Such Men Are Dangerous: The Fanatics of 1692 and 2004, Frances Hill, Upper Access Inc. Book Publishers, 2004
Inner Coach, Outer Power, Keith Varnum, New Dimensions Publishing, 2002
The Fluoride Deception, Christopher Bryson, Seven Stories Press, 2004
In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed, Carl Honore, Harper SanFrancisco, 2004
Dragon Tamer, Cole Barton, Trafford Publishing, 2003
Plowin’ Newground, Jerry W. Brown, Dry Bayou Press, 2001
The Sixth World, Margaret L. Evans, Xlibris Corp., 2003
Booby-Trapped: How to Feel Normal in a Breast-Obsessed World, Nili Sachs, Beaver’s Pond Press, 2003
Patrons In a Bar, A.J. Burress, America House, 2002
Writing Crime New York Style, Joseph L. Giacalone, 1st Books, 2004
Staking Out the Home Landscape, Paul E. Stake, Touchstone Farms, 2002
Bookstore Tourism, Larry Portzline, Bookshop Junkie Press, 2004
At the Threshold of Liquid Geology and Other Automatic Tales, Eric W. Bragg, Writer's Advantage (iUniverse,Inc), 2002
Find Courtney, Melissa Clark, Bridge Works Publishing Company, 2004
Such Men Are Dangerous: The Fanatics of 1692 and 2004, Frances Hill, Upper Access Inc. Book Publishers, 2004 This book compares the men behind the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 to the Bush II Administration. The comparisons are distressingly close. Massachusetts of the 1690s was a very rigid sort of place. Those in power were ideologues who believed that their version of Calvinism was the only way and the only truth. Everyone who came to Massachusetts was required by law to attend Puritan services. Belonging to any other church was forbidden, on pain of banishment or hanging. All dissent was equated to bonding with the devil. The Puritans believed you were “either with us or against us.” Since Massachusetts thought itself a place where anyone could find work, poverty was considered a sign of general immorality and probable damnation. America in 2004 is a place where those on the bottom are blamed instead of helped. Prisons are full of victims of poverty, and each year scores of Americans are legally executed. It stems from a point of view of self-seeking masquerading as righteousness, without regard for social justice. Selfishness is a virtue. Those who can’t make it economically are wicked and contemptible. Today’s leaders are as inhumane and self-righteous as those of 300 years ago. Paul Wolfowitz and Minister Cotton Mather tried to emulate their famous fathers. They both also see only what they want to see, and are slippery and self-serving in argument. Deputy Governor William Stoughton and Donald Rumsfeld both hold rigid ideological views, lack humanity and mercy, and are war mongers and hypocrites. Stoughton and Dick Cheney are willing to bend their view of the world to accommodate their pursuit of wealth and power. Magistrate John Hathorne and Richard perle were not part of their respective elites, but they were the first to push their respective agendas. Governor William Phips and George Bush were intellectually lacking, but they did have a talent for forming alliances and cultivating people. They also had very foul mouths and furious tempers, and owed everything to family connections. It’s disheartening to know that Americans have evolved so little
in 300 years. This is quite an eye-opener of a book. An interest in
Massachusetts of the 1690s would be a big help, but this is still fascinating and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.
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Inner Coach, Outer Power, Keith Varnum, New Dimensions Publishing, 2002 Using the author’s own experiences, this book tells how anyone can free themselves from emotional and psychological boundaries and embrace the possibilities inherent in this thing called life. There are lifelong spirit guides that Varnum calls Ascended Masters, nonphysical beings who impart their wisdom to him. Occasionally, they
have to use the equivalent of a kick in the rear end when the author isn’t "listening." Perhaps the author’s bout of blindness, from which he cured himself, was some sort of mainfestation of him going in the wrong spiritual direction. There are a number of experiences which most of us would call "coincidence" or "just one of those things," but Varnum realizes is his inner coach pointing him in the right spiritual direction. In his continual quest for spiritual education, Varnum gets much too close to what turns out to be a soul-destroying cult. Among the things experienced in this book are: talking to nonphysical teachers, out of body travel, time travel, near death experiences, reliving other lifetimes and experiencing miracles. Then there were the times that the author communicated with plants (and they communicated back), and he completely healed a very broken wrist within just a few minutes using reiki healing. The old saying goes something like, "When the student is ready,
the teacher appears." I must not be ready, because I had a very hard time "getting" this book. Whatever the reason, I don’t mean to imply for a second that this is any sort of terrible book, because it isn’t. I am sure that this book has helped, and will help, a lot of people; I am just not one of them.
