David Kreiman

I hope there are more to come in this new series. Sometimes I think that there are just too many James Patterson books, but I liked this new series and want to get to know all of the characters more. I like that there were a number of cases being worked on at one time and. It just one big case. An easy read and very interesting and flawed characters.

I will preface this review by saying two things: I am only halfway thru it (and definitely intend to finish it) and as a 61 year old man, I still remember Barbra Streisand being the first woman I found beautiful at the ripe old age of 5 or 6. After reading the first half of her book, her efforts to place the right pictures on her album covers definitely paid off. My parents introduced me to her and her music, and my first song crush was "I'm Five". I even named our family dog after her. As the years went on, I became and stayed a fan of her and her talent, both as an actress and singer. I have remained an admirer, respected the way she has stayed out of the fray of modern celebrity, and have always promised myself that one day maybe I would open the wallet to see her perform in person from the front row. I am sad to say that some of the glow has faded from my fandom. While the book, so far, has been well written, informative and fascinating, it is impossible to read thru the first 500 pages and not get the stink of narcissism off the pages. Why, Ms. Streisand, did you feel the need to incessantly take credit for so many nuances in your singing performances and movies (both acting and directing)? Unlike some reviews of the book, I don't mind some of the digs you subtly take at some of the actors, agents, producers, directors and lovers throughout your life. I actually would have welcomed more. Who knows, maybe the next 400+ pages will provide that? I am sad that this book has tarnished, even fractionally, my feelings about Ms. Streisand. Her autobiography is maybe only the 5th celebrity autobiography I have ever read. A biography about Roberto Clemente remains my favorite to this day, and I was in my teens when I read it. "Celebrity" does not interest me. Ironically, the only other one I have read in recent times was just a few months ago when I read Matthew Perry's book. Fantastic read! My respect and fandom for Ms. Streisand's work remains unchanged. I just simply did not need the endless archive of tributes that are relentlessly imposed throughout the book, especially the ones which magically appeared when the book was being written that supported the doubts and insecurities she had years prior. It smacks of someone who is both desperately insecure and narcissistic at the same time, and as a fan, has left me slightly disappointed at the halfway mark of what is, as stated previously, a fascinating read.