IPhone 3G used's review (X Marks the Spot) 『I wasn't as taken by this one as were most of the other reviewers, who awarded it five stars right across the board. And indeed the boy version of me would have given it six stars if I was still 12 years old. I remember being enthralled by the case in a way peculiar to am inquisitive kid, utterly fascinated by the inner workings of transportation, I guess it was, for the first murder happens on a streetcar, the second on a ferryboat, the third in a dim railway car. I might never have been on any of these strange methods of transport at that age. I just rode my bike around a lot, hitchhiked, or of course, got my mom or dad to give me a ride whenever I wanted to go anywhere. But anyhow if you're not super interested in the workings of a streetcar conductor's life, THE TRAGEDY OF X isn't that sparkling. Wasn't it Walt Whitman who fell in love with his streetcar conductor? Not I, and the ones here are a dreary lot. It's as if Ellery Queen or Barnaby Ross were so into getting their gang of suspects onto that streetcar, and onto the passenger train, that they forgot to write any characterization for them, except for Jeanne De Witt, the vampy stepmother golddigger type whom Catherine Zeta Jones was born to play.
The suspects' lives in 1930s Manhattan are so banal that the existence, revealed way late in the book, of a secret past filled with violence, murder and debauchery in a Uruguayan mining town 20 years before comes as a complete shock and you can hardly say it was prepared for. Drury Lane seems to stumble on the Uruguay connection in a completely accidental way, but having done so, a child could have figured out what was up, or don't you agree? The plot suffers from the fact that Queen asks us to swallow an amazing improbability--that none of the victims ever seem to recognize the killer as someone they knew in the past, even when they see this "person" every day for years. It's like the supreme implausibility in Agatha Christie's MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA--all right, maybe a little less so. Still no matter how meandering the story gets, Drury Lane wraps things up beautifully with an extended, 40 page explanation of how he guessed everything, that almost redeems the book's manifold flaws.
I love Drury Lane, but he is old school! Lives in a replica of Elsinore Castle along the misty Hudson, with a retinue composed of freaks who do his bidding without question, one a hunchback. Ageless, timeless drama queen who is able to impersonate, with theatrical makeup, one of the dead men simply to startle the killer into confession!
Of course it wouldn't be an Ellery Queen without plenty of homoerotic scenes, my favorite here when Inspector Thumm comes to his appointment at "The Hamlet," Drury Lane's castle, only to find the old tease is sunbathing on a blanket, his 60 year old body brown, hard, with a light coating of golden down, the body of a teen, his private parts bulging beneath what Thumm thinks of as a "breechcloth." Queen's novels, of course, are filled with men stripping for each other, or posing nude or semi-nude for other men to ogle and admire, but come on, Drury Lane, put some pants on, it's October and everyone's freezing!』
(Overlooked Gem by Ellery Queen - 5-Stars) 『The highly popular Ellery Queen mysteries in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s were penned by an author with the same name. It is as though the Sherlock Holmes mysteries had been authored by Sherlock Holmes, rather than Dr. Watson or Sir Conan Doyle. The actual identity of Ellery Queen (the author) was secret, until much to everyone's surprise, it was revealed that the author was actually two writers that jointly created these complex stories.
A few years after the the first Ellery Queen novels were published, a Mr. Barnaby Ross produced "The Tragedy of X", followed by Y and Z, and concluding with "Drury Lane's Last Case". Later the true identity of Barnaby Ross was unveiled as Ellery Queen. Confusing? The Ellery Queen and Drury Lane mysteries are catalogued under Ellery Queen in most libraries.
I have long been a fan of Ellery Queen. I am nearly always baffled by the mysteries. The characteristic conclusion, a detailed logical analysis revealing the solution, always amazes me. How could I have gone astray once again and not seen the obvious conclusion? On the rare occasions that I unravel the solution, I remain exuberant for weeks.
Drury Lane is an eccentric, retired Shakespearean actor of great intellect and great wealth and is sought out by New York City professional detectives (and the District Attorney) whenever they are baffled, like me. For those readers familiar with some of the more fantastical stories by Ellery Queen, it should be no surprise that Drury Lane inhabits an Elizabethan castle on the Hudson River. His close servant Quacey is an ancient hunchback, bald, bewhiskered, and wrinkled.
I enjoyed this Drury Lane mystery for many of the same reasons I admire other Ellery Queen stories. The clues are visible and yet invisible, the plot is intriguing, and the detective himself is fascinating. Ellery Queen and Drury Lane both exercise precise logic that leads to a single conclusion.
