Tombstone Courage: A Joanna Brady Mystery

Book Description

With grit, courage and dogged determination, Joanne challenged the status quo -- and won. Now, as newly elected Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, she must battle the prejudice and hostility of a mistrustful, male-dominated police force -- and solve a grisly double homicide that threatens to tear the sleepy desert community to pieces. For the two bodies baking in the harsh Southwestern sun are connected by sinister threads that reach back generations -- and by devastating family secrets of greed, hatred and shocking abuse that could destroy the innocent along with the guilty.

Customer Reviews:

What?!.......2007-09-04

I cannot believe the good reviews this book gets. It's 407 pages long and next to NOTHING happens in almost 200 pages. I was falling asleep. The only suspense in this novel was waiting for something to happen. It never did. I donated this book to the library after I made it past page 216.
Skip it.

"He would finally tell both of them the truth".......2007-08-16

Experience indicates that there is no doubt about it. J.A. Jance has a way to grab our attention from the very first page and keep us enthralled until the conclusion of the novel. This one is no exception. It all starts with somebody being murdered in a brutal manner. After that scene, we start asking ourselves who that person was and what is the relationship to the events that follow in the story. And then, we are hooked.

Harold Lamm Patterson is an eighty-four-year-old man, loved and respected by everyone in town. But when his daughter Holly returns, after being gone for thirty-four years, claiming that she was abused by Harold as a child, confidence in his innocence wavers. Holly is suing her father and asking for his ranch as compensation. Harold's other daughter, Ivy, wants her father to fight back and defend what is theirs. What she does not know is that Harold carries a secret that is as dark and deadly as a secret can be.

In the meantime, Joanna Brady is running for Sheriff of Cochise County, following the murder of her husband and the previous Sheriff. There are several people in the Sheriff's office that do not like the idea of a woman with no experience in law enforcement taking that position, but when Joanna wins, they have to shape up or take a hike. Joanna's life gets complicated when as soon as she assumes her new position, she has to deal with a double murder, and one of the victims is Harold.

J.A. Jance is an expert in writing novels that are easy to read in one sitting. I am always impressed by how she excels in handling two series that are so different and still the result is magnificent in both cases. In the Joanna Brady series, she created a character that has a complex family life. Joanna has a daughter that is trying to go on after losing her father. She also has a mother that wants perfection in everything Joanna attempts. The issues resulting from Joanna's gender in her new job provide a myriad of interesting confrontations, and I am looking forward to seeing how some of these are going to be resolved in the next book. Overall, I highly recommend this book and this series, and if you have time, also check out the outstanding J.P. Beaumont series.

Love Joanna Brady-A Great Character! A+++.......2007-03-01

The book begins with Harold Patterson, an 84-year old man who is being sued by one of his own daughters, Holly, for incestuous acts. Harold Patterson wants to meet with Holly finally, to try to make amends and talk her out of this lawsuit. They do meet face to face, and Holly is anything but pleased. Harold dies before any amends are made, or is murdered rather mysteriously.

Joanna Brady gets elected Chochise County sheriff, the first female ever. As a rookie cop, let alone a woman, none of the other men on the force have any respect for her until she lays down the law. Joanna gets involved in the Patterson case, and seeks out Holly and Ivy, the other daughter herself. Ivy was the one that always was there to care for her mother when she was an invalid both physically, and mentally, whereas Holly was wild, running off and on drugs. They both hated their father, and Joanna is trying to uncover what happened down "Glory Hole," where Harold's body was found, and under that is a skeleton years and years old. The identity of the skeleton is a shock to all. And to uncover the mystery, Joanna puts herself in front of real danger.

A very intriguing book all the way through!

First Brady Series Novel.......2007-01-05

I happened upon this and 2 other Brady novels and am enjoying them...but then I really like the JP Beaumont series as well.

So far the detail and writing isn't as "rich" as the Beaumont novels in Seattle...but then maybe I know Seattle better than Arizona. But the details in the character haven't built up as well either....maybe this will improve as the Beaumont series did.

GREAT AUDIO BOOK!.......2005-12-04

This audio book contains one very intriguing mystery. It was great all the way to the end. Well done--I really liked it!

