I do not understand how I can leave, for a small R & R, when the weather is sunny and between 65 and 70 degrees and return in a 40 m.p.h. wind, blowing snow, and a chill temperature of MINUS 16! This country never fails to surprise---and appall---- me in its extremes!

I got off the plane at 10:30 p.m. and was immediately very cold and, for a minute, disoriented (one of the few times I didn't have an idea where I was going!) and headed, in a swirl of snow, for what I thought was the correct building. Wrong! This alarmed voice said, "Ma'am! The terminal is over here---you're headed the wrong way!" and then this nice young man appeared beside me, out of the screaming whiteness, and told me to take his arm.

I thought two things as we faced the wind and cold in the RIGHT direction; one was that being a helpless grandmother had its points and, two, was that thank goodness the pilots told us they had shut down the engines as leaving the propellers going "could be hazardous to those of you getting off the plane".

I am fully convinced that had that observant airline employee not spotted me headed off down the runway to who-knows-where AND had that closest propeller to the steps been turning----well, that would sting! I shall probably not again, soon, refer to myself as a "helpless grandmother" but that night, three nights ago, was once when it fit!

I read some good "dead body" books while gone and I am about to visit with you on a new Fiction title from "a master" (People magazine) in his field,who has written a book that I shall also be sure to read. John Lescroart offers, to readers, his new tome "The Oath" and for those of you who are thinking,"What else has he written?" let me refresh your memory. "The Thirteenth Juror", "Nothing But the Truth," and "Guilt" are some of his works and he has been hailed as "a writer of brilliant courtroom drama", and "compulsively readable"

The Oath features an attorney, Dismas Hardy, asked to defend a doctor, Eric Kensing, against charges that he made sure the head of San Francisco's largest HMO hospital would die by a massive injection of Potassium. Abe Glitsky sets his sights on Kensing being hauled into court on homicide charges but Hardy believes it was something to do with the HMO itself and makes a horrible discovery----too many patients have died and it looks like their own hospital killed them.

Hardy finds he must battle problems in his own marriage and unravel a conspiracy that includes death and greed as well as try to save Kensing. LesCroart and Grisham write the same way---compelling and intriguing. You'll like this one, I promise.

This next author, I quickly admit, I have never heard of--James Carlos Blake--but he is described as "one of the best prose-stylists writing in America today" and "Mr. Blake is a master of lyric description" (the last by no less an august paper than the Dallas Morning News!) His book, "A World of Thieves", is about a young man, Sonny LaSalle, his relationship with his two uncles and trying to stay one step ahead of the vengeance of "John Bones" (wouldn't that make a great name for a hunting dog or a Missouri mule?)

Sonny is 18, when the story opens, a top student at a prep school and an amateur boxer and he absolutely worships his twin uncles, Buck and Russell, who are ARMED ROBBERS by trade and inclination. See, Sonny secretly believes that, at heart, he too, is destined to be an armed robber and somehow persuades his dear uncles to take him with them, the next time they are going "hunting" (how smart are his uncles, anyhow?)

They do and, in the process of living the life of an outlaw, Sonny meets Brenda Marie, a rich art dealer in the French Quarter, and things go smoothly for "the gang"----at first, that is. Howsomever, nothing in Fiction can continue to go smoothly, or you ain't got no story-line, Chickie. A bank job goes bad, Sonny is sent to jail and, while there, unintentionally and absentmindedly, he kills a policeman.

The officer's father is the aforementioned "John Bones" and HE is the most feared lawman in Louisiana. Sonny escapes from the infamous Angola prison and catches up again with Russell and Buck (who have my nomination for the Frick and Frack of the outlaw genre) and they head for the money and "bank opportunities" in West Texas. They reason that with the "oil boom" that they money will be as freely flowing as the black stuff and for awhile, again, all goes well. But, after on of their robberies, one uncle is badly wounded, one is arrested and on a chain gang and our hero, Sonny, sets out to free him.

This story is about, primarily, conflicting loyalties in a young man, finding love, facing vengeance and learning that the one person you can never leave behind is you. The dialogue seems to be "tight", make sense, and not ramble on, the action scenes are believable, from what I've read. So come in and see if you'd like to check this one out.

Do you remember the old children's story of " Rumplestiltskin"? You know the one---the princess had to guess the ugly little man's name in a certain time or face the consequences? Well----John Katzenbach's new suspense novel, "The Analyst" is sort of on the same theme.

Dr. Frederick Starks is a psychoanalyst who opens an envelope' at the end of a day, to read, "Happy 53rd birthday, Doctor. Welcome to the first day of your death. I exist somewhere in your past. You ruined my life.You may not know how, or why, or even when, but you did. Brought disaster and sadness to me every second. You ruined my life. And now I fully intend to ruin yours."

