Good things said, it isn't short of weakness. First, it is far too fat for a relatively simple plot. Sayers spent vast amount of words on the dispute between suicide theory and murder theory despite the fact that the throat was cut to the neck bone by one slash. I believe Zangwill had tersely pointed out that such an incision is impossible to be self inflicted in one sentence decades before in his Big Bow Mystery. Besides, since the hero, Lord Wimsey, supported the murder theory as early as in the 2nd chapter, the dispute could have been long called off. (A mystery writer is unlikely to let his/her hero make a huge mistake. Give readers some credit!) Secondly, the motive is unconvincing at all. If one's rich mother is only 57 and in perfect health, and to disinherit one, one doesn't go the long way to murder the new heir-to-be instead of one's own mother. And don't tell me the murderer in this novel is not cold-blooded enough to do so!

Dorothy L Sayers provided some of the great treasures to be found in the so-called "Golden Age of Detective Fiction". A classical scholar with a formidable intellect, she was an eminent practitioner and an eloquent critic of detective fiction. Her feisty, detective fiction writing character, Harriet Vane, and her aristocratic, monocled, amateur detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, may be found together for the second time in her 1932 novel "Have His Carcase".

On a walking holiday, while recovering from a court case in which she was alleged to have killed her lover, Harriet Vane discovers the body of a man. It is lying on rocks on a beach, close to low tide level. The evidence suggests suicide. After taking photographs with her camera, finding a cut throat razor and removing a shoe from the corpse, Harriet vainly tries to enlist help in moving the body before it is washed away by the incoming tide. The local police force is alerted and so is Lord Peter Wimsey.

This is a long novel. Interest focuses not only on the solution to the mystery but also on the likelihood of Wimsey succeeding with his wish to marry Harriet. There is witty dialogue, there are fulsome reports from a range of eccentric characters, there are descriptions of the human anatomy and how it responds to the throat being cut, there is an interminable attempt to decode a ciphered letter, and there are classical quotations provided at the start of each chapter. There is little dramatic tension, no suspense, and no thrills. Dorothy L Sayers was a cultivated, fluent writer, sometimes boring but never banal.

If your tolerance of boredom is low, but your credit balance at the bank is high, then invest in the audio tape reading of the book provided by Ian Carmichael. English actor Ian Carmichael has had great success associated with various adaptations of the novels of Dorothy L Sayers. He brings wonderful energy and gusto to this full-length reading, enough to keep you delighted for more than fifteen hours.

My first encounter with Dorothy L. Sayers was the Mobile Mystery Theater series showing on PBS. I now have all three DVD's of the series ("Strong Poison", "Gaudy Night" and "Have His Carcase".) They never produced "Busman's Honeymoon" Dorothy sold the rights to Hollywood and BBC could not get them back. The Resulting movie is "Haunted Honeymoon"(1940)
Naturally the TV media cannot fill in all the details that you would pick up from reading the book. So I read the book. This added more depth to the story, now I appreciate Dorothy L. Sayers more than Agatha Christie. Dorothy not only fleshes her characters out better but her side trips into philosophy and psychology make the story that much more interesting. And just when you say what is the relevance to this conversation it is wrapped up in the final solution.
This is the second of the book series. The story is complete and can be used as a stand-alone story. The notorious Harriet Vane is out for a walk and takes a nap. She wakes up and finds (you guest it) a body. If not for her trusty camera, no one would believe her. As it is the authorities think it was suicide. Wimsey thinks it is murder. Naturally everyone, especially the main suspect has an airtight alibi. The real interest is the interaction between Lord Peter and Harriet.

Jack Higgins reached his top with "The Eagle Has Landed". Said that, we can clearly state that this was a very inferior book. Being a Higgins fan, I wanted to know what happened to the "heroes" of the first book and I was a bit disappointed. EHF reapeats some situations found in EHL and the action is not so fast-paced as the previous one. I only recommend EHF if: 1) you have already read EHL; and 2) you are a Higgins fan.

