5 comments about Paper Doll.

1. Push a Pin into the perfection balloon. What is marriage ... what are styles of domesticity ... to a wealthy WASP, to a liberated couple like Spenser and Susan, to a good-guy gay cop, to a State Senator, to an aging wealthy southerner.
   
   The concluding scene in DOUBLE DEUCE, # 19 in the Spenser series, catered a surprising twist to Susan and Spenser's attempts at traditional homemaking. That close was as refreshing to the double S as a storm-brought rainbow. The choice carried in DD's final chapter surfaced in silent style into the thematic structure of PAPER DOLL, # 20 in the Spenser series.
   
   To Loudon Tripp seeking the private eye to find his wife's killer, Spenser answered the "small problem" of his having been dismissed from the police force:
   
   "I am trustworthy, loyal, and helpful, but I struggle with obedient."
   
   Who was Olivia Nelson?
   
   She was Loudon Tripp's murdered wife. Was she Harriet to Ozzie, or did she have a small problem.
   
   Spenser's gum shoe stuck in southern muck as he researched the past of a double identity with no indemnity. While thus stuck, the P.I. endured a dual whap to his knee caps by a fake constable. The gum was seared off by BAD-knight-Quirk to the rescue (YEA!), in a scene to write about to a homemaker or a troubleshooter, maybe even a troublemaker, whichever would apply, or lie right.
   
   In the early 90's what did we cook, what did we say, what did we wear, what books did we read. See here. Hear ye. (...)
   
   Readers have commented that they feel this series is anti-gay. One might not hold that opinion after reading PAPER DOLL, in which Lee Ferrell was introduced and featured with compassionate clarity, as a young gay cop working for Quirk. As would be expected, the repartee scenes between Ferrell and Spenser popped. The corn, no pron, was light, fresh, sensitive and free (relatively).
   
   In Alton, South Carolina, 1948 a child was born, bearing a tale and a trail of a "sister" of doom. Was there room at the Inn? Spenser stayed there, and learned the song, "one way ... or the other."
   
   The opening scene of chapter sixteen provided a collection of guffaws from the way Spenser dealt with an auto paused to tail his travels. If that passage doesn't do that, it's possible you've lost your Proof of Existence Papers. Would you then be a paper doll? I'd rather be me. Since the breakout of loveable dogs in DOUBLE DEUCE, Parker had been warmly elevating the dog's life, and I relish it that introduction to the series, but don't know if I'm ready to be one, if I have a choice!
   
   In addition to dogs, another Spenser "signature" was continued and repeated from DOUBLE DEUCE, that of how a character holds a whiskey glass. Note an example of that on page 237 of the mass market paperback. Might this signature be a continued tribute to Erin Macklin (who held her whiskey glass "with both hands")? Also note how Lee Ferrell held his glass in a few spots in this one. That, possibly more than Spenser's "adoption" of the gay cop, was telling of Ferrel's status, as it developed through an amber-filled glass.
   
   The conclusion of the murder in this one was a switch. For me, it worked, stretching contemplation space in the part of my brain which ruminates Parker's tweaking of what makes a good guy/gal good and a bad guy/gal bad.
   
   Parker gave a perfect clue to the murderer, but I didn't get it until the plot told me.
   
   "The words hung in the room, drifting like the dust of ruination."
   
   That wasn't the clue, nor was it the preface to comeuppance for the killer. It was just a line I quite liked. As always, there were several.
   
   Holding books with both hands,
   Linda Shelnutt



2. When a prominent member of the community is murdered, Spenser is hired by her husband when he feels the police are not making headway quickly enough. Spenser quickly discovers that there is very little to discover (the police are leaning toward the "random psycho" theory), so he begins to do research into her past, finding there a tangled web of lies. He grabs an end of the web and starts to pull.
   
   Like usual, this does not earn him any friends.
   
   What he finds out is by turns shocking and tragic. This was a great book with a terrific twist to it that I just did not see coming at all and I can't even begin to give any more details about the plot without spoiling it. A strong recommend from me.



3. The answers to Boston murders aren't always in Boston. When Spenser identifies an Emerson quotation, Loudon Tripp decides that he would be an appropriate investigator. Tripp's wife, Olivia Nelson, had been murdered at Louisburg Square, not an ordinary address for a crime scene. Grief causes a kind of denial to set in. Tripp claims that everything in the family's life was perfect. Having no leads, Spenser decides to go to the victim's hometown. He learns that her father is still alive. The private investigator's relationship to the police officer assigned to the murder case is complex and interesting.
   
