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  <title><![CDATA[Touchstone]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]></description>
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        <name><![CDATA[Laurie R. King]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>3</votes>
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  <date_added>Thu Jun 26 13:28:44 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jun 26 13:29:12 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Like all of Laurie’s work it is finely weaved and very well told.<br/><br/>I was able to pick up most of the breadcrumb trail as to “who” and marvel at Laurie’s talent for sculpting that character so well that the “why” is not only believable but could even be considered admirable. <br/>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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  <read_at>Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Feb 21 19:43:35 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Apr 10 21:42:44 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[It took me a little while to get into this political thriller - a stand alone book from King, whom I love for her excellent series.  Set in the 1920s, in an England torn between unions and a conservative government, an American agent arrives seeking a terrorist suspect.  Secret agents and terrorists...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16046857">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16046857]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>16772021</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Andrea]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Mar 01 10:54:49 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Mar 01 10:58:13 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I normally adore Laurie King, but the shifting point of view in this book drove me crazy, to the point where I got so angry I didn't want to finish the book. It was written in 3rd person omniscient, so we could leap between people's heads, but it was so jarring every time, I felt like I never got th...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16772021">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16772021]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16772021]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>13269234</id>
    <user>
    <id>597546</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Robin]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brookline, MA]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jan 23 08:43:06 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Feb 12 06:29:42 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I've been a Laurie King fan since I read her first book in the Holmes/Russell series, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=The Beekeeper's Apprentice" title="The Beekeeper's Apprentice">The Beekeeper's Apprentice</a>.  Before <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Touchstone" title="Touchstone">Touchstone</a> I'd never really been able to get into what I think of as her stand alone titles, rather than those that build into a series, but this one really sucked me in.<br/><br/>...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13269234">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13269234]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13269234]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>13121913</id>
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    <id>34053</id>
    <name><![CDATA[megan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[San Mateo, CA]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 21 20:32:13 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jan 21 20:46:56 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I was WAITING for this book. It came out on Boxing Day, but I didn't get to the bookstore over and over, and every now and then I'd think: there's a new Laurie R. King mystery out; reading will be good. Because LRK writes some of my favourite mysteries. Her Holmes is infinitely more likeable, more s...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13121913">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13121913]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13121913]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[This was a haunting book that carefully toed the line between supernatural fiction and mystery.  Laurie King is the author of several excellent series (the Holmes/Russell books are among my all-time favorites) and this was definitely closer to the suspense/thriller side of mystery than her others.  ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13740275">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[A break from the various series King pens, this book introduces Harris Stuyvesant, an FBI man (although at the time the FBI isn't called the FBI) from the 1920s. Stuyvesant is in England at a time of strife: miners are close to striking, war still looms on the minds of many, and communism is a great...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24163836">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Laurie R. King is one of my favorite authors.  This book involves new characters and takes place in 1926 at the historic home of a duke and duchess just outside of Cornwall.  Rich characters and dark motives make this a very readable book.]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 14 10:08:58 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jun 13 17:28:20 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Laurie King’s newest historical novel is titled Touchstone and it is amazingly good. Set in England, post World War I, the intricate story revolves around union organizers, conspiracy, and the class struggle in Britain. The main character is a charming renegade American FBI agent named Harris Stuy...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12485906">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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  <read_at>Sat Mar 14 06:50:17 -0700 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[This may be one of those books you do not fully appreciate until you have read it a second time as I certainly am not appreciating it the first time around...]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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  <read_at>Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jan 01 09:14:30 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jan 01 09:30:08 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[American FBI agent Harris Stuyvesant travels to England in 1926 to conduct an undercover investigation of a Labor leader whom Harris suspects has set off several bombs in the U.S.  He meets a nasty piece of work named Carstairs who has been conducting experiments using a WWI vet named Bennett Gray w...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41489498">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jan 08 22:57:07 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jan 08 23:12:52 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A brilliant historical thriller set against the turmoil of England's 1926 general strike. In it, an FBI agent crosses the Atlantic on the track of a bomber who could push England into outright revolution.  He joins forces with a human &quot;touchstone,&quot; a shattered WWI veteran with an uncanny k...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12039174">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12039174]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12039174]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>61439796</id>