Higgins revisits the premise of his classic The Eagle Has Landed and provides a good read in The Eagle Has Flown. This book does not quite reach the level of his earlier book, but it is definitely interesting and worth reading; certainly one of the better Higgins novels.

This Historical fiction, The Eagle has Flown is a sequel to Higgins previous novel The Eagle has Landed. The novel takes place in Europe during the last years of World War II. Higgins starts the novel with an investigation regarding the attempts on British Prime Minster Winston Churchill's life. The one in specific conducted by a Nazi, General Steiner of the SS from Germany. The mission was compromised and General Steiner the only survivor jailed in a priory run by a Father and several nuns. Himmler a senior SS orders his comrade General Schellenberg to conduct a rescue of the fallen prisoner of war. General Schellenberg contacts Liam Devlin a British Nazi, who knows Nazi sympathizers in London who will help plan the release of General Steiner. The mission is to sneak into the Priory and rescue Steiner but this mission was to busy the officers while extremist in the SS including Himmler would assassinate Hitler and organize a coup. The reason the SS wants to kill Hitler is not because of the tremendous war crimes but because of his careless and contradictory plans regarding the war that were hurting the German forces.

The novel in part of Higgins is well planned out and put together. There are several concepts that Higgins touched that are factual but omitted from history books and other novels. The concepts include the willingness of the German people to stop the war and the German officers who fought to protect and honor their country not Hitler. This novel has the great ability to pull you into the book and make your mind wonder in deep optimism for the Nazi, even though they were on the wrong hand in this bloody war. Higgins after getting a taste of sequels left this novel's end in great conflict with no definite closure, he must plan to continue the The Eagle series. This novel is recommended to those who like war read and who will not stress themselves over late World War II terminology contained in this novel.

I am not a fan of the short story genre; in fact, the only reason I picked up this book is because I am such an enormous fan of Margaret Atwood's. The mere fact that this collection held my attention well enough for me to complete it is in itself a major feat.

As usual, Atwood focuses on all aspects of female experience: love, relationships, sex, power. She's a gifted wordsmith who has an uncanny ability to get to the heart of matters and create imagery - both physical and emotional - that resonates with readers. Although the description of the ovarian cyst in Hairball (probably my favorite story in the collection. Although I did love Uncles, and Death by Landscape) was morbid and graphic, but it was gratuitous - Atwood was clearly making a point, and I don't know that she could have made it any other way. Atwood's usual flair for creating characters that were multidimensional and realistic was at work in most of the stories.

There were a few stories - notably The Bog Man - that I didn't particularly enjoy. As well, some of the themes did get repetitive. In the end, as someone who isn't a big fan of short stories, a part of me wishes that Atwood had taken a few of the wonderful characters she created in the books' best stories and created a full length novel, or, even better, a few full length novels. If, however, you are a fan of the short story genre, you will likely enjoy this book even more so than I, in which case I'd highly reccommend you read it.

Wilderness Tips is arguably Margaret Atwood's best short story collection and eloquently shows Atwood's warmth, wit, intelligence, humanity and insight into relationships. My personal favourites are 'Hairball' and 'Bog Man' and 'True Trash.' If you have read anything else by Margaret Atwood and enjoyed it, you won't be disappointed by this collection. I also recommend Alice Munro to anyone who is a fan of Atwood; she's not quite as funny or compelling, but she does write highly polished, interesting short stories.

Margaret Atwood is my favorite living author and this is my favorite short story collection of hers. Each story is filled with regret, incisive narrative, and a cunning eye that sees right through people. If you have a dark sense of humor you will love this collection. "Hairball" is hilariously perverse and "Death by Landscape" is simply touching. I've read this collection several times. These stories will haunt you.

Kathleen Eagle is gifted author who creates books that are impossible to put down. When The Last Good Man was released, I immediately went to my local bookstore and gladly paid full price for a chance to enjoy this latest Kathleen Eagle book. What a disappointment! The only compelling character is Clay, the man Savannah marries. Savannah, the main character, is an unsympathetic self-involved woman who struggles far too long to come to terms with the after effects of breast surgery. The book is a series of endless drawn-out conversations between Savannah and other characters who populate this slow moving story. Mrs. Eagle's other books were beautifully written and compelling. The Last Good Man is truly not a light romance novel. It is a tedious reading experience. If you're determined to read this book, get it from your local library or wait until the book becomes available in paperback.

