The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

Book Description

What makes good people do bad things? How can moral people be seduced to act immorally? Where is the line separating good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it?

Renowned social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has the answers, and in The Lucifer Effect he explains how–and the myriad reasons why–we are all susceptible to the lure of “the dark side.” Drawing on examples from history as well as his own trailblazing research, Zimbardo details how situational forces and group dynamics can work in concert to make monsters out of decent men and women.

Zimbardo is perhaps best known as the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Here, for the first time and in detail, he tells the full story of this landmark study, in which a group of college-student volunteers was randomly divided into “guards” and “inmates” and then placed in a mock prison environment. Within a week the study was abandoned, as ordinary college students were transformed into either brutal, sadistic guards or emotionally broken prisoners.

By illuminating the psychological causes behind such disturbing metamorphoses, Zimbardo enables us to better understand a variety of harrowing phenomena, from corporate malfeasance to organized genocide to how once upstanding American soldiers came to abuse and torture Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib. He replaces the long-held notion of the “bad apple” with that of the “bad barrel”–the idea that the social setting and the system contaminate the individual, rather than the other way around.

This is a book that dares to hold a mirror up to mankind, showing us that we might not be who we think we are. While forcing us to reexamine what we are capable of doing when caught up in the crucible of behavioral dynamics, though, Zimbardo also offers hope. We are capable of resisting evil, he argues, and can even teach ourselves to act heroically. Like Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem and Steven Pinker’s The Blank Slate, The Lucifer Effect is a shocking, engrossing study that will change the way we view human behavior.

Customer Reviews:

it depends what you expect..........2007-09-26

There is no question that Zimbardo is a great scholar and that he had spent years, decades, studying this subject. Yet, good scholarship doesn't always translate to good writing. This is a thick (literary and otherwise) book. The overall argument presented by Zimbardo is clear, but it feels that it is bogged down by so many details. There are pages after pages of transcripts from the original study. And here is the point. It all depends what you expect. If you want very detailed account of the 1971 study, that's what you get. Clear, detailed, well-supported and well-explained. If you look mainly for straightfoward answers to the question how good people turn evil, this book could be a difficult read.

The Stanford Prison Experiment and Onward to Others.......2007-09-23

Well worth the read just to recapture the fascination of the students involved in the Staford Experiment. In 1971 I was new to college and later heard of the experiment in class lectures. The reactions of the student prisoners and guards, even down to the despondency and controlling behaviors that emerged, was intriguing. The Stanford Prison Experiment has now taken its place as a psychological and sociological cornerstone.

Disaster after disaster is addressed, all having the thread of decent people succumbing to psychological situations. Results are dire in each. Excellent discussion on tendencies of social scientists' to explain poor behaviors on personality traits, while underestimating the situational forces at play.

A fascinating plunge into the dark side of man.......2007-09-17

Zimbardos book is exceptional in both scientific and entertaining terms. He is surprisingly eloquent writer for a scholar and has a great sense of humour which makes the description of the Stanford Prison Experiment he conducted, a delightful plunge into the dark side of man.

Not Exactly Honest.......2007-09-12

I purchased this book with the intention on learning about how situation can influence a person's actions. Do that extent, this book does an excellent job. What I did not like is this overwhelming sense that this book was written as a way to use Abu Ghraib as a way to attack the Bush Administration, of which the author is obviously opposed. Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to criticizing the president and I do believe he has accountability for his actions. My issue is that the author threw his bias into a book that appeared to offer an unbiased view of social behavior as it relates to situational forces.

As long as he brought it up, I disagree with the author's views on responsibilty in Iraq. The author attempted to make Mr. Bush's office ultimately responsible for this awful situation; but wasn't it really the cumulative voice of the American people. I am not saying majority, but I am saying the loudest. I, for one, have always felt that we should take the war to the enemy and keep it from my front door. I was more interested in result than I was with how they were gotten (ie. if you torture them, don't tell me). I really did not have a problem (okay, a slight concern) with the Patriot Act or with the wiretapping of our phones. I supported the idea of not treating terrorists as POW's, though I believe it did get out of hand. My point is the president is not ultimately to blame, though he does have some culpability. The ultimate responsibility lies in the hands of each and every citizen. But in what I feel was a biased view, the author stopped at Bush.

Again, this book would have been fine had I known what I was buying. Unfortunately, it used wonderful research to present a distorted and partial view of the Iraq situation. I would have thought that Mr. Zimbardo would have learned from his SPE experiment that not only can you not be researcher and warden and get good results; you also can't be researcher and political analyst either. What you end up with is invalidated ideas.

Mr. Zimbardo, you are thought highly of in the world of social psychology. Why would you attempt such a poorly veiled attack?

A Plea for Ordinary Heroes.......2007-08-30

Having always been fascinated by psychology, I was excited to read that Prof. Zimbardo had finally written a book about the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE). The first 200 pages go into great detail about the six days the experiment lasted (though it had been planned to last two weeks) before being cut short due to the drastic changes in both "prisoners" and "guards." The next 100 pages present his detailed examination of the different variables in the experiment, their implications then and now, the nature of good and evil, and what makes people change. The last 200 pages cover the Abu Ghraib abuses, their frightening similarity to the SPE on many levels, the call for bringing the military and governmental brass to some accountability for creating the "bad barrel" that led normal soldiers to become abusers. He ends with a description of heroism and how we can avoid being coerced by the situations and systems that surround us to act for a better world. A terrific book! Much needed.

Average customer rating:

SIX FOR SIX
Disturbing
Great
Couldn't put it down!
Phoning In the Evil

Fear No Evil: A Novel
Allison Brennan
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Romantic Suspense | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

Romantic Suspense | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345495047
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Book Description

In cyberspace, no one can hear you scream.

Instead of preparing for her high school graduation, Lucy Kincaid is facing a vicious execution. Lured by an online predator, she’s destined to die horribly–live on the Internet–while hundreds of heartless viewers watch and vote on the method of her slaughter. Her family’s only hope rests with Kate Donovan, an FBI agent who took on the same sadistic killer once before . . . and lost. Blamed for another girl’s gruesome murder, Kate’s been fighting to clear her name. But she agrees to join the hunt for Lucy–and reluctantly steps back into her worst nightmare.

With time running out before the bloody webcast airs, Kate teams up with forensic psychiatrist Dillon Kincaid to get inside the head of her twisted quarry, zero in on his chamber of horrors, and reach Lucy before grim history repeats itself and another innocent’s brutal death goes hideously live.

Face the fear. Speak its name. See its face.

