One doesn't have to be a psychic to sense Edwin Santiago has a story to tell. It is written all over his face as he talks about the plot of his first novel, "Executive Betrayal/a Max Stone Series." It is a tale about terrorism, power, and corruption. Given the present state of world affairs, the story's themes could be easy confused with reality. But fortunately, this tale is a futuristic glimpse of where the world could be headed. In "Executive Betrayal," the reader is introduced to agent Max Stone and the world politics of 2010. Stone is the hero of the novel, which is the first book in a series of six. With "Executive Betrayal" already in wide release, the second novel is set to hit the shelves in October.
"I wrote the book three years ago," Santiago said. "I started noticing that three was one thing that was wrong with our country. We have so many secret agencies, including the FBI and CIA, that have bits of information. The problem is that they won't share what they know with each other."
In the world that Santiago has created, a new global agency called the Department of Counter Intelligence (DCI) has been formed to battle terrorism among other things. It is part of the new world order, consisting of 80 countries. During the America president's speech in the novel's introduction, he refers to the alliance and worldwide defense as "the birth of a new nation". As terrorism looms, people are giving over their individual rights and looking to the government for add security. With the approval of Congress and the president, the DCI can operate freely without the approval of anyone.
The novel explores what could happen when an agency is given absolute power. As the novel's cover reads, "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely." The novel's hero is a stub born FBI agent who is picked to lead a task force of the DCI. To solve a murder case. His flawless track record for soling cases is just what the DCI needs to fight terrorism. Along the way, the case evolves and eventually leads to some White House officials.
"The first book goes into the different levels of the DCI," Santiago said. "It talks about why it came about and how the American people allowed the President and Congress to sign off on it for added security. With the release of "executive Betrayal," in April, Santiago has been busy promoting the book. From interviews to book signings, he is determined to get the word out. This summer he will have two book signings in his hometown of Cartersville. Santiago will be at Kudzu Book Fair on June 14 and at Main Street Books & coffeehouse on July 19. He said the best way to purchase a copy of his novel is via the Internet. Among other web sites, www.amazon.com is selling the novel worldwide.

I have read 3/4 of the book, I do say that first time authors have done a great job so far. I do admire their style, the way each characters come into play with each other, and hope the rest of the series is as good as the first book.

I do like the way things are going within the book, as you go along, and learn what really goes behind closed doors within our own government.

As the sub-title says? "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely"

I rate it 5 stars. Cannot wait to see what happens to Agent Max Stone, and the rest of the DCI agents. Plus what is the real story with his tough partner Agent Maritza Falcón.

'Executive Betrayal' tells a thrilling tale of terrorism, espionage, and the New World Order.

One of America's newest authors hits home with a startlingly realistic novel that appears to be ripped from the pages of today's current events. 'Executive Betrayal' by Edwin Santiago and Dorothy Harper is a fantastic and 'seemingly non-fiction' story of how America chooses to deal with the modern day threats to our freedom, peace, and well being.

The first novel, 'Executive Betrayal' was written in early 2000 and Santiago felt compelled to re-write much of the first book after the events of 9/11. 'As a New Yorker, I didn't want to appear to be capitalizing on the Twin Towers' Santiago says. The original draft of the book was disturbingly prophetic.

The Department of Counter Intelligence (DCI) is a major factor in the first novel. The DCI is being introduced and established by the new American President and the Department is a major step forward in the methods, capabilities, and powers of dealing with terrorism and security. The DCI is responsible for correlating all of America and other member nation's intelligence gathering and distribution.

The hero of the series is agent Max Stone, an FBI agent with a past who leads a task force at the DCI. 'Executive Betrayal' will quickly take the reader on an involving ride from the floor of the United Nations into the steamy underbrush of jungles and streets of our major cities. Corruption is traced back to some of the very highest officials in the world who will stop at nothing and have little regard for the laws for common man or their liberties.

Santiago is an ex-Marine who now works for a major software company in Atlanta. He has recently completed the second in the series of six 'Max Stone' novels and is busily working on the third. He draws extensively from his experiences with the Marine Corps in the 1970s.

'Executive Betrayal / a Max Stone Series' by Edwin Santiago and Dorothy Harper is a breathtaking ride that brings to vivid life some of the most amazing and captivating characters you have ever seen. The novel is at once a thriller, spy story, and part intrigue and full of intensive action, political subterfuge and amazing high-tech gadgets. It is definitely the best first novel you will read this year!

This is one of the reason why I bought this book, I give it 5 stars.

I hated reading this book, boring, dull, stupid, pointlessly depressing, and may I add HORRIBLE grammer is what this book is! I can't believe i actually WANTED to read this book. DO NOT READ IT!