Having been written in the early 1930s, the story unintentionally reveals details of everyday life that now seem foreign. A weekly five dollar deposit to a savings account is evidence of frugal behavior. A doorman manipulates a speaking tube. The police awaken a sleepy elevator operator to pilot them up six floors. Longstreet, an early victim, paid bus fares for his ten guests with a dollar bill, and received change. A ten day period in the hospital for an appendix operation is considered a minimal stay. Dictaphones and carbon paper and typewriters are standard. Photographs and fingerprints are not faxed, but transmitted by a telephotographic device.
Mild ethnic slurs pepper the gruff Inspector Thumm's interrogation of witnesses. The medical inspector's dialogue includes liberal use of Ja and Nein and other Germanic words We meet Italians and Irish and Germans and others in New York, but hyphenated Americans had yet to be invented.
A final clue, interesting in itself but not essential for unraveling this mystery, is explained by the final word of the final sentence in the final chapter.』
(Masterpiece) 『I eagerly recommend this book and "The tragedy of Y" to those who want to enter the fascinating world of Queen's detective stories. Unexpected answer, sinuous storyline, interesting personality of protagonists, exact and correct deduction. In every way this is a masterpiece of detective story.』
(The Success of X) 『Probably Queen's greatest book ever written - and that includes GREEK COFFIN.
The plot deals with three murders committed on transport (e.g. trams, ferries and trains), with the murders themselves being peculiarly nasty (the first murder is committed by means of a nicotine-tipped-needle-filled cork ball put into the victim's pocket), including Ellery Queen's first 'dying message' (the second would appear in THE SIAMESE TWIN MYSTERY) - and ingenious.
The solution to the mystery is excellent - despite similarities to both A STUDY IN SCARLET (as someone remarked) and one of the stories from G. K. Chesterton's THE INNOCENCE OF FATHER BROWN, it is ingenious, and has the reader gasping with mingled indignation, shock, and admiration. In other words - a grade of 100%.』
(One of the all time classic detective stories.) 『This book goes into my short list of the very best detective stories ever. It, with "The Greek Coffin Mystery", "Cat of Nine Tails", and "Face to Face", is one of my favorite Queens. The character of Drury Lane, admittedly greater than life, is well delineated, as well as his supporting cast and his ambience. It may not be as well known as the Queen books featuring Ellery Queen because of the major figures that the writer and his famous sleuth are in our beloved genre. But "X" is a fantastic detective story, one of those I am happy to re-read every few years and enjoy all over. You will see several unforgettable scenes, a trial, a denounment scene very similar to the one in "A Study in Scarlet", red herrings, a dying message. And, surrounding it all, an intricately plotted mystery of the very top rank. Do not miss it!』
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Yale University Press
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Queen Anne Not the Dullard Afterall) 『I throughly enjoyed this book by Edward Gregg. It reads well and tells a story of one of England's most misunderstood monarchs. Much of our views about Queen Anne come from that excellent British series "The First Churchills" based mostly on the memoirs of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Churchill shows Queen Anne as dull, easily bullied and indecisive. In fact, as Gregg demonstrates, Anne was engaged in all aspects of British political life. She pursued a balanced policy between Whigs and Tories. Under her reign, Britain emerged as the premier military power in Europe- defeating the Sun Kings' plans to unite the Spanish and French empires into one political unit. The empire expanded to new heights. Importantly, she navigated England through a tumultous time. While stubborn, like most Stuart monarchs, she did not display the arrogance of power that afflicted her father, James II. She appears to me to be somewhere between the pragmatism of Charles II and the implacable Mary II. Handel has written a wonderful ode about Anne "The day that gave great Anna birth, Who fix'd a lasting peace on earth." Gregg has done a wonderful job in reminding us that Queen Anne deserves better recognition as one of England's great monarchs.』
(Excellent review of the turmoil of the Late Stuart period) 『During Queen Anne's reign Britain consolidated its position as a first rank European power. Prior to that England had been the doughty underdog, who somehow survived to trade another day, its politics plagued with factions and bloody divisions. During Anne's reign the divisions persisted, but was worked out with less bloody consequences.