Customer Reviews:

SIX FOR SIX.......2007-08-22

I HAVE READ 6 OF ALLISON BRENNAN'S BOOKS. THE PREY, THE HUNT (MY FAVORITE OF THE THREE) AND THE KILL. WHAT MADE ME DECIDE TO GET INTO THE EVIL SERIES, WAS THE FACT NICK THOMAS (THE HUNT) WAS THE LEAD MALE IN THE FIRST BOOK, SPEAK NO EVIL. THOUGH I REALLY ENJOYED ALL THREE BOOKS OF THE EVIL SERIES, I WANTED MORE IN THE END ABOUT PATRICK. IS HE GOING TO WAKE UP FROM THE COMA AND HAVE HIS OWN STORY? AND WHAT ABOUT JACK'S STORY.WILL WE EVER LEARN THE WHATS AND WHYS OF HIS LIFE DURING THE ELEVEN YEARS HE HAS BEEN GONE FROM THE KINCAID FAMILY. DOES CARINA AND NICK TIE THE KNOT? DOES CONNOR AND JUILA'S STORY END WITH OUT AN ENDING? HOPEFULLY THE NEW BOOK DUE OUT IN EARLY 2008, WILL PICK UP ON THESE LOOSE ENDS, LIKE SPEAK NO EVIL DID FOR THE PREY , THE HUNT AND THE KILL. IT WAS, ALSO, GOOD TO SEE QUINN PETERSON WAS STILL KEEPING THINGS AT THE FBI RUNNING AND HAVING MARINDA TO HELP LUCY. I LIKE BOOK SERIES THAT LET YOU REVISIT OTHER CHARACTERS I HAVE READ ABOUT, SO I HOPE MS BRENNAN CONTINUES TO CONNECT HER'S IN FUTURE BOOKS. IF YOU ENJOY BOOKS THAT LET YOU REVISIT AND CONNECT, PLEASE CHECK OUT MARIAH STEWERT. SHE IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST,IF NOT THE BEST, AT WRITING NEW BOOKS THAT INCORPORATE CHARACTERS FROM HER OTHER BOOKS.

Disturbing.......2007-08-13

I don't know why this book disturbed me so much, but it did. Maybe it's because we'd gotten to know the Kincaid family over the past two books, and I was a bit surprised to see the brutality leveled at so many of them. Regardless though, it made me very disturbed.

This series was my first try with Allison Brennan. However, while the books were well-written, they were way too graphic and violent for my tastes. A good story can still be told without that level of violence, or such graphic storytelling.

I don't think I'll be checking out anything more of hers.

Great.......2007-08-13

I couldn't put this one down. I only wish i had read the other books before. I can't wait to go back and read more about the characters.

Couldn't put it down!.......2007-08-09

The clock is ticking and you can't wait to know the outcome! I definitely lost myself in this novel. It was difficult to put this one down...

Phoning In the Evil.......2007-07-08

I am in complete disagreement with most of the other reviewers. I really enjoyed the Prey/Hunt/Kill series, and the other 2 books in this series, but Brennan didn't deliver with this book. Her stories are scary, and show the brutality of rape & murder, without gratutious gore. She normally doesn't sugar coat the pain and violence involved in rape, but brings it to light, and then developes the rest of the story line. Her characters are strong, pretty well-developed & survivors. I am not sure if it is because the victim is a minor in this book, that she sort of glossed over the crimes committed against Lucy, but it wasn't well developed, nor were the two main characters brought as fully to life. Overall, the series worked, and I am glad I read it, but this was not a strong finish.

Average customer rating:

The Great Divorce
A dash of fantasy, a dash of truth, vintage C.S. Lewis
An Intriguing Story
Yet, it IS a plausible picture of the afterlife...
Entertaining, but don't try and take too much theology from it.

The Great Divorce
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0060652950
Release Date: 2001-02-05

Amazon.com

The Great Divorce is C.S. Lewis's Divine Comedy: the narrator bears strong resemblance to Lewis (by way of Dante); his Virgil is the fantasy writer George MacDonald; and upon boarding a bus in a nondescript neighborhood, the narrator is taken to Heaven and Hell. The book's primary message is presented with almost oblique tidiness--"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'" However, the narrator's descriptions of sin and temptation will hit quite close to home for many readers. Lewis has a genius for describing the intricacies of vanity and self-deception, and this book is tremendously persistent in forcing its reader to consider the ultimate consequences of everyday pettiness. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

C. S. Lewis takes us on a profound journey through both heaven and hell in this engaging allegorical tale. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis introduces us to supernatural beings who will change the way we think about good and evil.

Customer Reviews:

The Great Divorce.......2007-09-30

This is one of my favorite books. I've read it several times and I've had to buy new copies because I keep giving it away. The Great Divorce starts off a little slowly, but you have to hang in there through the first couple of chapters. It is NOT a book about marital divorce, but rather about letting go of the things you think you want or need in order to gain that which is of much greater value.

A dash of fantasy, a dash of truth, vintage C.S. Lewis.......2007-09-26

As one reviewer noted, many readers will not pick up a C.S. Lewis creation beyond "Chronicles of Narnia," "Mere Christianity," and "The Screwtape Letters." I was one of them, but I'm very thankful for having to check out a copy of Lewis' "The Great Divorce." Like his Narnia tales, there is a dash of both fantasy and truth in this volume, and the mix is delicate but profound. Built as a story of a bus ride to Heaven and Hell, "The Great Divorce" weaves a tapestry of assorted characters, facing immortal choices about their own harrowing predicaments. While Lewis' landscape visualizing the realities of Heaven and Hell are of course conjectural, each character's scene and dialogue with the Solid Spirits of Heaven are assuredly not. It's like looking in the mirror - there is someone who looks exactly like you, warts and all. It's a small book, something you can finish within a day. I still thought it was like a smack in the face, something we need in our materialistic and fickle lives now and again.

Pride, lust, idolatry, SIN, it's all represented here in the great style of Lewis' magical blend of imagination and vivid imagery. The book, of course, ends in hope, in salvation. As the mystical Teacher who advises the main character Lewis says, Hell would not be big enough to do any harm to the Real World, or the Truth.

An Intriguing Story.......2007-09-19

C.S. Lewis' very short book is a fictional work that follows the journey of a group of people in Hell who take a trip to Heaven. Like his "Screwtape Letters," this book provides some excellent insights into the psychology of humankind.

During this trip to Heaven, the inhabitants of Hell are given a chance to repent and enter the kingdom of God. Each person upon arrival is eventually greeted by a person from Heaven who tries to convince the unrepentant to receive salvation. It is almost painful to read as these inhabitants of Hell steadfastly refuse to repent. It is painful to see the characters accept Hell and reject Heaven, but it is even more painful because it is easy for us to see our own flaws represented by these unrepentant people.

Lewis' construction of Hell as a place where the unrepentant wander around and never achieve satisfaction or fulfillment is conspicuously lacking searing flames and torturing demons. And although Lewis may not have meant for "The Great Divorce" to be a systematic description of the nature of Heaven and Hell, I think that he is certainly on to something. The vision of Hell found in this book is, I think, closer to the reality of Hell than the traditional Dante-esque version of torture and pain. But the primary accomplishment of "The Great Divorce" is that it shows us the psychology of unbelief, even when manifested in ourselves.

Yet, it IS a plausible picture of the afterlife..........2007-09-08

This little book is a total joy to read. I know that the author makes it very clear that one should not suppose that he is factually presenting details of the afterlife, yet, in the end he has created a most satisfying image of a plausible afterlife. As for the title, he is referring to the poet-mystic William Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell. He points out that this is a synthesis that can never be, for to do so would compromise the absolute Goodness of Heaven, thereby making a Hell of both. Perhaps there can one day be a marriage of Heaven and Earth (thereby showing both to really have been Heaven all along), but never of Heaven and Hell.

I loved the imagery of Hell being very much like a never-ending city on Earth where it is always twilight and eternal night always on the verge. Yet, it is not a crowded city for people keep moving apart because they cannot stand each other's presence. That's just it. People dwell in Hell by their own choice. It is the obsessions that separate them from God and the highest reality that keep them from leaving. It is even shown that such higher impulses as love and pity, if unhealthily indulged in for their own sake and for nothing higher or transcendent, can keep you in Hell. Yet, this Hell is also Purgatory for those who workout their obsessions. In fact, there is a regular bus service to Heaven for fieldtrips that serve just that purpose (I always suspected that the omnibus originated in Hades.)

