Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Ledger
    The Ledger
    The Ledger
    Ebook294 pages4 hours

    The Ledger

    By Dorothy Uhnak

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Every crime has its price, but for one woman, the cost may be too high
    Elena Vargas is a material witness to a homicide, the shooting of a foot soldier in an international mob cartel. But the sultry call girl and sometime-mistress of gang lord Enzo Giardino claims to have seen and heard nothing. Desperate to make a case against Giardino, the district attorney offers Vargas protective custody in exchange for betraying her lover. But no one can make her talk. The case blows sky high when a ledger is discovered, naming names and detailing the operations of a criminal enterprise that stretches to the highest levels of government. Going on nothing but gut instinct, New York Police Department cop Christie Opara uncovers something in Vargas’s past that could give them the leverage they need. It’s a secret that will reverberate in both women’s lives as Christie edges closer to the truth about a mother and child . . . and an answer that has been there all along. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Dorothy Uhnak including rare images from the author’s estate.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Media
    Release dateJan 1, 2013
    ISBN9781453283547
    The Ledger
    Author

    Dorothy Uhnak

    Dorothy Uhnak (1930–2006) was the bestselling, award-winning author of nine novels and one work of nonfiction. Policewoman, a memoir about her life as a New York City transit police detective, was written while Uhnak was still in uniform. The Bait (1968), her first novel, won the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery Novel. She went on to hit the bestseller lists with novels including Law and Order (1973) and The Investigation (1977). Uhnak has been credited with paving the way for authors such as Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Patricia Cornwell, and many others who write crime novels and police procedurals with strong heroines. Her books have been translated into fifteen languages.   

    Read more from Dorothy Uhnak

    Related to The Ledger

    Titles in the series (4)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Earp Fellow Sophisticates

      Aug 31, 2021

      Earp Fellow Sophisticates
      12 min read

    • Article

      More Of Me To Love

      Sep 30, 2021

      More Of Me To Love
      4 min read

    • Article

      Scoundrel

      Oct 23, 2018

      Scoundrel
      11 min read

    • Article

      Asleep At The Gap

      May 7, 2019

      Asleep At The Gap
      16 min read

    • Article

      Diana Rigg

      Nov 11, 2020

      Diana Rigg
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Classical Outlaw

      Aug 9, 2022

      A Classical Outlaw
      3 min read

    • Article

      Bond Of Brothers

      Apr 26, 2022

      Bond Of Brothers
      2 min read

    • Article

      These Dreadful Days

      Apr 12, 2022

      These Dreadful Days
      4 min read

    • Article

      I’m Known As The Coffin Guy

      Aug 28, 2020

      IT WAS a repulsive act of cruelty and humiliation that shocked people around the world. “Do you want to die fast or slow?” the two burly farmers taunted as they forced Victor Mlotshwa into a coffin. They threatened to douse him in petrol and burn him

      4 min read

    • Article

      All Those Impostors

      Oct 26, 2021

      All Those Impostors
      4 min read

    • Article

      Triggered

      Nov 27, 2018

      Triggered
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dan’s The Man!

      Apr 16, 2021

      Dan’s The Man!
      4 min read

    • Article

      Sweeping Sorrow

      Mar 29, 2022

      Sweeping Sorrow
      15 min read

    • Article

      BILLY & JESSE

      Oct 26, 2021

      BILLY & JESSE
      8 min read

    • Article

      After the Storm

      Nov 25, 2023

      After the Storm
      6 min read

    • Article

      Following His Nose

      Feb 21, 2023

      Following His Nose
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Lady Sensei Is Taking Her Message To The Masses

      May 19, 2020

      Most people who get into the martial arts for self-defense reasons do so out of some vague concern that one day they might be the victim of a random crime and therefore should probably have a method of protecting themselves. But for some, the need to

      5 min read

    • Article

      Kate Hudson Baby, You’re Looking Great

      Nov 22, 2021

      With a starry guest list and a very worthy cause to support, choosing the perfect outfit for Los Angeles-based children’s charity Baby2Baby’s tenth anniversary gala might have been a thorny problem for some. Not, however, for Kate Hudson, who rose to

