I like Randy Wayne White's novels very much and have eaten ...
584107
I like Randy Wayne White's novels very much and have eaten at his restaurant.  Living in Minnesota I can only dream about cooking this food for the most part.  Good book, good recipes. My seafood experiences have all been West Coast, so I am enjoying learning East Coast foods.
4766078
Hard not to like Randy Wayne White's stories, though I wish Hannah  could have faced her fears a bit sooner.
2866619
Dave White's writing and imagination are to be seriously applauded. I truly enjoy everything that he has written and his Jackson Donne Novels are some of my favorite books. His knack for getting the reader immediately involved in the suspense of the Jackson Donne story is genius! I love that he uses real places and familiar names throughout this series. White's writing style is smooth and emotionally balanced, which makes for a pleasant read. In his latest novel, he builds on Donne's past, brings it to the fore front to join in with the present and lets it explode in a suspense-filled read. It was not at all what I expected when I started in on Chapter One of Not Even Past. Once I started reading, I literally could not put this book down. You will be shocked after every twist and turn of the story... and you will be left wanting more.
1918684
I'm a fan of Steve Berry and read everything he writes. I learned alot from the book, which is why I enjoy his novels - filled with well researched, interesting mysterious elements. Cotton Malone is a well developed character and his fast paced exploits are always a fun adventure. But his novels are a bit like chinese food - delicious, but they don't stick to the gut for long. Enjoyable but not deep.
159568
I have to agree with most of the other reviewers here, this was not Randy Wayne White's finest work.  Even his early Randy Striker series, which he admits were not well written, are better reads than this book.

I've been a fan of White for years and have pre-ordered the last dozen books months before release.  Like the other books prior to this, I read this one the first night but, unlike the others, I was left feeling cheated, looking for the real book, characters and stories I had grown to love.  In this work, the characters are cardboard, I can't relate to any of them.  Even Doc Ford and the ever-present Tomlinson.  The writing is polished, it's just that there's not much of a story, a pretty basic description of the action and a lack of suspense found in earlier works.

Here's hoping White makes a comeback.
3335596
I've read every one of Mr. Swain's novels and I've enjoyed them all.  Mr. Swain has introduced as to a new character, Jack Carpenter, and he is just as likable as his main character, Tony Valentine, in his Grift Sense series.  I really enjoy Mr. Swain's writing style and his outlook on life.  His characters are very believable and so life like. He shows the good and bad in life like few authors can do.  I wish I had a tenth of the writing skills that Mr. Swain has.  I'm very excited that he left the door open at the end of this novel for a sequel because like an earlier reviewer wrote, you don't want his novels to end.  Keep up the great work Mr. Swain and please keep writing lots more novels.
870290
I recently discovered Randy Wayne White and I'm now addicted to Doc Ford. Plenty of mystery action and a sense of humor
4790110
I have read all of Randy Wayne White's novel under that name. This Randy Striker book shows how and where this author's ideas blossomed into the Doc Ford series I loved so much. He perfected a character so well that once you read a Doc Ford novel you had to read more of them!  I live in FL and love the many vivid descriptions of locations and historical facts about this area. I will buy and read all the Randy Striker novels, too.
2733647
I have read the whole series (so far), and enjoy the novels very much. Baldacci's novels are always highly enjoyable, and his King & Maxwell series has a good feel to the character development.
2088735
Randy Wayne White has written many very good books which had great plot and characterization.  These held your interest from start to finish and were hard to put down once you started reading.
Regretfully, Mangrove Lightning is not one of these.
1821330
When it comes to reviewing Suzanne Woods Fisher's novels, sometimes I feel like a broken record, always talking about relatable characters, spiritual lessons that aren't preachy, and laugh out loud moments. The thing is, it's trueher novels always contain these elements. The Imposter is no different. In fact, I was only about four pages into the novel when I laughed for the first time. Many more laughs followed, most due to the beloved Hank Lapp, who has appeared in many of Fisher's novels.

