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HE IS ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTING CHARACTERS
IN ALL OF LITERATURE.

AT LAST THE EVOLUTION OF HIS EVIL
IS REVEALED.

Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck.

He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him.

Hannibal’s uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle’s beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki.

Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal. With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France.

But Hannibal’s demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn.

He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in that epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes death’s prodigy.

• Sales Rank: #48603 in Books
• Brand: Dell
• Published on: 2007-05-29
• Released on: 2007-05-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 6.90" h x 1.00" w x 4.20" l, .46 pounds
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• Great product!

Amazon.com Review
Discover the origins of one of the most feared villains of all time in Thomas Harris's Hannibal Rising, a novel that promises to reveal the "evolution of Hannibal Lecter's evil." Thomas Harris first introduced readers to Hannibal Lecter in Red Dragon, a tale wrapped around FBI agent Will Graham (the man who hunted Lecter down) and his ability to "get inside the mind of the killer." Graham consults Dr. Lecter (the man who nearly killed him) on the case, and the legend of the nefarious Dr. Lecter was born. Harris's masterful and mesmerizing follow up, The Silence of the Lambs wowed fans, but it was Jonathan Demme's terrifying, Oscar-winning (Best Actor, Actress, Director, Picture and Adapted Screenplay) film, and Anthony Hopkins's extraordinary (and arguably over the top) performance that made "Hannibal the Cannibal" a household name. Hannibal, the third book in the Lecter saga made Lecter the prey and seemingly wrapped up the tale of the cannibalistic psychiatrist, but never revealed the source of the doctor's...gifts. Fans have been waiting decades to find out how the good doctor became "death's prodigy," making Hannibal Rising one of the most anticipated books of 2006 (and movies of 2007). --Daphne Durham

Hannibal Rising: An Excerpt

Prologue

The door to Dr. Hannibal Lecter's memory palace is in the darkness at the center of his mind and it has a latch that can be found by touch alone. This curious portal opens on immense and well-lit spaces, early baroque, and corridors and chambers rivaling in number those of the Topkapi Museum.

Everywhere there are exhibits, well-spaced and lighted, each keyed to memories that lead to other memories in geometric progression.

Spaces devoted to Hannibal Lecter's earliest years differ from the other archives in being incomplete. Some are static scenes, fragmentary, like painted Attic shards held together by blank plaster. Other rooms hold sound and motion, great snakes wrestling and heaving in the dark and lit in flashes. Pleas and screaming fill some places on the grounds where Hannibal himself cannot go. But the corridors do not echo screaming, and there is music if you like.

The palace is a construction begun early in Hannibal's student life. In his years of confinement he improved and enlarged his palace, and its riches sustained him for long periods while warders denied him his books.

Here in the hot darkness of his mind, let us feel together for the latch. Finding it, let us elect for music in the corridors and, looking neither left nor right, go to the Hall of the Beginning where the displays are most fragmentary.

We will add to them what we have learned elsewhere, in war records and police records, from interviews and forensics and the mute postures of the dead. Robert Lecter's letters, recently unearthed, may help us establish the vital statistics of Hannibal, who altered dates freely to confound the authorities and his chroniclers. By our efforts we may watch as the beast within turns from the teat and, working upwind, enters the world.


Chapter 6

Lothar heard it first as he drew water, the roar of an engine in low gear and cracking of branches. He left the bucket on the well and in his haste he came into the lodge without wiping his feet.

A Soviet tank, a T-34 in winter camouflage of snow and straw, crashed up the horse trail and into the clearing. Painted on the turret in Russian were AVENGE OUR SOVIET GIRLS and WIPE OUT THE FASCIST VERMIN. Two soldiers in white rode on the back over the radiators. The turret swiveled to point the tank's cannon at the house. A hatch opened and a gunner in hooded winter white stood behind a machine gun. The tank commander stood in the other hatch with a megaphone. He repeated his message in Russian and in German, barking over the diesel clatter of the tank engine.

"We want water, we will not harm you or take your food unless a shot comes from the house. If we are fired on, every one of you will die. Now come outside. Gunner, lock and load. If you do not see faces by the count of ten, fire." A loud clack as the machine gun's bolt went back.

Count Lecter stepped outside, standing straight in the sunshine, his hands visible. "Take the water. We are no harm to you."

The tank commander put his megaphone aside. "Everyone outside where I can see you."

The count and the tank commander looked at each other for a long moment. The tank commander showed his palms.

The count showed his palms. The count turned to the house. "Come."

When the commander saw the family he said, "The children can stay inside where it's warm."

And to his gunner and crew, "Cover them. Watch the upstairs windows. Start the pump. You can smoke."

The machine gunner pushed up his goggles and lit a cigarette. He was no more than a boy, the skin of his face paler around his eyes. He saw Mischa peeping around the door facing and smiled at her.

Among the fuel and water drums lashed to the tank was a small petrol-powered pump with a rope starter.

The tank driver snaked a hose with a screen filter down the well and after many pulls on the rope the pump clattered, squealed, and primed itself.

The noise covered the scream of the Stuka dive bomber until it was almost on them, the tank's gunner swiveling his muzzle around, cranking hard to elevate his gun, firing as the airplane's winking cannon stitched the ground. Rounds screamed off the tank, the gunner hit, still firing with his remaining arm.

The Stuka's windscreen starred with fractures, the pilot's goggles filled with blood and the dive bomber, still carrying one of its eggs, hit treetops, plowed into the garden and its fuel exploded, cannon under the wings still firing after the impact. Hannibal, on the floor of the lodge, Mischa partly under him, saw his mother lying in the yard, bloody and her dress on fire.

"Stay here!" to Mischa and he ran to his mother, ammunition in the airplane cooking off now, slow and then faster, casings flying backward striking the snow, flames licking around the remaining bomb beneath the wing. The pilot sat in the cockpit, dead, his face burned to a death's head in flaming scarf and helmet, his gunner dead behind him.

Lothar alone survived in the yard and he raised a bloody arm to the boy. Then Mischa ran to her mother, out into the yard and Lothar tried to reach her and pull her down as she passed, but a cannon round from the flaming plane slammed through him, blood spattering the baby and Mischa raised her arms and screamed into the sky. Hannibal heaped snow onto the fire in his mother's clothes, stood up and ran to Mischa amid the random shots and carried her into the lodge, into the cellar. The shots outside slowed and stopped as bullets melted in the breeches of the cannon. The sky darkened and snow came again, hissing on the hot metal.

Darkness, and snow again. Hannibal among the corpses, how much later he did not know, snow drifting down to dust his mother's eyelashes and her hair. She was the only corpse not blackened and crisped. Hannibal tugged at her, but her body was frozen to the ground. He pressed his face against her. Her bosom was frozen hard, her heart silent. He put a napkin over her face and piled snow on her. Dark shapes moved at the edge of the woods. His torch reflected on wolves' eyes. He shouted at them and waved a shovel. Mischa was determined to come out to her mother—he had to choose. He took Mischa back inside and left the dead to the dark.

Mr. Jakov's book was undamaged beside his blackened hand until a wolf ate the leather cover and amid the scattered pages of Huyghens' Treatise on Light licked Mr. Jakov's brains off the snow. Hannibal and Mischa heard snuffling and growling outside. Hannibal built up the fire. To cover the noise he tried to get Mischa to sing; he sang to her. She clutched his coat in her fists.

