Book Description
The twelve billion dollar cruise-ship industry caters to 10 million Americans annually on six- hundred million dollar floating cities.
In this terrifically entertaining history, Kristoffer A. Garin chronicles the cruise-ship industry, from its rise in the early sixties, to its explosion in the seventies with the hit show The Love Boat, to the current vicious consolidation wars and brazen tax dodges. Entrepreneurial genius and bare-knuckle capitalism mate with cultural kitsch as the cruise lines dodge U.S. tax, labor, and environmental laws to make unimaginable profits while bringing the world a new form of leisure.
A colorful and compelling behind-the-scenes narrative, Devils on the Deep Blue Sea is a definitive look at the industry and its robber barons who created floating empires.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting Perspective on the Cruise Business.......2007-09-17
I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. It takes you beyond the marketing collateral of the cruise lines to the full story behind the industry's birth and development. The book is a wonderful narrative of the industry's short and eventful life. The author is fairly even handed in his treatment but there are times when you can sense when he likes or dislikes his subjects.
The author's assessment of the cruise line labor policies, environmental record and negotiation with Caribbean Governments was slanted. His view comes off as wanting the cruise lines to be vehicles of social change rather than commercial enterprises. I think he fairly criticizes the cruise lines for not living up to their environmental rhetoric but if the labor conditions are so bad onboard the ships, why are the positions so prized? If the Caribbean Governments are being abused so badly in their deals with the cruise lines, why do they continue to build larger piers to accomodate more ships?
The best parts of this book deal with the business deals that created the cruise industry and the characters that were involved. I have cruised for years and reading this book gave me a better perspective on the strategies and coincidences that shaped the industry. A good read!
Great fun!.......2007-05-27
Travel agents and veteran cruisers alike will get a big kick out of this book.
It's a behind the scenes look that pulls no punches but manages to remain affectionate. Garin simply proves that you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. I certainly hope it doesn't discourage any non-cruisers from taking the plunge.
My favorite bit: Carnival's Meshulam Zonis' line, "A passenger is like a wet towel," which he illustrated by hand motions that wordlessly said, "First we squeeze them this way, then we squeeze them that way."
War ships/tankers to cruise ships....Oh My!!!.......2007-04-25
In the first chapter, Garin writes of the last day on a cruise ship which any cruiser knows is every man, woman and child for themselves....no longer are passengers royalty but more like refugees! He captures the irony of the debarking day that has always made my family chuckle as we tell stories of things we see on that last day! E.g. one poor passenger's luggage broke open outside an elevator...not one steward or other crew member offered assistance....they walked right over his strewn belongings. Anyway, Garin knows cruises and gives a wonderful history of the makings/history of the cruise industry from its humble beginnings to the big business it is today (and the two major cruise lines left). I was particularly fascinated with the evolution of the ships themselves! This was an easy read (and if a portion got dry....I skimmed!). I am cruising in 17 days...will do so with even more appreciation for the experience!
If your cruise reservation is non-refundable...don't read this book.......2007-02-06
I picked this up after enjoying his Harper's article "On the great Ukrainian bride hunt". His writing style and my interest in critical looks at the evolution and externalities of specific industries (a la Fast Food Nation) made this an amusing & informative read. And the long odds that I'd ever go on a cruise got even longer.
An even treatment with a fascinating storyline..........2006-09-03
Being a vacationer who has been on numerous cruises, this book recommendation looked like a certain fit... Devils On The Deep Blue Sea by Kristoffer A. Garin. He does a very good job in revealing how the cruise industry works, and the forces that have shaped it along the way.
The story starts in the late 1950's, when the cruise industry was really nothing more than a way to transport passengers from one location to another. The rich often had a lavish experience, while the "steerage" passengers were cramped and confined to the lower decks with restrictions on where they could go and what they could do. But in both cases, it was still a case of traveling from point A to point B. The airline industry quickly made cruise ships obsolete for rapid travel, and the shipping lines were becoming a footnote in history. But a few people thought that cruising could become a destination in itself, a way to vacation, see other lands, and then return to where you started. But the appeal had to be broad, and the luxuries of first class had to extend to all the passengers. Thru visionaries, financial risks, and mergers, what we have today is a $13 billion dollar industry that is truly global in numerous aspects. But behind the glitter and glamour, there are some less appealing items of interest...
Garin talks about how the cruise industry is largely staffed by impoverished workers from third-world nations who sign on for low base wages and whatever tips come from passengers. To many of us, these base wages wouldn't even support poverty, but they are considerable in the countries where the workers come from. The hours and rules aboard ship are harsh, with 12 to 16 hour days with little time off the norm. The industry also pays little in the way of taxes due to their ship registration being out of country to take advantage of international treaties preventing retaliatory fees. The laws and rights of the United States are not always in play either, as the ship is actually foreign territory. And if that's not enough, many of the tourist destinations are unable to get additional fees from the industry to support their infrastructure, as the industry will threaten to pull out of the port and destroy their tourism. It can be capitalism at its worst...
