Long Time Gone

Book Description

The reissue of rock legend David Crosby's harrowing autobiography, with a new introduction by the author.

A candid chronicle of the rise, fall, and resurrection of an American generation-the children of rock 'n' roll who grew up fighting authority, protesting the Vietnam War, and drifting into the new drug culture- Long Time Gone is the personal story of a man who epitomized the highs and lows of his times.

David Crosby was a rock-and-roll star twice: first with the Byrds and a second time with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Dubbed"the American Beatles" by the rock press, CSN&Y were enormously successful, but throughout his career Crosby was nurturing addictions to cocaine and heroin that would nearly kill him and eventually landed him in a Texas prison. His miraculous recovery from the grip of hard drugs and finding true love with his wife Jan, as well as a creative renaissance, all conspire to make Long Time Gone an inspiring, if sobering, portrait of an era.

Customer Reviews:

IF YOU HAVE A KID THATS "INTERESTED" IN DRUGS.........2006-07-26

Here's a great textbook of what happens when you spend day and night looking to stay stoned and make great music at the same time... Although a bit dated in it's culture, this read is right up to date so far as what happens when it all goes downhill. Any rockstar from the 60's-70's know all about it. Unfortunatly David's been in and out of the Can a few more times since this book was put together, and what a damn shame it is. He still manage's to be the musical genious of his time. He'll go into that group of toxic greats like Keith Richards, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and many others. Long Time Gone is a great book. You'll like it and end up keeping it instead of giving it to the local non profit book store when you're done reading it all. This is an excellent anti drug book that comes in from the back side. No preachy thou-art naughty-naughty stuff. Remember, he's still at it in the 21st century. On everyone's "dead pool" list. He hasn't found God or become a member of a cult. Its all David. Tells it like it is and was. Also a fun look at how David grew up through it all and became a supergroup man. When his obit comes out, it will be an unhappy day for me.

Unbelievably Good and Entertaining.......2006-03-30

Someone you can love and hate. The only down side is that I came away not liking David Crosby...a lot! This kinda cuddly, Santa Claus, teddy bear lookimg guy is anything but. He used and abused everyone who loved him. Full of himself, he's sure he will be forgiven for the horrible things he does because of how talented he is.

The book is full of amazing stories about the paople and times. I truly enjoyed reading this and recommend it to friends often.

For high contrast bio lovers- this won't dissapoint.......2005-04-07

Crosby is the ulimate rock and roll rebel; with more lives and second chances than any other human , ever. Is it his constitution, luck, or just plain talent that saw him through the rough patches ? David would probably say "talent" since through it all he remains his own biggest fan; but who is the reader to argue, since the book contains many, many testimonials from other cool cats that just make David Crosby appear oh- so likeable, and did I mention, brilliant?
( Although law enforcement would definetly disagree, for many years, David Crosby was an absolute menance to society- armed and dangerous)
As a CSN fan , I am a little predjudiced, as a regular reader of celebrity bios, I have to rate this pretty far up on the scale- lots of drama, loads of contrast, plenty of insight into a truly larger than life musician. You will enjoy this book, promise!

More Entertaining Than The Music.......2003-11-11

David Crosby had the good sense to enlist help in writing this book--lots of help--and the result is stunning. Instead of a typically self-absorbed druggy memoir, it becomes part oral history, part biography, part raree show--all in all a sweeping portrait of a man and an era. The list of celebrities and hangers-on who contribute their recollections is long, too long to give here. Among the most amusing is David Geffen, the producer, who was, in his own words, "a formidable figure always". Not formidable enough, however, to keep himself from being bullied by Crosby into taking an envelope of weed through airport security and being handcuffed and jailed.

Geffen had already begun to have doubts about his business relations with the singer after Crosby talked him into financing a movie in which "a tribe of nomads arrives at a campsite, spends a night and a day, and moves on, leaving the environment lovingly unblemished". The script was written by Crosby and an equally stoned partner. Geffen perceived at once that the film would be something less than a blockbuster, and pulled the plug on it even as Crosby was scouting locations.

