In A Family Way: A Bill Damen Mystery (Bill Damen Mysteries) by James Calder |
Knockout Mouse: A Bill Damen Mystery (Silicon Valley Mysteries) by James Calder |
See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.
|
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
In his second appearance, filmmaker Bill Damen is shooting an image piece for Algoplex, a data-visualization company in Silicon Valley. Algoplex is ready to sign a potentially lucrative agreement with Plush Biologics, a company whose gene-regulating treatments could revolutionize the skincare industry. At the filming, Algoplex's owner, Rod Glaser, is agitated when his girlfriend, Alissa, doesn't show up as planned. Bill goes with Rod to Alissa's empty apartment, where Rod confesses that Alissa is a hired escort with whom he's fallen in love. Bill agrees to help Rod find Alissa, and then, when Rod is found dead, he launches his own investigation into the murder. Bill's motivation for entering and staying on the case is weak, and the biotechnology detail is not woven as seamlessly into the story as it was in Calder's debut, Knockout Mouse [BKL Jl 02]. Still, Bill is a likable character, there are some intriguing plot twists here, and the idea of a filmmaking amateur sleuth has appeal. Give this series a chance; it has terrific potential. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"Calder draws sharp, entertaining suspect portraits, and Bill's amiable first-person narration never slackens its pace." -- Kirkus
"Calder tells his story in witty prose that calls to mind Ross Macdonald. Reflecting on his shared past with a colleague, Damen recalls how in college they d made "a couple goofy Super-8 films about existentially perplexed sci-fi insects." And before the murder is solved, Damen mulls insightfully over the question of how deep skin is -- or should be." -Washington Post Book World
In his second appearance, filmmaker Bill Damen is shooting an image piece for Algoplex, a data-visualization company in Silicon Valley. Algoplex is ready to sign a potentially lucrative agreement with Plush Biologics, a company whose gene-regulating treatments could revolutionize the skincare industry. At the filming, Algoplex's owner, Rod Glaser, is agitated when his girlfriend, Alissa, doesn't show up as planned. Bill goes with Rod to Alissa's empty apartment, where Rod confesses that Alissa is a hired escort with whom he's fallen in love. Bill agrees to help Rod find Alissa, and then, when Rod is found dead, he launches his own investigation into the murder. Bill's motivation for entering and staying on the case is weak, and the biotechnology detail is not woven as seamlessly into the story as it was in Calder's debut, Knockout Mouse [BKL Jl 02]. Still, Bill is a likable character, there are some intriguing plot twists here, and the idea of a filmmaking amateur sleuth has appeal. Give this series a chance; it has terrific potential. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"Calder draws sharp, entertaining suspect portraits, and Bill's amiable first-person narration never slackens its pace." -- Kirkus
"Calder tells his story in witty prose that calls to mind Ross Macdonald. Reflecting on his shared past with a colleague, Damen recalls how in college they d made "a couple goofy Super-8 films about existentially perplexed sci-fi insects." And before the murder is solved, Damen mulls insightfully over the question of how deep skin is -- or should be." -Washington Post Book World
"A filmmaker turns sleuth again, rushing recklessly into the cutthroat, and loopy, skincare industry. Shy scientist Rod Glaser hires Bill Damien to create an "image piece" for Algoplex, his skincare company. Rod and Mike Riley, his hearty partner, are on the verge of a merger with industry veteran Plush Biologics, a move promising big profits but not smooth sailing for the easygoing partners. Case in point: Bill's Algoplex shoot goes terribly wrong when Rod's muse, a soulful free spirit named Alissa, blows off the gig, and Rob, unable to reach her by phone, falls apart. So Bill agrees to look for her, first by breaking into her empty apartment. Alissa's trashy mother Wendy, who tries to impersonate her daughter at a high-profile Algoplex event, claims unconvincingly that Alissa is just taking a little vacation. Meanwhile, Bill learns that Alissa works for an escort service called Silicon Glamour. Though Rod sheepishly claims their relationship is strictly platonic, some incriminating pictures indicate otherwise. So does the knife Bill soon finds protruding from Rod's body. As in his debut caper (Knockout Mouse, 2002), Bill is drawn into the case by a combination of duty and empathy. There's no shortage of suspects, and Bill finds dysfunctional corporate families at both Silicon Glamour and Plush Biologics. But the mystery of absent Alissa looms over all. Calder draws sharp, entertaining suspect portraits, and Bill's amiable first-person narration never slackens its pace." -Kirkus Reviews
"Bill is a likable character, there are some intriguing plot twists here, and the idea of a filmmaking amateur sleuth has appeal. Give this series a chance; it has terrific potential." -Booklist
"Calder tells his story in witty prose that calls to mind Ross Macdonald." -- Washington Post Book World
See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
There are certain looks on certain faces that make you stop and think. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
james calder Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Silicon Glamour, Mike Riley, Connie Plush, Plush Biologics, Silicon Valley, Sylvain Partners, Cheshire Cat, Rupert Evans, James Dean, Detective Coharie, Ellen Quong, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Bill Damen, Rod Glaser, Trisha Evans, Wings of Silicon Charity Ball, Las Vegas, Neiman Marcus, Ultimate Frisbee New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
There are certain looks on certain faces that make you stop and think. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
james calder Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Silicon Glamour, Mike Riley, Connie Plush, Plush Biologics, Silicon Valley, Sylvain Partners, Cheshire Cat, Rupert Evans, James Dean, Detective Coharie, Ellen Quong, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Bill Damen, Rod Glaser, Trisha Evans, Wings of Silicon Charity Ball, Las Vegas, Neiman Marcus, Ultimate Frisbee New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
 |
Customer Discussions
Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
|
This product's forum
(0 discussions)
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Active discussions in related forums
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Information from the Amapedia Community
Beta (What's this?)Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.
› See featured Amapedia.com articles
Listmania!
Look for Similar Items by Category
|
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
You have no recently viewed items or searches.
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session. |
Continue shopping: Top Sellers
| ||||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