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  <isbn>0553803557</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780553803556</isbn13>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jun 28 18:26:19 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jul 05 21:21:53 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[good plot; nice mystery; neat idea (result of being shelled is ability to recognize internal dissonance in others.  I missed one of the things I generally like about Laurie King, however, and that was lack of depth of character - although characters are fully realized (enough background to make them...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61439796">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61439796]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>29024754</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[historic fiction fans]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Aug 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Aug 01 19:41:10 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 25 21:55:18 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Touchstone took a little while to get to the punch, but it ended up being a very well researched and suspenseful look into life in England during the 1926 strikes.  King always does a really great job of describing settings and characters in great detail.  I learned quite a bit about the political a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29024754">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29024754]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>65222331</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Jennifer]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[fans of  Mary Russell mysteries]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 27 21:24:22 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 27 21:24:22 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[An interesting new set of characters for Laurie King. I liked learning more about the tensions at the time of labour uprisings in post WWI Britain and the sweeping changes in world order or British World Order wraught by WWI. Bennett Grey, having been metaphorically dipped in acid to make him overwh...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65222331">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65222331]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>56864634</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Skip]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1272835.Touchstone</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Tue Jun 02 08:31:19 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu May 21 10:56:14 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 02 08:31:19 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I see that Ms. King has recently published the latest in her Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series (can't remember its name) but when I went looking for it on my library shelves, it was not immediately available. I did see this one - Touchstone - though, and picked itup. It had been a while since I'd ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56864634">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56864634]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1272835.Touchstone</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Mar 05 09:50:11 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 23 14:44:17 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The beginning of this book finds Harris Stuyvesant, hard-boiled agent of the U.S. Justice Department, landing on British soil to investigate a man who he believes is the culprit in a series of tragic bombings that have occurred in several American cities in recent months. However, he soon encounters...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48321699">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48321699]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Aunty]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Thu Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Feb 15 15:12:10 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Feb 15 15:13:53 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I like Laurie King and was excited that she wrote a nice, thick book. I was so bored with this book, but I kept reading hoping it would get better. No luck. Her other books I recommend (they are mysteries) but don't bother with this one. BOOOOORRRIING!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/15519228]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">134</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Oct 24 18:19:32 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 24 18:27:54 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[There was a lot of hoopla about this book before it came out (at least from the Laurie R. King website.  It was a good story, but it could have been cut about a third of what it was.  People are hanging around at a mansion, cloistered in order to talk about peacemaking between the industry fat cats ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75625504">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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  <isbn>0553803557</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780553803556</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">134</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Touchstone]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1188478607m/1272835.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1188478607s/1272835.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>477</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hailed for her rich and powerful works of psychological suspense as well as her <em>New York Times</em> bestselling mysteries, Laurie R. King now takes us to a remote cottage in Cornwall where a gripping tale of intrigue, terrorism, and explosive passions begins with a visit to a recluse upon whom the fate of an entire nation may rest&#8212;a man code-named . . . <br/><strong><br/></strong>It&#8217;s eight years after the Great War shattered Bennett Grey&#8217;s life, leaving him with an excruciating sensitivity to the potential of human violence, and making social contact all but impossible. Once studied by British intelligence for his unique abilities, Grey has withdrawn from a rapidly changing world&#8212;until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to investigate for himself Grey&#8217;s potential as a weapon in a vicious new kind of warfare. Agent Harris Stuyvesant desperately needs Grey&#8217;s help entering a world where the rich and the radical exist side by side&#8212;a heady mix of the powerful and the celebrated, among whom lurks an enemy ready to strike a deadly blow at democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.<br/><br/>Here, among a titled family whose servants dress in whimsical costumes and whose daughter conducts an open affair with a man who wants to bring down the government, Stuyvesant finds himself dangerously seduced by one woman and&#8212;even more dangerously&#8212;falling in love with another. And as he sifts through secrets divulged and kept, he uncovers the target of a horrifying conspiracy, and wonders if he can trust his touchstone, Grey, to reveal the most dangerous player of all &#8230;.<br/><br/>Building to an astounding climax on an ancient English estate,<strong> Touchstone</strong> is both a harrowing thriller by a master of the genre and a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that drive history&#8212;and human destinies.]]>
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  <published>2008</published>
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  <read_at>Fri Mar 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue May 05 17:48:52 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue May 05 17:55:20 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This story did not grab me so much as ease me into it.  I read it in chunks and dwellt on it in between those chunks.  It was like the reverse of reading Evelyn Waugh, which I was doing at the same time.  Waugh bemoaned the &quot;death&quot; of traditional British society.  This book shows it as a n...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55079468">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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