Personally, this book was better than I expected. I thought it was going to be a muck-raking, "boycott cruises" diatribe, and one that I wouldn't necessarily agree with. But the balance between the story of the cruise lines and the less-savory parts of the industry was just about right. And even the "expose" part wasn't hypercritical. I came away understanding the abuses, but (in many cases) understanding both sides of the issues. And really, it's not much different than what most other industries would do in the same circumstances...
Yes, I'm still going to go on cruises, and I'll still enjoy them. But I'll be even more considerate of the staff that makes it all work, and more in awe of what it takes to pull off the experience, week after week after week...
Customer Reviews:
Losing Weight With the Devil's Diet.......2007-07-26
If it's banned, Grescoe wants it. This means he has to bend rules and break laws. These are risks he's prepared to take, purely in the name of journalism, you understand.
Canadian journalist Taras Grescoe's risks allow us to experience second-hand such exotic and forbidden delicacies as unpasteurized cheese from France and tea made from coca leaves in Bolivia. Actually, those delicacies aren't illegal in the countries where he samples them. So it's a bit odd when he goes to Singapore to eat poppy seed crackers. They're illegal in Singapore but not in Canada or anywhere else. Aside from that out-of-place chapter, The Devils' Picnic is a lot of fun. Grescoe has his hobby horse, which is that none of these forbidden items should be illegal and he makes a good case for that argument. But the best part of The Devil's Picnic is Grescoe hunting down the forbidden items and then sampling them. Sometimes it's worth the trouble, as with the epoisse (stinky cheese), but usually the forbidden fruit is a let-down (absinthe). And sometimes, he doesn't quite find what he's looking for, as when he inadvertently samples pig's testicles rather than the bull's testicles he was searching for.
Along the way, Grescoe tells us the history of the comestible in question and interviews experts and it's all very informative in a magazine article manner. Grescoe tries to keep it light, but he seems inclined toward the dark side of things, so he ends with another slightly out-of-place chapter, in which he visits a clinic in Switzerland where you can end your own life with pentobarbital sodium. So be warned.
Good book, but not what I expected.......2007-01-31
The reviews for this book (including the one on the cover) compare the author to Anthony Bourdain, so I was expecting detailed descriptions of exotic food experiences. Instead, like Michael Pollan, the author uses his own experiences and explorations as a jumping off point for extensive research and discussion of public policies and how they affect our food and drink -- especially drink. The substances discussed are primarily intoxicants; only a few are foods. Nonetheless, it is a fascinating exploration of the effects of prohibitions in many countries.
A mind-opening look at protecting us from ourselves.......2006-09-05
The Devil's Picnic is a fascinating, engaging collection of stories about what we put into our body and why governments try to stop us. It is a joy of a romp, one man's tireless pursuit of the history of prohibitions and their failure around the world. The author looks at the big question of why we must be protected from ourselves, while showing how individual prohibitions reflect the history or society where they are in force--and who can make a buck by keeping something off the shelves.
It's a lively and fun adventure, with more questions than answers in the end. There's the philosophical dilemma of how a banned substance becomes more desirable, except when maybe when you're talking about cigarettes or something else that will obviously kill you. There's the question of why countries like Norway would rather have distillers making their own booze for home use than make it easier to purchase the legal stuff at a reasonable price.
The extensive pure research is presented in a compelling way, but is enlivened by an impressive number of interviews with key players in a variety of countries, from important government figures to people on the street. A strong dose of self-effacement helps also, as the author gamely drinks Norwegian moonshine, gets tanked on absinthe, and starts chain-smoking again to see life from the perspective of a smoker in the city. He ingests plates of offal that would make even the most hungry carnivores retch.
Along the way he touches on nearly every prohibition and its consequences throughout the ages, from the Opium Wars to the banning of absinthe to the current debate over assisted suicide. The issues are always a bit gray of course. "As a species, Homo sapiens has always been in need of some restraint," he notes and in modern-day New York City, "maintaining a pack-a-day habit would cost a New Yorker the same as a round-the-world plane ticket." But then again, "What a society ends up stigmatizing is often more revealing of its own phobias and prejudices than the inherent nefariousness of the substance in question." In other words, we ban what we're afraid of--and often we're just afraid of each other.
Excellent Libertarian Travelogue.......2006-04-26
The unapologetic underlying message in this travelogue of forbidden fruits is a resounding libertarian one: don't ban stuff, instead, let intelligent adults make up their own minds about what they put in their bodies. And it has to be said that the book makes a fairly convincing case for the notion that free will should trump governmental decree (at least when it comes to what we ingest). Each of the nine chapters takes Canadian journalist Grescoe to a foreign land in search of a forbidden experience (only some of which are food-based), and his wonderfully assured writing takes the reader along for the ride.