"Ein Mannlein . . ."

Snowflakes on the windows. In the corner of a pane, a dark circle appeared, made by the tip of a glove. In the dark circle a pale blue eye.

Excerpted from HANNIBAL RISING by Thomas Harris Copyright © 2006 byThomas Harris.
The Hannibal Lecter Books
Red Dragon
The Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal

The Hannibal Lecter DVDs
Manhunter
Red Dragon
The Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal

From Publishers Weekly
Twenty-five years after Hannibal Lecter, a cross between Professor Moriarty and Jack the Ripper, first invaded the imaginations of countless readers worldwide in Red Dragon, bestseller Harris has crafted an unmemorable prequel that's intended to explain the origins of Lecter's evil. Fans of Harris's previous Lecter novel, Hannibal (1999), already know the major trauma that transformed the young Lecter-the murder of his beloved younger sister, Mischa, during WWII-which the author describes in more grisly detail. Lecter also has an unusual love interest, his uncle's Japanese wife, Lady Murasaki, but the bulk of the narrative focuses on Lecter's quest for revenge on those he holds responsible for Mischa's death. Unfortunately, the prose and plotting lack the suspenseful power of Red Dragon or The Silence of the Lambs, and will leave many feeling that with such a masterful monster as Lecter, less is more.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
“There are images of morbid beauty here.... Harris' handling of the wartime violence is also impressive, as swift and vicious as the blitzkrieg itself.”—Los Angeles Times
“Gripping detail.... [Harris] moves the story along at an impressively fast clip.”—Boston Globe

Most helpful customer reviews

85 of 91 people found the following review helpful.
A bit different than his previous work, but good nonetheless
By C.J. Vincent
First of all, if you are expecting yet another Red Dragon, Silence or Hannibal, this isn't quite it, nor was it intended to be. It's mostly the story of an 8-18 year old boy in Lithuania/France during the brutal Eastern Front and its aftermath in WWII. There are plenty of linkages as the character that is Hannibal is connected to the one we know from reading the previous three works (obviously, he turns into that guy), but he surely doesn't start out that way. I feel the need to defend this against the other reviews on this site, because it appears people had the wrong expectations regarding what this work was going to be. Don't let it stop you from buying and enjoying Harris' mind, because there are definitely flashes of Dragon/Silence here, but only that. This book is more about the semi-plotted revenge of a bright artistic teenager and his final revelation. The death of one and the beginning of another. One more thing, if you thought Hannibal wasn't a good book, then stop reading Harris altogether and don't bother reading this one. Keep my review in perspective, because I thought Hannibal was 5 stars and one of the most entertaining books I have ever read and the ending was brilliant, not stupid, because it is the last thing you would have expected. Harris isn't for the "happy ever after" crowd by any means. The ending of Hannibal is even better after you read this book. This one is for true Harris lovers, others need not apply, nor should you listen to them.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful.
Not a great read, but certainly a fun one
By Tom Benton
As a longtime fan of Thomas Harris' novels featuring Hannibal Lecter, I was very excited to read HANNIBAL RISING. The premise intrigued me: I'm one of those people who loves the recent slew of prequels, and the idea of learning the ghastly origins of Hannibal Lecter sounded simply delectable to me. [...] HANNIBAL RISING is not the equivalent of RED DRAGON or THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - perhaps not even of HANNIBAL, for that matter. But I disagree with those many who have simply dismissed HANNIBAL RISING as "crap". True, it's not a great read, but it is certainly a fun one.

The book opens during Hitler's "Blitzkrieg" operation during World War II, when Axis troops spread across Europe and placed the majority of it under Nazi control. The Lecter family, which consists of the cultured Count and Countess as well as their talented son Hannibal and his little sister, Mischa, flees to their cabin in the woods of Poland to escape from the invading SS. Of course, things go to hell when a fighter plane crashes into the cabin, burning Hannibal's parents and leaving he and his sister to fend for themselves. Then a band of starving Russian thieves come across the cabin, and with nothing left to eat, they turn to Hannibal and his sister ...

The rest of the book deals with Hannibal as a disturbed teenager trying to deal with the pain over the loss with his sister when he is taken in by his uncle Robert and his dazzling wife, Lady Muraski, and subsequently his life as a young medical student in Paris, where he finally begins planning his revenge on the fiends who murdered his sister.

HANNIBAL RISING has nothing - NOTHING - in common with any of the previous Hannibal Lecter books. The character of Hannibal still retains his wit and remains fascinating, but is a little more reckless and humane than his older self, though he's still just as delightfully brilliant as ever. One of the problems with HANNIBAL RISING is that it feels rushed - and not without reason: Thomas Harris wrote and sold the screenplay for the film before he wrote the novel. That's a pity, because at times it feels like Harris is telling the story simply to wow audiences and grab some more cash, rather than because he has a story to tell. The action is fast, but the sentences are simple and almost completely devoid of the eloquence found in HANNIBAL and its predecessors. Much of the narrative reads more like a movie script than a novel, and there are some attempts at artistry that wind up reading more like grammatical errors.

Then there's the questions one would expect the origin story of Hannibal Lecter to clear up. Questions like, "Why does he eat people?" and "How did Hannibal become so sophisticated a killer?" are left unanswered. We get a sumptuous look at Hannibal's youth, but it seems a little far-fetched at times. Perhaps only am I bothered by this, as I was expecting a novel that encompassed most of Hannibal's life up until RED DRAGON. Still, at the end of HANNIBAL RISING we are left with a greater sense of who Hannibal Lecter is, even if we don't finish with the satisfaction one would wish for from an examination of Hannibal's dark beginnings.

And so the question one must ask oneself is "To read or not to read"? In my opinion, to read. HANNIBAL RISING may not be the masterpiece that THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS or RED DRAGON was, it may not have the intricacy and simple satisfaction proved by HANNIBAL, but if you can accept it for what it is, a horrific tale of grisly vengeance, then you won't regret it. On the other hand, those expecting to see a linear path from the innocent boy Hannibal Lecter to the horrific adult Hannibal Lecter may be left confused and enraged. I personally don't feel as though I've a bone to pick with Thomas Harris (sorry, I couldn't resist), but others may. The only way to know what lies in the darkness is to venture into it, and many will enjoy what they find in the darkness of HANNIBAL RISING.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Really didn't care for this book, Hannibal is portrayed ...
By David Peters
Really didn't care for this book, Hannibal is portrayed as some kind of action-hero über-Mensch who eventually saves the damsel in distress in an action sequence designed for Hollywood. No interesting character development or even any a lot of insight into why Hannibal keeps on murdering.

See all 511 customer reviews...

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Once in a great while there comes a novel of such emotional impact and acute insight that it forever changes the way a reader sees a nation or an era. Writing with an unerring sense of suspense and of history experienced firsthand, James Webb takes us on a myth-shattering cultural odyssey deep into the heart of contemporary Vietnam, with a riveting thriller that tells a love story — love for those who perished, for family and friends, and between a soldier and the land where he had always been ready to die.

Brandon Condley survived five years of combat as a U.S. Marine only to lose the woman he loved to an enemy assassin. Now he is back in Vietnam, working to recover the remains of unknown American soldiers. On a routine mission, Condley finds a body that doesn’t match its dog tags — a body that propels him into a vortex of violence and intrigue where past and present become one.

