Payback/the Bushido Way 2


Book Description

It’s 1976 and Sam Phillips, fresh off his old case a year ago, is now the most hunted man in Los Angeles. Ken Yamada, the new crime boss of the Japanese Yakuza is in town to exact some payback on Sam for the death of his sister Michelle Yamada. Being a P.I. in L.A. is tough enough for Sam and his small investigations team with the addition of his best friend Armstrong Jones, who finally gets his P.I.’s license and Maria Ozawa, a Little Tokyo beat cop, but Yamada has increased the intensity by putting out a hit on Sam with a price tag on his head, literally. Yamada wanted the head of Sam Phillips on a platter. The newly crowned king of the Japanese mafia makes his “bones” by intruding on rival gang turfs with the best drugs, prostitution ring from South East Asia and massage parlors that money can buy. Sam and his girlfriend, Ramona Hightower, are involved in a high-speed car chase on the Sunset Strip with Yamada’s men in high pursuit and gunfire being exchanged that leaves Sam’s car turned over and Ramona in the hospital close to death. Sam is told of the bounty on his life when he returns to his old neighborhood in Long Beach with locals placing bets on his life. When Sam’s partner is beaten half to death by LAPD even though he tried to tell them he was working as a Private Investigator for Captain Pierpont, he became disillusioned at the time when Sam needed him the most. When another attempt on Sam’s life leads to the death of a young detective who jumped in front of the bullets to save Sam, Sam has had enough trying to play defense. He plans an assault on Yamada and hires ex-convicts and a revived Armstrong to take it to Yamada, with the blessing of Captain Pierpont, who gives Sam twenty-four hours to bring Yamada to justice or they’ll go in and burn Little Tokyo down to the ground in this explosive crime drama.




Waking of the Samurai


Book Description

This is the story of Gabriel Dunne, a lower class white kid growing up in South Florida. At the age of ten, he is thrust, along with his best friend, Thomas, into a hair-raising adventure. Stalked by a savage foreign killer, they only have each other and one way out to escape. Gabriel's life-and-death experience as a boy serves as an initiation, unwittingly sending him into manhood. As an adult, Gabriel becomes an elite member of a commando unit rescuing hostages behind enemy lines. Suspense, adventure, humor and a touch of horror are mixed together in this tale that spans over fifteen years.




Shattered Sword


Book Description

Many consider the Battle of Midway to have turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange s bestselling "Miracle at Midway," Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement. Unlike previous accounts, "Shattered Sword" makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources. It also corrects the many errors of Mitsuo Fuchida s "Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan," an uncritical reliance upon which has tainted every previous Western account. It thus forces a major, potentially controversial reevaluation of the great battle. The authors examine the battle in detail and effortlessly place it within the context of the Imperial Navy s doctrine and technology. With a foreword by leading WWII naval historian John Lundstrom, "Shattered Sword" will become an indispensable part of any military buff s library. Winner of the 2005 John Lyman Book Award for the "Best Book in U.S. Naval History" and cited by "Proceedings" as one of its "Notable Naval Books" for 2005."




Miami Vice


Book Description

Discusses the aesthetic appeal, production history, philosophical themes, and enduring importance of the groundbreaking 1980s television series. There may be no more iconic image of mid-1980s network television than Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs speeding down Biscayne Boulevard in Crockett's sleek black Ferrari on Miami Vice. With its unprecedented $1.3 million-per-episode budget and executive producer Michael Mann at the helm, Miami Vice brought feature film production values to prime time and redefined the television police drama. In Miami Vice author Steven Sanders argues that the show's themes, narratives, visual realization, and sound design created a new standard of crime television that has its roots in classic film noir and neo-noir. In chapter 1 Sanders describes the social, political, and cultural background that led Anthony Yerkovich, creator of Miami Vice, and Mann to use Miami and its beaches not merely as a backdrop but as a character in its own right. Along with the show's visual aspects, Sanders identifies themes of ambiguity, alienation, personal identity, and irony that came to define the distinctive "TV noir" style of Miami Vice. In chapter 2, Sanders discusses four key episodes to examine the existentialist and postmodern themes that can be found in their story lines and visual style. In chapter 3, Sanders considers questions of authenticity, redemption, and politics in Miami Vice, with reference to episodes that demonstrate the show's attention to the political corruption and intrigue surrounding the war on drugs. In the final chapter, Sanders offers a novel explanation of why Miami Vice matters to film and video scholars. Miami Vice's visual and musical appeal, cultural resonance, and topicality made it absorbing entertainment in its own day; Sanders proves that its exploration of social, moral, political, and philosophical issues make it worth watching twenty-five years later. Fans of the show and scholars of television history and American popular culture will appreciate this illuminating look at Miami Vice.




