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Rating: 
Summary: TRAVIS LIVES!! (ALMOST)
Review: (...)When John D. MacDonald, author of a dozen or more novels featuriing Travis McGee, died several years ago, he left legions of Travis fans mourning his loss. In Sand Dollars, Charles Knief brings us a Travis-like character in John Caine, private eye. Actually, this is his second appearance in what promises to be a series. Caine, like Travis, is intelligent, ideallistic (in his own unique way), observes a strict code of ethics, chooses his own private eye jobs, and resists becoming sexually involved with clients. And like Travis, Caine lives on his own boat, comparable to Travis' Busted Flush. That said, Sand Dollars is more or less your standard pot boiler. Caine kills a half-dozen or so bad guys, escapes from seemingly inescapable life-threatening situations, and in the end is triumphant over evil. Despite all this, or maybe because of all this, we look forward to more adventures of John Caine. Sand Dollars is entertaining reading and Caine an acceptable protagonist. He just isn't Travis McGee. But then, who is?
Rating:
Summary: Good solid entertainment
Review: Charles Kneif has managed to put together an character that is easy to like in PI John Caine, a retired naval officer and sailing enthusiast with weak spots for beautiful yachts and women. I have read the first two novels Diamond head and Sand Dollars, and I'm right now reading the third in the series. Though Caine is a nice guy, it is hard to get a deeper grip of him and his background, and I believe it would be beneficial if the author could be a little more detailed about his experiences and earlier life that could cast a new light on the present and add more depth to the story line.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm Convinced...Give me more of John Caine!
Review: I just discovered Charles Knief's John Caine in "Diamond Head" and got to know him much better in "Sand Dollars" and I'm still a charged-up fan! Will start "Emerald Flash," the third in the saga of the ex-SEAL-turned-private-eye. My heart just breaks for Caine as he tries to get on with his life after losing his beloved boat and his girlfriend in the first book. In this second novel, he gets on with his life by getting involved in a stateside caper far from his home in Hawaii--but it's OK 'cause he needed to go to San Diego to buy a new boat anyway. What awaits him in California and the Baja is just one adventure and close-call after another. Man, I love this guy--he is so resilient and tough. I'm about to start the third novel featuring this flawed, but lovable hero. I almost hate to do it because I know that it's the last book about John Caine so far. Hurry up, Mr. Knief, and give me more!
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good. Superb. One of the best. Truly
Review: I'm reminded of a sports column I read many years ago by Phil Pepe of the New York Daily News. He commented about Yankee third-baseman Graig Nettles' performance against the Dodgers in the 1977 World Series. Nettles, he said, doesn't make you forget Brooks Robinson, he makes you remember him. The same goes for Charles Knief and his protagonist, John Caine, vis-a-vis John D. McDonald and his bad boy, Travis McGee. I enjoyed watching, for instance, Sue Grafton's style mature from her first novel to her fourth, where she hit her stride in her series about Kinsey Milhone (best described, incidentally, as a female Travis McGee). It is amazing and gratifying that Mr. Knief, by his second novel, has hit the jackpot. As an editor at a newspaper, I am a critical reader, and, unless reading Waugh, find in any book room for improvement. I found very, very little in "Sand Dollars." My only advice to Mr. Knief, assuming he'd accept it from a hack, is to quit while you're ahead. When philosophizing, make the point and get out. Lingering for even a moment can dilute the point, and even make a descent, however brief, into banality. That said, though, Mr. Knief erred very seldom and very little. And I am hardly one to take such a fine writer to task. Even before I finished "Sand Dollars," I ordered Mr. Knief's first outing, "Diamondhead," from amazon.com. Hurry, hurry. And: Bravo, Mr. Knief. And please get cracking on your third effort.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT story, good enough to even RE-Read!
Review: The main character, John Caine, moves to San Diego and Mexico for his next case and gets involved in a multitude of plot twists and action along the way. I liked this book almost as much as the author's first, Diamond Head. I can't wait for Charles Knief's next book.
Rating: 
Summary: It was OK. Got my attention and then totally lost it...
Review: This book was OK. It did have interesting points, but I didn't feel that all the characters were credible (who could get away with killing a whole bunch of people in Mexico anyway?). All in all, it was reading entertainment, just not too fullfilling.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the first book- OVERALL SCORE: (B+)
Review: This is a good mystery story, full of action, sex, and graphic violence, what more can you want. Unfortunately this time the story takes place in San Diego and Tijuana, and so it lack the seductive setting and ambiance of Hawaii. Also the plot is more contrives and not as tightly written, but its still good, just not as good as his other stories.
OVERALL SCORE: (B+)
READABILITY: (A-), PLOT: (B-), CHARATERS: (A-), DIALOGUE: (B-), SETTING: (B+), ACTION/COMBAT: (A-), ANTAGONISTS: (B), ROMANCE: (B-), SEX: (Very Adult Content), AGE LEVEL: (NC17)
Rating:
Summary: A fast-paced superb read--could not put it down.
Review: This second novel by Charles Knief is so good that I cannot wait to read the first in the series, DIAMOND HEAD. John Caine, the protagonist, really is the reincarnation of Travis McGee. He's got everything but Miss Agnes, the old Rolls Royce. Knief really does know how to tell a tale, how to entertain. I inhaled the book in an otherwise busy weekend--it was that good. The action never stops, nor does Caine's, and Knief's, credibility. A superb read. Highly Recommended.
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