As the mystery of the dead man unravels, a link is revealed to two well-known killers: “Salt and Pepper,” a pair of treasonous Americans who led a deadly Viet Cong ambush against Condley’s own men. Galvanized by a fresh trail to these long-lost deserters, Condley has finally found a purpose: Under the auspices of his government job, he is going to hunt down the traitors. On his own, he is going to kill them.

Condley’s hunt cannot be kept secret from his former enemies, or his friends. And in the shadows that linger from Vietnam’s long season of darkness and terror, he has no way of knowing which side is more dangerous.

Surrounding him is an unforgettable cast of characters: Dzung, Condley’s closest friend, a South Vietnamese war hero who might have led his country if his side had won the war, now reduced to driving a cyclo as his family starves in Saigon’s District Four. Colonel Pham, a battle-hardened Viet Cong soldier who lost three children to American bombs. Manh, a cutthroat Interior Ministry official who blackmails Dzung into a mission of murder. The Russian soldier Anatolie Petrushinsky, who left his soul in Vietnam as his empire collapsed around him. And the beautiful Van, Colonel Pham’s daughter, who spurns the scars of war as she pursues her dreams of freedom.

As Condley stalks his elusive prey across old battlefields and throughout Eurasia, returning always to the brooding streets of Saigon, his mission — and the odds of his surviving it — grow more precarious with each step he takes toward the truth.

Lost Soldiers captures the Vietnam of past and present — its beauty and squalor, its politics and people. Propelled by a page-turning mystery, shot through with adventure and intrigue, it irrevocably transforms our view of that haunted land and brings us as complete an understanding as we will ever have of what happened after the war — and why. No writer today is more qualified to take us into that world than James Webb.


From the Hardcover edition.

• Sales Rank: #762453 in Books
• Brand: Dell
• Published on: 2002-08-27
• Released on: 2002-08-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 6.87" h x .95" w x 4.20" l, .49 pounds
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 446 pages

Features

• Great product!

From Publishers Weekly
Webb's cultural and political portrayal of Vietnam 25 years after the war's end is delivered with such bold strokes and magical detail that it really doesn't matter that the plot itself is relegated to the backseat. This is a highly personal and empathetic look at today's Vietnam, a land of misery and inequity, yet one still vibrantly alive. The story follows the experiences of Brandon Condley, an ex-Marine whose job it is to find missing American soldiers, dead or alive. Condley is trying to track down Theodore Deville, an army grunt who not only deserted his unit in 1969 and killed a fellow serviceman, but then joined the ranks of the enemy. Condley is convinced Deville is still alive, operating somewhere in southeast Asia's underground economy. Webb introduces a rich cast of supporting characters as Condley pursues his quarry across Vietnam, Australia, the former Soviet Union and Thailand. Among the most delicately etched is Dzung, a former South Vietnamese officer now relegated, like thousands of others on the losing side, to a menial station in life, one that he and his family have no hope of escaping. Such characters, as well as the highly textured mood and atmosphere that Webb creates, tend to further eclipse the main narrative and shift the focus to the moral consequences and social fallout of the war. This detailed, lovingly drawn portrait of Vietnam reveals a sad, tortured country that has never recovered from the horrifying events of a quarter-century ago. Major print and radio advertising. (Sept. 4)Forecast: Webb (Fields of Fire) is no stranger to the bestseller lists; endorsements from heavy hitters like Sen. John McCain will help put him there once again.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Some of the memories were horrible. A few of them were good. But all of them had meaning. Thus begins a gripping tale of mystery and intrigue set in present-day Vietnam. The center of this fine novel is the search for two army deserters who led U.S. troops into ambush and then hid in North Vietnam after the hostilities ceased. Like the best of such tales, however, the novel offers more than the resolution of a mystery: it also tells a poignant story of a love that might have been and of friendship across partisan lines and is rich with the sounds and smells of its foreign setting. Former Secretary of the Navy and Assistant Secretary of Defense Webb (also the author of the best-selling Fields of Fire and other novels) has used his familiarity with the Far East to evoke the tangled net of loyalties and enmities bequeathed to a troubled country by a savage history of conflict. This exceptionally well-written book tells a gripping tale; enthusiastically recommended.
-David Keymer, Zayed Univ., Dubai
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
At the end of the Vietnam War, the victors threw a bamboo curtain around South Vietnam. It remained essentially closed to the rest of the world for 15 years while government, society, and culture were recast--and those who fought on the losing side were "reeducated." In Webb's sixth novel, the reopening of Vietnam allows Brandon Condley to return to the steamy, impoverished, maddeningly contradictory country he came to love while a Marine officer. He now works as a liaison between the Vietnamese government and the U.S. agency attempting to recover and identify the remains of MIAs. A body unearthed in a tiny highland village puts Condley on the 34yearold trail of a deserter who led a deadly ambush of his platoon. Finding and killing that traitor becomes Condley's reason for being. This gripping tale is a page-turner, but it is also much more: a compelling, insightful, and beautiful portrait of a fascinating place, as well as a moving saga of revenge, love, loyalty, honor, and, ultimately, redemption. Despite its tragic themes, the novel is an affirmation of life. Thomas Gaughan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Most helpful customer reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful.
WOW, a masterpiece, all the earmarks of a "Best Seller"
By Joseph
WOW - what book did "Anchorage, AK" read? After finishing this book, I could not wait to way in with my thoughts.
I first became a James Webb fan with "Fields of Fire". I am not of his generation but I knew instantly that I was hooked on this writer as I finished that book and was left with a real sense of loss. His vivid details of the war and the culture of Viet Nam captured me and left me with a desire to learn more.
He has again captured me with "Lost Soldiers" as I felt like I have picked up 40 years later with the Viet Namese culture, with out missing a beat. My urge to learn was more than satisfied. I felt as though I was in Viet Nam with Brandon Condley. I felt the sadness and loneliness of the limited life of his cyclo driver, Dzung. The political manuverings of all the chess pieces (characters) was riveting and you know that all this was written with a great deal of accuracy. The plot is fresh and the insight into the history and culture of Viet Nam made Condley leap off the pages as he introduces you to unforgettable characters. How can you not feel for Condley and his sense of love for Viet Nam? I could vividly see Van, Colonel Pham's daughter. A beautiful women who can taste her freedom but is torn by her deep sense of love for her culture and heritage. A product of her past and Viet Nam's present. Colonel Pham is a well written character who's past combined with his current activities had me craving to know more of the inner workings of the government.
As a side note, the good humor of Condley's sidekick, Professor Muir, is classic Webb. This war hero sprinkles humor in all of his books (something I have always wanted to see more of) and does not dissappoint you here. Muir is a classic, a wonderful break from the tension that Webb creates in this powerful, beautifully written novel.
Highly recommend, has all the earmarks of a "National Best Seller" - Enjoy the read!

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Mini-Review of "Lost Soldiers"
By Alan L. Chase
Once I find an author whose work I really appreciate, I will often read several works by that writer in succession. I have been on a James Webb kick of late, so here is another mini-review of a Webb novel. "Lost Soldiers," written in 2001, continues Webb's life-long process of coming to grips with what happened to him and other Marines and soldiers in Viet Nam.