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The Fluoride Deception, Christopher Bryson, Seven Stories Press, 2004 "If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away." Those words, or something similar, are on every tube of fluoride toothpaste sold in America. What could be in it to cause such a warning? According to this book, it’s the fluoride. Fluoride is not some safe, innocuous substance that happens to fight cavities. It is used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, to prepare Sarin nerve gas, to produce high octane gasoline, also to make refrigerant gases and Teflon plastic. It is also used in drugs like Prozac and Cipro. Fluoride is a potential workplace poison and grave environmental hazard. Since the 1930s, fluoride has been linked, in Europe, to a number of illnesses, like central nervous system disorders, breathing problems and a number of arthritis-like ailments. But during the Cold War, with help from researchers funded by the government and industry, no such problems were reported in America. It is as if "American" fluoride and "European" fluoride have two different sets of properties. Can anyone say "scientific fraud?"
Fluoride may actually help the teeth, but the evidence is not clear-cut. Cavity rates have fallen dramatically since the 1940s, but also in countries that don’t fluoridate their water. Perhaps good nutrition, better dental care and antibiotics can explain it. The vast majority, nearly 90 percent, of the fluoride added to drinking water is actually industrial waste, scraped from the smokestacks of Florida phosphate fertilizer mills. The companies are spared the expense of treating this "fluosilicic acid" as toxic waste. Instead, it is sold to towns all over America. Shipped in rubber-lined tanker trucks, it is dumped into municipal reserviors, supposedly to fight cavities. On several levels, this book easily reaches the level of Wow. This well-written tale of public relations whitewash and corporate/government collusion at the people’s expense has over 100 pages of footnotes, and is very much a Must Read.
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In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed, Carl Honore, Harper SanFrancisco, 2004 We live in an era of speed, where everything moves faster than ever before. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the idea has been to cram more into each minute of the day. Any unoccupied time during the day, whether for adults or children, is considered a reason to panic. At what cost? Imagine the time spent, over a lifetime, sitting in commuter traffic, or being placed on hold. Imagine the health care dollars spent on stress-related illnesses. The average American adult spends only a half-hour per week making love. There is an alternative, called the Slow movement. Now a growing worldwide phenomenon, the Slow movement is not a Luddite call to abandon technology. Cellphones and email can be very good things. Nor does it suggest that people should live their entire lives in slow motion, while the rest of the world acts like a video tape stuck on fast forward. Occasionally, Fast is necessary. Slow strives to find a balance in people’s lives. Sometimes, slowing down leads to more energy. Not everything in this book is possible for everyone but here are some examples. Cook a meal from scratch once a week. Eat a homemade tossed salad (made with locally produced vegetables) along with take-out Chinese food. Set the table for take out pizza, instead of eating in front of the TV; in fact, no more dinners in front of TV. There are a number of cookboooks that specialize in quick meals. When cooking, prepare more than is needed and freeze the rest. If your child isn’t doing well in school, a possible reason is that every spare moment out of school is filled with activities. It leaves them no time to relax or just be a kid. Ask them if that’s what they really want. Turn off the TV. There is a growing movement of health professionals who think that spending more time with each individual patient is not a bad thing. Consider trying alternative medicine, in addition to, not instead of, regular medicine. For those who need to lose a few pounds, try walking. It’s free, you don’t need to join a health club, and you may be surprised at what you will find in your own neighborhood. This book is much needed, and I really enjoyed reading it. Stress seems to be endemic in the 21st century. Here is an antidote. This is very highly recommended.