Average customer rating:

Risking one's life to save another - as archetypal act of courage
Excellent
Courage and cowardice
Nice to be reminded

The Mystery of Courage
William Ian Miller
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0674003071

Book Description

Few of us spend much time thinking about courage, but we know it when we see it--or do we? Is it best displayed by marching into danger, making the charge, or by resisting, enduring without complaint? Is it physical or moral, or both? Is it fearless, or does it involve subduing fear? Abner Small, a Civil War soldier, was puzzled by what he called the "mystery of bravery"; to him, courage and cowardice seemed strangely divorced from character and will. It is this mystery, just as puzzling in our day, that William Ian Miller unravels in this engrossing meditation.

Miller culls sources as varied as soldiers' memoirs, heroic and romantic literature, and philosophical discussions to get to the heart of courage--and to expose its role in generating the central anxieties of masculinity and manhood. He probes the link between courage and fear, and explores the connection between bravery and seemingly related states: rashness, stubbornness, madness, cruelty, fury; pride and fear of disgrace; and the authority and experience that minimize fear. By turns witty and moving, inquisitive and critical, his inquiry takes us from ancient Greece to medieval Europe, to the American Civil War, to the Great War and Vietnam, with sidetrips to the schoolyard, the bedroom, and the restaurant. Whether consulting Aristotle or private soldiers, Miller elicits consistently compelling insights into a condition as endlessly interesting as it is elusive.

Customer Reviews:

Risking one's life to save another - as archetypal act of courage .......2007-04-22

This review is based on a reading of only a small part of the book. However that sample provided me with a great deal of enthusiasm for reading the rest.
The subject of 'courage' is one of endless fascination. The definition of Courage as Miller makes clear at the outset of this work is by no means sure and easy. He opens the book by telling a story from the Civil War which he calls the 'Story of the Good Coward" This was a soldier who did all his duties well, volunteered often to help others. And whenever there was an engagement for battle , readied himself, prepared to go into the battle but somehow took fright and could not. What is surprising is that his fellow soldiers did not curse and banish him, but rather tried to support and encourage him. They seemed to understand that he simply did not have what it takes to face the battle.
Miller discusses 'courage' in relation to the overcoming of fear. He raises the question of whether 'courage' is fearlessness, or knowing how to live with and overcome one's fear. He discusses Courage in relation to a wide variety of psychological and moral questions. He uses too a wide variety of sources from battle memoirs to philosophical discussions of the subjects.
He points out that Courage too is in today's world often indicted. And this when his historical discussion notes how the Greeks considered Courage one of the major virtues. Miller considers historical efforts of Plato, Aristotle ,Aquinas ( patience and sufferance, as Christian courage) to define this quality.
This review is in part written because of the attention called to the book by the act of courage of Virginia Tech University Professor,Holocaust survivor, Liviu Librescu. When a deranged gunman came to shoot up the class he ran to the door, he held it closed while being shot, yelled to his students to escape from the windows. Certainly all would agree that the risking and giving of one's life in this way to save others is an act of courage.
The subject of Courage is a vast one. From what I have read Miller's treatment of the subject is an intelligent and informative one .

Excellent.......2002-06-21

I had the privilege of studying the dynamics of the blood feud culture under Professor Miller. After the class I began reading some of his literature. Miller's historiography and use of primary sources is gripping, and his frank admiration and identification with honor cultures of the past is refreshing in this time of stifling political correctness.
Professor Miller has an extremely rare gift: He sees both himself and others as they really are. His self-examination is as important to his work as his historical analysis and philosophical musings. If you are honest with yourself you will recognize many aspects of your own psyche from Miller's writings.
"The Mystery of Courage" can tell you more about yourself than a thousand psychotherapists. This is a must read- you will never think of honor, bravery, fear, life or death the same way again.

Courage and cowardice.......2001-05-23

This is a scholarly work that gives real insight into the nature of courage. It's very well-written. The book draws on soldier's stories from ancient Greece to Vietnam and shows how the concerns about measuring up "when the chips are down" have not changed much despite the passage of thousands of years.

Nice to be reminded.......2001-03-22

Once upon a time, there was such a thing as courage. It was at the center of all our stories. Now there are no more stories worth telling and all human beings are weak. At least we still have the stories and this book has some great ones, and true. For example, there's the one about the American GI on the Italian front who "charged" an enemy position on one knee and the stump of his other leg, shot off at the knee.