First we visit Norway in search of hjemmebrent, which is essentially moonshine. There he finds a government willing to let junkies literally die in the streets while filling state coffers with massive liquor taxes. Naturally, this means there's a booming smuggling industry and as a corollary, many people who indulge in distilling their own spirits. It's a very curious dichotomy, the country has the world's 2nd highest GNP per capita and the most restrictive alcohol laws outside the Islamic world. This affords Grescoe the license to examine the history of prohibitionist movements and alcohol consumption trends around the world. Next up is Singapore, where he tests the prohibition on poppy seeds, chewing gum, being naked with his window open, downloading porn, and other such activities. This chapter doesn't really fit so well into the book's framework, as he's not actually seeking any particular item out, so much as he is testing the concept of prohibition in general. It's also rather irksome because although his behavior is essentially "research" for the book, he is fulfilling the stereotype of the Western tourist who ignores local laws and customs because he feels like it. Fortunately, we are soon whisked back to the world of gourmandry in the next chapter, which visits small French villages in search of "Epoisse"s cheese, a raw milk cheese banned for import into the U.S. by the FDA. Grescoe's investigation pretty much demolishes any scientific basis for this ban, and provides a wonderful example of how perception can trump fact in policymaking.
Madrid is the next venue, where Grescoe tramps from tapas bar to tapas bar in an attempt to scare up a plate of bull testicles. This provides the chance to delve into the politics of meat safety and the European Union, not to mention sampling other Spanish oddities of fare such as baby eels (at $10 a forkful). Then it's back to North America, where he hits San Francisco and New York in an examination of public smoking bans. While I'm a huge fan of smoking bans in general, it's hard to argue with his proposition that bars could choose to choose to be non-smoking or not, and letting the market decide. The notorious liquor absinthe is next on the list, and Grescoe's historical review of the drink is somewhat surprising. Around the start of WWI an alliance of wine merchants and temperance advocates combined to ban the drink in most European countries based on little more than hype. The symptoms of the "madness" it supposedly induced can more readily be attributed to high alcohol consumption than any active agent in absinthe. Here, his quest for "authentic" absinthe takes him through into small towns along the French/Swiss border where arguments rage over what "true" absinthe is.
The subsequent chapter opens with a history of caffeine and discussion of what constitutes addiction before ending up in the Basque town of Bayonne. Here Grescoe briefly samples the town's famous chocolate and points out how the chocolate trade was hijacked by the town elders from the Jews who had made it famous. In Bolivia, Grescoe checks out the coca leaf, in both its brewed and chewable forms. This allows for a scathing discussion of America's so-called "War on Drugs", highlighting its simultaneous futility and hypocrisy. The globe-trotting ends with the ultimate nightcap, a trip to Switzerland to meet with a firm which offers assisted suicide services to those living in other countries where this is not permitted (aka suicide tourists).
The topics are covered in Grecoe's trademark engaging blend of personal experience, reportage, interviews with social science researchers, scientists, and government officials, all well-laced with statistics from authoritative sources such as the World Health Organization. He's a very good writer, able to switch smoothly from travel magazine style descriptions of place and customs to interviews with stuffed shirts, all spiced with bursts of indignation, bemusement, and wit. While armchair travels and gourmands will find much to enjoy, libertarians will love the message that governmental restrictions are usually based on either bad data, hypocritical morals, money, or a combination of all three. A fun and thoughtful book.
Great Book.......2005-10-25
This is a very informative and interesting book about prohibited substances. I was really surprised by how much this book captivated me. The facts, history and current status of these substances are cleverly woven together with wonderful writing, colorful interviews and great travels. Well done, Taras!
Download Description
"Jazz Callender is an ex-cop struggling to prove her partner's innocence after he is sent to prison for murder, and she's willing to take whatever help comes along ... but she's about to make a bargain with the devil. Approached by a mysterious, attractive stranger with a check and a business offer, she finds herself plunged deep into a world where nothing is as it seems ... not James Borden, Attorney At Law, who fascinates her even as she doubts his honesty ... not Lucia Garza, her beautiful, brilliant new partner with hidden depths and secrets ... not The Cross Society, who seems to be able to know more about the cases she's being sent to investigate than Jazz does herself. With each new revelation, Jazz and Lucia uncover a world of psychic predictions and unseen forces, and find themselves playing not just for keeps, but for souls ... With lives at stake, Jazz finds that every choice she makes is dangerous ... even the one to fall in love.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2007-09-04
I decided to read Devil's Bargain because it was written by the author of one of my favorite series, the Weather Warden series. I am sad to say I was very disappointed in this book. The plot of the story was pretty original and interesting enough. The biggest problem I had with this book is the main character, Jazz.
Jazz is very unlikable. She is mean, rash, angry, bullheaded, short-tempered, and stubborn. I have no idea why James Borden would hold any iota of liking for her. At one point she slams him into a wall and twists his arm behind his back because she didn't like what he had to say. Than she is feeling all hot and bothered as she does so. Furthermore, Jazz is always insulting and belittling poor James even when she knows it hurts and upsets him. I love books where strong woman are the main characters, but not when they are angry and mean to the people who are supposedly on their side.
The other problem I had with this book is the lack of romance. I like all types of genres so a lack of romance is no problem. The problem I had is the fact that I am buying a romance book so expect romance. Jazz spent very little time with Borden so any romance that was actually prevalent caused it to feel forced and fall flat.
Lastly, the ending wasn't well written. It seemed rushed and sloppy and left me feeling like there should have been at least another 50 pages, if not more.
