Books

Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism

Average customer rating:

INTERESTING SUBJECT, nicely covered
Above and Beyond.
Exceptional
Fluid articulate prose probes the details of the Fox sisters
Comprehensive Research

Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism
Barbara Weisberg
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006075060X
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Amazon.com

Is it really possible to talk with the dead? As much as modern America is familiar with mediums--think bestselling authors John Edwards and Sylvia Browne--this question still generates passionate opinions from believers and skeptics alike. So one can only imagine the stir that the Fox sisters created in 1848 when they claimed to hear a ghost rapping on the wall of their Hydesville, New York rental house bedroom. The sisters soon discovered that the ghost would tap answers to specific questions. Within days neighbors and travelers were showing up at the house, wanting to converse with the dead rapper. The Fox sisters--Maggie and Kate--went onto become a national phenomenon, holding séances and making their livings as celebrity mediums. They were also the leaders of a new movement called the spiritualists. New York-based filmmaker Barbara Weisberg assembled this fascinating and expertly recounted biography. Beyond trying to prove whether the Fox girls were legitimate, Weisberg wrote a study of how two young girls could shape a new spiritual movement in mid-1800s America. "The more I thought about the Fox sisters, the more it seemed to me not only that Kate and Maggie sparked a movement, but that their lives epitomized the conflicts and urges that helped fuel its blaze. The question of the other world aside, the girls' appeal surely stemmed in part from the ways they embodied—and intuited—their culture's anxieties and ambitions." Ironically, in not trying to prove whether these two were frauds, Weisberg has created a more satisfying human story within a rich historical context, not unlike the tactics used for the bestseller Seabiscuit. And likewise, this could and should easily translate into a dynamite major motion picture. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

A fascinating story of spirits and conjurors, skeptics and converts in the second half of nineteenth century America viewed through the lives of Kate and Maggie Fox, the sisters whose purported communication with the dead gave rise to the Spiritualism movement - and whose recanting forty years later is still shrouded in mystery.

In March of 1848, Kate and Maggie Fox - sisters aged 11 and 14 - anxiously reported to a neighbor that they had been hearing strange, unidentified sounds in their house. From a sequence of knocks and rattles translated by the young girls as a "voice from beyond," the Modern Spiritualism movement was born.

Talking to the Dead follows the fascinating story of the two girls who were catapulted into an odd limelight after communicating with spirits that March night. Within a few years, tens of thousands of Americans were flocking to seances. An international movement followed. Yet thirty years after those first knocks, the sisters shocked the country by denying they had ever contacted spirits. Shortly after, the sisters once again changed their story and reaffirmed their belief in the spirit world. Weisberg traces not only the lives of the Fox sisters and their family (including their mysterious Svengali-like sister Leah) but also the social, religious, economic and political climates that provided the breeding ground for the movement. While this is a thorough, compelling overview of a potent time in US history, it is also an incredible ghost story.

An entertaining read - a story of spirits and conjurors, skeptics and converts - Talking to the Dead is full of emotion and surprise. Yet it will also provoke questions that were being asked in the 19th century, and are still being asked today - how do we know what we know, and how secure are we in our knowledge?

Customer Reviews:

INTERESTING SUBJECT, nicely covered.......2006-05-11

I very much enjoyed reading this book about a subject and a history I knew nothing about. I was attracted to read, and keep reading this story mainly for the 'intimate' histories of the people involved. I love reading historical details, no matter how small. The details seem to bring the people and time period alive again, and there is plenty of wonderful detail in this novel about the Fox Sisters and spiritualism in the mid/late 19th century.

I am very grateful to the author for exhuming this piece of history and bringing it to our attention by giving it such study. I was alittle disappointed at the book's conclusion though, which seemed 'rushed.' A lot less detail and a sense of urgency at the close of the story and the Sisters' lives. As soon as we come to know and feel close to Maggie and Kate, they're suddenly dead, and quickly buried. And, of course, it would have been nice to have more photos in the book.

The best thing that this author does in this book is to present the Fox Sisters' story in a way that leaves the reader both better educated and more able to understand why these women did what they did, and what 'most likely' was the complicated psycological motivation behind their actions. That's a lot to accomplish in storytelling. Bravo.

For anyone interested in finding out more about the love affair and complications between Elisha Kent Kane and Margaret Fox, there is more information on the Elisha Kent Kane Historical Society website. Lots of extra reading and more depth on the letters and events that occurred.

RECOMMEND!

