Smoke and Mirrors (The Smoke Trilogy, Book 2)

Book Description

When Tony and his TV crew find themselves shooting in an actual haunted house, all hell threatens to break loose. Locked into the house overnight, can Tony keep the diabolical controling spirit from turning the crew against one another in an orgy of blood?

Customer Reviews:

What To Do When Your Ghosts Refuse to Stop Dying.......2007-08-09

Smoke and Mirrors is the middle novel in the Smoke trilogy which tells the continuing story of two characters from Tanya Huff's Blood... series. Henry Fitzroy is a vampire, retired nobility and romance writer who, with lover/friend Tony Foster, has moved to Vancouver. Tony is the real star of these stories - grown up from a trouble making street kid into an adult determined to make his way in the city's vibrant filmmaking business. Tony has landed a job as junior assistant gofor in the production company of a vampire detective TV series. A production company with a knack for falling into supernatural traps.

Tony discovered that he has the makings of being a wizard in the previous volume. Despite this potential, Tony really just wants to be your basic production assistant with a cute boyfriend. Unfortunately, life (or rather, unlife) has different plans for him. Sure enough, when the company rents a spooky old house to film in for a week you can bet that it's not just the atmosphere that is spooky. A whole host of ghosts lurk in the corners re-enacting their violent endings. It seems that the house has a particularly unpleasant history. Lurking in the basement is something that wants everyone to die screaming and fuels its effort to ruin the neighborhood.

Tony, as a neophyte wizard is the only one who is aware of all that is going on. In short order he is trying to keep everyone alive (fails), keep the cameras running (fails), and get the ghost problem under control (fails). Henry flies to the rescue, but this is a locked house crisis, and the simple fact is that Tony must work through his personal issues and solve the mystery of the strange force in the basement all on his own - or with the aid of a few helpful ghosts and some very paranoid movie people.

Tanya Huff is too well established a writer for it to be necessary for me to laud her skills. Smoke and Mirrors, like all the volumes before, continues to present an approach to the vampire/supernatural thriller that combines an intelligent story and good characters into a whole that will always please a reader interested in more than blood oriented bodice rippers. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume, and believe that you will quickly become a fan if you aren't already.

Best one of the trilogy.......2007-08-06

I loved this installment to Huff's Smoke trilogy. Tony and crew head to a real haunted house to an episode for the series Darkest Night. Although, some may view the haunted house as a cliche, I loved the irony of it. The jaded view of the film industry was so funny. I laughed out loud many times throughout the book.

well done.......2007-06-26

I have read several reviews complaining about this book and the series in general, the focus of disappointment being Tony, the main character, supposedly dull and uninteresting.

Tony is a young adult (in Ms Huff's fiction he is 24), not particularly educated, a past of street urchin and gay hustler. Within the set circumstances the author makes a full rounded character of him, giving him depth and consistency. He does not behave the way I would, but I am 37, college educated with a sound family in my past and no addicting relationship with a 450 y.o. powerful vampire who is not able to really let me go in my present.

Of course I am annoyed at him at times (as if he were real - good job Ms Huff!) and I am annoyed at Ms Huff's throwing him in the arms of several men to keep the sexual tension of the story from abating.

An extremely skilled writer would have been able to stick to Tony's crush for the handsome Lee making meaningless one night stands of the others.

A better author would have given us better rounded side characters and more thrill in the depiction of the haunted house.

Ms Huff is good and gives us instead a no nonsense no problem quick read, well crafted and entertaining, at least for those readers who like supernatural/fantasy/vampire fiction and make no fuss about gay characters.

Funny & Frightening Paranormal Adventure.......2007-04-03

Smoke and Mirrors, by Tanya Huff, is the second book in her new Tony Foster series, highlighting the mystical adventures of a production assistant (and junior wizard) who occasionally pals around with vampire Henry Fitzroy in his off time. The first book was quite good; the second book is fantastic. A traditional "haunted house" story, it simply explodes beyond the confines of the genre, primarily through the strength of Huff's writing and characterization. Fans of shows like Forever Knight or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer or even Blood Ties--based on the Vickie Nelson/Henry Fitzroy series by Huff--may find great pleasure in the affectionate skewering of the type in this book. Smoke and Mirrors has a wry sense of humor. It's laugh-out-loud funny in some places and genuinely horrific in others, manipulating reader's emotions deftly as Tony and his hapless companions set out to save the day.

Some readers, I know, have been disturbed by the fact that Huff's hero is gay--unabashedly so--and some reviewers have mentioned discomfort with Tony's active, on-page love life. I personally found nothing distasteful about Tony's interactions with other men, which are no more explicit than I've encountered in many other books of this type and *considerably less so* than some (Laurell K. Hamilton, anyone?). If the idea of men kissing is a buzz-killer for you, you probably ought to look for another series. For me, the protagonist's keen interest in his love life just contributes to his three-dimensional nature. I find him charming.

Smoke and Mirrors dazzled me from very nearly the first page, and I read the whole with tremendous pleasure. It goes on my "enthusiastically recommend" list, and I will be looking forward tremendously to my opportunity to read Installment 3.

The Show MUST go on..........2007-02-13

The house was great for the next episode of Darkest Night and CB Productions had rented it for the whole week. It was the perfect turn of the century, last century, mansion and was a great setting for the ghost story.
Only problem Tony Foster had with it was that it really had ghosts. Lots of ghosts. Many who had died in the house. The house, or something in the house, fed off the ghosts. And it wanted more food.
Now Tony, without Henry Fitzroy to help him, must find out what is going on, get the rest of the crew to listen to him and get out using his knowledge of how the house works and what magic he knows. Before too many people die.
Dark humor, not that scary unless reading it at night, good, dirty, fun. In some ways I enjoyed this more than Smoke And Shadows.

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions

Average customer rating:

GAIMAN'S SHORT STORIES: A MODERN EDGAR A. POE
Classic Gaiman
a definite keeper
A treasure trove
Five for most of the stories

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders (P.S.)

