This is book worth reading because it incorporates for the first time in any published book the unpublished and uncompleted manuscript on Amelia and her disappearance entitled "Flight into Yesterday, the Amelia Earhart Enigma" by Laurence Safford, CPT USN (Ret). Safford was a famed cryptographer and a US Navy Intelligence Officer who gained fame for his role in intercepting Japanese codes prior to Pearl Harbor and for his insistance that Roosevelt and others had received the decoded "East Winds Rain" message signifying the imminent attack by the Japanese.

They also include for the first time in any book, significant information provided by Earhart researcher John Luttrell.

The book by Goldstein and Dillon makes good use of both Safford's manuscript and Luttrell's information and correspondence, but also incorporates several mistakes that Safford and Luttrell made and their (Goldstein and Dillon) book should be read with an awareness that it is not the final authority and that there are other books published concerning Earhart's disappearance that should be read for a balanced opinion of any conclusions. Those would include "The Search for Amelia Earhart' by Fred Goerner, "The Sound of Wings" by Lovell, "Amelia Earhart, The Mystery Solved" by Long and Long, "Amelia Earhart, The Final Story" by Loomis with Jeffrey Ethell, and "With Our Own Eyes, Eyewitnesses to the Final Days of Amelia Earhart" by Campbell with Thomas E. Devine.

(...) As soon as I started to read this book I couldn't set it down. It was really and truly inspirational, it shows you don't have to be a man, to do something thats considered a man's job, all you need, is determination and to have your heart in soul in it... but most of all do it for fun, do it becasue you love it! I read a lot of books and I know that you always have something to say or a lesson you get out of the story. Out of this book I've gotten knowledge of women heroes, of women leaders, and it also showed me to do what i want to do, when I want to do it, because you will regret it later. That's why I gave this book review 5 stars and 2 thumbs up!!

What makes a person become a pioneer? What was it like to be the FIRST PERSON to fly solo from California to Hawaii? The 1930's were a time very different from ours, but people still have to reach for the best within themselves. This is were this book reaches new ground. The authors have stripped the layers of myth away to reveal the wonderful and gifted human being that Amelia created. Trusted and respected author/historians Goldstein and Dillon (those wonderful folks who gave us the Pearl Harbor books, Photohistories of D-Day and Battle of the Bulge,etc) turn their trained and impartial eyes on this most enigmatic person. (The book has extensive notes and a bibliography). Amelia believed a women's place was equal to that of a man's, in not only aviation, but in all areas of American life.

Aaaargh, what's happening ???!!! Why is the sense of déjavu so strong in this one, especially following right after Thunderpoint??!!!

I give the books 3 stars because it is fast moving action-packed with a simple plot peppered with some witty dialogues, enjoyable especially for those who had not read Higgins' previous works.

Character-wise, is it my imagination or is the old BG Ferguson, veteran of Korean War, getting more and more into the action, seeing him accompanied by different aides (the female in this one is so similar to the one in Eye of the Storm, but of course *SPOILER* Higgins can't use her 'cos she had a thing against Dillon).

The introduction of physical/mental therapy for Dillon through Chinese arts was refreshing, but frankly, the short duration it took stretches the credibility.

Our heroes seem to make the same mistake again as in Thunderpoint, namely, going after vital objectives while being clearly outgunned when they could have been more careful. And of course, there is slight rehash of Luciano's Luck later in the book.

The interesting character was Asta, an enigmatic woman who had no problem shooting to kill but couldn't take care of a drunken lout, namely, one Fergus Munro. Those familiar with Higgins novels would immediately notice this character has the worst of two of Higgins' famous creations : Dougal Munro and Dougal Munro 2nd generation Ferguson, without any of their redeeming qualities.

Another bright spot of this book though, is that the villains (Mafia) got news of the Chunking Covenant before a mole leaked out the information to the establishment (heroes). Usually in Higgins story, it is the other way around.

