Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Official Strategy Guide for PC

Book Description

BradyGames' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Official Strategy Guide for PC provides expert mission tactics to earn respect and cash in every mission. A virtual showroom of the game's sweetest vehicles is also included. Players will find everything they need with the highly detailed maps. In addition, the guide reveals cool game secrets like hidden packages, rampages, unique stunt jumps, new vehicles, and more!

Customer Reviews:

grand theft auto vice city how to play book.......2005-10-08

get the book it help me to play the game & win

A little disappointed..........2004-11-10

Okay, firstly, I'm a little late on the GTA:VC thing. Only just bought the PC version in November 2004. At any rate, after being faced with the myriad of possibilities within the game, and the challenges that the many missions and rampages introduced, I opted to purchase the game guide to help me along to the coveted 100% completion.

I typically buy a game guide for any semi-complex game I play on my PC. But this one by far has to be the worst. As far as the missions, rampages, etc are concerned, the guide offered little information over what could be found online or within the game itself.

There is however, a complete guide to all the vehicles, which may be handy to some, but not really for me. Missions are somewhat detailed, with accompanying maps, but generally contain wordy overviews. A series of maps round out this flimsy tome, all of which can be found in various incarnations online.

One glaring oversight is a map/chart for all controls. The bulk of the info you find online is related to the PS2 version, and the manual that ships with the game itself lacks detail. In particular, controls for helicopters never seem to be mentioned in the guide. I'm still trying to find out how to increase my health by means of the local prostitutes.

Overall, it's nice to have a book (albeit a slim one, only 192 pages) to refer to while playing the game, but it lacks any real advantage over trial-and-error, or by looking info up online. I'm just glad I had a $5 Amazon gift certificate, otherwise I would have felt a lot more cheated.

Really helpful.......2004-02-28

Can't solve the missions? Can't find the hidden packages? This book is for you. Of course, it doesn't hurt to improvise to use your own ideas too. The game contains a real funny prize at the end of the game.

Kick Arse Guide For A Kick Arse Game (yes arse not ass)........2003-12-02

This is the single greatest guide for a game. I had already finished the best game in the world, twice, before i bought the book. I have to say, "thankyou Tim Bogenn for writing a Arse Guide For A Kick Arse Game" Must go and play Vice City.
Great book

A must to complete the game..........2003-06-15

If you want to complete Vice City with 100% completion, you need to get a copy of this book. Sure, you can find the same information online, but it is much easier to use this convenient manual which gives you the locations and information you need to finish the game. Some of the information in the book could have been expressed more clearly, but it is still a great companion to the game. Recommended!

Virtue Amidst Vice: The Catalog of Virtues in 2 Peter 1 (Jsnt Supplement Series, 150)

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Virtue Amidst Vice: The Catalog of Virtues in 2 Peter 1 (Jsnt Supplement Series, 150)
J. Daryl Charles
Manufacturer: Sheffield Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1850756864

The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue & Vice for Box Office Success

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In one word: WOW!
Are you up for the ride that will increase your command of the craft?
A timely update of Lajos Egri
Thought provoking
THE REAL HERO'S JOURNEY

The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue & Vice for Box Office Success
Stanley D Williams
Manufacturer: Michael Wiese Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Writing for Emotional Impact

ASIN: 1932907130

Book Description

The Moral Premise reveals the foundational concept at the heart of all storytelling and successful box office movies. In concrete terms it explains how you can create your own success and, in the process, entertain, delight, challenge, and uplift this generation and the ones to come.

Customer Reviews:

In one word: WOW!.......2007-05-23

I read an interview with Stanley Williams wherein he claimed his concept of a moral premise would provide a more dynamic story for both screen AND fiction writers. Game as I am for a lesson in how to improve my writing, I purchased THE MORAL PREMISE and afforded it the opportunity to wow me.

The result? WOW!