      1 min read

    • Article

      The naked TRUTH

      Oct 27, 2021

      The naked TRUTH
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Ledger

    4/5

    673 ratings36 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      When time travel was discovered in the 24th century, it became apparent that events could be manipulated both in the past and the future. The responsibility to make corrections and alter time fell under the purview of the Eternals, a group comprised of Computers, Life-Plotters, Technicians, Maintenance, Timers, and Cubs. The Computers are the highest-ranking members of Eternity and form the Allwhen Council.The eldest among them, Computer Twissell, takes under his wing a prodigy named Andrew Harlan and promotes him from Cub to Technician, to the chagrin of certain others such as Computer Finge, who targets Harlan and attempts to thwart him whenever possible. At the same time, Finge takes a young, gorgeous woman named Noÿs from the 482nd century as his personal assistant, but Harlan suspects there is more to their relationship.Meanwhile, Harlan is assigned a cub named Cooper and is tasked with training him on Earth history during the “Primitive” age just before time travel. Neither Harlan nor Cooper is immediately certain why the cub was directed by Computer Twissell to study under Harlan.Despite his attempts to avoid Noÿs, Harlan begins to fall for her and attempts to save her from a change that the Allwhen Council has approved for her century—a change that threatens to remove Noÿs from history and replace her with an analogous version of herself that could be a completely different woman, one with no feelings at all for Harlan.Desperate, Harlan begins to break the rules of Eternity by smuggling Noÿs to the 100,000th century, a time that the Eternals have barely explored and mankind seems to be mostly absent from Earth. Knowing that Finge and the council have probably discovered his plan, Harlan sets out to destroy the original discovery of time travel and the formation of Eternity before escaping into the future to be with Noÿs forever.However, Twissell reveals a secret about Cooper that threatens to undermine Harlan’s machinations. Twissell convinces Harlan to help him undo the damage Harlan caused—until Noÿs reveals an even deeper plot that shakes the foundation of Harlan’s existence…The End of Eternity is yet another splendid exhibit of Asimov’s remarkable worldbuilding talents. The detail involved in manipulating time and its effects were impressive.While most of Asimov’s characters in general are afforded little in the way of development and background, at least Twissell reveals a tarnished past that puts him on common ground with Harlan. The tension and pace remain fairly tight once Harlan begins plotting and scheming against Finge and the plot contains sufficient twists to maintain suspense.
    • 4/5
      "The End of Eternity" is a good, early take on time travel and what would later be coined as the Butterfly Effect. Asimov really flexes his intellectual muscles in this one.If you read a fair amount of sci-fi from this era, you come to expect very little from the writing of female characters. Even adjusting for the period I found this book exceptionally misogynistic, and off-putting because of it. BUT Asimov redeems himself by the end with a fantastic criticism of male paternalism and conservatism.
    • 4/5
      Presents some interesting ideas on time travel and reshaping history. Well thought out, 50's style. I like the Foundation series better.
    • 4/5
      The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov was a reread from my teenage years when the author was a favourite of mine.I've always found the subject of time travel compelling and here, Asimov creates a lot of tension in this sparse 1955 novel that has become a classic of its genre. I won't retell the story here, but rather share my opinion that the mechanics of time travel are well thought out, as are the social constructs. Our "hero" is rather vapid throughout and I enjoyed the nicely conceived twist that puts the whole plot in place. The characters are rather one dimensional and definitely take second place to the thought provoking description of the future society and its role in controlling human destiny.Not your average time travel novel. Recommended.
    • 3/5
      There is a bit of arcane time travel vocabulary, and the mechanisms bog the story down. However, it moves and kept me reading. Plus, there's romance. I look forward to seeing the film they are supposedly making of this book.
    • 4/5
      Andrew Harlan is an Eternal - a man living outside the normal timeline. He is a Technician in an organisation called Eternity. His job is to make small changes in the real world in order to remove undesirable futures. He has been tasked with teaching an unusual recruit his hobby of Primitive History - the history of life before Eternity came into being and before the reach of the time machines, called kettles. He is also tasked with observation of the 482nd century reality in the company of a non Eternal woman, a task he finds disturbing, especially when he finds himself in her bed. Eternity is no place for women it seems, and Harlan turns to criminal acts in order to spend more time with her. But then events show that Harlan is not completely in control of his own destiny, and that Eternity itself is at stake.This is the third time I have read this book, and each time I have found it unputdownable. Some of the technology is a little dated, but then the story was written in the early 1950s so some allowances can be made. There are some unanswered questions about how the realm of Eternity can exist, which are conveniently hidden behind Harlan's lack of knowledge. But the concept of time travel and the consequent paradoxes are brilliantly conceived and exploited. And it ends with several nice twists. This is a great work by one of the great masters of SF.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorite novels by Isaac Asimov, and I think underrated among his works, perhaps because it's a one-off, not something that ties into his Foundation or Robot series. I remember the outline of the story even decades after my first read, which is a sign of its ability to have an impact. What particularly stands out is the world-building. This is as intriguing, imaginative and well-thought out a world than any you can find in Asimov. Eternity is an organization that holds itself out of time. The "Eternals" are from almost all the centuries of man's post-industrial existence--and control and continually tweak that existence, altering reality without the knowledge or consent of those in "Time."Andrew Harlan is a technician in Eternity, helping to make those changes and quite self-satisfied in his role--until Lambent Noys throws a wrench into the gears of his mind and heart. Noys, even if she fits a fairly traditional role in the book, is still one of Asimov's stronger and most memorable female characters. She's more than she seems and in the end Asimov delivers through her quite the critique of patriarchy and paternalism, particularly through the growth of Harlan, one of his most misogynistic characters. I found myself amused by this passage with its reversal of the usual assumptions of women's impact upon history:Women almost never qualified for Eternity because, for some reason he did not understand (Computers might, but he himself certainly did not), their abstraction from Time was from ten to a hundred times as likely to distort Reality as was the abstraction of a man.And there's something about the themes and conclusion of this one I find very satisfying. Like all of Asimov's writing, it's great at making you think--but this also had heart.
    • 4/5
      I didn't enjoy this one as much as Asimov's I, Robot, but it is still pretty clever and delivers a number of twists I didn't see coming. The ending also has a thought-provoking philosophy that is summed up in this very spoilery quote (if you haven't read the book, read at your own peril):"In ironing out the disasters of Reality, Eternity rules out the triumphs as well...Can you understand that in averting the pitfalls and miseries that beset man, Eternity prevents men from finding their own bitter and better solutions, the real solutions that come from conquering difficulty, not avoiding it?"
    • 5/5
      Asimov might be my favorite author. Very few books give me such a thrill when it comes to any kind of fiction. His trademarks are here - romance, a fast plot, small cast of characters, huge scope, big feel, twists turns and a conclusion that ended up giving me goosebumps. As is the case with most time travel stories, there's a ton of paradoxes but Asimov manages to guide most of the way without losing me. There's certainly some antiquated language but the book was written 65 years ago and it's so incredible to see such modern themes so long ago. There's a ton of themes here - class, nuclear power, war, history, psychology, regret...all the good stuff that I loved so much about the Robots/Foundation is present here. Short and sweet.
    • 5/5
      If you have read and enjoyed Asimov’s Foundation series, you will almost certainly like “The End of Eternity.” The scope, the suspense, the wonder are all here. On the other hand, if you have not read the Foundation series, then “The End of Eternity” is a great place to start since it is in some sense antecedent to the events of the Foundation books. Incidentally, if you are looking for a better understanding of the internal chronology of Asimov’s fictional universe, you can find an ordered list of the books here.Because “The End of Eternity” is concerned with the human psyche and social condition more than technological ornamentation, reading it today, decades after publication, still feels fresh – there are relatively few anachronisms, and none so jarring as to veer into ridiculous and detract from one’s enjoyment of the plot. I enjoyed “The End of Eternity” for much the same reasons I have savored Babylon 5 TV series and the Matrix films. What makes each of these stories so compelling is the deep dive into big, existential themes. Until we are no longer mystified by the concepts of time or infinity or human “destiny”, “The End of Eternity” will remain interesting and exciting.