As for Heaven, it is perpetually just the moment before dawn and eternal day. The idea that Heaven is actually more substantial than Hell, or Earth, is reasonable, since it is after all the more Real of the two being closer to the Creator. Indeed, the visitors from Hell appear as pale and insubstantial deformed ghosts who find the adamantine hardness and density of the higher plane physically painful (even walking upon the grass.) The residents of the realm however are radiant spirits who do everything that they can to point out the mistakes and illusions that the ghostly visitors still cling to- and which are the only thing keeping them from traveling higher up and farther in to the one true goal. The most detailed and believable of these tutelary spirits is Lewis' own spriritual mentor, George Macdonald.

Entertaining, but don't try and take too much theology from it........2007-08-16

I gave this book three stars because while it is entertaining, there is a significant potential for people to try and get theology from it, which for the most part I don't recommend. The author makes sure to make that point at the end of the book, though. But I'm sure it's too late for a lot of people by then.

The primary theological point that C.S. Lewis is actually intending to make is that one goes to hell as a consequence of rejecting God and "loving" self. It is the person's rejection of God, not the other way around. However, in trying to make this point in a novel, a lot of the theology seems to get messed up.

Average customer rating:

Angels & Demons & Bishops ... oh, my!
Stupid and Mass Marketed
Well beyond the skills of negative reviewers
Dan Brown's Best Book Yet!
OK action-thriller for passing time, but don't expect much more

Angels & Demons
Dan Brown
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1416524797

Amazon.com

It takes guts to write a novel that combines an ancient secret brotherhood, the Swiss Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, a papal conclave, mysterious ambigrams, a plot against the Vatican, a mad scientist in a wheelchair, particles of antimatter, jets that can travel 15,000 miles per hour, crafty assassins, a beautiful Italian physicist, and a Harvard professor of religious iconology. It takes talent to make that novel anything but ridiculous. Kudos to Dan Brown (Digital Fortress) for achieving the nearly impossible. Angels & Demons is a no-holds-barred, pull-out-all-the-stops, breathless tangle of a thriller--think Katherine Neville's The Eight (but cleverer) or Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum (but more accessible).

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is shocked to find proof that the legendary secret society, the Illuminati--dedicated since the time of Galileo to promoting the interests of science and condemning the blind faith of Catholicism--is alive, well, and murderously active. Brilliant physicist Leonardo Vetra has been murdered, his eyes plucked out, and the society's ancient symbol branded upon his chest. His final discovery, antimatter, the most powerful and dangerous energy source known to man, has disappeared--only to be hidden somewhere beneath Vatican City on the eve of the election of a new pope. Langdon and Vittoria, Vetra's daughter and colleague, embark on a frantic hunt through the streets, churches, and catacombs of Rome, following a 400-year-old trail to the lair of the Illuminati, to prevent the incineration of civilization.

Brown seems as much juggler as author--there are lots and lots of balls in the air in this novel, yet Brown manages to hurl the reader headlong into an almost surreal suspension of disbelief. While the reader might wish for a little more sardonic humor from Langdon, and a little less bombastic philosophizing on the eternal conflict between religion and science, these are less fatal flaws than niggling annoyances--readers should have no trouble skimming past them and immersing themselves in a heck of a good read. "Brain candy" it may be, but my! It's tasty. --Kelly Flynn

Book Description

An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new

weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target.

World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization -- the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth . . . the long-forgotten Illuminati lair.

BEFORE THE DA VINCI CODE WAS BROKEN,

THE WORLD LAY AT THE MERCY OF ANGELS & DEMONS

Download Description

From the acclaimed author of Digital Fortress comes an explosive international thriller that careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war.

Customer Reviews:

Angels & Demons & Bishops ... oh, my!.......2007-10-03

Let's get this out of the way right from the start: I picked up ANGELS & DEMONS at the behest of dozens of friends who -- on the tails of THE DAVINCI CODE movie -- spent the better part of several weeks arguing which book (DAVINCI or A&D) would make better fodder from cinema entertainment. Yes, most of them argued that ANGELS was far more 'filmable,' and, having not yet read DAVINCI, I'm in no position to debate that. Loved the subject matter (I've always been a bit of a conspiracy nut, and ANGELS provides more than ample proving ground for topics relating to the ever elusive Illuminate as well as fringe Catholicism and future science), loved the characters (Robert Langdon seems and sounds like a bona fide college professor / academic, and Vittoria Vetra made a pleasant sidekick / love interest), and loved the premise (I've always been a sucker for race-against-the-clock narratives, and ANGELS delivers pretty solidly on that count).

However, the book tries way too often to vacillate between the philosophical arguments of religion versus science when author Dan Brown should've done like everyone suggests: pick a side, and run with it. Too much time is spent on the fence -- the middleground reserved for centrists or realists who prefer to pick-and-choose what to and what not to believe based on convenience -- when I wouldn't have faulted Brown for just deciding "'A' is going to be the truth for this novel, and I'll stick with it." It's easier to get past some of the lesser inconsistencies OR major incredulities when, at the very least, you've chosen a side and put your stake in the ground. At some points, Langdon believes ... and then he doesn't again. Sure, I think it's comfy; you avoid offending the audience by presenting a main character who's struggling with these moral dilemmas (just like you and me!) ... but, as I'm inclined to give the book a pass due to the delicate subject matter, I won't go on with that point.

Also, Brown didn't quite handle the real-time element in the latter half of the novel. At the beginning, Robert Langdon is in the realm of science, so it's forgivable to have him jetting from one side of the world to the other in one hour, but racing throughout Rome in only a matter of minutes given the fact that there are, allegedly, hundreds of thousands of folks obviously cluttering the streets around the Vatican? Seems a bit of a stretch to me. Also, the hearty Langdon performs with such athletic prowess that a Navy Seal would blush. Langdon's last brush with death totally killed my ability to suspend disbelief ... and I'll leave that little moment for your own discovery.

Incidentally, I've read somewheres that the folks behind Fox TV's stellar program "24" were interested in acquiring the rights to ANGELS & DEMONS at some point in the book's history, and I don't find that hard to believe in the slightest. Much of the book is told in the same kind of hectic frantic incredible pace of one of the better seasons of that program, so fans of Jack Bauer should take interest in exploring the book if for no other reason than to see what could have been.

Stupid and Mass Marketed.......2007-09-30

Thank God there are others out there who appreciate the sheer stupidity of this book -- and Brown's other book, the Da Vinci Code. I bought both through a price club, sadly believing the buzz which surrounded them. I was expecting an interesting, engaging read, along the lines of best sellers I have read in England. I have to be honest -- I put the book down after reading a few pages. One reviewer posted the many, numerous factual errors. What is more astounding is the many reviewers who defended such factual errors. The first few pages of this book were inane, vacuous, and glib. Nothing intelligent, riveting, rigorous, compelling about them at all. I leafed through the rest of the book, looking for interesting parts -- and it was more or less the same. I did not see any interesting detours into philosophical, historical excavations or reflections....or depth any kind really. The back of the books shows a picture of David Brown, who looks as happy as if he had discovered the Happy Meal (at McDonalds) and is gleeful that million are buying his garbage and proclaiming it to be haute cusine.

This is one stupid, ridiculous book marketed and hyped to the masses. Brown is not a gifted writer, though he can write. But genius, ground breaker he is not. THere is nothing remarkable or extraordinary or even remotely interesting about this book.