This book is fantastic. THE MORAL PREMISE doesn't advocate a religious or moral lifestyle for the writer who would apply the ideas therein. What it does push, however, is the idea that the truly great stories have at its core a moral premise, a statement that amounts to nothing more than a conflict of two opposing values. It can be as simple as, "Bigotry leads to injustice, but equality leads to justice." You then structure your story around this one premise, with every character playing to either end of the spectrum. The end result is a bigger sense of purpose instilled in your story that will move your audience in ways that most books/movies don't accomplish.

That's just the nutshell version of the technique; trust me when I say it's much more layered. And yet, it's not difficult to grasp or execute; I've already applied it to my stories with phenomenal results. Williams does front load the book with theory, as most writing books do, but his theory proves to be riveting as he constantly fuses it with practical application. Probably more important is that he backs up his findings by analyzing a ton of movies. In this way, you learn that much quicker how to correctly incorporate a moral premise into your story. I give THE MORAL PREMISE 10 stars, and highly recommend it if you want to take your story to the next level.

Are you up for the ride that will increase your command of the craft? .......2007-05-20

He did the hardwork... the part many of us shun... he took the time to do research and developed a no-bs screenwriting guide based on knowledge.

The thesis of the author is that for a story to be successful it must have a MORAL premise.

He arrived at that conclusion by using some research data. Then he explains to you what it means to write a story with a MORAL premise.

Basically, (the author himself acknwledges) this book tries to take the theory of the classic author Lajos Egri a step beyond.

Why is it necessary to have a moral premise in a story to make it successful? There are many reasons:

-The moral premise means your characters will have to change to various degrees, specially emotionally.

-The change of a character helps the audience to concentrate and pay attention to story without feeling bored.

-The change of a character in an emotional or internal level is the master key to open audience's emotions.

The book is really good because it is clear in its subject: moral premise.

This is not a book to be read as the last word on everything you should to know about story telling. Instead, if you believe you need to know more about premise in order to improve your skills, then this is a good place to learn more.

A timely update of Lajos Egri.......2007-05-19

Before Syd Field, Lajos Egri was one of the most influentiual screenwriting gurus - except he never intended to be. Writing about theatre plays, Egri developed the `premise' as his main writing tool, a three-word phrase, which contains the theme of the play (for instance: love conquers all). Keeping this premise in mind, the writer makes sure that every scene expresses this theme in some way.
Williams updates and adjusts this theory to screenwriting. His contention is that the most successful scripts use a premise which is a moral truth. Updating the concept, he expands it by focussing on both a virtue and a vice (virtue leads to x, but vice leads to y). In this way, the writer focuses on the conflict between the two values, and avoids getting lost on the thematic level. Williams provides eight steps for structuring your story material, which includes choosing the virtue and vice, determining the arcs for the protagonist, antagonist and main secondary characters, and then determining the dramatic beats to support them. At the end, you'll have most of your story figured out.
The Moral Premise is an interesting, theme-driven approach to screen writing. A few points to keep in mind though: moral laws vary enormously from culture to culture, so this system should be most effective for `domestic' (i.e. culturally related) markets. In some cases, it's pretty hard to relate the premise to the main storyline, as in the original Die Hard. And some huge box office hits revel in amoral, even immoral themes.

Thought provoking .......2007-05-17

Describes the reason why stories are told and retold, and reveals what makes one story a classic and another a waste of time. Williams provides a clear theory for analyzing stories in any medium, as well as a usable methodology for creating a plot skeleton. Other story theory books dwell upon teaching the reader how to use software or narrowly focus on the meta-myth. This text explains how to find the soul of the story and how to verify that it "speaks a universal truth".
An excellent reference for anyone hoping to write or improve the quality of their writing.

THE REAL HERO'S JOURNEY.......2007-03-03

This is really an important book. In an age where so many people are distracted by what's on the surface of entertainment and media, this book reminds us that the real reason we make and watch movies -- and in many cases, the real benefit of them -- is the underlying moral premise (or 'message') of the story.