    • 4/5
      Andrew Harlan bothered me with the way he jumped to conclusions and then proceeded to interpret everything based upon those unjustified conclusions. However, I loved the premise and Asimov gives the reader some unexpected twists in the final quarter of the book.
    • 4/5
      This was a fascinating book! It is the first Asimov novel that I have read and, to be honest, it will not be my last. The story is intense. Although the description is limited and brief in nature-- which was not my typical forté, I still thought that the momentum (the impetus) of the story drove everything forward at such a pace that it did not matter as much. Great book. Also, a magnificent ending.4 stars. Recommended for sci-fi lovers!
    • 3/5
      Yet another time travel story. It does sometimes feel like everything's been done before in this sub-genre, and I was disappointed to be reading the same paradoxes again, but perhaps Asimov is one who started it. This reminds me a bit of Blake Crouch's "Recursion," but with a little less action, tighter editing, equally flat but less PC characters, and, in the end, higher stakes. I enjoyed it. The story would have been stronger, though, had the hugely profound, galaxy-spanning moral introduced in the last ten pages been thematically present, or at least foreshadowed, throughout the story. As it is, almost out of nowhere we get Asimov preaching to us. He isn't a bad preacher, but it still feels artificial.
    • 5/5
      I have found myself in recent years searching out Asimov's non-Robots or Foundation stories because I wanted to explore the depths of his writing after reading the book "The Gods Themselves". I enjoyed most of his Robots books and much of the foundation series but felt the combining of the two to be force. This book was an interesting read given that little to no effort is made for your understanding of the society you are thrust into. There is lots of jargon and position status that has no corresponding equivalent in our world. However, if you hang on, you will be treated to a story that will surprise you with societal ideals and attitudes that will challenge even our current ones, remembering that this was published in 1955.
    • 4/5
      Though most of the book felt stuck in the gender roles of the '50s, it executes a couple of surprising and ahead-of-its-time twists at the very end. It's also a bit better written than most of Asimov's longer fiction, with a handful of characters who are actually characters and not just plot devices or tools of exposition. The ideas are interesting, and the tension in the plot is well executed.
    • 4/5
      “Any system like Eternity which allows men to choose their own future will end by choosing safety and mediocrity, and in such a Reality the stars are out of reach.” In “The End of Eternity” by Isaac Asimov I took the opportunity of re-reading this novel on account of the re-issue of “The End of Eternity” in 2020. I think the effects of “The Foundation” on Apple TV are making themselves felt in the SF publishing world…Run a Feynman diagram backwards and matter becomes antimatter (of course, I think it's more that you can't tell the difference between a charged particle in an electromagnetic field moving forwards in time and its antimatter equivalent moving backwards in time.). Secondly travelling backwards in spacetime while the planet moves at c.300 000 km/s mean you will experience a near instantaneous acceleration of several tons. Splat. You will need a bucket and mop for what is left of our erstwhile time traveller. In short Newton and Einstein have some interesting but very short experiences in store for time travellers…Feynman also proved that our current physical theories could not distinguish between an electron moving forward in time and an electron moving backward in time (the positron) except by a difference in charge. The real “Now” is moving forward. Except for thermodynamics (with the second law) our best physical theories cannot distinguish between forward time and backward time (of course, even the second law doesn't really differentiate between time directions. Well, not without introducing the observation that we're not already in the highest possible entropy state, and therefore it is overwhelmingly likely to increase). Something is obviously wrong.I remember Hawking saying something against the possibility of time travel, pointing out that we haven’t been invaded by hordes of tourists from the future yet.In the novel “The End of Eternity” which I read for the first time in a Portuguese-Brazilian translation 40 years ago, Isaac Asimov posited a time travel mechanism that didn't allow for travel to the past before the machine was invented. The machine opened a corridor which allowed for travel in either direction but only from the point at which it was turned on. Which gets round that objection. In this truly compelling work, Asimov touched on any theme in the SF field, creating one that still holds its place to this day, and I even risk not being able to compete with it in many themes to date. After years of being fed up with the impossibilities and paradoxes of time travel, one runs into such a book and rightly wonders why they cannot write stories of this magnitude and complexity today. A compelling read for anyone who has ever been a little preoccupied with the idea of time travel! It's still a good book.NB: What matters is that once you get to 80+ waking up every morning feels like an act of time travel. Unfortunately the joys of advanced technology are accompanied by infirmity and the approach of a life-changing event that no time machine can avert.
    • 3/5
      I’m just going to say it: aside from a few select novels and stories, Asimov annoys the hell out of me and is, I think, one of science fiction’s most overrated authors ever. There! Start stoning me now. I’m prepared. I know I have blasphemed. I have read a hell of a lot of Asimov, including all of the Foundation novels and all of the Robot novels, including the extra Robot-inspired books, as well as other books, and I’m always astonished – and always mentioning in my reviews – at what a below average writer I think Asimov was, particularly as a young writer. He barely knew grammatical rules, such as how to use transitions. He knew practically nothing about character development, little about plot development, and wrote the absolute worst dialogue of any type of literature of any author I have ever read anywhere, and I have read tens of thousands of books over the course of my life! The WORST dialogue ever! I’m not joking. The most wooden, stilted, unconvincing, academic, formal, boring, inauthentic excuse for dialogue I’ve ever seen in any novel form anywhere. I have three college degrees and have 13 years of university study. I’ve published 15 books of my own. My own poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and criticism have appeared in magazines, newspapers, zines, peer reviewed journals, online magazines and journals, and elsewhere in hundreds and hundreds of sources in dozens of countries in numerous languages and one of my books was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. I have taught literature and writing at three universities and colleges. I feel like I have some credentials. I feel confident when I say that I feel that there are literally dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of science fiction writers who are better writers and perhaps even scientifically superior to Asimov. His legacy is vastly inflated. But that’s my opinion, and as has been pointed out regularly in my negative reviews of his books, my opinion is worth shit regarding his books.All that said, I’m going to skip the main synopsis of this book, other than to say it’s about time travel and is fairly innovative, especially for such an early time travel book, having been published in 1955. Pretty original, and I appreciated that. What I want to point out instead is something that I’ve pointed out for some previous books and something that several other reviewers have pointed out for this book, although to my total shock, not very many people at all. Asimov, the total misogynistic pig, is in top form in creating one female character in this book whose primary purpose is to be the sexual crush and ultimate seducer (because, after all, she IS a female, and that’s what they do to good men, right?) of our brave and good protagonist, Andrew Harlan, the Eternal. The beautiful, non-Eternal, Noys Lambent, a secretary or assistant of some sort, because after all, that’s what women do, aside from the scientist in I, Robot, creates a conflict with Andrew because women aren’t supposed to be part of the good old boy’s club in Eternity, his world, meaning he’s never gotten laid, I guess, so when she makes herself available on her world to him, he goes for it, initially feeling a little guilty, then goes for it with gusto and is drawn into her sinful female web, allowing Eternity to possibly be destroyed. Nice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Asimov write entire novels with either no female characters or just one or two minor background characters who comb their hair in their bedrooms (Foundation, anyone?). Sometimes there’s a more major female character, but they’re either helpless and dependent on a strong male lead (robot novels) or are seductresses (robot novels). To