ASIN: 0380789027
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Amazon.com

This anthology of short stories, and the occasional story poem, is vintage Neil Gaiman: quirky, sometimes very funny, often dark and disturbing. Most have been published before, but are hard to find elsewhere and cover all of Gaiman's writing life. As Gaiman says in his introduction, "most of the stories in this book are about love in some form or another," but not requited love. The stories in Smoke and Mirrors touch on all of Gaiman's themes: sex, death, dreams, and the end of the world. From "Chivalry," about the Holy Grail and where it finally ended up, to "Troll Bridge," a very adult version of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff"; from "Bay Wolf," a story poem that melds Beowulf and Baywatch, with interesting results, to "Murder Mysteries," which is about a murder, but also about angels, God's will, and Evil, these stories leave lasting impressions. Fans of Ray Bradbury's short stories and of Gaiman's other works will enjoy this collection. --Nona Vero

Book Description

In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion ... and anything is possible. In this, Gaiman's first book of short stories, his imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders -- a place where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality -- obscured by smoke and darkness, yet brilliantly tangible -- in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.

Customer Reviews:

GAIMAN'S SHORT STORIES: A MODERN EDGAR A. POE.......2007-08-10

I first met Gaiman's storytelling craft and writting style a long time ago through his Sandman comics. To that work I give five-plus stars.

After that I read some of his novels. His books Neverwhere, American Gods and Good Omens were good, but to my opinion not superb. I gave them 3 stars. I thought his comics were better than his novels. And then I decided to try his short stories.

Something told me that those would be better.

I bought Smoke & Mirrors (along with Fragile Things), and it took around one week for delivery. I read Smoke & Mirrors in less time that it took to be delivered. It is not that I am such a fast reader or Amazon too slow delivering (at leas not always), but I just wanted to read more stories. I think that his style is suited better for short stories than for long novels. Even though Gaiman is a strange mix of Stephen King and Edgar A. Poe (within an Allan Moore), he is more a Poe. His short stories are very good. and now I'm reading Fragile Things.

I still think of Gaiman as an excellent comic writter, thats the reason I only give 5 stars to his comics and stick to 4 for his short stories.

My favorite stories were the last tale in the book (Snow, Glass, Apples), and also the tales: Murder Mysteries, Change, Nicholas was... (very very very short story but equally good), Babycakes and a story that is hidden in the introduction called Wedding Gift (don't miss reading the introduction!!!).
I also liked his poem White Road. Pretty "upsettling", as Humpty Dumpty would have said.

Enjoy

Classic Gaiman.......2007-04-27

I'd read a couple of the stories in this collection before (notably "We Can Get Them for You Wholesale," and "Snow, Glass, Apples") and I've been a fan of his longer fiction and graphic novels for some time, but this was the first time I'd really immersed myself in his short stories. It was definitely an experience.

What struck me the most is how different most of these stories are. In his (excellent) introduction, Gaiman himself talks about specific influences for several of the stories and poems, and about different "voices" he's written them in. The difference really is astounding. "Chivalry" is nothing like "Murder Mysteries," which is nothing like "When We Went to See the End of the World..." Of course, some stories are more similar than others, but his range is pretty incredible. The only thing the works share is that they're pretty darn good.

Of course, in any collection, there are going to be high points and low points. The thing with Smoke and Mirrors is that even the low points are good. A few of the poems, and maybe one or two of the stories weren't exactly my cup of tea, they were well done. And the reason I gave this book five stars is that the stories that were my cup of tea were so good that I didn't mind it when or two missed the mark.

Make sure you do more than skim the introduction. He's buried a story in there that's well worth reading, and I found myself skipping back to the introduction after each story, to get a little more perspective on what I'd read.

a definite keeper.......2007-04-22

One of my favorite books of all time. If it were possible to give more than 5 stars, I would. I was introduced to this book when a friend of mine had me read one of the stories in this book. It was a dark, and I must admit, very disturbing retelling of the fairy tale Snow White. After reading it, I was somewhat perturbed, but I was also hooked. I looked high and low for a copy of the book, and when I finally came across one, I was not disappointed. Gaiman's stories are both haunting and compelling, and always entertaining. This is a book I'll read over and over... and over again.

A treasure trove.......2007-02-12

I loved American Gods. I loved Good Omens. I loved the Sandman comics (I only read the first few) and Neverwhere. This book of short stories felt like peeking inside Gaiman's head as he wrote all of these. Some of the stories seem like they inspired or were inspired by his other books, others seem totally out of left field but undeniably Gaiman. I read the book straight through in a day and now go back for my favorites.

Five for most of the stories.......2006-12-26

Neil Gaiman is kinda my hero. This collection of his short stories is amazing. Several times after reading one of the stories in this collection, I shivered with pleasure at how it seemed to be the perfect ending that pulled it all together.

I don't want to ruin any of the stories with too much summary, but they are generally pretty creepy and fantastical. Just don't expect happy endings. The introduction was actually worth reading and interest (and contained a bonus story). I thought that "Changes" and "We Can Get Them For You Wholesale" were particularly good. A couple of the stories fell flat for me, but the good ones were so perfect they made up for it. I think that Gaiman's prose is much better than his poetry but that didn't make his poetry bad - just not as good. Anyway, much worth reading in here.

Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration

Average customer rating:

Excellent overview by one of our foremost immigration scholars
Ver y slow due to heavy facts yet compensates at the end

Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration
Douglas S. Massey
Manufacturer: Russell Sage Foundation Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 087154590X

Book Description

Migration between Mexico and the United States is part of a historical process of increasing North American integration. This process acquired new momentum with the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, which lowered barriers to the movement of goods, capital, services, and information. But rather than include labor in this new regime, the United States continues to resist the integration of the labor markets of the two countries. Instead of easing restrictions on Mexican labor, the United States has militarized its border and adopted restrictive new policies of immigrant disenfrachisement. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors examines the devastating impact of these immigration policies on the social and economic fabric of the Mexico and the United States, and calls for a sweeping reform of the current system.