Wow! What a good choice of words to build suspense and start delineating the personality of the unknown writer, huh? Anyway, the rules are simple; in the next 2 weeks, Starks must guess Rump's identity as well as the source of his fury and if he succeeds, the good doctor escapes and goes "free", BUT if he fails, one by one Rump will destroy the doctor's friends, family, relatives---BUT there is one way and the only way to get out of THAT. If Starks will kill HIMSELF, Rump will kill no one.

At first, it seems plausible to ignore the note---what nut-case would he even begin to suspect in all those he treats?---and so the good doctor does. A patient dies under the wheels of a subway train. The detective sent to investigate the death is hit by a car. His bank account is rifled, his credit ruined, his reputation maligned, threats carried out----it finally becomes apparent that the good doctor has got to go back to his files and memories and find the identity of this madman or woman and stop all this madness.

There is always danger and despair but at the end there are two goals---the identity of Rump and the saving of Starks life and sanity. This one is not only headed for Best Seller list, it should be headed to the homes, here, of people who love a good puzzle.

"Richmond Diary ", by Peter Rawlinson, is a "sleeper", in the book trade, meaning it is expected to, hopefully, do well even without a lot of publicity. It's a simple plot, thank goodness, and let me tell you something about the author, a Brit, because this is a typical British mystery and lots of people like them but there ARE some who don't!

Rawlinson was a member of Parliament for 23 years, became Solicitor General, then Attorney General, and broadened his horizon to become a poet, write novels, and remain a leading barrister at the topof his profession (don't you feel that "barrister" is a classier term than "mouthpiece", when speaking about a lawyer?)

To go on, this book is about a "society snob", Francis Richmond, who dies and leaves a diary behind, which his nephew opportunely finds, in which he tells of Richard Tancred's involvement with a millionaire industrialist. Tancred is in the Queen's cabinet and very vulnerable, therefore, to scandal----which Digby Price, newspaper owner, is well aware. He intends to destroy Tancred, by means of this diary and activates stage one of his revenge by publishing it.

Tancred sues. Just before it is to come to the libel trial, the millionaire industrialist dies and it seems that Richard Tancred is "done in." Hold on. Tancred is planning his own surprises and the plot moves quickly and expertly along until the "sting in the tail" ending. This book is not to be compared to the one above but it would be a good story, for mystery lovers, to while away an evening with. The best of British mysteries are terrific, so I hope this one is at least "quite acceptable" to some readers.

This title, "Horde of Fools", by James Buchanan, sort of intrigued me 'cause I thought it might be about Gary Condit's political advisers, so I took it off the shelf. The year is 1897, a buggy and a carriage are racing towards church as though to win a race---and they are. It's the same family, but Callie is driving her horse and buggy against her father and the rest of the family, and she's literally in a race, to the church and a prize of being sent to Alaska, from that church, and agreeing to send the original price back to the church plus 10 percent extra.

Lots of churches, across America, were doing it and they couldn't always send young men as many were away at the Spanish-American war---so, it became a contest open to young women also. It was this last part that Callie's father objected to---loudly and even, on Sunday, using profanity. Callie won the race to go to Alaska, told her father her suitcase was with her, in the buggy, and she was going.

They're in the middle of the church service, the organist, thinking to avert bloodshed is playing "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and Ephraim, her dad is yelling at her that she isn't "goin' up there with that buncha idlers and outlaws, that pesthole of sin and corruption.You better unpack, Missy, 'fore I whip you black and blue!" Callie stands her ground, the organist plays louder, her little sisters begin to cry, the minister intones "Lord, forgive our wayward brother his intemperance and loud voice. His heart is clouded with hate, Lord" (he, by the way, is all in favor of Callie's going!), and Ephraim turns to his family and "shouted louder than anyone could sing----On your feet, daughters! Your sister's goin' to hell, and we're goin' to the Baptists!"

What a PERFECT exit line, in the first chapter, to set the story line up. One can only A--wish Callie well and B--hope all is well between she and her father when she returns. In Alaska, the "love interest" is supplied by a gentleman, Claude, who is a highwayman, in his spare time, and he and Callie meet, don't like each other, and she has to adjust to a cold landscape and rough characters that she doesn't meet at home.

This is a "fun" book to read and, at times, they're the best kind to have around---par-tic-u-lar-ly as it's getting closer to Income tax time! Thanks for reading this and remember to provide shelter for your pets when it's cold out, during the night, and that's any temperature much below 27 degrees. Especially is it's very young animals or very old or not much coat. I promise you Spring is coming! Bye!