Prairie Songs is written by Pam Conrad and illustrated by Darryl S. Zudeck. It was a 1985 Golden Kite Honor Book, and Best Books For Young Adults (ALA). It was also a 1986 IRA Children's Book Award Winner. It is about a family who lived in Nebraska and some of the hardships and joys that they experienced. New neighbors come into their ordinary prairie lives and they see many changes. Now they must teach the New York family of two the ways of the prairie. Mrs. Berryman is not used to having Indians just sneaking into her house and is terribly frightened but Louisa and her mother Clara help Mrs. Berryman to overcome her fear. Because she has many books, Mrs. Berryman agreed to give Louisa and her shy younger brother Lester reading lessons. When a man by the name of Solomon Butcher stopped by Louisa's house, he asked to take a picture of her family. Louisa was very anxious to see the picture but was told that it must be developed first and she could see it at the forth of July celebration. After Mrs. Berryman's baby died, she becomes full of despair, but the reading lessons, which Mrs. Berryman is teaching, seemed to help her in the tough life on the prairie. When Mr. Berryman must go along with Louisa's father J.T. and another neighbor Mr. Whitfield to help attend to a terrible train wreck, Mrs. Berryman must be left alone for a few days. During that time two Indians paid Mrs. Berryman and Louisa and her family a visit. This book takes some surprising turns and keeps you interested until the final page. I liked this book because I thought that it had a very good story line and it told me what life was like back then on the prairie.

Prairie Songs, written by Pam Conrad is an excellent book to read! I enjoyed this account of life on the Prairie. Louisa and her family live on the Nebraskan prairie. They are faced with the difficult day-to-day activities that people faced living on the prairie. When Dr. and Mrs. Berryman move to the prairie from New York City, Louisa is fascinated with Mrs. Berryman's (Emmeline) love for literature. Emmeline has a very difficult time making the transition from the city to the prairie. Louisa and Lester take lessons from Emmeline in return for Mrs. Dowing helping her with her laundry, etc. Louisa develops a love for literature, especially poetry and grows to love Emmeline even more. One night when Mr. Dowing and Dr. Berryman are away, Louisa and her family and Mrs. Berryman are invaded by Indians. Mrs. Berryman is incapable of remaining calm and finds herself outside in the dead of winter. As the story moves on, both families are faced with many difficulties. Indians, train wrecks, and not-so friendly neighbors make the story very exciting!

As a future teacher, I can see this book used in the classroom for discussing life on the prairie and what life was like at that time in history. The Indians in this book are not portrayed in a pleasant fashion. If you would like to use this book in your classroom, I would definitely discuss these issues prior to using with your class.

All in all, this book was very well written. I enjoyed it tremendously and would recommend it to anybody, not just children!

Now in a fully updated fifth edition, Allison Blake's The Chesapeake Bay Book is a comprehensive and thoroughly user friendly: guide to all the great getaway adventures to be found in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland. Maps, indexes to the best places for lodging and dining, recreation opportunities by locale, and much more, enhance this superbly presented travel guide which is ideal for anyone planning a local day trip or an extended vacation in the Chesapeake Bay environs.

Now in a fully updated fifth edition, Allison Blake's The Chesapeake Bay Book is a comprehensive and thoroughly "user friendly: guide to all the great getaway adventures to be found in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland. Maps, indexes to the best places for lodging and dining, recreation opportunities by locale, and much more, enhance this superbly presented travel guide which is ideal for anyone planning a local day trip or an extended vacation in the Chesapeake Bay environs.

a college friend invited me to spend a few weeks with her in annapolis, but, when she got a job she couldn't refuse just before i arrived, i had to fend for myself entertainment-wise. thank heavens i wandered into a local bookstore and picked up this book. i didn't know a thing about the area. nor did my friend really. (i'm from texas, and she just moved there from connecticut.) but, with the help of this guidebook and a rental car, i wandered happily throughout the back roads of the chesapeake region. i found great little towns to stop in with its help, deliciously fattening restaurants to eat in and cool things to see. if you're a newbie there, i highly recommend that you pick it up!

Many years after Dion has recovered from the death of her younger son (and almost her own death for the 500th time!), her granddaughter by her remaining birth son undertakes her own adventure.

It was very difficult to bring this later world into alignment with the one we got used to in the first books. It spends a lot of time talking about bio-this and bio-that and how everything on the planet is basically "grown" and not built. Kind'a hokey.

It also has a publication date that is before the fourth book's (Wolf's Bane) publication date. This is too bad. Because, by reading this book before Wolf's Bane, it damaged what would, otherwise, have been a very good story in that 4th book.

