Bridge books reviewed- 4

The Bridge in the Menagerie series by Victor Mollo consists of a dozen of nine books. They contain humerous tales with characters such as the Hideous Hog and the Rueful Rabbit. The focus is on the play which is sometimes fairly advanced. Victor Mollo produced five books in the series before his death in 1987: Bridge In The Menagerie (1965) Bridge in the Fourth Dimension (1974) Masters and Monsters (1979) You Need Never Lose at Bridge (1983) Destiny at Bay (1987)                           After Victor Mollo's death, further books in the series appeared posthumously, some making use of previously unpublished articles and others containing new material written by Robert and Phillip King:     The Hog in The 21st Century (Phillip and Robert King, 1999) Winning Bridge in the Menagerie (Victor Mollo and Robert King, 2001) Bridge in the Fifth Dimension (Robert King, Phillip King, and Victor Mollo, 2002) Murder in the Menagerie (Robert King, Phillip King, and Victor Mollo, 2002)           ________________________________________                     "Kosher Bridge"  by David Bird and Ron Klinger is a collection of humerous bridge stories with a Jewish flavor. The kindly and considerate Rabbi, the star performer, has a gentle sense of humor, which is counterpointed by the uproarious exchanges between his companions as many remarkable sequences unfold at the bridge table.         David Bird Ron Klinger .       "The Rabbi's Magic Trick: More Kosher Bridge", by David Bird and Ron Klinger, is a collection of stories about a bridge playing rabbi. The book gives an account of him gambling his holiday money in a high stakes rubber game against three wealthy Arabs, and a synagogue team facing a team of Catholic priests and nuns. Or buy from Amazon.co.uk                           "Frank Stewart's Bridge Club" is no ordinary place. It is the regular haunt of a cast of somehow familiar players: Unlucky Louie, against whom no one ever makes a wrong bid or play; Grapefruit, a man with an unnaturally sour disposition; Cy the Cynic, who knows that the Fates will conspire against him whatever he does; Minnie Bottoms, who tends to mix up jacks and kings but always somehow finds the killing play by mistake; Will Rogers, who never met a hand he didn't like; Frank himself, whose dry wit will keep you coming back for more; and many others. Pick up bridge pointers, try the quizzes, and have a great time while you do it. Or buy from Amazon.co.uk                     The Cassandra Swann Mystery series: - "Grand Slam", "King of Hearts", "Death Takes a Hand" (buy from Amazon.co.uk) and "Doubled in Spades" (buy from Amazon.co.uk) by Susan Moody are are something different for mystery lovers. These cleverly plotted entertaining British mystery books feature the exploits of 'circumferentially challenged' bridge instructor Cassandra Swann.                                 "Tickets to the Devil" by Richard Powell, published in 1968, is one of the first bridge novels ever. The story offers clever humor, sexual liaisons, bridge hands and even new bridge systems ("I play the Hoffmeister Notrump") as it follows quirky characters at a national tournament. Or buy from Amazon.co.uk                   "Death by Contract" by Shirley Presberg is a fast-paced bridge murder mystery, set at a cash-prize tournament in Virginia Beach. This is a great fun book for anyone who knows the least bit about bridge. The character development is especially well done, and you can truly envision each of the potential suspects. The reader is left in suspense for a long time before the killer is eventully revealed, with many intriguing clues along the way. Or buy from Amazon.co.uk                 David Bird Martin Hoffman .                   "Having Nun, Partner?" by Martin Hoffman and David Bird. Enjoy the hilarious adventures of the bridge playing nuns of St Hilda's Convent. The novices live in constant fear of the 82-year old Mother of Discipline, dreading the appearance of her punishment book. Meanwhile, the Convent first team, captained by Mother Superior, play against a host of colourful opponents.                                                                                           William Cole, the author of "Fishheads" is a teacher of mediaeval literature at Harvard University. He has woven this book into a collection of stories about the Fishhead family, who were playing bridge at high levels before we even thought it had been invented. With interesting hands and brilliant play and defence it's very entertaining and a good read. Or buy from Amazon.co.uk             go to the Bridge shop, Bridge CD-ROM's or Bridge book review index or page: - B1, B2, B3, B4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,       Visit Bridge Books website for a list of bridge books categorised by content and level.