"Flint's Law" was my introduction to Grace Flint, heroine extraordinaire. Grace is a maverick assistant director of one of the U.S. Government's alphabetical spook forces that investigates money laundering.

The novel opens explosively with a heart-stoppingly dangerous sting operation going terribly bad under Grace's direction. To her horror, she discovers her husband of one year is on the bad guy's team. His cover was perfect. It is inconceivable that this quirky, humorous, obsessed bird-lover could be a deep cover assassin. Grace relentlessly sprints around the world chasing him down. The villains pop up everywhere, and often the most deadly battles are between rival intelligence agencies.

The pace is fast and furious, but with surprisingly strong characterizations. I kept hoping Grace would find out it was a terrible mistake about her husband's nefarious intentions. Mr. Eddy had done such a good job of convincing the reader as well as Grace of Ben's lovable character; it was almost sickening to accept his deep betrayal. Grace is not portrayed as Wonder Woman. She is impulsive, somewhat paranoid (who could blame her for that?), headstrong and arrogant. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger that clearly is trying to whet your appetite for the next installment.

The story barely manages to keep all its threads intact. There are so many competing agencies, players, and competing goals; it is easy to become confused. I did idly wonder how a Brit could be an assistant director of a U.S. intelligence agency, but willingly granted the author artistic license. In spite of these minor flaws, I highly recommend "Flint's Law" for non-stop entertainment.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

"Mandrake" (I use the UK title of this book.) is a couple notches better than "Flint". While that was sometimes very confusing, with all the flitting back from past to present, and all the to-ing and fro-ing of the various fraudulent monies, and lots and lots of characters who all seem to meld into one. This one is far better.

It's still confusing, at times, but not nearly as much. The writing is brilliant...its incredibly compelling and powerful, written in a tense, brutally efficient and to-the-point style. The book speeds all over the globe, from the US to Croatia and the pace never lets up.

The characters are mercifully fewer, and are slightly better developed. the plot is complex and interesting. I can certainly reccomend this book.

The Financial Strike Force is an international organization that focuses on money laundering on a global scale. Grace Flint, FSF Assistant Director is poised to bring down German crime czar Karl Groeber but it turns sour when an agent is killed. Grace takes this personally because she personally recruited the operative.

After going over the failed investigation, it becomes apparent that someone with insider knowledge sold them out. That person is Grace's husband Ben. It turns out that there is no record to prove that Grace's husband ever existed, which means he was a spy designed to get close to Flint. When Ben causes Grace's father grievous injuries she vows to hunt him down and bring him to justice even if it means going through Karl Groeber to do it.

Grace Flint is a flawed imperfect heroine who endears herself to the audience because of her willingness to take responsibility for her actions. Except for her, it's hard to tell the heroes from the villains in FLINT'S LAW because most of the players have their own agenda and alliances. The story line compulsively compels readers to finish this tale in one sitting. It will be very hard to wait for the next installment in this dynamic new series.

Harriet Klausner

I really liked little Eddy Brown from the very first pages of his book. I bet he was a joy to his mother. This book shares with the reader a glimpse of what is going on inside the head of a youngster, as he tries to make sense of the world around him, and then it chronicles through parts of his life as he grows, struggles, and matures. The victory contained within the pages of his book is that he did survive, and the rest of us are better for it.

Living to Tell: Collected Memoirs by Eddy Douglas Brown is an engaging
account of the life of a maturing manchild whose experiences proved to
be a journey filled with uncertainties and confusion. This is a
brilliantly written memoir that embraces the reader in a most
mysterious way. I yearned to follow the author from page to page as a
curious observer. This journey is sometimes humorous and sometimes
seriously thought provoking as the author makes choices that are
suspect to his upbringing. The struggle for the author is to make
sense of senseless circumstances as the journey takes the manchild
into manhood. I enjoyed reading and rereading this book. The author
is a wonderfully inspiring writer. This is a "must read"
memoir. I suggest this book as a gift to anyone that reads for
complete pleasure.

I will readily admit that I am as curious as the next fellow when given the opportunity of a glimpse into someone else's very private world; with ease and graciousness, this author accomplishes that, drawing you into memories of life's private moments that are at times endearing, laugh-out-loud-funny, and sadly tragic. Reading this autobiography made me feel as though I was spending time with a dear friend, engrossed in his stories. At the end of each chapter, I rushed toward the next, wanting to know more about this boy who became a man, his experiences and those that shared the journey with him. Hopefully, this is just the "tip of the iceberg" of works to be produced by this author--if you're like me, this one will move you, touch you in many ways, and leave you wanting for more.