This book is ok, but it *was* hard to put myself into this new "future" when I'd become so used to Dion and Aranur's world.

It was a great story that holds a exitement at berable levels, after a long day of work. It you want fast pace stories this isn't for you, but if your willing to read past the first three chapters, it will be will worth the wait.

I found this book to be my favorite. I like Star Wars novels usually, but the stories in the Wolfwalker series are truly my love. I have read Grayheart numerous times. The mixture of music is what truly makes it my favorite of the series. Grayheart is a wonderful character and the connection of family thought lost and then found is a wonderful resolution to old conflicts. It's a must read, one to read slowly to savor the flavor.

The HarperCollins Bible Commentary, published in 2000, is a good volume to have sitting on one's shelf. So far as one-volume commentaries are concerned, this one is accessible, authoritative, and well conceived and written. 'The Commentary covers all of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the books of the Apocrypha and those of the New Testament, and thus addresses the biblical canons of Judaism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. Its innovative format covers the books of the Bible in three ways.'

These three ways include general essays that set context (literary, historical, sociological, etc.), major sections of the Bible, and individual commentaries on each book.

This book is the product of a cooperative effort between HarperCollins Publishers (a major publisher in the field of biblical and religious material, both scholarly and popular) and the Society of Biblical Literature (the major academic group of biblical scholars, of which I am a member). The range of contributors is international in scope, as well as incorporating the views of scholars and researchers from many faith traditions and points of view regarding the biblical text.

The general editor is James L. Mays, professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. Associate editors include Joseph Blenkinsopp, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Jon D. Levenson, Wayne A. Meeks, Carol A. Newsom, David L. Petersen, and Gene M. Tucker - a list of names second to none in the field of biblical studies, and a testament to the authoritative nature of this book, as well as its depth and accessibility.

'The positions and approaches presented in this volume represent the mainstream of scholarship typical of the Society of Biblical Literature; eccentric and improbable positions are avoided. The individual commentaries and articles, however, do express the learning and judgment of their authors as scholars. As a result, the volume includes a rich diversity of biblical scholarship. Those who use this Commentary encounter the variety that characterizes the continuing work of scholarship on the Bible rather than the single approach of one school of interpretation.'

This is meant to be a companion to the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, a book widely used as in homes, libraries, churches and classrooms for background material and ready reference. I had always considered the Dictionary to be a companion volume to the HarperCollins Study Bible, one of the more authoritative and annotated volumes of the New Revised Standard Version around (because Oxford University Press dragged its heels at getting the NRSV out in their version, HarperCollins has managed to steal Oxford's old pre-eminence). This Commentary is designed to be a companion volume to any English Bible, not just the HarperCollins versions, and not just the NRSV.

The introductory essay talks about the Bible as a whole, its history and development, with particular attention given to the stages of writing and development. For those studious enough to have compared Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Jewish Bibles, one finds many things that are different - the order of the Old Testament, for instance, is not the order of the Hebrew Bible, hence it is inaccurate to call the Old Testament the Hebrew Bible, and vice versa. The ordering makes a difference. Also, the apocryphal books (and sections in canonical books) have an ambiguous relationship both with the Jewish and Christian canons. To this discussion, Fred Craddock (the author of the introduction) concludes that the canon serves a purpose, whichever canon one might be speaking of.

'The community of faith embracing the canon has said yes to certain books and no to others. Individual preferences among believers has not altered that fact. ... Each community in each generation does not create its own Bible. The church exists in time and over time with traditions and memories received and passed along. The closing of the canon ensures that the process will not cease and that no one will chop down the family tree, no matter how strange the birds nesting in its branches.' After illuminating essays, the commentary is arranged in general order by broad section: Biblical History (those books that give a narrative historical tone, Genesis - Chronicles); Psalms and Wisdom (included in this are the books of Job and Song of Songs); the Prophetic Works (the major and minor prophets); the Apocrypha (Catholic and Orthodox); New Testament Narratives (gospels and Acts); and Books in the Form of Letters.

My general practice is to disapprove of reliance on one commentary only. For depth and breadth of interpretation, one really needs to consult many different treatments of texts. However, for many, the limitations of time and finances prevent having a number of separate commentaries on individual biblical books, much less a range of commentaries on each one. I think that the HarperCollins Bible Commentary will be to those who are looking for insight and assistance in interpretation but haven't the resources for research a worthwhile volume as companion to their Bible.