I only read this book because I was bored one day. It was my husbands and he had never read it yet. I started and could not put it down. Dillon is an incredible character Asta, was equally good. One of the best books I have ever read. It only took me a few hours to read it cover to cover. Keep them coming this good

This was the first Jack Higgins book I've read and it certainly won't be the last! The characters were well developed from the start and seemed likeable... although they don't act morally all the time. The plot concerns the handing over of Hong Kong in 1997 and with HK just being handed back to China, it's a timely read. Our main character is Sean Dillion, a former notorious mercenary and gifted thespian, who now works for the British government. His boss is Charles Ferguson, an astute man with worldly experience in international matters. Making up our trios of heroes is Hannah Bernstein, appointed secretary to Ferguson and also chief of Scotland Yard. The foes they come up against are the Mafia in the form of Carl Morgan, his step-daughter Asta and other assorted baddies around to thwart the deeds of our gallant protagonists, who are trying to recover a signed form stating that HK will stay independent until another 100 years. This letter of priceless importance is located in the highlands of Scotland. There, the two forces battle it out with wits and a deadly game of cat-and-mouse until there is only one winner! A great novel with enough twists to make a dry martini drunk! Read it and expect to be thrilled... until you read it again, anyway!

A good book by Dillon. He covers all parts of the Northern Irish Troubles, including British Army and security forces undercover actions and the way in which the IRA use devious "honeytraps" to tempt British Army men to their deaths. It also gives a section on the little known Loyalist paramilitary forces. I Liked this book as it was easy to read and gives a good insight into the past 30 years of the troubles. Anyone who is just getting into Irish history and is unsure about what to read, The Dirty War is an excellent starting point as, from the start, it gives you no illusions, even the title tells the truth.

There are many reasons to buy and admire Martin Dillon's 'The Dirty War,' which is nothing less than a monumental achievement in investigative journalism. Dillon peels the lid off a very large can of worms--two decades of undercover conflict between the IRA (Official and Provisional), British Army, RUC, Loyalists and assorted other players in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1990. The author's painstaking research (including many first-hand interviews with participants) and scrupulous objectivity should make this book required reading in newsrooms and journalism schools everywhere. But it's not some dry exercise. A lot of 'The Dirty War' rivals the best non-fiction crime and detective writing. Dillon knows how to tell a story. He also has a knack of involving the reader in his exhaustive analysis of individual incidents and themes. When answers aren't evident, his not afraid to admit it; rather, he asks questions and draws us in. This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in the modern British Army and its counterterrorist tactics. But it's not an anti-British book and it's not an anti-IRA book. It IS continually fascinating and, refreshingly, has a strong moral compass in the author's value set to help the reader through the unpleasantness.

Having just read 'The Dirty War', I realised the charachter of the conflict in Ireland which was fought away from the headlines. Martin Dillon presents an account which is now proving correct. He objectively reveals the practice of secret burials, a story in the headlines currently, with families demanding the whereabouts of the bodies of the "disappeared". Dillon also -- without predjudice -- shows how all the combatants fought this dirty war. In particular, it is interesting that his revelations are part of the on-going discussions in the British media, especially pertaining to the role of the British intelligence agencies. Consequently, I was astounded by the review written here by Phil306@aol.com. Apart from the fact that he confused two of Dillon's books - The Dirty War and The Shankill Butchers -- it appears that he did not have a sufficeint grasp of the material. In response then why should we believe Phil306 about Sgt. Oram and not Mr. Dillon, who does not hide behind an e-mail address? Significantly, the author's revelations in both books are such that when he does not name people for legal reasons, those reasons are obvious to the intelligent reader. In his comments, Phil306 offers us a seminal awareness of a national trait which is something that Dillon clearly rejects in his balanced portrayal of all the players in both books. If phil 306 had fully digested the material in The Shankill Butchers, he would have understood that Messers. A and B were never charged with their crimes. In that context, the law in the United Kingdom would not have permitted their names to be published. Did Phil306 recognise the obvious risks to the authors' life in even giving us the insights in the facts that A & B existed? Since Phil306 appears to be the oracle in these matters, let him name A & B publicly in the British Isles, and explain his 'closeness' to Sgt. Oram. The Dirty War is an excellent book on the undercover war, and The Shankill Butchers is a stunning account of mass murder. If Phil 306 had properly read the Post Sript to the Shankill Butchers, even he could have made reasonable deductions about the identities of A and B. Perhaps, he should re-read both books and next time, avoid confusing the facts when writing a review. I am an Englishman living in the United States, and Mr. Dillon enabled me to grasp the complexities of a conflict which found its way onto my shores. I applaud Mr. Dillon for his investigative skills and his unbiased approach in his writings.

