Holden Reviews

This mystery novel has two interesting features: its spacious settings in Colorado and Wyoming, and its detective team of an American Indian woman and a Catholic priest. Both these lead characters are sympathetic. Indian legends and a secret revealed in the confessional play parts in this story, which is competently told. On the down side, the scheme that drives the murders is not particularly original. The fortuitous intervention of a male friend saves the female sleuth from violence, a much overused convention. It would have been more interesting to read about how a plucky woman outsmarted the bad guys.

Author Margaret Coel launches "The Thunder Keeper," seventh in the line of a classic mystery series set on the Arapaho's Wind River reservation, with the classic hook of a man alone high on a ledge who soon plummets to his death. The police learn the dead man has been on an Arapaho spirit quest and label the death a suicide. But, a few pages later, a mysterious stranger confesses to a priest that soon more people will be murdered.

Coel's stories feature two amateur sleuths: St. Francis Mission Priest, Father John O'Malley, (history scholar and recovering alcoholic,) who has been exiled to the Arapaho reservation mission in Wyoming, and Vicky Holden, an Arapaho attorney who carries the baggage of a mean ex-husband, sometimes unhappy son (and a reciprocated inappropriate attraction for Father O'Malley.)

Father O'Malley knows he is bound by his vows to keep the confession secret. He decides to investigate the death of the man on a spirit quest himself.

Meanwhile, attorney Vicky Holden witnesses the horrific hit-and-run slaughter of Vince Lewis, a man who had valuable information he was about to tell her in reference to an urgent matter regarding the Wind River Reservation. Are the two deaths connected? If so, what ties them together? What is the secret worth killing for on Arapaho land?

The freshness of Coel's writing, the voice and clarity of the story, as well as her love and passion for the West shine in phrases like these: "The mountains rose jagged and blue in the orange-tinged dusk. Northwest, where the mountains dropped into a gully that allowed the sky to flow through, was Bear Lake," and "The thunder sounded like tanks rumbling through the sky. Lightning turned the air white and sent a charge through the earth that he could feel reverberating inside him....when the lightning flashed again he saw the petroglyph shining on the cliff above-human looking, eyes all-seeing, hands raised in benediction. He was not alone. The spirits were here, the messengers of the Creator."

Coel's skill crafting this series is a pleasure to watch. Read "The Thunder Keeper" for pure enjoyment.

Vicky Holden loves the land of the Arapahos, the Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming, but she still leaves her home to take a job in Denver. The attorney needs to get away from the Jesuit priest Father O'Malley because they both have feelings for one other that are inappropriate. She also has to get away from her ex-husband, who wants to reconcile, but he keeps falling off the wagon and he is a mean drunk.

In Denver, Vicky currently works on a mineral rights case on behalf of the Navaho Nation. However, she receives a call from Vince Lewis, a vice president of Balder Industries, famous for their diamond minding operations. He tells her that he has information she needs to know involving the Wind River Reservation, but before they meet a hit and run driver kills Vince.

Back on the reservation, Father John hears the confession of a man who says his partner killed a man in a place sacred to the Arapaho. The police rule the man's death a suicide but Father John knows somebody killed him and there will be more deaths if the person isn't stopped. Vicky and Father John are coming at the same problem from different angles, both of them putting their lives in jeopardy.

Fans of Aimee and David Thurlo and Tony Hillerman will definitely enjoy this fast paced mystery starring two likable, believable and colorful protagonists. The heroine is a role model for women everywhere and the hero not only understands the underlying concepts of justice, he abides by them in his life. THE THUNDER KEEPER by Margaret Coel is a definite keeper.

