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The Confession
She was young... beautiful... and dead!
Jake Danser has it all: a beautiful wife, a house in the California hills, and a high-profile job as a forensic psychologist. But he’s also got a mistress. And when she's found strangled to death with his necktie, the police show up at his door. Now it's up to Jake to prove he didn't do it. But how can he, when all the evidence says he did?
As Jake's life crumbles around him, he races to find proof pf his innocence. And with every step, the noose is tightening...
From the Edgar Award-nominated author of The Last days of Il Duce and Manifesto For the Dead, The Confession is a noir masterpiece in the chilling tradition of Cornell Woolrich and Patricia Highsmith.
Jake Danser has it all: a beautiful wife, a house in the California hills, and a high-profile job as a forensic psychologist. But he’s also got a mistress. And when she's found strangled to death with his necktie, the police show up at his door. Now it's up to Jake to prove he didn't do it. But how can he, when all the evidence says he did?
As Jake's life crumbles around him, he races to find proof pf his innocence. And with every step, the noose is tightening...
From the Edgar Award-nominated author of The Last days of Il Duce and Manifesto For the Dead, The Confession is a noir masterpiece in the chilling tradition of Cornell Woolrich and Patricia Highsmith.
218 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 2, 2004
67 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
About the author
Domenic Stansberry
24 books43 followersDomenic Stansberry is an Edgar Award winning novelist known for his dark, innovative crime novels. His latest novel, The White Devil, tells the story of a young American woman in Rome, an aspiring actress, who— together with her too charming brother— is implicated in a series of crimes dating back to her childhood days in Texas. Stansberry is also the author of the North Beach Mystery Series, which has won wide praise for its portrayal of the ethnic and political subcultures of San Francisco. Books from the series include The Ancient Rain, named several years after its original publication as one of the best crime novels of the decade by Booklist.
An earlier novel, The Confession, received the Edgar Allan Poe Award for its portrayal of a Marin County psychologist accused of murdering his mistress.
Stansberry grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and currently lives in a small town north of that city with his wife, the poet Gillian Conoley, and their daughter Gillis.
An earlier novel, The Confession, received the Edgar Allan Poe Award for its portrayal of a Marin County psychologist accused of murdering his mistress.
Stansberry grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and currently lives in a small town north of that city with his wife, the poet Gillian Conoley, and their daughter Gillis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
April 3, 2018
One of my new top favorite Hard Case Crime novels.
The Confession is a taut, gracefully-written new classic of unreliable narration. Jake is a successful forensic psychologist who gets invited to all the right parties, thanks in part to his elegant and wealthy wife. Jake is clinically aware of how attractive he is to women, and he uses it to entertain himself just as he once used it to climb the social ladder. In fact, as the novel opens, he's juggling a mistress and a string of one-night stands in addition to his on-the-rocks marriage. Of course, his wife may be leaving him at the same time as his girlfriend is pressing for a commitment, which is stressful. Then there are those women who keep turning up raped and strangled...
Jake is writing all of this in retrospect. It's a confession, true enough, but the confession is mostly by well-handled implication and harrowing moments that aren't followed up on because Jake can't follow up on them. For example, there's a moment when Jake explains his blackout condition to a paramedic and then notes that he's leaving out that there's a theory that the syndrome isn't real and is instead only an alibi people produce for their sudden outbursts of violence. He's constantly telling us about how superficially charming psychopaths are and then going on to describe himself as superficially charming. He tells us everything about himself that he can tell without looking directly at the truth himself, which is quite a feat.
This sleek, clever, psychological suspense novel might be a little low on plot and/or surprise, but the pleasure of the writing and the intelligence of the unreliability of Jake's narration completely make up for that. This was a delight to read.
The Confession is a taut, gracefully-written new classic of unreliable narration. Jake is a successful forensic psychologist who gets invited to all the right parties, thanks in part to his elegant and wealthy wife. Jake is clinically aware of how attractive he is to women, and he uses it to entertain himself just as he once used it to climb the social ladder. In fact, as the novel opens, he's juggling a mistress and a string of one-night stands in addition to his on-the-rocks marriage. Of course, his wife may be leaving him at the same time as his girlfriend is pressing for a commitment, which is stressful. Then there are those women who keep turning up raped and strangled...
