Kirjahaku

Hammer Spade is a small time private investigator and bail bondsman in Durham, North Carolina. One morning a famous international model pays him a call because she believes something has happened to her husband. She hires Hammer to find him. There is an air of mystery about her and soon Hammer becomes involved with her equally mysterious family who are exiles from their home country. They are unbelievably rich and seeds are planted for some dramatic changes in Hammer's life. But first, he must locate an eccentric writer named Bernard Hatcher.

In Merchants of Death Hammer and his friends are pitted against a master criminal who leaves dead bodies in his wake. Their work is made more complicated by the rules under which they must accomplish their goal, causing Hammer to seek advice from one of Alonia's ex-husbands who is a talented metallurgist. The action is fast and furious as Hammer and his friends meet one challenge after another along the picturesque eastern North Carolina coast.

Hammer Spade, a single private investigator and his best friend, Jack Kane, have traveled to Africa to determine who is smuggling diamonds from a well-known firm. When they arrive, they find that surface appearances are deceiving. Using a safari as a cover, Hammer and Jack display their marksmanship abilities, impress the natives, and overpower the opposing force. Solving the mystery of who is behind the diamond stealing becomes more and more difficult because for each puzzle solved, more obstacles are thrown their way. Hammer Spade is a roll-with-the-punches kind of guy. In this novel, he is paired with an eclectic cast of characters. But whether he is dealing with an African bushman or a British aristocrat, Hammer's common sense and quick wit allow him to deal with the current situation all the while maintaining his calm demeanor. No matter how serious the circumstances, there is always humor to be found somewhere. Hammer and his friends never lacked for something to provide light entertainment. For example, zebra steaks sound quite tasty. However, after reading this book, I do not think I will ever be enticed into trying one This book is an enthralling read.Judy Jacobs St. Joseph MO.October 18, 2006

"Truth is like a lion. You don't have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself." St. Augustine.In the spring of 1946, when I was 12-years-old, I was baptized in Porter Creek, downstream from the wooden bridge on Porter Road. It was close to Hollister, North Carolina. Reverend Wiley Guthrie baptized me along with my cousin Joseph Powell and our classmate and friend, Lil Shearin. Most of my extended family observed from the bridge. My Aunt Mary was pleased and said so when she hugged me, wet clothes and all. Since then I have continued to study Christianity. I owe a lot to St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, John Milton, G. K. Chesterton, Samuel Johnson, C. S. Lewis, Mortimer Adler, and many others. This is a brief summary of what I have learned.

In Twilight for the Gods, Christina de La Rocha has risen from the impoverished slums of her small South American country to a position as personal confidant to the president. In Colonial Justice fifteen-year-old Abigail Wagstaff must defy her violent Calvinist father to save the life of the man she loves. In Nowhere to Run, Lynn Pierce faces the kidnapping of one of her sons. In A High Plains Christmas, Sarah Fitzgerald Montgomery is a refugee from a defeated Confederacy.

Thirty-four centuries ago, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, had a son who was called Aeneas. Aeneas grew up to be a warrior and, after the fall of Troy, traveled to Italy to found Rome. Aeneas's father was a mortal man whose name was Anchises, who, according to Homeric Hymn V, was as comely as the gods. This is the story of Anchises' life in the generation before the Trojan War, as he prepared his son to meet his destiny.

Alonia is kidnapped and taken to an impregnable fortress six hundred miles up the Amazon River in a yacht named the Midnight Treader. Her kidnapper is a man who wishes to possess Alonia. Hammer's comrades join him, along with some Amazonian native tribesmen, in an audacious and bold plan to rescue her.

In 1968, four undercover SBI agents disappeared without a trace in the Jacksonville, NC area. SBI Director, Charles Edmonds gets Bill Davis re-activated into the Army and orders Davis to "get to the bottom of what is going on in Onslow County." Bill reports to Jacksonville full of memories of the last assignment and the action quickly heats up. One day he returns to his hotel room to find a gorgeous blonde named Sandy waiting in his room with written orders from Edmonds that she has been assigned to be his partner. Together they identify a violent drug gang as their quarry and bring them to bay in a ferocious battle where they exact retribution in the old fashioned way. It is an action packed story of adventure and romance.

Hammer Spade, Dave Quigley, Isabela Salazar and Judge N. O. Hart wreak havoc on Hammer's mission of vengeance in the high Andean mountains of Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.

In his last adventure, Hammer Spade, is assigned to learn whether Loredano V. Ziff is dead or alive. If he is dead, Hammer was to prove he is dead by obtaining DNA confirmation that it is him. If he is alive, Hammer is supposed to find him and kill him. The conditions he must work under this time are puzzling. Jack and Dave are specifically forbidden to help him. Also, Alonia's father has forbidden Alonia, Phoebus, Minerva and Sir Reginald to assist him. Dave recommends Cheb Cheriet as his in-country guide. Then surprising help comes when Dave speaks to Jim and Princess Nisreeno shows up to be his assistant. Then Michael Clover learns about the restrictions and sends Isabela. This team goes to work right away and soon they learn that Loredano Ziff is in custody in Iran. In the end, after many twists and turns, Hammer succeeds in accomplishing his final mission. The ancient gods are satisfied and pleased. Then Hammer learns something about Alonia that will change him in ways he could never have imagined and the reader will follow Hammer on an adventure never before undertaken by a mortal man.

"This story has a nice voice and a simple, kid-friendly tone. It's also a very funny story, with a wickedly wacky, but oddly logical humor. Captain Dan's stories, his many names, and Alex's reactions to it all are hilarious; Alex and Captain Dan are distinctive, highly original characters who should enthrall kid readers. The silliness should enthrall kids. The mysterious ending is a neat twist. The humor makes this story especially nice for being read aloud." The Writer's Digest, April 5, 2005

Country boy, Noah, tells us how much fun it is to live on a farm with his mama, daddy, his dog named Peanut and cat named Smoke-Smoke. Then there are the horses, Tom and Mack, two pigs named Grunt and Oink, two cows named Brownie and Blackie and Blackie's calf named Bootie. Then there are the hens. His favorite is named Penny and a rooster named Colonel Doodle Doo. Every morning at sunrise, Colonel Doodle Doo wakes everybody up by crowing, "Cocka Doodle Do" as loud as he possibly can.