Like life, what's being said and shown on the surface, is rarely what it's really about. The true hero's journey is an inner one, a psychological, emotional, spiritual adventure from one state of character to another. And all the obstacles and struggles of the story aren't there merely to create more action and entertainment, but rather to peel away the layers of the character, to dramatize the 'moral premise' of the piece, and ultimately transform the character and (hopefully, in some small way) the audience.

What Dr. Stanley Williams does in his great book, THE MORAL PREMISE, is show us how this is done in film. What he also does is show us how this same idea has been taught (and is being taught) by all the major teachers on story -- from Socrates to Syd Field.

More than anything, what I personally appreciate and agree with in this book is that most films of enduring quality and success have at their center this moral premise. At a time where it seems as if the studios are looking for ways to create bigger and bigger FX extravaganzas, this book reminds us (and hopefully them) that it is the heart and soul of story, not the special effects, big bugets, or even A-list stars, that make a film great and, in many cases, commercially successful.

Read this book. And make your stories, no matter the genre, as clear and meaningful as you can!

Derek Rydall
Founder, EnlightenedEntertainer.com, ScriptwriterCentral.com
Author, "There's No Business Like Soul Business," "I Could've Written a Better Movie than that!"

The Big Book of Vice: True Tales of Humanity's Worst Habits! (The Big Book)

Average customer rating:

Another pure dose for the "Big Book Of..." junkies.!!
Defininitely another Hit!
Fun For Addicts and Teetotallers Alike!
just amazing!!!
I'm hooked on Big Books

The Big Book of Vice: True Tales of Humanity's Worst Habits! (The Big Book)
Steve Vance , and Dave (D.A.) Stern
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563894548

Customer Reviews:

Another pure dose for the "Big Book Of..." junkies.!!.......2004-01-07

From undoubtedly one of the best quality comic-book series ever comes the Big Book Of Vice:
fans of this incredible series know all too well that what's to be expected here is a very-in-depth look into the subject (vice) with the aid of some of the best contemporary comic-makers around.
Your illustrated journey includes:
-tobbaco. Its superbly interesting history plus the all (not) too well hazards it pertains to as well as all the marketing trickeries involved in its spread.

-prostitution. Again, its history as the "world's oldest profession" (you'll discover stuff beyond imagination on this one) plus the wide spectrum of vice and illegality it brings with it..
-gambling. Probably the most spectacular and eye-opening section of the book. Check out the stunningly imaginative scams of lotteries, pro-betters and pro-cheaters, card playing, and some of the most infamous bets ever made!
-and a "general" section on vice which even includes the "danger" posed by comics as seen by some of society's less liberal sectors.

As usual, drawn with tremendous gusto and funny as hell, this is a proud addition to the series. Even if your acquaintence with this series begins here be warned: odds are you will be hooked. And yes, i'd take a nice lil wager on that too.
Precious stuff.

Defininitely another Hit!.......2000-08-22

I've been hooked! This book is definitely one good read- page after page this is one of the most entertaining books i've read.

192 pages is just not enough- this volume is an informative and entertaining compendium of mankind's best (or worst- depending on the reader) pastimes.

This volume contains everything you want to know about sex, drugs, booze, and everything in between.

This book is definitely worth your $13.50

Fun For Addicts and Teetotallers Alike!.......2000-04-09

One more excellent entry from Paradox Press! Here, you learn about all the good/bad things of life. Learn the pros and cons of all vices. If you're hooked on Big Books, it's an obvious must-have!

just amazing!!!.......1999-10-13

As a lover of bizzare facts, I felt that I hit the mother-load. The Big Book of Vice is an incredible well of information, with great a bibliography that serves as a roadmap for the dedicated kookologist. For anyone else, it is an extremely entertaining, fun and easy to read book, as are all the "Big Books" Paradox press puts out. The art is wonderful, and the short, comic style is the perfect addition to your bathroom reading list. Highly recommended!