Professor Gregg's was allowed access to the large volume of correspondence between Anne and her one time close friend Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough were the power couple of the period. The Duke won great military victories for Britain on the continent and the Duchess was very influential in the early years of Queen Annes' rule. So the correspondence is very revealing of the twists and turns of the political process. Anne could only rule through parliament, and being childless (despite sixteen pregnancies!) was susceptible to pressure as to who should succeed her. Her father, James II, a Catholic, had been deposed and was living in exile in France, where he had the support of Louis XIV. The next nearest Protestant relative was George Augustus of Hannover, a rather dour, provincial potentate. Through the later years of her reign, Anne struggled with parliament to establish her own authority, limit the power of Louis XIV in Europe, secure the Protestant succession and simultaneously deter the George Augustus from coming to Britain while she lived - this last was necessary to stop a rival power structure emerging. This was done against the backdrop of increasing expensive military campaigns and a country which was sentimentally attached to the Stuarts and neutral about the Hannovarians. The struggles within parliament and between parliament and the court are well described by Professor Gregg, who is especially good at describing the rather-stoic Anne's stuggle to establish her authority. The early letters to the Duchess of Marlborough are unusually revealing of her struggle to assert herself.
If the book has a weakness it is the over-reliance on these letters. The friendship between Anne and Sarah soured considerably, as Anne took more and more decisions which contradicted Sarah's advice. Eventually Anne turned to a number of other advisors, however correspondence with these others is much more limited, while Sarah continued to inundated Anne with increasingly shrill correspondence. Gregg, in the absence of other documentation, quotes heavily from later correspondence between the women, even though the relevance to contemporary events diminishes.
Overall the book is an excellent, personalized description of Annes times and life. By being so focussed on the monarch it gives an insight into the connections between families in the fight for preferment - several examples exist of proximity to royalty translating into high office; the father of James II's `low born' wife became the Earl of Clarendon, and Anne spent most of her reign ignoring and avoiding him. In this way it is possible to trace and understand the patterns of patronage and influence which make English history seem so impenetrable.
I highly recommend this book』
『The reign of Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch, was a period of significant progress for the country: Britain became a major military power on land, the union of England and Scotland created a united kingdom of Great Britain, and the economic and political basis for the Golden Age of the eighteenth century was established. However, the queen herself has received little credit for these achievements and has long been pictured as a weak and ineffectual monarch dominated by her advisers. This landmark biography of Queen Anne shatters that image and establishes her as a personality of integrity and invincible stubbornness, the central figure of her age.』
Kakaku：3999 saved$39.99
ABDOTC Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours 『In this wonderfully majestic collection of illustrations, you will find the works of four incredible female artists from around the world. Nox and Maggi from Korea, Saskia from Germany and Loish from the Netherlands share their gorgeous images with you. The works contained span a range of painting styles, emotions and themes that is simply stunning. Discover new worlds through these women s imaginations.』
Kakaku：439 saved$4.39
Everyman Chess
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (For the dedicated chess player's personal reference shelf) 『Queen's Indian Defence, written by Denmark chess expert and International Master Jacob Aagaard, is an extensive and informative study of a specific chess-playing strategy, one which is often used by the Black side against queen's pawn openings. Most of Queen's Indian Defence is devoted to diagrams and extensive lists of game moves, with commentaries on the wisdom or lack thereof of various possibilities. A superb resource for advanced chess players, Queen's Indian Defence is an especially recommended addition to any dedicated chess player's personal reference shelf for its technical detail and focus on excerpts from sample games.』 『The Queen’s Indian Defence is one of Black’s toughest and most respectable choices against queen’s pawn openings and is a favorite among world class players such as Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Michael Adams, and Judit Polgar. From the outset Black uses the dynamic principle of controlling the centerwith pieces rather than pawns, and this can lead to rich and complicated chess. The Queen’s Indian is a multi-dimensional opening which appeals to aggressive and positional players alike. In this book, openings expert Jacob Aagaard delves into the many positional and tactical ideas available forboth White and Black. Using illustrative games, Aagaard guides the reader through both the fashionable main lines and the tricky offbeat variations.