Jake is writing all of this in retrospect. It's a confession, true enough, but the confession is mostly by well-handled implication and harrowing moments that aren't followed up on because Jake can't follow up on them. For example, there's a moment when Jake explains his blackout condition to a paramedic and then notes that he's leaving out that there's a theory that the syndrome isn't real and is instead only an alibi people produce for their sudden outbursts of violence. He's constantly telling us about how superficially charming psychopaths are and then going on to describe himself as superficially charming. He tells us everything about himself that he can tell without looking directly at the truth himself, which is quite a feat.
This sleek, clever, psychological suspense novel might be a little low on plot and/or surprise, but the pleasure of the writing and the intelligence of the unreliability of Jake's narration completely make up for that. This was a delight to read.
April 2, 2010
Being a fan of Stansberry's "Last Days of Il Duce," I was really looking forward to his recent effort - "The Confession" -for the Hard Case series. I wasn't disappointed. Besides the title - which is a little lame, but I suppose goes with the Hard Case tenor and (great) cover art, I was treated to a very tightly written effort that will remind readers of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley, and Bloch's (Hitchcocks's) Norman Bates. Oh, Jake Danser is his own psycho killer, no copy cat he; but where the similarities lie with Highsmith, et al., are in the compelling nature of his voice, and his need to control events and people.
The reader will not like Danser - he's vain in a town (San Francisco) where vanity is King and Queen. If there's anything sympathetic about Danser, it's that most of the people he mixes with, socially and professionally, are pretty nasty and duplicative themselves. But can you trust him? Of course not. As a filter, he is totally self-serving. From a mystery point of view, there is no mystery. You know who the killer is. What is remarkable is the extent to which Danser deludes himself, and how Stansberry, through fine writing, makes this delusion almost plausible. By saying "almost" however, I'm not suggesting any weakness on Stansberry's part. This is about as tightly written a noir as you will find, but "almost," in the sense that Danser knows exactly what he's doing and been doing, for years. He's good at compartmentalization; he places disturbing things away in boxes - both psychologically and literally. But Danser himself doesn't buy all the masks he's constructed, nor the hall of mirrors he suggests is reality. As a criminal psychologist he understands them, thoroughly. (Indeed, even Danser's choice of profession is just another calculation.) But on a deeper level, not just as a defense against "outside forces," the masks are necessary, since they continue to prop up Danser's own heart of darkness. And that's the one mirror he can't bear to look into directly.
The reader will not like Danser - he's vain in a town (San Francisco) where vanity is King and Queen. If there's anything sympathetic about Danser, it's that most of the people he mixes with, socially and professionally, are pretty nasty and duplicative themselves. But can you trust him? Of course not. As a filter, he is totally self-serving. From a mystery point of view, there is no mystery. You know who the killer is. What is remarkable is the extent to which Danser deludes himself, and how Stansberry, through fine writing, makes this delusion almost plausible. By saying "almost" however, I'm not suggesting any weakness on Stansberry's part. This is about as tightly written a noir as you will find, but "almost," in the sense that Danser knows exactly what he's doing and been doing, for years. He's good at compartmentalization; he places disturbing things away in boxes - both psychologically and literally. But Danser himself doesn't buy all the masks he's constructed, nor the hall of mirrors he suggests is reality. As a criminal psychologist he understands them, thoroughly. (Indeed, even Danser's choice of profession is just another calculation.) But on a deeper level, not just as a defense against "outside forces," the masks are necessary, since they continue to prop up Danser's own heart of darkness. And that's the one mirror he can't bear to look into directly.
December 6, 2009
Jake Danser's a psychiatrist with a rich wife and enviable status. And a mistress. When the mistress turns up dead and all fingers point toward Jake, he struggles to clear his name. But did he do it?
First off, even though this book isn't the typical Hard Case noir thriller, I enjoyed it. It's creepy as hell not knowing who the real killer is and if Jake, the narrator, is telling the truth to the reader. That's about all I can say without giving away plot points. The writing is engaging and the characters are fairly reallistic. All in all, it's a satisfying read but not be for everyone. Like I said, it's not your typical Hard Case.
