"Their Blood Cries Out" (TBCO) is a masterfully written, meticulously researched, deeply compassionate and intellectually honest account of the persecution of millions of Christians around the world today. Marshall is careful to define a Christian as a person whose "Christian faith is a central aspect of their lives"(see Appendix D). Marshall has produced a much needed, up to date account of the suffering that is inflicted upon Christians today. TBCO surveys many countries and regions where persecution takes place, it examines the reasons and the causes of this persecution, and it tries to understand American (Western) apathy towards religious persecution. It is an honest, all round examination that informs, provokes and convicts.

TBCO is neatly divided into two independent sections: the first section is a global survey of countries where persecution takes place. The second part examines the reasons for the lack of interest in persecution and Marshall tries to come to an understanding of "why don¡¦t people care.¡¨

The first part of TBCO examines persecution in Islamic, communist, Hindu/Buddhist and Orthodox Christian countries. For each country covered, Marshall has carefully collated information and testimonials from easily verifiable sources. The book is well footnoted and his claims can be easily checked. This survey is an interesting investigation that is written with a deep sense of compassion and understanding. Marshall manages to avoid the pitfalls of gross generalizations and appropriately basis his work and conclusions on verifiable evidence. In writing this book, Marshall has traveled to about 20 of the countries he writes about. His willingness to examine the evidence first hand and to compile the stories of those who suffer and die for their faith should motivate unaware Christians to stand up for their persecuted brethren.

TBCO was written in 1997. Although the data presented in the book may be outdated, the overall analysis is still relevant. Many of the countries covered in the survey conducted in the first part of the book are still persecuting Christians and, in some cases, the persecution has become more intense. Since the WTC attacks Christians in Islamic countries have become increasingly vulnerable to attacks. Indonesia saw a drastic increase in communal violence in places like central Sulawesi. The Montagnards in Vietnam have, since December 2000 faced increasing persecution. Christians in North Korea still suffer immensely. And the list continues to grow. The reasons for the persecution remain the same, and the number of testimonies increases.

The second part of TBCO is a fascinating investigation into the apathetic stance that is taken by comfortable Christians and Western secularists. Many Christians, even when informed about their suffering brethren, would rather discuss other things. As Marshall himself says, "The subject of persecuted Christians is jarring to an obsession of personal peace."Elsewhere he comments that, "the vast body of Christians in the United States have abdicated their responsibility to deal with the persecution of Christians."Marshall notes that "the situation of Christians overseas is passed by silently."In my experience, many Christians don¡¦t care. Much of what Marshall has said in the second part of this book remains true today.

Marshall shows clearly, conclusively and concisely how modern evangelicals in the west are obsessed with finding inner peace and would rather not hear about persecuted Christians. Marshall also observes that the mainline Churches seek outer peace, they try to maintain the status quo. He documents many examples of when organizations like the National Council of Churches (NCC) have blatantly ignored persecution. This is still true today. Recently a leader in the United Methodist Church has denied that there is persecution in Vietnam and has insisted, at the behest of the Vietnamese government, that there is religious freedom in that country.

Secular organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are also examined. Although Marshall rightly credits them for the brilliant work they do for human rights abuses, he also admonishes them for ignoring the plight of Christians. Marshall also admits that, "though instances of the persecution of Christians and other religious figures may be covered, we lose a recognition of the extent of religious persecution that exists in the world." But Marshall shows understanding when he points out that the extent of human suffering in the world today is so great that it is virtually impossible for those organizations to cover it all. He humbly confesses that he, in his survey, has not covered some countries, like Laos, where persecution is severe but "the events seems less important than other things included."He compassionately, and devastatingly knowingly implicates himself by asking, "How can one say that someone¡¦s death is not important?¡¨

Marshall does not leave us in despair asking what can be done. The last chapter examines things people can do to help suffering Christians around the world. The most important step, in my opinion, is to let others know. Do not be shy, or be unwilling to disturb someone¡¦s peace, be prepared to discuss persecution whenever the opportunity arises and challenge others to care.

TBCO has inspired me, convicted me and humbled me. It has forced me to face issues that are not comfortable to face; it has pushed me to action within my own community. TBCO has challenged me to care, to care for others that live far and near. Will you allow yourself to be challenged? Do you care?

A true view of the persecution of believers in present day. The time of the gentiles has nearly been fulfilled.