The costs of the U.S. policy have been high. The book documents how the massive expansion of border enforcement has wasted billions of dollars and hundreds of lives, yet has not deterred increasing numbers of undocumented immigrants from heading north. The authors also show how the new policies unleashed a host of unintended consequences: a shift away from seasonal, circular migration toward permanent settlement; the creation of a black market for Mexican labor; the transformation of Mexican immigration from a regional phenomenon into a broad social movement touching every region of the country; and even the lowering of wages for legal U.S. residents. What had been a relatively open and benign labor process before 1986 was transformed into an exploitative underground system of labor coercion, one that lowered wages and working conditions of undocumented migrants, legal immigrants, and American citizens alike.

Rather than denying the reality of labor migration, the authors recommend regularizing it and working to manage it so as to promote economic development in Mexico and minimize costs and disruptions for the United States. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors provides an essential "user's manual" for readers seeking a historical, theoretical, and substantive understanding of how U.S. policy on Mexican immigration evolved to its current dysfunctional state, as well as how it might be fixed.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent overview by one of our foremost immigration scholars.......2006-06-26

Most popular discussions of contemporary U.S. immigration ignore history and the "facts on the ground." Massey lays out the history of Mexico-U.S. migration. He provides convincing evidence that stepped-up border enforcement efforts since the early 1990s have been both deadly and counterproductive. He argues forcefully for an immigration policy that takes the realities of U.S.-Mexican social and economic integration into account. Readers who are convinced that immigration is a bad thing in itself will not be persuaded by Massey to change their minds; those who are interested in a dispassionate discussion of border control issues will find this book provocative and useful.

Ver y slow due to heavy facts yet compensates at the end.......2003-03-02

The book speaks of the continuing problems with immgration due to border policies between America and Mexico. Out of about 9 chapters eight are facts and figures charts and graphs and only the last chapter is thought provoking. In it the authors give their opinion of how America's border policies should change in order to accomodate Mexican immigrants- they made good points that leaves you somewhat satisfied after a mind numbing 8 chapters of...???? But For research purposes and stats I would definately recommend this book.

Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure

Average customer rating:

A great book!!
The War on Drugs? An Abysmal Failure
One of the most important books ever published. Excellent writing, and a very easy read..
Argument by Anecdote
An excellent history on the War on Drugs

Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure
Dan Baum
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0316084468

Amazon.com

In a retrospective look at the war on drugs in the United States, journalist Dan Baum calls the nation's drug policy "as expensive, ineffective, delusional and destructive as government gets." He examines the Nixon White House's effort to turn the drug war to political advantage and the Carter Administration's brief flirtation with decriminalizing marijuana. He also details the cover-ups and blunders of some of the biggest drug busts in the country's history. Yet despite the policy's ineffectiveness, at least 85 percent of Americans oppose legalization. Baum sheds light on the reasons for this issue and calls for radical compromise.

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

A great book!!.......2007-09-14

This book was a complete and thorough account of the history of US drug war. I loved it.... it was unbiased and covered all the facts.

The War on Drugs? An Abysmal Failure.......2006-02-05

Each year illicit drugs claim the lives of at least 450 Australians. In WA alone, heroin overdoses have cost more than one life per week so far this year. Politicians, health officials, the police and community in general are struggling to devise a solution to this drug menace.

American journalist, Dan Baum, in 'Smoke and Mirrors', has convincingly shown how NOT to approach the problem. Drawing on extensive research in the US, he begins his account after President's Nixon's election in 1968 and traces the ultimately futile War on Drugs through to the early phases of the Clinton Administration. Baum takes the reader through a series of case studies, anecdotes and interviews with key players in the drug war, and repeatedly exposes the cynicism, folly, ineptitude and sometimes racism of politicians and bureaucrats in trying to cope with drug use and abuse in society. Always in the background and, for Baum, at the heart of the problem, is the hitherto unchallenged policy of prohibition which Baum makes clear is seriously flawed in both practice and principle.

The cost of this unswerving campaign is staggering by any account. During the Bush years alone, $120 billion was spent on the Drug War. In addition, there has been the enormous cost in terms of human rights violations and crushed civil liberties, best documented by Baum in the harassment, imprisonment and occasionally shooting, of "harmless potheads and the generally peaceful growers who supply them".

The much-vaunted War on Drugs had its genesis in the turbulent 1960s when the counter-culture - as manifested in the massive Vietnam War protests, rock music and alternative lifestyles - reached its zenith. For Nixon, marijuana was a potent symbol of such "decadence" and its use was vigorously opposed primarily for this reason - not because of its pharmacological properties. Indeed, Baum makes clear that the Drug War has generally had little to do with drugs per se and a lot to do with crude political opportunism.

Seizing upon the issue of drugs to target political opponents, the Nixon White House went as far as to enlist television producers in the anti-drug fight through popular cop shows and sitcoms such as Mannix, Mod Squad, Hawaii-Five-O, Mission Impossible and My Three Sons. What they didn't expect, from another quarter in the entertainment industry, was Elvis Presley's unsolicited arrival at the White House in 1971 complete with a nickel-plated .45 automatic as a gift for the President. Elvis virtually begged to be co-opted into the White House's anti-drug campaign but seemed just as keen to souvenir another police badge of which he was an avid collector. The supreme irony, noted by Baum, is that the "King", a legendary dopehound, was a credentialed Special Assistant in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs when he died in 1977 of what was essentially a drug overdose.

By the mid-1970s when Jimmy Carter was elected President, drugs had all but disappeared from the political radar. A more enlightened drug policy was adopted even if it was orchestrated by politically naive advisers. A Presidential Commission on Marijuana, stacked with conservatives, made the embarrassing recommendation in 1970 that marijuana be decriminalised, a step which Nixon refused to consider. In fact, he blamed the Jews for wanting to liberalise America's drug laws.