I enjoyed this book but found the heroine, Savannah, to be exasperatingly self-absorbed. I loved her daughter, Claudia, though! As a mother and author, of NEW PSALMS FOR NEW MOMS: A KEEPSAKE JOURNAL, I appreciated the bond between mother and daughter. I was also curious about Kole, the elusive Indian who never even appears in the book, but who is the father of little Claudia. But maybe that's another book...

I wanted to love THE LAST GOOD MAN. After all, the heroine is a breast cancer survivor. As a fan of Kathleen Eagle, I was looking forward to her treatment of a sensitive issue, for the people who have/had breast cancer and those who love them. But Savannah Stephens, the heroine in question, very nearly deep sixes all Ms. Eagle's good intentions. Self-involved to the point of pathetic, she spends 95% of the book so prickly and unkind to Clay, the wonderful hero, a man who has always loved her, that she becomes very nearly irredeemable. She has a wonderful, intelligent daughter who adores her, so her reluctance to get out of bed in the morning at the beginning of the book is mind-boggling. She marries her best friend for the sake of her daughter's security, then refuses to share his bed or let him touch her. Clay, meanwhile, suffers a wealth of hurt and dismay as he learns that simply having this woman in his life is not enough. He needs her trust him with her pain, and her withholding of that trust makes this book one of the saddest I have ever read. In the end, as you would expect, Savannah comes around, and when she does it's like all the ice she was buried under melts away to reveal a woman who knows she'd be a fool to let go of such a fantastic man. The finaly chapter saved this book for me and brought it up to a 4-star, as opposed to 3-star, read.

This is an absolutely true story of how some people working for Ross Perot at EDS were imprisoned in Iran and how the escaped. But, you know, sometimes true stories are not as interesting or suspenseful as fiction.

The introduction of the characters and the build up of the story are very well done. It is just that the escape was anticlimatic and not very exciting.

Other reveiwers make it sound like Ross Perot was a super hero, doing the impossible to rescue his workers. On Perot's side, he was very concerned for his people and took actions to try to help them. But, he wasn't involved in the actual rescue. He hired mercanaries to do the actual work.

It turns out that there was really no rescue. The captives escaped the prison on their own. The only thing the mercenaries supplied was transporation to the border. It made it easier for the people to get out of Iran, but they probably could have done it on their own.

This book would have been more interesting if it concentrated even more on the captives and gave less attention to Perot and the mercenaries. In that way, there would have been a lot more suspense and the ending would have had a better pay off.

This is not a bad book. The development of the characters is very good. And there is some tension when the captives are sent to prison. It's just there is no big action filled pay off in the end.

Most people know Ross Perot as the little guy with big ears who wanted to be President. A Texan of short stature with alot of money. He's all that - and a hell of alot more. Any person who takes the time to read this book will learn what a great and honorable person he is. His loyalty to his EDS employees goes far beyond what any person could have possibly expected. When members of his corporate entity (EDS) are arrested in Iran at the beginning of the Iranian revolution, his first reaction is to ensure that their families in the States are taken care of. His second step is to bring all the pressure he can muster to the State Department to free his men. When he meets roadblocks there -- he hires the best Special Ops guy around and puts together a small group of his employees. Together, along with a wad of cash for bribes, they go into Iran where they break their men out of jail and eventually are able to sneak out of the country. Here is a man who put himself and his money on the line in order to protect his employees. The mechanics of the how are left to the reader. After reading this book, I am quite sure you will have found new respect for the little man from Texas.

I had read this book and enjoyed it, and gave it to my elderly father because I thought he would enjoy it too. He thinks Ross Perot is great. He read it in three days.