Harriet Klausner

golden boy digs deep into the torment of william holden's life.the rise of a bit part actor to oscar winner.the highs and lows of life in hollywood. achieving success in front of the cameras but ultimately failing in his personal life.this book is for any true fan of the golden age of tinsletown

William Holden is one of the most underrated actors of Hollywood. Evidence by far is that this is the only book on his life. The book is a heartfelt tribute to what appears to be a caring, thoughtful and professional actor who always remembered the ensemble of people who helped him reach stardom. It is also a very sad tale of a person who never overcame his demons and was finally killed by them. His life and career were cut short and it is our loss.

Un muy buen libro para principiantes en el mundo de los remates en internet. Incluye muy buen software para iniciar tu propio sitio de remates online, e incluye una correcta descripcion de las posibilidades de un sitio de remates. Recomendado para principiantes

This book is not a dry read! It's pretty engaging. I had never considered the psychology of the auctioner/auctionee - and this guy has captured the online (and live, in-person) auction dynamic and describes it pretty thoroughly (the CD software's nice, too: there are a couple CGI scipts you can use that are documented nicely, along with some .exe's that look fairly easy to cope with). Good insight into the pitfalls that the auction newbie (me) should beware of (what kind of payments to take, make sure service is plenty dang fast, follow up on questions, deal with reputable people, be prompt with payment when buying, etc.) and again, the writer covers not just online auctioning but the live kind. Fascinating. A good read, the kind you can pick up and get something new from each time.

Though the American Civil War is given top billing and forms the bulk of the book, it is one of three conflicts. First is discussed the Crimean War, which shows how little military science had advanced from the end of the Napoleonic era to 1854. The American Civil war is discussed in an admirable and brief fashion - important political concerns, emancipation proclomation, election of 1864, etc. are all mentionned. The power of the rifled musket, the defensive protection of field works, and the advantage of the tactical defensive are all noted. Land strategy is primarily emphasized, and the iron clad is mentionned only in passing. Yet it would be the grandfather of the great naval arm races to come. Civil War buffs will want more depth or be aware of topics skimmed over.

Holden Reid gives proper credit to the amateur Americans in waging the first large scale continental wars using modern technology. While Napoleon and Caesar commanded large armies over vast distances, until the Industrial Revolution, it was not possible to arm, train, mass, supply, maneuver, and to communicate simultaneously with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, all moving under one strategic plan. He notes that while Grant and Moltke were inferior battelfield commanders to Lee, Moltke was the first to have the leeway of combining peace time preparation with actual war time plans. Grant is given more credit to his logistical planning.

A well produced book with good illustrations, maps, and pictures. Particularly for the American reader, it offers a brief but well written discussion of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

In brief: a good survey of the first "modern wars." Fans of the American Civil War will find dedicated works to be of more interest. For those interested in development of military thought and practice the contrast of the Crimean War, ACW, and the German Wars of Unification in one volume will be fascinating reading.

This book is very good, particularly for those who enjoy the history of of dishes. The old photographs compliment the book well. The recepie for Machaca has become a family favorite of ours.

This book explores the murky world of the Bacardi Empire. Bacardi has had dealings with the CIA and the extreme right-wing National Cuban-American Foundation (CANF) as well as links with both political and violent attempts to overthrow the Cuban government. This began almost from the Revolution in January 1959 and has continued to the present day. As the prologue puts it, the book: "raises fundamental issues about the relationship between multinational corporations and imperialist politics, about the instrumental use by the state of private corporations to serve state-directed terrorism."

Bacardi has sought to use US laws to put a stranglehold on Cuban trade. This includes sponsoring the Helms-Burton Act that tightens the 40-year blockade. The author comments that "the text is so severe and over-arching that doubtless not even the laws and treaties imposed on African colonies by the European powers have contained such a degree of arrogance and lack of respect for a sovereign nation."

Bacardi lawyers were also heavily involved in writing the new trade laws that mean Cuban brands are no longer recognized in the US. Havana Club rum's French partner Pernod-Ricard (the major competitor to Bacardi) has convinced the European Union that such moves are an infringement of fair-trading laws.