However, the War on Drugs was resurrected with a vengeance when Ronald Reagan took office in 1982. Within a short space of time there were savage cuts to drug prevention and treatment, and a boost to "hard" drug enforcement bodies, eg. the Coast Guard, FBI and the increasingly powerful Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). More significantly, draconian mandatory minimum sentencing laws were passed leading to a doubling of the prison population during the Reagan years. The ideological shift saw the leadership of drug policy taken away from doctors and scientists, and passed to untrained, inexperienced and emotionally motivated parents. As a consequence, the drug war was sharply directed at teenagers and those who allegedly fostered their habits such as makers of drug paraphernalia. It was hardly surprising then, that a full 83% of Americans surveyed in 1986 believed it was proper to "dob-in" to the police family members who consumed drugs. One teenage girl in California who did so, soon afterwards found herself placed in foster care as a ward of the state while her parents faced 3 years in gaol.

The arrival of cocaine then its derivative, crack into the drug mainstream in the 1980s - both largely media beat-ups according to Baum - fueled wild speculation. By then, anti-drug rhetoric was reaching fever-pitch as evidenced by bizarre and hysterical pronouncements from those in the forefront of the drug debate. One prominent Congressman wanted to exile drug offenders to remote Pacific islands. William Bennett, Reagan's top drug czar and himself a chain-smoker, suggested beheading drug dealers while one of his high-ranking colleagues ventured the opinion that "homosexuality seems to be something that follows from marijuana use". Former LAPD chief, Darryl Gates, proclaimed that "casual drug users should be taken out and shot ...". Even Nancy Reagan, who framed the naive slogan of "Just Say No" to drugs, weighed in to the debate on recreational drug use. Brimming with indignation, she declared that the casual drug user is an "accomplice to murder".

Meanwhile, those dissenting voices critical of the War on Drugs often remained one step ahead of drug enforcement authorities. Baum recounts several amusing instances of citizens who turned the tables on officious bureaucrats and ridiculed the po-faced anti-drug zealots. For example, when urine-testing became widespread in American workplaces, wily entrepreneurs started selling pre-bottled, drug-free urine through mail-order catalogues. A drug legalisation advocate embarrassed the McDonald's hamburger chain by pointing out that its plastic coffee stirrers were being used as cocaine spoons. McDonald's promptly recalled the offending items amidst great embarrassment. And when drug-sniffing dogs at airports were nabbing traveller's with large cash deposits, procedures had to be re-evaluated when it was discovered that minute traces of cocaine are present on up to 96% of all US currency bills.

In the concluding stages of Baum's account of the unwinnable War on Drugs, he points to the growing chorus of law enforcement agents, public health experts, judges, academics, influential newspaper editors and a few brave politicians who have begun to question the cost-effectiveness of prohibition and unswerving commitment to zero tolerance of drug use. Although he doesn't flag any alternatives to these failed policies, Baum makes it clear that the longstanding taboo of discussing any policy other than total prohibition, needs to be lifted.

Baum ends his highly readable and entertaining book with a telling quote from (non-inhaler) President Bill Clinton who stated in 1992 that, "The definition of insanity is doing the same old thing over and over again and expecting a different result". All politicians, please take note.

One of the most important books ever published. Excellent writing, and a very easy read.........2005-09-12

There is conformity in our society, and it is a scourge that kills human spirit. It's a kind of ignorance, a common human narrow-mindedness that is at the root of keeping human beings from tolerating each other.

Similarly, at the root of this book's subject is the conformed intolerance emanating from people who believe that alcohol, caffeine and tobacco are the only recreational drugs that should be allowed to be legal and that, more specifically, cannabis should be illegal. This is conservative American mentality since the popularity of cannabis, at least among American whites, the vast majority of Americans, is relatively recent as compared to the popularity of the former drugs.

Ruthless, corrupt capitalists are the main force behind our corrupt drug laws. This book provides factual information to prove that money and power grubbing politicians and other lawmakers and law enforcers are the people who make the drug wars corrupt. In fact, politicians, judges, lawyers and law enforcers stand to gain in many ways by joining this corrupt war on recreational cannabis users. Baum doesn't stop at pointing out this fact, he gives a list of these people, right at the beginning of the book, presented like a movie or play presents its cast of characters. This is good. For over the past 40 years, the real life story of conservatives who have sold their souls in order to bust harmless cannabis users and thereby boost their political etc. careers is very much like an incredible play, a tragedy on a mass scale.

Huge prisons have been built to incarcerate all of these harmless cannabis users, and it is a fact that during a recent recession, the prison industry (criminal labor) was one of the few industries that remained profitable. A conservative TV pundit recently exclaimed how proud she is that we now live in a conservative time. But we should not be proud of how such conservatives abuse innocent people. Which they do, very much so. IF I WAS PRESIDENT, I WOULD RELEASE ALL WHO HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED FOR DRUG USE ONLY. THEN I WOULD INCARCERATE ALL WHO HAVE PROFITED AT THE EXPENSE OF RUINING INNOCENT LIVES.

One of the excellently reported true stories in this book:

In the late '70s, there was a woman who became enraged that her local record store was displaying cannabis paraphernalia (pipes, cigarette papers etc.) because she felt that children should not be exposed to such things in a shop such as this. To some extent, I agree with her. But she and Nancy Reagan spearheaded the "Just Say No" campaign, a bastion of conformity if there ever was one. It's overkill. Why not legalize cannabis and then campaign etc. to remove the selling of it and its paraphernalia from the public's line of sight, just like minors aren't allowed to enter into a cocktail bar?

I'll tell you what I'm outraged about. That ruthless capitalist schmuck from New York City who pushed his cannabis pipes business into those stores. He didn't give a crap about the children. As a result of this kind of ruthless capitalistic behavior, the straights got livid, went overboard with drug laws and propaganda, and now hundreds of thousands of innocent people languish in prisons. Like in playing music, a little bit of sensitivity and compromising to others' needs goes a hell of a long way to furthering a better, more tolerant, openminded and ultimately less corrupt society. This is the direction that soceities such as Holland's takes, and it makes theirs better than ours. I'd love to be proud of my nation, but this is what keeps me from being so. This is America, a damn thieves' hall where anything goes as long as you're ruthless enough to get away with it. Where people kick each other around in the name of "survival of the fittest" while this mentality inevitably makes a hell hole of everyone's lives, particularly those who aren't greedy, who aren't so good at kicking people around. Ours is a society that is running as fast as it can away from tolerance. People who call themselves Christians and condone this behavior are corrupt by default; nothing could be further from the teachings of Jesus.