*Up-to-date coverage of one of Black’s most important defences *Strategies and tactics revealed for both sides *Written by a renowned openings theoretician 』
Kakaku：920 saved$9.20
Wiley-Blackwell
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Esoteric Commentary about Other Manuscripts) 『I love history, especially stories of great movers and shakers, men or women. I read many scholarly books and historical novels. I really looked forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, it's NOT about Emma or Edith at all. It's an esoteric commentary about various versions of manuscripts written in the 11th Century and copied later which happened to mention Emma and Edith. It gave detailed comparison of each version of the manuscripts and compared the various perspectives of each author and their political agenda. It had little to do with Emma or Edith. It's like reading a book titled "Eleanor Roosevelt" but it's actually about all the books written about Eleanor Roosevelt which compared the virtues of these books but said very little about Eleanor Roosevelt herself or her life. Very Disappointing indeed!』
(Very good study of two important but overlooked figures) 『Even though women as rulers weren't part of either the Anglo-Saxon or Norman traditions, two English women in particular changed things. Neither was a sovereign ruler but both had personalities of strength and authority. Emma (Ælfgifu after her marriage), sister of Duke Richard II of Normandy (though she carried a Frankish birth-name), was the queen first of Æthelred "the Redeless," Saxon King of England, and then of Canute, the Danish conqueror of the island. Edith, daughter of Godwine, Earl of Wessex, furthered her family's dynastic ambitions by becoming the queen of King Edward the Confessor, and thereby Emma's daughter-in-law. But this volume is considerably more than a dual biography, and more even than the "gender study" it intends to be. It delves deeply into the dynastic power structures of 11th century ruling families and the nature of royal patronage which helped keep rulers in power. The prosopographical appendix and the extensive bibliography also are excellent.』
(Superb!) 『Hats off to Pauline Stafford for even attempting such a book as this one! Both Queen Emma and Queen Edith lived in a world so long past, so shadowy to us now, that it is indeed an undertaking to explore their lives! I would love to see more of the same type of work. For those of you intrigued by these women, there are some works of fiction out there that you may enjoy: Gildenford&The Norman Pretender by Valerie Anand; A Hollow Crown by Hellen Hollick; and Lord of Sunset by Godwin Parke.』
(Great for the initiated!) 『Like the other reviewer implied, don't buy this book if you just want a quick peek into the lives of 2 English queens. This book is more appropriate for people well-acquainted with the subject matter. The book is really well-written and will be a great source for history students for years to come.』
(Not for the general reader) 『This is a wonderful study but a bit disjointed in the prose style and in the categories of analysis Stafford chose. It's less biographical and narrative than would be appropriate for those simply curious about the two women in question and presumes a lot of bacground knowledge about the period.』 『Through detailed study of these women the author demonstrates the integral place of royal queens in the rule of the English kingdom and in the process of unification by which England was made.』
Kakaku：699 saved$6.99
Bantam
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Starts strong but runs out of steam) 『The author deserves kudos for creating a main character who is not the usual ex-Special Forces guy with a broken heart/shady past. He also has a good ear for British English; there are however way too many scenes of people standing around desks glaring at each other. And the last third of the book devolves into a Clancyesque shoot-em-up against impossible odds. Without giving anything away, Chace's exploits while in Cairo are particularly preposterous.』
(No gentlemen in these games.) 『Because "A Gentleman's Game," Greg Rucka's sarcastically titled spy thriller, begins with an attack on the London transit system, maybe you'll think he's exploiting a tragic event. Not at all. He was prescient. The book predates the attack.
Anyhow, after the attack the British decide to get even, and send their top assassin, Tara Chace, aka "Minder One," into Yemen to take out the mastermind. She does, but also eliminates a Saudi Prince. Upon her return to London, she discovers that the Brits have decided to sell her out to the Saudis for trial and execution so that the Saudis will, in turn, take out a terrorist training camp.
Chace, with the aid of her boss and the other two assassins in her department, escapes, and then things start to get interesting.
The author's efficient prose will keep you reading along. He has a knack for characterization, too. Apparently "Queen and Country" started as a graphic novel, but his characters are far from cartoons. That impressed me majorly. He brings to life not only Tara but also her Muslim enemies, her Israeli friends, and her British colleagues, some of whom aren't sure which they are. And don't be surprised if you read the last 40 pages without managing to take a breath. Then you'll be ready for the sequel, "Private Wars."
Notes and Asides: Yes! I agree with the reviewer who suggests Kate Beckinsale play Tara in a movie version.』
(Move over James Bond and make room for Tara Chase!!!) 『Better known for his "Atticus Kodiak" novels, Greg Rucka has started a new series about Tara Chase, a female British Secret Service agent, known as a "Minder" in the trade world of spy craft. Chase is just as tough and sexual as James Bond, but much more realistic with flaws that show up under extreme stress, not mention backstabbing by the British bureaucrats.