   Spenser's travels, his way of putting together clues are of substantial interest to the reader. Parker's description of the actors is apt. The change of scene is fun. This is more intricately plotted than many Parker books and the care taken is all to the good.



4. For the most part I liked this detective novel from the Spenser series very much. It has a good plot, which both Amazon and other reviewers have hashed and rehashed. The characters are good, as is the atmosphere. Perhaps the best element is the dialogue. Parker writes good dialogue, in the line of Westlake or Block.
   
   What I didn't like was the fact that Parker feels compelled to stop all action dead to lay in what every character was wearing, even though most of the details have nothing to do with the action. Some of this is necessary, I suppose, but it should be part of the flow. Ditto for house furnishings and paintings on the wall. Ditto for drinks and food. I should add that too many writers have this same flaw. Prune, Ernest, prune, as Gertrude Stein advised Hemingway upon reading one of his early stories.
   
   Mystery writers would do well to study the prose of Agatha Christie, Rex Stout and a few other masters of the genre. The reason we read mysteries is the plot, the puzzle, the atmosphere, not to know what color necktie a man is wearing, or what brand of scotch he drinks, or what furniture company made the couch in a room where nothing of significance happens.



5. I've read most of the Spenser novels, and I find them great entertainment. The problem, however, is that most of the later ones pretty much follow the same formula, and ultimately end up being quite predictable. Still, Robert Parker is a good enough writer that I enjoy nearly all of his books, even though I find them pretty much by-the-numbers at this point.
   
   PAPER DOLL is a murder mystery that has a couple of decent twists, and I was genuinely surprised by the identity of the culprit. Some of the characters, such as the corrupt U.S. Senator, are on the cartoonish side, but that's a minor complaint. The dialogue and descriptions are top notch, and you can finish this novel in one or two sittings.
   
   In short, PAPER DOLL is a fun diversion, although not a spectacular effort. If you want a great Spenser book, you may want to try one of Parker's earlier novels, such as GOD SAVE THE CHILD, EARLY AUTUMN, or THE JUDAS GOAT.

3 comments about Ghost Abbey (Point).

1. Twelve-year-old Maggi has her hands full in this English ghost story; everything from insolent louts and anachronistic ectoplasm to malevolent architecture. Having taken over as the Little Missus when her Mam died, she has to deal with a gone-to-seed carpenter father, horrid younger twin brothers, and a lazy floozy of a housekeeper with designs on Dad. Naturally father and daughter jump at the chance to refurbish an old abbey/house in Cheshire for an eager contractor friend, who believes in the Past. But who knows what awaits their arrival in their hopeful innocence for a new life? More than the schoolmarmish secretary for the Marigold Trust...

   To be sure the new place has ghosts as well as a sinister conscience. Maggi learns to be kind to the house and respectful of its ancient contents. Soon she starts talking To the house (so it won't consider her an enemy), for she has realized its power of retribution. Aye, this is one abbey that can take care of itself. I hope you are good at reading dialect, for it's quite a challenge for Yankee readers to decipher the meanings of British phrases, not to mention imagine in our mind's ear the sound of Dad's broad Tyneside accent. Nevertheless, this is an interesting read about a young girl's attempts to preserve her family in the face of supernatural forces. Will she ever discover the Abbey's true secret and win its approval? Girls 10-14 will enjoy this book, but be warned: don't mess with old teddy bears!




2. I just finished reading a couple of Young Adult gothics by John Bellairs, who liked to claim that his imagination got stuck at ten. His books really read like they're written from a child's perspective. Robert Westall writes in the same genre (YA ghost story) and "Ghost Abbey" is told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old girl, but without the whimsy that is Bellairs's hallmark. It's a book written by an adult for children. On the positive side, the story is more complex than, say, Bellairs's "The Vengeance of the Witch-finder." In fact, "Ghost Abbey" reminds me of Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" more than anything by Bellairs. Westall ends his work on a more positive note, but it's still eerily similar to Jackson's ending.

   A young teen-ager, Maggi takes care of her widowed father and her two cub-scout-aged twin brothers. There is also a slovenly housekeeper with the notion of marrying Maggi's father, who has 'kind, lost, blue eyes.' When a letter arrives asking Maggi's father, who is a master builder, to come fix up an old abbey, Maggi at least jumps at the opportunity to get away from the slovenly housekeeper and give her twin brothers a bit of a vacation in Chesire. She talks her father into going, and they all pile into the old Ford Transit van. Due to several mechanical breakdowns, the van doesn't arrive at the abbey until after dark.