Asimov, women are evil and/or dangerous. Yet somehow he was married. Was he merely a product of his times, was he secretly gay, or was he a stereotypical engineering/science nerd who was an academic social misfit, scared to death of females, yet strangely married to one? Or none of the above? Why did he hate women so much? Yet why in his later books, like the Prelude to Foundation books, did he write in strong female characters? Did he actually grow with the times? Did his attitudes actually change? Maybe they did. Maybe there was hope. Maybe he was a 1940s/50s-era misogynistic product of his time who didn’t know any better than the Nuclear Era Virgin/Whore Syndrome and who wrote that into his novels. If so, fairly pathetic and that goes to show what a weak writer he truly was, backing up my original claim. But then, he wouldn’t have been the only one, so fair’s fair, I suppose.In any event, I’m one of the very few to level this accusation against him regarding this or any book. The critics seem evenly split between genders, while the five star fans also seem evenly split between genders. In other words, just as many women love this book as men and apparently most women have no problems with him writing his only female character into the book as a stereotypical seductress whore intent upon making a male protagonist trip up and destroy Eternity. Apparently, women readers have no problems with this. While I find that astonishing, again, I am in the vast minority. I want to give this book a low rating, but at the same time, it was highly original, so that deserves a higher rating, so in fairness, I’m going to compromise and give it three stars. I think that’s a fair rating, given my criticisms versus its originality. Recommended for early sci fi time travel originality. Not recommended for fine quality literature.
    • 4/5
      If there was a flaw in Eternity, it involved women. He had known the flaw for what it was from almost his first entrance in to Eternity, but he felt it personally only that day he had first met Noÿs. From that moment it had been an easy path to this one, in which he stood false to his oath as an Eternal and to everything in which he had believed.An interesting take on time travel, in which the Eternals who change time for the greater good of humanity can never go home once they are recruited into Eternity, since subsequent changes affecting home century could have resulted in them never having existed. The annoying protagonist Anderw Harlan behaves nonsensically, but it more or less makes sense in the end.
    • 5/5
      The End of Eternity, by Isaac Asimov, was first published in 1955. It is a very interesting time travel novel that deals with Eternity. People in this book do not live forever. However, the book focuses on a powerful group and their fascinating technological and scientific environment known as Eternity, which keeps the world in harmony and fixes any problems that might cause seriously deleterious problems. Eternity workers have the ability to travel in time throughout much of the history and future of civilization on Earth. Eternity workers travel both back in time and forward in time, and use their scientific knowledge and skills to determine how the past affects the present and future. They also use their scientific knowledge to determine the “Minimum Necessary Change” that is required to adjust the past to correct problems in the future. This book presents some rather complex scientific explanations of time travel issues and paradoxes, which could be somewhat discouraging for some readers. However, the book focuses on one particular Eternity technician and his struggles to cope with his own concerns and the expectations of his superiors. He becomes involved in desperate actions that could bring an end to Eternity. It is a wonderful story that challenges the reader to think about the weighty decisions that are made by Eternity workers to keep the world running harmoniously, and the consequences of making wrong decisions about taking or not taking actions. This is a powerful and rewarding story by one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time. I recommend it to any thoughtful reader.
    • 4/5
      This may be the book that created the idea of Time Police.
    • 3/5
      A solid time travel story. Asimov lives up to his reputation as a journeyman writer propelled by ideas more than plot or character. I was surprised to find Asimov does have a knack for the emotionally resonant situation, though his prose remains wooden and his characters flat. I accepted these emotionally key scenes as fact, rather than rejecting them as unpersuasive or not ringing true, as I might with another author. Asimov doesn't persuade me of the emotional truth he attempts to portray, or explore the nuanced thoughts and behaviors attending such situations. Rather, he identifies an important emotional fact tied to his premise, and depicts a simple scene or interaction between characters to capture that emotional truth. In this way he leaves to the reader the work of filling out the scene with emotionally believable detail.The End of Eternity largely avoids the genre's trope of paradox or logical contradiction: individuals meeting themselves in a past incarnation, killing an ancestor, and so forth. Asimov does address it obliquely as part of the logic or method of the Eternals, who strive to perfect civilization by pruning out undesirable inventions (Asimov refers to nuclear energy, but mostly interstellar travel) or macro social behavior (war, disease, some caste developments). There is also a very deliberate near-miss encounter between two incarnations of Andrew Harlan, but Asimov uses this to evoke the horror in Harlan more than to explore the contradictions, and the impression is that Asimov wasn't here interested in that aspect of time travel. Instead, he neatly ties together various ideas related to time travel and (less interestingly) the unintended consequences of social engineering.Concepts and developments linked to the Eternals and the mechanics of time travel:* Eternals are humans who live outside of Reality, insulated from the regular flow of time and cause / effect through the working of temporal fields. These fields constitute both a location and a time, and leave the impression of sterile hallways / bureaucracy from which the Eternals work their social engineering. There is a central logical contradiction or implication here which ends up being central to the denouement, Asimov neatly leaves it unaddressed though not hidden, the reader can figure it out or not.* Eternals fall into a caste system: Maintenance, Observers, Technicians, Computers. They are all men. Technicians, because they directly intervene in other time realities with the express purpose of changing them (which necessarily involves altering or even eliminating hundreds if not thousands of individuals affected by the change), are reviled and outcaste by other Eternals. An example of Asimov fixing upon an emotionally resonant truth though conveyed in melodramatic prose, and one which proves central to both his character Harlan and the plot.* The science of time engineering is finding the smallest change necessary (Minimum Necessary Change) to effect the desired downstream reality. Time is thought to be characterized by inertia, just as energy is. The familiar concept of a time circle, which is linked to paradox but which Asimov uses to imagine the science or probability of time engineering. Overall, clear links to the Foundation's concept of Future History and probability. Interestingly Asimov speculates that changes to women are more likely to have larger or more serious downstream consquences, primarily as they bear children and so are linked directly to more individuals.* Eternity (the temporal fields in which the Eternals insulate themselves) extend from the 28th Century and beyond. Prior to the 28th is Primitive Time: Eternals do no social engineering in these times / realities. The Hidden Centuries begin at 100,000th, times for which the Eternals have established temporal fields in which to operate, but are unable to enter / manipulate the "realities" corresponding to those sections of Eternity. These concepts end up having a role in the plot, but it is perhaps most interesting that such things are postulated at all. Is Primitive Time logically unavoidable? Is it a factor of energy needed for the Eternals to establish sections of Eternity? And eventually, Harlan is actually "blocked" (by whom or what influence is part of the resolution of the story) from visiting the Hidden Centuries, whereas previously those sections of Eternity linked to the Hidden Centuries were accessible.* Intertemporal trade: exchange of goods and raw materials between centuries (supervised by the Eternals).* Executions of Eternals by other Eternals are effected by placing them into realities which would kill them but leave no evidence for anyone in that reality, e.g. a crashing airliner.* Nova Sol as energy source: temporal fields are stipulated as requiring vast amounts of energy, and Asimov imagines the Eternals tapping into Earth's sun as it goes nova. Essentially borrowing energy from the future.* When interacting with people in a specific time, Eternals should not speak the word "reality" for fear of instigating unintended consequences across time and history. Somewhat at odds with the concept of intertemporal trade: with whom in each time do the Eternals liaison, and how are these interactions insulated from the same effects as are feared by simply referring explicitly to the fact any given decade may end up being altered or even pruned at some "later" point?A fine example of Golden Age science fiction.
    • 4/5
      The End of Eternity follows Andrew, a technician who makes small changes in the world to supposedly create a better future.