Like any other recent Wrox titles, this one contains jewels and pretenders. On the bright side, quite a few of the Java and XML chapters are strong, and I particularly liked the ones on EJB, PL/SQL-Java inter-operation, and SOAP. There is also a chapter at the end on setting up the environment to run the book samples. On the not so bright side, the PL/SQL chapters are disappointing, because they cover either fundamental stuff that anyone who calls themselves an Oracle developer should know, or irrelevant technologies like OAS PL/SQL cartridge and PSP (huh?). The chapters on JDBC and connection pooling wasted 60% of the pages by talking about the basic JDBC API and showing the details of a connection pool manager class, rather than talking more about Oracle's extensions to the JDBC 2.0 standard and optional packages API. Finally, there is one glaring omission - MTS (I am talking about the Microsoft stuff here), although it does contain an informative chapter on ASP/Oracle. One more thing: this book covers Oracle8i Release 2, not the latest 3.

With everything considered, you may still want to own this title, as it is the only book under the sun that covers all (well, almost) current distributed programming technologies that interface with Oracle (both J2EE and Windows DNA). It also covers promising Oracle proprietary technologies such as interMedia, BC4J, and Portal (aka WebDB).

To produce this book, Wrox took twenty expert Oracle developers and had each of them write about their area of expertise. The result is that whether you are a manager, a developer, or a DBA, if you are working with Oracle 8i this book should be on your desk. This book covers virtually every topic that you need to understand about the Oracle 8i development platform. It does not cover each topic completely but it provides a thorough and in most cases sufficient introduction on each topic. For a particular topic of interest you may need an additional book but to get all the information found in this book you would need ten volumes at least. The book opens with an introduction to Oracle 8i and some of its components including Net8 (Oracle's network solution) and Designer 6i (Oracle's development environment). The next section covers PL/SQL and PSP (this is similar to JSP). This is followed by an extensive section covering Java. This section covers JDBC, SQLJ, EJB, and interMedia (Oracle's powerful search tool). The last section covers XML and includes information on DOM and SAX parsers, SOAP, XSL, XSQL, and more. Extensive case studies are scattered throughout the book. Examples show how to use Oracle tools such as BC4J to develop enterprise applications. The book even includes primers on Java and XML. As a tour of all the features of Oracle 8i, this book is without competition.

This is an excellent book as it covers a lot of ground in one volume. If you work in a organisation that has Oracle as the engine for their web based applications, you must have this book.
Many books cover Java or XML or SQL and the like; but this is one of the few books that delves into HOW to put all of these together to make it work! As this book is released in newer additions, I shall be buying it as soon as it is available.

Althought the illustrations are beautiful, I think it's deeply problematic to take Judeo-Christian theology and then attribute it to other cultures. At least 2/3 of the illustrations represent times, places, and peoples who wouldn't have been familiar with the text being illustrated. And, since the explanatory notes in the back are so thin, no real appreciation of the other cultures being invoked is achieved. Mixtec human sacrifice as an illustration of "A time to kill, and a time to heal?" Just how will this promote cross-cultural understanding/respect? There's clearly enough historical/cultural/national diversity among people who have read/believed in these verses from Ecclesiastes to produce a celebration of difference within a common faith. That would have been a much more responsible approach. As it is, this book is either an assertion of the universality of sectarian beliefs or just an attempt by some talented illustrators to show that they can imitate a wide variety of artistic styles. For an example of someone (writing for elementary school aged children) who handles multiculturalism (within a Judaic tradition) well, see Barbara Goldin's _Journeys with Elijah_. And if you just want a picture book of these verses, consider Barner's To Everything.