True Courage (Uncommon Heroes Series #4)

Average customer rating:

Courage amd Finding Romance
This story has it all!
Good book, bad audio sounds
Amazing
The best

True Courage (Uncommon Heroes Series #4)
Dee Henderson
Manufacturer: Walker Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1594150796

Book Description

Someone snatched his cousin's wife and son. FBI agent Luke Falcon is searching for a kidnapper and sorting out the crime. He's afraid a stalker is responsible. He's afraid they're already dead. And he'll do anything required to get them back alive ... but he didn't plan on falling in love with the only witness. fears that innocent people may not survive this crisis, and neither will his relationship with Caroline Lane . But her rock-solid faith proves to be a far better shelter in the storm than all his law enforcement training and experience

Customer Reviews:

Courage amd Finding Romance.......2007-08-11

The book starts out a little slow or at first boring but than 2/3 way into it the book really picks up as Luke Falcons close family members are kidnapped in seperate cars , and a young boy runs into the woods to save his own life and is later found by the search dogs and rescuers , as Luke contiues to look for Sharon and Mark (The boys mom and adopted father) . Sharon returns but then her sister Caroline is taken hostage by the kidnappers annd Luke must now find the her and in the process he realizes he truly loves Caroline but does he find her in time ? Sorry you gotta read to find out the ending as well as so much more detail on the kidnappings ...

This story has it all!.......2007-02-27

When they first met at a wedding, the sparks flew almost immediately. But Luke's career demands always seemed to take priority over her...until she became entangled in his most important investigation. "True Courage" is a novel that begins well and consistently builds in suspense throughout the story to the thrilling conclusion. The conflicts engage the reader because they are true to life. The characters are detailed and the environment created by Dee Henderson is easy to see with the mind's eye. I would recommend this to fans of Christian fiction, romance, suspense or crime drama.

Good book, bad audio sounds.......2006-01-06

If you have a choice between the paperback and audio of True Courage, I would recommend the paperback. This audio CD has a male voice that seems too "acted." Also, sound effects and music have been added (keys jangling, annoying beepings for pagers, phones ringing, ominous music, etc.), and they really distract you from the story and your own imagination. Definitely go for the paperback.

Amazing.......2005-06-28

Henderson amazes me again!!!!! She creates a stunning portrayal of the suspense and terror in the life of an FBI agent. She is an amazing author and receives two thumbs up.

The best.......2005-01-18

I've read all four books in this series and True Courage is the best. My attention was caught almost immediately and, unlike the others, the suspence kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. All the books in the series are good but I like this one best.

The Classic Treasury of Bulfinch's Mythology (Courage Classics)

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The Classic Treasury of Bulfinch's Mythology (Courage Classics)
Thomas Bulfinch , and Steve Zorn
Manufacturer: Courage Bks.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0762414979
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Book Description

Young readers will relish the adventure and magic that fill these legendary tales, retold for readers aged 4 through 8. This exquisite edition contains ten of the most beloved Greek and Roman myths, including The Trojan War; Ulysses; King Midas; Orpheus and Euridice; Medusa, Pegasus, and the Chimera; Hercules, Daedalus, and Icarus; Cupid and Psyche, Baucis and Philemon, and Atalanta. Each story is illustrated with an evocative full-color plate and additional spot art.

Sherlock Holmes Reader (Courage Classics)

Average customer rating:

A guide to the Canonical Traveler

Sherlock Holmes Reader (Courage Classics)
Arthur Conan, Sir Doyle
Manufacturer: Courage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0762405538

Customer Reviews:

A guide to the Canonical Traveler.......2000-05-04

This book encapsulates some of the best writing available in the Holmes Canon - it ranges from gems like the Speckled Band to the only one where Holmes (almost) lost his heart to a woman - Irene Adler and her Scandal in Bohemia. Holmes has an ageless charm. He is the most portrayed fictional character on film, it is well worth one's while to peruse the Sherlockian Canon, and this book is a great beginning point

Average customer rating:

Try this at home-with luck you can fly.
Enchanting.
A truly insperational novel
AN UNDERSTANDING AND SUSPENSEFUL READING

Feather Boy
Nicky Singer
Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385729804
Release Date: 2002-04-09

Amazon.com

It is a rare author indeed who launches her first novel for young readers so conclusively into the "must-read books of the year" category. In Feather Boy, Nicky Singer traces a character-defining sequence of events in the life of a boy named Robert Nobel. He is often the butt of classroom jokes and pranks--and being called Norbert No-bottle all the time isn't much fun either. He secretly wants to be somebody. To have a voice. To have friends.