Above and Beyond........2005-09-14

Though the early accounts of the Fox sisters' encounters with spirits from beyond left me wanting more, as their renowned grew, so too did my interest. Weisberg does an amazing job of situating the rise of Spiritualism within the social climate of the time, touching upon evangelicalism, suffrage and abolition. I was not expecting to walk away from this book feeling that I'd gained a greater understanding of mid-century history, but I certaily did. As a New Yorker, Weisberg also made life in 1800s' New York come alive, for me, by her frequent inclusion of actual names and addresses.

Exceptional.......2005-01-29

Barbara Weisberg has created the first must-read nonfiction title of the year. This is an assured and satisfying work which vividly brings to life a remarkable episode in the cultural history of the United States. In March, 1848, mysterious knocks are suddenly heard in a small house located in rural, upstate New York. No one is certain who or what is creating the strange sounds, but they recur night after night. Are Kate and Maggie Fox, ages 11 and 14, playing an elaborate trick on their parents and the other members of their small community? Or are the girls really able to channel messages from the dead?
Talking to the Dead charts the saga of the Fox sisters, and the birth of modern Spiritualism. From a small house near the Canadian border Maggie and Kate are catapulted to nationwide fame. On a series of tours across the heartland, tens of thousands of Americans rush to experience a series of readings and seances.
Weisberg's straight-forward yet evocative prose fully engulfs the viewer in the period. Like Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, this is nonfiction so seamless and compelling that it reads like a novel, yet Weisberg's skills as a scrupulous and careful researcher are evident in the pages and pages of notes that conclude this riveting story. Or does it? For the story really has no definite conclusion, and the ramifications of the Fox sisters' experiences are still with us today. Perhaps they always will be. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Fluid articulate prose probes the details of the Fox sisters.......2004-08-28

Although at first this book appears to deal with a somewhat esoteric topic, it has much appeal for the general reader. The fluid articulate prose probes the details of the Fox sisters' lives and their impact on spiritualism without burdensome discussion of that movement's inner workings. The focus remains on the sisters and, most interestingly, regularly throughout the text placing their story in the wider context of other significant events and ideas of their day. That it's written without a "point-of-view" on the sisters' authenticity helps this obviously well-researched work better illuminate their unusual lives and the times in which they lived.

Comprehensive Research.......2004-07-15

This comprehensively researched biography of the Fox sisters, founders of modern spiritualism in America, not only provides details of their private lives but also explains the mores of the era in which they lived and how that affected them.
Conclusions about whether they were talented mediums, talented con artists or a little of both is left up to the reader. However, after reading the book, you will have the necessary facts to form your own opinion.
A fascinating and engrossing read.

In The Electric Mist With Confederate Dead

Average customer rating:

Haunting, modern, violent Louisiana Gothic.....Ex-cellent....
Ghosts from the past
Feels Like Home!
A good book, but not James Lee Burke's best
Exceptional, just like all his books

In The Electric Mist With Confederate Dead
James Lee Burke
Manufacturer: Audioworks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 0671868160

Book Description

PAST MEETS PRESENT IN THE LOUISIANA SWAMPS

The image of the dead girl's body lingered in detective Dave Robicheaux's mind as he drove home. After seeing the young victim's corpse, the last thing he needed to come across was a drunk driver. But when he saw the Cadillac fishtail across the road, Robicheaux knew the driver was in trouble. What Dave didn't realize, was that by pulling the car over, he was opening his murder case wider than he could ever imagine.

The driver, Elrod Sykes, in New Iberia to star in a movie, leads Dave to the skeletal remains of a black man that had washed up in the Atchafalaya swamp. So begins a mystery that takes Dave back to an unsolved murder -- a murder that he witnessed in 1957. Haunted by the past as he confronts the gruesome present - day rape and murder of young prostitutes, Robicheaux must also contend with a new partner from the F.B.I., and the local criminal gentry. But for Dave, the answers he seeks lie somewhere in the bayou mist with the ghosts of soldiers long since forgotten...

A masterwork of detective fiction, In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead is James Lee Burke's most suspenseful work to date.

Customer Reviews:

Haunting, modern, violent Louisiana Gothic.....Ex-cellent...........2007-05-25

If you know already know the writings of J.L.B., then I need say no more.
If you don't, but have a decent vocabulary and think you might enjoy some action packed stories with a sense of melancholy, a violent (yet literary and well meaning) narrator, and tales of vicious crimes, punishment(and usually, revenge of some sort), set amidst the the jails and mean steets of New Orleans, and the bayous,rivers and small towns of South Lousiana, buy "The Neon Rain", and start at the beginning.The narrators best friend (in most of the books) is one of the most unforgettable and enjoyable "alter-egos" in history.
Tragedy, love, friendship, murder, mayhem, as well as unforgettable dialogue and characters, make James Lee Burke one of my favorite fiction authors of all time.