The protagonist, Brandon Condley, never really left Viet Nam - at least not emotionally. In this novel, Condley works on behalf of the teams that are tasked with identifying the bodies of those who were KIA and whose remains are finally being turned over by the government of Viet Nam. This is a complex tale of promises made and broken - on a personal level and on a trans-national level. The characters in this book together provide a window into the aftermath of the Viet Nam war. The tale is told with intricate and intimate writing. I often felt that I had been transported to Viet Nam as the author wove a web of intrigue and stunning details - sounds, smells, and sights of the mysterious Southeast Asian nation that has captivated the imagination of America for so many decades.

Here are some samples of Webb's superb writing:

"Brandon Condley loved Sai Gon. It was the museum of his own heart, a tortured and yet insistently happy city where along the streets his memories could once again race and dive amid the fecund ferment, the mangled but sly-eyed beggars, the crumbling old French buildings now conquered and abused, the rivers muddy and eternal, the toothless cyclo drivers suborning him from the roadsides, the motorbikes loud and reckless, begging for the future, the never-ending stares, the measuring smiles, welcoming and wary, the con games of bright minds trapped inside dumb lives, the odd, funky food cooked on the streets, the black puddles on the sidewalks, wet from rain and urine and wash water thrown out of doorways, the stench of all that mixed together. In all an instant beauty, pushing up through the muck of a fierce and dreadful past like Buddha's lotus, a beauty just as real as what his own past might have become, always pushing, insistent as a weed, fresh as the future." (Page 40)

Reading this paragraph makes me wish I could paint a picture with words as skillfully as Webb is able to do. Here is another passage that sets the scene for two warriors - one American and one Vietnamese - taking the measure of one another:

"Colonel Pham's formality was to be expected. Perhaps fifteen years older than Condley, the former Viet Cong soldier was rarely emotional in public and almost deceptively nondescript. Condley had learned tat the colonel's controlled emotions were a camouflage that hid the kind of man whom in Asia too many Americans overlooked at their peril, and usually to their later regret. The colonel's teeth were stained from years of strong tobacco and poor dental hygiene. His glasses looked as if they had been bought forty years before. Several long strands of hair grew from a mole on his chin, just to the right of his mouth. His small, paw-like hands hung slightly in front of his thighs, as if he had spent so many years carrying weight on his back - pack and weapon and rice roll - that his shoulders and fingers were permanently curved. And he clearly did not belong in a suit. He wore it loosely and messily, the collar too big, the knot on the tie too fat, the shirtsleeves too long, making him appear ungainly and even more diminutive than he actually was.

But from the first, Condley had picked up a sureness in the older man, a toughness that those who had not fought the war could never fully penetrate. Pham had made hard decisions, of the sort a mere businessman could never conceive. He had endured years in the jungle, conquering it and making it his friend. He had ordered soldiers to their death. He had killed people. And form the measuring look he and Condley had always exchanged behind their smiles, it was clear that Pham had killed Americans.

Condley knew that Pham had always read his own face just as quickly. Yes, their eyes said to each other every time they met, we both endured and we both killed. But that was then, and this is now. So where do we go from here? In a way this knowledge gladdened both of them, giving them an odd but unbreakable bond. He and Pham shared a secret kinship. They knew the truth of the battlefield, a conviction so real and permeable that neither of them would ever need to mention it to the other." (Pages 55-6)

Webb shines the light of personal experience and understanding on the arcane fraternity of those who have fought wars and strive to make peace with that reality. Add this to your list of books well worth reading.

Enjoy.

Al

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent story
By boatnut
His best since Fields of Fire. Presents a plausible story of an ex-grunt who remains tied to Vietnam while hunting former deserters who ambushed his men. Well done.

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~~ Free Ebook White Hunter, Black Heart, by Peter Viertel

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A novel based on the author's real experiences as John Huston's young friend and acolyte during the filming of the "African Queen".

• Sales Rank: #750574 in Books
• Published on: 1987-08-01
• Released on: 1987-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Most helpful customer reviews

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
job well done
By Kirk Alex
terrific book on the making of john huston's the african queen. this also explains why the african queen is not the classic it should have been--simply because the great john huston allowed himself to be influenced by viertel and gave the film a fairytale ending--one of the few times huston allowed his judgement to be influenced in this fashion.
however, don't let that sway you from reading this incredible tale; you'll go away appreciating huston all the more for it as a genius filmmaker and will want to check out some of his masterpieces like the maltese falcon or the treasure of the sierra madre, fat city or blackboard jungle.
having said all that, stay away from the clint eastwood turkey
entitled white hunter, black heart based on viertel's fine book. eastwood was in too deep here--but the book, as stated, is one of the best on how (some) films get made.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
The Inner Workings of the Hunter
By A Customer
Multi-layered account of director John Huston's real motives and struggles, to complete production on the move "African Queen". The book goes inside the man, showing not only his inner demons, but those he created within the cast, to satisfy his own lust for the hunt. Definately worth reading!

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
African Queen film back-story
By Robert Reese
This amazingly well written and well constructed roman a clef details the months
Viertel spent traveling and carousing with Director John Huston as the two completed the shooting script.
Forget the film version of the book--read the real deal with "Black Heart".

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Deciphering a code they find in a library book, best friends for life Amos and Dunc stumble onto a burglary ring. The burglars' next target is the home of Melissa, the girl of Amos's dreams (who doesn't even know that he's alive). Amos longs to be a hero to Melissa, so nothing will stop him from solving this case--not even a mind-boggling collision with a jock, a chimpanzzee, and a toilet.

• Sales Rank: #243546 in Books
• Published on: 1992-12-02
• Released on: 1992-12-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 7.75" h x 5.25" w x .50" l,
• Binding: Paperback

From the Publisher
Deciphering a code they find in a library book, best friends for life Amos and Dunc stumble onto a burglary ring. The burglars' next target is the home of Melissa, the girl of Amos's dreams (who doesn't even know that he's alive). Amos longs to be a hero to Melissa, so nothing will stop him from solving this case--not even a mind-boggling collision with a jock, a chimpanzzee, and a toilet.

From the Inside Flap
Deciphering a code they find in a library book, best friends for life Amos and Dunc stumble onto a burglary ring. The burglars' next target is the home of Melissa, the girl of Amos's dreams (who doesn't even know that he's alive). Amos longs to be a hero to Melissa, so nothing will stop him from solving this case--not even a mind-boggling collision with a jock, a chimpanzzee, and a toilet.

Most helpful customer reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
The Best Best-Friends-for-Life Action/Comedy Books
By Pop Bop
You don't compare Gary Paulsen to other writers; other writers hope to be compared to Paulsen. From the books of Brian's Saga to the Lawn Boy books to my favorite Harris and Me, to more advanced YA near classics, Paulsen has created an impressive and enduring body of work.

But for day in/day out laughs, crisp dry insight, manic humor, inspired nuttiness and mystery/action, it's hard to beat the 30 books in the Culpepper Adventures series. Each book features best-friends-for-life Amos and Duncan. Duncan is, for want of a better word, the brains of the team and Amos is more like the accident prone second banana, but each is a featured player, since the point of any Culpepper book is to watch Dunc and Amos deal with, figure out, work around, and prevail over whatever the latest cockamamie plot turns out to be.

In this one, Amos wants to stop a burglar he knows will be hitting the home of a girl on whom he has a secret crush. The mystery is how the boys figure out the burglar's plans and the action is how they fail repeatedly in their task. The final resolution is inane, but again that's not the point. For Amos and Dunc the story is never about the destination, but about the journey.

