Half Nelson: Half Nelson [Paperback]

Doolittle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

When his efforts with the forest conservation movement in Oregon are met with guerilla resistance by a group of skinheads, ecologist Robert Rackleff is forced to recruit the help of college wrestler and Vietnam vet Tom Bethany. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fifth round for Doolittle's tough-talking, softhearted hero Tom Bethany-wrestling champ, Vietnam vet, PI and lover of Hope Edwards, head of the Washington, D.C., branch of the American Civil Liberties Union-is bloody and intricate. Hope wants Bethany to investigate threats made to Richard Rackleff, head of the environmental group Earth Everlasting, whose efforts to save the forests of the Northwest have made him some nasty enemies-from neo-Nazi skinheads to the ruthless CEO of the Dixie-Cascade timber corporation. Earth Everlasting has brought charges against Dixie-Cascade directly to Oregon's newly appointed U.S. Attorney, bypassing the state's top FBI honcho. In Oregon for the trial and acting as Rackleff's bodyguard, Bethany uses every ploy in his extensive book to keep his charge safe. He fails. Guilt-driven and determined to find Rackleff's murderer, Bethany sets a dizzying series of traps, marked by detailed scenes of physical torture, foul-mouthed dialogue and another killing. Some tense moments enliven the not always convincing Byzantine plot in a tale not for delicate tastes. Previous titles include Headlock and Body Scissors.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Series protagonist Tom Bethany (Strangle Hold, LJ 11/1/91) serves as bodyguard for an ecologist under attack by several individuals and groups more concerned with money than with Oregon's forests. When a bomb kills the leader of Earth Everlasting, Bethany's job becomes personal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671799797
• ISBN-13: 978-0671799793
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,785,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

What a man was passionate about at the age of 12 is probably what he should make his life's work. I was chasing frogs and snakes and other small animals in the outdoors, but at the same time I was addicted to reading and wound up making the wrong choice.

I became a reporter, columnist and editor for the old Washington Daily News and for the Washington Post. Following that I free-lanced for the Saturday Evening Post, Sports Illustrated, Holiday, the Nation, Penthouse, Oui, Esquire, and the Readers Digest.

In 1966 I joined the U.S. Information Agency, serving in Casablanca before becoming press attache in our Laos embassy during the war. I resigned over there and went back to free-lance reporting, in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

On returning to the United States in 1972, I wrote two volumes of the Time-Life Books wilderness series. In 1976 I joined the Carter campaign, ending up as a White House speechwriter and later chief of public affairs for the Federal Aviation Administration.

When Reagan fired us all, I wrote my first novel, "The Bombing Officer," and spent five years teaching writing at Harvard. There I began the Tom Bethany mystery series, which I may yet revive.

I recent years I've been blogging at http://badattitudes.com/MT/ on politics, culture, and whatever else catches my interest. And lately, having at last become old enough to figure out what actually matters, I have been running around in the woods again. This is in pursuit of a book on the community of herpetology -- humans and reptiles both -- in the United States.

Ideas, leads, anecdotes, suggestions, and pictures are all welcome and may be sent to my gmail account. To the left of the ampersand, type: jerome.doolittle

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doolittle is no one to wrestle with..., July 4, 2001

By 

Bridget Hockney (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Half Nelson: A Tom Bethany Mystery (Paperback)

Why do I like Doolittle's work so much? Perhaps it's the way he grabs you right from the beginning. We are jolted into the story with this opening: "Like any other university, Harvard sucks. What makes it a great university is that it sucks harder than most." Tom is drawn into the eco "save the tree" issue when an important peaceful leader is being threatened. Perhaps I enjoy his books due to wishing this modern day Robin Hood existed. Perhaps it's because all books in his series can stand alone. Perhaps it's the way many important issues are brought out to the foreground to be thought about and explored. Or most importantly, perhaps it's the way in which Doolittle weaves words with wit, wisdom, adventure with a touch of reality thrown in to boot.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Reading, September 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Half Nelson: Half Nelson (Paperback)

This is the first Tom Bethany Mystery that I read and I enjoyed it very much. The characters and plots were really interesting. I would love to read more of Tom Bethany.