(Library of Congress 97-35124(I borrowed it from the public library to read).In their appendix,The Dillons,(Leo & Diane)have listed verses in the bible's Old Testament's Ecclesiastes according to their preferences on which ethnic groups or countries builds up,who laughs,who embraces,who speaks,who loves by the order in which they place the countries in the biblical verses. It begins with Ireland(to everthing there is a season,and a time to every purpose under the heaven followed by Egypt,Japan,Mexico,Greece,India,Europe,North America,Ethiopia,Thailand,China,Russia,Australia,the Far North(Siberia to Greenland),and ends with the Middle East WITH THE verses a time of war & a time of peace).And of course a picture of the planet earth with "one generation....but the earth abides forever)".I'm glad they put it where children would not be interested in reading the small print..they have bigger pictures on page 1-30,and most wouldn't understand Egypt associate with dying or Mexico associated with killing,or Greece associated with a time to break down ,India on a time to weep or Europe on a time to mourn.I would give it to an adult vs a child as a gift.

This book is a treasure of representative illustrations of artistic styles from a wide variety of cultures. Although the text comes from a specific time and culture, it demonstrates that its message is applicable to all members of the human family. I have made this a standard gift for friends and family with new children. The colorful pictures are stimulating and captivating for the very young who have not yet learned to read, while the timeless text provides a new level for children to experience the book as they get older. As an adult, I find this book to be something I enjoy over and over for myself and to give as a gift.

I am a 36 yr. old female. I have been suffering with TMJ/DJD for a great many years - 22 to be exact. For the past 4 it's been hell. With four surgeries and 2 total reconstructions I am still living with horrid pain. When this book was recommened to me, I thought it would give me some answers. It did not. I was put off by how the chronic issue were not addressed. Surgery by an oral surgeon was not discussed. In my area of the country, dentists do not deal with TMJ, the oral surgeon is the main MD. Get your facts correct. The book was a waste of money.

Very useful information. I live in a remote town and it's 3 hours to the nearest doctor who treats TMJ. The self help info really helped me treat myself. I bought two products the book recommended and was able to stop the headaches.

This book has been a great source of information for me in dealing with my TMJ disorder. It has given me a greater understanding of my condition and wonderful information on helping me deal with the pain.
I had decided to try the TMJ orthotics before resorting to surgery. The orthotics have helped me greatly and I have alot less pain. The home exercies are also very beneficial.
I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Photos and more photos, that's what you have in this book. There must be a thousand of them, but I didn't count them.

This book takes the reader by the hand, in a bit of elementary school field trip fashion, and literally walks through Operation Overlord. The text is not over anyone's head, and always relates to the photos. The photos then tell the story, along with the captions which point out interesting, easy to overlook, details. It's almost like reading three books at once, the text, the photos, and the captions. But it's very educational and entertaining.

You'll see every form of naval lading craft ever used. Planes, guns, ships, you name it and they have a picture of it in this book. Allied personnel, and German personnel, all called "Antagonists", the title of the first chapter. There's even a great picture of General Patton inspecting a P-51, without a Helmet!

The book is wonderfully organized and laid out. It reads very quickly, despite all the bouncing around you'll do between pictures, captions, and text. Every photo is marked in the text at it's proper location. When the author talks about Churchill, then there is a note to look at the picture of Churchill. It's actually fun, if such a grave subject can be fun.

Read, or look at, this book. It's amazing how you'll begin to see the events, machines, people in a much clearer light. The massiveness of the event will become clear, and the images will tell you the story. If only all the D-Day photos were in one volume.....

The book does a credible job of providing a history of the events and people that led up to the invasion, as well as the invasion itself. But its real strength is as a pictorial history and resource. In this arena it is unsurpassed!

It is worse. It tries to be Preacher, it tries to be Hellblazer... it is naught. Constantine is one of the coolest and most awful characters ever created. When the torch passed to Delano from Moore, there was no loss. Delano's run was just great very intelligent, and the violence vas never to show off or to be a bad boy, it was used when necessary, as a part of the story. But here we have vomit, urination, gore etc. Things a b movie or gore movie fan might find exciting, but which an intelligent reader finds boring. Yes, not a scandal or rebeliuos, just plain boring. It is a sad fact that Ennis, who wrote the amazing "Dangerous Habits" story, sunk so childishly low.

...but that's the whole point of it. And if you actually read it, instead of just looking for the most Preacheresque or horrific panel, there's a really touching story about the difficulties of fitting personal demons (not necessarily of the hoofed kind) and a sensible love story in the same life. Oh, and reading this book does make any subsequent cocky exploit of mr. Constantine even more exhilarating to read. Really.