The fact that so many in America love it reflects how dumbed down this country really is. The people who defend it dont realize how dumb they really are. Ignorance is bliss (and apparently quite profitable) in America!!

Well beyond the skills of negative reviewers.......2007-09-29

This book should be examined under two points of view, factuality and writing skills. And it must be kept in mind that it was written not to be a literary classic of any depth, but a seller.

No doubt, it is implausible and poorly researched. Dan Brown knows little about Rome, the Vatican, Physics, History, Geography and Canon Law. He knows no Italian and absolutely no Arabic. He tells us that the Camerlengo (actually a senior cardinal) is, at the same time, the young personal assistant to the Pope and the "Vice-Pope", and depicts a CERN, a Rome and a Vatican that do not exist. Even in the corrected later edition that I have read, his Italian words are often misspelled, his Italian sentences always clumsy or incorrect. He can't write the Arabic word for "two" or "good", and makes many other ludicrous mistakes. But do these mistakes really matter? Are they really "mistakes"? I don't think so. Most simply, Dan Brown doesn't care. He writes popular fiction, and lets facts serve him, knowing full well that the great majority of his readers cannot detect the mistake, cannot tell the lie from the truth, and will hail his vast knowledge and his deep research. Yes, he's not a scholar, but is shrewd, and knows his job.

However, is he also a gifted writer? Well, I have read very many literary works in my life, most of them by great authors, and I can't concede he's such a poor writer. The plot, the dialogues, the settings, the descriptions, even the characters, are not that bad. He writes very simply, but he intends to. He can't sculpture larger-than-life men or women in his books, and can't create a really gripping and fascinating story. But who can, anyway? John Grisham, or Robert Ludlum, or Tom Clancy, or Frederick Forsyth, or Robert Harris, or Ken Follett, or Martin Cruz Smith, or Matthew Reilly?

Sure, he's no Umberto Eco. But Umberto Eco is a scholar, and writes more to impress his readers than to make money. Dan Brown writes only to make money, and has made a huge lot of it.

Dan Brown's Best Book Yet!.......2007-09-24

I absolutely loved "Angels and Demons"! It is very action-packed, makes the reader think, is filled with surprises, and has a satisfying ending. I would and do recommend this book to everyone. The themes include science and religion, but in a unique way that if you're not a big fan of either, the story is just as good. Another theme is secret-societies, which I found very interesting. It is a great book for people who like to figure things out and be intellectually challenged. Brown's style of writing is enjoyable and the level of difficulty is average, so many people will enjoy this book. I really liked "Angels and Demons," because it caught my interest from the first page and held it all the way through. It is a great read. I highly and definitely recommend it!

OK action-thriller for passing time, but don't expect much more.......2007-09-23

In typical Dan Brown style, this book is all about creating action and suspense using blood, violence, a bit superstition, a little creative rewriting of history and some far fetched sci-fi, rather than creating a story that makes any sense. It's serves its purpose as a page-turner for passing idle time, but don't expect any scientific, geographical, linguistical og historical accuracy. It's so full of factual errors and self-contradicting statements that it sometimes switches from an action-thriller to a comedy. But if you're able to shut out reality for a few hours, there's some action packed time waiting for you just around the next page.

Average customer rating:

Good and weird... Weird but very good!
Forgettable
A Puddle Disguised as an Ocean
Good book
Wierd, Wierd, Wierd!

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Patrick Suskind
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

German | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Mystery | Book Clubs | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0375725849
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Book Description

An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of smell—leads to murder.

In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift-an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"—the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.

Translated from the German by John E. Woods.

Customer Reviews:

Good and weird... Weird but very good!.......2007-09-21

I loved reading this book. I have read it more than a couple of times. It's a good read, especially if you are familiar with the world of perfumes.

Forgettable.......2007-09-14

I just don't get all the great reviews. The writing was good, but the story was lacking. The smells were better developed than the characters. Not only did the main character have no soul, but the book had no soul.

A Puddle Disguised as an Ocean .......2007-08-22

As a little girl more in love with the fashions of Morticia Addams than Barbie, who loved vampire stories and Shakespeare at age 10, my grandfather would often say to me "You don't have to be different to be different."

I wish someone had told this to Patrick Suskind.

I get the point: the soul of a man is not his elevation above his base animal instincts, but what man perceives as his soul is, in fact, nothing MORE than those promordial sensory intuitions. But this in and of itself can't carry a whole novella...

Sentence by sentence, I cannot argue that "Perfume" is not well written. The very sensual aromatic details were lovely even when putrid. My nose actually hurt when reading about Baldini trying to come up with the formula for the other perfumer's perfume. But well-written does not a solid story make. The story wove in and out of too many places, trying to make too many melodramatic points with a character without a soul and whose lack of a soul isn't especially interesting, either, so what's the appeal?

It reads like Victor Hugo and Anne Rice had a baby and sat it down at a type-writer as soon as it became an angsty teenager. The level of violence, physical detail, "profound struggling with the soul", etc. smacks of effort and strikes me as entirely masturbatory. I will believe a man who can smell his way through the dark, who kills women for their scents and then makes perfume out of them. But a perfume that induces orgies and cannibalism? No. Now you're just going out of your way to be tragic.

I feel these uber-Gothic details were thrown in as a pseudo-intellectual grab at being beautifully horrific. Here's the thing, though: it's not beautifully horrific if you TRY to make it so.

Good book.......2007-07-28

An solid book, relatively quick and easy to read. The reader experiances the life story of a serial killer (the main character) with very...interesting....motivations. By the end you wish for him to be caught and stopped, yet at the same time, you want to escape to see if his theory is true.

Wierd, Wierd, Wierd!.......2007-07-27

If you like something a litle 'different' and than this is for you.
A little morbid towards the end....

Really makes you smell everything after you read this.

Average customer rating:

Medical Malpractice
Excellent Read
Until Death Do Us Part
Iles is my favorite author!
Winning Book!

True Evil: A Novel
Greg Iles
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0743292499

Book Description

"If you wanted to kill your spouse and get away with it, you had to do something truly ingenious: something that wouldn't even be perceived as murder. And that was the service that Andrew Rusk had found a way to provide. Like any quality product, it did not come cheap. Nor did it come quickly. And perhaps most important of all, it was not for those with weak constitutions. Demand was high, of course, but few people were truly suitable clients. It took a deep-rooted hatred to watch your spouse die in agony, knowing that you had brought about that pain. But on the other hand, some people bore up remarkably well."

With these words, New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles returns to his trademark Southern milieu in this terrifying thriller, an unnerving tale of evil lurking beneath the veneer of idyllic suburban life. Brimming with the masterful suspense and intense psychological drama that made Turning Angel, Blood Memory, and The Quiet Game bestsellers, True Evil tells the chilling story of a divorce attorney who may be orchestrating the deaths of his clients' spouses, bringing new meaning to the phrase "'til death do us part."

Dr. Chris Shepard is thirty-six years old, newly married, and well on his way to a perfect life. Or so he believes. But that future is forever cast into doubt the day Special Agent Alexandra Morse walks into his office and drops a bombshell: Dr. Shepard's beautiful new wife is plotting his murder. Shepard is so shocked that he almost throws Agent Morse out of his office. Yet once he is alone, doubt begins to gnaw at him. Paranoia magnifies the small cracks in his marital relationship, and soon he can have no peace unless he knows the truth. When Agent Morse reappears, Chris agrees to act as bait to help her unravel the divorce lawyer's scheme, which may already have cost nine unsuspecting spouses their lives.