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Dragon Tamer, Cole Barton, Trafford Publishing, 2003 Blake Morgan is a DEA agent. He is involved in two major arrest operations, one involving drug running in Mexico, and the other involving drug and people smuggling in Seattle. Both are solid arrests, the kind where convictions are practically guaranteed. That is, until both suspects are released, and granted immunity from prosecution by someone very high in the CIA. Supposedly, they are also good sources of information for the Agency. Blake knows that something very strange is happening. Blake was born in a Japanese concentration camp in World War II Hong Kong. His parents, a Welsh father and a Hispanic mother, did not survive the war. Blake was adopted by Wang Chan, a rising member of the Hong Kong business community. Soon before the arrests mentioned above, Wang Chan is found murdered. Like most Hong Kong businessmen, there are rumors that he was involved in illegal activities. Unsatisfied with the pace of the official investigation, Chan’s son, Raymond, goes to the Hong Kong triads (gangsters) and asks for their help in avenging his father’s death. While all this is going on, Blake gets word of a proposed alliance between one of the triads and a Mexican drug cartel, assisted by whomever in the CIA is in the habit of releasing drug dealers from prison. Profits are down, so it is proposed that they get together and market an ancient, and quite powerful, Mayan drug called jfuri. Just to make things more interesting, Blake has fallen in love with DEA Special Prosecutor Angela Townsend. It is up to Blake to fight his way through the conspiracies, corruption and general lying to get to the bottom of this, once and for all. This is an excellent novel. Thriller readers will love it. The reader will be involved from start to finish, it feels very plausible, and the author knows what he is talking about, having actually been born in a World War II concentration camp in Hong Kong. This gets two thumbs up.
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Plowin’ Newground, Jerry W. Brown, Dry Bayou Press, 2001 George "Jickie" Jennings is the son of a moonshiner from the Louisiana Bayou. He realizes, early on, that education was his ticket out, so scholarships to Tulane University, then UCLA-Berkeley, lead to him becoming a civilian scientist with the Defense Department. He is called back home when Ersel, his father, is severely injured in an accident. The relationship between the two can best be described as difficult. During the Great Depression, the family survived as best they could. Some money could be made by, for instance, catching crawfish or helping a neighbor in their garden, and selling to one of the local businesses. Ersel was drunk much too often. At Tulane, Jickie falls for a woman named Rachel Goodman, who comes from a very religious family. Her brother, David, the man of the family (their father had died), tells Jickie to end the relationship, now, because he isn’t Jewish. David even takes Rachel home to Texas, to prevent them from seeing each other. Jickie marries a local girl, but she later dies of cancer. In the early 1950s, the Civil Rights Movement comes to town, in the form of three young people helping the local blacks to register and vote. An attampt by the local Ku Klux Klan to encourage the three to immediately leave turns tragic. Back to the present, actually the late 1970s, Jickie’s bitterness and jadedness comes off as acting like a major jerk. When Ersel wakes up, there is no grand, tearful reunion (the two hadn’t spoken to each other in more than 15 years). In fact, they spend most of their time complaining at each other. On the good side, Jickie runs into Rachel, now Ersel’s neurosurgeon, and they get back together. As time goes on, the two men spend a lot of time with each other, get a lot of things out in the open, and Jickie begins to start to let go of his pain and bitterness. The reading may seem rather slow, but, by the end, the reader will realize that they have just finished a great novel. Not only is this an interesting story of a person’s life, but one can almost hear and smell the bayou while reading it. This is a fine piece of writing.