But this sort of thing was quite mild compared to the hilarity of Crosby's hard drug phase, which followed his soft drug phase. Marijuana gave way to cocaine, and cocaine led to the breakdown of the barrier between his nostrils. As a precautionary measure, Crosby switched to freebase cocaine, which is smoked rather than snorted. This effort at health protection was in vain, however, as freebase turned out to be one of the most addictive substances on earth, demanding tribute from its hapless user virtually round the clock. So fierce was his desire to get the stuff into his lungs that he excused himself from a crisis intervention featuring such stars as Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, and Grace Slick, to go to the back room to be alone with his pipe.

And, with a propane torch for the odd procedure which turns ordinary cocaine into "freebase" Crosby slipped many times, leaving his body not "lovingly unblemished", but rather covered with burns and impetigo. By the eighties he was consuming thousands of dollars worth a day of the drug, and his life became a dizzing round of nightclubs, treatment centers, airplane rides (paying no attention to the illumination of the No Smoking sign), and binges with the ever-present torch and pipe in operation even while driving. "'I'm the best no-hands knee-steering driver in the world,' he would reassure startled passengers."

That may have been true, but in 1982 he passed out from coke overload while on his way to a demonstration at a nuclear power plant, and smashed into the center divider of the San Diego Freeway, and was busted by the Man. Here is laid bare the dilemma of the addict/activist: in order to save the people from radiation, he must at the same time endanger the people by driving while comatose. Law enforcement, after a couple more such incidents, decided he was a clear and present danger.

Yet he hung on for another 4 years, struggling to live as a functioning addict, even as his friends abandon him and the long arm of the law reaches ever closer. Obdurate to the point of psychosis, Crosby continues to cling to his guitar and torch and pipe until he has nowhere to turn but the nearest police station to make a clean breast of things. He finally kicks his addiction for good, not in the plush confines of Betty Ford, but in a solitary confinement box in a Texas prison, and emerges about a year later, with a greater knowledge of himself and of mattress fabrication procedures.

If there ever was a story about which the phrase "cautionary tale" is not a cliche, this is it. I'm surprised Geffen hasn't made it into a blockbuster.

.."Cover of the Rolling Stone...".......2000-01-24

Now that Crosby's "2nd Family" is featured on Rolling Stone--& CSNY are back----on music concert tour-->title will be re-issued soon,just as "DeJavu' is now digitally remastered CD.

Average customer rating:

Investigating with Beau's a Pleasure
Found it boring..
A 30 year local review
At the top of her game
Good plot, written well & it all comes together

Long Time Gone: A Novel of Suspense
J. A. Jance
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Hard-Boiled | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Breach of Duty: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery
Name Withheld: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery
Lying in Wait: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery
Birds of Prey: A Novel of Suspense
Dead Wrong

ASIN: 0688138241
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Product Description

When a middle-aged nun, unexpectedly, recalls the grisly details of an unsolved murder she witnessed as a child, Special Homicide Investigator J.P. Beaumont finds himself wrapped in a case wher a band of powerful co-conspirators who are willing to go to any length to keep their deadly secrets hidden. Meanwhile, Beau's former partner, Ron Peters, becomes the prime suspect after his ex-wife is killed. Barred from any official involvement in the case, Beau watches helplessly as his friend's family is slowly torn apart. Faced with personal conflicts and shocking suprises, Beau must struggle to solves one of his most baffling and dangerous cases yet. Read by Gene Engene 10 CD's 11.7 Hrs.

Download Description

After more than twenty years of distinguished service with the Seattle Police Department, Jonas Piedmont Beaumont is now working for the Washington State Attorney's Special Homicide Investigation Team or, as it's more commonly called, the SHIT squad. But the more things change, the more they stay the same.

An eyewitness to a fifty-year-old murder has just come forward, and Beau has been hand-picked to lead the investigation. While undergoing hypnotherapy, a middle-aged nun unexpectedly recalls the grisly details of a cold-blooded killing she witnessed when she was five years old. Though fear has kept these memories repressed for half a century, they've now risen to the surface to cast a harsh light on a deadly plot that spans two generations. And Beau's caught in the glare, facing a ruthless band of coconspirators willing to go to any lengths to keep their secrets hidden.

