Books

Richard Peck’s columns take you from Father’s Day in Italy to reveille in China. . . from tree-climbing Kauai chickens to salt-smuggling in Switzerland – a champagne cocktail of little adventures, all of them deftly crafted, warm and funny. Perfect armchair travel, recalling memorable trips you’ve taken, mixed with tantalizing visits to places you’ve never seen. And addictive: you can’t stop at just one.

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Baedeker, Cook’s Tour, forget them all. Peck’s travel stories are better and more fun than the hassles of travel. You don’t have to take off your shoes or show your passport. And you’ll love Peck’s quirky view of the people he’s met and the places he’s been.
- C.F. Roe

You’ll want to read Pecks novels after enjoying these delightfully sharp travel tales. The man wields more blades than a Swiss Army knife.
- Rob Kresge

In 1598, 22 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Don Juan de Onate led a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries to the banks of the Rio Grande, near what is today the town of Espanola, and established a permanent settlement.

In 1998 New Mexico observed its cuatrocentenario, a unique event. No other state in the union can claim such a rich and diverse history. The New Mexico Experience, filled with historic illustrations and contemporary photographs, is a colorful celebration of four centuries. Dr. Peck traces the great sweep of development from the Anasazi civilization to today’s Land of Enchantment — a compelling and wonderful trip. Along the way he offers word portraits of the people — famous, infamous and ordinary alike — who have contributed to the mosaic that is modern New Mexico.

Chapters touch all aspects of a tumultuous past, from the pre-Columbian era and the Pueblo peoples to the explorers and missionaries, from the territorial days of outlaws, cowboys and capitalists to the nuclear scientists at Los Alamos and the high technology of Albuquerque’s “Silicon Mesa.” It’s a grand adventure, told with spirit and elan.

Readers’ Comments -

…the first time I’ve ever enjoyed reading History.
- J.L. Albuquerque, NM

The characters come to life on the page. It’s great to “meet” them.
- R.D. Houston, TX

A broad sweeping story featuring the Land of Enchantment and its people.
- M.McG. Los Angeles, CA

Strategy of Terror, a mesmerizing thriller with an intricate plot, takes the reader on an international terrorist hunt from Switzerland to the streets of Rome, through the majestic ski-slopes of Gran Sasso and the splendid plazas of Vatican City. The story rushes with an increasing speed, fascinating scheme and a dash of sensuality to culminate in an unexpected climax. Richard Peck presents a rare view into the contradictions of political life in Italy and the clandestine operations of the Interpol and CIA. Strategy of Terror is a page-turner with crisp, distinctive dialog and unforgettable characters.

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Richard Peck’s dazzling Strategy of Terror proves that he can do it all — tell a credible and gripping, page-turning yarn of modern terrorism, create a hero worthy of the name and a richly diverse cast of fully dimensional characters, sensually summon up places (Switzerland, Italy, even old Washington DC) with grace and freshness and authenticity. Be sure to buckle up tight before you start reading. You’re in for a wild and happy ride.
George Garrett

Richard E. Peck’s years as a Marine helicopter pilot and top-level executive have given him experiences few novelists can match. In Strategy of Terror he combines all the elements of the international thriller with the understanding of people and institutions he has acquired from that experience.
Tom Purdom

In Strategy of Terror, Richard Peck presents a thriller that combines a Dan Brown-like protagonist with a Robert Ludlum-like plot. Strategy of Terror is loaded with action and diabolical characters and keeps the reader wondering how the good guys can possibly survive.
Joseph Badal

Something for Joey is based on actual events in the lives of John Cappelletti, the football player, and his kid brother Joey, a victim of leukemia. As a rising football star at Penn State, John became Joey’s idol, who lived for football weekends when he could see his big brother star in the field. But the older brother was in turn inspired by Joey’s courage in dealing with pain every moment of his life. In accepting the1973 Heisman Trophy, awarded annually to the best college player, John Cappelletti startled an audience of dignitaries and celebrities with a moving tribute to Joey, who died in April, 1976. This book tells the true, courageous story of the football hero and his heroic young brother.

Readers’ Comments -

It’s wonderfully written and emphasizes the bond between the brothers and the entire family.
- D.G. Aurora CO

This book put me into reading.
- G.M. NYC

…one of my favorite books.
- A.R. Amazon.com

…the most inspirational book I have ever read.
- T.Q. Rochester NY

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I first read this when I was just a little older than Joey. It has been one of my favorite books ever since. Be warned, if the picture of the football player on the cover is what turns you on to this book, you will NOT like it. This book is NOT about a macho tough guy football player. It is about the love that a kind, gentle college player has for his little brother who is suffering from lukemia, and the special closeness they share. It is about a close knit family dealing with a devastating illness with faith and love. It is about a very brave little boy who is fighting for his life. Through this book John Cappeletti becomes someone to admire, not for being a good football player, but for being a good, loving person. In his speech accepting the Heismann Trophy, John minimizes his own accomplishments and tells a room full of people how much he admires his little brother and that his brother shows courage way beyond what John shows on the field. If you are looking for a touching, inspirational story about a real family dealing with a real problem, this is an excellent choice. If you want to read about football, look somewhere else.. Something for joey (bantam starfire books) is a an all time favorite.
- Anonymous