This book will bring home a couple salient facts:

1. Christians are persecuted on a level today that hasn't been seen since the persecutions of ancient Rome - and, in raw numbers, probably dwarfs even those.

2. Our major media outlets -- as well as a good number of our ecclesiastical and "human rights" organizations - have been blind to this persecution owing primarily to their left-of-center political proclivities. Conservative Christian organizations don't come out unscathed either - they have a tendency to focus on apocalyptic themes instead of the necessary work at hand of saving Christians.

An added benefit in reading this book is the wonderful insight you'll gain as Mr. Marshall explains the tectonic forces of culture and religion that are in play in each of the countries he covers - not to mention a prescient perspective on the whole idea of culture vs. religion. Which one takes precedence - culture or religion? To listen to the nightly news, you'd think culture. Read this book for an incisive answer.

You'll never look at the evening news the same - and you'll always remember to include a mention in your prayers for those for whom their blood cries out.

(I read the 1st edition, which seemed out of date--I trust that this edition is more current.) With our due date just days away, I enjoyed this quick read about infants. Their capabilities will surprise most readers--it's not just that they can smell, listen, and look, it's that they can learn, think, and respond! Truly, the hardwired talents of the littlest humans goes far beyond what most of us suspected, and give us a new outlook on what it means to be human.

I justt loved all the photos in here of newborn faces and behaviors. every baby in this book is two weeks old or less, and it was so interesting to learn aout the skills they are born with.

This is a wonderful book that demonstrates, just as its title indicates, that newborns are truly amazing beings, with far more cognitive abilities than is generally assumed.

For example, one of those abilities is the capacity to instinctively know how to reach for his or her mother's breast, typically within 45-90 minutes after birth....there are many photographs, some astounding, especially the ultrasound photos)...

I would not have the slightest reservations giving this book as a present to expectant parents or parents of a newborn.

This book was both educational and delightful both for my wife and for me.

This book should be on every new writer's bookshelf! It's an excellent source of information chock full of suggestions, ideas, tips, dos and don'ts and terrific examples. Query letters and synopsis's are covered in great detail, and the authors present them in a way that the normally dreaded task can actually be a fun exercise and a challenge. I especially praise them for their positive approach, encouraging new writers to keep on writing in spite of rejections, that can actually serve as a learning experience and convert a mediocre writer into a great author. They emphasize rewriting or honing what one has written rather than giving up.

This book gave a great review of the process, including on-target examples for aspiring fiction writers. It was interesting reading the first time and I now consider it one of my reference books.

This book really shows you how to market your project and how to tailor your approach to specific agents. It turned out to be what I thought "The First Five Pages" would be and wasn't.

I went from clueless to really getting a sense of the industry and how it chooses the next author to publish. The odds are always long, of course, but this book puts you in the running. I'm convinced that my success in finding a literary agent can be traced back to this book.

This is a brilliant book if you have not owned a arachnid before, as it tells you a lot about keeping your first one. Is has a good chapter on food for them, and it tells you how to house and breed them very clearly and simply. Probably the only bad point is that it specialises in tarantulas so there is nut very much information on other arachnids such as hunting spiders, Windscorpions etc. but if you want to keep a tarantula it is a very cheap and good book, which will definately help you.

Excellent, accurate information on keeping tarantulas and scorpions. Great pictures with accurate names attached to them. Any person thinking about owning a tarantula should have this book on their shelf. Great for beginners and experienced keepers.

This is one of the most informative books out there regarding tarantulas and how to care for them. Very well written so that a seasoned veteran or an inexperienced beginner can follow and understand. Even if you do not like spiders, read this book! It dispells the most common myths and gives you a new respect for these truly fascinating animals.

Very interesting subject, but as I got farther into the book, I noticed that some of the reference Bible verses and quotes were starting to last over a page. I soon came to realize that the book was published by a Christian publishing company (Relevant Books). I learned more about "the sermon on the mount" than I did new information about Bob Dylan. "Restless Pilgrim" included some interesting facts, but was definitely written from a point of bias.

An interesting book, but no where near enough analysis of the biblical references in Dylan's work - pre-conversion i.e 1961-1979, and post Born-Again period i.e 1981-2003.

In particular the ingenious song "Jokerman", which seems to have many clues, is barely examined. There is a strong presence of God in Dylan's latest albums, but whether or not these are in a Christian context is debatable.

There is definitely some merit in Marshall's study of whether Dylan is a Christian or not, and his effort in preparing this book is to be admired, but I was struck by a particular thought whilst reading this book:

Why not just ask Bob?