Robert's participation in the Elders Project changes his life forever. Selected members of his class are chosen to visit and interact with the elderly residents of Mayfield Rest Home--to find out about their lives and to "counter ignorant attitudes about such senior members of society." Robert's main attacker, classmate Jonathan Niker, considers the old people "vegetables," but Robert's own buried true-life personality is slowly unearthed by Edith--a prickly resident who singles him out. Edith is considered quite mad; she's haunted by the unhappy memories of her son's tragic death at her previous home, Chance House. As Edith's condition deteriorates and the Elders Project heads towards its conclusion, Robert is drawn deeper and deeper into her story. His visits to the derelict Chance House become more frequent, and one fateful trip to sleep there overnight as a dare with Niker heralds the first step on Robert's own journey in search of his real self.

Feather Boy is more than just a story about bullying. It's about finding your voice, shouting from the rooftops about something you believe in, refusing to back down, helping a friend, and never giving up. An enormously uplifting, accomplished, and satisfying novel. (Age 10 and older) --John McLay, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

“Top flat, Chance House. You can go there. . . . You are the sort of boy who can fly.”

That’s what Edith Sorrell, mysterious resident of Mayfield Rest Home, says when Robert asks her to share a wisdom with him as part of a class project. And even though Robert Nobel, a.k.a Norbert No-Bottle, the perpetually picked-on class squit, is convinced she’s batty, he’s determined to pluck up his courage and go. After all, what does Robert have to lose? His dad is busy with his new family, his mum is always at work, the school bully is making his life miserable, and the class beauty won’t give him the time of day.

But Edith is hiding a secret about boarded-up Chance House’s past that’s more complicated than Robert ever imagined. The search for the truth begins in the top-floor flat with a few small feathers. Uncovering it will change both of their lives forever.

Customer Reviews:

Try this at home-with luck you can fly........2007-06-03

Awesome book, reminiscent of David Almond's Skellig. Robert becomes a hero when he faces the room at the top of Chance House. Not only does he rescue Edith Sorrel from death, if only briefly, but he saves himself from the frightened boy who is bullied by others. There is a magical quality to the writing that transports the reader to the places so hauntingly described in the book.

Enchanting........2005-12-27

I enjoyed this book very much. It was a great story of a shy little boy named Robert. I'm shy too sometimes so I can relate to him. And who hasn't been bullied at school? I'm glad he finally stood up for himself. It was a sad ending but it felt right. People live, people die. That's just the way things are.

A truly insperational novel.......2003-08-20

My gradmother gave this book to me for my last birthday. When I read the back of the book, I pretty well made up my mind that this isn't the kind of book for me. When I was getting to the end of my book pile this summer, I figured that it was about time to read it. And now, I'm very glad that I did! This book inspired me to follow my dreams, and not many novels have done this. It says in the last chapter, it says that luck is something that you have to make for yourself, which I found a very interesting perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone who is feeling left-out or under any strong emotion. This book truly lifts your spirits, and makes you feel like you can fly.

AN UNDERSTANDING AND SUSPENSEFUL READING.......2002-05-24

Not much is more cruel than the way young people may treat the one they consider to be the "class nerd." Such is the case with Robert Nobel, often called "Norbert" by his primary bully, Jonathan Niker.

Like every other youngster Roberts wants to have friends, to be recognized as a person of value. It seems this will not happen until he takes part in what is called the Elders Project, an endeavor in which members of his class visit the elderly residents of a rest home. Jonathan considers these older folks "vegetables," but Robert sees something more and this is a vision that changes his life.

Edith, thought to be quite a bit off, becomes Robert's friend and it is through her story that he eventually finds himself.

Director/actor Philip Franks invests understanding and suspense into this unforgettably moving tale.

Book Description

Fourteen-year-old Ty Rainey's mom has found heaven on earth at a religious commune called the Kingdom. But Ty soon discovers that the children of the Kingdom are virtually slaves, and that the punishment for defying the rules is harsh. Ty knows that he must find the courage to rebelbut how can he when the price for doing so may include his freedom, his sanity, even his life?