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The Sixth World, Margaret L. Evans, Xlibris Corp., 2003 Set in present-day California, Joe Magee is a world-renowned anthropologist and expert on Mayan culture, working for a local museum. He is set to lead an expedition into California’s Central Valley to explore the bizarre possibility that Mayan culture may have made it that far north, before they disappeared many centuries ago. Magee is told to include Amy Parrish, another world-renowned Mayan expert, in the expedition. The museum Board is less than convinced that is is a good idea. She moves into Magee’s isolated house in the hills, and the two immerse themselves in Mayan culture. One night, a strange computer virus is found on Joe’s laptop, where he keeps his scientific data. The computer seems to turn on by itself, and sends Joe’s files to an unknown location. Sean Gables is another museum employee, who is not what he seems. Sometimes, he is legitimately helpful to Joe and Amy, and other times, he acts, well, the word "slimy" comes to mind. Strange things are going on, but neither Joe or Amy can put their finger on it. Later, a dead body is found in the nearby hills, a Hispanic male with his heart cut out. For most people, this is just a particularly gruesome murder, but for Joe and Amy, it means a lot more. According to Mayan prophecy, the Fifth World is ending, and the Sixth World will be coming in a few years. It is to be preceeded by three human sacrifices. Days later, two more bodies are found with their hearts removed, right on time. Someone is putting up a very large Keep Out sign. Joe has an anonymous benefactor paying him a lot of money to find Mayan culture in those hills. The Sixth World is characterized by a shift in the earth’s magnetic pole, causing worldwide catastrophe. At that time, Mayan culture will rise again, and rule the world. During a mini-expedition in the hills with some college students, Joe and Amy make some huge discoveries which prove that the rumors of Mayan culture making it as far north as central California are not just rumors. This is a really good thriller story. My only criticism is that the first half of the book could have moved a little faster. Stick with the book, and this is a story that will give the reader plenty to think about. Also, keep an eye on the month of December, 2012. According to Mayan prophecy, at that time, big things are supposed to happen.
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Booby-Trapped: How to Feel Normal in a Breast-Obsessed World, Nili Sachs, Beaver’s Pond Press, 2003 (deep breath) This book looks at a group of women in a psychological therapy group, exploring subjects like femininity and body image in general, and breast size in particular. The women are of varying ages and backgrounds. Their personal self-images range from pretty good to awful. The youngest member can’t wait to show off her boob job to the others. Their reactions range from support to anger that she would insert a foreign substance into her body in that way. Why are breasts the most altered, and most hated, parts of a woman’s body? Every woman wants perfect breasts, but such things are very rare, at best. They are going to be off center, or not the same size, or not "big enough," or something. The niece of another group member is convinced that the road to happiness includes breast implants, so she plans to have the operation, with the support of her parents, to celebrate her sixteenth brithday. A third member is diagnosed with breast cancer. Before she goes to the hospital, she feels the need to stand in front of the group and actually say the words, "I have cancer. I could die." The rest of the group is a constant presence in the hospital. When she gets out, and rejoins the group, she considers getting an implant to replace that which the mastectomy removed. This is quite a book. It was a very good idea to do it as the story of several average women, instead of as some dry women’s health book. Women don’t need me to say that this book is well worth reading. For the men out there who honestly care about their partner’s health and well-being, this is highly recommended. If something is bothering her, but she refuses to talk about it, this book may just give the answer.
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Patrons In a Bar, A.J. Burress, America House, 2002 This is the story of Jake Tidwell, your average fresh-out-of-college type, living near Pittsburgh. Looking for more from life than the usual 9 to 5 job, Jake takes off for a year of traveling around America. He also figures that, as a would-be writer, he should have some experiences worth writing about. Jake is one of those who likes his liquor and drugs, and has something of a gambling problem. After the obligatory stop in Las Vegas, he ends up in Phoenix to look up some lady friends from back home, known for throwing legendary parties. While he spends nights on their couch, he is forced to get a job. He becomes a supervisor for a group of mall kiosks that encourage people to enter a contest for a free weekend at a hotel in Mexico. Actually, it is little more than a telemarketing scam. After a few months, Jake again gets the urge to hit the open road and heads north toward Portland, Oregon. Hiking on Mt. Hood, Jake has an epiphany. Sitting down to read Walden by Henry David Thoreau, Jake has the realization that Thoreau wrote the book for Jake, at that moment. If Jake didn’t have to get back home for the marriage of Paul, his best friend, the thought of staying in Portland was mighty tempting. The bride-to-bride doesn’t like her fiance’s friends, including Jake, but the guys are going to celebrate, anyway. Driving to pick up a friend in town, to bring him back to the party, Jake is arrested for DUI. Since the arraignment isn’t for several weeks, Jake gets in his car and heads for Baltimore. He gets a job at a local restaurant, and is able to sleep at a local youth hostel for free, due to a loophole in their system. After the charges are dropped back home, Jake heads for Key West. His fellow employees at a local restaurant are from several different countries. Almost none of them speak English, but they all manage to understand each other. Key West is a place that turns into one big party at night. The cocaine and alcohol flow like water. Jake can hold his own as a partier, but staying up all night, every night, begins to take its toll. Part of the reason for the journey is to sort out his feelings toward Jane, his girlfriend, who is willing to wait for him. This is much more than just a drunken, drug-filled chronicle of one person’s journey around America. Jake sees the best and worst in people, in unexpected places. This story is full of heart and soul and intelligence. It is well worth reading.