I am glad that Rachel Caine was able to improve her writing style and more importantly her characters for her Weather Warden series. I will probably still read the 2nd book to this series since I have already purchased it, but don't think I will be reading it anytime in the near future.
Liked it A Lot!.......2006-12-31
I actually really liked this one. I think some paranormal romance authors seem to be in a rut (Immortal warriors and vampires) but this one was just different enough to be interesting. I loved Jazz as a character. I'm a big fan of the In Death series, and Jazz reminded me a lot of Eve. I liked Lucia also, just not as much. I felt there was a lot of chemistry between Jazz and James and I'm looking forward to seeing how their relationship blossoms.
4 stars.......2006-10-24
Jazz Callender's life undergoes a rapid change the moment James Borden accosts her at Sol's bar. He offers her a chance to make her dream of owning her own detective agency come true, fully financed by his employers, if she agrees to conditions, among them, taking on Lucia Garza as her partner. Jazz is leery, as is Lucia, and at first, the two women do not get along, but they agree. Every so often, a red envelope arrives, notifying them that their mysterious benefactors have a job for them. When they finally get some answers to the why of the whole operation, neither of them likes it. The Cross Society has enlisted them because in the game of life, they are Actors, not Chorus, and their pet psychic has said they are also Leads. The Society uses their Leads to work against their enemy, but neither Jazz nor Lucia wants to be used. However, this is not a game one simply walks out of.
**** There's a harder edge to this book than to Ms. Caine's Warden or Morganville novels. That does not make it less of a story, it simply demonstrates her versatility. The plot builds slowly, hooking you on the intrigue and drawing you in until you find, like Jazz does, that there's no going back. You have to see how it ends. When it does, once again, Ms. Caine proves she's a master of the cliffhanger. ****
Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews.
great romance novel.......2006-02-01
I sort of agree with "lost its punch" below, but this is by far the best-written romance genre novel I've read. Much of this genre is written fast and cheap and the prose shows it! Don't get me wrong, I like mindless fluff sometimes, but this book actually didn't seem like a Silhouette romance, and I kept double checking the cover to verify that fact, lol. I really liked this book.
lost it's punch..........2005-10-17
let me preface my review by stating:-I own hundreds of books, so if a book doesn't grab me, out it goes. That being said-I quit Devil's Bargain about half way through.
The writing was enjoyable the first 50 pages or so, but I personally didn't like how the main character, who was all kick butt at first, turned internally whiney and full of self doubt as soon as the other female character entered the picture. I was dissappointed that such a seemingly self assured heroine turned wimpy as soon as Lucia-who the author really plays up as extremely beautiful-meets her.
The character Lucia turned me off as well, as she was written very coldly. The hero, or romantic lead is bland, and seems to have his own agenda, leading the heroine blindly into some dangerous situations, but evasively telling her to "watch out"-blech!!
All that aside, I just found the story inplausible-this "dream" offer of a private eye firm quickly turning into a life or death situation-both heroines almost killed, and no idea or hint as to why.
It may get better, I'll never know.
3 stars for a pretty good start.
Book Description
One DASH of DARK MAGIC. TWO DELICIOUS REGENCIES.
In these two noir Regencies, Karen Harbaugh introduces two ingenues who get more than they bargained for with their darkly mysterious lovers.
Customer Reviews:
One quite nice, one only mediocre.......2005-02-07
The first story, The Vampire Viscount, is very well done with a few minor, but nice twists on vamps. Harbaugh creates good characters in Nicholas and Leonore and a very good romance. It's not perfect but it's something different, has some excellent moments, and is a nice read. Three stars.
The Devil's Bargain is not as good -- its devil and angel "bargain" is trite and takes away from the storyline. Although Eveline's great, you sometimes don't know whether or not to like Richard. One and 1/2 to two stars.
Customer Reviews:
interesting, but dating hurts it.......2004-10-24
Bargain with the Devil by Jayne Castle (early Jayne Ann Krentz) shows a lot of sparkle and wit, and the delightful writing of Krentz, but boy this one dates! It's so surprising to see just what as considered as "romance" in 1981. What was acceptable. The male comes off not just as Alpha - which I truly love - but overbearing, which hurts this effort. If they plan on re-releasing this one, I hope they update it to where readers of today can enjoy this. The premise is a little contrived, but a bit of judicious editing could turn it around.
Hunter Manning was zeroing in on Stacey Ryland's beautiful "blonde" sister-in-law. Her brother's marriage was new, and he was under pressure taking over the family business, so it left his new wife wide-open for Hunter to target. He has come to Arizona, to extract revenge for his father's death. Stacey's powerful and greedy father forced out Manning's father in a leveraged buyout, and within a year Manning's father was dead. Manning blamed Ryland. Now fourteen years later, the time has come to extract vengeance. He has decided to seduce Stacey's sister-in-law, so distract her brother from business, thus can bring the Ryland empire down.
Only, Hunter did not count on Stacey. She derails Hunter's plan by offering herself as payment for his vengeance. She convinces him, why bother with the sister-in-law when you can go after the daughter. Her offer is to pretend they are having an affair, but Hunter makes a counter offer of marriage. He wants a "Ryland woman he can make into a Manning woman". What she does not tell him is there is no love loss between Stacey and her father, and Hunter marrying her will not hurt her father as Hunter imagines.