But surely the most outrageous of true stories described in this book are the ones about how parents and siblings participate in the arresting of their family members who use illegal recreational drugs. Particularly the rehabilitation centers that abuse youths who are sent there by their parents. What kind of a parent would do such a thing? I'll tell you what kind. The kind that has accepted the idea that careers, formal schooling and conformed behavior is the only way to live. This is extreme conformity. Most of the ancestors of such people would likely slap them upside the face for their inhumane treatment of their children. Absolutely incredible levels of inhumane conformity have taken over the minds and hearts of too many people in our society. It needs to stop. Or else we really will become living proof that Bradbury was correct in his prediction of a ruthless, overly conformed society in the novel "Fahrenheit 451."

Argument by Anecdote.......2002-03-09

This book will not change one person's mind. Sticking to anecdotes, eschewing statistics and analysis, Baum strives to create an atmosphere of sinister conspiracy. But the simple fact that political spinmasters were involved in creating and selling the drug prohibition policy does not hopelessly discredit it. After all, politicians had to sell the Civil Rights Act, the New Deal, involvement in WWII, emancipation of the slaves, and everything else the government's ever done.

Like most people who'd be motivated to seek out a book on the War on Drugs, I am sympathetic to Baum's general idea-- the War on Drugs goes too far, and a little treatment would sure go nice with, or maybe even in place of, locking up tons of people, many of whom are black. But to those of you looking for a balanced, informative overview of the history of the drug war, keep moving. This ain't it.

An excellent history on the War on Drugs.......2002-01-05

The book Smoke and Mirrors is a history of the War on Drugs launched by Richard Nixon and that continues to this day. It is very critical of the War and shows the faults of the War and its negative consequences on American society.

The book does not bash just Republicans and the right wing. In fact Baum makes it clear that Nixon's drug-policy was actually not that bad and certainly better than what was to come. Baum also makes it clear that Democrats jumped on the bandwagon and supported the War on Drugs just as much as the Republicans.

Book Description

Joining the campaign of a charismatic congresswoman, young Erin Hartsock arrives in Washinton, D.C., filled with idealism and ambition. But her enthusiasm dissolves into terror when the campaign takes a malevolent turn. Someone...something...has begun threatening Erin and her colleagues. First come the strange fires, then a seemingly accidental death. As the election nears, Erin fears that she just may be a murderer's next candidate.

Customer Reviews:

Isn't Politics Scary Enough?.......2002-12-28

I thought the subject of politics was scary enough, but then I read Mrs. Michael's book. Politics took a whole new meaning for me. I am not usually naive, but if Smoke and Mirrors is anything like true politics than I have been oblivious. Mrs. Michael's weaves a thrilling tale that kept me on the edge of my seat through the use of very believable characters, and an enticing plot. The story makes you think, and get involved, and it is obvious that Mrs. Michaels is a born story-teller.

Ain't archaeology, but still great!.......1999-07-09

This book was great. I loved Michaels' technique of slowly unveiling and manipulating each character's dark secrets of the past. She managed to ignite the actual thrill and intrigue of the political game, and this heightened my enjoyment while reading this novel. During the story, Erin becomes so caught up with Rosemary's political problems with Buzz Bennett, that she is simply oblivious to the sickly dangers that lie around her during every day, every moment of her stay. Erin manages to solve the mystery behind the mysterious Richmond fire that killed a number of tiny children and in the process, she discovers the ugly side of the political arena. I enjoyed every page to the fullest degree. In the story, politics is presented to the reader as an exhilarating game; an adventurous game; a dangerous game. This book is certainly a perfect curl-up-at-homer for a rainy afternoon.

Not worth the time..........1999-03-28

Ms. Michaels really missed the mark on this one! This book had real potential for being a good thriller, but too much time was spent on mundane events and it turned out to be a long, boring read. If someone has recommened Barbara Michaels to you, I would suggest "Stiches in Time", or "The Dancing Floor" - she really is a good writer. This book is not worth reading.

Good Book.......1998-11-11

Its one of Michaels typical good books. You know, there are those typical good books that you expect out of a favorite author, and then there are those books that disappoint you, but that you read them anyway because you are just so used to the style of the author and are loyal to them. Well, this book had all the basic elements needed for a good Michaels or Peters' book. It had romance, suspense, humor, intrigue, and and insight into a particular type of world. In this case that was the world of politics. In many of her other books it is the world of Egyptology or archaelogy. She gives a lot of information about a certain type of lifestyle or industry and entertains by encompassing it with the romance and adventures of her funny characters. Again, typically good Micheals book.

Average customer rating:

Very uninteresting...
Smoke in Mirrorrs
What Has Happened to My Favorite Author?
Mystery Novel
Good read for a rainy Saturday

Smoke in Mirrors
Jayne Ann Krentz
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lost and Found
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ASIN: 051513399X

Book Description

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Lost & Found, hailed as "a delightful mystery from a seasoned pro" (People), comes a new novel of romantic suspense.

A con artist and seductress, Meredith Spooner lived fast-and died young. Now it seems Meredith's last scam-embezzling more than a million dollars from a college endowment fund-is coming back to haunt Leonora Hutton. An e-mail has just arrived in which Meredith-in fear for her life-explains that the money is waiting for Leonora in an offshore account . . . and a safe-deposit key is on the way.

Leonora wants nothing to do with the tainted money. She's already been accused of being in on the theft by Thomas Walker-who, it seems, was a victim of Meredith's knack for both scams and seductions. Eager to prove him wrong, Leonora sets out to collect the cash and hand it over.

But she discovers two other items in the safe-deposit box. One is a book about Mirror House-a mansion filled with antique mirrors, where Meredith engineered her final deception. The other is a set of newspaper stories about a thirty-year-old murder that occurred there-unsolved to this day.