   Let the spookiness begin! Westall really knows how to build an atmosphere, and although Maggi knows she shouldn't be wandering around in the dark, she absolutely has to find the loo before she can go to sleep.

   The author does a great job of combining the details of everyday life in an old abbey---how Maggi's father sets them up so that they can take hot baths; how Maggi manages her household allowance (the family eats lots of chips); how the lady of the Abbey gradually becomes part of the family---but Westall never lets his readers forget where they are or who else might be sharing the abbey with them.

   Although "Ghost Abbey" is a very family-oriented story, Westall has also written collections of ghost stories for the adult market (he's especially fond of feline ghost stories).




3. Maggi is loveable, alive, curious, and endearing. I love this story to pieces and have read it dozens of times! The abbey is wonderfully painted in your mind. Characters abound. Going to the abbey is an adventure and learning it's history makes good fun. I agree, as I read a review by a young reader, "I too" wish the story didn't end, I want to know more of their future to come... :)

No comments about Streetwise Southern New England Map - Laminated Area Road Map of Southern New England - Folding pocket size travel map (Streetwise).

1 comments about The New England Butt'Ry Shelf Cookbook: Receipts for Very Special Occasions.

1. If you love to snuggle up with a wonderful cookbook to read, buy this one! I've had this book for at least 10 years and I still pull it off the shelf to look at the wonderful illustrations by Tasha Tudor and read the interesting anecdotes. The book is divided into chapters, each reflecting a holiday or cherished event -- from Easter to New Year's Open House to Picnic by the River -- and opens with a short story on the family traditions so associated. I like it most because it is both modern and quaint at the same time. As for the recipes, I must admit I haven't tried very many...

1 comments about A New Way to Please You (RSC Classics).

1. Middleton's co-author was not Samuel Rowley, but his regular writing partner William Rowley. (It actually says this on the cover of the book shown here if you look closely enough.) And Gary Taylor some years back demonstrated that, contrary to the 17th century title-page, Middleton & Rowley's third co-author was not Massinger but Thomas Heywood-- the folks at RSC should have known this.

No comments about Flowers for Northern Gardens.

2 comments about Where the Mountain Stands Alone: Stories of Place in the Monadnock Region.

1. The sense and importance of "place" so present in all Howard Mansfield's work goes a step further in Where the Mountain Stands Alone. A compilation of stories, essays, historical documents, illustration and accounts by locals, this book allows the reader to embark on a journey not only through the history of Mount Monadnock, but through the hearts and souls of the people whose lives in the shadow of the mountain are as important as the mountain itself. Much like the mountain, the people are often mysterious, hard on the surface yet soft in nature, inspired and misunderstood. In this wonderful compilation the reader is invited to dive in and experience the Monadnock region as never before. From its history, through numerous failed economical enterprises, all the way to the present times, the mountain has remained the same. So are the people, towns and villages spread around its base. Unchanged, yet evolving, never giving up and always trying to swim up the stream. From quarries and stone walls, to barns, mills and farms, the region is rich in history and human perseverance, inspiring many great writers and artist, both past and present and Mr. Mansfield did an amazing job to capture it all in this exceptionally well made book.



2. This is a very important book. It is very well organized and shows the entire spectrum of this treasured corner of NH. From geologic history through the Paleo Indians, and up to Fort Number 4, we learn the background of this region. When it gets to Thoreau climbing and staying around the summit for a while, we are camping out with him. Later visitors show us all aspects of this important mountain and lead us through the eras that follow. The mill period with its inherent waterpower and young girls coming from the farms into these buildings is an important cultural aspect of NH's development. When the group that put this book together features the North Country's background and authentic aura in its next edition, I want my brother Tom Eastman and his expertise on the skiing history of the White Mountains included as well as they constructed and edited this book. I made sure I bought it for him as a Christmas present.

2 comments about New England Golf Guide 2008: The Directory for Public Play (New England Golfguide).

1. This is the definitive book for public golf in New England. The coupons alone pay for the book at least 10 times over each year. And each year it keeps getting better. The database is accurately maintained and always up to date. Tee times, phone numbers, course ratings, slopes, tips for each course, you name it, it's in this book. I wouldn't think of starting a year of golf in New England without it.



2. This is a great book to have. Save time from looking up on the internet and searching for courses in the New England area. Great for the price too! Buy it today!