It is truly astounding that Mr. Perot pulled off this daring rescue. In late 1978, with revolution exploding, Perot's two top executives for EDS (Paul and Bill) were arrested in Tehran, Iran, and Mr. Perot's own name was on "Stop" lists at airports, etc. Mr. Perot went to Iran to visit his men in jail and then managed to get past the passport checkpoints at the airport to fly back out again. Amazing. The tale of Paul and Bill's escape from jail and theirs and other EDS employees escape from Iran is better than any fiction story.

I have noticed some other reviewers saying this was not really a rescue. I wonder if they read the same book I did. Can you say Bull Simons?

I either agree or sympathise with all of the previous reviewers. This is a difficult book from the standpoint that without some exposure to the London Underground transit system, one is reading the story from a slight disadvantage. Mind you, it is only a slight obstacle--don't avoid the chance to read this book and enjoy Barbara Vine's fascinating tale of the emotionally disenfranchised denizens of Jarvis Stringer's sheltering old brick home, the former Cambridge School.

If you have read this far, you know the basic plot and are aware of the major players in the drama. So I will leave you with this enticement. It is, in a very odd way, a fun read that goes by all too quickly. As in all of Barbara Vine's novels, justice is served up sooner or later (usually later) and, as always, it is never polite justice. Barbara Vine delivers the kind of justice that one dreams of but rarely ever sees. The last page of this novel is well worth the wait.

A word of warning to the readers who are squeamish around the subject of feeding the animals. The hawk belonging to Jed, Abelard, is especially fond of a certain delicacy that is very hard to envision without a lurching of the stomach. Not for the faint of heart!

On that note, if Ruth Rendell ever reads her reviews on Amazon, and she really should, I hope that they will serve as a justification for no imminent retirement from the world of writing. It would be so hard to live knowing that there wouldn't be another Barbara Vine novel to consume with my usual gusto!

I either agree or sympathise with all of the previous reviewers. This is a difficult book from the standpoint that without some exposure to the London Underground transit system, one is reading the story from a slight disadvantage. Mind you, it is only a slight obstacle--don't avoid the chance to read this book and enjoy Barbara Vine's fascinating tale of the emotionally disenfranchised denizens of Jarvis Stringer's sheltering old brick home, the former Cambridge School.

If you have read this far, you know the basic plot and are aware of the major players in the drama. So I will leave you with this enticement. It is, in a very odd way, a fun read that goes by all too quickly. As in all of Barbara Vine's novels, justice is served up sooner or later (usually later) and, as always, it is never polite justice. Barbara Vine delivers the kind of justice that one dreams of but rarely ever sees. The last page of this novel is well worth the wait.

A word of warning to the readers who are squeamish around the subject of feeding the animals. The hawk belonging to Jed, Abelard, is especially fond of a certain delicacy that is very hard to envision without a lurching of the stomach. Not for the faint of heart!

On that note, if Ruth Rendell ever reads her reviews on Amazon, and she really should, I hope that they will serve as a justification for no imminent retirement from the world of writing. It would be so hard to live knowing that there wouldn't be another Barbara Vine novel to consume with my usual gusto!

This story is told quite brilliantly. All the characters are wonderfully drawn, and all are INCREDIBLY interesting. From Jed, the loner who lives on the top floor of the house and keeps his hawk in the garden. To Jarvis, the owner of the house who is obsessed by underground systems and is writing a book chronicling them. To Alice, the young mother who has run away from her humdrum life, leaving her daughter and husband behind. And then there is Tom, the busker who once aimed to study at a musical college, but is now content to play for the armies of people who walk through London's cavernous Tube. Then there is young Jasper, who, along with his friends, finds his thrills amid the bustle of the dangerous underground. And then, Axle. The enigmatic, strange man whom little is known about, and whose secret will cast shadows over all their lives.

The story is told brilliantly, as i say. All the charaters living in the old schoolhouses each have a different part in the story, and rarely do their own seperate stories interact, until the end. It is like watching several little planets revolving around the sun (in this story the sun is the london underground system). Their orbits do not cross, but still they revolve around the main body of the story, until they are finally drawn together.