Bacardi and others are aiming not just to remove Castro from power but establish Cuba as a colony of the US with chosen front men running the place.

There is little doubt that this book is not a comprehensive account of the life of Charles, the Prince of Wales as its contents had to meet the approval of certain people, but one should not go so far as to pass it off as being total ... Were this the case, then it is clear that some of Charles' perceived short-comings would have been glossed over; but instead, we do get a fair sense about the man who will be the future King of England. He is by no means a gregarious, powerful figure, and, unfortunately and quite unjustly, he has been criticized for this, and some, including his now deceased ex-wife, have gone so far as to suggest that he is not suited for the job. Unfortunately, the people suggesting such things have succeeded in instilling some doubt in the minds of the British people as to whether this is in fact the case, but it is quite evident from what I have read that this is complete ... Granted, Charles does not fit the bill of the warrior king, but there is no doubt that he is a sensitive, well-educated and benevolent person who will undoubtably be well suited for the role of King in this current day and age. One thing that struck me as notable about Charles is his passion for certain causes and ideals, including organic farming and architecture. His opinions on these subjects has raised a few eyebrows and no doubt gave his detractors some fuel for their arguments. But his opinions on these, and other issues, are quite sound and indicate that he is a man well versed in modern issues and could prove to be a quite progressive monarch. Unfortunately, many are blinded to this aspect of the man by a superficial devotion to his deceased ex-wife, whose unfortunate behaviour during the latter years of their relationship succeeded in fooling many people.

This timeless work by Dr. Holden of the Southwest Collection of Texas Tech University is a wonderfully focused and authoritative review of the development and operations of the Spur Ranch of West Texas in the late 1800's. It is factual and of considerable historical importance, but it also contains many humorous / exciting / adventuresome stories about early ranch life in this area. Anyone with interest in ranching, West Texas history, the "cowboy life", or related topics will find it enlightening and entertaining. I highly recommend this historic text.

This book basically contends that although the leaders of the two countries acted like school yard bullies squaring off that it was George Bush who kept pushing towards war each time Saddam Hussein tried to slow down the current.

Among some of the interesting items presented against President Bush was the fact that he initially seemed to be pushed around by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who told him at a meeting that he couldn't stand for Hussein's invasion. In the beginning he wobbled and changed stances on the invasion frequently. His public and private statements through diplomatic channels were contradicting. At first he conveyed to Saddam Hussein (before the invasion of Kuwait) that the U.S. didn't care what Hussein did and would not take action if he invaded because it was an Arab problem. But when the invasion occurred he took action against it. Second, President Bush pushed Sadia Arabia to house U.S. troops on their soil even though the Saudi's were against it. Then he announced to the world that the Saudi's had requested the U.S. troops to help protect their land. Third, President Bush announced that the troops in Saudi Arabia would be there for defense of that country only and denied any intention of an invasion force to push back Iraqi troops. This too, turned out to be untrue.

On the opposite side of the spectrum it seems that, initially, Saddam Hussein's grievances were somewhat legitimate, although not for a full invasion of Kuwait. Saddam had come to the U.S. for help and was told to handle it any way he wanted, it was not our concern. You have to understand that in the years before the Gulf War the U.S. government was helping Saddam Hussein in his war with Iran. There was an issue of Kuwait stealing Iraqi oil by a "slant drill" in an oil field. The issue of Kuwait owning islands that blocked the ability of Iraq to transport their oil out of the Persian Gulf (these were given to Kuwait by the British). Atleast four times Hussein had offered a peace agreement and to remove his soldiers from Kuwait after the invasion through many nations, including Jordan and Russia, all to be turned down by the U.S.

Overall I feel this book was interesting and shed some light on some of the causes behind the war. While I believe that these are valid reasons that have been well researched I'm sure there are even more. The path towards war is usually complex.

He was ahead of his time in DNA analysis, An interesting book. Nice illustations. It discuss the age old questions the conflicys between science and religion.