The first book in this new series is A Gentleman's Game and has Tara Chase still recovering from lost of an old friend and lover. When a terrorist attack on the London underground train system results in the deaths of over three hundred people, the British government decides to strike back in retaliation at the Moslems who planned this death and destruction. Chase is sent in to Yemen to assassinate the spiritual leader (Dr. Faud) of the Moslem terrorist group who instigated the attack. Faud's meeting with one of the main terrorist leaders, plus a Saudi prince, who funds many of the terrorist attacks. Chase is also working with the Israeli Mossad as a favor and has agreed to take out the two main people, if the opportunity presents itself. The mission proves to be a success from the British point of view, but to complete it, Chase had to kill Dr. Faud and the Saudi prince when they were praying in a Moslem mosque. The outrage from Saudi Arabia is intense and turns into a political embarrassment for the British government. To appease the Saudis, the British agree to turn over Chase to them so that she can be tried and executed. Chase's boss, Paul Crocker, has a bloody fit at what his government is doing and decides to save Chase by ordering her run. This leads her to Israel and the chance to win back the favor of the British government by killing the Moslem terrorist who escaped during the first mission and by taking out a camp of eighty Moslem terrorists. Chase turns to the first person she trusts, Tom Wallace, and together they attempt to do the impossible.
Though I sometimes got confused with all the long Moslem names, A Gentleman's Game had razor-sharp suspense and crackling action that held me to the end with utter fascination. When Chase is thrown to the wolves by her own government, you feel her hurt and sense of betrayal, and then you loudly clap your hands with glee when her boss and the other agents in her department assist her in getting out of London. Tara Chase also proves to be a most interesting character that instantly demands your complete attention. She loves to drink, to have sex, and to be on the high wire of a mission. She reminded me somewhat of Adam Hall's British secret agent, Quiller. I liked her and was rooting for her throughout the book In fact, I enjoyed the novel so much that I immediately started its sequel, Private Wars, right after I finished it and read another hundred pages in just a few short hours. This is a very compelling series that is sure to bring its author, Greg Rucka, more of the fame he so richly deserves. It would also make a great movie with Kate Beckingsale as Tara Chase. For those of you who are "Atticus Kodiak" fans, prepare yourselves for the newest novel in the series, Patriot Acts, which comes out in August. All in all, a splendid read that had me wanting more! 』
(Vivid action scenes with subtle, well-done characterization) 『I've read a couple of "Queen&Country" graphic novels, and I thought the art let them down. That problem's not an issue here. Rucka writes vivid action scenes and peppers the book with subtle, well-done characterization. He knows how to make pages of conversation interesting and does a great job of disguising infodumps so the reader doesn't have to suffer through encyclopedic exposition. He manages to condense the first "Queen&Country" graphic novel into just a few pages. And there are some great plot twists. In all, an excellent read.
I should mention that Rucka's written some excellent comics over the years (particularly White Out). I'll be reevaluating the "Queen&Country" series as well as checking out some of his other work soon.』
(Excellent) 『Rucka is approaching the quality of the top political/espionage thriller writers like LeCarre, Ambler and Ross Thomas with this novel, which I prefer to his follow-up novel. His view of modern politics and espionage is more realistic than anything Ian Fleming wrote, even though Fleming's writing is way better than the Bond movies (except for the most current one). While still a bit "politically correct"/ moralistic in the underlying sentiment, the novel is showing a very possible reality of modern politics and politicians with excellent knowledge of technical aspects and weaponry as well - without the author boring the reader with too many technical details about weapons.』 『Tara Chace may be the most dangerous woman alive. She can seduce you into believing she’s the woman of your dreams—or kill you with the icy efficiency of an executioner. As the new head of Special Operations for British Intelligence, she no longer has to court death in the field—she wants to.
Throw away the old rules, the old school, the old-boy network. The world of international espionage is about to learn the hard way that spying is no longer merely… A Gentleman's Game Greg Rucka’s electrifying thrillers have pushed the boundaries of suspense fiction to where few have dared to go. Now, inA Gentleman’s Game, one of the genre’s most fearless writers brings readers of international espionage his most fearless heroine yet: a no-holds-barred woman who’s as lethal as an assassin’s bullet.
When an unthinkable act of terror devastates London, nothing will stop Tara Chace from hunting down those responsible. Her job is simple: stop the terrorists before they strike a second time. To succeed, she’ll do anything and everything it takes. She’ll have to kill again.
Only this time the personal stakes will be higher than ever before. For the terrorist counterstrike will require that Tara allow herself to be used as bait by the government she serves. This time she’s turning her very life into a weapon that can be used only once. But as she and her former mentor race toward destiny at a remote terrorist training camp in Saudi Arabia, Tara begins to question just who’s pulling the trigger—and who’s the real enemy. In this new kind of war, betrayal cantake any form...including one’s duty to queen and country.
Based on the graphic novel series that won the coveted Eisner Award,A Gentleman’s Gameis an electrifyingly realistic, headline-stealing thriller with an unforgettable protagonist—one who redefines every rule she doesn’t shatter.』
大満足！北国のホタテ・いくら・ボタンエビがぎっしり！