I have loads of Bible commentaries, and this one is absolutely fantastic, and totally worth the price. It is different from many commentaries in its approach, in that the various authors focus almost exclusively on the texts as literature, an approach which, particularly in the Old Testament, yields hundreds of interesting and enlightening insights which just are not present in others, and frankly, which never would occur to you or me otherwise. I used it as a resource while teaching an Old Testament class last year and I quickly came to regard it as indispensable. It does not delve into historical or contextual issues much (for that, you should get the sister volume, the Harper Collins Bible Dictionary, which is also amazing, or perhaps the IVP Bible Background Commentary by Craig S. Keener), but is fantastic in its own unique way.

Some Christians are reluctant to purchase commentaries that are not written explicity from a "faith-perspective", but I have to say that although this is a scholarly work, I do not regard it as incompatible at all with a devout faith in the inspired nature of the writings discussed. It is true that the writers use the NRSV translation for their Biblical text and this is usually a big turn off for some folks, but if you can overlook that, you'll get a lot out of it. For the devout student looking to assemble a great resource library, this book might be coupled with a more theological, faith-based commentary (the AMG Concise Bible Commentary by Don Fleming is an excellent choice), and of course the HC Bible Dictionary I mentioned above. And while I'm on the resource library thing, I might as well also recommend that serious Bible students check out the English Standard Version translation of the Bible.

Anyway, the HC Bible Commentary is an invaluable, thoughtful, and penetrating analysis of The Bible. You'll never read The Bible the same way again.

My somewhat negative comments about an earlier version are attached to this revised version. I would like to clarify my comments. This 2000 version is a significant rewrite of the 1988 Harper's Bible Commentary, also edited by James Mays. The 1988 version is listed as out of print, but I saw it in a bookstore today. Although the two differ in their detailed commentaries, they follow the same basic approach with the same general articles.

My earlier comments were about a 1962 version published as Harper's Bible Commentary, edited by William Neil. It is considerably shorter (about 500+ pages) and contains no general articles or other supporting materials. It was re-published in 1997 as "Pocket Bible Commentary." I may have confused this version with the 1988 version when I wrote my comments.

I did not mean to imply that I thought the current version was only 2 stars in value.

Bible users need a good commentary, but there not many single-volume commentaries in a reasonable price range that are written for the non-scholar. Combined with the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, most users should find this book useful in expanding their understanding of the Bible.

I really like the Benni Harper series. She's independent, strong, and happily married. That's a nice combination. We also have a lot in common, since I was born in Texas and live in the West right now.

This book finds Benni and her husband Gabe on a trip to meet his family. Benni's husband is the silent type, and she soon discovers that she doesn't know as much about him as she'd like to. There's a murder (of course) and Benni can't help getting involved (also of course). Benni is having trouble bonding with her in-laws when she suspect them and everyone else of being involved in murder. Gee, my in-law trouble are so normal. Anyway, lots of fun. And if you like quilting, there's some great stuff in this book about the Amish tradition.

Benni Harper and her new husband, Gabe Ortiz leave California for a vacation in Kansas so that Benni can meet Gabe's family and old friends. The experience is stressful for Benni because she knows very little of Gabe's background or former life. As usual, Gabe is not into explaining things to Benni and they are constantly locking horns in between their flirting. Gabe's sister shares Benni's love of quilts and asks for her help in setting up a local quilt show. In the mean time, the murder of a young woman singer named Tyler takes place. She happened to be dating Gabe's old friend Rob and he is a suspect in her death. Tyler was also a runaway wife from the local Amish community and a superb quilter. When Benni sees the last quilt that Tyler made, she discovers some clues that could lead to the identity of the killer.

There's a lot of fascinating "quilt talk" in this book and some interesting facts about the state of Kansas. This is the third book in the Benni Harper series and I'm now committed to reading them all.

Many people dread their first meeting with their new in-laws, it does not help that Benni and Gabe married after only knowing each other 3 months nor that Benni insists on keeping her last name (that of her dead husband) instead of taking Gabes. Meeting Gabe's family is hard enough, but after the murder of a beautiful young singer, Tyler Brown, Benni finds herself deep in a murder mystery where her husband's best friends are all prime suspects. She and Gabe struggle to find their footing in their marriage which seemed so right in California but under the scrutiny of his family seems ill advised. Discovering Tyler's true background as an Amish wife who has fled the community resulting in banishment from her family is startling. How did her life with the "English" lead to her death? Bennie is thrust into danger as she gets closer and closer to identifying the murderer. Will Gabe be able to protect her? Ms. Fowler's writing is fast paced and the story moves well. I did think there were a few loose ends in the story but nothing that will keep me from reading the rest of the Benni Harper mysteries. They are currently all on the top of my reading list. I love all the characters and enjoy seeing them fleshed out in each of the books, they have depth and multi-layers to them which I really like. Gramma Dove is an absolute hoot!

