Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing....
Review: This book is so boring, that I had to plow through it..I have enjoyed his previous books but not this one...it's like one big lecture, and no excitement..Marlene is over the edge...next time I will definitely check his out at the library....and if it is good I will then consider purchasing the next one after that one...the only reason I finished this one is because I had invested dollars from my "book budget"....
Rating: 
Summary: Better than a lot of others
Review: This may not be the Butch and Marlene story that Tanenbaum has written, but mediocre Tanenbaum is better than the best of John Grisham. Marlene goes on a tangent that is one of the best parts of this book when she gets filthy rich and cannot get enough shopping or enough vintage wine. Lucy is her mother's daughter all the way. Butch is really left more confused than usual, but manages to cope. If you are not yet a Butch and Marlene fan, start with the first and read them in order. Wouldn't you love to see Cher play Marlene in a movie!
Rating:
Summary: Better than a lot of others
Review: This may not be the Butch and Marlene story that Tanenbaum has written, but mediocre Tanenbaum is better than the best of John Grisham. Marlene goes on a tangent that is one of the best parts of this book when she gets filthy rich and cannot get enough shopping or enough vintage wine. Lucy is her mother's daughter all the way. Butch is really left more confused than usual, but manages to cope. If you are not yet a Butch and Marlene fan, start with the first and read them in order. Wouldn't you love to see Cher play Marlene in a movie!
Rating:
Summary: Another month in the life of the Karps.
Review: This volume, and the last one, are not as good as prior volumes, though all are quite well written. I've read about Marlene and Butch since before they were married. I think the series is loosing some of its punch. On the other hand, it may just be a transitional novel from Marlene/Butch to their daughter, the language genius. Where is it going? I hope the author has a plan. This is definitely a series to read from the start. Find the earliest dates you can and try to read in chronological order to get the big story along with the episodes.
Rating: 
Summary: Butch Has Problems
Review: We once again check out an instalment in the lives of Butch Karp, Chief Assistant District Attorney and his wife, Marlene Ciampi, a director of an international security agency. Butch finds himself faced with challenge after challenge, both professional and personal. On the professional front, cases are being assigned priority in the DA's office based on their political appeal rather on their prosecutorial merits. A police cover-up is being rushed through the system, much to Butch's disgust. And a man faces the death penalty for a crime that he probably didn't commit. The problems on the personal side are just as worrying for Butch. Lucy, his 17 year-old daughter is ditching school and choosing to hang out at the local soup kitchen, helping the homeless. Marlene has just become independently wealthy and uses this newfound wealth to go on outlandish buying sprees by day and drinking binges by night. Quite a good deal of the book deals with the political aspects of Butch's position as Chief Assistant District Attorney. This doesn't exactly make for edge-of-the-seat thrill a minute drama. Between dwelling on the psychological problems faced by Butch, Marlene and Lucy, there is not a lot of time left to actually expand on the mystery side of the plot, that is, who is the bum-slasher. As a result, the bum-slasher was virtually revealed as an afterthought and just as quickly, dismissed. This really is an update of the story so far of a day in the lives of Butch Karp and family. Consequently, I would recommend this for people who have read previous books by Tanenbaum and are aware of what has happened in the past.
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