      It started a little slow for where it was going, but overall, I really enjoyed it. Women weren't shown in a very good light, which I will chalk up to the times not only of Asimov but in the reality in which Andrew was living.

      Like I said, it started slow, but the last 4 or 5 chapters packed quite a punch. Lots of twists and turns, and very exciting. Only one thing that happened early on in the novel suggested what was to come. I would have preferred it to be spread out a little more, but what can one do.

      I especially like the shout-out to the Foundation series. The books really can go together in a way.
    • 4/5
      There's not much in the way of story, characters, or prose. But the set up and the science fiction ideas are excellent - strong enough to keep me awake at night thinking about them.
    • 5/5
      Awesome Assimov tale regarding time travel. Loved the book, and a movie is in the works!
    • 4/5
      This is a prequel to the galactic empire novels. Presents the idea that a benevolent powerful state would stiffle our future. Here the state is eternity, an all-powerful band that exists outside of time. They set themselves up as guardians of time, eliminating suffering. But in this world we are at our best when we don't monitor ourselves. Bah, I say. We are at our best when we do monitor ourselves.
    • 4/5
      Reading 50 year old science fiction is an entertaining experience. Not only do you have to envision the future with the author, you have to view it through a dated lens.Asimov's The End of Eternity is a great example of classic science fiction. You get an archetypal mystery/love story mix set in a world of time-travel.Asimov's science-fiction creativity is superb. How, for example, did he think up a time-travel system energized by the power of our sun in the distant future as it goes nova? The paradoxes that are always explored in time-travel books are well worked into the mystery.Unfortunately, the character development is as bad as the science-fiction is good. These people feel like little more than artificial devices invented to carry the plot forward—which, of course, they are.If you're feeling nostalgic, this book provides a few interesting hours of escape.
    • 5/5
      This is the first novel I've read by Asimov, and I was very impressed. It tells a fascinatingly human story of desire, betrayal, revenge, and a sort of redemption. Asimov conveyed the complicated mechanics of the fictional science--which were so integral to the plot--in a way that was reasonably easy to follow and didn't feel like a lecture. The complexities of the temporal dynamics were an important part of the mystery elements of the plot, and it was fun to try to stay a step ahead of the protagonist. As I would expect from Asimov's reputation, the story brought up many ethical questions, both of the large, philosophical kind and the small, human variety. All in all a very fun and thought-provoking read.
    • 5/5
      One of the best of the non-series Asimov novels. In this one, he posits time travel, but time travel that is rigidly controlled by a group called Eternity. Eternity's mission is to minimize humanity's suffering by carrying out "reality changes" that push history in the "right" direction. A young time patrolman named Andrew Harlan gets involved in a time change, then gets involved with a lovely woman (strictly against the rules) and then finds himself involved in something much bigger. Fascinating novel that plays with the paradoxes and possibilities of time travel, which remaining a good and engrossing novel in the process.
    • 5/5
      I believe that this was the first science fiction novel that I ever read, some 34 years ago. I loved it at the time, and while I have remembered only a few of the basic plot details, my vague but very positive memories of the book have left it high on my list of all time science fiction favorites.So, one of my reading resolutions for 2010 is to dedicate a decent portion of my reading time to going back and revisiting old favorites, and I decided somewhat reluctantly to give this one a try. I say somewhat reluctantly because the last couple of Asimov novels I have read have left me disappointed (especially The Robots of Dawn, which I found almost comically bad). And on some level I felt that it might be better to preserve a distant but very fond memory than find out that, to a more mature reader, the book no longer had much to offer.I am happy to report that I still like this book a lot. It features clever ideas, a fast pace, and the puzzle within a puzzle within a puzzle plotting that Asimov always seems to do well. I found the characters more believable than I often find in this author’s books. There was even a surprisingly large amount of irrational behavior (engineering and scientific bents notwithstanding). And the token female Noys proves much more than the simple lust object that she first appears (I can’t say more than that without getting into spoiler territory). The ending offers a big surprise which is really quite affirming.After this, I think maybe I will retackle the original Foundation Trilogy, too.
    • 3/5
      A novel along the lines of Anderson's Time Patrol. What happens when an Eternal, outside of the stream of time and in charge of keeping the future going smoothly, gets caught up in his own personal interests? A bit of a departure from Asimov's usual.