I first read this book my junior year of high school and the story has stayed with me for 12 yrs now. This is such an inspirational story about a young boy suffering from leukemia and his older brother who plays college football. The older brother finds a way to make his brother’s life a little brighter, by making touchdowns. I laughed, I cried throughout this book. It’s wonderfully written and emphasizes the bond between the brothers and the entire family. I think this should be required reading for all high school students.. Something for joey (bantam starfire books) is a awesome, awesome, awesome.
- Anonymous

Insurance-trainee Mike Bradley picks up his newly purchased Honda during his lunch break then walks out of a deli only to see the car hoisted into a moving van and driven away. Stolen. He traces the theft to Lester-the-thief, a New Jersey entrepreneur who steals cars to order. Inspired by Lester’s operation, Bradley steals twenty new Cadillacs, spotless luxury cars he delivers to Lester. BUT, he steals them from a dealership owned by a Philly mob boss and the cars are too hot even for Lester. So Bradley’s stuck with twenty hot cars and now he is wanted by the police and the mob. That’s when the complications begin.

Buoyant, crisp, and funny, Philly Amateurs is whimsical and tough at the same time. Filled with unique and memorable characters, the story races to a surprising climax.

Reader’s Comments –

…another winner. Wonderful dialogue, quirky characters. I loved it.
- P.L.P St. Louis

…put me on your list for the next one, and keep them coming.
- SL. Milwaukee

…are all Yanks this funny? A delicious read.
- JN Liverpool, England

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Richard E. Peck has written another first-rate thriller. Philly Amateurs is a dark comedy that draws readers into a vortex of crackling dialogue, kaleidoscopic action, and quirky characters…Its twists and turns are outrageous, hilarious, and absolutely unpredictable.
- Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.

Richard E. Peck takes another trip to Westlake country and offers us his own unique angle on the lighthearted caper novel.
- Tom Purdom

For years universities have been restive sounding boards for those who talk of revolution, of a new system, of freedom for every man. This chilling tale begins with a university, and a student riot — only this time the riot becomes a revolution and produces a new epoch in the American Way of Life.

Robert Kiley, a member of the faculty, seems to endorse the change as a giant step forward in the educational process. After all, his name appears on the plan that created the change. But his efforts at reform have brought him near death, saved only by a colleague’s experimental research in cryogenics.

Awakening years in the future, Kiley finds that he is still on the university campus where, through some strange metamorphosis, he has become the spiritual leader of the people — against his every wish. He can’t understand where he fits, in a new era when everyone speaks in distorted versions of today’s ghetto jargon, everyone (literate or not) has a Ph.D., and the university has become a miniature hell, isolated from the new paradise of America. But the money still comes from Washington and as the new “leader,” Kiley goes to fetch it, a journey across America which reveals just how alien he — or his world — has become.

Often hilarious, this devastating first novel shows how easily the best intentions can produce a nightmare.

Readers’ Comments -

…where did you get these characters? They’re implausible, and persuasive, and reasonable, and insane all at once…great imagination…
- M.N. Itaca NY

…funny and frightening. I hope you’re wrong!
- K.L.C. Fargo ND

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Culling the length and breadth of speculative fiction as I do affords a number of peak moments, explosive discoveries. Imagine finding for the first time Delany, Disch, Lafferty. I can recreate in a blink the impact on me of my first exposure to D.G. Compton, Barry Malzberg, and Elizabeth Saxton. Well here’s another one. Richard E. Peck in Final Solution (Doubleday) has written a yarn of the “if this goes on” category which will curl up your toes in delight. Coupled with a swift, bright, narrative style and a coruscating sense of humor is a sharply serious social commentary, generally encompassing the immediate future but most specifically dealing with the University. Take current trends in higher education — the lowering of entrance requirements, the increasing voice of students in curriculum and administration and the purse-power of the government — and extend, extrapolate them. Mix in a lot of laughter and an underlying sense of respect and responsible concern for education per se, throw in a fistful of genius for characterization (and caricature) and a fine feel for language, and you have a rough idea of Richard Peck’s recipe — and clear notice to watch for this name again.
- Theodore Sturgeon, Galaxy Magazine

The author has a deft sense of language.
- Edward Janusz, Garage Sale Gold

Bob Wince, an Albuquerque building contractor, sentenced to the New Mexico State Penitentiary for a crime he didn’t commit, is mysteriously granted an early release…fed up with accidents, or fate, running his life. Associating himself with the minor crooks and scammers who gather at his father’s restaurant, “Dimmie’s Half-Off,” Wince vows to reestablish his life and exact revenge on those who set him up…That means working the system…

From Albuquerque to Gallup, to the Navajo reservation and beyond, Peck introduces sleazy operators and hustlers in every line of work. It’s a rich cast of characters — Anglos, Hispanics, Native Americans — who populate New Mexico’s tangled subcultures. The priciest turquoise jewelry could have been made last week in Mahmad Khalil’s Gallup factory; Maria Morales may be named Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year, but she’s still Maria Losinski, Hispanic only through a brief marriage to Ernie Morales.