First off, even though this book isn't the typical Hard Case noir thriller, I enjoyed it. It's creepy as hell not knowing who the real killer is and if Jake, the narrator, is telling the truth to the reader. That's about all I can say without giving away plot points. The writing is engaging and the characters are fairly reallistic. All in all, it's a satisfying read but not be for everyone. Like I said, it's not your typical Hard Case.
December 15, 2015
I’m a late comer to the Hard Case Crime books but have enjoyed most of what I’ve read so far. I’ve seen other reviews that indicate this isn’t a “typical” novel for the imprint but I don’t see why it shouldn’t be. The book is written by two-time Edgar Award nominee Domenic Stansberry and while I haven’t read any of his other stories, my experience with reading this book prompts me to seek him out in the future.
This is a classic example of “the unreliable narrator”. Jake Danser, the first person POV character, tells us the story of how he was involved with the murder of his mistress…or not. Purposefully, it isn’t clear if he is confessing to the murder (and others) or explaining away the circumstantial evidence. There are a lot of clues along the way but it’s not until the end when the clues become solidified that we know what really happened. Jake is not all that likable as a person and much of the tale is rather creepy, but just enough so that the reader doubts him. Add to that the fact that he is a forensic psychologist, practiced in interviewing criminals to see if they are sane enough to stand trial and the reader is constantly wondering if they are being played.
All in all I enjoyed this quick read.
This is a classic example of “the unreliable narrator”. Jake Danser, the first person POV character, tells us the story of how he was involved with the murder of his mistress…or not. Purposefully, it isn’t clear if he is confessing to the murder (and others) or explaining away the circumstantial evidence. There are a lot of clues along the way but it’s not until the end when the clues become solidified that we know what really happened. Jake is not all that likable as a person and much of the tale is rather creepy, but just enough so that the reader doubts him. Add to that the fact that he is a forensic psychologist, practiced in interviewing criminals to see if they are sane enough to stand trial and the reader is constantly wondering if they are being played.
All in all I enjoyed this quick read.
July 3, 2020
A criminal psychologist tells his first-hand story of the criminal justice system when he finds himself facing trial for the murder of his lover amid an avalanche of circumstantial evidence.
March 18, 2020
A psychologist on top of the world has to clear his name when his mistress is found strangled with his necktie.
A lot of tension and suspense.
A lot of tension and suspense.
September 25, 2012
this book had me guessing right up until the end. Just as I became convinced of the main characters innocence, rooting for him throughout the trial and hoping that he would be exonerated, the author threw me a curve ball that totally threw me. The book was captivating, though it did take me a little while to get into it.it was very suspenseful. Going back and rereading parts of it, I can see how the end was clearly hinted at – but it wasn't so transparent and easy to see. this book had a big wallop in the last few pages, and was really worth the read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2018
An excellent novel in the tradition of great American crime fiction by, say, Jim Thompson or Patricia Highsmith -- maybe a little too much in that tradition, Mr. Stansberry isn't doing anything wildly original here, but he does it well, taking us into the mind of a deeply shallow (oxymoron intended) social-climbing psychiatrist whose wives and girlfriends all seem to wind up dead. You can guess the ending from page 2, the real suspense is will the author be able to sustain the sickeningly smug, detached tone for the entire book.. No spoilers here, read it and find out.
May 7, 2016
Hard Case Crime #6. Winner of the Edger Award for best original paperback in 2005, a very justified award. The author captures to noir feeling of the great masters of the genre-- Woolrich and Highsmith just to name a few-- with great character development and story line. It really puts the reader in the mind of the protagonist. A great addition to the publisher's portfolio. A must for fans of the noir genre.
February 5, 2008
The best psychological mystery I read all year in 2007. Will be a classic.
May 4, 2020
This is terrific. Gritty and somewhat frightening, like the best of Jim Thompson.
May 25, 2022
Not as engaging as the first bunch of the hard case crime books I've read. Not saying it's bad, but not as much fun or as entertaining. The final chairs, day the final 30 pages were really good though.
May 1, 2011
Two-Time Edgar Award nominee Domenic Stansberry confesses an awful lot in THE CONFESSION ... or, at least, his first personal narrative surrounding the mystery Jake Danser, psychologist/psychiatrist, finds himself smack dab in the middle of: his mistress is found strangled with his own missing blue necktie, and Jake is in a treacherous race against time to prove that he didn't do it ... or did he?