Now Leonora has an offer for Thomas Walker. She'll hand over the money-if he helps her figure out what's happening. Meredith had described Thomas Walker as "a man you can trust." But in a funhouse-mirror world of illusion and distortion, Leonora may be out of her league.

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A con artist and seductress, Meredith Spooner lived fast-and died young. But her final scam-embezzling more than a million dollars from a college endowment fund-is coming back to haunt Leonora Hutton. The tainted money is stashed away in an offshore account for Leonora. And while she wants nothing to do with the cash, she discovers two other items in the safe-deposit box: a book about Mirror House-the place where Meredith engineered her final deception and a set of newspaper stories about an unsolved murder that occurred there thirty years ago. Now Leonora has an offer for Thomas Walker, another victim of Meredith's scams and seductions. She'll hand over the money-if he helps her figure out what's going on. Meredith had described Thomas as 'a man you can trust." But in a funhouse-mirror world of illusion and distortion, Leonora may be out of her league.

Customer Reviews:

Very uninteresting..........2006-11-10

First I will say that JAK was not previously on my must buy list and judging from this book she will not be there any time in the near future. For me, the characters were undeveloped and uninteresting and at many times annoying. I didn't even like the dog and I have now been informed over and over that jogging will ruin my knees. The mystery part of the book seemed almost like it was thrown in as a second thought and made absolutely no sense.

I thoroughly enjoy a well-developed romantic mystery but this is certainly not one. I might give JAK another chance sometime but hopefully I have helped save someone's time with this title.

Smoke in Mirrorrs.......2006-11-04

I love her writing I try to read all of her books but I have alot of favorites so I might miss some of her new ones

What Has Happened to My Favorite Author?.......2006-04-13

This is another wooden, easily solved Krentz book. What has happened to the author who wrote such classics as Absolutely, Positively or Trust Me? These last few years have been nothing but one formulaic, clunky novel after another, with tiresome characters and easily-predicted plotlines. I want the excitement and energy of her ealier novels, not some rehashed pulp with her name attached to boost sales. I hate to say it, but I think I'm about ready to stop reading Krentz and look elsewhere for my romance jollies. Don't waste your time with this book--go back and read some of her stuff from the nineties & see what a really well-written, exciting, and romantic novel can be like when it's done as well as Ms. Krentz can do.

Mystery Novel.......2006-01-16

This book took me a little longer to get into ,but after the 3rd chapter its got you. Its more of a mystery then suspence thriller.Has likable characters. I recommend this if you have time to get through the 3 chapters.

Good read for a rainy Saturday.......2005-11-06

I really enjoy JAK. She is one of the few writers I know I can trust to give me a story that I will enjoy but not have to get too involved in. She is sharp in her technique and style. However, although this book was a fun read, the story is weak. The ending is even weaker -- everyone else up in happy coupledom except, of course, for the killer. This book is perfect for a rainy Saturday or to keep around for when the weather is too cold to go out and do much else.

Bull's Eye Investing: Targeting Real Returns in a Smoke and Mirrors Market

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Smoke and Mirrors Book
The Big Bad Grizzly Bears
Bull's Eye Investing Review
Must read book - an eye opener
Historical Required Reading & Revision to the Mean Prediction

Bull's Eye Investing: Targeting Real Returns in a Smoke and Mirrors Market
John F. Mauldin
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471716928

Book Description

The era of buying and holding stocks is gone -- and will not return for some time. Now is the time to learn to target where the market is going to be, not where it has been, so you can invest successfully. Financial expert John Mauldin makes a powerful, almost irrefutable case regarding the future direction of the markets. He then details a new approach to investing that will allow you to adjust to the new reality of investing. You'll consider options beyond traditional stock portfolios as you learn to choose between the stable and secure investments that will enable you to profit in turbulent markets. Buy your copy of this must-read investment roadmap today.

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A must-read investment roadmap to help investors target real returns in the market
The era of buying and holding stocks is gone-and will not return for some time. Investors need to learn to target where the market is going to be, not where it has been. Knowing where the economy and markets are going is the key to successful investing in the future. Financial expert John Mauldin makes a powerful, almost irrefutable case regarding the future direction of the markets. He then details a new approach to investing that will allow readers to adjust to what he demonstrates is the new reality of investing. Investors need to become familiar with "absolute return" vehicles, including hedge funds, certain types of bonds, and other value-oriented investments, if they intend to make money and retire comfortably. Mauldin argues that traditional stock portfolios should not be the primary investment vehicle for individual investors. Indeed, he credibly argues they will be a disappointment, if not a disaster, over the next decade, mirroring the results of similarly difficult markets like the 1970s. He shows readers how they must look for other options and be wary of the marketing promises and data used by brokers and mutual funds to attract investors. Filled with in-depth insight, copious groundbreaking research and practical advice, Leading the Markets will help readers choose stable and secure investments that will enable them to profit in turbulent markets.
John Mauldin (Richland Hills, TX) is President of Millennium Wave Investments. He has more than 20 years experience in the investment world, formerly serving as CEO of the American Bureau of Economic Research and was a partner in ProFutures Investments.

Customer Reviews:

Smoke and Mirrors Book.......2006-11-27

Very readable...if you have never heard of "secular bear market" you will have your eyes opened...especially if you are just about retire in the next decade or two...MUST READ...this could save your life (earnings). Information like this is basic 101 if you want to survive in this world...but you will be better off **NOT** paying any attention to stuff about hedge funds, absolute returns etc...seems like baloney...or at least put on your "skepticals" on when you reach that part of the book. Let me explain...

The author aspires to market timing which, albeit long-term, is his fundamental flaw. If you subscribe to "past performance is not indicative of future results" then why should we believe that we are in the middle of some pattern that the market has already not picked up on? How can we be so sure that we are in the middle of a secular bear market and even more specifically in the middle of a bear market rally in 2006? And, not for instance, on our way to Dow 36000 or Dow 100000? What if the developing world led by large market economies like India and Brazil have exponential growth in the next few years and a cheap dollar (thanks to a nervous China or Japan) takes the American *companies* along for the ride all the way to the top?