I'm hooked on Big Books.......1999-02-24

Another outstanding entry in the Big Book series. They make learning fun

Who Needs A Superhero?: Finding Virtue, Vice, And What's Holy In The Comics

Average customer rating:

Spider man is influential
Inspiring
Finding Value in Comic Books
Insightful! Great for Comic Fans and Small Groups
What a SUPER Book!

Who Needs A Superhero?: Finding Virtue, Vice, And What's Holy In The Comics
H. Michael Brewer
Manufacturer: Baker Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801065100

Customer Reviews:

Spider man is influential.......2005-12-09

The chapter on spider man made me cry. Brewers format is excellent. He gives you background information for those of us who are not as comic book savvy. He also gives insight to his humorous childhood. But most importantly he gives us food for thought and guidance through the bible to specific chapters and verses.

Inspiring.......2005-07-04

This book was very inspiring to me. I think it may have affected my entire future in its Spider-Man section in fact. The analogies are awesome, the writing is understandable, yet sermon-esque (but in a good way), and most of all, the way Brewer talks of his love for heroes reminded me of my love for them as well.

Definately a good read for Christian Superhero lovers.

-Matt

Finding Value in Comic Books.......2005-03-02

Being a lifetime fan of the Superhero genre...this book frequently amazed me with its insight. Brewer shares the spiritual foundations for these characters, (Both Marvel and DC), that all of us may have felt in reading these stories, at one time or another, but never verbalized. Ideal for the hardcore comic book fan, (especially those adults, who grew up during its Silver Age), and those new to the format, who just want an education on the background of these characters.

Robert James Luedke, (Author...Eye Witness: A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth)

Insightful! Great for Comic Fans and Small Groups.......2005-01-02

H. Michael Brewer, a pastor, professor and lover of comics, has written an entertaining and insightful read that explores the common links between comic book characters (mostly heroes), humankind, and the Christian message. Lest anyone think this is an overly preachy book, it draws on expierences of people as well as Christianity. Although many of the themes may be accidental, Brewer notices that this cannot be help because, "Our Maker built us with a persistent longing for a rescuer who will save us from injustice and suffereing." (p. 10)

All the primary chapters dealing with popular superheroes are just great. Superman, Batman, Captian America, Spiderman, and Wonder Woman are particularly interesting, but the chapter on the Fantasic Four is probably the best (I say this as a Batman and Daredevil fan); however, this is my complaint with the book and why it falls a star short of five. Daredevil is one of the most inetersting and dynamic characters when Frank Miller developed and explored Daredevil/Matt Murdock's Catholicism. there are so many good themes here, but Brewer focus on the least complex (Daredevil's ability to recognize the truth).

Some may say I'm being picky, but I think Brewer would appreciate my position - after all, the comic book world, while mundane and childish to many, is serious stuff.

What a SUPER Book!.......2004-10-28

Wow! I wish I'd written this book! This is a wonderful survey of the great comic book heroes by a writer who clearly knows and loves these characters. The superheroes become parables for exploring themes in Christian faith and life. For instance, Superman is a savior figure sent from above; the Hulk is a frightful picture of sin gone amok; and Spider-Man offers a model for using our gifts to make a better world. Every page of this book offers a new insight; espcially good are the chapters on Capt. America and Green Arrow.
Buy this book for any comic book reader on your list, Christian or not. They'll love the writing and the gorgeous artwork. And for any Sunday School teacher, youth pastor or Youth Group leader, this book is a must for connecting with teens and young adults. Gee, I really do wish I'd written this book.

Jane Feather: Two Novels in One Volume: Vice and Virtue

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Jane Feather: Two Novels in One Volume: Vice and Virtue
Jane Feather
Manufacturer: Wings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0517229498
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Book Description

Together in one volume for the first time, these two novels by bestselling author Jane Feather are gripping tales of romance, passion, and intrigue in the 18th century.