Rendell skips between each persons's story (each persons story varies greatly) wonderfully, while the reader hardly notices the transition.

The climax is not completely unexpected, but i often find that that is the beauty of Vine/Rendell. You can sometimes see or tell what is going to happen, and you know that absolutely nothing any of the characters can do to prevent the inevitable awfullness.

At first i thought the ending was shocking, and powerful but anticlimatic. Then i realised it is shocking and powerful BECAUSE it is anticlimatic. (Rather like when we meet Hannibal Lecter...we are shocked by him because we were expecting a monster.)

If you want to know how to get out of the system, this gives basics from years ago but it's not thorough and it's not current. Guideline only, but keep reading from other authors.

An Excellent book! This book accurately exposes the IRS. After years of study, research and helping American Citizens "unvolunteer" out of the tax system, I was excited to come across a book so well written and easy to understand. The author has done a great job of bringing all the facts together in an understandable way. Even though I have been using these same methods and know they work, it was encouraging to see the same conclusions from an independent source. I will recommend it to all my clients.

This book was recommended by a friend who had used the information to reduce his income tax to zero. We were a bit skeptical at first, but followed Lynne's suggestions step by step and low and behold, we are now tax free! The information contained in this book is invaluable to anyone wanting to really understand why our tax system is voluntary, and what you can do to unvolunteer. As far as we are concerned, Lynne Meredith's information shines a beacon of truth on the tactics used by the IRS and turns the entire agency into nothing more than a toothless old dog with a pathetic little bark. After all, it's your money, and Lynne's book will show you how to keep every dime of it. It certainly has worked for us!

I had trouble getting into this story, mainly because the characters didn't behave as I am accustomed with so many other Spenser novels. The whole storyline was a little too weird for me, and I refuse to believe our government would pardon a criminal on the condition that he perform a covert action that wouldn't pass the "Washington Post test".

I have read several Spenser novels chronologically starting with Mortal Stakes. This was my least favorite so far, but I still give it high grades. Parker is really stretching credibility in a story that boils down to a fight between two boys over a girl. It is a really big and complicated fight, and it involves mercenaries, gun manufacturers, CIA, FBI, so on and so on. But Parker somehow pulled it off. I can't help but enjoy the dynamic of Spenser, Hawk, Susan, et al. As with all of Parker's books, the strength lies in his characters.

Overall, it was an entertaining but not quite great book; it was just a little too farfetched to get a five star rating. But if you are a fan of Spenser, you have to read this book. It is of crucial importance if you are following the relationships and the development of the characters.

Having read all of Parker's Spenser novels -- and all but the first are very good or better -- this one is the best. It integrates all the familiar Spenser characters from earlier novels, even Rachel Wallace, sheds further light on the relationship with Hawk, and, most especially, on that with Susan Silverman, which is the subject of the esoteric title. It shows Spencer sensitive and suffering over the woman he loves, seems satisfying psychologically to me, although I'm not sure Susan would act quite as she did. But that's a quibble. This is Parker at his best, Spenser at his height, and a good, rip-roaring, cross-country adventure story to boot. I like God Save the Child and Mortal Stakes and Early Autumn and Small Vices very much. But if I had to take one Spenser book with me on a long, boring journey, this would be it.

David Nevin's historical novel, Eagle's Cry, covers the election of 1800 until the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 using the Madisons, the Jacksons, Aaron Burr, and a couple of fictional characters to tell his tale. The novel has a gripping beginning in the election of 1800 covering the tie between Jefferson and his vice presidential nominee, Aaron Burr. The book, unfortunately, loses some steam with the section portraying the Louisiana Purchase. It was not as tighly written and suspenseful as the election as it meanderend like the Mississippi itself through the lives of all the characters. It worked very hard for historical accuracy, and achieved it to a great extent, but sacrificed to history any element of surprise. The history was good but the drama suffered at times for that. Definately worth a look for the first half of the book and it is a good omen for the next book in the series as it will be dealing more with the behind the scenes Washington politics.

