This book by a former Sarah Palin confidant just serves up confirmation of what many already think of Ms. Palin. Sure, Sarah Palin is pretty and has a certain amount of superficial charm, but that fades quickly in light of the fact that she is venal, lacks the intelligence necessary to effectively lead, and is primarily concerned with the glitz of celebrity. As a celebrity, she is barely tolerable, but as a public office holder and a candidate for an Office that would have had her a heartbeat away from the Presidency, she was positively frightening.

Unfortunately, the book is a little dull, as the author, himself a right-wing conservative, cloaks himself in self-righteousness. His mea culpa rings decidedly false, and I found him unlikable and unsympathetic. The only reason he has even come to his senses about Sarah Palin is because his gravy train with her had ended. What better way to continue to milk the cash cow than to write a tell all exposé?

Still, he paints a compelling portrait, no matter how inartfully, of a Sarah Palin who has no business holding public office. Supremely unqualified and uninformed, she is a woman who uses political office solely for personal advantage and is given to political rhetoric without giving much thought to workable policies or solutions that could benefit a constituency.

Moreover, both Sarah and her idiotic husband, Todd, have no understanding of what constitutes ethical violations, since they were knee deep in them the entire time Sarah held public office. The best thing that Sarah did for Alaska was to resign from the governor's office.

Anyone who thinks that Sarah Palin is the cat's meow of the Republican Party, should read this book, as the author, at one time, shared the same opinion. It will be years before the Republican Party recovers from the onslaught of Sarah Palin. Like the author, it has only itself to blame.

When a rich and elderly practical joker, Andrew Trent, summons his nearest and dearest to his remote Scottish manor in the dead of winter to play a series of unpleasant pranks on them, no one ends up laughing, least of all Andrew Trent. After all, when his body is the one that is deader than a doornail, one could say that the last laugh is on him.

Police Constable Hamish Macbeth is called and notified of Trent's murder. At first, Hamish is doubtful of the story, having been himself a victim of Andrew Trent's pranks, but Trent's own daughter convinces him otherwise, and Hamish is on his way to discover just who among Trent's nearest and dearest is a murderer.

This is the seventh book in a series of cozy mysteries featuring lovable Highlander, Hamish Macbeth. As always, the book is laced with sly humor, and the dialogue creates a feeling of authenticity of place, but it lacks some of the charm that has been the trademark of this series of cozy mysteries. Still, though not the best book in this series, those who are fans of the oddly endearing Hamish Macbeth will derive some enjoyment from this book.

It is Christmas time in Lochdubh, and the village constable, Hamish Macbeth, is laid low with a cold with no one to comfort him but his dog, Towser. Feeling sorry for himself, as he will be unable to visit his family for the holidays due to a change in circumstances, Hamish is also suffering the holiday blues.

When a visiting friend of Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Jane Wetherby, who runs a health farm on the remote and lonely Scottish island of Eileencraig, stops by for his professional advice, because she believes someone is trying to kill her, Hamish is all ears. Having no holiday plans, Hamish agrees to spend time at the health farm with some of her paying guests, even though he believes Jane is a little wacky.

Soon, Hamish is off to Eileencraig with Jane. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by sullen, unfriendly islanders. The guests at the health farm are no great improvement, as they clearly have issues with each other. One in particular, Heather Todd, is totally obnoxious and a dreadful snob. So, when Heather goes missing and is discovered to have met an untimely end, Hamish is not surprised. His only concern is to discover who the murderer is, before it is too late.

This is the sixth book in a series of cozy mysteries featuring lovable Highlander, Hamish Macbeth. The book is laced with sly humor throughout that is engaging, and the dialogue creates a feeling of authenticity of place, making the book highly enjoyable. As with all cozy mysteries, it is not so much the mystery that is of import but the characters that revolve around the mystery, and with the oddly endearing Hamish Macbeth, the author has created a character that is a winner. I love this series of cozy mysteries!

Poor Hamish Macbeth, the Constable of the quaint village of Lochdubh, has been reassigned to a new post in the bustling and gritty city of Strathbane, since the village of Lochdubh is hardly a hotbed of criminal activity. Feeling put out and longing for village life, Hamish wonders if he is at all missed by those he has left behind. Little does he know that the villagers are planning to stage some criminal activity in hopes of getting him back home where he belongs. Hamish may be a bit lazy, but he is one of their own and they desperately want him back.

As luck would have it, they succeed, and Hamish returns just in time for him to find out who murdered Maggie Baird, middle-aged minx who was a new arrival to Lochdubh. Who could have done it? Was it her put upon, long suffering niece? Was it her four former lovers who were Maggie's house guests? All had motive and opportunity. Or was it some else altogether?

This is the fifth book in a series of cozy mysteries featuring lovable Highlander, Hamish Macbeth. In this book, village life takes center stage, and the village characters continue their development, giving the book that cozy feel. The book is also laced with sly humor throughout that is engaging, keeping the mood of the book light and highly enjoyable. As with all cozy mysteries, it is not so much the mystery that is of import but the characters that revolve around the mystery. While the mysteries are intriguing, they are the framework around which the characters evolve. With the oddly endearing Hamish Macbeth, the author has created a character that is bound to win many fans of the cozy mystery genre.

