I am a big fan of mystery writers who can get the job done in no more than 250 paperback pages. Beyond that, all is filler. Janice Law has written a concise book with (maybe a bit too) little background on her main character Anna Peters. The story moves along, the dialogue is real, and the characters are well drawn. The plot is a bit hackneyed, but so what? There just aren't any truly new mystery plots. I enjoyed the book and felt caught up in the action. This was my first Anna Peters and I plan to read all of them.

"Bad Neighbor Policy: Washington's Futile War on Drugs in Latin America," by Ted Galen Carpenter is arguably the best book ever written on the American war on drugs in Latin America. This book is engaging and enlightening. Moreover, it is one of the most thoughtful and perceptive analyses we've ever had on Washington's campaign against drug production in Latin America.

This book is truly special. The "Introduction" exposes thirty years of American failure. From there the author explains policy from Presidents' Nixon, to Reagan, to Bush and to Clinton. He then goes on to focus on the dangerous implications of Plan Colombia and of many other flawed strategies that create an "ugly American" image. Finally, the author's narrative arrives at Mexico and the potential for disaster.

In conclusion, author Ted Galen Carpenter bravely outlines a blueprint for peace and for ending the war on drugs. This man has unique vision and this is a very worthy book. Hats off to a tier-one scholar! Highly recommended.

Bert Ruiz

Carus presents a simple argument with a complex and serious consiquence. Namely that the logistics of ballistic missiles favor their adoption by developing nations, and that the low accuracy of these weapons favors the use of nuslear, biological, or chemical warheads.

The notion that an air force is essential for defense is met with the reality of cost and foriegn dependencies in the developing world. Counter to this is the notion that ballistic missiles offer an affordable solution, compounded by a quicker reaction time than aircraft.

Carus demonstrates through review of recent events and the missile and space programs of various developing nations to show a trend to acquire ballistic missile capabilities. Through a comparative discussion of weapon capabilities and effects, he then makes a convincing arguement that the inhernet deficits of ballistic missiles over aircraft is in effect driving the same nations to develop chemical and biological weapons.

superb political science and military analysis.

This book is an outstanding guide to the marine life found along the shores of the Pacific Northwest. Before I go further, I should note that it is NOT a pocket guide. But if you slip it into a daypack, you will be amply rewarded. Dr. Niesen has written a book that in very clear language helps you identfy what you are looking at, learn about its life habits, and learn about its habitat. Its emphasis on habitats, and arrangement by type of organism within each habitat, is extremely helpful. The black and white photos are usually pretty good, although sometimes dark, but the section of color plates is really good. What are really outstanding are the line drawings--David Wood, the artist, really captures the organisms in a way that brings out details yet preserves the basic nature of the organism.

The book also gives a great (meaning clear yet not too simple) introduction to marine biology for the Pacific Northwest, explaining tides, currents, the origin of the coast , and the basic biology of the major groups (taxa) of organisms. Furthermore, he provides tips on beachcombing.

All in all, a very handy reference. I will consider it for my Marine Biology class for non-majors (I'd use it with a majors course, too, if I taught one!).

This book contains very beautiful and fine selected pictures of Seattle. In a very sympathic way author Cheryl Landes tells little stories about Seattle.

This book is made for people who like to get a little and beautiful impression of Seattle.

Eighty dog-friendly hikes will keep you busy all year. Textual descriptions walk you through the trails, giving you a step-by-step description of what to expect. Also included is the mileage, hiking time, elevation gain, best hiking months for the trail, contour map, ranger district contact information, and photos. The only downside is that the directions to the trail are incorporated into the textual description -- this makes for a seamless description of getting to and hiking on the trail, but a little cumbersome for actual driving. However, Droopy the Explorer Dog definitely recommends this winner!

I've had the older edition of this book for years and brought it on every road trip we've ever taken. Certainly it doesn't have every wonderful place you've ever stayed at -- but it has so many that are good it would be foolish not to follow the recommendations it provides.

My only complaint is that some of the wonderful places (which, granted, we never would have found had it not been for this book) have become so difficult to get reservations at that we find this book sometimes does not help for those last minute weekend trips out of town.

That said, if you live in the Northwest, consider this your bible -- from Portland to Vancouver, the Islands, and everywhere in between -- you will always find a reliable recommendation for a good table and a warm bed in the pages of this book.

This guide was amazing! I was extremely pleased with it & I will definetly buy more "Best Places" guides in the future.

Finally a comprehensive guide book for a variety of hikes close to the Seattle area - previously hikes around the area have been scattered through various guide books, some good, some not so good. This is a good one! The driving directions and hike maps are easy to follow and very informative. Each map stands alone with its own micro-legend. The rating system and elevation profiles provide a good starting point. There are gps coordinates for each hike for folks that know what to do with that info and for those who are just learning. Indicating which hikes are appropriate for children also helps in the selection process. This is a great book for sitting in a cafe on Saturday morning trying to figure out where to go for the day.

This book inspired and excited me about visiting and more fully understanding places near Washington D.C. that are off the beaten path. It is unlike any other travel guide I've seen in that it suggests several specific "ways to" (as opposed to "how to") travel and learn about the places that are covered. Now I want to take others along to share the discovery possible in these under-exposed places. This book gave me a much deeper sense of this area. The content makes me think differently about the places I've seen before and want to go back with a larger perspective.