L. Blumenthal

Warshawski, back on track, Mar 7 2004

How satisfying it is to read a great Sara Paretsky novel that is not mired in politics, social injustice, mistreatment and all the other unsolvable ills of the world. "Blacklist" is a wonderful mystery pure and simple. With roots in the days of McCarthy-era blacklisting, the evil plot that Warshawski must unfold takes place in the wealthy estates that Chicagoans will recognize as Barrington (and parts beyond.) Most of the time Warshawski is sleuthing around dirty old tenements, so this is a surprising change of pace.

In order to solve the murder of an enterprising black reporter, Warshawski has to jump through numerous hoops, most thrown up by rich folks who don't want the… Read more

Dashing debut, Mar 4 2004

Elaine Flinn's _Dealing in Murder_ is one of those lucky finds--a debut novel that's compelling and fulfilling. This Agatha Award nominee for best first mystery deserves the honor.

Let's hope for many more mysteries from Elaine Flinn.

Incredibly inspiring, but not edited well, Dec 14 2003

The information that Lynn Grabhorn presents in this book is quite astonishing and some will rebel against it. She insists that our positive or negative feelings create the reality we live in. While I don't think this is typical "blame-the-victim" mentality, it is a difficult concept for people to swallow. Did everyone at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon create their death scenario on Sept. 11th, 2001? I don't think so. But there is some karmic truth to what she says as it pertains to everyday life.

The information on positive thoughts is quite powerful. Her methodology does work, although it's extremely difficult to keep the practice of postive feelings going all day… Read more