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Writing Crime New York Style, Joseph L. Giacalone, 1st Books, 2004 Many books have been written attempting to explain law and police procedure for crime writers; few are written by real cops. This book, written by an 11-year veteran of the NYPD, looks at real police procedures in the Big Apple. It gives the street addresses, coverage areas and major landmarks for all the precincts in the five boroughs. It describes the various units and other personnel within a precinct, like the Integrity Control Officer, the Anti-Crime Unit, the Borough Task Force, the Emergency Services Unit, the Squad Commander, the Hate Crimes Task Force, and the Organized Crime Control Bureau, among many others. There is now no reason for a writer to put a precinct in the wrong part of the city, or to have a crime investigated by the wrong part of the precinct. The author then explores what really happens at the scene of a homicide. Rigor mortis is part of practically every murder novel, but is usually done incorrectly. It does not turn a body permanently rigid; after about a day and a half, the body returns to totally flaccid. A reliable way for the medical examiner to determine the time of death is to check the contents of the stomach during the autopsy. The first patrol officer on the scene will often make or break the case. He or she will establish the crime scene without contaminating it, and detain witnesses and suspects. Everything starts with a clear and accurate description, whether it’s of a lost child or a murder suspect. Other chapters look at police lineups, what the Miranda Warning is all about, courtroom testimony (including how to survive cross-examination), the various types of serial killers, and sex crimes and child abuse cases. There is also a handy glossary of actual police lingo and a list of police acronyms. This is a very complete book. For writers of crime novels, especially NYPD novels, this book belongs on your reference shelf. For everyone else, read this book and see for yourself just how well, or how badly, TV does the police business. Highly recommended.
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Staking Out the Home Landscape, Paul E. Stake, Touchstone Farms, 2002 This book consists of a series of newspaper columns on gardening, published between 1995-2002 in the Willimantic, Connecticut Chronicle. Stake was a professor in the University of Connecticut College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for more than 25 years, until failing health forced his early retirement. A surprisingly large number of topics in the areas of gardening and landscape management are covered in this book. Gardening is not something that happens just during warm weather. The author looks at making plants go dormant over the winter, to storing seeds from one year to the next, to the care and feeding of christmas trees. Subject areas in this book include flowers and vegetables, gardening mulch and fertilizers, weeds, herbs and wildflowers, trees and shrubs, lawn care, food safety, and enjoying birds. Some of the individual columns explore carpenter bees, earthworms, potting soil, russian sage, spaghetti squash, how to control aphids, herbs like goldenrod and purslane, chamomile, maple sugaring, pussy willows, apple disease and pest management, controlling moles in the lawn, selecting firewood, thanksgiving food safety and winter shelter for horses, among many others. This is a fine example of, for lack of a better term, one stop shopping concerning trees, flowers and gardens. It's good for those who care about the scientific name of a plant, and those who just want to know when and where to plant. In one respect, this book is meant to be used in Connecticut, but, in another respect, it can be used anyplace. Both novice and experienced gardeners should read this book.