But there's more shaking up Beau's world. His former partner, Ron Peters -- caught in a bitter child-custody battle -- becomes the prime suspect in his ex-wife's vicious murder. A surrogate parent to Ron's three children, Beau must watch helplessly as his friend spirals through an emotional free fall, his life and family torn to pieces. Everywhere he turns, Beau keeps butting heads with an adversary from the Seattle PD with a personal vendetta. And his growing feelings for Melissa Soames—the squad's newest investigator and Beau's unlikely ally -- is a distraction that threatens to open painful old wounds and rouse his personal demons.

Filled with all of the Jance trademarks -- heart-stopping suspense, deeply drawn characters, local flavor, intelligence, and humanity -- Long Time Gone is a crowning achievement in this bestselling author's career.

Customer Reviews:

Investigating with Beau's a Pleasure.......2007-10-06

The kind of enjoyable mystery/thriller I was looking for. Such books are diversions from heavier reading and busy life. Having done my fix of Harold Adams, I was ready to find a detective to enjoy in Carl Wilcox' stead (no sign of him in nearly seven years), and since Thomas Perry has seemed to abandon Jane Whitefield, I was looking for someone to join James Sallis' thoughtful protagonists. Beau, J.P. Beaumont, retired Seattle P.D. officer now working for the state attorney's office, proves to be that detective. Here, he is involved in two cases. One is the one he's assigned, the murder recalled under hypnosis by a former high school classmate of his turned convent Mother Superior. Fifty years later, the case is very cold until she comes forth. The other case is one in which a good friend and former partner of Beau's, Ron Peters, appears to be the prime suspect in Peters' ex-wife's murder. Conflict of interest prevents Beau from participating in this one, but friendship supersedes direct orders to stay out of it. In both cases, Beau ends up working with fellow investigator Melissa Soames, and the loner Beau re-considers having a partner as a result. They make a good pair. Beau himself is human, with a background that includes his previous employer, two former wives, some bad habits and times, and more. He ends up being a thoughtful, compassionate man doing a tough job with insight and feelings. The combination works in him and helps him with the cases. This is a good read. Beau is especially well fleshed-out, but the other characters are three dimensional, even the teenagers. The plot line is fun, with just the right amount of clues to keep the reader investigating alongside Beau, and a pace that keeps things moving. Ms Jance, I'll be back!

Found it boring.........2007-03-12

Sorry...this was the first time I have read any of her books and I thought it was terrible. I purchased based on the other reviews, but I did not find the characters very engaging, the story line dragged and overall I found it extremely difficult to read through to the end. Will not try her books again and will stick to Patterson, etc.

A 30 year local review.......2007-01-21

I have spent most of my adult life living in Seattle. J.A Jance is able to bring the smallest details about the city into her novels. Long Time Gone is no different. If your from Seattle and want to feel like your part of the story your will enjoy Long Time Gone.

At the top of her game.......2006-12-16

Many many years ago, I frequented a mystery bookstore in Long Beach. The owner and clerks used to recommend books to me, and at one point one of the clerks insisted I try these books by an author named J.A.Jance. At the time I think there were only three, and if I'm correct they were paperback originals--essentially pulps. If they did have hardbacked editions, those had very low print runs. She insisted that I read them, and in order, and so I did, and frankly I've never regretted the decision. The stories are at times a bit melodramatic, but the author does very well with character development, and (as with any good detective novel) the city J.P.Beaumont inhabits (Seattle) is a character, and you almost feel like you've visited every time you read one of the books. Believe me, it was a shock when the fourth or fifth book came out, with a picture of a *woman* in the back. Until then, since she'd used initials (and so did her main character, Beaumont) everyone had assumed she was male.