And Paulsen has mastered combining snappy funny cross-talk and deadpan interior monologues. These guys are loyal, courageous, fearless, foolish and full of energy and optimism. You like them and root for them and look forward to the next adventure.

For a young reader these books seem to be scaled really well. By that I mean that there are obvious jokes, more subtle jokes, and then some really sly stuff that might go over a youngster's head and yet tickle a slightly older kid. The same is true for the writing. It isn't all chapter book style short declarative sentences. There is depth and complexity to the narrative, but all of it is accessible and manageable so that it feels like a younger reader could read this and not even realize that he might be punching above his weight. That's one of the things that makes these books so special.

So, good for a bunch of laughs, full of generous humor and insight, and well written. What's not to love?

Please note that I found this book while browsing the local library's Kindle books, and downloaded it for free. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
It's funny when Amos gets stuck in Melissa's toilet.
By A Customer
My name's Hunter. I'm 7 years old and I've read 18 Gary Paulsen books. Here are my 3 favorites of the books I've read: Amos Gets Famous, Amos's Killer Concert Caper, and Cowpokes and Desperadoes. I'm going to read all Gary Paulsen's books! Isn't that Amazing!

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## Download Ebook Secret Keeper, by Mitali Perkins

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A Bank Street Best Book of the Year.

Shortlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award in the Young Adult category.

A Skipping Stones Honor Book.

An ALA 2010 Amelia Bloomer Book.

An IRA Notable Book for a Global Society.

When her father loses his job and leaves India to look for work in America, Asha Gupta, her older sister, Reet, and their mother must wait with Baba's brother and his family, as well as their grandmother, in Calcutta. Uncle is welcoming, but in a country steeped in tradition, the three women must abide by his decisions. Asha knows this is temporary--just until Baba sends for them.

But with scant savings and time passing, the tension builds: Ma, prone to spells of sadness, finds it hard to submit to her mother- and sister-in-law; Reet's beauty attracts unwanted marriage proposals; and Asha's promise to take care of Ma and Reet leads to impulsive behavior.

What follows is a firestorm of rebuke--and secrets revealed! Asha's only solace is her rooftop hideaway, where she pours her heart out in her diary, and where she begins a clandestine friendship with Jay Sen, the boy next door. Asha can hardly believe that she, and not Reet, is the object of Jay's attention. Then news arrives about Baba . . . and Asha must make a choice that will change their lives forever.

• Sales Rank: #1227634 in Books
• Published on: 2010-04-27
• Released on: 2010-04-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.06" h x .50" w x 5.50" l, .40 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In an intimate and absorbing drama about a displaced Indian family in the 1970s, Perkins (Monsoon Summer) vividly highlights the conflict between traditional Indian values and feminist ideals. After Ashas father goes to America in search of a new job, the rest of the family moves from Delhi to Calcutta to live in the more restrictive household headed by her grandmother. As often as she can, Asha escapes to the rooftop to confide her woes to her secret keeper, a diary; breaking the rules of the house, she also befriends the son of the family next door, who gazes at her through a window. But their relationship changes irrevocably when tragedy prompts Asha to make a painful sacrifice for the sake of her mother and sister. Readers may not always agree with Ashas bold decisions, but they will admire her courage and selflessness as she puts her familys needs before her own. Besides offering insight into Indian culture, Perkins offers a moving portrait of a rebellious teen who relies on ingenuity rather than charm to prove her worth. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Grade 7–10—In the mid-1970s, when her engineer father loses his job and leaves India to look for employment in America, 16-year old Asha; her 17-year old sister, Reet; and their mother move in with their uncle's family in Calcutta. Beautiful Reet attracts many suitors, and her uncle soon begins to look for a suitable marriage proposal. But impulsive Asha, who promised her father that she would take good care of her sister, manages to publicly humiliate the first serious candidate. Asha hopes to become a psychologist, but her aspirations are curtailed by her lack of finances and concern about the family's reputation. She finds solace writing in her diary, the "secret keeper," on the roof of the house. Here she befriends Jay, who watches her from a window in the house next door. He wants to become a painter and, to Asha's surprise, he takes a liking to her. Since conventions would not allow them to meet in public, he draws her portrait from a distance. Well-developed characters, funny dialogue, and the authentic depiction of spunky Asha's longing for romance and female self-determination, set in a culture that restrains women's choices, make this book an attractive pick for teenage girls. In the end, a surprising sacrifice by Asha demonstrates her emotional maturity and her love for her sister. An author's note explains the turbulent times during Indira Gandhi's regime that influence the narrative. Pair this appealing novel with Padma Venkatraman's Climbing the Stairs (Putnam, 2008), a similar story set in India during World War II.—Monika Schroeder, American Embassy School, New Delhi, India
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Arranged marriages and the role of women are at the core of this novel set in Calcutta, India, in 1957 and told from the viewpoint of Asha Gupta, 16. With her father seeking work in America, Asha, together with her gorgeous older sister, Reet, and their depressed mother, must move in with relatives, who are not at all welcoming. Unlike Reet, Asha is dismissed as “dark, skinny, flatchested,” with little chance of snaring a good husband, which is all a “good” Bengali girl should do. She keeps quiet about her college dreams except with the boy next door, who paints her portrait when they meet secretly. But as things get worse at home, she must rescue Reet from a horrific arranged marriage. Born in India and raised in the U.S., Perkins knows the traditions; in fact, there is sometimes too much cultural detail. But the plot is full of surprising secrets rooted in the characters’ conflicts and deep connections with each other. The two sisters and their mutual sacrifices are both heartbreaking and hopeful. Grades 7-12. --Hazel Rochman

Most helpful customer reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Sister and the sacfrices to keep them safe...
By Sarah Woodard
Asha is the second daughter in a very traditional in a Bengali family in the 1970's. There are riot and jobs are hard to find. Asha's father is forced to go to America in order to find a job. Her sister Reet, her mother, and herself are going to Calcutta; They are going to live with her father's family. In Calcutta, Asia is trapped in her Grandmother's house. She is unable to go to school, because of lack of money. Her mother finds it disrespectful for her to go outside of the house, on her own. So her freedom is limited.
Asha finds relief in writing in her diary or as she calls it, her Secret Keeper. She tends to write on the roof, until she find out that her neighbor, Jay has been spying on her. He wants to paint her. Asha's sister, Reet has caught the attention of the young men in town. Many are their cousin's Raj's friends. Asha and her family are left with difficult decisions that would alter their life's.
I found this book to be well descriptive. The characters drew a hole in my heart from how life like they were and how the ending wasn't exactly what I wants. It was still amazing. If you want to discover a book, that will pull your heart strings and makes you wonder... How much would you sacrifice to save someone that you loved? It also was great at making Asha and It seem like real sisters. I really hope that you check this book out.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Perkins has done it again!
By Carl Hofmann
Mitali Perkins has done it again--but this time with an added depth and poignancy. Secret Keeper introduces twists of intrigue and surprise, along with real-world issues and emotion that resonate with readers of all cultures. This is not just for young adults--all ages will appreciate Perkins' way with words and her grasp of subtle nuance. Cross-cultural richness and great writing--I see "screenplay" written all over this!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Must-read for young girls
By Julie Peterson
I have been on a huge YA kick lately -- it's like I just discovered a whole new genre that I absolutely adore. And I feel really lucky because all the YA books that I've read recently have been terrific. SECRET KEEPER by Mitali Perkins is no exception. I thought this was a very well-written novel with a very interesting story.

