"Down all the Dogs" is a powerful followup to the first two novels of Adcock's Hockaday series. It nearly reaches the same great level as the first, but doesn't quite get there. Neil Hockaday, our detective hero, goes to Ireland to see his uncle Liam, but finds a lot more than he bargained for. Secret Fascists, IRA madmen, and dirty Irish cops figure into a long and bitter feud that Hock is a mere pawn in. Meanwhile in New York, his "rabbi" Davy has to deal with an old conspiracy that claims a few lives. Great novel, with a dark and shocking ending. You'll never see Ireland the same again.

"Allende' by Fernando Alegria, is a very noble attempt at accurating portraying the tragedy of Salvador Allende, and the "other" 9/11. It fails to be entertaining, and it uses references that only a South American could understand or relate to. This is not good if you want to reach a general audience, which I assume is Alegria's intent. Allende is portrayed as a complicated, stubborn, heroic man who tried to reform an unfair system, and was destroyed for it. The book is not flattering to the USA at all, and does feature a cameo by Che Guavera that doesn't work at all. Bargain bin material, but not much else.

Catherine Aird's "Henrietta Who" is her third mystery(2nd with C.D Sloan), and seems to be about as good as "Religious Body". The story goes like this: a woman is killed in a hit-and-run "accident", and it comes to light that the dead woman couldn't have been the mother of a woman who is about to turn 21. The young woman, Henrietta, now sets out to find out who she is really is while C.D Sloan and his assistent Crosby try to track down the killer. You get slight hints about who the killer is, but unless you pay very close attention, you won't know until the very end. It's OK, but it reads like it is quite dated.

"Pale Truth" by Daniel Alef promises to be the first in a great trilogy(I do wonder when "Measured Swords" will come out). Mary Ellen Price is the central character to this story, as we follow her extraordinary journey from mulatto slave to powerful San Fransiscan businesswoman. Alef really captures the rough and tumble early days of the City by the Bay, and he adds the intriguing and dark Colbraith O'Brien in the middle of the story. Some intense scenes, like an attempted rape in the first 100 pages; the havok that the "Hounds" cause in 1849; and the Vigilance Committee's lynching of an Aussie criminal. Powerful and moving, the story will leave you breathless.

Buzz Aldrin and John Barnes wrote the long, but quite thought-provoking science fiction story "Encounter with Tiber". At almost 600 pages, it takes a reader at least a couple of days to trudge through the story, especially the early highly technical parts of the story. Aldrin essentially predicted commerical space travel, and from the news, we may not be far off from the scenerio that Aldrin and Barnes present here. The story is told through five different narrators with three humans at various points in the 2lst Century, and two "Tiberians" who came to Earth(or as they called it Setepos) in ancient times. Basically, the message is that science and space exploration takes time and commitment, but it's worth pursuing. The novel leaves the reader wanting more, as Clio(an astronaut traveling in the late 21st Century) discovers that her journey is just beginning. It leaves room for a sequel, which depending on your attitude towards the story is good or bad. I enjoyed this rich novel, and recommend this for anyone who really wants to know why we should try to go to Mars.

Jonis Agee's "Strange Angels" is a nobel attempt to modernize a Western. Set in contemporary Nebraska(Cherry county to be precise), the story follows the contempestous relationship between three siblings(Cody, Arthur and Kya). They all have a different mother, but the same father: recently deceased rancher Haywood Bennett. The novels follows their changing lives as Arthur tries to steal an attractive widow away from Cody, Kya tries to be less selfish(and man hungry), and their Indian friend Joseph tries to steer them along(he's the best character in the novel easily). Too slow for my tastes, and overly melodramatic with a hero that drinks A LOT. Only merits 2 stars.

Jeff Abbott's "Do Unto Others" is certainly an impressive mystery debut, but while the thrills add to the story, many stereotypical "small-town" characters subtract from it. Basically, according to this book: all "Christian" characters are hypocrites, extortionists or psychotic killers. The more interesting(and sympapathetic ones) is a Vietnam vet/drug dealer, a car salesman with a dirty secret(one of this book's better subplots), and a nurse character. This book does realisticly portray Alzheimer's, so that's a plus. 3 stars

Bess Aldrich's "Lantern in Her Hand" is about 75 years old now. It tells the story of one woman named Abby Deal, and her life from a young girl to an elderly grandmother. It seems stuck in its time, as Abby acts like an "old fashioned" woman, but I suppose I can't expect differently. The story moves slowly, and it tells of how Nebraska became settled. Typical grandmother-granddaughter subplot where they leave in two different worlds, and typical subplot about another granddaughter who is just like Abby.

Brian Aldiss's "Starship" is a fine example of his early science fiction works. It follows a hunter named Roy Complain, who along with three others sets out from an area called "Quarters" to a mythical area called "Forwards". As he makes this journey, he begins to discover that he is on a moving starship(hence the title), and he and a few other companions he meets, try to find the control room, and stop the journey. In the book itself, you can see the consequences of an extra amino acid, and the consequences of losing the past. It also makes you wonder just what is human? Good work.

Sandra Adelson's "Wrap Her in Light" is a very good novel by a one-time author. Pity she didn't quite another novel. Anyway, the story is set in the Akhenaten era of Egypt during the 18th Dynasty time. Basically, a scribe falls in love with Akhenten's daughter, and the story follows them as they fight against the evil Ai, who wants the throne for himself. Sad ending, but great love story.