At the center of the mystery lies a maddeningly simple question: If these people really were murdered, why can't the FBI prove it? Rigorous autopsies have uncovered no forensic evidence of foul play, and the police believe no crimes have occurred. As Dr. Shepard and Agent Morse struggle against an invisible adversary, Shepard realizes that he's working with a desperate woman. The reason: the killer's last known victim was Alex Morse's sister, who from her deathbed accused her husband of murder and extracted a vow that Alex save her ten-year-old nephew from his father. This has driven Alex to risk both her life and her career to fulfill that vow. But Chris Shepard soon feels desperation of his own. As he probes his wife's hidden past, he is confronted by the probability that the woman he loves wants him dead.

He has adopted her son and given her everything he has to give, and yet somewhere out there, a killer with the brilliance to outwit the top forensic scientists in the world is closing in on him.

Customer Reviews:

Medical Malpractice.......2007-10-05

This novel is not kind to lawyers and doctors. This is a tale of a lawyer and a doctor that you really don't want to seek out for professional advice. The plot revolves around a medical discovery that can be used for evil. Now certainly that's a plot line that can hardly be described as fresh. I've certainly ploughed through a lot of books where sociopathic scientists have put in long hours trying to come up with a discovery that society will view with complete horror.

So we have a stale plot here. Should we skip this book and wait for the next novel by Grisham or even one by Child? No need. You simply read this book for the thrill of the chase. These bad guys have used medical means to kill the spouses of the attorney's unhappy clients. Our hero here is Alex "Scarface"(she took a shotgun blast in the face) Morse a rogue FBI agent who is a pretty tough lady. Forget the preposterous medical discovery and its bizarre utilization in a legal practice, and go along for the exciting ride as Alex scampers after them without even stopping long enough to sleep.

Admittedly toward the end things get a bit silly so you can chuckle while you lap up the thrills. And, of course, to make all the plot antics work the author can't avoid some flaws, but that's being picky. I would usually rate a novel without either any literary pretensions or a fresh plot at two stars, but this one was so much fun that I gave it four stars.

Excellent Read.......2007-10-03

I am a big fan of Greg Iles, his books are always interesting and well written, and this one is no exception. I bought this book a while ago and didn't read it immediately, thinking it might not be as good as his other books. But as soon as I read it, I couldn't put it down and I kept thinking I could have kicked myself or waiting so long to read it. This book will chill you to the bone, and you will want to read from cover to cover in one sitting just like I did.

Until Death Do Us Part.......2007-09-29

Sometimes I like Greg Iles and sometimes I don't.

His protagonists either win me over immediately or seem too two dimensional for serious consideration. His character Harper Cole ("Mortal Fear") engaged me from the get-go with his all too familiar upper class Southern-fried sensibilities hiding a lifestyle replete with enough secrets to make Tennessee Williams' psychologically complicated world seem tame by comparison. On the other hand while the plotline involving Jordan Glass from "Dead Sleep" intrigues, Iles works a little too hard to make this Über-girl photojournalist believable in terms of her ability to outthink a trained team of FBI agents and withstand the heat of a murder investigation where probability points to her being the next mark.

In "True Evil" Iles hits a double bulls-eye, writing a near perfect thriller with an emotionally charged plotline starring two engaging characters, FBI agent Alex Morse and doctor/target Chris Shepard. Both these creations realistically utilize wit and skepticism to puzzle out the moves and motives of a truly evil toxicologist (Dr. Tarver) and a wily money/power driven divorce lawyer (Andrew Rush). After convincing wealthy clientele of the financial benefits of keeping both halves of the marital spreadsheet, this dastardly duo goes about the grisly business of introducing the unwanted spouses to retroviruses that either induces a natural death caused by stroke or initiates a lethal untraceable cancer where no one in authority is the wiser.

That is until Agent Morse's sister dies a sudden horrific death and Alex prompted by her sister's deathbed disclosure that her husband was responsible for her incumbent demise discovers that her brother-in-law sought divorce advise from Rush. Alex's investigation of Rush leads her to the next victim, Natchez, Mississippi doctor, Chris Shepard who refuses to believe that his wife of two years is unhappy let alone plotting his murder by lethal injection. Believe me, Iles method of alternating the third person narrative from the perspectives of Alex, Chris, Tarver and Rush keep the story moving at the levels of adrenaline attributed to NASCAR drivers. Particularly fascinating was Chris's moment of reveleation---too late, of course, but nonetheless poignant in its sobriety.

For me, Iles' use of the Southern landscape----Southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi---satisfies greatly. Understanding the places and being able to visualize them in my mind imbues this well-told tale with vibrant local color that can only enhance Iles' ability as a storyteller. Better yet is his keen grasp on the mindsets of the many social echelons that populate the Mississippi hunting clubs, tent revival churches and upper-crust sub-divisions of picturesque Natchez. The internal discussion within Tarver's brain disclosing this character's pessimistic prediction of the ultimate showdown between China and the United States illustrates his ability to get beneath the surface of the more quirky Southern persona. Kudos, Mr. Iles.

Bottom line: "True Evil" makes a true believer out of me. Contending only with "Mortal Fear" as his best written and plotted suspense novel, Iles resurrects himself in my eyes after his so-so attempt at Frankensteinian philosophical lit in "Footprints of God." I deducted a star only because the climatic scene with Tarver is so Hollywood dramatic I felt as if I were skimming over an overabundance of action words just to get to the more cerebral denouement. Recommended to all lovers of suspense who appreciate good characterization interspersed with cutting edge medical technology themes.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

Iles is my favorite author!.......2007-08-23

I read all his books as soon as they are released, and wait eagerly for his next book. The book has a great story line, very well-developed characters, and you're able to put yourself in the book while reading. A wonderful all-night read!

Winning Book! .......2007-08-08

I've read Greg Iles before and had really not gotten into his latest 2 books. I'm so glad I decided to try again. "True Evil" is a wonderful thriller with rich characters and thrills to spare. One of those books that's great to read on a plane, train or in bed before falling asleep. I even liked all the 'science' that was thrown in (something that usually doesn't appeal). I've recommended this to several people. Took me back to the days of first reading "Coma"-- I see it's coming out on paperback. Grad yourself a copy!

See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism

Average customer rating:

Real behind the scenes of how the spy agency worked
Dispatches From the Pre-9/11 War on Terror Front
Useful Stuff
"Why don't they listen to me?"
My favorite CIA book

See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism
Robert Baer
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 140004684X
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Book Description

In his explosive New York Times bestseller, top CIA operative Robert Baer paints a chilling picture of how terrorism works on the inside and provides startling evidence of how Washington politics sabotaged the CIA’s efforts to root out the world’s deadliest terrorists, allowing for the rise of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda and the continued entrenchment of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

A veteran case officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations in the Middle East, Baer witnessed the rise of terrorism first hand and the CIA’s inadequate response to it, leading to the attacks of September 11, 2001. This riveting book is both an indictment of an agency that lost its way and an unprecedented look at the roots of modern terrorism, and includes a new afterword in which Baer speaks out about the American war on terrorism and its profound implications throughout the Middle East.