SECRET KEEPER takes place in India in the mid-70s when India is going through a huge state of change. I really appreciated how the author incorporated some of India's political history and other pertinent cultural pieces into the book. I love learning about foreign countries and their customs, and I'm pretty sure that young girls will enjoy that part of this novel too. Much of what Asha and her sister Reet experience in this novel will seem very odd to American girls who live in current times; however, what I truly loved about this novel is that young girls will still be able to relate to these characters. The feeling that Asha has about boys and becoming a woman are universal themes to all teen girls.

And speaking of characters, I couldn't help but fall in love with Asha and Reet. While both girls were very different, they had a love that can only be shared between sisters. I think they were brought closer by their father's departure and their mother's depression, and I liked that they confided in and unconditionally supported each other. Many of the supporting characters were also wonderful, and I especially liked their cousin and Asha's love interest Jay. These two characters especially were some of the only positive things in these girls' lives.

Asha was definitely my favorite character in this novel. She was a strong, brave, and intelligent; yet she also was able to give of herself to the point of self-sacrifice. I loved how the author showed that she had issues with "becoming a women" and even challenged what was expected of her. There were many times in this novel where my heart just broke for her; however, I always felt that she was ultimately a survivor and things would turn out okay for her.

Since I'm haven't been a big reader (or even follower) of YA fiction, I wasn't familiar with Ms. Perkins' books. She has written quite a few other ones that look great like THE NOT-SO-STAR-SPANGLED LIFE OF SUNITA SEN and RICKSHAW GIRL which both fall into the age range of my almost 10 year old daughter. In addition, I think FIRST DAUGHTER: EXTREME AMERICAN MAKEOVER and FIRST DAUGHTER: WHITE HOUSE RULES look like part of a fantastic series. If SECRET KEEPER is any indication of her previous books, I definitely want to read them. Ms. Perkins also has a great website that you should really check out.

This book would make a wonderful selection for our mother-daughter book club. The book is geared towards 12 year old and up, our girls will have to wait a few more years; however, I think young teen girls will really enjoy this story. There are so many complicated themes to discuss such as mother/daughter relationships, relationships between sisters, issues between men and women, and even friendship and love. And even though the book takes place over 30 years ago and in a foreign country, there are still so many things that young girls will relate to.

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No Language But a Cry (Laurel-Leaf Library), by Richard Anthony D'Ambrosio

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True story of Dr. D'Ambrosio's struggle to help a battered child who has never spoken a word because of the physical abuse inflicted by her parents.

• Sales Rank: #896306 in Books
• Brand: Laurel
• Published on: 1971-10-15
• Released on: 1971-10-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 6.74" h x .83" w x 4.19" l,
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 320 pages

Features

• Great product!

Most helpful customer reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Pass it On - Angels Among Us
By BeatleBangs1964
This is one of the most moving books I have ever read and I've loved it since I was in 6th grade. Richard D'Ambrosio, a psychiatrist describes the work he did with a young client called Laura. Maimed and burned by her natural parents, Laura is raised in a boarding hospital. D'Ambrosio spends long periods working with the girl, gradually drawing her out.

D'Ambrosio had his own Long & Winding Road to travel. Misdiagnosed as retarded as a boy, he served several years in what was then called a CRMD (Class for Retarded Mental Development) program. He spoke Italian and the language barrier led to the ill-suited classroom placement. An angel of a math teacher called Mr. Scott recognizes his pupil's intelligence and potential and encourages him, even pleads with him to show the school administrators just how inappropriate a placement the CRMD is.

Once mainstreamed, D'Ambrosio's academic star continues to shine. He in turn passes that kind of gentle encouragement on to Laura and one can take great joy in the progress she makes. The horrific abuse she suffered during infancy and unsuccessful visits by her natural parents cause her to endure some set backs. Once again, angels come to the forefront in the form of a surgeon who removed her scars and another who straightened her spine at no cost. Mr. Scott set the wheels in motion. Had he not encouraged his promising young pupil, the kindness passed on to Laura might not have occurred.

This book is serious, loving and might even make you cry. It is well worth the read, if for no other reason than to reinforce the message of kindness - pass it on.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Inspirational!
By A Customer
I read this book when I checked it out of the school library and I really liked it, I couldn't put it down, it is such an amazing book that was depressing and also inspirational and moving. A baby named Laura is abused by her alcoholic father, one morning he abuses her in such a horrible, shocking, brutal way that leaves Laura very badly disfigured and also causes her to retreat into herself, she is placed in an orphanage. She is so traumatized by what happened to her and so withdrawn into herself and doesn't speak. Years later when she is 12 years old a doctor comes to the orphanage and he trys to reach her and his care and concern for her is very heartwarming! This book which is based on a true story and written by the doctor who helped Laura is a real eye opener! I normally don't like to read sad books like this because they can be so depressing but this one really is powerful and opens up your eyes and your hearts! How can this book not affect you emotionally and make you cry? You would have to be as cold as ice to not feel any emotion while reading this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Non- verbal can change a person's mind being
By Joana Tambag
As reading this inspiration book it really taught how miracles can occur with any circumstances. Dr. Richard D'Ambrosio had reached to a child that it is possible for a person to change their emotions. As he observes the child, which is Laura. He begins to absorb her actions by any physical or mental reactions. This child had suffered from a burden of darkness. She is trapped in a shell where she thinks she'll be safe and harmless. She had only one hope and trusted Dr. and he succeeded.

Dr. D'Ambrosio made it possible for people to believe that people can get back up and live a normal life. Laura had been suffocating from external abuse from her past. She has been traumatized from the pain that her parents had caused. This book is really inspiring to children that are having troubles with their parents. It can boost your confindence in yourself. I would highly recommend this book because it had showed me appearances doesn't matter but what's deep down inside is what counts.

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~~ Fee Download A Christmas Promise, by Mary Balogh

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A love that cannot be bought or sold proves to be the greatest gift of all, in this heartwarming classic that demonstrates once again why New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh is among the most celebrated authors of historical romance.

Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions—especially when a couple seems as well matched as Randolph Pierce, Earl of Falloden, and his bride-to-be, Eleanor Transome. Ellie brings to the marriage a vast dowry, while Falloden, though distant, is handsome, tremendously desirable, and possessed of a title most young ladies can only dream of sharing.

Yet Ellie is not most young ladies. She knows that she must honor her dear father’s dying wish for her to wed the proud earl, but she dreads a lifetime in a union without love—and how can Falloden claim to love her when he married her only for her fortune? As Christmas descends upon the Falloden manor, the warmth of the season may yet melt away the trappings of duty and wealth, leaving behind only a man and a woman destined for each other’s arms.

• Sales Rank: #299413 in Books
• Brand: Dell
• Published on: 2010-10-26
• Released on: 2010-10-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 6.88" h x .83" w x 4.15" l, .34 pounds
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 304 pages

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• Great product!

About the Author
Mary Balogh is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, including the acclaimed Slightly and Simply novels and the first five titles in her Huxtable series: First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Seduction, At Last Comes Love, Seducing an Angel, and A Secret Affair. A former teacher, she grew up in Wales and now lives in Canada.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1

The Earl of Falloden glanced at the visiting card resting on the salver his butler held extended toward him. He frowned.