Vice is the tale of Juliana, a bride on the run after accidentally killing her elderly groom less than a week into their marriage. Who will ever believe the death was an accident? But Juliana's fate changes when she gets a shocking proposition from the dangerously handsome Duke of Redmayne...

In Virtue, Judith Davenport and her brother make their living by conning gambling noblemen out of their money. But one strickingly attractive lord is on to their schemes and is ready to draw the bewitching Judith into a daring gamble of his own...where the stakes are nothing less than the lady's heart.

Average customer rating:

Lust(St Augustine,Confessions ) to Gluttony(Virginia Wolf)
Reading is never a sin

The Book of Vices
Various
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1573225274

Book Description

This wickedly wise treasury of "immorality tales" from classic and contemporary literature pokes fun at people and their foibles. Includes selections from William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Walt Whitman, Sigmund Freud, Tom Wolfe, and more than 30 others. 2 cassettes.

Customer Reviews:

Lust(St Augustine,Confessions ) to Gluttony(Virginia Wolf).......2003-09-24

This ISBN 1-57322 0006 X(borrowed from the Municipal's Free Library) lent excellent reading to editor Hutchinson's The Book of Vice..with examples on the 7 deadly sins from Lust*(*St Augustine,Confessor's "Da miki castitatem et continentiam,sed noli modo" (translation:"Give me chastity and continence-but not yet") ,to quotes for Avarice,Sloth,Pride,Envy,Anger and Gluttony* (*Virginia Woolf author in "A Room of One's Own "One Cannot think well,love well,sleep well if one has not dined well" )the book gives astuteness to "catechism lessons".

Reading is never a sin.......2000-08-14

A book which is readable, fun and gives you insight to great works of literature is a good book. It won't shock you, it won't bite you but you will end up buying a few good books after you finish reading it. A good buy.

Average customer rating:

This is a must-read in the Spenser series!
Satanic Voice of The Gray Blues. A Good Man is the child to nurture. He saves us from Evil physical and deadly.
Bravo!
One of the best books in the Spenser series.
Reminiscent of Philip Marlowe, Spenser beats death to get (both) his men!

Small Vices (Spenser Mysteries (Audio))
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: Audio Literature
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 0787111333

Amazon.com

While the rest of us grow older, Spenser seems suspended in perpetual early middle age. Oh, he talks about getting older, but his body is still firm, his muscles toned, and his reflexes are still hair-trigger fine. Even so, it is Spenser's body that betrays him when he is almost killed by an assassin's bullet two-thirds of the way through Robert B. Parker's latest Spenser adventure, Small Vices. Hired to discover the truth behind a four-year-old murder, Spenser soon runs afoul of "the Gray Man," who eventually shoots and partially paralyzes him. Spenser, his stalwart girlfriend Susan, and his almost mythical friend Hawk then hole up in Santa Barbara until the detective can get back on his feet again.

There's never any doubt that Spenser will get back on his feet, or that he will eventually track down the man who shot him and solve the mystery that started the whole ball rolling in the first place. What makes the Spenser mysteries interesting is Spenser himself, the thinking person's private eye, a man of honor and of conscience who understands that every action has consequences.

Book Description

Ellis Alves is no angel. But his lawyer says he was framed for the murder of college student Melissa Henderson...and asks Spenser for help.

From Boston's back streets to Manhattan's elite, Spenser and Hawk search for suspects, including Melissa's rich-kid, tennis-star boyfriend. But when a man with a .22 puts Spenser in a coma, the hope for justice may die with him...

* A New York Times bestseller
* Fantastic reviews from The New York Times, Kirkus Reviews, Chicago Tribune, and many more
* A Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection
* Parker's newest hardcover, Night Passages, will be on sale from G.P. Putnam's Sons September 22nd.