Customer Reviews:

Interesting, but has some holes.......2006-08-15

The book begins as Tie-Dye Rainey and his mother, Jasmine, become christened into a reclusive religious community called the Kingdom. Ty is given the new name, Tobias. His mother becomes Jordana. Ty has grown up moving from one place to another, his mother in search of an elusive happiness by joining various communes and utopian communities. Ty has always tried to make the best of it, and always tries to find the good in every situation. But the Kingdom is a harsh place for kids like him, and he has trouble finding anything good about the place. Kids work seven days a week in the field, or doing other chores, and are punished for bad behavior by being given fast days where all they get is water. Ty discovers that there is not even a school in the Kingdom. He befriends a girl named Samarah, who is considered a devil child by the rest of the Kingdom because her parents up and left one day, "embracing Satan" in the place known as Out There (everywhere that is not Kingdom grounds). Together, Sam and Ty try to figure out a way to escape the Kingdom.

This was an interesting book and I finished it pretty quickly. There were some holes, though. For one thing, very little background is given about Ty and his mother. Their past is alluded to occasionally, but we aren't given details. It would have been helpful to hear about what life was like for Ty in the places he lived before coming to the Kingdom. A passing reference to some place he used to live in is confusing without more explanation. There is a man named Polaris, from the Home Place, where Ty and his mother once lived. But how long they were there, what it was like, and why they left, is never explained.

The mother's behavior is never explained very well either. We are told only that she doesn't like the responsibilities of the world Out There, and is scared of money. We are not told why. In addition, the character of the mother isn't very well-developed, and while I realize the story is about Ty, not his mom, I felt that she was a really transparent character. Whenever we see her, she's either really joyful, or breaking down in tears. And it seems hard to believe that she would not listen to her beloved son when he tells here what Kingdom life is like for kids.

wonderful book.......2001-09-18

Personalay I enjoyed this book to me it was very touching. The young boy, Ty, is nice and wants the best for his mom. Even if it means spending the rest of his life in a kingdom where shing and child play is a sinful. Children who are sick must still work in the fields or for the girls doing the kingdom's landray. Ty finds himself in a tough sution and won't give up. This story gave me the fealing of many scared childern's
bravy to surive in this world to wich their parents brougth them.
I think you should read this wonderful book and learn of childern's fatith t live.
(Kids in 7th grade, like me will love this story!!!!!:)!!!!!!!)
My real name is jumping julie the kangaroo from pluto!!!!!!

A good courage not a good book.......2000-03-11

WOW! Bad book. I gave this book one star because it felt good to end the pain. If you want lots of cult facts this isnt the book for you. If you want a not very enjoyable read....READ THIS! What was the author thinking when she wrote this. It wasnt cool it wasnt funny it was bad.!

A Great...not Good...but Great Courage.......2000-01-31

This book, A Good Courage, was very,very good. Stephanie S. Tolan has written extremely well about the life of Ty in the Kingdom of Yahweh. She is probably very knowledgeable about religion and has potrayed what religion can not be... slavery...of kids. If anything, this book had a few complex ideas, and only 10 and above can read this book. That is the only reason I did not rate it 5 stars. This book, again was very, very good, and I would recommend it to children over 10.

Passport to Courage (Character-in-Action Series, Vol. 1)

Average customer rating:

New Zealand adventure

Passport to Courage (Character-in-Action Series, Vol. 1)
Elizabeth L. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Quiet Impact
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mysteries | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0971374937

Customer Reviews:

New Zealand adventure.......2005-04-01

Although I'm 20 years older than the targeted teenage age group that this book is directed toward I still found it entertaining. The integration of well-researched facts about New Zealand makes it clear this author has done her homework and even though I've spent many months in New Zealand I learned a lot of new things! The storyline ties suspense and mystery together with the message that taking the moral high-road really is the best way, despite how things may seem on the surface. Highly recommended for teens.

Average customer rating:

Shadow at Sun Lake
Esther Bender
Manufacturer: Herald Press (PA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0836190076

Average customer rating:

You've seen the good movie -- now read the excellent novel

Courage Under Fire
Patrick Sheane Duncan
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0399141510

Customer Reviews:

You've seen the good movie -- now read the excellent novel.......2002-01-05

Mr. Duncan captures the military world perfectly... from squad level all the way up through the political ether-zone that is the brass-filled Pentagon. The dialogue, especially the banter between common soldiers, is realistic and enjoyable to read. The chilling descriptions of the barren Desert Storm environment -- the land, the battles -- are dead-on accurate. I know... I was there with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force! I highly recommend this book, and I'd love to see more work from Mr. Duncan in the future.

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