Anna cares for her Alzheimer's-afflicted mother, Betty, as well as assists Monica many hours each day. Monica is an alcoholic and makes Anna's life a living hell. Things finally reach a breaking point, and Anna and her other sister Liz convince Monica to enter rehab. During family week, Anna gets to know Marc, a counselor with troubles of his own. The two grow closer, and over the next few months forge a relationship. Marc joins Anna in the search for Monica's killer. Will they fall in love or just remain close friends? Will they find Monica's true murderer, or will Anna go to jail?

WISH COME TRUE also revisits some favorite characters from Eileen Goudge's previous novels. Finch is on a mission to find out more about her birth family. Laura and Hector proceed with the adoption of a baby. Sam, Claire, Gerry, and many others are also featured. Who is the mysterious woman with the same name as Finch, are they related?

Eileen Goudge has a talent for creating believable characters who overcome obstacles for love. I enjoyed getting to know Anna in the previous two novels in which she was a peripheral character. In WISH COME TRUE, she has a voice and comes to find herself in the midst of the needs of others. Marc is an ideal match for Anna, although he is not without faults. The cracks in his armor are what make him a believable and interesting person. Ms. Goudge writes in such a way that the transitions between past and present flow smoothly. In the end, she paints a seamless picture with a conclusion that even most mystery lovers will not figure out in advance.

One issue that really bothers me about this book is the treatment of the characters from past books. The previous novel, TASTE OF HONEY, featured Gerry finding the daughter, Claire, she had given up for adoption thirty years before. Most of that book is a struggle of choices for Claire--between Gerry and her adoptive parents, between her new love in Carson Springs and her hometown boyfriend. In WISH COME TRUE, it is mentioned almost as an aside that Claire is now married, and that Claire's mother had passed away. I felt cheated that this was only worthy of one sentence when I had grown to know and care for these people.

I hate to see this trilogy end. There are so many more stories to tell in Carson Springs, hopefully Ms. Goudge will revisit it again someday. Although WISH COME TRUE is the third in a series, Ms. Goudge gives the reader enough background that it can stand alone. I recommend reading all three books: STRANGER IN PARADISE, TASTE OF HONEY, and now WISH COME TRUE, to get to know the special people of Carson Springs. The idyllic scenery and warm residents will make you wish to live in this corner of heaven on earth, or at least visit for a little while.

When she took a little incentive to change her life and begin to lose some weight, Anna never dreamed that she would soon be charged with the murder of her famous sister. Talk about a weight loss plan!

Best selling author Eileen Goudge mixes up an intense murder mystery into her latest novel, "Wish Come True," the final book in her Carson Springs trilogy.

Carson Springs is a tranquil community that prides itself on the closeness of its community. So when one of their beloved residents finds herself charged with murder, everyone rallies to her support. Anna's neighbors Laura and Hector find a lawyer to help clear their friend's name, and Laura's sister Alice and her husband provide the bail money. Teenager Finch and her high school pals go door to door to raise money for the defense fund, and organize a rally to sway all the reporters who have gathered to cover the sensational murder trial.

But all their hard work could be in vain unless an important piece of the mysterious puzzle can be found before the trial ends in disaster.

Goudge also takes time to update her readers on the lives of her characters who were featured in the previous Carson Springs novels. Sam and Ian are happily married with their beloved baby, Jack. Gerry and her new husband Aubrey are singing along, and her oldest daughter Claire's new business venture, the Tea and Sympathy teashop is hit with the town. Weddings, first loves, and new babies round out the endearing stories found within the novel.

"Wish Come True" is lively and emotionally charged, with a dollop of sensuality to make it sizzle. A perfect read for the summer. Goudge's writing style is cozy and heartwarming, and readers will find themselves sorry to see this charming series coming to an end. But you know that she will have something wonderful waiting in the wings for the next book.

Sharon Galligar Chance
Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas

One of the strengths of the book is that you receive several perspectives on the context for each case history. The editors describe what each case means, and the conclusions section summarizes general patterns. Also, each case is presented in the same format which makes it easier to understand what is being shared. I was particularly grateful for the exhibits (which exist in electronic form in the CD enclosed in the book). I also appreciated that the cases were primarily written by Human Resources professionals inside the companies, rather than being a consultant's take on what happened.

Having said all those positive things, let me share some concerns. First, I looked in vain for my favorite examples of outstanding work in recruiting, retention, knowledge encouragement, and executive development. If this book is about "best practices" where were GE, Disney, Motorola, Ritz Carlton, and SAS Institute? Second, many of the cases involved companies that are better known for their poor performance than for excellence. If they are developing their people so well, what happened? Third, a lot of these cases involve new initiatives where the long-term consequences are hard to see. Fourth, the profit impact on the organizations was not well documented. That makes it hard to use these cases as examples to encourage your own company to follow suit. Fifth, as change management processes, most of these cases are far behind the curve of what is described in Peter Senge's various books of case histories such as The Dance of Change. Part of the reason seems to be that a number of these cases aren't very new.

Of the cases in the book, I recommend the ServiceMASTER, Westinghouse, Johnson & Johnson, Allstate, and Case Corporation examples as the most helpful to me. I mention that because there's a lot of material in this book. I read a lot and rapidly, and I found this book hard to tackle. By being more selective in what you go after, you can help avoid some of that problem. Naturally, if your own issues are only in a few areas, just look at those cases.

Develop the full potential of everyone, beginning with yourself!

In this context, Louis Carter, David Giber, and Marshall Goldsmith (editors) divide core part of this book -Organization and Human Resources Development Case Studies- into following five OD/HRD topic areas:

I. Organization Development and Change: In this section, W. Warner Burke says, "Seven rich cases (Kraft Foods, Nortel, ServiceMASTER, SmithKline Beecham, Westinghouse, CK Witko, and Xerox) of organization development and change are discussed...The cases cover a wide range of change from how OD occurs every day to deep change in an organization's culture...Without doubt we can learn from these cases. And learn we must. Changing organization is too intricate to be left to novices. We have indeed learned and noted at the outset, but we still have much to learn. As one who has been involved for more than 35 years, helping organizations change is both thrilling and very satisfying. Learning, however, is the most exciting part (pp.6-8)."

II. Leadership Development: In this section, Jay A. Congerwrites that "In the cases that follow, we look at three companies (Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, and Sun Microsystems,Inc.) that have dedicated serious time and resources to leadership development...In addition, all three of the company cases make extended use of competency models, 360-degree feedback, and action learning (p.186)."

III. Recruitment and Retention: In this section of the book, John Sullivan writes, "you'll learn how three diverse companies tackled their retention and recruiting problems. Two of the firms are high tech (AMD and Cellular One), while another (Allstate) is in a more traditional industry. Both AMD and Cellular One focus on solving the hot issue of retention while Allstate takes a new look at the recruiting and selection processes. All three of the case studies use a scientific approach to identify which solutions have the most impact...All three of these case studies are worth examining because of their scientific methodology as well as their results. All are full of powerfull 'lessons learned' for those who are soon to begin a major recruitment or retention effort (pp.303-304)."

IV. Performance Management: This section examines performance management systems of Case Corporation and Sonoco. Edward E. Lawler III says that "the performance management systems in most organizations are contoversial, ineffective, and constantly under construction. They are so problematic that critics argue many organizations would be better off if they simply didn't have a performance management system, particularly one in which performance appraisals are tied to pay actions. But-and it is an important but- if individuals are not appraised, counseled, coached, and rewarded for performance, how can an organization pruduce the organized, coordinated, and motivated behavior that it takes to perform well? The answer most likely is that it can't (p.393)."

V. Coaching and Mentoring: Introduction of this section, Beverly Kaye writes, "the last 5 years have seen a groundswell in both arenas. And it's not just been more of the same; organizations have begun to use mentoring and coaching more purposefully. HR and OD practitioners have worked to utilize both interventions to meet pressing business problems having to do with the development and retention of talent, as well as the growth of future leaders. These interventions have been more systemic, more thoughtful, and more innovative than ever before. The case studies (Dow Corning, and MediaOne Group-AT&T) illustrate this trend. Both were motivated by specific business drivers, both were preceded by intensive research, both were implemented over time, and both were evaluated seriously. Readers will find them instructive, detailed, and engaging (p.438)."

Finally, Louis Carter (editor) says that "contributors were asked to indicate where they envision their organization is heading with its initiative within the next 5 to 10 years. Responses indicate that the contributors want to keep the organization on a track to continuously learn and develop its capabilities. Comments from some contributors indicate that they want to leverage lessons learned from this experience. Some contributors commented that they want to firmly ingrain the initiative into the organization to the point that it is almost invisible to the user, making it an accepted part of life at the company. Other contributors will continue to refine the present initiative in place, while others will expand their efforts into other business lines. Survey results clearly indicate that the present state of the initiatives represented in this book represent snapshots of moving targets. Further growth and innovation is inevitable for these best practice organizations, as they work to stay ahead of their competitors by embracing change and continuously learning and improving (pp.531-532)."

Strongly recommended.

Part One consists of Acknowledgments, About This Book, How to Use This Book, and an excellent Foreword by Richard Beckhard. Carter, Giber, and Goldsmith then shift their attention in Part Two of "Organization & Human Resources Development Case Studies." The individual case studies are distributed within this thematic structure:

Organizational Development & Change

Leadership Development

Recruitment & Retention

Performance Management

Coaching & Mentoring

Part Three: Conclusion consists of Research (OD/HRD Trends and Findings), Endnotes, About Linkage, Inc., About the Editors, Index, and How to Use the CD-ROM, terrific value-added benefit.

Back to Beckhard's Foreword for a moment. In it, he identifies six (6) "elements" which are basic to each case study; all are central to and sequential within the change process associated with organizational development/human resource development (OD/HRD). They are: Business Diagnosis, Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, On-the-Job Support, and Evaluation. It is helpful to keep these six "elements" clearly in mind while working your way through the abundance of information which the editors provide. Fortunately, they have organized the (sometimes daunting) material with meticulous care and write exceptionally well. I also urge you to use the same six "elements" as guidelines when determining what the design of your own program for organizational change should be, and, when selecting those strategies and tactics discussed in the book which are most appropriate to the implementation and evaluation of that program. This is especially true of decision-makers in small-to-midsize organizations.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out O'Toole's Leading Change, Katzenbach's Real Change Leaders as well as his Peak Performance , Kaplan and Norton's The Balanced Scorecard and The Strategy-Focused Organization, Quinn's Deep Change, O'Dell and Grayson's If Only We Knew What We Know, Isaacs' Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together, and Senge's The Dance of Change. Those especially interested in Six Sigma are encouraged to check out (and read in this order) Pande's The Six Sigma Way, Breyfogle's Implementing Six Sigma, and Eckes's Making Six Sigma Last.

Marshall Terrill adds a well-researched and entertaining - if somewhat bland - bio to the stack. Most of the interviews are with old McQueen cronies intermixed with quotes lifted from other books on McQueen and autobiographies of stars like ex-wife Ali MacGraw. While 419 pages seems like it would be enough to capture the essense of a man I never got the feeling that I was hearing more than a dry barebones account of his life.

When all's said and done McQueen was a hero to many and a jerk to others. His odd behavior and Joe Six-pack mentalities may have put off some but films like Bullitt, Tom Horn and The Great Escape are proof that he had screen presence and attitude to spare. This book didn't tell me much that I needed or wanted to know, but would serve as a fine introduction to Steve McQueen.

Also, a great deal of fun comes from the book's final section -- a listing of films that McQueen decided not to make. This listing of films famous and obscure is a trivia browser's delight and also invites one to imagine what might have been. While sometimes that mind boggles, others -- such as Steve McQueen playing Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (imagine the military madman personified by a cool killer like McQueen as opposed to a massively bloated, rambling Marlon Brando) leave one mourning the unrealizing possibilities.

Of course, since this is Steve McQueen, a great deal of the book is taken up with details of rampaging drug abuse and chronic womanizing. Terrill presents these facts in a very unsensationalistic, straight forward way. Surely, Steve McQueen would have appreciated the no-BS style to Terrill's recounting. One thing becomes perfectly clear -- even if McQueen did, quite often, the wrong thing, he did it with enough style to make the "correct" alternatives look all the more dull. Luckily for filmgoers, Steve McQueen was never dull and luckily for readers, neither is Terrill's biography.

It seems that the vast majority of the individuals interviewed & quoted are twenty-something medical students, becoming aware of their status for the first time. They will have nothing to do with the "unattractive, overweight" women in their med school class, particularly when the universe of "chirpies" (nurses, therapists, etc.) are available & interested. The other group of men interviewed are, on the whole, high status men, many of whom engage in polygyny (multiple relationships during the same time frame with a variety of women).

This book was interesting, and filled with quotations from the interviewees, although it went on & on & on --reinforcing the conclusion that draws in the first few chapters, quoting one med student who sounds very similar to the next med student. Men want youth & beauty. Women want investment & status.

My guess is that some readers would bristle at the generalizations in this book -- though they undoubtedly ring true. The text doesn't contain a significant amount of commentary & editorialization; it just presents the interview results in a readable fashion.

The Opium Wars are only briefly mentioned. Surprising because of the importance of Hong Kong in the British Empire.