THE CONFESSION is the kind of book that's extremely difficult to pen a review of, largely, because there's very little opportunity to say what one reader thinks without spoiling the impact of the book. This type of story has been done before to mass appeal, and it's a darn hard shame that these Hard Case Crime inprints don't get wider audience response. However -- back to the story -- it's easy to conclude that CONFESSION is the kind of book that'll 'peel like an onion' on second, third, or fourth readings. The clues aren't as transparent (or are they?) as one might think, and that's the beauty of the first person narrative: just about the time you think you have a solid handle of where Jake Danser is leading you, you're in for another surprise.
Because it's been done before, I'm rating it four stars. (One can read PRESUMED INNOCENT or Mickey Spillane's masterful THE DEEP to get other takes on the way-too-curious first-person narrative.) Stansberry does a terrific job building the tension and the suspense; I was just hoping for a different jolt come the conclusion than the one I had predicted from the beginning of the book.
THE CONFESSION is the kind of book that's extremely difficult to pen a review of, largely, because there's very little opportunity to say what one reader thinks without spoiling the impact of the book. This type of story has been done before to mass appeal, and it's a darn hard shame that these Hard Case Crime inprints don't get wider audience response. However -- back to the story -- it's easy to conclude that CONFESSION is the kind of book that'll 'peel like an onion' on second, third, or fourth readings. The clues aren't as transparent (or are they?) as one might think, and that's the beauty of the first person narrative: just about the time you think you have a solid handle of where Jake Danser is leading you, you're in for another surprise.
Because it's been done before, I'm rating it four stars. (One can read PRESUMED INNOCENT or Mickey Spillane's masterful THE DEEP to get other takes on the way-too-curious first-person narrative.) Stansberry does a terrific job building the tension and the suspense; I was just hoping for a different jolt come the conclusion than the one I had predicted from the beginning of the book.
July 18, 2011
This book is super creepy, much in the same way that a book like The Killer Inside Me is creepy, but with an added edge of horrific sexual behavior and dementia. I really enjoyed the play that the author does with his audience, making it hard to tell which things the narrator is accurately remembering, which he is lying about, and which things he has constructed as part of his sense of self.
The best character in the novel is the narrator's lawyer, who takes pleasure in freeing people that she seems to know are guilty. The "embrace of the devil" idea that is mentioned with her seemed like a fairly original idea.
The best character in the novel is the narrator's lawyer, who takes pleasure in freeing people that she seems to know are guilty. The "embrace of the devil" idea that is mentioned with her seemed like a fairly original idea.
June 5, 2010
"Psychology of a killer" ought to be the subtitle to this one. The reader is always a little off-guard with just enough info to make you feel like you know what's happening but in the back of your mind there's some doubt to that statement. I give the author credit for his handling of the subject matter as many other authors tread over this territory and leave mutilated bodies and oodles of gore in their wake. I can't say that I loved the book but I appreciate it for what it was and how the author handled the subject matter.
October 8, 2013
Although it becomes pretty clear very early on just where this story is going to go, it's still a pleasure to watch Stansberry dance his tricky narrative tightrope with such adroitness. But I think what really makes this novel is the beautiful writing. Rich, oddly cadenced prose, and a sumptuous evocation of place––in this instance, Marin County and environs. A fine job, and I will be looking up Stansberry's other books.
November 19, 2017
Brilliant!
I love this writer. The characters are people I think I have known. I love Marin County and the area with all the perfect descriptions of My. Tam, the Bay, the Prison, the breeze and the attitudes of the wealthy people who wear the best, drive the coolest cars, know the right people. I will read more by Stansberry because he keeps me engaged, surprises me, and entertains me to the end. I am impressed.
I love this writer. The characters are people I think I have known. I love Marin County and the area with all the perfect descriptions of My. Tam, the Bay, the Prison, the breeze and the attitudes of the wealthy people who wear the best, drive the coolest cars, know the right people. I will read more by Stansberry because he keeps me engaged, surprises me, and entertains me to the end. I am impressed.