If Bob, in keeping with his image of mystique (and disdain for journalistic probing), refuses to answer, this would indicate that he is not a Christian. Why would he want to be so secretive about it?

Also, I notice Marshall did not refer to Dylan's "moral" behaviour post 1981. If Dylan is a Christian, is he "walking the walk"? Or has he continued the "Rock Star" lifestyle? Other Dylan biographers seem to think so.

The whole question seems extremely perplexing. Dylan seemed so passionate about his faith on "Slow Train Coming" and "Saved" but then seemed to distance himself from the faith -without officially denouncing it. Was the whole thing an act? Is Dylan merely an actor on a stage who dabbles in all artforms of traditional American music - of which gospel music is a prominent one.

Can we ever truly know unless Dylan comes out and clarifies the issue once and for all? I don't think performing the odd track from "Slow Train Coming" or the occasional tradtional gospel song in concert, is answer enough. Perhaps Dylan's autobiography "Chronicles" (to be released later this year) will reveal all.

Just browsing Marcia Ford's intro to this book was enough to hook me. The writing style is sincere, witty, and subtle. The author's research is extensive and gives us an intimate glimpse into the mind of a man. Bob Dylan is a prophet for our generation, and I so appreciate the author's effort to bring his story to light. It takes courage to walk in faith when you walk alone, and "Restless Pilgrim.." takes on that journey.

They ask you to create a Web Site in one way, and then after a while they say, if you haven't created your site this way, you might not get this result. Page 206 will ask you to create a Web Site under the Default Web Site. But on page 546, they say "For the purposes of this example, I will be using the Interknowlogy site that we have created earlier in this book......Also, this example assumes the site is am isnatnce of the Web Server and not just a virtual directory under Default Web Site". Author spends too much time for the Installation, but the installation instructions from Microsoft site is updated. The title should for this book should be "Teach Yourself Site Server in 3 Days"

This title is a little short on content, especially considering approximately 170 pages is dedicated to Site Server installation under different conditions. The author's technique is basically to walk you through the various Site Server wizards, pausing to explain what is really going on behind the scenes. For these reasons, I was tempted to rate it just 3 stars. However, I reminded myself that this is a "beginning" guide with no pretense of claiming to be a comprehensive guide to the various Site Server features. Also, while the installation chapter chews up a lot of space, I found it to be very valuable. For example, during the Commerce Edition installation, a nasty "failure to register DLL" message appears. The author assures you that this is okay as it will be fixed later. I may have spent hours on MSDN researching this issue for fear of having an incomplete installation. I recommend this book for developers looking for an installation guide and/or a fast read describing what Site Server is all about.

I read some other Site Server books before this one, including some in the Professional Series. I have been lightly involved with Site Server for quite some time but never in an extended use of the product.

I wanted to get an heads up on the Version 3 and this book contains it all for administrators. The Installation is the most complete I've ever found (containing 170 pages!) and it goes into all possibilities (i.e.: with/without SQL, NT 4, Win2k, SQL 6.5, SQL 7.0, etc.). Just the TOC for this one is in 4 pages!!! The book is worth it just for this chapter.

Then, the book goes to some extent into Pipelines, Commerce, Search, Personalization, and all the Site Server's components.

Once you will be through this book and need more information, I would strongly recommand the Site Server 3.0 Personalization And Membership, and the Professional Site Server 3.0 Commerce Edition; both from Wrox Press.

From the moment Hattie was invited to the tribute for Sonny, I kind of had a feeling that Edgar Payne was going to find a way to
keep them in the United States. Especially, the little boy. It's a shame how he went to the extreme of paying a tribute to his brother, fifteen years after his death, only to convince Hattie to come back to a place that she'd vowed never to set foot
ever again. So,he can have custody of his grand nephew, in the name of fame. I don't think he would try to gain custody of Sonny, if his brother wasn't famous.

At the end of the book,it seems like Hattie was dealing with a mixture of emotions: Confused, sad and Angry for going against her first intuations, after she received the letter.

I didn't like the way Edgar Payne try to gain custody of Sonny through deception. If by any chance the author decides to have a sequel to this book, I hope that Sonny remains with Hattie in France, home where he belongs. Blood or not, Hattie is the one who nurtured Sonny from the time he was born. Also, I think she was very considerate to inform him that he had a great nephew. Is this the price she had to pay for being honest.