    Book preview

    The Ledger - Dorothy Uhnak

    The Ledger

    A Detective Christie Opara Mystery

    Dorothy Uhnak

    With love to Mildred: my sister and my friend

    Contents

    1

    2

    3

    4

    5

    6

    7

    8

    9

    10

    11

    12

    13

    14

    15

    16

    17

    18

    19

    20

    21

    22

    23

    24

    A Biography of Dorothy Uhnak

    1

    CHRISTIE OPARA TAPPED HER fingers lightly over the typewriter keys as she tried to phrase the next sentence of her report. She glanced at her notebook, filled with cryptic notations which, translated, provided the Dun and Bradstreet rating of one of the city’s major construction companies. It was just one of ten similar reports to be handed over to Chief Supervising Assistant District Attorney Casey Reardon, and since he had ordered the investigation, there was probably a perfectly valid reason for the hours of dull research.

    Christie picked up the telephone receiver on the second ring. Special Investigations Squad, Detective Opara.

    Tom Dell here, Christie. Tell the Man his chariot awaits.

    It was three-thirty. If Tom Dell had Reardon’s car ready, that meant she’d get an early break. Okay, Tom. I’ll tell him you’re impatiently awaiting.

    Tell him that, kid, and we’re both in trouble.

    Detective Bill Ferranti neatly tapped the pages of his report together, stapled them and stood up. Christie, if you’re going into Mr. Reardon’s office, would you mind? He extended the three copies of his report, nodded his thanks and began dusting the top of the desk, gathering together a small pile of eraser crumbs.

    Christie tapped twice lightly on the smoked-glass door, then entered Casey Reardon’s office. He was speaking on the telephone, his feet resting on a desk drawer that had been pulled open for that purpose. He waved his hand, motioned for the report. Reardon’s spacious office was warmer than the Squad Room. The sleet pounding against the two corner windows didn’t penetrate the room. Christie flexed her fingers, which were stiff from cold and from too much typing.

    Reardon balanced the telephone receiver between the side of his face and his shoulder. Yeah, okay, Stoney, keep right with them. And keep in close touch. Without another word, he replaced the receiver, ran his hand roughly over his face, then through his thick, dark-red hair. What have you got, Christie? He looked up expectantly, then, before she could answer, he said, My God, it’s not that cold. You look like you’re freezing.

    Our heat is out again, Mr. Reardon. I called the maintenance department again and they said they’d send a man up tomorrow. That’s the third time they’ve said that and he still hasn’t shown.

    Reardon’s amber eyes showed no sympathy. Anything else?

    Tom Dell is downstairs with your car.

    He glanced at his watch, then picked up Ferranti’s report and scanned it. Where’s your report on the Corvella Corporation?

    Christie answered sharply, the long tedious hours of note taking and typing catching up with her. In my machine.

    It’s supposed to be on my desk, not in your machine. He watched her face and anticipated the expression. Her eyes, an indefinite combination of gray and green, hardened and she started to answer but was stopped by a sudden sneeze. For God’s sake, Opara, if you’re catching a cold, don’t spread your germs around in here. I need your report before I leave today. See if you can hurry it up.

    He watched her move across the room, admired her thin, trim figure and her attempt at dignity against an onrush of sneezing.

    At four o’clock, Christie rolled the last page of her report from the typewriter and began to proofread, skipping whole paragraphs. She reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a wad of tissues in time to catch a wet sneeze.

    God bless, God bless.

    Jimmy Giaconna stood uncertainly in the center of the Squad Room. Christie waved her hand in thanks. Small and wiry at seventy-six, slightly hard of hearing, Jimmy Giaconna was a well-known and well-liked character in the building. His scanty black hair was combed straight back, his tiny eyes were bright and blinking rapidly.

    Detective Ferranti here? he asked loudly.

    Ferranti, patiently awaiting Reardon’s approval of his report, returned from down the hall where he had obviously scrubbed his hands clean of any traces of carbon paper. He greeted Jimmy Giaconna politely but with a slightly puzzled air.

    What was immediately striking about Jimmy Giaconna’s appearance, aside from the fact that he always appeared in the morning hours, was that without the little wire-legged, backless stool slung over one arm and the intricately crafted shoeshine box, he looked incomplete. What was equally unusual was that Giaconna, normally an almost rigidly courteous man, clutched at Ferranti’s arm and began speaking in a loud, rapid combination of English and Italian.

    Bill Ferranti, pink-cheeked and owllike behind his hornrimmed glasses, his prematurely white hair adding to his immaculate appearance, spoke softly in English. Jimmy, take it easy. Slow down. Carefully, he led the old man to a chair. Now, what’s wrong?

    Immediately, Jimmy leaped from the chair and his words rang out in a jumble of two languages. Ferranti put his hand on Giaconna’s shoulder. It was a gentle, reassuring gesture, but surprisingly, the small shoeshine man shrugged the hand away and became more agitated.

    Jimmy, you’re among friends. What’s happened?

    Christie shared Ferranti’s concern. The old man looked terrible. His small eyes darted about the room, his hand reached out, patted Christie’s arm, then a huge sob, unexpected, folded the old man back into the chair. Christie brought Giaconna a paper cup of water which he drank, then, his eyes swimming, he lapsed into his native tongue, unable or unwilling to revert to his broken English. Ferranti listened, nodded, asked a question, slowed the old man down a bit, then listened again. He turned to interpret as Casey Reardon came into the Squad Room.

    Hey, Jimmy, what’s the problem?

    The old man shrugged and looked at Ferranti.

    Jimmy’s a little upset, Mr. Reardon, Ferranti explained. His little granddaughter, Theresa, is missing. She was playing in front of her house a little earlier ...

    Reardon glanced at his watch. What time was she last seen?

    Two-thirty, right, Jimmy? The old man nodded.

    How old is your granddaughter, Jimmy?

    Jimmy Giaconna held up four fingers. Four years. She has four years.