In the current entry, Beaumont has finally retired from the Seattle Police Department. The author's been toying with what to have him do next, but for the moment he works as an investigator for the State Attorney General, as part of the Special Homicide Investigation Team. I'll let you work out the acronym on your own. This is a family website. Needless to say the book is replete with jokes about this, and it's pretty fun. Two mysteries run through the plot, not exactly connecting but crossing one another in "Beau" Beaumont's mind. On the one hand there's the case he's supposed to be investigating, involving a middle-aged nun who thinks now that she saw, and suppressed the memory of, a murder fifty years ago. On the other hand, there's the case he's *not* supposed to be investigating, in which his friend, wheelchair-bound Ron Peters, is suspected of killing his ex-wife in a custody dispute involving their 15-year old daughter.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. Beau's getting another partner (hopefully this one will live for a while) and the plot has enough twists and turns to be interesting. "Mysteries" in the conventional sense have never been Jance's strong suit--she's not Michael Connelly--but her characters and dialog are very good, and as I said she makes Seattle shine. I would recommend this book.

Good plot, written well & it all comes together.......2006-11-19

I find myself preferring the JP Beaumont over the Joanna Brady series by Jance. This book is a perfect reason why. The character is much more developed, JP's attitudes are much more entertaining, the novels clearly better written. This is actually 2 murder mysteries under one cover. The book moves back & forth between the two and does it well. Each mystery comes together well at the end. JP finds himself with a new female partner & possibly a new interest? The last page leaves that thought entertainingly hanging

Long Time Gone: Sixties America Then and Now (Viewpoints on American Culture)

Average customer rating:

Things Were Turned Around and Upside Down Then.

Long Time Gone: Sixties America Then and Now (Viewpoints on American Culture)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

History | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The 60's: From Memory to History
America's Uncivil Wars: The Sixties Era from Elvis to the Fall of Richard Nixon
The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960s (American Century Series)
The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s (Columbia Guides to American History and Cultures)
A Fiction of the Past: The Sixties in American History

ASIN: 0195125150

Book Description

With remarkable speed, the Sixties have gone from lived history to mythology. They remain alive in our culture in a manner different from any previous era. At the dawn of a new century, we are still debating the issues that emerged during that decade, still living in the conscious aftermath of its events and transformations. This collection looks back at the Sixties, attempting to understand the issues of the day on their own terms and to think about their meanings in today's world. Alexander Bloom has gathered ten original essays, each of which explores the gulf between history and myth regarding a central characteristic of the Sixties. Topics covered include civil rights, the student movement and the New Left, the Vietnam War, the antiwar movement, gay rights, the counterculture, and the women's movement. Long Time Gone dispels myths about the Sixties and constructs an accurate vision of the past and an understanding of its impact on the modern world. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking deeper knowledge of this incredible decade and its continuing influence on American culture.

Customer Reviews:

Things Were Turned Around and Upside Down Then........2006-09-21

Growing up being picked on by a bully because he was 'smart,' Rigby of Pocatello, Idaho, led an upsetting and sad existence. The Sixties were hard on everyone but, most particularly, the sensitive, bright young students during the turmoil which was forced into their existence. No one could escape the horror. Not only was it devastating emotionally and mentally, but physically as well. Rigby had to endure numerous beatings by a dumb neighbor boy from a wealthy family. Money is not everything in this life. It won't buy you scruples, intelligence or morals. You may inherit the iltellect part from your parents, though it is possible to overcome poverty by appreciating good teachers at school and church. You have have to learn the ethical part of life from church, but watch out for the hypocrites who don't practice what they preach.

Rigby's family were overly religious and placed him in a Catholic school where he clearly did not fit in. Like me, he left home at seventeen to spread his wings and learn about the world outside his small existence. Now is the hour to right wrongs, not keep repeating the same old practices. When you pick on someone you think is not your equal intellectually or in status, you only demean yourself and your parents, who should have taught you some principles. If you haven't learned it by the time you're in your forties, it's almost hopeless to think that you will ever change.

The hymn as sung by Ernie Ford, "Now Is the Hour" refers to your entrance into heaven. If you've been a hellion on earth, don't expect God to forgive and forget your transgressions at the last minute. In San Francisco, Rigby found a whole new world deficient in morality. Needless to say, young Rig had a lot of transition in store to grow into a new being full of hope for his future. It's not my choice for a son to go for his coming-of-age regeneration.