Paladin Unbound


Book Description

The last of a dying breed, a holy warrior must rise up against a growing darkness in Evelium. The most unlikely of heroes, a lowly itinerant mercenary, Umhra the Peacebreaker is shunned by society for his mongrel half-Orc blood. Desperate to find work for himself and his band of fighters, Umhra agrees to help solve a rash of mysterious disappearances, but uncovers a larger, more insidious plot to overthrow the natural order of Evelium in the process. As Umhra journeys into the depths of Telsidor's Keep to search for the missing people, he confronts an ancient evil and, after suffering a great loss, turns to the god he disavowed for help. Compelled to save the kingdom he loves, can he defeat the enemy while protecting his true identity, or must he risk everything?




Unofficial "Miami Vice" Episode Guide


Book Description

This is an unofficial episode guide for all "Miami Vice" TV episodes including all music titles, storylines, production dates, filming locations, guest stars and many more details. This 10th edition (2023) has been massively extended and includes all filming locations of the series with indication of already abandoned locations, a quote library, location tour recommendations, new background story additions and many more details.




Defensive Living


Book Description

Defensive Living is your key to unlocking success in a less-than-perfect world. This enlightening book presents the truth about how other people think and how you can successfully deal with people from all walks of life. The secret teachings in Defensive Living are simple, smart, powerful, and insightful.Learn the truth about what is going on in the minds of those around you. In Defensive Living, you will learn: - Strategies for dealing with different types of people- What to look out for in business and personal relationships- How to win the favor of almost everyone you meet- How to use your competition or "enemies" to your advantage- How to figure out what people are really thinking- When it is best to remain silent and stay in the background- How to speak and act to avoid being your own worst enemy- How to successfully deal with dishonorable peopleLearn all this and much, much more from nine of the world's foremost authorities on human behavior and characteristics! Dr. Bohdi Sanders brings you the timeless wisdom of: Gracian, Guicciardini, La Rochefoucauld, Han Fei Tzu, Bruyere, Goethe, Chesterfield, Machiavelli, and Sun Tzu. He masterfully takes the time-tested teachings from each of these masters and adds his straightforward, common-sense commentaries, to combine for powerful and practical advice on living a successful life today.Defensive Living is truly your key to living safely in a malicious world.Author's note: This book was previously released under the title The Secrets of Worldly Wisdom.




The Spanish Tragedy (International Student Edition) (Norton Critical Editions)


Book Description

Thomas Kyd’s highly influential and popular revenge play is now available in a richly documented and critically engaging Norton Critical Edition. The freshly edited and annotated text comes with a full introduction and illustrative materials intended for student readers. The Spanish Tragedy was well known to sixteenth-century audiences, and its central elements—a play-within-a-play and a ghost bent on revenge—are widely believed to have influenced Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This volume includes a generous selection of supporting materials, among them Kyd’s likely sources (Virgil, Jacques Yver, and the anonymous “The Earl of Leicester Betrays His Own Servant”), Thomas Nashe’s satiric criticism of Kyd, Michel de Montaigne and Francis Bacon on revenge, and “The Ballad of The Spanish Tragedy,” which suggests the play’s initial reception. “Criticism” is thematically organized to provide readers with a clear sense of the play’s major themes. Contributors include Michael Hattaway, Jonas A. Barish, Donna B. Hamilton, G. K. Hunter, Lorna Hutson, Molly Smith, J. R. Mulryne, T. McAlindon, and Andrew Sofer. A Selected Bibliography is also included.







The Life Eaters


Book Description

Originally published: La Jolla, CA: WildStorm, 2003.




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