(5) = Best; (4) = Better; (3) = Good; (2) = Fair; (1) = OK
These abstracts serve as reminders to myself; they serve to "jog" my memory on what a book was all about. That's all. This is not a literary critique, not a social commentary, and certainly nothing profound to warrant further discussion.
(5) = means that I really enjoyed this book; (1) = means I finished reading it but wonder if my time could have been better spent elsewhere.
This is a departure from the Stone Barrington novels of Stuart Woods. The setting takes place in the early 30s and people like Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Carol Lombard, David Niven - famous actors in that era - are given “brief appearances” to embellish the story as our hero finds himself hired on as Director of Security for a major Hollywood movie studio - Centurion Pictures.
The hero is Rick Barron, a detective who was demoted by an incompetent boss in the police department of L.A. He manages to rescue Clete Barrow, a famous alcoholic movie actor in an auto accident and learns later that Ed Harris, Centurion’s 2nd in command, risks losing enormous sums if the actor misses a day’s work. Harris is grateful and asks if Barron is willing to make sure that Clete gets to work on time and remain sober until the shooting is complete. His title would be Director of Security. A major responsibility would be to protect the studio from bad news and to protect the actors and actresses from harm.
And the adventure begins.
Rick learns very early that his predecessor had committed suicide which included the killing of his wife. In clearing out his predecessor’s office Rick finds a safe but no one seems to know the combination, so he hires a professional safe cracker and finds $25,000 in cash and pornographic photos of two couples in compromising positions. It was obvious they were not aware they were being photographed. Rick does not disclose his findings to anyone, and eventually learns who the people are. He concludes there must be a relationship between the homicide/suicide, the photos and the money. Who was blackmailing whom? And, what did all that money represent?
Rick and Clete Barrows become good friends in the ensuing weeks. They’d eat breakfast, lunch and dinners together and went to all of Clete’s social functions in Hollywood. In a way Rick was Clete’s “baby sitter.” He didn’t mind that - not for all the perquisites and money that came along with this job. All he had to do was make sure Clete remained sober which was no small task.
Subplots added suspense as Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano and other crime synodicates sought to control the movie studios in Hollywood. Rick manages to solve the mystery of the homiicide/suicide of his predecessor and in the process meets a lovely actress who needed his help desperately. (4).
This is another Stone Barrington novel. Actually, the story centers around Holly Barker, the Orchid Beach, Florida Police Chief whom Barrington had met a long time ago (in a previous novel). She is on the hunt for a killer in Florida who had excaped and is hiding in NYC. The plot gets thick as Holly learns that this killer had agreed to be a key witness for the FBI and in exchange – for some unknown crazy reason – they had promised him freedom in the Witness Protection Program. This boggles Holly’s mind, so she is determined to catch this killer and bring him to justice regardless of what the FBI had intended. Of course, the killer kills a few of his FBI “protectors” who were guarding him and manages to go berserk on another killing spree.
Barrington is dragged along on this hunt; manages to make love to Holly, or better yet, she “seduces” him along the way. The story takes the couple across the United States in their hunt, manages to involve police departments in several cities, includes a Mafiosa Chief who does Barrington a favor and, of course, includes Dino - Barrington’s favorite NYPD Lieutenant who goes out of his way to help in the hunt. (3)
There are few books as exciting, intriguing and helpful as this. The importance of hormonal balance in one.s body is influenced by Eichosanoids. The author.s point of view on food and what we eat is fascinating He says the most powerful drug in the world is FOOD! If you read the first 64 pages of this book you will understand…and not be bored, and will want to read more. It is enlightening.
From the book jacket: .The Zone provides all you need to begin your journey towards permanent fat loss, great health and all-around peak performance. In balance, your body will not only burn fat, but you.ll fight heart disease, diabetes, PMS, chronic fatigue, depression and cancer, as well as alleviate the painful symptoms of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and HIV..
Here are a few excerpts to .whet your appetite.
“What is a Zone-favorable diet? It.s a diet in which the balance of macronutrients . protein, carbohydrate, and fat . is tightly controlled: every meal, every snack, every day.”
“Dietary fat is the only source of the essential fatty acids that are the chemical building blocks for eicosanoids. The balance of protein and carbohydrate controls the insulin-glucagon axis, which in turn determines whether the eicosanoids your body makes are .good. or .bad..
“Whether you know it or not, you play the eicosanoid game every four to six hours, everyday of your life. The better you play the game, the better the results, and the more likely you.ll reach the Zone.”
.What.s the wrong diet? The standard high-carbohydrate diet. To understand why this is true, you have to understand the relationships between food, exercise, and energy. And you have to understand what the hormonal effects of exercise actually are..
This should be enough to arouse your curiosity. I give it a .5. plus rating!
Powered by WordPress