All small towns are not like Pocatello (we lived in a good one at a Methodist college), and no other state is like Idaho. He was lucky to have left behind an unhappy childhood young enough to change for the better into a fulfilled adult. He was very lucky. Some men refuse to grow up and learn that equality and tolerance for others who are different is necessary to get along with others. When their "hour" comes to face St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, they will have to account for how they treated their fellow man or woman. We all reach that reckoning in the end. For some, it's a new beginning.

Long Time Gone The Autobiography of David Crosby

Average customer rating:

Long Time Gone The Autobiography of David Crosby
David and Carl Gottlieb Crosby
Manufacturer: Doubleday & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell About it

ASIN: B000J0RVY4

Long Time Gone : A Black Panther's True-Life Story of His Hijacking and Twenty-Five Years In Cuba

Average customer rating:

STANDING UP NEXT 2 A MOUNTAIN
IN MEMORIAL TO THIS GREAT AND LIBERATED AMERICAN NOW BUY HIS BOOK
A True-Life Story
You always keep what you need handy, and you always dream.

Long Time Gone : A Black Panther's True-Life Story of His Hijacking and Twenty-Five Years In Cuba
William Lee Brent
Manufacturer: iUniverse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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

Will You Die with Me?: My Life and the Black Panther Party
Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson
What Is the What (Vintage)

ASIN: 0595002889

Book Description

For more than twenty-five years, ever since he hijacked TWA flight 151 in June of 1969 from Oakland, California to Havana, Cuba, William Lee Brent has lived in Castro's Cuba. With the publication of this book, Brent breaks his silence of a quarter century.

"Bill Brent's Long Time Gone is a powerful testimony to the triumph of the human spirit. It tells an important – and previously untold – story." —David Hilliard, former chief of staff, Black Panther Party, and author of This Side of Glory

Customer Reviews:

STANDING UP NEXT 2 A MOUNTAIN.......2007-05-29

It is true that life is what we make of it but it is only true for those who are equipped with the tools of knowledge. William Lee Brent's Long Time Gone speaks of a reality so much truer for so many of us and a fantasy for so many others. Brent's story is one that seeks not a perfect truth or idealistic escapisms. It is a man's longing for basic human rights in an American environment which he did not create but was imprisoned in. The hijacking of a TWA flight to Cuba is not where you will find the adventure/richness in Brent's story but it is the fork in the road that leads to his inner perspective, closure and true freedom while in Cuba. The strength of Long Time Gone is not in the fact that it is unapologetic but that it is about redemption and that is something that often lacks in those individuals who have the convenience of a two way ticket.

IN MEMORIAL TO THIS GREAT AND LIBERATED AMERICAN NOW BUY HIS BOOK.......2006-11-18

This great American has just now passed. Please do service to his memory by studying his memoirs. Learn to be free. Learn the way of the Samarai.

Remember the revolution which was to be and which inevitably shall come, thanks to Bush's increased inequities and injustices. REmember those elderly and infirm drowned in New Orleans, and those who go without jobs, housing, health and education, without clean air and water and opportunity.

Read the late Brother Brent. The one who got away.

A True-Life Story.......2002-12-20

This is real life on pages. A vivid look into the life of a Black Man in the dark ages of American History. This book Takes you through life in the south, on the west coast, in and out of prison and finally getting involved with the Black Panthers during a period of turmoil. He feels finally something positive to dedicate his life to. Something worth fighting and dying for. Out on bail after being in a shootout with San Francisco police, knowing there was no JUSTICE in American courts for Blacks, He weights his options,to face a prejudice judge & jury, or escape while he could. intense!!!!!

You always keep what you need handy, and you always dream........2001-03-20

"I was always afraid," he said "but I never let fear stop me from doing what I needed to do." Face fear and do what you believe in is the gist of 'Long Time Gone'. This excellent read will engage you, regardless of what side of the tracks you were born.