I really hope there is a sequel to this book.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I EVER READ! IT HAS EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT IN A BOOK, BUT THE ENDING SUCKED! THAT S.O.B. EDGAR PAYNE! I FEEL SO SORRY FOR HATTIE AND EVEN MORE SO FOR SONNY, BECAUSE HE HAS TO GO THROUGH THAT. HE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO. BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. MS. MARSHALL SHOULD REALLY WRITE A SEQUEL, BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE UNFINISHED ENDINGS. BUT ALL THE PRAISE TO MS. MARSHALL FOR WRITING A VERY GOOD BOOK AND I ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH!

Although the ending was not what I'd expected,it was still an interesting story. Especially,the little boy. I fell in love him. Unfortunately, I think little Sonny was a pawn in the struggle.

After reading the book, I actually went back,thinking that I might've missed something, that could've help me come to my own conclusion. Although Edgar seemed to have enough evidence to present to the courts to gain custody of Little Sonny, I don't believe Hattie would surrender without a fight. I remember in one of the passage in the book where she vowed for her and Little Sonny to always be together. With that in mind, there is no telling how far she would go to keep that child. She might even adopt him.

Being that the end didn't have closure, I've decided to come up with my own conclusion. In the last page of the book, it seems that Hattie had lost the case. Being that we're dealing with laws from two different countries, who knows. She might stand a chance.

I believe the author ended the book the way she did due to a lack of research. Also, this was the first book I've read by the author. I hope the rest of her books aren't like that. that.

I agree with earlier reviewers that this is a very readable, if somewhat superficial history of World War I. Marshall has strong opinions about everyone and everything, not always well-backed by scholarship. I suggest looking for earlier editions of this book, originally issued as _The American Heritage History of World War I_, with a number of color illustrations and maps. The illustrations are nothing special, but the maps are better than average--especially the faux aerial views of Tannenberg, the Marne, Gallipoli, Verdun, the Ardennes, etc. I found these the clearest visual presentations of these battlefields I've ever seen. Credit the American Heritage editorial staff. Copies can probably be found from on-line sources.

This book, among other things, is a blistering attack on the stupid leaders in this war. In one sentence, for example, Mr. Marshall describes a general he respected and reveals his own attitude about most of the other generals in this war. "He was less loved then mistrusted by others of this rank because he was suspected of harboring brains." (412) Blunt, is the author's middle name.

Or, for example, on American military procedure, Marshall talks a lot about morale. He states that, initially, "One of (the A.E.F.s) egregious blunders (was that) line companies were compelled to bury their own battle dead. They should have been spared this, for human emotions are no less fragile on the battlefield then elsewhere." (p.410) I would never have thought about what a toll this would take on solders. Neither, at first, did their generals. As Marshall says "having to cut dog-tags and shovel dirt in a dead friend's face was the heartbreaker." (P.410) Expressed this bluntly, I understood.

This is the charm, and sometimes the distraction, of this book. It is very honest and clear as a former general, who was a mere foot solider during WWI, details the origins and outcomes of the most import war in modern history. Sometimes his writing can be a little slow, but there is so much knowledge of the events and military doctrine that any serious reader of history, and anyone would wants a good primer of this war, should buy and enjoy this book.

More then anything else, however, I had bought this book to learn about America's participation in this war. Mr. Marshall delivers. He describes the bravery, and the naivety, of WWI veterans. From their first losses, to their first major victory, we learn that America's contribution to this war was much more important then is usually acknowledged.

America did not merely tip the balance in favor of the Entente. American confidence was vital in restoring French and English hopes. American bravery was decisive in winning crucial battles. (like Amiens) American solders did not win this war by themselves, but Mr. Marshall makes clear that they were not second string or second level solders.

If anything Marshall's admiration for them seems to be in direct inverse proportion to his loathing of their leaders, especially Wilson. President Wilson has had a great reputation for a long time with many people. After reading this book, I have to wonder why.

First, after he asked for a declaration of war, which was approved, Congress gave him an ovation. Wilson stated "Think of what it was they were applauding. My message of today was a message of death for our young men. How strange to applaud for that." (p. 281) For me, this was a strange comment. Wilson speech was designed to stir these people to action. When it did, he seemed to harbor second thoughts. Wilson always seemed to think he knew more then most men around him.