Chasing absolute returns, as suggested by the book, is as much a fools errand as market timing. Ironically, this is one of the the main goal of this book.

The take-away of this book...VALUE INVESTING...is hardly original. However, had he stopped with the value investing paradigm instead of going off the deep end with hedge funds, I would heartily recommend this book as a BUY.

The Big Bad Grizzly Bears.......2006-08-03

If a person constantly predicts a bear market over a period of years, eventually he will prove right, since, as we all know, bull markets do not last forever, and bear markets are regular features of the stock market landscape. However, it is not enough simply to predict a bear market, one must predict a bear market at the right time. A prediction of a bear market during the early and mid 1990s (and there were many) would not be particularly helpful, since the bull continued to 2000. The same applies here to Mauldin. Mauldin predicted a bear market in 2004. He was wrong. A consistent bull market has lasted from early 2003 until mid 2007 so far. If you listened to John Mauldin's advice, you would have missed the bull market of 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, especially in small-mid caps and foreign markets.

According to John Mauldin, bull and bear markets always last approximately 7-15 years. The facts do not support this conclusion. A bear market lasts for as long as it continues, and no longer. The bear market of 2000-2003 lasted only 3 years. Now according to Mauldin, the bull market of 2003-2006 is simply a "bear rally." But three plus years of positive returns cannot be so easily dismissed. In practical terms, for investors, you simply cannot afford to sit out a market rally like the 2003-2006 one.

Study after study has shown that the best way to minimize your risk and maximize your returns is to diversify, invest for the long run, and choose your mutual funds and stocks with great care after substantial research. One should not "buy and hold" blindly, but it's been proved that if your investment horizon is 9 years or more, a diversified portfolio of stocks will consistently outperform bonds. Furthermore, it's impossible to time the market successfully on any kind of consistent basis.

Mauldin is in the hedge fund business; hedge funds are designed to produce positive returns during bear markets. So it is in his personal interest to convince people that a bear market is coming. Hedge funds are limited to people with over a million dollars, so they are not exactly a viable solution for average investors. In addition, hedge funds are not the cure-all that Mauldin suggests. In fact, many hedge funds lose money and go out of business. They are, in fact, extremely risky investments, despite Mauldin's claims.

Mauldin believes in a deep value approach to stock picking, which I happen to agree with. Value stocks have lower volatility and tend to outperform the market in the long run. However, they don't do as well as growth stocks during bull markets, as several value fund managers learned during the late 1990s, some of whom even lost their jobs.

The argument Mauldin makes for a coming recession is pretty persuasive although not original. Trade deficits, budget deficits, an aging population, pension and medicare obligations; these all point to increased inflation (the least painful and only politically acceptable way to pay off our obligations) leading to recession and depressed stock prices. With the current market and economic conditions (Aug. 2006), it's time to think about some defensive investment choices: value and high-dividend stocks, and bonds. But we are not in a recession yet, and it's not inevitable. As Mauldin points out, quoting Greenspan, the market is so large and complex that it's essentially impossible to make accurate predictions. And the market is so efficient, that if it were possible to predict the future by any means, that information would be immediately and permanently discounted.

Bull's Eye Investing Review.......2006-07-27

John Mauldin is an excellent writer and gives excellent advice, as well as a better understanding of the market action.

Must read book - an eye opener.......2006-03-11

There is a solid basis for everything that is said in the book and Mr Mauldin is quite rigorous in his statememts.
At the very least you will come out of the book being a bit more cautious about investments and that alone may be enough to help you make some money.

Historical Required Reading & Revision to the Mean Prediction.......2006-01-30

I enjoyed the book and have highlighted and/or earmarked many pages for later reference. The 1st 2/3rds of the book I would consider required reading about what happened in the '80s & '90s and the high probabilities of what will transpire over the next 10-15 years. For example, generations of investors were investment educated as "buy the dips" as the stock market always goes up over time. However, the question is and remains - how long is "over time"? If you started your investment program in say '98 via your 401K, how long will it take to recover your losses, and then you still may not have made any improvements for retirement.

The thesis is that with respect to history, as our guide, the market as a whole today is more overvalued now than was in March 2000. You may ask why, and the point is that back then you could find values in forgotten old industry stocks, but today - on average - all stocks are on the high range of many different historical pricing averages. Mr. Mauldin's recommendations are that you can always find selective cases of values in the market. However, if one plans on finding value via a 401K big fund or any of your run of the mill mutual funds, they are only going to match the market at best and the overall market will trend downward to sideways until the overall economy catches up with the current valuations. To quote him specifically, "Fifty percent of all doctors graduated in the bottom half of their classes, two plus two is four, trees do not grow to the sky, and markets always come back to the trend". Let us just call it revision to the mean.

Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors

Average customer rating:

Shallow evaluation
The truth at last!
Poor Assumptions
beware mlm
The TRUTH needs to be heard,

Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors
Ruth Carter
Manufacturer: Backstreet Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0967107024

Book Description

Amway distributors tout their business as "the best business opportunity in the world." Yet of the five million or so Americans whove been involved over its 40 year history, fewer than 1% have made a profit, and fewer than one-tenth of one percent have established the large incomes that they claim are achievable by all.

Ruth Carter has written a clear, concise account based on her 15 years of experience as a distributor and five years of insider information as the employee of a Diamond. The book attacks head-on the accusations of deception, cultism, and greed which are so often leveled at the Amway business. Here at last are the reasons why, clearly explained by a former insider.

Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors takes a serious look at:
- a real Diamonds annual income and expenses
- what is the "system"?
- who makes money in the system?
- what is a cult?
- why is Amway accused of cultism?

This book is a must-read for anyone whos ever been involved in Amway, or has suffered the pain of watching loved ones change their personalities and lose their money to the deceptions of an Amway Motivational Organization. "Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors" picks up where "Amway: The Cult of Free Enterprise" and "Fake It Til You Make It!" left off.