The first three fourth of the book was amazing. The author painted a clear picture of the places he visited and the people who lived in the places he visited. I was, however, at times a bit annoyed by his failure to go beyond poverty and corruption to find the many positive images of the land and the people. I am an African who was born and raised in the continent ...and although living in the west has improved my "economical situation" I would not change the memories of my childhood for anything.

I also felt that Mr. Harris rushed through the last couple of chapters of the book. They lack the detailed imagery as well as the enthusiasm that was exhibited for the first three fourth of the book.

Still, I thought this was the best travel book I read on Africa.

This book was greatly informative of what modern Africa is like. Many of us have misconceptions or just a vague knowledge of the so-called "Dark Continent". Harris opens it up for us. I found his courage and his adventurous spirit to be both touching and inspirational. My imaginings manifested themselves this year when I treked through Spain on the Camino de Santiago- where I met with and engaged the culture, the elements and my own will. The process of discovery and adventure outside commercial tourisim is the REAL way to travel. With travel we change the way we think of where we live ... this book encourages this philosophy and will hopefully provoke people to take some time and go off to discover something. I encourage all readers to discover this book. It will challenge you and the enrichment you recieve may surprise. Thank you, Harris.

This is quite possibly THE best non-fiction book I have ever read. It is a triumph of superb, lyrical writing and devestatingly honest philosophical reflection. It is a travel book, certainly - Eddy L. Harris, the author of (to my knowledge) four stunning "exploration" books like this one, travels through Africa top to bottom - but so much more.
Harris not only explores his terrain, he explores its people, its customs and the reaction he gets from Africans. At the same time, he explores his own inner being: what did he, as a Blackamerican, expect to get out of Africa? What did he really come to understand? And so on. As much as the book is about Africa the continent (and the reader is treated to descriptions of villages, recreation, transport, jungles, wildlife, etc.), it is about skin color, people, race, generosity, need, pride, and everything else that makes people human.
The description was beautiful and powerful: I would put the book down for the night, and when I started it again, would be transported instantly back to where Harris was and what he was experiencing, without any sense of a break.

This book deals with the generosity of a people who have nothing, thje patient endurance of a people who have been trampled on for centuries. This is not to say that the book was a typical liberal interpretation of the Third World; nor were Harris' experiences as a black man what one might expect. In fact, Harris' honesty was astounding. He described his neuroses about germs (and how he had to get over that in a hurry!), his anger at the condition of the African people, his sadness and pity at the tyranny of black officals. And in South Africa, he found not only a peace which he did not expect, he even felt so overwhelmed he retreated into a formerly white-only luxury hotel, an oasis amid the poverty of the black population. This, of course, was the source of further inner exploration about his guilt and his place as a black man, but an American - a true "Native Stranger."
All

In the reviews I've read, this book has received nothing but praise. In many ways, this is an excellent work of academic research. The authors show sensitivity and a deep understanding of the institutional framework within which archbishop Hovius could operate. Most emphasis is put on the human and local particularities controlling the relations between an archbishop and the man and women manning the diverse strata of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. The preponderance on the human side of archbishop's dealings with the people surrounding him lead to excellent small stories which are impressively placed in the wider context of the political and religious strife of early 17th century Europe. Moreover, the book is very well written. It was an easy read.

Yet, despite all the book's cleverness, I grew increasingly uncomfortable while reading. Harline and Put have written a book on religious life in late 16th/early 17th century Europe. Still, I have not read much about religion. In fact, in this book, religion comes out as a very mechanical thing. We read about cardinals, nuncios, priests, rituals, processions, pilgrimages etc. But we do not get a glimpse of what it could have meant to *be* a Christian in this particular time in history. We do not read how Hovius (could have) *lived* his religion. We get no sense at all of a religious feeling which - unlike today - must have been overly present everywhere. Instead, the narrative is littered with much misplaced irony on the nature of christianity or even religion. Harline and Put consider the Catholic Church as nothing more than a big bureaucracy. Hovius, travelling around his bishopric, is portrayed as the 16/17th century version of a district area manager of Coca Cola, trying to reach his production quota for next year, and fighting to protect his market share against competitors. The book is a product of the 21st century. It might easily be used as a leadership guideline, to be read by management consultants and managers.