Within days, Stacey finds herself married and on her wedding night, her father calls and tells Hunter he knows Hunter married Stacey for vengeance, but it won't work, because there is little affection between father and daughter. Hunter is not pleased and now the marriage is off to rough start.
The premise seems a bit forced. It's hard for the reader to believe Stacey would marry a man who was nearly a total stranger, and make no effort to get to know him before the marriage, just to keep Hunter from going after her brother. If you can get past that and ignore the "make a Ryland witch into a Manning witch", "...or I'll give you the beating you deserve" or "my woman" tossed in repetitively from the nearly Tarzan chest thumping hero, it's a good read; just know going in you have to put up with these problems.
Cute early Jayne Castle(Krentz) work from October 1981.......2002-12-02
Hunter Manning has been plotting a revenge on Paul Rylan for destroying his father 14 years ago by a takeover of his father's business. He begins his revenge by trying to seduce Paul's son Eric's new wife in hopes to ruin the marriage. Stacy Rylan, Paul's daughter, offers herself in an immediate marriage to stop the threat. What could be better than turning a Rylan into a loyal Manning! As silly as the plot sounds, it actually works, and the sexist story is fun to read.
excellent older krentz title! short and sweet!.......2000-01-29
I collect the older as well as the newer jayne ann krentz books and this one is right up there with some of her classics like "Second Wife" and "Corporate Wife". The premise that the heroine gets involved with the hero to become his vengence target to protect her brother and sister-in-law works and makes for a suspenseful relationship. They are both strong characters and attracted to each other and after the initial agreement start the complications are just starting. :-) You do wish this book would be longer like her full length novels now but it has the benefit of not having any hokie religious philosophies or weird hobbies as gimmicks.
Download Description
"
When prosecutor Vicki Allegretti arrives at a rowhouse to meet a confidential informant, she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time -- and is almost shot to death. She barely escapes with her life, but cannot save the two others gunned down before her disbelieving eyes. Stunned and heartbroken, Vicki tries to figure out how a routine meeting on a minor case became a double homicide.
Vicki's suspicions take her to Devil's Corner, a city neighborhood teetering on the brink of ruin -- thick with broken souls, innocent youth, and a scourge that preys on both. But the deeper Vicki probes, the more she becomes convinced that the murders weren't random and the killers were more ruthless than she thought.
When another murder thrusts Vicki together with an unlikely ally, she buckles up for a wild ride down a dangerous street -- and into the cross-hairs of a conspiracy as powerful as it is relentless.
"
Customer Reviews:
I laughed, I cried laughing and bought the rest of her books.......2007-08-01
If you are from a big city, you will like her, if you are from Philly, you will LOVE her.
This book is best one I've read so far.
DUMB!.......2007-07-14
This has to be the DUMBEST book I've ever read - or I should say scanned. Oy - was it suppose to be a mystery? Or a bi-racial lesbian love story! Either way, it was DUMB. The heroine, Vicki was TSTL - too stupid to live! What part of "a white woman does not go into a black neighborhood to survail drug dealer do you NOT understand?" The whole plot was SO convoluted I couldn't make head or tail out of it. BUT make no mistake, Vicki thought her new friend was really, really beautiful! Hey, after the 20th time - I GOT IT! No more Scottoline for me - EVER!
Good, but not Scottoline's best (but she's written more than a dozen books so a bunch of them are not her "best"...).......2007-06-15
Scottoline steps away from Bennie Rosatto and her crew of female lawyers and takes up with a new layer - Vicki Allegretti, a 5'2" Asst. U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia. So, Scottoline remains on familiar ground with an attractve female Italian-American, young, up-and-coming attorney.
This one probably has the most potential of any of Scottoline's books of being made into a movie. Essentially, it's and odd couple female buddy book, and it works with the snappy banter back and forth between the two "buddies." The ending is a bit too saccharin, but it doesn't ruin a fun story.
A quick, fun summer read for this reviewer. I give this one a grade of "B".
Good read.......2007-05-12
I usually listen to rather than read books these days. I did enjoy this one and it kept my interest.
Bad Ending?.......2007-03-25
This wasn't a bad book until the ending. I'm not going to write a plot summary but the ending wrapped up way too fast without proper explanation. It was almost out of the blue. I really enjoy Lisa Scottoline's books but this wasn't one of her best. I enjoyed having a new character that wasn't a defense attorney. I didn't know much about how assistant US attorneys do their thing. I didn't like how she overstepped her bounds and went into police work but it was still exciting. I liked how several mysteries were interworked at once but thought it was too simple how they all came together at the end. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a mystery.
Book Description
Dancing with the devil
Alpha Deep Six. Wet work specialists so covert, they were thought dead. Now this paramilitary group of black ops assassins and saboteurs has been resurrected in a conspiracy engineered somewhere in the darkest corners of military intelligence. Their mission: unleash Armageddon.
They've got America's most determined enemies ready to jump-start the nightmare, and the countdown has begun. Blood and terror are pouring through America's streets. A presidential directive has cut through red tape, dropped Mack Bolan square in charge. His orders are clear: abort the enemy's twisted dreams.