Thus, later in the war, the Germans sent a letter to him directly, asking for terms based on Wilson's "14 points." The same president concerned about "our young men" did nothing for days. He didn't tell his allies about this peace proposal; he didn't tell his generals that they may be able to tone down the fighting. His actions were to have serious consequences later on. Even at that time, however, the British wrote that Mr. Wilson answer to the Germans was a "complete usurpation of the power of negotiation. He practically ignores us and the French." (p.444) While Mr. Wilson crusaded on a utopian platform, his own general stated that "the damage done by the war forbade leniency toward Germany." Worse was to come.

After an armistice was declared, American troops were suppose to come home quickly, but there weren't enough ships. Mr. Wilson kept many of them in Europe longer then necessary, because he held up a large ship for his own use. Against all advice, he came to Europe to negotiate a peace treaty. Even after losses for his party in the latest elections, Mr. Wilson refused to bring along any influential Republican leaders. When he arrived in Europe, he refused to visit the lands the Germans destroyed giving the impression that he was avoiding "the ugly sights" because it might "ruin his impartiality as the arbiter of a just peace." (P.461.)

His arrogance seemed almost boundless.

Returning with a flawed treaty, which he negotiated, Mr. Wilson stated that "it has come about by no plan of our conceiving but by the hand of God who led us this way." (P.479) Mr. Wilson's arrogance now was boundless. Yet, no matter how close to God he thought he was, other felt differently. In the end, Lansing, his own secretary of state, his personal adviser, Col. House, and the Senate, two times, rejected this treaty.

Marshall says the end of the war "had been a victory of sorts, but what the victors celebrated chiefly was that mass death, after four years, had taken a holiday. The illusion was that all of humanity would profit by the great lesson." (P.455) As we know now, Europe apparently didn't learn enough as WWII came so soon after.

Mr. Marshall has written an excellent overview of WWI - an overview is all this book is, though. It is important to keep in mind that any book, which attempts to examine one of the most complex conflicts in human history on less than 500 pages, will have to be brief. Consequently, the book is best used as a study, which offers a sense of structure of the events between 1914 and 1918. As a source of information on particular events, may they be political or military, the book is incomplete.

Mr. Marshall's study is a valuable source for establishing a broad sense of the sequence of events. The interlocking of state policies is described with captivating simplicity. The first chapter, which examines the political climate of Europe leading up to the war, manages to present a convincing, if simplistic, narrative about the forces, which chose the path of armed confrontation over diplomacy and negotiation. Subsequent chapters chart the different stages of the conflict, spanning from 1914 to 1918 and shifting between the hills of Verdun and the peaks of Kilimanjaro. The different campaigns are described schematically and their most important themes and considerations are highlighted at the expense of more obscure factors. Given the complexity of the war, Mr. Marshall's ability to impose structure on the events is a rather praiseworthy achievement.

Another commendable quality of Mr. Marshall's work is his literary style. Unlike many historical studies, this book is actually very readable. The author has an excellent sense of rhythm and a pleasant ratio of seriousness and irony. A favorite passage dealing with the early stages of the trench war describes how the shell shortage forced the British to "...mark time on the Aisne while Germans fortified. The French followed suit so that they might live longer, and the novelty, while offensive to their doctrine, swiftly became a habit" (page 127)

If I have anything critical to say about this book, it will be about the analysis of the conflict as a series of chess moves. Mr. Marshall traces most events back to the intentions of a single individual (may these intentions be correct or erroneous). This desire to rationalize the development of the war in terms of the influence of the individual political and military figures does not capture the chaotic atmosphere of the period.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that Mr. Marshall has compiled an overview of WWI, which affords an excellent structure of the conflict. If you want to understand the basics of this crucial point in world history, this compendium is for you. If you are looking for an in-depth analysis, it probably will not carry the title "World War I" but something more like "The First Marne". As Charles Jenks once wrote: "You cannot blame a donkey for being a bad sort of horse."

Could the book move any slower? Or should I put that statement in words the author would use? " The heartbeat of the book was buried under an ever so faint pile of descriptive nonsense that tore away at the very lining of my soul and left me empty, with only remnants of an unbridled fear of a sequel to bide me..." And really, no matter how you look at it, the book is just that, descriptive nonsense. It was so hard to follow that I felt like I was reading a book that was written in French. The characters? Flat, each and every last one of them, especially that misguided Selena. There was no exploration into the motives of the characters whatsoever, for the life of me I can't understand the relationship between Selena and any of the characters, it was almost like the whole thing was a rough draft, and none of the characters and their paths were clearly established. And talk about boring! What exactly was the point in reading this? What in the heck was Paule trying to say through her novel? That Barbadians are similar to this? That this novel was somehow representative of Barbadian adolescent girls coming of age in New York? I sure hope not. I have written better things in my sleep. In the end I've read better, try The Bearnstein Bears, that is literary art at it's finest, this chick and her story can't compare.