Customer Reviews:

This is a must-read in the Spenser series!.......2007-08-13

When Spenser's old friend Rita Fiore hires him to investigate a case where she believes her client was framed, he pokes a hornet's nest. The man in jail is a career criminal and no one wants to see him out; the young woman who was killed was dating a young up-and-coming tennis star who is the adopted son of a very wealthy man and there are two eyewitnesses who swear that they saw the murdered woman being pulled into a car by the suspect.

To make matters worse, an assassin is called in who is good enough to get a drop on Spenser and puts Spenser into a coma. When Spenser wakes up, he finds that his friends have put out the word he is dead and he, Hawk and Susan head to California where he spends almost a year rehabilitating himself before he returns to Boston; first to take out the Gray Man, then to finish the case he had started.

Confronted with his own mortality, Spenser and Susan have to come to terms with the fact that this is his life and that it is not going to change.

I strongly recommend this book - it was one of the best in the series so far.

Satanic Voice of The Gray Blues. A Good Man is the child to nurture. He saves us from Evil physical and deadly........2007-05-23

This may be the pinnacle (or nadir) Spenser novel dramatizing an ultimate personification of Evil. An investigation of that concept seems to be Spenser's underlying and ongoing pursuit. SMALL VICES, # 24 Spenser, deals with the primary issues of Life, as individuals within the human species are struggling to get through it, comprehend it, and relish it (as often as possible), in the transition into The Third Millennium.

Hawk's analysis of a dichotomy of desires between Spenser and Susan deserves a Grand Prize for capturing the core of conflict here. Of course any fan of the series would know that Hawk's conclusion would be drawn in a couple short statements including the perfect phrases in blue. It was amazing how refreshing it could be to have precise differences stated in such dry, clear terms.

A scene with an apparent Shirley Temple type child took the show for humor, even though no one could one-up The Highest Dark Child of The Species (who was neither young nor female, in this case). The Gray Man was possibly Parker's most complexly captivating character. The battles between Good and Evil in SMALL VICES were of the best I've read in Literature. FYI, an equal (yet different) exposure of the essence of Evil Incarnate was in the film, Suspect Zero (Widescreen Edition) (See my review), in which the dank presence reduced itself to boneless worm jelly. The difference is that Parker's evil character was given solid strength and deadly substance (in varied shades of gray).

Dealing with the issues of types of parenting and the heartbreaking, absolute lack of it in all types of ghettos, a cop named Jackson voiced the lack of awareness of "Do Gooders" without a clue about how impoverished families live. A small sample of Jackson's "right on" diatribe: "Like there's a bunch of white Anglo kids in the inner city, walking around looking for the f...ing malt shop. So I say, you people simply have got to stop talking `bout f...ing inner city when you mean black."

In reality, a quintessential Malt Shop did exist in a small town in Colorado, a light in a desert of dark styles of poverty, with a single Mom who was a parent, see the Amazon Short, Coal & Coca-Cola.

As is the case with each Spenser novel, many excellent quotes could be listed from this # 24 in the series. I couldn't help but notice a change in mood here, in the dedication (quoted below) to Joan, Parker's wife. Of course I wondered how Parker evaluated and passed through the road forks in his life, in contrast to what Spenser chose in SMALL VICES, in the issues brought forth between Spenser and Susan. It's obvious that the Parkers are parents with full presence, and that they love their children. This # 24 in series is worth reading for Spenser's takes on these issues alone.

In contrast to the always flowery dedications to Joan in Parker's novels, the dedication in SMALL VICES read: >> For Joan: You may have been a headache, but you've never been a bore. <<

A scene of Hawk washing his hands in Spenser's office was very telling of the above quote: >> He (Hawk) dried himself on a white towel that hung beside the sink. The towel said "Holiday Inn" on it, in green letters. It was one of my (Spenser's) favorites. I had picked it up in Jackson, Mississippi once, when I was driving back from Texas, with Pear the Wonder Dog. Whenever Susan came in she replaced the Holiday Inn towel with a small pink one that had a pale pink fringe, and a pink and green rosebud embroidered in one corner. As soon as she left, I put out the Holiday Inn towel again. <<

During a conversation with Susan, Spenser narrated to himself: >> The way I loved her never varied. But how I liked her could go up and down, and it went down most when she was being professional. <<

After the long days and months were done here, Spenser and Susan were again at one: >> "I'm not criticizing you, in all of this," Susan said. "I know you're not." I said. "The confusion of guilt and innocence just looks a little starker in this case and it interests you."