5 comments about A Railroad Atlas of the United States in 1946: Volume 2: New York & New England (Creating the North American Landscape).

1. I give this book 5 stars, but I give the Amazon.com review function web page 1 star. I wrote a several paragraph review of this book, but this site apparently lost it before it was posted. I don't have time to regenerate it completely. Parts of a draft that I had saved, follows.
   
   If you have ever been driving down a road, have noticed either existing or abandoned railroad roadbed along your route, and have wondered what railroad it once belonged to, then Richard Carpenter's new railroad atlas series may answer your question. Volume 2 continues the series that began with the first volume, covering the mid-Atlantic states.
   
   Each standard map in this atlas corresponds to a U.S. Geological Survey 1:100,000 (30-minute quadrangle) topographic map. Carpenter used topographic evidence of both existing and long abandoned railroad rights-of-way, along with considerable other historical data. He then drew simple color line maps of those rights-of-way, leaving off most of the terrain features and all roads. But the maps do show all major political boundaries (state, county, and larger city). Large rivers are included, along with the direction of flow. And along the rail lines, all tunnels, stations, major bridges and viaducts, coaling stations, interlocking towers, and other railroad facilities are indicated, including their names. Interchanges, however, are not clearly noted, nor are numbers of tracks, sidings, or spurs. Rail lines that were recently abandoned, as of 1946, are shown as dotted lines. Where trackage is more concentrated, such as in major metropolitan areas, supplemental larger scale (greater magnification) maps are provided.
   
   This atlas is not limited to Class I railroads, as there are over 150 different railroads that appear on its pages. I encountered the names of dozens of smaller lines that I had never heard of, though many were wholly owned or leased subsidiaries of the Class I lines, in 1946.
   
   The author chose 1946 for several reasons. First, it was near the peak of the U.S. railroad system in terms of total mileage, that peak being over 254,000 route miles. Second, it was during a period of relative stability in the number of U.S. railroad companies; between 1920 and 1950, only five major railroad mergers and consolidations took place. Third, the author wanted to document the railroad network that provided the necessary means of transportation to support President Roosevelt's "arsenal of democracy."
   
   I have bought volumes 1 and 2, and will probably continue with the entire series.



2. Carpenter is a man obsessed with railroads. His maps are a testamony to his obsession and an important document to what was once a great rail network in the US. I am waiting for Volume 3.



3. Volume 2 of the extensive rail reference atlas focuses on New York and New England in 1946 - and there are so many rail lines, the narrowed focus and separate volume are needed. The heart of A Railroad Atlas Of The United States In 1946 Volume 2 lines in color line maps on every page of rail lines. From New Hampshire and Maine to Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New York, maps chart each track and stops along the way and will prove invaluable to researchers.



4. I must open by saying that the Railroad Atlas is in fact a comprehensive and valuable source of information; a "labor of love" in the strictest sense. If you have an interest in seeing how and where the various railroads ran and what stations and facilities were on them in the immediate post-war and pre-merger era, then this book is a must-have.
   
   However, the prospective purchaser should be aware that the maps which form the heart of this atlas are not the slick and professionally produced products that we have been spoiled with in the recent years of the information age. They are obviously hand-drawn, and to be honest they look like something done on a kitchen table with a box of felt-tip markers. The basic map information was traced--carefully, but obviously by hand--from USGS topographic maps, and then the railroad information was added.
   
   I am not trying to put off any prospective purchaser, and in fact I intend to purchase the remainder of the series. However, I think that you should be aware of the quality of the presentation in advance. As long as you don't expect something that looks like it was turned out by the draftsmen at Rand McNally you should be fine.



5. This book (hardcover), has to weigh a couple of pounds and is ALL maps. It shows the physical plant of Northeast railroading just after World War II. If you are fortunate enough to have a collection of individual railroad-issued maps you will know the routes that these railroads ran, but this book will show you just WHAT was along the routes. Items such as stations, interlocking plants, junctions etc are listed. As a practical aside, if you are reading an issue of a railroad magazine that highlights an area like Maybrook yard in New York, the maps in this book can help you follow the story accurately!. The ONLY thing this book has that keeps it from being a 5-star is that all of the maps are drawn in ink instead of some other reproduction process. For a map affectionado(sic)? like myself this is not a problem, but if someone is wanting a coffee-table picture book with maps, then this book is not for you. For everyone else, HIGHLY recommended!

No comments about Narratives of the New England Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706.