I met Bill Brent in Havana, Cuba and saw in his 70-year-old eyes a man with an unique story to tell. I recognized that age had not robbed him of his forceful character, a character that had been sculpted like a rock buffeted by external forces. That day in March 2001, we talked, reminiscenced and slowly sipped our Cuba Libres in his apartment. Though I had not known Bill Lee Brent before this moment, there was a kindred spirit. A common "yes," that comes from struggling against external forces in life, and if not prevailing, at least surviving against odds. We consciously wasted away our afternoon, sharing stories about the lives we both have lived, confirming often the overlapping experiences we both went through during the sixties.

From his dirt-poor childhood in the South during the thirties and early forties, to his street days and hard jail time through the fifties, Brent's engaging writing never slacks or whines. He struggles to rise above the sludge that he was born into; but he was never released by the downward pull of destiny. Finally, in the sixties, he joined the radical Black Panthers. He rose to the rank of captain and was the bodyguard of Eldride Cleaver.

His honest, but critical, look inside the Black Panthers: what they stood for, how they changed, and, when Bill Brent needed them, how they turn their backs on him; is a story that for history's sake needs to be told. Bill Brent was radical, yes; revolutionary, sure; and deliberate without a doubt. So, it should have come to no one's surprise that while awaiting trial for shooting three Oakland policemen, when he saw an out, he would take it. In July, 1969 William Lee Brent hijacked TWA Flight 151 from Oakland to Havana, Cuba and has never left Cuba since. As we were parting company, he looked at me and said, ""You always keep what you need handy and you always dream." This is his fascinating memoir. Recommended

Long Time Gone : A Novel
Average customer rating:

Amazing

Journey Through the Past

SUNSHINE SUPERMAN

Long Time Gone : A Novel
Denis Hamill
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Sins of Two Fathers: A Novel

Fork in the Road

Ten Spot: A Bobby Emmet Novel

Empty Stockings: A Brooklyn Christmas Tale

House on Fire

ASIN: 0743407105

Book Description

Danny Cassidy couldn't remember if he'd killed the cop. So begins one man's journey through his fifty-year-old history and conscience in Long Time Gone, Denis Hamill's gripping novel set in the back streets and alleyways of Brooklyn, U.S.A. It's the year 2001 when Danny, a divorced journalist, returns to his old neighborhood for his father's funeral. He's spent all of his adult life trying to leave Brooklyn behind him -- along with all the drugs, music, and other psychedelic memories from the sixties spent on Hippie Hill. But now that the box of rain has been opened there's no turning back, and Danny must face some painful truths about the woman he used to love -- and her father, a police officer, whom he may or may not have killed. By turns a thriller, a detective story, and a coming-of-age tale, Long Time Gone is a bittersweet love letter to a lost New York that no reader will soon forget.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing.......2006-09-14

I bought this book on a whim at an Ocean State Job Lot (closeout store)and couldn't put it down. This book can be quite explicit, so if you are easily offended by sex or drugs I don't recomend it. As I'm only 21 I can only assume that this is a good representation of the 60s, but the murder mystery aspect of it is top notch!

Journey Through the Past.......2005-09-26

Danny Cassidy's life is in a mess. He walked out on his wife for no good reason, his daughter doesn't want to know him, and his job is on the line due to the fact he's not getting any younger. On top of that, there's the crime he's been running from for thirty odd years, a burden grating at his skull, the root of ALL his problems.

Back in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of his youth, a corrupt cop was murdered, shot repeatedly in a local park. Evidence was lacking but clues pointed strongly to Danny - out of his head on LSD at the time, and suffering from a blackout of the night ever since. As the main suspect, he took off, hit the west coast, never came back. But the mystery of that night back in the drug-drenched dead end of the 60's has preyed on him ever since, not least by the sporadic phonecalls by 'Ankles', the old Brooklyn cop who refuses to 'let this one go', promising that one day he will be hauled back and forced to face his conscience and the truth of that deadly night.