I'm not sure why everyone's so disappointed with this collection. I think it ranks right up there with DANGEROUS HABITS, Ennis' first collection. The mutli-part epic Hellblazer stories are always good, but you cannot beat Garth Ennis for small, personal stories, which TAINTED LOVE has in spades.

"Down all the Days" and "Rough Trade" are from issues #68 and #69 and feature the King of the Vampires (first introduced in #50). Forget Buffy for a second, Garth's take on vampires is fantastic and truly original (as fans of PREACHER already know). The King is as great a vampiric character as any ever created.

"Tainted Love" was a short story from VERTIGO JAM #1. A great little horror story from John's past featuring a demonic adversary familiar to Constantine fans.

"Heartland" is from #70, and focuses on Kit's return to Ireland. It's a testament to Garth's writing that a story about the main character's girlfriend is every bit as good as any regular issue. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't read a comic about Spider-Man's wife.

"Finest Hour", from #71, is another all-time favorite story of mine. And again, John is barely in it (only a coincidence, it's not like I don't like him or something). John falls asleep near the grave of a fighter pilot and relives the last few moments of his life.

"Confessional" is from the one-shot HELLBLAZER SPECIAL. It features a teenage John, an insane pederast preacher, and the First of the Fallen, and leads into the story arc "Rake at the Gates of Hell" from #78-83 (never collected, unfortunately).

So yeah, John is drunk and homeless the entire time, there are no big demons or magic tricks, and no cons pulled. But these are still some damn good stories for fans of horror, drama, comedy and...well, just entertainment in general.

Years ago, I loved all of Catherine Coulter's books, but after reading Blindside, I've decided from now on rather than pay for her books I'll wait until my local library has them.
The conversations in Blindside were so unbelievable - no one talks in such stilted sentences! The plot was thin and way out there. Save your money.

This book published on a heavy bond paper feels a lot more substantial than the 370 pages that it contains but the story is entertaining and the characters appealing. The eighth entry in Catherine Coulter's exciting FBI series it is not quite as well conceived as the first four, THE COVE, THE MAZE, THE TARGET and THE EDGE, but it is an improvement over the weaker recent entries HEMLOCK BAY and THE ELEVENTH HOUR. In this episode Sherlock and Savich come to the aid of former FBI agent and friend Miles Kettering after his six year old son ,Sam, has been kidnapped. Sam manages to escape and is recovered by local sherrif and single mom, Katie Benedict. It is now up to Sherlock, Savich, Miles and Katie to discover the reasons for Sam's abduction and to apprehend the culprits. The story moves quickly along with the appropriate amounts of danger, suspense and romance to make a great summer read. (I do agree, however, with a previous review that occasionally the relationship between Sherlock and Savich and their somewhat stilted dialogue slows rather than enhances the plot.) Overall this is another winner for Coulter.

Husband and wife FBI team Savich and Sherlock are back in their most grueling case yet.

Six year-old Sam Kettering is kidnapped, but as his father FBI agent Miles Kettering, has taught him, he fights his way to freedom. Rescued by sheriff Kate Benedict, Sam is safely returned to his father, but his nightmare is far from over.

Savich and Sherlock begin their search for the kidnappers, but two questions remain unanswered...Why was Sam the target, and why do the kidnappers want him so badly?

The search for answers leads Savich and Sherlock to strange evangelist Reverend Sooner McCamy, and his wife, but a shocking turn leads to more unanswered questions, and if that's not bad enough the couple is pulled into an additional case, one that has them on a hunt for the killer of five teachers in Washington, D.C.

'Blindside' is another stunning entry in the FBI thriller series. The gripping plot is peopled with likable characters, and twists galore. The pages turn fast as two separate story lines unfold all leading to an explosive climax.

Catherine Coulter has, once again, scored a big hit with a novel that's better than the previous entries in the FBI series, and that's no small accomplishment because all the novels in this series are great. Combining action, murder, great characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists Coulter continues to dazzle with novels that are original and entertaining, and are sure to please her legion of fans. Readers of this fast-paced series will lap this up in one sitting, and be anxious for the next entry.

A MUST read!

Nick Gonnella