Ghosts from the past.......2007-05-18

This is number 7 in the Detective Dave Robicheaux series, set in New Iberia, in Louisiana. A movie crew has moved into town to shoot a Civil War epic, creating quite a thrill for the locals, some of whom have bit parts in the movie. The star of the movie is a well known, handsome actor who has a drinking problem and who becomes an AA buddy of Dave. A former resident and school mate of Dave, Baby Feet Balboni, comes in From New Orleans to consolidate his partnership with the movie's director, bringing his gang with him, much to the disgust of the local police, and when the badly mutilated bodies of two prostitutes are found, people immediately connect Balboni with the crimes. Driving home one night, Dave's car is surrounded by an electrical storm in which he sees a Civil War General and his troops who fought and were killed during that period but with whom he seems to be able to have an easy conversation. This book is being made into a movie at this time, starring Tommy Lee Jones so I look forward to seeing it in the near future, as I have stayed in this very area and recognize some of it from the descriptions. James Lee Burke is one of my favourite writers, easy to read and always with an interesting story to tell.

Feels Like Home!.......2007-05-16

Of the 35 or so reviews for this book, not one reviewer is from or even familiar with much of Louisiana, much less the New Iberia area. I am. In fact I was "born on the bayou" in Dautrieve Hospital which sat on the banks of Bayou Tech. My grandmother worked in the courthouse for years cooking for workers and inmates alike. My roots go deep and spread out from Avery Island to Arnaudville. So, when I say that Mr Burke's setting and characters are familiar to me, they are. In fact, just reading short excepts enables me to smell the air before a thunderstorm.... the aroma of crawfish boil. I can hear the melodic mix of English and Cajun French that we all speak. I know the streets, the hang-outs, where to fish and where to eat. I can recognize the "bait shop" and the lake and bayou, the courthouse, famous and infamous.

Having said all that... MR BURKE GETS IT. And has the genious to tranlate everything into the most evocative words. Its pure magic. Robicheaux's haunting, troubled past is completely believable. The characterizations of people hit the mark (sometimes I think I recognize friends and family in those characters).

I have read EVERY Dave Robicheaux book and always anxiously wait for the next. I am OVER THE MOON over the filming of this book (starring Tommy Lee Jones).

Anyone who wants to write about a character and setting that is so ingrained into its resident's soul should read James Burke. HE IS THE MASTER!!

A good book, but not James Lee Burke's best.......2007-04-17

Anytime you read a James Lee Burke novel you are taken into the bayous of Louisiana with a writing style that makes you almost see and smell the settings that his main character, Dave Robichaux, lives in each day. This book has Robichaux dealing with an old high school classmate (Baby Feet Balboni) who is back in New Iberia since he is funding a movie.

Dave Robichaux deals with his own demons in this early novel and is always the renegade cop with a lot of angst and an interesting way of not following the law that he's supposed to uphold. I enjoy Burke's books, and this was no exception, but there were times in this book that I felt the plot didn't really follow any particular direction. The serial killer sort of creeps out into the novel and the killing of a man 30 years ago has Robichaux able to link together crimes that don't really link together. The other problem was the Confederate General (Hood) that talks to Robichaux at times in the book. It was too bizarre and I know it is FICTION, but I could not get myself to buy into it very much.

Burke's books are a good read. His ability to write in a way that makes you wish you were in South Louisiana is uncanny, but this is not his best work. It's not a bad read, it's just not his best by any means.

Exceptional, just like all his books.......2007-03-28

I just read this one of James Lee Burke's books although it is an old book. What can I say? I love the settings of his books although I have never been to New Iberia Parish or even Louisiana. No one can describe a sunset or bayou like James.

How can you not like Dave Robicheau? He isn't one of the fancy detectives. He struggles with his problems like the rest of us.

The confederate part was a bit odd but it did not play a large part in the book. I rate most of his books "excellent" and this is no exception.

Average customer rating:

The Prose of a Poet
The best read in my 21st century...
ENDLESS MANIPULATIONS
Tense, brittle, doomed
........