“Robert Baer was considered perhaps the best on-the-ground field
officer in the Middle East.”
–Seymour M. Hersh, The New Yorker

From The Preface
This book is a memoir of one foot soldier’s career in the other cold war, the one against terrorist networks. It’s a story about places most Americans will never travel to, about people many Americans would prefer to think we don’t need to do business with.

This memoir, I hope, will show the reader how spying is supposed to work, where the CIA lost its way, and how we can bring it back again. But I hope this book will accomplish one more purpose as well: I hope it will show why I am angry about what happened to the CIA. And I want to show why every American and everyone who cares about the preservation of this country should be angry and alarmed, too.

The CIA was systematically destroyed by political correctness, by petty Beltway wars, by careerism, and much more. At a time when terrorist threats were compounding globally, the agency that should have been monitoring them was being scrubbed clean instead. Americans were making too much money to bother. Life was good. The White House and the National Security Council became cathedrals of commerce where the interests of big business outweighed the interests of protecting American citizens at home and abroad. Defanged and dispirited, the CIA went along for the ride. And then on September 11, 2001, the reckoning for such vast carelessness was presented for all the world to see.

Download Description

In See No Evil, one of the CIA's top field officers of the past quarter century recounts his career running agents in the back alleys of the Middle East. In the process, Robert Baer paints a chilling picture of how terrorism works on the inside and provides compelling evidence about how Washington politics sabotaged the CIA's efforts to root out the world's deadliest terrorists.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, the world witnessed the terrible result of that intelligence failure with the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In the wake of those attacks, Americans were left wondering how such an obviously long-term, globally coordinated plot could have escaped detection by the CIA and taken the nation by surprise. Robert Baer was not surprised. A twenty-one-year veteran of the CIA's Directorate of Operations who had left the agency in 1997, Baer observed firsthand how an increasingly bureaucratic CIA lost its way in the post-cold war world and refused to adequately acknowledge and neutralize the growing threat of Islamic fundamentalist terror in the Middle East and elsewhere.

A throwback to the days when CIA operatives got results by getting their hands dirty and running covert operations, Baer spent his career chasing down leads on suspected terrorists in the world's most volatile hot spots. As he and his agents risked their lives gathering intelligence, he watched as the CIA reduced drastically its operations overseas, failed to put in place people who knew local languages and customs, and rewarded workers who knew how to play the political games of the agency's suburban Washington headquarters but not how to recruit agents on the ground.

See No Evil is not only a candid memoir of the education and disillusionment of an intelligence operative but also an unprecedented look at the roots of modern terrorism. Baer reveals some of the disturbing details he uncovered in his work, including:

In 1996, Osama bin Laden established a strategic alliance with Iran to coordinate terrorist attacks against the United States.
In 1995, the National Security Council intentionally aborted a military coup d'etat against Saddam Hussein, forgoing the last opportunity to get rid of him.
In 1991, the CIA intentionally shut down its operations in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, and ignored fundamentalists operating there.

When Baer left the agency in 1997 he received the Career Intelligence Medal, with a citation that says, "He repeatedly put himself in personal danger, working the hardest targets, in service to his country."

See No Evil is Baer's frank assessment of an agency that forgot that "service to country" must transcend politics and is a forceful plea for the CIA to return to its original mission -- the preservation of our national sovereignty and the American way of life.

"Robert Baer was considered perhaps the best on-the-ground field officer in the Middle East."
   SEYMOUR M. HERSH, THE NEW YORKER

"Robert Baer [was] one of the most talented Middle East case officers of the past twenty years."
   REUEL MARC GERECHT, THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY

Customer Reviews:

Real behind the scenes of how the spy agency worked.......2007-10-02

Only halfway through, but this book is great. It shows you in depth how the agency worked. Reveals how training was done, how missions worked. Includes real stories not just analysis.

Dispatches From the Pre-9/11 War on Terror Front.......2007-09-30

The stories and experiences of real life are often more gripping than fiction. Given that celebrated novels receive greater fame and publicity, it is rare to come across a book that captures the adventure of a captivating adventure novel and the benefit of a knowledgeable nonfiction author. A medley of suspense, wisdom from years experience, and formidable lessons from around the globe abound in former CIA officer Bob Baer's veracious story from the forefront of the US's struggle against international terrorism.

Baer recounts his professional life in one of the most riveting, true-life spy tales around. His first book is easy to follow and lively; even if you're not a James Bond suspense-novel junkie you'll likely appreciate "See No Evil." Baer's insight on the past and the state of current intelligence operations in a post 9/11 world with admonition for, what he sees as, the most potent gambit in the war against Middle Eastern terrorism, is vital for composing a winning strategy in the region.

The reputability of being the basis for George Clooney's character in the film "Syriana." shouldn't deter readers who actually watched the risible movie. George Clooney's Bob Barnes never amounted to the valorous character we become acquainted with in the book; his pitiful role is a real injustice to the real life Baer. There are no real parallels between the fictional movie`s plot and the book based on Baer's firsthand experiences.

With such a furtive job like a case officer, it is rare for an author to lift the shroud of secrecy for the public to behold some of these highly-speculated operations. An ordinary American youngster, full of guilelessness and vitality, finds himself leading an anything but ordinary life in an abstruse field that eventually takes him to the forefront of the nation`s interests in the Middle East. Ultimately departing an agency hampered by politicalization and putrefied by scandals, Bob holds back nothing in sharing passionate convictions, doubts, and solicitude in an earnest reflection of his entire espionage career. From the young operative's tribulation of his first assignment in India up to senior liaison orchestrating a coup against Saddam His story is gripping, his insight and perception on the challenges we face is indispensable.

Useful Stuff.......2007-08-28

After reading the book one can never be so ignorant!!!
It's pretty sad to watch these guys risk their lives for such dangerous missions and let go in the end...

"Why don't they listen to me?".......2007-07-27

Robert Baer
See No Evil
book review

The first half of this book is a great adventure story. The second reveals a personality.

We are treated to a sampling of the adventures of a vigorous, energetic, productive young case officer's (we learn that a CIA "agent" is the local who does the actual spying, "case officer" being the term for the professional recruiter and manager of agents) experiences during the birth and maturation of his productive years in southern Asia and the Middle East. For those of us interested in espionage procedurals, this part of the book is exhilarating. I couldn't put it down. It is written with vim and a touch of humor.

The second half of the book is in some ways more interesting, as it reveals through a change of style a man who needs rest. Mr. Baer's supervisors should have recognized it and brought him "in from the cold" from time to time, so that he could adjust in a healthy way back to normal life with a normal perspective. I saw this happen more than once in my own law enforcement career. Such seems to me what Robert Baer reveals to us, consciously or not, in the second half of his book.

The transition is marked by a curious re-call, which Robert Baer ("Robert Pope"?) resists vehemently, during which he is investigated as a suspect in a murder for hire. The portrayal of the burned out case officer in the movie Syriana, based on See No Evil, seems to be Robert Baer himself. The fictional character, Wilson, knows too much, or thinks he does. The fictional character in the movie blows up some bad guys, acting on his own authority in secret. The real Robert Baer in See No Evil is accused of plotting to assassinate Saddam Hussein, a weird story in itself. By is own admission, there are things he does not write up in reports.

It is as though he has arrived in the insane hell of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (a movie Mr. Baer refers to in his book). He wonders why "they" back at headquarters don't pay more respect to his on-the-spot reporting. As the fictional character, Captain Willard, says to himself in Apocalypse Now, "They didn't know I wasn't even in their f...ing army anymore."