As a layman who likes to study history, I enthusiastically give this book a rating of five stars. Many history books give broad descriptions and interpretations of trends and events. Others attempt to popularize or modernize history by interpreting old events from the perspective of the late 20th century. "The Bishop's Tale" does none of this. Instead, it virtually transports the reader back to Flanders in the late 1500s and early 1600s, treating him to a small but rich slice of history in a small but fascinating corner of Europe. The authors -- who were fortunate enough to have found one volume of an extensive journal kept by the Archbishop of Mechelen during this period -- provide us with a series of wonderfully detailed pictures of religious life in what was then known as the Spanish Netherlands. Each chapter forms a separate window through time that provides the reader with a close-up view of the goings-on surrounding a specific issue, event, or person. The common thread running through all sixteen chapters is the archbishop and his efforts to build a stable Catholic community in a turbulent time and place. The authors don't try to overly interpret events or force them to fit into some sort of grand theoretical framework, as do many academic historians. Instead, it seems that Craig Harline and Eddy Put want to directly expose the reader to history in a way that enables him to develop a good "feel" for what it must have been like to be Catholic and Flemish around 1600. I found myself wanting to read the book slowly, so that I could savor every page.

Ever wanted to play in one of those cartoon series from the 80s (Masters of the Universe, Brave Starr, She-Ra, Transformers etc.)? If the answer is yes, this is the game for you as it allows you to create the background for a cartoon series and play in it.
A simple and effective game system that concentrates on story and action, allowing characters to do quite outrageous things but doesn't get bogged down in rules and tables (and it uses a D12!). In that respect, it is similar to Robin D. Laws' Feng Shui system.
The book contains information on a vast variety of characters and their abilities from various genres.
A full campaign set (second half of the book) is included as well as a large number of campaign ideas covering all genres.
The book is a joy to read, even if you're never going to play.
For a small independent game, the production quality is quite high and the black and white illustrations range from adequate to superb.
Buy this game and rediscover your childhood dreams!

It doesn't matter if you're 8 or 80, this gamebook will enable you to recreate the feel of your favorite cartoons, television series, or movies. It may say it's about the 1980's action cartoons, but that's just a tiny bit of what you can do with it. The system allows easy creation of virtually any genre of play and is extremely easy to learn, while not being childish and dumbed down. This is a must-have for real roleplayers.

After several continents and years, attorney Amy Brown can no longer deal with the insults and constant firing from her boss at London's Winter, Worthington, and Walker. So when septuagenarian Daniel Blake reads her the riot act, Amy signs a note resigning. She informs her stunned spouse but then learns she is pregnant. Her husband persuades her to beg to get her job back so she will have maternity leave and medical coverage. Amy goes to the office early only to find Daniel dead. She retrieves her note. The police rule Daniel's death an accident from an allergic reaction to eating chocolate with nuts inside them.

Several months later after Amy has given birth and returned to work she notices a sticky note among Daniel's items. The note says "No Nuts"; leading her to conclude that someone deliberately killed Daniel. Though everyone hated him, she wondered who would commit homicide. She asks product safety expert Polly Lawrence for help, as the police seem comfortable with their original conclusion. As the duo investigates, they begin to find other evidence, but a person who has killed before might find the second and third time a lot easier to swallow.

KILLABLE HOURS is an enjoyable amateur sleuth tale starring a delightful female supported by an eccentric expert. The story line is fun though timelines seem off kilter. Still the cast is strong and the plot engages the audience from start to finish so that the audience will know they spent likable hours on Pamela Eddy's pleasant novel.

Harriet Klausner

simply outstanding..the suspense almost killed me!!

This a good book for beginners but does not go beyond the basics. If you have extensively used 123 or Symphony you will not find this book very helpful. It is a basic manual not a "howto" book. For old time Lotus fans it is a good paper weight.

Very well produced, using an easy (but serious) language

Fight the power! (of Bill Gates) and purchase a great alternative to Microsoft Office. Lotus Smartsuite Millenium Edition may not be as ubiquitous as Microsoft Office, but it is extremely powerful and well integrated. Understanding its basics and nuances can be a daunting task. Not only does this book do the definitive job of explaining the fine things the program has to offer, it gives you extra chapters on Lotus Notes, free trial software (including the SmartSuite itself) and the entire 1350 copied electronically so you can read it on computer. It does it all in a matter-of-fact, accessible style that even the intermediate user can make sense of. It not only helped me delve into the real power of the program, it also illucidated for me what a true bargain Lotus SmartSuite was for the money.