If Bolan survives, then it gets really personal. Because Alpha Deep Six has a hostage. A Stony Man operative. . .
Book Description
WOULD HE CHOOSE LOVE ... OR REVENGE?Katherine Corbet abhors injustice -- and is happy to assist the disturbingly attractive Sir Alasdair St. Erth quash the brazen schemes of a marriage-minded opportunist. But appearing on the arm of the dark, dashing rogue at London balls as his interest will never be more than a sham -- no matter how Katherine's aching heart yearns for more.This naive country miss is ideal! With Katherine's unsuspecting assistance, Alasdair can at long last take his revenge on an old, hated enemy -- though it pains him to use such an innocent in this unscrupulous manner. Worse still is the longing she inspires within him, a passionate need to taste the sweetness of her lips. Alasdair knows his vengeful plan could destroy a fragile, blossoming love. And when he finally releases Katherine from his devil's bargain, will he truly be able to let her go?
Customer Reviews:
Revenge? Yes, but also love........2007-07-01
This book was published in 2002 and the actual plot is presented (sometimes too thoroughly) in other reviews here. It contains a hero, Sir Alasdair St. Erth, who has focused over half of his life on managing to aquire proofs which will utterly ruin the couple who caused his father's death. This man has dedicated his life to revenge. He will not allow anything to take over that demon's place in his soul.
Kate Corbet is the country cousin come to town. She was a wonderful heroine for me. She was 23 and had no expectations of meeting any man in London who would want to marry her. She was there for the fun of seeing the sights and broadening her horizons. She is smart, levelheaded, kind, witty, and sure of her own value as a person (even if she does not put much credence in being a beauty except in the eyes of her family).
I loved the interaction between Alasdair and Kate. She was not afraid of him, she also did not believe he could be nearly as evil as members of society wanted him to seem. Ms. Layton wrote a book which needs to be read and savored for its depth of character. Yes, I do think it was a little too long, but on thinking back over it, I cannot come up with any specific parts which I think should have been left out. Yes, Alasdair's need for revenge was an overwhelming obsession. But, after all, is that not what the story is ultimately about? Ms Layton made Kate the perfect foil for this hero. She is innocent, he is worldly wise and weary. She is happy, he is dark and brooding. She is an optimist, he is very much a pessimist. They meet, like each other as friends, then grow to love one another. What more can we ask from an author?
I would highly recommend this book. Slow down, enjoy it.
A worthy read .......2007-06-06
From the reviews amde for this book, i had expected alot more from the book. I am a book a day person and usually when i am engrosed in a book, i won't put it down. However, for this book i didn't feel a great urge to read it continuously. Hence for me the book was missing an important element. Maybe it is because i don't enjoy revengeful plots, but even so in my opinion something is missing in this book/
THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN-Alasdair and Kate-SPOILERS.......2005-01-25
Favorite scene with Kate-
Her abduction.
Favorite scene with Alasdair-
Rescuing Kate from her abduction.
Together-
Their wedding night. Alasdair telling Kate the truth, and coming together in sweet love.
What did you like about Kate-
Her strength, even when abducted. Her love for her cousin Sybil and Alasdair. Standing by him, even when his need for revenge was great.
What didn't you like about Kate-
Nothing.
What did you like about Alasdair-
He's strong and powerful. His love for Kate. Doing what's right at the end re: his revenge, although I did think he let them off a little too easily.
What didn't you like about Alasdair-
Although I thought Alasdair was too obsessed with revenge, I finally understood once the reason was revealed. There were times when I thought him a little too dramatic.
If I had to cast Kate, I'd cast Reese Witherspoon.
Revenge or love... which will win through?.......2002-11-21
Kate Corbet is a poor relation, living in the house of her wealthier cousins, the Swansons. Unlike many other historical novels, the Swansons aren't evil; they simply have three unattractive daughters to marry off, and so Kate and the youngest Swanson, Sibyl, are kept out of sight. At a ball one night, however, they overhear a plan to trap Sir Alasdair St Erth into marriage. Kate engineers a way to help him escape from the trap, only for Sir Alasdair to accuse her of trying to trap him herself.
After this inaupicious meeting, Alasdair finds himself wanting to apologise, so he tracks Kate down... and discovers that she is a distant cousin of the Scalbys, a couple on whom he's plotted revenge for years. He blames them for his father's ruin and suicide and, we suspect, probably more too. He has the evidence to destroy them, but he wants to do it publicly, and he thinks that Kate would be the perfect means of getting close to them. So he suggests a deal to Kate: pretending that he needs help to be rehabilitated into polite society, he offers to squire her around to social events she won't get a chance to go to otherwise, if she will help to make him respectable.
Is Alasdair being fair to Kate? His best friend, Leigh, continually urges him to think of her and draw back before Kate gets hurt. In particular, Leigh says, what if she falls in love with him? She won't, Alasdair says - but can he guarantee it? He thinks he can guarantee that he won't have any feelings for her greater than fondness - but can he prevent himself?