August 26, 2019
A twisted pulp nightmare that manages to, in its brief pages, muse on the nature of the soul, the self, our perceptions, and psychology. Stansberry plays a delicious game with his readers, engaging them fully and prodding them along towards his Shocking Finale. A fun throwback to the heydays of noir.
January 29, 2018
Superbly written noir fiction and another excellent entry in the Hard Case Crime series. Stansberry gives his main character, Jake Danser, a memorable narrative voice and keeps the reader wondering if the story Danser is telling is reliable or if we're being misled. Highly recommended!
July 19, 2017
Really a very good book. Kept me guessing till the end. Played out like a game of cat and mouse.
December 29, 2017
Twisting
This is a good book. Twists and turns. You see and then you don't. I read it straight through. Who are we anyway?
This is a good book. Twists and turns. You see and then you don't. I read it straight through. Who are we anyway?
May 24, 2018
This one is creepy. Well, it gets creepy I
mean. But it was entertaining, for a small
percentage of the novel the reader wonders
did he do it or not. I can't spoil that here.
Just read it.
mean. But it was entertaining, for a small
percentage of the novel the reader wonders
did he do it or not. I can't spoil that here.
Just read it.
August 23, 2018
Amazing! Cannot say enough!
The story is amazing no moves fast..you have to be ready! Is this a confession ? Did he do it? I still don't know. You tell me! You will enjoy it!
The story is amazing no moves fast..you have to be ready! Is this a confession ? Did he do it? I still don't know. You tell me! You will enjoy it!
March 5, 2020
Stansberry's The Confession feels every bit the throwback to pulpy noir film and gritty crime novel of ages past. He stacks the deck in genre trope: an unreliable narrator, spicy women, conspiracies and murder, and a lot of inappropriate sex. He keeps his plot moving toward its unsatisfying conclusion in style.
What makes the conclusion unsatisfying isn't that it's tonally wrong or inconsistent with the rest of the novel--on the contrary, Stansberry keeps the novel's ending believable to the tone of the book; what's unsatisfying is that Stansberry treats his sociopathic narrator to a fate considerably better than he deserves.
This is kind of the salacious point of Stansberry's novel: we're all taken in by the sympathetic consideration we give to narrators and protagonists, especially charming ones like Jake Danser, protagonist of this novel. Jake is the embodiment of all of our society's worst crimes; a narcissist, incapable of seeing wrong in himself in any meaningful capacity, always suspicious of what others have and jealous of what he has, constantly taken with the need to consume and perform his social identity--a fashionable personality taken straight from a magazine. If Jake is a sociopath, he's a sociopath of our own making, recognizable to all of us because we are all complicit in the same cycle of consumption and self-centeredness.
The Confession isn't a perfect novel by any means, but it's more transgressive than it appears, and it's as great a representation of noir fiction as any other. It's safe to say I really like it.
What makes the conclusion unsatisfying isn't that it's tonally wrong or inconsistent with the rest of the novel--on the contrary, Stansberry keeps the novel's ending believable to the tone of the book; what's unsatisfying is that Stansberry treats his sociopathic narrator to a fate considerably better than he deserves.
This is kind of the salacious point of Stansberry's novel: we're all taken in by the sympathetic consideration we give to narrators and protagonists, especially charming ones like Jake Danser, protagonist of this novel. Jake is the embodiment of all of our society's worst crimes; a narcissist, incapable of seeing wrong in himself in any meaningful capacity, always suspicious of what others have and jealous of what he has, constantly taken with the need to consume and perform his social identity--a fashionable personality taken straight from a magazine. If Jake is a sociopath, he's a sociopath of our own making, recognizable to all of us because we are all complicit in the same cycle of consumption and self-centeredness.
The Confession isn't a perfect novel by any means, but it's more transgressive than it appears, and it's as great a representation of noir fiction as any other. It's safe to say I really like it.
December 9, 2019
Forensic psychologist, Jake Danser, has got himself into a world of trouble due to his womanizing ways. His mistress is found strangled to death and he becomes the prime suspect. The author does a great job slowly unraveling the mystery as we learn about Jake's life, his troubled relationships and his job which he describes as a "Professional witness. Advocate for the criminally insane".