Talking to the Dead: A Novel
Helen Dunmore
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Property

ASIN: 0316197416

Amazon.com

Long-buried secrets and resentments bubble lazily to the surface over a few short weeks when Nina, a London photographer and artist, goes to the English countryside to help her outwardly perfect older sister Isabel, who has just suffered through a difficult birth. Though the household--Isabel's husband Richard, friend Edward, baby Antony, and a local nanny--seems hermetically sealed against the world, past and present rear up to strike the sisters. "This house is stiff with things that can't be said," observes Nina. Stifling heat, menace, and memories radiate from these pages, keeping the reader on edge. Helen Dunmore, winner of the Orange Prize, heightens sometimes overly obvious drama with rich, sensual prose.

Book Description

General FictionLarge Print EditionCombines the suspense of a Hitchcock thriller with a captivating family drama . . . a first-rate debut. starred, Kirkus ReviewsMesmerizing . . . a luxuriously gripping narrative. starred, Publishers WeeklyNina and Isabel are the closest of sisters, bound together since childhood by the devastating death of their baby brother. The two had created completely different lives for themselves Nina as a London-based freelance photographer, and Isabel as a country housewife. When Isabel gives birth to her first child, Nina arrives to help look after her, giving rise to images from a well-hidden past. The new baby is so like the brother who died in his crib twenty-five years before . . .

Customer Reviews:

The Prose of a Poet.......2005-02-09

Isabel seems like an ordinary woman, until her sister Nina begins to dig in and think about the past they shared as children. Isabel's new baby is just adorable, but staring at the infant Nina begins to remember the little brother she once had, called Colin, a baby who died of cot death--I imagine the same thing as "crib death" here in the USA. To pay Isabel back for years of being more beautiful and evil, Nina undertakes a love affair with Richard, Isabel's older husband.

The two of them have sex, sex and more sex, outside mostly, in the various gardens of the beautiful country farmhouse. Their pale bodies crush the courgettes.

I couldn't understand why Nina would want to have sex with Richard, unless it was to punish Isabel.

The two sisters share a strange dynamic. Both are selfish and destructive. I didn't like the way Isabel calls Nina "Neen." When you read that word "Neen" two hundred times or more, you get sick of seeing it.

As far as I'm concerned, Nina's a pig. Nevertheless TALKING TO THE DEAD is a masterpiece of sensuality and vertiginous desire. Might be the best Barbara Vine book that Barbara Vine didn't write. However my old dad used to say that if a book has a gerund for a title it's going to be horrible. Not since WAITING FOR GODOT, said Dad, and the novels of Henry Green, has there been a good one.

The best read in my 21st century..........2003-12-28

'Talking to the Dead' is incredible at many levels. The voice is strong from the beginning. The relationship between the sisters is rich, wonderfully written, provocative. While it's a totally different work, it's a gem in the same way as 'A Handmaid's Tale': haunting, and something that leaves such powerful images that it's simply not forgettable.

ENDLESS MANIPULATIONS.......2002-06-06

...and that applies both to the author's style and to the characters she has created. The two sisters that are the center of this novel ceaselessly engage in manipulating each other -- and neither one of them are very likable, which made it difficult for me to like this book any more than I did. One of them is simply mean-spirited, and the other has the sexual appetite (as well as the sensitivity, morality and intelligence) of a gerbil. The author is a skillful writer, no doubt -- but if I find so little redeeming in her characters, it leaves only the suspense inherent in the story to hold my interest. There was some degree of that here -- but the endless goings-on about food and cooking allowed my interest to slide even further, a little like mentally driving on ice.

I felt the need to force myself to pay attention to the more important details -- the result was a not-too-pleasant reading experience. That's too bad -- when I read the jacket description, I had high hopes for this novel. The only real aspect of 'talking to the dead' that I found within it was the brief introduction, a soliloquy by one sister lying on the grave of the other which takes place after all of the events in the story.

I can recommend Sheri Reynolds incredible novel A GRACIOUS PLENTY, or even Rhiann Ellis' AFTER LIFE as more entertaining and true to this novel's alleged subject matter.

Tense, brittle, doomed.......2001-12-13

I liked this book a lot. I didn't expect everything to be explained, because Nina the narrator doesn't know all the answers (for example, about Edward's role in Isabel's life); I didn't expect to be shocked by plot twists--the whole book moves like a magnet to its climax and conclusion. The interest came for me in the gorgeous writing, and in the author's ability to sustain a terrible tension, a sense of gathering doom, like a summer storm rolling in slowly, but with stunning force. I enjoyed imagining Isabel through the eyes of the various characters; and imagining how Isabel's various mental troubles developed and manifested through life, while she remained (on the surface) a perfectly functional woman. We keep getting new information that changes that imagined course, right up to the end; so maybe it's the unwritten parts of the story that kept me fascinated. I didn't read it very quickly--I spent a couple weeks reading it in short sittings at the gym--maybe that helped me remember it as more attenuated, more impressive in the way its tone is maintained.