From the moment you begin Dead Pawn, its mordant humor and crisp language will change the way you see New Mexico, the “Land of Enchantment.”

Reader’s Comments -

…a splendid book…I hope you use the characters in future novels…vividly portrayed…marvelous conversation…especially ethnic…idosyncrasies…a real treat…
- S.K. San Francisco

…enjoyed the characters and loved the Indian-New Mexican southwestern post-modern backdrop…a terrific book!
- A.B. Tempe AZ

…fast-paced with great dialogue and wonderful…Let’s have another!
- P.M. Farmington NM

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…[A] parade of sleazy hustlers of various ethnicities…populate this very readable volume…a string of characters that have spent time in prison, on welfare or just lurking around the edges of immorality…[A]nyone who has lived in the Land of Enchantment will recognize the bizarre but endearing collage of ethnicities, social strata and manipulative scammers…Crisp, succinct description that evokes an accurate sense of place, realistic dialogue that makes the reading fast and fluid, and a wit and candor that provide comic relief raise the book above your run-of-the-mill revenge mystery…Peck is a confident storyteller, familiar enough with New Mexico to provide an authentic feel for the place and its multiracial inhabitants.
- Carrie Seidman, Albuquerque Tribune

…the first crime novel by Richard Peck, president emeritus of {UNM} and author of many other books, stories and plays. Peck…showers every aspect of the story with informed detail, from the intricacies of setting up a construction job to the workings of a greasy spoon to the fine points of Indian jewelry, making Dead Pawn an interesting as well as gripping read. I recommend it highly…
- Jane Dickinson, Rocky Mountain News

Dead Pawn is a suspense-filled mystery that is…replete with Elmore Leonard-like characters whose quirky personalities make Peck’s novel a real page-turner.
- Joseph Badal, author of The Pythagorean Solution

The author…is a former president of the University of New Mexico. His…subject is the world of prison inmates, ex-cons, pawn dealers, scam artists and assorted lowlifes of the Albuquerque street scene. The material is dead-on believable and keeps you wondering how the former prexy became so familiar with this stuff…Peck also knows his construction. His lovingly detailed information…makes you wonder if, when not running colleges, he builds houses…Dry humor leavens the dark stuff…Smoothly written, nicely handled…
- Robert Mayer, The Santa Fe New Mexican

All the Courses in the Kingdom: An American Plays at the Birthplace of Golf

Every day golfers from all over the world cross oceans and continents to visit the Kingdom of Fife in Scotland to play the round of a lifetime at the birthplace of golf, The Old Course at St. Andrews. They enter the daily lottery and wait. For days. Or more.

But this book offers an alternative — a fascinating tour of all 43 courses in Fife, from municipal to championship layouts, 9-hole and 18, challenging, available, inexpensive, and all only a few miles, or yards, from The Old Course.

The only golfer every to play them all, Richard Peck has written a player’s tour, filled with golf trivia, historical traditions, and verbal sketches of the Scots who welcome all visitors to this golfer’s mecca. It’s golf, and travel, and 55 beautiful photos, and the book you’ll pick up to re-read when weather keeps you off your home course.

Readers’ Comments -

I love the feel of this book, the pictures were elegantly reproduced and the text flows beautifully…it belongs on the coffee table of every golfer I know.
- P.B. Swarthmore PA

…the book that encapsulates golf in the Kingdom so beautifully.
- M.W. Edinburgh Scotland

…extremely lucid and interesting. In addition the LAYOUT is splendid, from the photographs to the Old English type font!
- S.K. San Francisco

…[Peck's] verbal skills and wit shine through. The photos look great. The overall feel brings back fond memories of my two trips [to Scotland].
- G.B. Lakewood CO

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All the Courses in the Kingdom…is a very special sports travelogue written especially for dedicated golfing enthusiasts. Filled from cover to cover with an especial appreciation for Scottish golf courses; tips for vacationers and business travelers seeking to enjoy the beauty of golfing in Scotland in person; and enhanced throughout with full-color photographs for the benefit of the armchair traveler, home community-bound golfer. All the Courses in the Kingdom is an avidly, passionately, beautifully presented account.
- James Cox, Midwest Book Review

…All the Courses is a breezy addition to the encyclopedia-sized stack of solid golf reads…available…Peck spent 7 weeks playing and researching the 43 courses in the Kingdom of Fife, home to the world’s most famous 18 holes — the Old Course at St. Andrews…There are gems to be found [throughout]…Peck obviously relishes the sheer joy of story telling, and he regales the reader with scores of wonderful anecdotes [that]…really enhance the experience, as do the 55 photos [of courses that are] green, lush, and an aesthetic delight…All the Courses is part golf, part history, and part travel guide.
- James Yodice, Albuquerque Journal