Hey! The reason I got this book was because I am a collector and I wanted to fulfill my collection. I personally liked reading this book, but my cousin, who is eight years old did not. She said it was boring, so I agreed with her to be the same!! But, I think I did like it though. It was an ok book. I think I liked Likes Me, Likes Me Not the best!! :) That was good. I have 31 books!! It's awesome to be a collector! If you are a true fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley, then collect their books!!

I don't think this book was as good as the others in the two of a kind series. This one was kind of boring, and not as exciting as the other ones. I think you should buy it if you like the series. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's just not the best one.

I think this was an OK book. It isn't the best book in the world. I think it could do better, but if you're a sports fan and like Mary-Kate and Ashley then this is a good book for you.It's a little boring, but it has a little excitement. If you are interested in this book go to your library or here at Amazon.com.

First of all, if a book is going to be part of a series involving a society, shouldn't the story be about one of the members? The only true Harpers throughout the novel were slaughtered in pointless melodrama. The phrasing and paragraph structure was redundant and slow and the only really moving scenes had nothing at all to do with the plot, if you consider being told that people were making noble gestures, as opposed to having the gesture described, moving. There was poinless slaughter, unfounded, unrealistic romanticized acts of self-sacrifice and so so many encounters that did nothing for the plot that half of the text could have been struck out for being irrelevant (except to explain why there were no Harpers in the novel). And since there was so much material that had nothing to do with the plot, the story dragged on beyond the bareable limits. This novel was an exercise in pain tolerance. All in all, The Night Parade has to be the worst novel that I can recall ever having read. A true and regretable waste of time.

I enjoyed this book, fast paced high adventure type stories never fail to entertain. Gory? Compared to the genre's classics, stories about characters like Conan, Elric, Bilbo, Thomas Covenant etc... It beats the heck out of the watered down politically correct ... that passes for sword and sorcery fiction these days. This book is not a classic. But it's a good way to [pass] a few hours waiting for a bus or something.

If you've never read a Realms book before, then don't read this as a starter! This book is written so differently from other Realms books that it comes as a shock to fans - they either hate it or love it for its uniquness. It is extremely gory and descriptive, but what else should we expect from a book based on nightmares? There is adventure and plenty of mystery - not as fine-tuned as "Azure Bonds" but keeps readers on their toes. The plot and enemies are all-new showing us a very different side to the realms, staying out of the safe, well-run tracks of many FR novels. The Night Parade instead breaches boundaries into a side of the Realms you never dreamed you'd see. If you don't like change or "different", then perhaps you better work your way up to this book but if you embrace books that are often the odd one out, then this is a must-read.

Three stars is all this Eden Burning Deserves. Not bad but not up to the usual Belva standards. Maybe next time.
A faithful reader awaits!Belva's getting boring. Think I'll switch to Sandra Brown.

I love Belva Plain and have read all of her books. This was the only book I felt was way below her standards. It was implausible. Despite the problems I had with it, to the good it provided nice, vivid descriptions of the Caribbean island life and the characters certainly held one's attention.

The only part that really bothered me was when Teresa, raped as a very young person, let her nurse take her child. One would hope she would fight like a soldier to keep her child. That part really bothered me.

It was good, escapist reading and a nice fanciful trip to an island world where the sun usually shone on the ocean. I liked it.

I read this book when it first came out and never forgot it. I reread it recently and appreciated it even more. I became each character--knowing, feeling their experiences. I am saving my copy as a gift for my beloved granddaughter. She is just 4 now, but what a "world" Belva Plain has given us!

Good grief, this sort of thing sounds like TORTURE. People become accountants because they failed at something else. And they actually read stuff like this?

This book is very practical and covers all the pertinent information needed for a good foundation in Accounting. The book is easy to understand and gives practical examples and useful exercises.

I am an accounting Professor. I am also an accountant. I am so surprised that you thought people became accountants because they failed from something else. It is totally wrong. I am so pround of it. I am 27 year old. I have a good car, have a good house (no debt at all; I just repaid all my mortgage recently.) I do not think that people who are in the field from which you mentioned they failed can make money and have good reputation like I do. Do you know that an auditor money as much as a lawyer (I am a good auditor; please do not talk about other case)

For this book, I found it is very good. I used Prof Skousen's textbook in first accounting class as well as intermediate. My students like them so much. However, they give a little bit too much detail. A professor should adapt it when using in class. This book is a excellent alternative to another book published by Wiley.