But, you see, Robert Baer has been in the field so long and left alone to do pretty much as he sees fit, and it begins to tell. When he and his team are sent to northern Iraq, he interprets whole world scenarios through his team's emplacement. The whole course of world history depends on him and his team's mission. He blows their role out of proportion and takes on the role of the representative of the United States. He writes that the local Kurds think of him as the Untied States Ambassador.

He is turning into Colonel Kurtz. It is he whom they rely on, and he tells them lies about what Washington thinks and commitments he thinks they should make. Whether the Kurdish leaders really believe him or not is a matter of speculation. Robert Baer seems to think they do. Everything rests on Robert Baer, and Washington just won't do what he tells them needs to be done. It is time to be brought "in from the cold." He's gone over the edge, out of control, and control is what secret operations rely on most. He needs closer supervision. He needs to be watched. (Cf. the latter career of James J. Angleton.) His bosses order him back to the home office in Washington.

From there we get a phantasmagoria of life in the most unfathomable world imaginable, Washington, D.C. Robert Baer is out of his environment. He admittedly does not understand how it works. He is still "out in the field." He proceeds to engage this strange new world in the context of what he knows how to do. He runs into roadblocks wherever he turns. Why won't they listen to me?

In sum, read this book. Mr. Baer the author is a good writer and deserves a loyal audience for this and the other books he has written. For those interested in good-humored, adventurous spy stories, it is A-number-one. For those interested in the questionable practices and questionable values of unsupervised operators left to assume roles they should not, this is a perfect example of it.

Gary Berntsen, too, in his revelation, Jawbreaker, shows us another example of self-exaggerated importance among field people. Why does the CIA allow these people to publish and appear on television? In other recent histories written about these circumstances, nary a word is mentioned about the Gary Bernstsens' or Robert Baers's exploits. "Why won't they listen to me?" "I could've got Saddam Hussein." "I could've got Osama bin Laden." "If only I had two divisions of men with the will to cut off the arms of inoculated children ...." (Colonel Kurtz)

Maybe the operational side of the CIA should be abandoned. Maybe they are loose cannons. Maybe the CIA should be kept strictly to the business of gathering and analyzing information. Mr. Baer alludes to the establishment of FBI offices overseas. Maybe the CIA or at least its operational side should be folded into the FBI. There are just too many intelligence agencies. There is nothing central about the Central Intelligence Agency. There is not enough control. There are too many Robert Baers and Gary Berntsens out there doing too many things on their own.

I say all of this with all respect due to Robert Baer, Gary Berntsen, and those like them. As young men they enter into an adventurous world and ripen into the most sincere patriots one can find. They work hard and do good things. However, as mature men, they begin to think they know more than they do and that those with other responsibility know less. "Why don't they listen to us?" Why, indeed.

My favorite CIA book.......2007-07-23

I've read a few books on the subject and I have to say that this is my favorite CIA book. Baer's style of writing makes it easy even for a first time CIA history reader. The book is packed with exciting stories and was a very pleasant read. It is a nice add for anyone interested in intelligence and how that region of the world works, as well as how our internal bureaucracy interacts and makes things that much more difficult for these people doing exceptional work abroad.

And if you watched the movie "Syriana" with George Clooney, this is the book on which it was based. Of course the book is much better and full of detail. I could not put it down once I started reading it.

Average customer rating:

oustanding read
Hello Savannah!
Nothing special
Non Fiction
Plenty of Evil, but "Good?"

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
John Berendt
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Murder & Mayhem | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0679751521
Release Date: 1999-06-28

Amazon.com

John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil has been heralded as a "lyrical work of nonfiction," and the book's extremely graceful prose depictions of some of Savannah, Georgia's most colorful eccentrics--remarkable characters who could have once prospered in a William Faulkner novel or Eudora Welty short story--were certainly a critical factor in its tremendous success. (One resident into whose orbit Berendt fell, the Lady Chablis, went on to become a minor celebrity in her own right.) But equally important was Berendt's depiction of Savannah socialite Jim Williams as he stands trial for the murder of Danny Hansford, a moody, violence-prone hustler--and sometime companion to Williams--characterized by locals as a "walking streak of sex." So feel free to call it a "true crime classic" without a trace of shame.

Book Description

Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty,early morning hours of May 2, 1981.  Was it murder or self-defense?  For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares.  John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction.  Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.

It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight.  These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a sublime and seductive reading experience.  Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city has become a modern classic.

Customer Reviews:

oustanding read.......2007-09-21

This was a very well written and funny historical book. Inspired my recent trip to Savannah Georiga, to actualy visit some of the places described in the book.

Hello Savannah!.......2007-09-18

One of my favorite books. I am one of the few that actually liked the movie as well as the book. The book goes into great detail much more then the movie. The characters are so crazy I actually considered moving to Savannah...seriouly! An excellent read, highly recommended!

Nothing special.......2007-09-03

First, the characters are somewhat interesting in the way that many alcoholic, affluent types are, but the storyline never weaves them together in a way that makes the book itself intersting. Second, the author is trying to strike a balance between 1. historic integrity and theme, 2. his first account experiences, and 3. what might make for an interesting read. I think he relies heavily on his first account experinces at the expense of history and an interesting story. My real motivation for finishing the book was to see if I knew any of the characters - I grew up not far from Savannah.

Non Fiction.......2007-09-03

Truth is stranger than fiction.

The bizarre cast of characters in Savannah, Geporgia, or thereabouts has to be seen to be believed. This is probably why it makes a decent book, as any novelist would have been happy to come up with stuff as whacky as guys walking invisible dogs, and other oddities, as well as having an interesting murder mystery in the middle of it.

Plenty of Evil, but "Good?".......2007-09-03

So, having survived my 10 and 11 year old daughters' recent Girl Scvout trip to Savannah for the pilgrimage to visit the Juliette Low birthplace, the troop leader(one of my best friends)and I decided to revisit the book we read a few years ago for our book group. I didn't really like it much the first time. I enjoy nonfiction, but I've come to since learn this book isn't all "non fiction" anyway. Lots of artistic license taken here!

Savannah is a beautiful old city, very historic and charming. I usually first think of Ellen O'Hara when I think of Savannah, being a big GWTW fan. BUt while on my first trip to Savannah, the Mercer name and Jim Williams' name as well is mentioned over and over on various tours of the city and local cemetaries. You can't help but be reminded of the book, especially if you've read it before your visit. It had been a few years though, so not all the locations/squares of the various famous homes mentioned in the book were very fresh in my mind.

The book itself is a montage of "Life in Savannah." Jim Williams, the "Lady" Chablis, Danny Hansford, Lee Adler, Minerva, Jim Odom and Mandy, Luther Driggers and Serrena Dawes, The Married Ladies' Club and Sonny Seiler are interesting enough characters. My problem with the whole story was really that I didn't like or feel any sympathy with any of these characters. Except maybe Uga. I'm partial to English Bulldogs. But really, there was no plot, except for the killing of Hansford and the subsequent trials of Jim Williams. I found little to laugh at concerning Chablis; in fact I was not a little repulsed by her behavior. I can handle a drag queen, but so ill mannered and ill behaved! I wouldn't want to be aquainted with anyone like that! I didn't really like John Berendt's "character" either. I guess the voyeuristic tone was supposed to be engaging, but I really had a difficult time getting through this book for a second time without falling asleep.