...............2001-05-09

This book is ok. Kind of a interesting book. I did this book for my book report and I got an A(I used Amazon.com's review).This book is not really good for kids under 13, it have sex scene in it and have a lot of swear.

Seeing the Dead, Talking with Spirits: Shamanic Healing through Contact with the Spirit World

Average customer rating:

Fascinating, Inspiring, Compelling!
Fun Read, but Not a HOW TO Book at all!
Seeing the Dead, Talking with Spirits
An inspiring personal roadmap
Too Many Stories

Seeing the Dead, Talking with Spirits: Shamanic Healing through Contact with the Spirit World
Alexandra Leclere
Manufacturer: Destiny Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Shamanism | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1594770832
Release Date: 2005-10-01

Book Description

Recounts one woman's discovery of her ability to heal through contact with spirits and reveals how others can awaken this same gift in their own lives

• Explains how reconnecting with our inner sense of joy is the first step in healing

• Shows how to rid our life of the traumas from the past that hinder our spiritual development, including unresolved traumas from past lives

• Provides a roadmap that others can use for rediscovering their own connections to the spirit world

Like many others who have discovered that they have a healing vocation, Alexandra Leclere began meeting with other healers and shamans to learn how to put her gift to use. At one of these gatherings she was shocked to find that she was the only one who could see the spirit of a deceased woman that was being honored there--a sign that marked the beginning of a remarkable adventure that taught her how to use her gift for healing herself and others.

Despite the extraordinary powers of clairsentience and clairvoyance revealed to her through her work with the spirit world, Alexandra Leclere shows that the greatest gift she has received since her shamanic awakening is the ability to experience unconditional joy. Often the pain caused by unresolved psychological traumas from the past--including past lives--is the key obstacle restricting access to the powers offered by the spirits. The first step in healing requires reconnecting with the joy that resides within us. Once this connection has been established, we are all capable of restoring our connection to the spirit world. Alexandra Leclere’s story provides a roadmap for finding our way back.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating, Inspiring, Compelling!.......2007-02-22

A lesson in how to bring joy (and spirits) into one's life. This autobiographical book sometimes reads like a journal with much detail, but I feel that is part of its charm. I found this book to be amazingly candid and insightful. My sense is that the author wanted to take the reader down as many carefully described paths as possible to explain how and why she ended up where she did. Given where Leclere started--as a TV producer--and where she eventually found herself--a clairvoyant and healer--I felt that the journalistic details were necessary. Afterall, it isn't every suburban soccer mom who finds herself participating in Native American sweat lodges or pursuing four-day vision quests alone in the wilderness without food or water. As a suburban soccer mom, I was happy for the lengthy narrative of how she got there. I was also inspired by her journey. I found Leclere's caveat about being wary of giving away too much of one's power very important no matter what one's quest is. This book is extremely compelling, and I hope that Leclere writes many more. I will definitely look for one of her workshops!

Fun Read, but Not a HOW TO Book at all!.......2006-09-11

I enjoyed the author's account of her spiritual path and how she opened up. But I also thought it was more of a "how to" or had ways to open up more for the reader. It is not, it is totally her autobiography. Now, I do not have a problem with that at all and did find her story fascinating BUT the blurb about the book leads one to believe that it has more methods and ways to learn than it does. That was my only complaint, I just wish it had more tips for the reader on development and expanding.

The author is obviously a very gifted healer and medium and I look forward to any more books. I bet she does a great workshop!

Seeing the Dead, Talking with Spirits.......2006-05-30

Reading this book was a very painful experience. I was very disappointed. I bought it mainly because of the title and that it was endorsed by Robert Moss and John Perkins (I wonder now if they even read this book). While there were a few (and I mean a few) parts that I found somewhat interesting they were few and far between. I quickly tired of listening to the authors' infatuation with one of her teachers, praising him when all went well and then sulking if he didn't pay enough attention. I felt I was reading a book about a school girls crush.

I found the book very self centered and had little to do with shamanic healing. Save your money....I wish I had.