I believe that Spenser's comment there explains one of the reasons many readers, including me, retain a high degree of curiosity in how this series separates good and bad guys, good and bad acts. Stand-up-and-cheer support surfaced in SMALL VICES from various bad guys, in ways and in dialogues which added warmth, and continued discriminations between what's admirable and what's disgusting in examples of our species.

Once again, the author prevailed and the tale fell deep and rose high,
Linda Shelnutt

Bravo!.......2006-01-16

Robert Parker writes like a skater on ice who floats effortlessly. He may put a lot of work into his writing, but he does not groan and grunt for our benefit. He presents the reader with polished pieces. This is elegance.

I have read a dozen of Parker's books, and enjoyed every one. However, I would say Small Vices is the most heroic, in that this book deals with grand themes. Academics may sneer at mystery novels, or come slumming, but these are our myths for the modern world.

If you haven't read the book, please stop reading this review here, because I wouldn't want to spoil anybody's enjoyment. The book has the classic Spenser scenes: the Threat, Displaying the Weapons, Pearl the Wonder Dog, great dialogue, vivid character sketches, and so forth. Spenser is careless, though. He shouldn't have been out running alone with the Grey Man on his trail.

Curious. In the end, everybody gets off. Spenser gets off with wounds, the Grey Man gets off without jail, the parents get off, the murderer gets off, the wronged prisoner gets off, and Hawk gets off with no pay for ten months' TLC. The only person who really loses is the victim, and she died happy.

One of the best books in the Spenser series........2005-12-09

This is my second reading of 'Small Vices'. I'd read it before, years ago, and all I remembered was that this is the one in which Spenser gets himself shot and very nearly killed. (The beauty, I guess, of having so many Spenser novels is that it is hard to keep them all straight so I can go back and re-read them like they're new every few years).

If you are familiar with Spenser, most of your favorites see some action. If not, this may be a good one to start with, although I would recommend some of the older ones to begin.

The never-aging Spenser lives through an entire year of his life in this one, but don't worry, he still doesn't age. Neither do Hawk or Susan. They're like James Bond in that respect. It used to bug me but I know that I don't want to read about Hawk and Spenser's adventures in a nursing home.

Reminiscent of Philip Marlowe, Spenser beats death to get (both) his men!.......2005-09-19

Advance the clock forty years from Chandler's Philip Marlowe series, and voila, we have Spenser! (Actually Parker is an admitted Chandler fan and even finished one of his books {"Poodle Springs"} for him and authored a sequel of Chandler's first novel, "The Big Sleep.") Like Marlowe, Spenser's tough-guy, private-eye work is his definition, and without it, he is nothing - a lesson that alternatively threatens then rejuvenates his relationship with lover Susan.

This was our first Spenser story, so we have no background on the characters nor does "Vices" offer much. But the plot sizzled, the relationship with Susan provided interesting byplay, and in the end, things worked out in a satisfying fashion, with the exception of the man freed from jail, who was a total ingrate. The premise is that an innocent man was framed for a co-ed's murder, and a law firm hires Spenser to double check the outcome some four years later. That all the witnesses are lying, and that Spenser starts to get pushed around for his snooping, makes it seem likely right off the bat that something is awry. When a mysterious contract killer, the "Grey Man", nearly offs our hero, Susan, Hawk, and Spenser take a year in hiding to rehab (probably the least plausible portion of the story in terms of careers, money, etc.). Spenser then turns the tables by hunting the Grey Man while continuing to work the original crime to an entertaining conclusion. Suspense builds all the way to the end, keeping those pages turning briskly!