Every city has its characters and intrigues, even small historical ones, like Savannah. If you go, visit Bonaventure Cemetary--it truly is a beautiful and haunting place. Forget about Williams and Hansford and the "Lady" Chablis, though. Don't let their spirits ruin your visit to a lovely historical city. The intrigues that went on in the founding and growth of the city (i.e. the ban on liquor, lawyers and Catholics, the pirates, the Gordon and Low families, literary greats Flannery O'Conner and Conrad Aiken, [who did get cursory mention in the book] the Civil War history as the gift the city became to save itself, etc.) are much more interesting than the Peyton Place soap opera presented in this rather sullying book. Not bad writing, but a little dull, if you ask me. I just wasn't all that interested in these folks and their problems. They seemed to be dedicated to creating them.

Average customer rating:

SPEAK NO EVIL
Extremely Graphic
Speak No Evil a review by David B yers
Wow! Excellent Intense Suspense-Thriller
Almost but not quite good

Speak No Evil: A Novel
Allison Brennan
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Romantic Suspense | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

Romantic Suspense | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345495020
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Book Description

Silence is deadly.

The murder of eighteen-year-old Angie Vance was exceptionally vile–her mouth was sealed with glue, an obscenity scrawledwas across her skin, and she was suffocated in a garbage bag. The killing seems personal, so police detective Carina Kincaid focuses her efforts on the victim’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steve Thomas. But without physical evidence, Carina can’t make a collar or a case. She also can’t stop Sheriff Nick Thomas, the prime suspect’s brother, from conducting his own unwelcome investigation.

Though Nick is still scarred and unsteady from a recent confrontation with a serial killer, he’s determined to prove his brother’s innocence. But his confidence is shaken when he learns of Steve’s dark side, and when a friend of the murdered girl meets a similarly gruesome fate. With no time to lose, Carina and Nick work together to trap a psychopath, before another unlucky woman faces an unspeakable end.

Evil has spoken. Now see what it can do.

Customer Reviews:

SPEAK NO EVIL.......2007-08-13

Carina Kincaid is a young detective who is investigating a disturbing string of murders. With the help of her partner and her prime suspect's brother, she links the murders to an on-line journal. The romance between Nick and Carina was ridiculously juvenile and typical of Danielle Steel, while the mystery/suspense portion was so unsettling because of Allison Brennan's over-the-top violent and graphic details. There were several times when I wanted to put the book down and never pick it up again, but I did, hence the three stars (I did finish it). Overall, for me, the book was more upsetting than entertaining.

Extremely Graphic.......2007-08-05

I thought this book would be like Mariah Stewart's trilogies, which is why I bought it. While it was very well written, I thought it was way too graphic, even for someone who loves mystery/suspense novels like I do. I won't be passing it on to my mother and grandmother as I usually do when I find a new author in this genre.

I also thought the romance between the main characters seemed forced and rushed, which made it not very believable.

Speak No Evil a review by David B yers.......2007-07-29

SPEAK NO EVIL

Allison Brennan

A Review by
David Byers

San Diego Police Detective Carina Kincaid, is investigating what turns out to be a serial rapist /murderer. With the help of Montana Sheriff Nick Thomas (who is also the brother of the prime suspect) they work to bring the committer of these heinous crimes to justice, falling in love along the way.
In this well-paced mystery with great sub-plots, the author draws us along with skill, great imagery, and a well researched use of forensics. This is a great read.

Wow! Excellent Intense Suspense-Thriller.......2007-07-28

This book was a sure page turner for me! Starts right off. There are some scenes that are not for the faint of heart. It is a seriel killer/rapist, so please keep that in mind. There is torture and scenes that just make you sick to your stomach thinking about. It's not really a romance. FYI I found it well written and nicely edited. This book kept me on the edge. It's hard not to flip to the end and see "who done it." But, worth not knowing until the writer brings it all together. Made me have "sit downs" with a few folks I know who post personal information on the Internet. Too many "wacko's" out surfing the Internet--hunting. Maybe books like this will also keep folks aware of possible dangers...It's always better to err on the side of caution.

Almost but not quite good.......2007-07-21

Albeit the main plot is awfully well written the second plot was the preview of her book "The Hunt". This book is part of a different trilogy. So I don't know why AB wanted to write that preview here. Maybe to make some advertising of the other trilogy.

The book's end was like a fairy tale, why? Because the book's main characters and lovers solved their past -books- problems so they can leave happily ever after... until you read "Fear No Evil". Now let me tell you that that's a very good book.

Average customer rating:

Not Impressed
Good Suspense Novel
VERY good
Great Airport Book!
Excellent story teller

See No Evil: A Novel
Allison Brennan
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Romantic Suspense | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

Romantic Suspense | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345495039
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Book Description

A cunning killer hides in plain sight.

A troubled teenage girl has been charged with the grisly murder of her stepfather. The evidence is damning: Emily was found alone at the scene with blood on her hands, and an incriminating e-mail she wrote outlines a murder plot identical to the method of the brutal slaying. But deputy district attorney Julia Chandler believes her niece is innocent, and she’s determined to keep the promise she made to protect her dead brother’s daughter–even if it means hiring private eye Connor Kincaid . . . the man who blames her for forcing his resignation from the police department.

Together Julia and Connor uncover a chain of unsolved violent crimes tied to an unorthodox therapist whose anonymous online patients purge their anger by posting lethal fantasies. But someone in the group has turned vigilante, turning the game of virtual murder into a flesh-and-blood vendetta.

After evil is seen, face your ultimate fear.

Customer Reviews:

Not Impressed.......2007-08-09

This trilogy is my first time reading Allison Brennan, and so far I've been less than impressed.

While not as graphic or violent as the first one, this one seemed a bit too heavy on hardcore romance for a suspense novel. It also seems in both books that the culprit ended up being someone who really wasn't part of the story, and was just kind of tossed in right before being revealed. I also thought the female part of this crime group was way too easy to figure out and identify.

I'll read the last one, but not sure if I'll purchase any others.

Good Suspense Novel.......2007-07-29

I did not enjoy "the suspense" as much as Speak No Evil and Fear No Evil. Seemed like a rush to wrap it up toward the end and characters got thrown in with different names that made it abit hard to follow. There was more "romance" in this book than the other two I mentioned. If you like a good mystery/romance you will enjoy this. It's worth reading if you are following this series because it involves some of the characters found in the other two books I mentioned.

VERY good.......2007-07-07

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was very well thought out and planned. I liked that she put in numerous twists and turns. It was a new concept of murder that I hadn't read before. It kept me interested in what was going on and thinking about who was really behind it all. I enjoyed the Kincaid family and Julia's interactions. I loved how it showed them working through things and what they were thinking. It was interesting to see how they handled the police with Emily and her mental state. I wasn't sure I would like this trilogy after the first book since it wasn't as strong as this one. However this book more than made up for it. I can't wait to read the final book in the Evil trilogy. I would highly recommend this book.

Great Airport Book! .......2007-06-27

I liked it. The story was different enough and kept me interested. It wasn't as gory as her last one, but still good. The one thing I'm not into was the love making parts....it's a suspense thriller not a romance novel. Leave that stuff out and put in more killings and it'll get a much high rating. Overall, I would buy the book again and I'm going to read here third book in this series.

Excellent story teller.......2007-06-27

Having read several of her books, I like Allison Brennan's style and the way she builds the stories. This book was no different. Mystery, suspense, with a little romance thrown in makes for an entertaining read. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery and who doesn't mind the romance aspect added to it. I will continue to read her books if that helps you decide.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books