There was a very creepy vibe as we see the dark side of human nature. It also delves into the manipulations and tricks used during high profile court cases. This is the type of book where I thought I knew what was going to happen but the plot twists went in different directions than anticipated as new facts were revealed along the way. What a great little mystery and thriller. Highly recommended.
There was a very creepy vibe as we see the dark side of human nature. It also delves into the manipulations and tricks used during high profile court cases. This is the type of book where I thought I knew what was going to happen but the plot twists went in different directions than anticipated as new facts were revealed along the way. What a great little mystery and thriller. Highly recommended.
August 11, 2021
The Confession by Domenic Stansberry
Jake Danser has just about everything he wants. He has a beautiful rich wife, a large house, and has a job as a top forensic psychologist. He also had a mistress, Sara. This one had gone on for far too long and it needed to end. That's when she wound up dead, strangled by his necktie, but he swears it wasn't him. Did he do it?
🌞🌞 (2.5/5 Stars)
I hated the main character but I suppose that was the point. I just wasn't feeling it. I had a lot of it figured out before I even got to it. It was okay.
#theconfessiondomenicstansberry #hardcasecrimebooks #hardcasecrime #tabbyslibrary
Jake Danser has just about everything he wants. He has a beautiful rich wife, a large house, and has a job as a top forensic psychologist. He also had a mistress, Sara. This one had gone on for far too long and it needed to end. That's when she wound up dead, strangled by his necktie, but he swears it wasn't him. Did he do it?
🌞🌞 (2.5/5 Stars)
I hated the main character but I suppose that was the point. I just wasn't feeling it. I had a lot of it figured out before I even got to it. It was okay.
#theconfessiondomenicstansberry #hardcasecrimebooks #hardcasecrime #tabbyslibrary
April 17, 2020
"Sometimes, I close my eyes and imagine myself at the top of Mt. Tamalpais, the jagged peak that overlooks Marin."
Set in Marin County, California - where I live! Actually, the first four paragraphs of the preface are really good descriptions of the area surrounding Mt. Tam! "The roads spiderweb down the hills...", man that's right on point! And my hometown gets a mention on page 45! “... rumors, unsubstantiated, about secret liaisons in a hotel in Novato.” Woot woot!
The blurb on the front says it all: "Was he an innocent man... or a depraved killer?" Well, read it and find out! Some of the psychological pieces were a little boring for me, but the crime(s) and the doubt shed on them kept my interest throughout! And all of the Marin County mentions just tickled me! I'm glad I picked this up!
Set in Marin County, California - where I live! Actually, the first four paragraphs of the preface are really good descriptions of the area surrounding Mt. Tam! "The roads spiderweb down the hills...", man that's right on point! And my hometown gets a mention on page 45! “... rumors, unsubstantiated, about secret liaisons in a hotel in Novato.” Woot woot!
The blurb on the front says it all: "Was he an innocent man... or a depraved killer?" Well, read it and find out! Some of the psychological pieces were a little boring for me, but the crime(s) and the doubt shed on them kept my interest throughout! And all of the Marin County mentions just tickled me! I'm glad I picked this up!
April 21, 2022
Uh so there's 220 pages of a guy who is accused of a crime that literally doesn't happen till the half-way mark and then there's an investigation and absolutely nothing is resolved. I imagine you're supposed to think he was a serial killer or something but there's no confirmation of any such thing. In the end, it was all completely pointless. Also, the main character is massively unlikeable so it's not like you can root for him. Argh, what was the point of this?
December 7, 2019
This is an Edgar Award Winner?
An OK book, but not much of a mystery. I guess the author wanted the reader to think that his serial killer protagonist was right at the edge of getting his just desserts. No such luck, only more of the smug, self-indulgent whining that undercuts any appeal or sympathy.
Read it if you have nothing else in front of it on your list.
An OK book, but not much of a mystery. I guess the author wanted the reader to think that his serial killer protagonist was right at the edge of getting his just desserts. No such luck, only more of the smug, self-indulgent whining that undercuts any appeal or sympathy.
Read it if you have nothing else in front of it on your list.
November 12, 2023
Wow. I can't think of another book where I've known the ending so soon but enjoyed the telling so much anyway. Really, thoroughly enjoyable, and I just burned right through it. I'm really enjoying the Hard Case series. I'll probably also look up more of this particular author's stuff for the TBR pile.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews