I'm a longtime fan of Ms. Jacobs and hope that
"Flashpoint" is the start of a new series.
This novel is just the right blend of mystery,
suspense, and social commentary.

Be sure to read Ms. Jacobs' other recent novels,
"Star Struck" and "Double or Nothing".

in this fast-paced page turner. Ms. Jacobs manages to make every word count in Flash Point, her latest mystery entry. Thanks to the author's keen eye for detail, the reader sees the characters come to life on the page. And what charming characters they are---it's a pleasure spending time with Susan Kim Delancey as she tracks down the serial arsonist. Well researched, the author sets the scene so realistically I have a new-found respect for the men and women who fight fires daily.

Susan Kim Delancey is the Governor's Special Assistant for Arson Investigations, a political appointment that has her serve as liaison with all the counties in California. Right now she is investigating a series of arson homicides that have taken place in Sausalito, San Francisco, Daily City and San Vincente. She is trying to find out if the same person is responsible for the four incidents.

In each case the victim was a single mother who recently gave birth to a baby girl. No trace of the babies is found leading the press to dub the crimes the "Baby Snatcher Murders". Susan and her understaffed overworked team find a common thread even as the killer targets someone Susan loves more than life itself.

Nancy Baker Jacobs has a winning new series if FLASH POINT is any indication. The heroine is impossible not to like as she races from one horrific crime scene to another to find some answers that will stop a killer before he strikes again. There are enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages until they find out who the perp is and why he is doing such terrible things.

Harriet Klausner

The pictures in this book are excellent, and can be used by anybody learning point location. As far as the description of point location, they differ from the source used for the california state board exam, which only matters if you are planning on taking it. There are also some helpful tips for locating certain points. The info. on point functions and indications is tremendous. Everything and anything is in this book. Some really obscure stuff, which is great to read and think about. But that does not mean that these points are really used for this, or that you will be able to make the point do that. All in all great for location, but use some scrutuiny when apllying functions and indications.

This is the only text that I have on the subject of acupuncture. I am not a practitioner, but had hoped that this one (expensive) text would be sufficient to give me a total foundation in the discipline and would eventually allow me to use acupressure or some rudiments of the field in my own efforts to promote good health.

I was a little dissappointed that the introductory and foundational material was lacking in the book, and that there were no separate sections on diagnosis or expositions of the nature of pathogens. The book is essentially a description of each and every one of the 360 or so primary acupuncture points of Traditional Chinese Medicine. There is a good bit of material about methodology of point selection, but the real gem of this book is the intelligent and thorough descriptions of the points, their properties, and how to locate and needle them. The reason that I gave the book five stars is that it is far more complete and logical in its point descriptions than any of the Chinese texts used by my acupuncturist, a Chinese chiropractor who was a medical doctor Shanghai for eight years before coming to the US and becoming a chiropractor. Often when a discipline is translated from one language and culture to another, the highly systematized translation is more complete and sensible than the eclectic literature corpus upon which it is based. Those who devised this book have created a phenomenally comprehensive synthesis of over 3,000 years of Chinese medical tradition. They have taken on a monumental task and succeeded brilliantly. The quality of this reference is so high that I would even recommend it to practitioners from the orient who are coming to the US or other English-speaking countries to start a practice. First, it will it help them learn the English vocabulary of acupuncture jargon and help them understand our butchered pronunciations of the many Chinese words in an English acupuncturist's vocabulary. Second, they will be able to better communicate their activities to their patients. Finally, the book is as high a quality reference as anything they will have brought with them from Asia.

Unquestionably, when you get your hands on a copy of this book, you will agree with me that this may be greatest reference compendium ever published on acupuncture in the English language, to date. The quality of printing and binding is superb, to match its outstanding content.

This book is priceless. Sell all your other acupuncture reference books if you have to (e.g., CAM, FCA, etc., unless you are still a student), and keep this impressive book on the shelf and within reach. While it is not "officially" adopted as a standard text in U.S. schools, it would be an outrage if this book does not become one in the near future.

Zero Point has all the elements a grand science fiction thriller should have. A scoundrel who is capable and maybe not as bad as he thinks he is, a heroine who isn't just another pretty face, suspense, mystery, ACTION, and an Artificial Intelligence driven ship with personality plus! This is a well written book that grabs you right from the start. The action doesn't stop until the ending which seemed rather abrupt and sudden. Zero Point would be the great start of a series with unlimited possiblities. The author takes one turn that, should this turn into a series, needs to be corrected regarding main character's ship. All in all this was an excellent book and great read!!!

I greatly enjoyed Zero Point. Great characters and plotline, with an excellent beginning and middle. The ending isn't really an ending. It's like the author ran out of space. Still an excellent book however.

Strong characters, suspense, betrayal and intrigue set against a backdrop of alien races, human star colonies and incredible technology. I couldn't put this one down, and hope it's just the first of many!

I agree with the other reviewer of this book that, as a guidebook, it is useful but not unsurpassed. When I went to Costa Rica I took it along with a copy of Lonely Planet Costa Rica with me and I was covered. This book is worth it though for the photographs alone. The photographs are so good they make you want to get to every nook and cranny of Costa Rica and find these stunning people, places, and things. National Geographic totally lived up to it's name with this one.

Over the years I must have read about 20 guidebooks about Costa Rica. Like the most of others this book does have something to offer the traveller. However, I prefer the author's other book, "The Costa Rica Handbook." If you're looking to move to Costa Rica or spend an extended period of time there, you should read "The Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica." It offers an excellent introduction to the local scene.