As others have mentioned, Eagle's Cry isn't perfect. I agree with the reviewer who said that Nevin was projecting current culture onto historical events. However, I think the point of the novel is to remind us that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were mortal human beings. The book is fascinating because it give an imagined "behind the sceens" look at how these heros might have been in real life.

Parts of the book are slow, but overall, I found it throughly enjoyable. A unique book in this age of cookie-cutter romance novels and bland fiction.

Definetly worth reading. I've already bought the sequel and am looking forward to reading it.

I find David Nevin's books very easy to read and enjoy. I loved 1812 and was not disappointed with Eagle's Cry. The story is of the Lousiana Purchase. The Madisons, Jefferson, Aaron Burr, Merriweather Lewis and Andrew Jackson are all in this story. They come alive and make the story. I have a friend who calls historical novels "cheap history." Enjoyable story and I can't wait for the sequel.

I was recommended this series by a friend, and I could not be sorrier that I wasted my money. The first book was a terrible drag, and after about three months I decided to pick it up and finish it. Immediately thereafter I pick up Fortress of Random Noun, Part 2, hoping it might be leading somewhere. Nope.

Problem #1 (of many): the chapters are too long. I honestly think that if this book had 70 chapters, I could get through it, simply because I would feel as if I'm progressing. I mean, come on, chapter what was it, 4? 5? was 50 pages long! And nearly the whole chapter involved Cefwyn telling Tristen he must put a penny in a box. How many pages does it take to describe that?

Problem #2 (albeit a small one): "Master crow! Silence master crow. I will not have your insolence, crow. CROW CROW CROW! He's a human being, not a lousy bird! I swear, I cringe everytime I read that, along with the overly-rendundant 'master grayfrock.' Grayfrock? FROCK? Master Emuin will do nicely.

Problem #3: Politics have no place in 'high' or 'epic fantasy' novels. I, for one, do not care about the 'northern barons,' or the 'southern barons,' or the mystery of the seasons, of all things. Do we really need to spend several pages describing the nature of each season?

Problem #4: Superfluous dialogue. I am up to HERE with Uwen and his infuriating and mangled language. The very term "m'lord" sounds goofy and uncharacteristic in this modern-like world.

Problem #5: Narration. Sentences that begin with "Of a sudden," or "Came a wind" appear to be an attempt at establishing an archaic type of narration which is more confusing than anything.

This book is flying by for me because I spend about ten seconds on each page. There are so many unbelievably useless little details. For example, at one point, several paragraphs are wasted describing EVERY lords' personal banner and standard, down to the stitching pattern of the embroidery. I have no need for such useless knowlege, unless from out of nowhere somebody, with that knowing sort of glint in their eye, pulls a fast one on me : "Quick, what is the pattern and color of Lord Boring's flag?" In which case I will stare helplessly and feel the utmost regret that I cared not to remember or even read such things.

I am a man of principle, however, and I will force myself, however much it pains me, to finish the series. I look on that day with a beacon of hope, for that is the day I will start The Sword of Truth.

Nothing to see in these books, folks. Move along.
Thank you for your time.

Once again Cherryh brings to life the idea of time as fluid, rather than set. Anyone who loved Fortress in the Eye of Time or her Morgaine series will love this book. I like how Tristan is a man, yet the opposite of Man. Where Man cannot physically shift through space, but can mentally remember the past and forecast the possible futures - Tristan has been brought physically from the past and has no mental history to easily remember and thus does not have the ability to forecast the future possibilities either. It is a fascinating juxtaposition, and fits well with his innocence and yet knowledge. The only reason I do not give this book 5 stars is because it does not really end, but continues on in the next 2 books. Without an end to look back from, it is difficult to judge.

I enjoyed the book and the series. One central character "Tristan" is unique in that he has just been brought into the world by wizardly actions, and his innocence and curiousity is neat. He has a job to do and as his past life knowledge unfolds to him he strives, along with his friend the king, to steer an effective course through increasing challenges. Unlike the Chauner series which it more seat of the pants action this series deals some with larger questions the characters have to make in regard to their relationships to each other and about how to carry out their offices as regents of their society.