" 'Mr. Joseph Transome, coal merchant,' " he said. "Why the devil is a coal merchant calling upon me? Could you not have found out his business and sent him on his way, Starret?"

The butler exchanged a brief glance with the earl's valet. "He was most insistent, m'lord," he said. "He declared that he could divulge the purpose of his visit to no one but you. You wish me to say you are not at home, m'lord?"

"Yes," the earl said irritably, motioning his valet to hand him his neckcloth. He had just returned from a morning ride in the park that had done nothing to lift the gloom from his mind, that could do nothing to lift it. He was not in the mood for visitors.

The butler bowed stiffly from the waist and turned to leave his master's dressing room.

"Wait!" the earl said. He looked even more irritable as he tied his neckcloth in a hasty and simple knot despite the compressed lips of his disapproving valet. "The man is respectable, Starret? And he came to the front door?"

"He arrived in a carriage and four, m'lord," the man said.

The earl raised his eyebrows. "I had better see what the devil he wants," he said. "Show him into the salon, Starret."

"Yes, m'lord." The butler bowed again before withdrawing.

"A coal merchant," the earl said to his valet's reflected image. "What do you suppose he wants, eh, Crawley? To get me to change my supplier of coal for the winter? Who does supply it anyway? Well, I suppose I should go down and satisfy my curiosity. He came to the front door asking for me instead of to the back asking for Mrs. Lawford. Interesting, would you not say?"

But he did not wait for an answer. He strode from the room and descended the stairs to the hallway of his town house on Grosvenor Square. The gloom of an early November morning made it almost necessary to have lamps lit, he thought as he crossed the hall and waited for a footman to open the double doors into the salon. It was a day entirely in keeping with his general mood.

Mr. Joseph Transome, coal merchant, was a cit, he thought as the man turned from the window at the opening of the doors. He was as neatly and as expensively dressed as the earl himself, and altogether more fashionably. The earl had not been able to afford to keep up with the fashions for the past year, though most of that time he had been wearing mourning anyway. The only criticism he might make of the merchant's clothing was that it all looked as if it might be at least two sizes too large for the man. He was thin and angular, with a sharp, beaked face, from which eyes too dark and too large looked keenly at his host.

The earl nodded to him. "I am Falloden," he said. "What may I do for you?" He stiffened when the man did not immediately reply but looked him unhurriedly up and down and half smiled.

"You are a fine figure of a man, my lord, if you will forgive me for saying so," Mr. Transome said, rubbing his hands together. "Finer than I had been led to expect. That is good."

"I thank you," the earl said coldly. "Did you have any business you wished to discuss with me, sir?"

Mr. Transome laughed and continued to rub his hands together. "You would think it strange indeed if I had come for no other reason than to admire your appearance, my lord, now would you not?" he said. "But that is important to me too."

The earl pursed his lips, stood near the doors with his hands clasped at his back, and declined to offer his guest a seat.

"Perhaps I should come straight to the point, my lord," Mr. Transome said. "If the nobility is like the merchant classes, then time is money, as I always say. And time is not to be wasted on unnecessary chitchat."

"My sentiments exactly," the earl said.

"It seems, my lord," the merchant said, continuing to rub his hands as if washing them and looking apologetically at the earl, "that you are indebted to me for a considerable sum."

"Indeed?" The earl raised his eyebrows and looked haughtily at his visitor. "A household bill not paid, sir? I shall have you conducted to my housekeeper without further delay."

"No, no." Mr. Transome raised a staying hand. "Trifling stuff that would be, my lord, beneath your notice and beneath mine. Nothing like that. Your principal seat, Grenfell Park in Hampshire, is heavily mortgaged, I do believe, my lord?"

The earl's eyes sharpened.

"And the house and estate are getting shabbier and more dilapidated by the year with the rent money not even sufficient to pay off the mortgage costs," Mr. Transome continued.

"I do not know where you get your information," the earl said, "but Grenfell Park is no concern of yours, sir. If you will excuse me, I have a busy morning planned."

"Doing what, my lord, if I might make so bold as to ask?" Mr. Transome said. "Visiting your tailor or your bootmaker? You rarely do either these days since your bills at their establishments are already so high that you have no chance of paying them. And you are, when all is said and done, an honorable man. Or so my sources say."

"Mr. Transome." The earl's voice was icy. "I must ask you to leave, sir." He turned toward the doors.

"And you never visit Tattersall's these days, my lord, or attend the races." The merchant ignored the opening doors. "And you do not play deep at cards, already burdened as you are with gaming debts higher than you can hope to pay in your lifetime--though they are not your own, I might add in all fairness. And many of them debts owed to moneylenders, my lord. It is not a good situation. I daresay you do not sleep peacefully at night."

The earl closed the doors again and took a few steps across the room toward his visitor. "Mr. Transome," he said, "I take it there is some point to this impertinence. Would you kindly get to it before I throw you out of my house? And would you kindly inform me how I am in debt to you? Something my cousin's man of business knew nothing of?"

"Nothing like that, my lord," Mr. Transome said, his voice soothing. "I daresay you know the full extent of your debts. And they are sufficient to weigh on your shoulders as heavily as that mountain did on that giant's shoulders. What's-his-name. I always liked that story."

"Atlas," the earl said curtly. "I wonder how heavily you will weigh on my shoulders, Mr. Transome, when I transport you to my door in a moment's time."

The merchant chuckled. "Not much, my lord," he said. "Not much these days. You now owe me all those debts, my lord. I bought 'em all. Every last one of them."

The earl froze. And strangely, he did not doubt for a moment that the man spoke the truth. All those debts his cousin and predecessor had incurred in eight years as Earl of Falloden. Those debts he had refused to repudiate when he had inherited fourteen months before. And he had refused to sell Grenfell Park with its vast estates because it had been his childhood home. Because it was in his blood, a part of him, his most treasured possession. A millstone about his neck.

"Why?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Why did I buy 'em?" Mr. Transome asked. "To do you a favor, my lord. It is better, less confusing, I always think, to owe money all in one place than all over London and the southern counties. Would you not agree, my lord?"

"I find the thought enormously comforting," the earl said. "So you have come to put the squeeze on me, Transome? You are going to have to wait. I will pay off every penny of the debt eventually. But it will take time."

Mr. Transome laughed. "I have worked hard all my life, my lord," he said. "Through diligence and a little good luck too, I have amassed almost everything a man could want in this life. Only one thing I have very little of, and it is the very commodity you ask of me. Time. I have very little time."

"Then," the earl said, "I shall have to reconcile my mind to debtors' prison, I suppose. I am sorry, sir, but I cannot reach into a pocket and bring out the sum I owe you. I wish I could. Believe me."

"I do, my lord," the merchant said, resuming his old occupation of rubbing his hands together. "But your debts can be canceled in a moment, my lord."

The earl smiled arctically.

"You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, so to speak," Mr. Transome said. "You do something for me, my lord, and I'll cancel your debt. Every last penny of it. And make sure that you have the wherewithal to make Grenfell Park one of the showpieces of England and its farms the most prosperous. And to spend some time and money at your tailor's again."

The earl raised his eyebrows.

"You are waiting to hear what it is you must do for me," Mr. Transome said. "It is a small something, my lord, in exchange for what you will get in return. But it will mean a great deal to me."