    Reardon motioned for Ferranti to continue. Theresa was playing in front of her house with a few of her playmates. Jimmy lives right around the corner, Mr. Reardon. He got home at about two-thirty and saw the children on the front stoop. At three o’clock, Jimmy’s daughter looked out the window to call Theresa in, because the snow had changed to sleet, and the kids were gone.

    Finally the English words burst from Jimmy. My daughter she no just leave the kid out, Mr. Reardon. Every minute she know where the little girl is. So she no see little Theresa, right away she check with the neighbor on the phone, you know? Little Janice, her friend, come home with her sister Philomena, but Theresa no come into their house with them. So my daughter right away she put on the coat and come down and look all around. But she no see the kid. She come back upstairs and I hear all the noise in the hall. See, we all live in the same house, my two married daughters and their families and me. I ask what’s the matter and we go down together and we look and we ask the neighbors and everybody. The old man spread his arms in an empty gesture. What we going to do now, eh?

    Reardon pushed his fingers through his thick hair, closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded at Ferranti. Detective Ferranti is going to go back to the house with you now, Jimmy. You take him to your daughter’s apartment, and I’ll bet you a bottle of booze that your little Theresa is home right now, crying her eyes out, and that your daughter is smacking her, hugging her and stuffing her with food all at the same time.

    The old man smiled with relief. If a man like Mr. Reardon said it would be all right, it had to be all right.

    Reardon stepped back, shook his head over Jimmy. What the hell are you doing out on a day like this wearing just your sweater? A man your age, you might catch cold. Look at Christie here, she’s coughing and sneezing and you should see the way she bundles up.

    Jimmy smiled weakly, indicated Ferranti, who was bent, red-faced with exertion, as he pulled his rubber stretch boots over his shoes. Ah, these young people, Mr. Reardon. A snowflake hits them and right away they got pneumonia. No blood in the veins. This little girl here, Mr. Reardon, ah, Christie. She look too skinny, you know? You make her work too hard, all the time I see her work, work.

    It’s good for her, Reardon said briskly. Go ahead, Jimmy, you tell little Theresa for me not to stay out in the snow so long next time, right?

    Jimmy nodded. It would be okay now. Ferranti turned and caught Reardon’s signal. He would keep in touch.

    Reardon reached for Christie’s report, rolled it into a cylinder which he tapped absently on the surface of her desk. He stared across the room, through the window, out into the darkness of the cold, sleety afternoon. You got a description of Jimmy’s granddaughter?

    Christie nodded, held up the notes she had jotted down.

    Give the local precinct a call, he said quietly. And stick around a while.

    Tom Dell carefully placed his topcoat on a wooden hanger, brushed it lightly with his palms and hung it on the aluminum coat rack. He turned to the boy who had accompanied him into the Squad Room.

    Want to take your jacket off, John?

    He handled the threadbare, lightweight jacket with the same care he had shown his own coat. Dell rubbed his hands together, blew lightly on his fingers.

    Christie, do we have some hot coffee? This is John D’Amico, Jimmy Giaconna’s grandson. Could you use some coffee, John?

    The boy shrugged and kept his head down. It was difficult to see his face. His eyes were hidden behind wire-framed eyeglasses which were rain-spotted. Christie went to Reardon’s office and poured two cups of coffee from the electric percolator. She brought them back into the Squad Room and set them on a desk. Tom Dell moved easily, settled the boy in a chair, commented on the weather which had turned raw in the blackness of night.

    Is this a police station? John D’Amico’s voice had an odd, flat quality.

    No, this is the District Attorney’s office, John. This is Detective Opara. She works with Mr. Reardon and me.

    He was about seventeen years old. Physically. He looked around the room, then at Christie and pointed at her. Gee, she’s a detective? I didn’t know there were lady detectives.

    Tom sat on the edge of the desk and nodded pleasantly. John here has been very helpful, Christie. John and me are good friends, aren’t we, John?

    Yeah. We’re good friends.

    For no discernible reason, Christie felt tension beginning. Not from Tom’s voice or gestures or manner. Not even from his quick, sharp glance directly into her eyes. Just from something vague ... but strong enough to tighten her stomach and her throat. She followed Dell’s lead, lit a cigarette, pulled up a chair.

    You’re helping Detective Dell, John? Is Theresa your little sister?

    The boy regarded her blankly.

    No, Theresa’s his little cousin. Right, John?

    The boy nodded. She got lost in the snow. She was crying because ... I don’t know why she was crying.

    That’s okay, John. Drink some coffee. You look cold. Dell waited while the boy gulped the hot coffee. It was real cold this afternoon, wasn’t it?

    Yeah. It was real cold.

    Dell led the conversation, gently, easily, not insisting, letting the boy respond however he wished, but irrevocably he moved closer and closer to what Christie had sensed from the moment they had walked into the Squad Room.

    Yeah, John had seen little Theresa out front. Yeah, she was cold and wet. Yeah, her friends went home and left her. Yeah, she was going upstairs. But she fell on the front stoop and banged her chin.

    There was blood on her chin. And she was crying. You know how little kids cry?

    Christie’s voice sounded strangely false in her own ears. That’s too bad, John. You must have felt bad to see your little cousin cry.

    John D’Amico turned to face Christie. His eyes were magnified behind his glasses; they were round and empty. His mouth fell open. Dell reached over and touched his shoulder.

    Sure he felt bad. John’s a good cousin. Right, John?

    His head swung around, his face pale and expressionless, toward Dell again. Yeah. She didn’t have to cry so much. I just held my handkerchief to her chin. To stop the bleeding. Because ... because ... you know what? Her tooth came out. It was a loose tooth and it came out, right into my handkerchief. He smiled. I even showed it to her. That’s why she was bleeding. I showed her the tooth, to make her stop crying. The boy became agitated, looked from one to the other. He had offered the tooth, why didn’t his little cousin stop crying?

    They didn’t press him. They did it easily and by steps, Dell and Christie taking turns, offering him more coffee, moving on, waiting, stop and go. Until they had it all, and then they sat with it.

    He had met his little cousin in the hallway, bleeding and crying. He had taken her into his family’s apartment. His mother, a widow, was at work. His two younger sisters were at a friend’s house. He just wanted to help Theresa. He held the handkerchief to her mouth. He helped her take off her wet clothing. He just wanted to. She wouldn’t stop crying. She just wouldn’t and then she began to, you know, pull and push at him and he didn’t really get mad. It was just that—she had no reason to act that way. And the crying. Gee, it made a pain inside his head. So he. Well, he just. And then, he put her in the closet in his room. Under some things. And she was very quiet and his head felt much better.

    Christie took her control from Tom Dell. His expression never changed: friendly, comforting, easy. Just his light gray eyes, catching hers once or twice, seemed to have deepened. He reached for the phone on the first ring.

    Detective Dell. Yeah, Mr. Reardon. He turned his body so that his face was away from Christie and John. He spoke very softly, very rapidly. When he finished, he asked Christie if she wanted something to eat. She shook her head.

    I’m going to call up the luncheonette for some hamburgers for John and me. Okay, John?

    John D’Amico walked around the office, munching his hamburger. There was a stream of ketchup and juice along his chin and he wiped his mouth with the palm of his hand. He reached out, touched the various items on the bulletin board, asked Tom Dell questions, simple questions, and seemed pleased with Tom’s answers. When the phone rang again, Dell swung around easily, kept his voice even and pleasant, but the color drained from his face.

    Right, Mr. Reardon. Yeah. And then, to himself, Jesus.

    Christie, watching him, felt nausea, heavy and insistent, almost gag her. Dell extended the receiver.

    Christie, Mr. Reardon wants to talk to you.

    Reardon’s voice, hard and familiar, held her steady. Christie, do you know what’s happened?

    Yes. Yes, sir.

    Okay. I want you to come over here. Tom will give you the address. Christ, we have two mothers. You’re going to have to tell one of them; take your pick. The victim’s mother or the boy’s mother.

    Christie shook her head. No. Uh-uh. I don’t want to, Mr. Reardon.

    There was a short pause, and then Reardon, firm and certain. "Nobody asked you if you want to, Detective Opara. You are needed over here and you have exactly five minutes to get here. Got that?"

    Yes. Yes, sir, all right.

    Christie jammed her arms into her coat, buttoned it, pulled her boots on. She dug in her pocketbook, pushed aside gun, shield, makeup case, keys, and came up with some tissues. Her nose was raw from blowing and sneezing. There was a loud, hissing burst of sleet and wind against the window, but Christie felt sweat, clammy and dank, run along the side of her body. Her mouth felt dry and sticky.

    I’m going to show John some pictures of culprits we’re looking for, Christie. Come on over here, John. He settled the boy at a card catalogue, then moved across the office to Christie. His hands went to her coat collar and carefully pulled the collar up over her neck and ears.

    Cold out there. Then, softly, Take it easy, kid. You’ll be okay.

    She took it home with her. As hard as she tried to leave it behind, the voices, the sickened faces, the screams and cries came home with her.

    Nora Opara, her eyes a brilliant blue above the royal-blue housecoat, heard Christie at the door. Hold it a minute, Christie. I have the chain lock on. She stepped aside as a blast of cold wet air rushed into the entrance hall. Wow, this is a great night. Good for your cold. Christie, let me look at you.

    Christie kept her head down. I’m all right. I just want to get out of these things. Nora, it’s nearly two o’clock. What are you doing up?

    Nora ran a hand over Christie’s forehead. Her dark eyebrows pulled together. You’re warm, Christie. You must be running about a hundred and one.

    Christie shrugged. It wasn’t important.

    Well, Nora said, taking her cue from Christie, I could lie and say that I was so taken by the Late Late Show that I didn’t realize the time. But actually, if you’ve seen one Dracula Meets the Son of the Wolfman’s Daughter, you’ve seen them all. I’d rather be a martyr and tell the truth. My only grandson’s only mother sounded pretty awful on the telephone and I figured you might need me. Or a cup of hot chocolate. Or something.

    Christie hung her wet coat on the rack, kicked her feet free of her boots. I don’t think I can talk about it, okay?

    Okay. But the hot chocolate’s hot.

    Christie sat in the kitchen, her fingers playing with a cigarette. God, Nora, it was awful. Those poor women. And on top of everything else, poor old Jimmy Giaconna had a heart attack. My God, he suddenly just crumpled up. I never thought of him as an old man. He was always so chipper, so fast-moving. He just ... they took him away in an ambulance. He looked ... blue. Christie rubbed her arm, then, curious, pulled up the sleeve of her sweater. There was a long red welt. She fingered it absently.

    How did that happen?

    The boy’s mother. I was the one who told her. She went wild. She kept saying everyone blames John for everything just because he’s a little slow. She grabbed at me and ... she just ... Boy, Nora, this is a rotten job. There are times when ...

    Nora knew about the job. She had been widowed by the job and had lost her only son, Christie’s husband, to the job. Her smooth, pleasant face revealed pain when in repose, unaware.

    Mickey has a new girl friend, she said. Your son has an absolute talent for picking real characters. You know little Vera Mason?

    Christie forced her mind to respond. You mean that pudgy little girl?

    Pudgy, hell. That kid is a human stomach on legs. Well, it seems that Vera is the champion spitter of the second grade. It has something to do with the way her braces are set. She can spit farther than anyone Mickey ever knew before in his whole life. Imagine, nearly seven years of searching and finally he’s found this treasure. We had a very pleasant dinner, my grandson and I, if you care for that kind of table conversation.

    Christie stirred the hot chocolate.

    Honey, you look like the devil.

    I’m okay. This cold has got me down. And tonight was pretty awful. I’d better get to bed. Have to be in the office at nine. Christie gulped the hot chocolate, regretted it instantly. It seemed to hit the bottom of her stomach in a rush, gurgle around and surge back up her throat. She leaped to the sink, ran the water to cover her retching, then rinsed her mouth. I’m all right, Nora, really. This has just been one bitch of a day. Poor old Jimmy. And those women. And that boy, John. It was rough.

    Christie, why don’t you call in sick tomorrow? Your eyes are glassy and you have temperature.

    Christie shook her head. Reports tomorrow. God bless the endless reports. I have to get them up to date for the Homicide Squad. When I finish that, I’ll take a few days off. I promise. Come on, Nora. Bedtime.

    Christie took a

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1