The Imposter is the first book in the new Bishop's Family series, which is set in the familiar Stoney Ridge Amish community. This first novel focuses on titular bishop David Stoltzfus (who isn't actually a bishop in this bookI'm guessing that's to come later), a widowed minister who recently moved to Stoney Ridge, and two of his children, Katrina and Jesse. Katrina is reeling after the breakup of a relationship she thought would result in marriage; Jesse is a 16-year-old boy who means well but has a lazy streak and a knack for getting in serious trouble. Jesse reminded me very much of Jimmy Fisher, who, like Hank Lapp, frequently pops up in Fisher's novels. Since Jimmy Fisher is only present in a small portion of The Impostor (though he's mentioned more frequently), I enjoyed having another Jimmy-esque character to take up the mantle of wayward, well-meaning boy.

While I loved these characters (and others), the plot is what really hooked me. You won't get this from the book summary, as it speaks only of Katrina and her possible romance with Andy, but much of the plot is focused on the pull within the Stoney Ridge Amish community to modernize and give up some of their long held traditions. Basically, it's a war within church leadership, and I found that fascinatingand not something I've ever before encountered in an Amish novel.

Fisher's long-time readers will enjoy checking in with beloved characters (and finally seeing Hank's love life take a giant step forward), and new readers will discover what those of us who have long been on this ride already know: Stoney Ridge is a special place, and it's always worth a visit.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
3536994
I enjoy reading Randall's books, he deals with some hard hitting truths/subjects nicely wrapped up in well written story lines.
913856
Patrick White gained fame as the Australian Nobel prize winner in literature, and as a person with a prickly or what some call a difficult personality. He was educated at Cambridge but then settled and wrote in Australia after World War II. He has about a dozen novels and I have read two of them, the other being The Tree of Man which is set in rural but agricultural Australia, not in the Outback as is Voss.

This is a good novel, and it deserves 5 stars. After a dozen pages or so it becomes clear to the reader that White has an unusual style and he is a gifted writer. There is no question about his writing ability.

This particular story starts off in Sydney in the mid-19th century, and White uses real street names and locations in central Sydney, just east of Darling Harbour. Since the same streets still exist today, his setting and references to the city bring a high degree of realism to the story.

The plot is about a man and a woman who become engaged by mail after meeting. Voss is the man, and he leads a voyage of discovery into the Outback, north and west of Sydney. The plot involves the hardships of the trip, the interaction among the characters travelling with Voss, the natives, and what takes place in Sydney with his fiancee while Voss is away on the trip.

The discouraging feature of White's writing is that the characters seem stiff or cardboard, a bit lifeless. Voss is not a man to show much emotion or talk. So, there are many passages where White simply describes the activities. That gives the book - especially in the middle - a dry feel. This was reinforced for me when I read The Tree of Man where White has a similar strong male protagonist, the farmer; but there, White goes into much more depth with the man's personality in the novel.

The tale has a strong and a surprise ending, and the novel picks up as the story closes.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and would recommend the book. It is not a quick read nor is it compelling stuff to digest, but it is an interesting and well written novel.
3896619
Fans of Ivan Doig or of western literature in general would not want to miss this novel.  While I personally think Doig's best works, with the exception of Prairie Nocturne,  were his earlier ones, I have enjoyed later novels.  It is always a comfort to enter into his world where hard scrabble characters are treated with kindness and respect in communities where, for most of the denizens, survival is a struggle while somehow also being a joy.
1634528
Joe Pickett novels never fail to entertain.  I always learn new things with these novels--about Wyoming, something in the natural world, etc.  But they are wonderfully suspenseful with engaging characters as well.  I have to pace myself or I would stay up all night reading!
2232235
I have been disenchanted with Stuart Woods over the last few years. Rereading earlier novels reminds me why I was initially drawn to his work; plot, description and dialogue. White Cargo and Run Before the Wind are my favorites.
3161322
Having not read the three previous books, I had no problem jumping right into RETURN TO TRADD STREET. White shares enough history to allow you to follow along, but not too much to bore those who have read the series. I very much enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters in this novel, especially Melanie and Jack. I actually kinda loved the characters in this book. If the other books in the series are as good as this one it is no wonder why people wanted Karen White to continue the series.

The novel has a paranormal element to it and I found it was a very balanced story. The paranormal was just enough, the story between characters was perfect, the right amount of mystery,  just a great balance to a really good book. The setting is in Charleston, South Carolina and White did a fantastic job of making me 'see' Charleston as I read. There was nothing about this book I didn't enjoy. You could read it as a stand alone, but gosh why would you? I am HIGHLY recommending RETURN TO TRADD STREET!