The earl did not change his expression.

"I will cancel your debts and settle half of my fortune on you, my lord--and it is a considerable fortune," the man said, "if you will marry my daughter. And most of the remaining half of my fortune will be hers after my death and so in effect will be yours too."

The Earl of Falloden stared in disbelief at his visitor. "You want me to marry your daughter," he said faintly, wondering for a moment if he had walked into some strange dream. A cit's daughter. A coal merchant's daughter. A total stranger.

"She is nineteen years old and a beauty, even if I do say so myself," Mr. Transome said. "And if it is refinement you want, my lord, you cannot do better than my Ellie. I had her educated at Miss Tweedsmuir's academy. Two lords' daughters were there at the same time and a colonel's daughter too. She was particular friends with Lord Hutchins's girl."

"How do you know I am not married already?" the earl asked coldly. "No, disregard that question. I do not have a doubt that you know everything about my life, sir. Doubtless you know of my attachment, though not betrothal, to Miss Dorothea Lovestone. Doubtless you know of the mistress I have had in keeping for a year past."

"Miss Alice Freeman," Mr. Transome said. "And a beauty she is too, if you don't mind my saying so, my lord. She is a credit to your good taste. But then so will Ellie be. You will have her beauty and her refinement and education and half my fortune, my lord. And she will be your countess. She will bear you the heir to Grenfell Park and your earldom. It is all I ask, my lord." He chuckled. "To be grandfather to an earl."

"Mr. Transome," the earl said quietly, "get out of my house."

The merchant scratched his balding head. "I understand that you are a man of pride, my lord," he said. "What member of the peerage is not? And I know that it goes against the grain, so to speak, to consider marrying into the merchant classes. But sometimes necessity must swallow up pride. I really cannot see that you have any alternative to what I have suggested."

"Debtors' prison," the earl said curtly. "That is an alternative, sir."

"You have not even seen my Ellie," Mr. Transome said. "How can you be sure you would prefer prison, my lord? And I cannot believe you are serious. It is bravado. But even without prison, what is there ahead of you in life? You have not been able to offer for Miss Lovestone, have you, my lord, even though you have the title to dangle in front of her papa's eyes? You are too proud to offer her marriage while you are debt-ridden. But if you will pardon me for saying so, you will be an old man or perhaps even a man in his grave before you are free to offer. It is doubtful that her papa would accept you anyway, since he is not himself a wealthy man."

"My relationship with Miss Lovestone is entirely my own concern," the earl said.

"Quite so," his visitor agreed. "But you were the first to mention her name, my lord. Let me be brief, since I see that you are eager to bring this interview to an end. You must marry my daughter within the month, my lord, or I shall call in my debts within the same month. I would hate to do it, but business is business."

The earl set his hand on the knob of a door. "Allow me to show you out," he said.

"I shall call tomorrow, my lord," Mr. Transome said. "I cannot wait any longer. I trust you will think carefully of your decision."

"There is nothing to think of," the earl said, opening the doors and motioning his guest to precede him into the hallway. "You will be wasting your time returning here, sir. I will bid you a good morning."

"Until tomorrow, then, my lord," Mr. Transome said, taking his coat and hat from a footman. "I believe that in the course of one whole day and one whole night you will see that in all wisdom you have only one possible course. And it will be a good one, I can promise you. I have chosen you with care, since I will be entrusting to you my dearest fortune of all."

"Good day to you, sir," the earl said, and he nodded to the footman to open the door and turned away himself to climb the stairs.

He felt rather, he thought, as a condemned man must feel when climbing the steps to the scaffold.

Most helpful customer reviews

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful.
Tough start but unusual turn...
By bookjunkiereviews
This story by Mary Balogh is the only one in which I have cried at the end, and I don't usually cry over books. The book starts out unpromisingly with an aristocrat being blackmailed into marriage by a dying merchant. He finds the merchant's daughter to be cold, title-obsessed, and unfeeling - and also surprisingly passionate. She sees him as a gambler and a wastrel, and remembers only that he has shown her no love nor sympathy. The marriage therefore starts off unpromisingly, especially when the father-in-law dies shortly afterward and the heroine refuses to wear mourning for longer than a month.
However, both have severe misconceptions about each other. The hero, Randolph, is not a wastrel. The heroine, Eleanor, is not cold nor unfeeling. How they come to these realizations without the usual Big Misunderstanding dominating the story-line is what I will leave you to discover. Suffice it to say that there is a wonderful sled race, some rather amusing relatives of the bride, and no less than three minor romances that nevertheless do not take our attention away from Randolph and Eleanor as they struggle to a better understanding of each other.
And as to why I cried? Well, it has something to do with why Eleanor did not cry at her father's death and what finally happens in the conservatory.
There are no villains, just some remarkable misconceptions based on initial behavior at a very trying time. As such, this book is both refreshing and yet oddly touching. If I could find a copy of this book, it would be definitely a keeper.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
A Father's Gift.
By MaryGrace Meloche
Eleanor Transome loved her father dearly. He called her his treasure. He only wanted her happiness. Eleanor Transome's father was dying. So he bought Eleanor a husband!

Randolph Pierce, the Earl of Falloden, is on the brink of ruin, he needs money quickly. He must preserve Grenfell Park, the debt-ridden home of his youth. With much reluctance, the Earl of Falloden accepts the coal merchant's terms. He will wed Eleanor Transome, a young woman he has never met.

Two very different people from two very different worlds. Two very separate entities. They were man and wife, a stranger from a class she hated and she from a class he despised. Yet, there was more to it than that. They had to make a life together. They could derive mutual satisfaction from each other. He would take pleasure from her and she would take pleasure from receiving him. For Eleanor did not want to be alone. Eleanor wanted to love someone, Eleanor wanted children.

Balogh again hits the jackpot. A CHRISTMAS PROMISE is delightful. It is a quiet story about two people who: meet, observe, and fall in love with each other. Nothing unusual -- except these two people are already married. Balogh relies on a Christmas theme to enhance her story delighting her readers with the traditions of Christmases past. A time when families gathered, for days, to celebrate the joy of the season. A time when Christmas celebrations revolved around life's simple pleasures: horse drawn sleighs, sledding at night, gathering yule logs, or rejoicing in a star-filled Christmas sky.

Again Mary Balogh proves she can write a romance book. At the end of A CHRISTMAS PROMISE, Mary Balogh wisely chooses her poignancy pen. Quietly I wept as Eleanor opened her father's final gift and then I rejoiced when the hero offered his heart. A CHRISTMAS PROMISE is a Signet Regency Romance book and is currently not in print; presently an interested reader must obtain it on the secondary market. Grade: A

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
A wonderful Christmas tearjerker
By Dr W. Richards
Mary Balogh writes some truly wonderful books, and this is definitely one of them. Randolph, Earl of Falloden, is struggling under the vast mound of debt left to him by his spendthrift cousin, the previous earl. He is astonished when a cit, a *coal merchant* of all people, comes to visit him to inform him that he's bought all Randolph's debts. And he will write them all off, and give Randolph half of his fortune, if the Earl will marry his daughter. (...)
This is a lovely, poignant love story, in which a couple who seem completely unsuited to each other in the beginning gradually come to understand, and to love, one another; and it's set in the magical season of Christmas, a time which Mary Balogh does so well. If you can find a copy of this somewhere, snap it up!

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