Oh yeah, the ending... What ending?

In this book Paule Marshall blends an overly expressive and even awkward narrative with an almost incomprehensible and pretentious dialogue. Marshall wrote the dialogue of the Barbadian characters with an unrealistic slang. It used some words or phrases that had actually been used by Barbadian immigrants of the 30's and 40's, but she overused them. This and her unreadable colloquial spellings made her dialogue quite bad. The juxtapostion of her nonsensicle dialogue and her failled attempt at an elloquent narrative make this book an annoyance to read. The writing wasn't good, even though it did have it's moments, but what was even worse was the characters, every character in this book, including Selina to some degree was completely flat. Silla was bitter and underhanded, Deighton was lazy and after he joined the cult he was a souless religious fanatic. Ina was weak and Selina was independent, confused about growing up and immotionally strong. What made things worse was, none of these characters were likable at all, apart from Selina. However Selina was not likable most of the time because she seemed to be rebelling against Silla while at the same time Silla was the only reason Selina was remaining well and not dying of starvation. Besides being ingrateful to her mother she was completely unaware of what she stood for. She was a rebel without a cause (how original). In conclusion, besides having a depressing and exasperatingly slow moving plot, the book was so badly written that I couldn't wait until it was over. So, Paule Marshall, I apologize if you may have been offended by any of my statements in this review, but it is the way I feel. This book did had some good moments, but it was still not my cup of tea.

No Hard Feelings,

Andrew Nisinson

This book deals with an aspect of the African American experience which gets very little notice outside of the black community, namely that of the black immigrant. We hear a lot about immigrants from Europe who came here and helped build america. However, immigrants also came here from places like Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Panama, etc. Most whites will identify themselves as irish, polish, italian, german, etc ancestry. However, African Americans seem to be allowed only one ethnicity. It's as if in the darkness only one variation can be discerned. Like most immigrants, the Barbadians described in this book are highly motivated towards material success for themselves and their children. As seen in this book, sometimes this quest occurs at all costs even at the expense of outward expressions of love and affection. For example, Silla is referred to as 'the mother' throughout. As in many families, the ambitions of the parents for their children don't coincide with the children's as seen in the conflicts between Selena and her mother. Unlike white immigrants, their ambitions also run afoul of racism.

I found the narrative sometimes overly descriptive, especially in the preoccupation with sunlight and shadow. The brownstones and the streets often seemed like dark and brooding places.

My maternal grandparents were from Bardados, while my paternal grandfather was from St. Eustacia. I also grew up in Brooklyn (in a brownstone). Therefore, the landscape and the characters were very familiar. In fact, Claremont Sealy and Clive Springer are probably my cousins! A most enjoyable and thought provoking book. I look forward to reading more of Ms Marshall's book.

Fatal Equilibrium reminded me of early science fiction (written by scientists about scientists for an audience of other scientists). This book is definitely written by an economist about economists. If you're part of that clique, it's a great book.

Not everyone will consider it light reading, though. If you don't have at least one econ class somewhere in your background, some significant parts of the book (and the plot) will go over your head. There were sections that felt like they were cut-and-pasted right from the author's lecture notes. I kept hoping that the book would be more like Larry Niven's work - grounded in theory, but first and foremost, a gripping story with compelling characters. I'd rather absorb my knowledge along the way than be lectured to.

I enjoyed it and I'll read it again.

Marshall Jevons collaborates both a great mystery novel while presenting economic applications that people face in the world. Henry's explanation on the ecnomics of love and romance can be seen as strange, interesting, but most of all, comical. I truly recommend this book for those who plan on taking economics in college or are interested in the field of study. My economics class at the University of Chicago read this book which many enjoyed. After completing the book, we were asked to analyze the economics this book contains at a "deeper" level. Humanities clashed with economics without causing any type of argument among literature and economics majors.

I read this book as part of a study on how detective fiction mirrors society. The class was taught by Prof. William Breit at Trinity University, one of the co-authors of the book. Being an Econ major myself, I found this book's novel approach to blending economic concepts with a murder mystery to be unique and entertaining. Not your typical mystery novel, but one worth checking out.