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Bookstore Tourism, Larry Portzline, Bookshop Junkie Press, 2004 Bookstore Tourism is a new way to help independent bookstores by marketing them as tourist destinations and encouraging booklovers to plan bus trips to towns with unique bookstores. Instead of, for instance, taking a bus trip to the Statue of Liberty, why not take a trip to the bookstores in Greenwich Village? The book looks at the present situation for the independent bookstore. The news is not very good. While some store are able to survive, even thrive, more stores are closing every day. There are a number of reasons, including the coming of the chains, the economy, skyrocketing rents and the internet. Another problem is the sheer number of new books published, reaching 175,000 in 2003 from over 78,000 publishers. What can indie bookstores do to survive? First and foremost, customer service is everything. Selling used books creates more profit than new books. Get creative with entertainment and special events. Consider a makeover of the decor to find that balance between fun and functional. Including a cafe encourages customers to linger and buy more books. Get involved in the community. Perhaps shrinking the store is the way to go. Cross promote with neighboring businesses. The book also explores the mechanics of setting up a bookstore tour. Included are things like making sure that the destination stores are still there, anyone can plan a bookstore trip, handling reservations, the best day to go, the best kind of transportation, seeing if the destination stores will hold special events during your trip, where to eat, things to do while in transit, publicizing the trip and dealing with the bus company, among many others. Bookstore tourism is a wonderful idea (anything that helps independent bookstores is a wonderful idea) and this is an excellent book that ended much too soon. I really enjoying reading it. The author mentions that more books on independent bookstores are planned in the future. I can't wait.
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At the Threshold of Liquid Geology and Other Automatic Tales, Eric W. Bragg, Writer’s Advantage (iUniverse, Inc.), 2002 To quote from the back cover of this book: “This modern collection of surrealist prose-poems was inspired by the improvisational method of automatic writing, popularized by the International Surrealist movement. From one brain to another without any literary rules or standards; the words in these automatic writings are not just words, but rays of subconscious illumination that peel away the various layers of the ‘civilized,’ western psyche, one by one.” For those who understand what that means, and are interested in such writing, read no further; buy this book. For everyone else, these are not stories in the usual sense. They are collections of strange images where bizarre things happen right next to each other. In just the first story, a thin stream of sugar is dropped into a tiger’s eyeball, a frog burps a shiny platinum marble, there is a talking caterpillar, and an umbrella reveals a family sunning themselves on the shore of an island continent formed from green volcanic glass deposited hundreds of thousands of years ago. This book is very much not for everyone. For those who want to give their brain a workout, this is an excellent choice. For those who want “normal” books with plot and characters and all those English Literature words, this book can be skipped.
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Find Courtney, Melissa Clark, Bridge Works Publishing Company, 2004 Fanoy is a self-absorbed, mid-twenties college student going to school in Miami. She gets to move in with Courtney Armorault, a beautiful and wealthy fellow student with her own beachfront apartment. The two aren’t friends; they lead totally separate lives. They just happen to live in the same apartment. One day, Courtney goes for her morning jog, and doesn’t return. Fanoy doesn’t do anything, figuring that Courtney will be right back, or will call to say that she ran off with one of her many male admirers. To be honest, Fanoy is also enjoying the peace and quiet with Courtney not around. After two weeks, Bret Armorault, Courtney’s father, shows up. He is more the Inconvenienced Father than the Distraught Father. He is a free-spirit type who gives the impression that he made his money in the drug business. The two speak to the school administration, and to Courtney’s friends and classmates, looking for clues. Bret convinces Fanoy to move in with him, to an inland Italian villa that was to be part of a housing complex that never happened. It belonged to a famous fan dancer named Crystal Lalique, and is now like living in a museum. After getting the impression that Bret is keeping her there for some reason, Fanoy flees back to Miami. Bret finds her, and convinces her to return with him (with her car, this time). Bret admits to Fanoy that his name really isn’t Bret Armorault. He admits that he kidnapped Courtney when she was little, and has raised her like his own daughter, things that she never knew. Sex between them had been going on for quite a while. "Bret" has known where Courtney is the entire time. Fanoy also has a secret or two of her own. This is a really good psychological thriller. It’s a fast read, the characters are well done, and it’s an interesting story of people not being what they seem. This is well worth reading.
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