This book caught my attention, in part, because I have read other books by the author and enjoyed them. I was also drawn to the topic, which purported to be a short history on private life. Well, while I enjoyed it overall, the author definitely went off on tangents and did not really deliver what he promised.

The author used his own home, a nineteenth century rectory, as the starting point for each chapter, which is named after each room in his home, plus the garden. As he goes through each of the chapters, which are really somewhat like essays in which he ruminates about the room and the things associated with them, he does goes off in many directions that often have little to do with the room in question. It is as if each room were merely a vehicle for expounding on various historical references and issues that caught his fancy.

Still, I found it enjoyable and interesting, though I do wonder about some of the assertions the author made, especially since the book contained an extensive bibliography but no footnotes or sources for his "history". In the final analysis, the book is a hodgepodge of historical trivia, tidbits that are often interesting and amusing, but hardly elevate to a cohesive history of any kind. It is a work of pure self-indulgence by the author and a guilty pleasure for the reader.

This is a suspenseful thriller by the doyenne of the genre. Though somewhat formulaic, it, nonetheless, will keep the reader turning the pages, even though much of it is fairly predictable.

Two unlikely events converge to bring about the deaths of a number of people. The events seem to be quite divergent but are inextricably interwoven. One has to do with the beatification of a nun. The other involves a search by a pediatrician for her blood ancestors. At the heart of this all is a well-kept family secret and a great fortune that is being used for other than what it was intended.

Those who like light, suspenseful thrillers with a touch of romance should enjoy this one.

This book is about two cousins from Scotland, Janie and Stuart, who eventually end up emigrating to in the United States of America during the nineteen century some years before the Civil War. Stuart, the younger one, ends up coming first, while Janie follows later, together with her four children, once she is widowed. The seeds of Janie's discontent are sown shortly after she arrives at her cousin's home in central New York State, and she thereafter proceeds to make her children's lives a living hell. Stuart, on the other hand, is a kindly soul, given to great generosity but with a tendency to profligacy and dissipation. This book unfolds the story of their lives for the reader.

Unfortunately, this is not one of the author's best books. Filled with turgid prose and given to extremes in characterizations, the book, while entertaining at times, loses its charm fairly quickly and becomes somewhat tedious. Though the seven deadly sins are all a factor in this story, they are insufficient to maintain the readers complete interest, given that the characters in the book are mostly unlikable or unsympathetic due to their cartoonish quality. Still, fans of the author may derive some enjoyment from the book.

In this book, the third in a trilogy, the author serves up another well-plotted thriller. Those who read `Chasing Eden" and "Beyond Eden" know that "Eden" refers to the Garden of Eden or Paradise, while "Tetris" refers to the world in which we live.

Army Chaplain Jaime Richards is still living the Tetris world among mere mortals. She becomes involved in a mystery surrounding an ancient, jewel encrusted box, discovered in 1954 by two young Bedouin boys, when that box appears more than fifty years later on an internet auction site. It seems that powerful forces world wide all have a vested interest in recovering that box, but none more so than Army Chaplain Jaime Richards, as it is important that the box not fall into the wrong hands.

Action packed and exciting, as well as thought provoking, this is definitely a worthy sequel. Well-written with an intriguing concept, as well as a sub-plot analogous to that of Cain and Abel, it will not fail to engage the reader. The only downside to this book is in knowing that it is the last in this most intriguing and entertaining trilogy of books.

In this book, the sequel to "Chasing Eden" and the second in a trilogy, the author does not disappoint, serving up another well-plotted thriller. Those who read `Chasing Eden" know that "Eden" refers to the Garden of Eden or Paradise, while "Tetris" refers to the world in which we live.

After a sojourn of nearly three years in Eden, Army Chaplain Jaime Richards is once again among mere mortals, returning to Tetris as an agent of Eden to solve the mystery surrounding a rash of kidnappings around the globe, involving descendants of Eden who are living among mortals.

Action packed and exciting, as well as thought provoking, this is definitely a worthy sequel. Well-written with an intriguing concept, it will not fail to engage the reader. I look forward to reading the third book in the series, "Treasure of Eden".

This is the fourth book in a series of cozy mysteries featuring lovable Highlander, Hamish Macbeth, the constable for the sleepy village of Lochdubh in northern Scotland. Hamish is enjoying his perfect village life, when Trixie Thomas moves into town with her milquetoast husband in town.

A paragon of domestic perfection, Trixie stirs up the village ladies into a frenzy of housewifely perfection, which drives the local men crazy, and, before you know it, Trixie is no longer among the living. This turn of events serves to jostle Hamish out of his summer doldrums to find out just who did the perfect housewife in. Of course, Hamish also has his own personal travails with blonde beauty, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, to whom he has given his heart. It seems that she has returned to Lochdubh from London with yet another man in tow.

In this book, village life takes center stage and the village characters begin being developed, giving the book that cozy feel. The book is also laced with sly humor throughout that is engaging, keeping the mood of the book light and highly enjoyable. As with all cozy mysteries, it is not so much the mystery that is of import but the characters that revolve around the mystery. While the mysteries are intriguing, they are the framework around which the characters evolve. In the endearing character of Hamish Macbeth, the author has created a sure fire winner, who is bound to win many fans of the cozy mystery genre.