We can see why Spenser and Parker enjoy considerable success. The writing is fine, the plot amuses, and some stuff on the side provides a thought provoking moment or two. Our only quibble is that we didn't particularly care for how the women in the book threw themselves at our leading man; while allegedly he's a "hunk", women tossing their clothes or thrusting their assets at him so readily seemed unseemly, though possibly that was a ploy to prove his fidelity to Susan. All-in-all, a good mystery -- good enough to encourage us to seek out more of Parker's lengthy bibliography.

Average customer rating:

Aaron Burr: A biography (Perpetua book)
Nathan Schachner
Manufacturer: A.S. Barnes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Leadership | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008AI8DS

Average customer rating:

I don't know how he does it!
Hysterically Funny!
Another Sharpe one
Funny without doubt

Ancestral Vices
Tom Sharpe
Manufacturer: G K Hall & Co,US
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

Throwback
Blott on the Landscape
Riotous Assembly
Midden
The Great Pursuit

ASIN: 0816175853

Customer Reviews:

I don't know how he does it!.......2007-09-09

In short: a strait-laced Professor is asked to write a tell-all book about the less-than-perfect Petrefacts.

To the average writer, this scenario could probably get a little tee-hee from the readers, but leave it to Sharpe to throw into the mixture the riotous "Ablution Bath", some midgets (or PORG - Persons of Unrestricted Growth), a sex toy factory, an outrageous interrogation / Silence Of The Lambs-themed chapter, and a crazy carwash incident and you get Tom Sharpe at his best yet again. Even the scene where Lord Petrefact explains to Croxley what he'd like served for dinner is a gem on its own.

Now, I'm the type who throws a book to the nearest bin when the ending is less than ideal but somehow, whenever I read Tom Sharpe's books, as far off as they are to having conventional happy endings, I always manage to put them back on my shelf with a huge smile on my face. So do yourself a favour and grab this book - I'm sure you owe yourself a good long laugh!

.......2005-08-25

Tom Sharpe writes some very wicked satire. His victims are typically the upper class, snobby English or, in his earlier works, the hypocritically rascist South Africans. Although very popular in the UK, his books are almost unknown in America ... too bad!

In 'Ancestral Vices' we have a loosely stiched story about a crusty and warped aristocratic family, a befuddled biographer, victimized dwarves, and a murder. It's a total farce. However the author's wit and humor are lethal, and the story somehow holds together until the very end (or near so).

Bottom line: perhaps not a classic but 'Ancestral Vices' does Tom Sharpe some justice. Recommended.

Hysterically Funny!.......2003-01-11

Introduced to Tom Sharpe's work by a Brit friend, I can't get enough of this amazing author! "Ancestral Vices" literally made my cry with laughter. Yapp's horrifying experience with the "Ablution Bath" sent me into gales of giggles, as did the run amok motorized wheelchair scenario. Lord Petrefact, Willie Coppett, the sex toy factory...all of it was enough to make a cat laugh. Sharpe is warped, twisted, and totally delightful! Simply, hysterically funny!

Another Sharpe one.......2002-12-19

Tom Sharpe is the most hilarious writer. Ancestral vices is another piece of mad cap mayhem from the master.Fast paced laugh out loud parts. Its always one thing after another with Tom sharpe. Left-wing academics(Yapp)put up against,right-wing capitalists(the Petrefacts),throw in a sex toy factory a bunch of country bumpkins,and dwarves and this is what you get. Like I said total hilarious mayhem.

Funny without doubt.......1999-10-22

This book is funny - if you can stand grown-up humor and aren't one of those sexophobic weirdos. And besides being hillariously funny (had to laugh out loud just thinking about it), it is very highly intelligent, massively satiric, thrilling and thoroughly British. Not too intellectual, but not for dimwits either. If you don't like this book you are probably dead.

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