An inspiring personal roadmap.......2006-05-22

A truly inspiring book, which, through the author's personal example, will invigorate and guide your courage to find your own spiritual path. Alexandra's story is offered as a roadmap, a starting point for you to live your own. This is a book to read and re-read along your life.

Too Many Stories.......2006-03-19

This publication contains multiple interesting stories, but very little factual information one may use as a guide or set of instructions to perform shamanic healing themselves. Perhaps the title led me to believe this was sort of a ''do-it-yourself''book. Not finding same, I was slightly disappointed, but I did enjoy some of the stories.

The Devil Knows You're Dead (Matthew Scudder Mysteries (Audio))

Average customer rating:

Gritty writing, but not much drama for a Scudder
Excellent ...
A Very Good Book (But An Average Mystery)!
B-O-R-I-N-G
The Devil Knows that this is a Great Scudder Novel

The Devil Knows You're Dead (Matthew Scudder Mysteries (Audio))
Lawrence Block
Manufacturer: Harper Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1559948523

Book Description

A deranged derelict, a crazed Vietnam vet, has been arrested for gunning down successful young lawyer Glenn Holtzmann at a corner phone booth on Eleventh Avenue -- and the suspect's brother wants p.i. Matthew Scudder to prove the madman innocent. But Scudder's curiosity and dedication are leading him to dark, unexplored places in his own heart...and to passions and secrets that could destroy everything be loves.

Customer Reviews:

Gritty writing, but not much drama for a Scudder.......2003-09-04

Let me preface by saying I'm a huge Scudder fan, so the three star rating is compared to the entirety of the Scudder saga. In this entry, the clean and ostensibly happily domesticated Scudder is hired by a vagrant's brother to clear the vagrant of a shooting. The victim happens to be a distant acquaintance of Scudder's, and though Matt didn't like the guy much, he ends up having a desultory kind of affair with his widow. Meanwhile the accused killer is himself killed in prison, leaving a stubborn Scudder to attack the closed case (or as his cop friend puts it, "trying to give a dead horse mouth-to-mouth resuscitation" --- love that noir dialogue). This is only an average Scudder entry, which means that it's a bleak look at a seedy world, rife with witty dialogue and sharp insights into AA philosophy. Probably because the case here is so cold, however, a lot of drama in the sense of personal danger or action is lacking. There's much of the traditional amoral, detatched soul-searching, which is terrific, but none of the rough justice Scudder usually hands out.

Excellent ..........2002-11-06

Captivating story .. this one will keep you burning the midnight oil and turning those pages. Lots of Mick Ballou in this one .. personally, I love Mick. If you enjoy his character, this will definitely be a book you shouldn't miss. This falls about 2/3 of the way in the Scudder series to date. I couldn't put this one down from the second I started it.

A Very Good Book (But An Average Mystery)!.......2002-02-18

The Devil Knows You're Dead is a very well written book that held my interest throughout -- however, I have been a big fan of this series from the beginning. Mystery fans who are looking for lots of action and suspense may want to skip this book. Relative to several of the other books in this series, there is considerably less physical violence and more --much more-- of a concentration on the emotional havoc and angst that Matthew Scudder is experiencing as he makes his way through his topsy-turvy world. The cases Scudder is working on in The Devil Knows You're Dead are interesting but they are not exciting and action-based. So, if this is what you're looking for in a mystery you probably should choose another book. If you enjoy great character development, interesting and likable secondary characers, vivid and accurate descriptions of the Hell's Kitchen/Clinton section of NYC, then treat yourself to this very good book. Keep in mind it's not the best book in this series but it's one I think you'll enjoy. However, I would strongly recommend that if you haven't read any of the books in this series, you first read at least one or two of the earlier books (e.g., When The Scared Ginmill Closes, A Ticket To The Boneyard, A Dance At The Slaughterhouse, A Walk Among The Tombstones, etc.) before reading The Devil Knows You're Dead. These books will familiarize you what the world of Matthew Scudder has been like. This book serves pretty much as a vehicle to further evolve the main character of Matthew Scudder and to let you know where he's moving to in his life.

B-O-R-I-N-G.......2002-02-04

I did not chose this book, it was required for a writer's workshop. When I sit down to read a detective novel I expect it to be about detecting. In The Devil Knows Your're Dead I was not the least bit interested in the personal issues / problems of the main character of this novel. The murder happens on page 17 of 316 and there is absolutely zero progress on solving the crime until about 231 pages into it. The intervening pages are mired in musings about alcoholism, transexuals, the morality of suicide, yada, yada, yada. B-o-r-i-n-g. I guess there is a market for this type of mystery (...) but give me Christie, Stout or Sayers and I'm happy. You can keep Block all to yourself.