Having read a good number of biographies on Mary Baker Eddy, I found this particular volume to be well-intended but ineffective. About 95% of Nennemann's book has already been covered, repeatedly in some cases and in more detail, by other books; but the little new light he throws on the subject is interesting (particularly Eddy's discomfort with Christian Science promoting itself in proximity to Eastern religions and Spiritualism). The author seems to have genuine respect and affection for his subject, while presenting her in a non-idealized way --something to be appreciated; but the writing lacked style and content. Intending no great disrespect, whereas another reviewer mentioned the book kept him awake, I had exactly the reaction.

This book provided me with a wonderful perspective on Mary Baker Eddy's healing gift and how she established it, against considerable odds, as a system, supported by a church and a publishing house, which remains available for personal study through her book, Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures.

This fairly short biography of Mary Baker Eddy gives a fuller and deeper appreciation of her character than even Robert Peel's three volume work. Nenneman relates the events of her life in a way that throws real light on the way Christian Science itself informed her actions and gradually developed her perceptions. The reader may still want to turn to Peel's work for detailed analysis but this well-documented book is the very best place to start a study of this religious figure. It reminds one of Edmund Morris' Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Real feeling for the subject pervades every page.

Ray Bowman and Eddy Hall have asked all the right questions here. The answers may surprise you! I wanted a straight forward look at the big question of when to build a church and found a lot of little questions along the way. I had to ask questions like; "Will more people come if we build?", and "Can we afford to build?". Without asserting their religious views excessively or to the point of distraction, the authors were a big help in this regard. The same thought process goes on for people all over the world when they aspire to or are thrust into a leadership position in a building project. Also, there is nothing new here. People have been building churches for an awful long time, you know. Why try to reinvent the wheel? I recommend reading this book to help answer your questions and to know what quetions to ask.

Bowman & Hall make a solid case for examining every possible option before deciding to build or expand your facilities. Convicing arguments with good supporting data. Recommended for any church considering investing in facilities. (Companion book, When Not To Finance, is in the works.)

An excellent book.
This book advocates that:
churches should use their space intensively;
design for a growing church is different than design for a static church;
flexible multi-use space is preferred to dedicated space (e.g. a sanctuary used once a week);
a church should not build if building will take resources from ministry;
a church should build debt free to the extent possible.
A quote,"Most of a church's ministry takes place not when the church is gathered, but when it is scattered. If we truly understand this, we will no longer feel compelled to keep expanding the church's buildings."

The reference section for both XHTML and CSS are the best I have seen so far. I keep the book just for that on my desk. For this section I would give it 5 stars (and even more).

However the tutorial section is bad as bad can be and full of mistakes. F.ex in chapter two there is a listing of an XHTML strict document but has the bgcolor attribute in the body tag. And so it goes on throughout the whole tutorial.

If you need an excellent reference book shoot for this one, if you need a tutorial you better look for other books.

If I could give it more stars, I would!

If you want a reference book for XHTML and CSS, this is it! If you also want a tutorial for XHTML and CSS, this is it!

The first 370 pages are an alphabetical reference to XHTML. Each tag is listed with ALL of its possible attributes as well as guides to browser compatability (even WebTV). The next 130 pages gives the same treatment to Cascading Style Sheet syntax. The next 190 pages is a tutorial for using XHTML and CSS. The tutorials are very well done; using pictures only when needed and presenting lots of information. The Appendixes don't just rehash the info from the book. They present things like the complete Unicode character set (40pgs), a glossary and a 50 page cross referenced index.

I can't recommend this book highly enough!

This book is a must have for any serious tag jockey. When I first picked it up. I looked at it and thought to myself "what the heck kind of book is this". Then I figured it out. Actually it's two books for the price of one.

The first half is a very clear concise detail of every tag and attribute in XHTML and a reference of CSS. If all you need is to refresh your memory about a particular tag this is where you'll find your answers. Your not going to find a better reference anywhere.

The second half of the book consists of tutorials for XHTML and CSS in very clear easy to understand form.

At first I thought "They put this thing together backwards! The refence should be in the back"; but as I use the book as a reference I love having the reference in the front so I don't have to go clear through the book to find what I want. Very well done!

I would have gladly paid what this book cost for either of these two pieces; the fact that I got both in one book for such a meager sum is to me simply amazing.