Customer Reviews:

Shallow evaluation.......2007-10-05

This book is a pretty shallow examination of this business. It gives examples of improprieties but doesn't really get in-depth. One would have to do a lot of investigating on their own to get much good information.

The truth at last!.......2007-10-03

Carter has done a find job exposing the darker aspects of Amway/Quixtar that prospective distributors/IBOs know nothing about until they sign up, having been blinded by the promises of large windfalls, such as how IBOs are:

- Prospected w/out being told exactly what this "business venture" is
- Duped into buying overpriced motivational books/tapes (presented as necessary to succeed in the business)
- Strongly discouraged from any leisure time activities (which could supposedly "distract" from building the business and put "negative thoughts" in an IBO's head)
- Told to forgo credit card payments, etc. to attend the next rally
- Encouraged to maintain conservative Christian beliefs and vote Republican no matter what
- Told to cut off ties w/friends and family who don't support their venture

A definite must-read for anyone who knows someone in the business or is unhappily struggling in it themselves.

Poor Assumptions.......2006-08-28

The author operates under the assumption that the knowledge and wisdom gained from participation with AMOs is not applicable elsewhere. This is a false assumption.

The facts are these: My wife and I spent over 6 years in that business and only marginally participated in the "system" available. From the "system", we learned enough to make ourselves highly competitive and successful in other endeavors.

So, while we did not put forth the necessary effot to make a successful Amway business, we did apply the knowledge from the AMO in other business effotts, which have proven very successful.

beware mlm.......2006-06-20

Multi-level marketing is based on the absurd notion that the average person can sell stuff to friends and family. Nothing could be further from the truth, most mlm distributors earn nothing but the brush-off from friends and ridicule from family.
This expose of Amway is right on the money. Of course, some folks who have great personal charisma and/or professional selling skill can make money in
MLM. But only about 3% of the public are "born closers" with another 5% trainable in selling skills. Not everyone can be in business, and not everyone can make money. Unless you want to alienate people and lose money, stay away from mlm.
If you have what is takes to make 50k/yr. in amway, you could make five times as much in mainstream selling or b2b. Now
some will condemn me as "negative" and a "dreamstealer" but truth is truth. People are better off with hard truth than
idealistic lies.

The TRUTH needs to be heard,.......2006-02-02

I have family involved in the "business" The have been doing it for almost 20 years now. They have alienated most of the family and they have wasted THOUSANDS of dollars. The scariest part is the lies the husband tells and seems to believe. "oh, I'm retired now, the business supports me" TRUTH...he was fired from his job for poor performance and his wifes high income supports him. They are even forcing their kids to be involved in the "business" and you can just see the pain in the kids faces when their father brings it up AGAIN and AGAIN in order to recruit family members to "help the kids build their business". Cringe. This book reveals the destruction, the pain, the self-hypnosis that greed creates. Yet these people claim to be Christian. What would Jesus do????Well, he WOULDN'T LIE to people about income potential and cause stress and dissent in families for a BUCK! The lady who wrote this book was brave. I think a great many women in the "business" can hear their inner voices telling them to run....but they don't. Amway is a nightmare and if they weren't the GOPs number one financial contributer the govt. would shut them down.

The Death Penalty: Beyond the Smoke and Mirrors

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The Death Penalty: Beyond the Smoke and Mirrors
Alfred B. Heilbrun Jr.
Manufacturer: University Press of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0761834729

Book Description

Capital punishment attracts strong and opposing moral positions: execution by the state under any condition is wrong versus execution as just retribution for heinous killing. Using evidence from legal history, this book rejects these moral arguments as a basis for determining the social value of the death penalty and considers the issue scientifically by determining whether capital punishment deters willful killing.

Jayne Ann Krentz Collection: Soft Focus, Lost and Found, and Smoke in Mirrors

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Jayne Ann Krentz Collection: Soft Focus, Lost and Found, and Smoke in Mirrors
Jayne Ann Krentz
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Jayne Ann Krentz Collection - Eclipse Bay: Eclipse Bay, Dawn in Eclipse Bay, Summer in Eclipse Bay

ASIN: 1590868994
Release Date: 2003-04-10

Book Description

Soft Focus
(Dick Hill/Susie Breck; Laura Grafton; Russell Byers)
Elizabeth Cabot is all business. She knows how to maximize her investments and cut her losses - in both her career and her personal life. So when she discovers that Jack Fairfax has deceived her, she's determined to end their relationship. Putting a stop to their budding romance is easy, but breaking up their business deal will be more difficult. Despite all her efforts, she has no luck disentangling herself from Jack's client company, Excalibur. But the situation becomes even more strained when a lethal act of sabotage threatens to put both their companies out of business for good.

Lost and Found
(Sandra Burr, Joyce Bean, Melissa Coates)
Cady Briggs is very useful to Mack Easton - her expertise in art and antiques helps his shadowy, low-profile company, Lost and Found, find missing treasures for high-paying clients. But as Cady's beloved Aunt Vesta warns her, being useful to a client is one thing - being used is another. Still, Cady finds it hard to resist the magnetic pull Mack exerts, an attraction she felt from the first time she heard his voice on the phone. And as their work together puts them in an explosive situation, Cady wonders just how much she'd risk for the thrill of being with this man.

Smoke in Mirrors
(Aasne Vigesaa/James Daniels; Laura Grafton)
A con artist and seductress, Meredith Spooner lived fast - and died young. Now it seems Meredith's last scam - embezzling more than a million dollars from a college endowment fund - is coming back to haunt Leonora Hutton. An email just arrived in which Meredith - in fear for her life - explains that the money is waiting for Leonora in an offshore account ... and a safe-deposit key is on the way. Leonora wants nothing to do with the tainted money. She's already been accused of being in on the theft by Thomas Walker - who, it seems, was a victim of Meredith's knack for both scams and seductions. Eager to prove him wrong, Leonora sets out to collect the cash and hand it over. But she discovers two other items in the safe-deposit box. One is a book about Mirror House - a mansion filled with antique mirrors, where Meredith engineered her final deception. The other is a set of newspaper stories about a thirty-year-old murder that occurred there - unsolved to this day.

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