The scenes of dialogue between Kate and Alasdair are tremendously enjoyable, and their first kiss - when it finally comes - is explosive. Kate is a fascinating heroine, worldy-wise in so many ways and yet naive in others. Alasdair is coldly cynical, and of course he is using Kate in quite a cold-blooded way, and yet he gradually reveals that he does still have a heart - and a soul.
Where the book began to lose its way, for me, was close to the end, and this is why it gets four stars rather than five. While the final chapter or two of the book - where we finally see Alasdair make his choice between revenge or love, and he almost makes the wrong one, as another review notes - are very well done indeed, the three or so before that just feel like filler, as if we're marching time waiting for the final denouement. Nothing much happens, and I wondered what the point was.
Layton again gives much detail about the London underworld, a feature of some of her earlier Signets and, of course, Gilly's story from her C series. Here, too, I felt that some of it could have been trimmed; we don't need quite so much extraneous information.
In terms of secondary characters, I liked Leigh and Sibyl very much indeed, and I'm hoping that Layton plans a book - or books - about them. However, I see that her next book is about neither. Still, we can hope!
Not up to snuff.......2002-08-28
About 1/3 of this book should have been eliminated by simply taking out the repetitive thoughts of each of the two main characters. I've always appreciate the thoughtfulness of Edith Layton's work, which differentiates it from the standard romance genre, but this one went on way too much on his obsessing over revenge and her "oh he couldn't possibly want simple little me". Shorter would be better, but Layton is still above the crowd.
Book Description
The West is popularly perceived as America's last outpost of unfettered opportunity, but twentieth-century corporate tourism has transformed it into America's "land of opportunism." From Sun Valley to Santa Fe, towns throughout the West have been turned over to outsiders--and not just to those who visit and move on, but to those who stay and control.
Although tourism has been a blessing for many, bringing economic and cultural prosperity to communities without obvious means of support or allowing towns on the brink of extinction to renew themselves; the costs on more intangible levels may be said to outweigh the benefits and be a devil's bargain in the making.
Hal Rothman examines the effect of twentieth-century tourism on the West and exposes that industry's darker side. He tells how tourism evolved from Grand Canyon rail trips to Sun Valley ski weekends and Disneyland vacations, and how the post-World War II boom in air travel and luxury hotels capitalized on a surge in discretionary income for many Americans, combined with newfound leisure time.
From major destinations like Las Vegas to revitalized towns like Aspen and Moab, Rothman reveals how the introduction of tourism into a community may seem innocuous, but residents gradually realize, as they seek to preserve the authenticity of their communities, that decision-making power has subtly shifted from the community itself to the newly arrived corporate financiers. And because tourism often results in a redistribution of wealth and power to "outsiders," observes Rothman, it represents a new form of colonialism for the region.
By depicting the nature of tourism in the American West through true stories of places and individuals that have felt its grasp, Rothman doesn't just document the effects of tourism but provides us with an enlightened explanation of the shape these changes take. Deftly balancing historical perspective with an eye for what's happening in the region right now, his book sets new standards for the study of tourism and is one that no citizen of the West whose life is touched by that industry can afford to ignore.
This book is part of the Development of Western Resources series.
Customer Reviews:
Too Long.......2005-12-28
I read the book as part of a course I took, and I found the book to be too long, and somewhat dry. However, Dr. Rothman, a UNLV history professor, does make a very clear point: that tourists towns or places are dealt a "devil's bargain" in which they lose the authenticity of the place for the funds or profit that is brought in by tourists.
Overall, Dr. ROthman does drive his point home. But the same point is made in 20 different ways.
Informative, fascinating, entertaining.......2003-01-13
I was born into the park service and lived the tourist experience. This book really helped me form a perspective about my early years growing up in western tourist and resort environments. Western history is fascinating, but this angle on western history really gives another intriguing dimension to america's perception of the mythic frontier.
why there's no there there..........2001-03-01
At once extremely learned and passionately engaged, DEVIL'S BARGAINS puts forward a startling analysis of Western tourism. From Rothman we learn about skiing and much else: the economic and historical forces shaping our sense of place, our connections to nature, and our troubled relationships to one another. A travel book of another sort, it takes the reader to a vantage point from which our Western landscapes can be seen most clearly.
a richly detailed assessment and critique.......1999-06-18
For discerning travelers planning a western vacation this summer, or for that matter, for anyone curious about the popular allure of the West, Hal K. Rothman's "Devil's Bargains" is a must read. Rothman, a professor of western and environmental history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, provides a richly detailed assessment and critique of the development of tourism as it has evolved from the late nineteenth century to the present in the inter-mountain West. Synthesizing the existing scholarship on tourism, enhanced by wide ranging primary research, Rothman reveals a fascinating, yet disturbing, underside to the glitz and glamour of the tourist economies firmly established in western resort towns from Santa Fe to Las Vegas.