The Devil Knows that this is a Great Scudder Novel.......2001-06-30

As if Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series wasn't already the quirkiest private detective series around, "The Devil Knows You're Dead," is Scudder's most unconventional story yet. Superficially, the novel is about Scudder's attempt to prove that a deranged homeless man did not randomly gun down a successful lawyer. But actually, the novel is a dissertation about death and the choices one makes in life. During his investigation, Scudder's ex-girlfriend Jan Keane discloses to him that she has terminal cancer and asks him to procure a gun so that she can end her life before the pain consumes her. Meanwhile, Scudder and his current love, the former call girl Elaine Mardell, are moving closer together, even as Scudder becomes more restless and Elaine begins to question the direction of her own life. To top it off, Scudder's restlessness causes him to begin an affair with the dead lawyer's wife that he is ashamed of but unable to stop. This causes him to question whether he will be able to continue his sobriety despite over ten successful years in AA.

All of this accompanies a mystery that is interesting in and of itself, but not nearly as menacing as most Scudder mysteries. The recurring charater of the street kid TJ also shows some progression in his life during the story while assisting Scudder's investigation. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this novel as the place to start reading Scudder since to truly enjoy it requires a lot of the previous background of the characters. But for those who already know how good the Scudder novels are it is a must read.

Five Star First Edition Mystery - Dead Man Talking (Five Star First Edition Mystery)
Average customer rating:

Good Read

A fabulous holiday investigative tale

Five Star First Edition Mystery - Dead Man Talking (Five Star First Edition Mystery)
Trana Mae Simmons
Manufacturer: Five Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 1594142572

Book Description

Weird things tend to happen when you live in a haunted house - not that author/ghost-hunter Alice Carpenter has a problem with the resident ghosts in her lakeside cabin near Six Gun, Texas. When her cousin Katy calls for help with the resident ghost at their family mansion, Alice agrees to come to the rescue. Then Katy discovers a headless corpse in her swimming pool. Alice must somehow uncover the identity of the murderer, or else Katy will be charged with the crime. Alice calls her ghost-hunting mentor, Twila, and her elderly neighbor, Granny, to assist in the investigation. Together the unlikely team of sleuths joins forces to track down the real killer and set Katy free.

T. M. Simmons lives in a haunted house on the edge of the East Texas Piney Woods.

Customer Reviews:

Good Read.......2006-07-12

This is a great book, especially if you love ghost stories and mysteries but don't like to be scared too much. =)

A fabulous holiday investigative tale .......2004-11-01

In Six Gun, Texas, author Alice Carpenter has worked out the rules of sharing her home with ghosts. However, her cousin Katy Gueydon is not doing quite as well dealing with spirits and begs Alice to help her with Sir Gary Gavin. Katy's plea changes when she finds a corpse in her swimming pool at Esprit d'Chene estate. Alice calls her former spouse Detective Jack Carpenter, who works near her cousin's home, while she drives the two hours to help Katy.

Alice quickly learns that the victim is Bucky Wilson-Jones, son of a state senator. Though Bucky was a reprobate, Alice realizes that the prime suspect is her cousin, a steal magnolia who has lost her metallic backbone. As Alice investigates the current killing, tries to solve Gary's two century old "undeliberate" murder, and works with settling down a bewildered and angry Bucky, she needs help. Jack don't believe in ghosts so she turns to her mentor Twila Brown and their neighbor Granny to form the ghosthunter amateur sleuth team trying to resolve the three related scenarios.

This is a fabulous holiday investigative tale that hooks the audience the moment that readers learn of The Alice and the Howard Ghost Agreement of co-living rules. The women especially Alice and the ghosts own the plot, but readers will commiserate more with Jack the non-believer; he copes with ghost hunting females, a real murder with political implications, and some paranormal phenomena that makes him wonder what to accept as truth. Even without the Ghostbusters, readers will believe in ghosts as Alice and company act like it is a normal phenomenon, all this supernatural phenomena resides inside a delightful who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

Dead Men Talking
Nicholas Davies
Manufacturer: Mainstream Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Interdimensional Communication: The Art and Science of Talking to Ghosts, Spirits, Angels and Other Dead People

Average customer rating:

Greatly disappointed - do not buy
Very Good!
A disappointment
unbeleaveable
Excellent book on opening your third eye!