The book opens with Danny receiving a random message from the unrelenting old cop, this time informing him of his estranged father's death. Danny knows his three-decade 'hideout' ends here: he has to return to the neighbourhood and bury him. And by doing so, square up to the demons of his past. It's here that Denis Hamill excells in describing a present-day Brooklyn still physically intact, yet changed beyond recognition. The dirty boulevards of Danny's youth cleaned-up, gentrified, inhabited by a different class. The neighbourhood resembles Manhattan and has lost its "film noir beauty to the bright high-gloss slickness of a Mercedes commercial". Hamill describes his part of the city with honesty and feeling.

The story develops into an explorative account of the past as Danny turns Private Eye to discover the truth of his supposed guilt. He revisits the old haunts, meets an array of old faces who turn up for his father's wake and funeral, and discovers a conspiratorial web of intrigue that unfurls a world of festering corruption, greed and evil. With Danny now rocking the boat, just staying alive becomes tricky business.

Hamill ensures his tale reads like an historical account of the Prospect Park area of Brooklyn - and the late 60's era in general - flashing from the past to the present, namechecking and fact-revealing along the way. The plot twists and turns - the less revealed the better, but DO expect surprises. The writing resonates with a Doors/Dylan soundtrack (never has Mr Tambourine Man sounded so haunting!). And the issue of 'Vietnam' is covered brilliantly: fathers and sons torn apart by the warring sides of patriotism and peace sloganeering, highlighting the boiling anger and violence of that contentious time.

Close renderings of family relationships, first love, nostalgia and failure - along with an expansive plot - make this book so much more than a simple story that you read and forget. Like a well-written piece of investigative journalism, this book is not only highly engaging but will also make you THINK. Hamill at his best.

SUNSHINE SUPERMAN.......2003-03-30

Even though I was born in 1964 this book made me feel, smell and taste the 60's. The main character's name is Danny Cassidy, which I kept reading as David Cassidy. Danny is now a journalist in his 50's haunted by the murder of a cop in 1969. Danny fears he may have committed this crime, however he was so strung out on drugs, he doesn't remember much of anything about the night of the murder. Basically he returns to his hometown of Brooklyn to find out the truth. The book is a real pageturner and an engrosing mystery, however some of the relationships between the male and female characters made no sense to me. For example even though Danny is aging, not in great shape and only semisuccesful, practically every female in the book seems to want nothing more than to hop into bed with him. No matter how young, attractive and successful the women were, Danny inexplicably seemed to be the man of their dreams. His relationship with his old girlfriend Erika is somewhat understandable as they were teenage sweethearts, however I don't think most of my fellow females would find Danny worth lusting after. (Myself not included-as I love all things from this era). Also the constant use of the word, "cherry," in reference to virginity became quite annoying.
All in all this book is a good mystery that most readers interested in the 60's and 70's will enjoy.

Average customer rating:

Long Time Coming and Long Time Gone
Richard Farina
Manufacturer: Dell Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HKXVIQ

Average customer rating:

Long Time Gone CD Low Price
J. A. Jance
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Hard-Boiled | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Mystery & Thrillers | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

Birds of Prey: A Novel of Suspense
Day of the Dead

ASIN: 006112656X
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Book Description

New York Times bestselling master J. A. Jance brings back J. P. Beaumont -- one of the most enduring and endearing characters in contemporary fiction -- in a riveting story about a shocking, long-buried case of murder ...

After more than twenty years of distinguished service with the Seattle Police Department, Jonas Piedmont Beaumont is now working for the Washington State Attorney's Special Homicide Investigation Team or, as it's more commonly referred, the SHIT squad. But the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Filled with all of the Jance trademarks—heart-stopping suspense, deeply drawn characters, local flavor, intelligence, and humanity—Long Time Gone is a crowning achievement in this bestselling author's career.

Average customer rating:

Long Time Coming and a Long Time Gone
Richard with Foreword By Joan Baez Farina
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KF84G2

3 Titles in J P Beaumont Series - Lying in Wait - Name Withheld - Long Time Gone

Average customer rating:

3 Titles in J P Beaumont Series - Lying in Wait - Name Withheld - Long Time Gone
J. A. Jance
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000QH1BTQ

Product Description

Multiple books shipped as one item. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books