China, the chief victim of the Opium Wars, may have been the chief beneficiary of the British Empire. Opening the country by force and humiliation has resulted in war and revolution, which are now unleashing the energies of the people. China fell behind Europe since about 1500. Now, thanks to the British Empire, China is beginning to close the gap.

Had China not been opened up, its people would have fallen behind even further - and living at African levels of development. So while in the short-term the British Empire devastated China, in the long run it helped China change and modernize (rather like what the Americans did to Japan since Commodore Perry).

However, nothing would be more foolish than to think that the Chinese should feel gratitude to the British for setting this gigantic process in motion. It would be like asking the Jews to be thankful to Hitler for the Holocaust - even though similarly Hitler's crimes were a direct reason why the Jews have a homeland for the first time in two thousand years. Truly, the disgusting crimes committed by the British against the Chinese cannot be easily surpassed by anything else in human history - with the possible exception of the Holocaust itself. Maybe this is one reason why this is not discussed in this book - it's too sensitive. The Opium Wars are the moral abyss of the British Empire.

China has now recovered to the point where it may one day challenge America for world leadership. Britain, on the other hand, which led the world in trade and output in late 19th century, is now in sixth place for world trade and seventh place for GDP - and falling.

Ironically, the 19th century British Imperialists planning their conquests from London had no idea their work would have such unintended consequences just over a century later - a short time in world history terms.

This book does not address the issue whether Northern Ireland and Scotland are properly speaking part of the British Empire or part of Britain itself. Technically, the latter is true. But Scotland only became part of the UK in 1707 - arguably a key date in the history of the British Empire - and independent tendencies are already gathering pace there. Time will tell whether the UK itself will survive the dismemberment of the British Empire. My guess is, the lure of membership in the EU will drive the Scots and the English apart.

Overall this is a very good book, written by experts and the standards are high. The British Empire should be of interest to many since such hotspots as Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Falklands are still in British possession. Americans too may find the subject fascinating - since Colonial America was once part of the British Empire. Thanks to the British Empire, and even more to the fact that America is #1 in the world, English has become the universal language of our planet.

L'auteur du livre nous a raconté une belle histoire, celle des principaux protagonistes de l'invention de la télévision. Il a su vulgariser les notions scientifiques complexes qui intervinrent dans la réalisation du téléviseur moderne. Il s'adressait à un large public. C'est pourquoi son histoire est personnifiée.

Nous retrouvons les principaux inventeurs indépendant qui orientèrent leurs recherches dans le cadre du paradigme mécanique, Jenkins, Baird, Ives. D'autres figures peuplent les recherches dans le cadre du paradigme électronique, Zworykin, Farnsworth. L'auteur entre dans le détail biographique propre à nous illustrer les conditions de l'invention. La personnification de l'histoire permet d'attirer le lecteur.

Par ailleurs, le livre rend bien la complexité du développement de la télévision. Ce n'est pas un seul individu qui trône au dessus de l'histoire. En effet, l'invention de la télévision va d'au moins 1880 à 1939 et elle a mobilisé des chercheurs de partout dans le monde : Allemagne, Japon, Canada, Italie, URSS, France, en plus des États Unis d'Amérique et de la Grande Bretagne. Des inventeurs indépendants, des chercheurs universitaires et des chercheurs de grande compagnies y investirent nombre de jours. Plusieurs brevets furent déposés. Il n'y a pas -le- brevet décisif, mais plusieurs connaissances, savoir faire.

Cependant, pour le spécialiste de l'histoire des techniques, il ne s'agit que d'un livre de vulgarisation respectant avec intelligence les règles de l'art. Les livres publiés antérieurement sur l'histoire de la télévision (et il n'en existe guère peu) étaient soit trop rivés sur les faits, soit trop techniques, soit trop concernés par les débats entourant la télédiffusion de l'apprés seconde guerre mondiale.

Or, nous sommes toujours en attente d'une histoire de la télévision sous l'angle de l'histoire des techniques. Une histoire qui répondrait aux questions suivantes : quelles sont les contraintes exercées sur l'innovation technique par l'option paradigmatique des chercheurs? quel rôle a joué la présence de l'industrie dans le passage de l'invention à l'innovation? comment des inventeurs indépendants, tel Farnsworth ont-ils pu tenir tête à des industries telles RCA? pourquoi les Bell Lab., disposant de compétences techniques et de savoir faire éprouvés, en plus des ressources financières nécessaires, se sont-ils lancés dans l'aventure de la télévision mécanique plutôt que celle électronique?