Interdimensional Communication: The Art and Science of Talking to Ghosts, Spirits, Angels and Other Dead People
Heather Anne Harder
Manufacturer: Light Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Perfect Power in Consciousness
Exploring Life's Last Frontier: The World of Death, Dying and Letting Go
Many Were Called-Few Were Chosen: The Story of the Earth-Based Volunteers

ASIN: 1884410146

Customer Reviews:

Greatly disappointed - do not buy.......2004-07-31

I purchased this book because if you look at the title and flip through the chapters it "seems" to be exactly what you're looking for if you're searching for information on how to communicate with the otherside. Well, after the first couple of chapters you'll realize (or at least I did) this isn't what you were looking for.

I found the book to be horribly repetitive and difficult to read at times because the author communicates with (and then translates) what her "angels" are telling her to say all throughout the book. The majority of her ideas are very difficult to accecpt even for me (and I'm a medium and have a VERY open mind to the views of others). Also the meditation and communication techniques (not given until the VERY end) are very rudimentary.

The author seems to be pitching herself MANY times throughout the book for election as president of the US. She tells how she ran for office in the past (obviously unsuccessfully) and might plan on running again in the future. She also tells about her communications with Abraham Lincoln about her political aspirations, communications with David Letterman's (passed) father, communications with FDR (Roosevelt) when she was writing her Social Security/Medicaid position and many more! She also tells how she passed a computer class final exam by allowing a (technologically intelligent) spirit to enter her concious and take the exam for her (Later when she's talking about protecting yourself she says that only "bad" spirits will give you something in exchange i.e. knowledge, for control over you -- and she says to stay away from this. Also in the list of communicating famous people: Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, JFK and the list goes on.

I wouldn't recommend this book for a beginning medium/psychic because it just doesn't seem to explain things very well (to me) and most of the book is very vague and can give you perceptions of things that are not common acknoledgments by the majority of the psychic/medium community.

Honestly, by the end of the book I was actually doubting the validity of any real psychic/medium abilities the author thought she had. However, I could be wrong... our loved ones that have passed on "might" really be too busy to speak with us; radio, television and print media have hidden encoded subliminal messages and lesser energy put into them; there are these negative entities on Earth called the "reptilians (sorry, reminded me too much of the movie "V"); and also that anyone can communicate with a famous person that has passed (in my view, one can only communicate with a "famous" spirit if you have personal ties with that spirit or are giving a reading for someone who knew them personally. It's just like in the physical world, you can't just pick up the phone and call a celebrity not unless they know who you are).

HOWEVER ~ If you are an EXPERIENCED psychic/medium and are looking for some far out views and have a lot of money AND time on your hands -- go for it -- I'll sell you my copy.

Very Good!.......2002-07-16

This book has simple, straightforward sections on communicating with the dead.Anyone can perform them.A lot of books such as this make you feel like you have a be a Wiccan High Priestess to even grasp it, but not this one.She also makes sure to tell you how important it is to protect yourself and gives clear instructions for doing so. This book is practical and her methods really work.If you are trying to learn how to communicate with the dead, this book will be helpful to you.

A disappointment.......2002-06-11

I came across this book a couple of times and felt compelled to buy it and check it out. My mistake! The long section on spirit communication, while intended to be straightforward, comes off as simple-minded and, at times, precious. Unfortunately, I was also put off by Dr. Harding's take on spirituality. She has every right to her beliefs, but I have no time for apocalyptic christianity in any form. I don't believe we're living in "the end times," and I don't believe we are punished in the afterlife for misdeeds committed in this one (neither does Dr. Harding -- or so she says, since she contradicts herself several times on this point).
If you're interested in this topic, I'd recommend Robert Monroe's books, or Bob Petersen's.

unbeleaveable.......2000-02-04

mostly fiction, If it were true we all should hear more from god, and if we did , this world would be much better. If you cant find out about heaven or christ you are at a very diffrant place than you want to be, burn these kind of books. ask god for his protection because your going to need it.

Excellent book on opening your third eye!.......1999-02-19

There are things out there that can not be explained. This book helps you learn to be more aware of it... and interface with other things that are always presant and around us.

Average customer rating:

Dead Man Talking
Richard Woodman
Manufacturer: Severn House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0727857606

Carry on talking;: How dead are the voices?

Average customer rating:

published in US as "Voices From the Tapes" in 1972

Carry on talking;: How dead are the voices?
Peter Bander
Manufacturer: Smythe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 0900675667

Customer Reviews:

published in US as "Voices From the Tapes" in 1972.......1999-10-12

I gave a review of this book under the US published title

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