"Devil's Bargains" presents a series of provocative histories recounting the development of resort towns and tourist sites across the inter-mountain West including the Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Carlsbad Caverns, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Vail, Sun Valley, and Las Vegas, among others. The book also codifies the history of tourism under a new interpretative framework which divides the development of tourism into three phases: cultural and heritage tourism, recreational tourism, and entertainment tourism. Beginning at the turn of the century with cultural and heritage tourism spawned by the transcontinental railroads seeking to expand passenger traffic, tourism evolved into recreational tourism made possible by the automobile and a growing fascination with exercise and the outdoors in the aftermath of World War I, and culminated after World War II with entertainment tourism dependent on the Jet airplane and the dramatic expansion of widespread prosperity, a leisure ethic, and a pervasive consumer culture. Rothman focuses on the Grand Canyon and Santa Fe to illustrate cultural and heritage tourism; various western ski resorts define recreational tourism; and Las Vegas embodies entertainment tourism. These three phases of tourist development reflect the historical transformation of tourism from an elite pastime to a more individualized, democratic experience, to a mass culture phenomena. They also reveal a process of economic development, reflecting the evolving strategies adopted by western communities to replace tapped out extractive economies.
Defining tourism as the quintessential service economy, the pinnacle of post-industrial capitalism, Rothman argues that the promises of tourist industries have been embraced as a panacea for economic decline in towns throughout the West. However, as his research reveals, locals and even "neonatives" have found tourism to be a bitter pill to swallow. Although the advent of tourist economies in places such as Jackson Hole, Steamboat Springs, and Sun Valley has resulted in phenomenal economic growth, prosperity has come with a price. As the book's title suggests, in the process of reviving the economy, tourism displaces locals with outside capital and corporate control, sapping a place of its soul, and leaving in its stead a facade of hollow images and a service economy manipulated by distant corporations whose only interest is the bottom line. What has emerged in places like Vail and Santa Fe is a two-tiered class system where workers who are predominantly people of color (Hispanic, African, or Filipino) hold low-paying, menial jobs providing for the comfort and amusement of wealthy second home owners and visitors. There is little room for an established community of year-round residents when the bottom line centers on the paying visitor. Las Vegas is the exception. In defining itself as the ultimate themed destination resort constantly reinventing itself to satisfy visitors' desires, Las Vegas remains one of the last places where unskilled workers can earn a middle-class income replete with benefits and job security. Las Vegas alone, according to Rothman, has succeeded at perfecting the service economy, becoming a model of sorts for the rest of the country. "The colony became the colonizer," he writes, exporting a model of entertainment tourism for a nation entranced by the spectacles of multi-media consumer culture.
In detailing the ways in which western communities reinvented themselves as tourist resorts, marketing an idealized western ambiance and a scripted history, and in the process losing control of the very community they sought to promote and preserve, Rothman provides a rich assessment of the social and political impact of tourist-based economies as they evolved from local ventures to corporate productions. But more than that, he presents a thoughtful and disturbing critique of the promises and realities of post-industrial, post modern capitalism as manifested in the twentieth-century tourist's West.
Marguerite S. Shaffer, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Outstanding! a book for anyone who deals with tourism.......1999-01-13
For those of us who live in tourist towns and see how the incredible number of visitors changes them, this is the book! It looks at a large number of places -- from Santa Fe to Maui, from Las Vegas to Aspen -- and shows in great detail how they change. It reads well too, on a par with better known authors like Robert D. Kaplan and Tim Egan. I heard the author speak here in town--I guess he lives here-- and it made me buy the book. I came away extremely impressed. This is not my usual reading. I'm more a John Grisham type. But this one rang bells for me. After I read this book, I was in Thailand on business and I found myself using Devil's Bargains as a lens for what I was seeing. The comparisons were striking and I wondered if this book might apply to more than the West. Well written and snappy, showing a lot of research, this one is a real winner, especially for anyone in city planning or tourist development.
Books:
- Diary Sentimental Journey
- Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood
- Enhancing Trader Performance: Proven Strategies From the Cutting Edge of Trading Psychology (Wiley Trading)
- Every Storm (Contemporary Romance)
- Feels Like Family (Sweet Magnolias)
- For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women
- Forever After
- Gabe (Buckhorn Brothers, Book 3)
- Garrett Files(Sweet Silver Blues/ Bitter Gold Hearts/ Cold Copper Tears)
- Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- 21 Things I Wish My Broker Had Told Me: Practical Advice for New Real Estate Professionals.
- The Four Agreements Companion Book : Using the Four Agreements to Master the Dream of Your Life
- Gettering Defects in Semiconductors
- Pandora's Curse
- I Am Plastic: The Designer Toy Explosion
- Standard Catalog Of World Gold Coins: Platinum and Palladium issues included
- Smart and Sassy: The Strengths of Inner-City Black Girls
- Light, Darkness and Colour in Painting Therapy
- Gustav Klimt: Erotic Sketches / Erotische Skizzen
- Lady GI: A Woman's War in the South Pacific: The Memoir of Irene Brion
General | History | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
Cruise Ship Blues: The Underside of the Cruise Ship Industry
Selling the Sea: An Inside Look at the Cruise Industry
Cruise Ship Squeeze: The New Pirates of the Seven Seas
The Essential Little Cruise Book, 3rd: Secrets from a Cruise Director for a Perfect Cruise Vacation
What Time Is the Midnight Buffet?: How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Our Cruise
