Kirjahaku

On the home front during World War II a young schoolgirl, Vida Rose, is taken ill. As she goes deeper into illness and a coma her spirit travels through a journey of spiritual experiences that reveal life's decisions, not only for Vida Rose, but for those that love her. She is greeted by a beautiful woman, she calls the Snow Queen, who guides her on her journey. Vida's mother, Mary Kathleen, struggles to raise Vida and her brother, John Jr., on the home front as her military husband has become missing in action in the European theater of war. Mary Kathleen, is helped by a Native American Navajo woman neighbor, Naomi, whose military husband, a Navajo code talker, is listed as Missing in Action. Vida's father, presumed dead, adds to a spiritually climactic ending. The faith of an Irish Catholic family, and the unity and camaraderie of Americans during World War II creates a spiritual warmth for humanity, giving an insight into near death and life after death experiences, overcoming prejudice, and trusting the power of love and faith and the constant presence of hope in life.

On the home front during World War II a young schoolgirl, Vida Rose, is taken ill. As she goes deeper into illness and a coma her spirit travels through a journey of spiritual experiences that reveal life's decisions, not only for Vida Rose, but for those that love her. She is greeted by a beautiful woman, she calls the Snow Queen, who guides her on her journey. Vida's mother, Mary Kathleen, struggles to raise Vida and her brother, John Jr., on the home front as her military husband has become missing in action in the European theater of war. Mary Kathleen, is helped by a Native American Navajo woman neighbor, Naomi, whose military husband, a Navajo code talker, is listed as Missing in Action. Vida's father, presumed dead, adds to a spiritually climactic ending. The faith of an Irish Catholic family, and the unity and camaraderie of Americans during World War II creates a spiritual warmth for humanity, giving an insight into near death and life after death experiences, overcoming prejudice, and trusting the power of love and faith and the constant presence of hope in life.

It's not easy for single mom Patty Callahan, haunted by the knowledge that her estranged, elderly father is a third-generation criminal. His ties to Boston's underworld lead him to suspect an old enemy in the cold-case murder of his sister. To Patty's horror, she discovers that her mother has unwittingly agreed to play a part in her father's plot for vengeance. The story swiftly unfolds--peppered with snarky humor and zany episodes that counterbalance the darkest moments--as Patty finds help in a retired police detective who's a crime novelist. She's soon on the way to discovering who her aunt's killer truly is. But an alcoholic hit man, a murderous ex-con, a North End don and his not-so-wiseguy sons all stand in the way. Will Patty be able to intervene before her father acts, a vicious new gang muscles in, and blood from all sides is spilled? "The writing is brisk and the characters memorable. The story line moves nicely back and forth between the decades, showing how criminals and Boston itself has changed, as an aging mobster sets out to revenge the long-ago murder of a beloved sister. In As Crooked as They Come, Jordan supplements the work of people like Henry James, Eric Segal, Edwin O'Connor and George V. Higgins, who in their very different ways set out to bring Boston and its people onto our bookshelves." -Anthony Marro, retired editor of Newsday