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The Deadly Practice
The Cezanne Chase: a Novel of Suspense
The DA Vinci Deception
The Hog Murders
The Marx Sisters: A Kathy and Brock Mystery
The Malcontenta: A Kathy Lolla and David Brock Mystery
Suspicious Circumstances
The White Lioness
Faceless Killers (Kurt Wallander Mysteries (Paperback))
Sidetracked (Kurt Wallander Mysteries (Paperback))
One Step Behind (Kurt Wallander Mysteries (Hardcover))
Firewall (Kurt Wallander Mysteries (Hardcover))
The Isaac Quartet: Blue Eyes, Marilyn the Wild, the Education of Patrick Silver, Secret Isaac
Small Vices (Wheeler Large Print Books)
Half Moon Street (Wheeler Compass)
Southern Cross (Wheeler Large Print Press (large print paper))
The Amsterdam Cops: Collected Stories
Crime of Silence
The Vault
Dollmaker
Kaleidoscope
Diamond Dust
Diamond Solitaire
Death of a Damn Yankee: A Laura Fleming Mystery
Diamond Dust

Thoughts Matter: The Practice of the Spiritual Life

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Thoughts Matter: The Practice of the Spiritual Life
Best capsule course in ascetic theology I have seen
Spiritual insights in plain English!
Our thoughts determine how we view the world.
Most helpful book I've read in probably 20 years.

Thoughts Matter: The Practice of the Spiritual Life
Mary Margaret Funk
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0826411649

Customer Reviews:

Thoughts Matter: The Practice of the Spiritual Life.......2006-03-22

This is an excelent book for those well along the path of Christian spirituality. It is not intended for the beginner but for those who are seeking a deeper relationship with God and a more intense practice of Christian spirituality. It has many eye-opening passages. I found it very helpful during a time of spiritual renewal.

Best capsule course in ascetic theology I have seen.......2002-06-28

Based on the classic ascetic practises of the patristic era, and on their application in the Rule of Benedict, this book sets forth clear, solid, far-reaching insights which would enrich the life of anyone seeking to grow in the spiritual life.

Sister Mary Margaret expresses the principles simply yet with great depth, and, in a style enormously refreshing for the "self-esteem" era (her comments on that concept are very telling), does so with great honesty. She does not qualify the wisdom of two millennia in an attempt to be unwisely "relevant" to the reader. She has no qualms about showing that the Christian ascetic vocation is an endless period of growth, though her expressing how practising discipline of thoughts leads to results unaware will undoubtedly be strengthening during times of struggle.

The only aspect which those new to the topic must keep in mind is that this volume, short though it is, is not meant to be skimmed nor read hurriedly. It is the stuff of the lectio divina to which the early chapters refer - intended for quiet, reflective, prayerful reading. Much of the best material (for example, the sections regarding sex and vainglory) can be missed if one is reading only "key words," without attention to the overall picture which places it into focus.

I have had a deep interest in ascetic theology for thirty years, and am well acquainted with many great writings in that area. I can honestly say that this book is one of the best of contemporary treatments of the subject.

Spiritual insights in plain English!.......2002-05-14

This plainly written book can help you overcome the daily struggles that prevent you from developing a strong relationship with God.

First the author identifies the eight objects of self-centered thought we must learn to control: food, sex, things, anger, dejection, acedia (spiritual dryness), vainglory, and pride. She then describes how these thoughts, when uncontrolled, progressively undermine our spiritual awareness to the point of becoming soul-deadening obsessions. Finally, she explains how we can overcome these distracting thoughts and instead center on thoughts in harmony with God's will. By doing so, we are able to experience the joys of hope and freedom, no longer enslaved by our appetites.

Funk does an excellent job of translating some complex spiritual concepts into plain English. And, to illustrate good and bad thought patterns, she cites examples that will sound (uncomfortably) familiar to people of all ages and vocations. It's hard to imagine people reading this book and not wanting to seriously reevaluate their attitudes toward toward their own thoughts.

Our thoughts determine how we view the world........1999-05-18

Thoughts Matter challenges the serious reader to examine the nature of the thoughts that are constantly playing through the mind - like a non-stop tape recording! While we can't always control the thoughts that pop up in our heads, we can certainly decide which ones we want to spend time with and which ones can only do harm to ourselves and others. I would love to read what Sr. Mary has to say about renouncing our thoughts about God.

Most helpful book I've read in probably 20 years........1999-04-28

This book brings to the modern vocabulary ideas and experiences originally posited by the Desert Fathers out of their experience. It has benefitted me greatly. The author asks in her own comments if people would like a book on the third renunciation - renouncing our thoughts of God. My response is YES!! YES!! I am personally at the edge of this country and would much appreciate some guidance, though I'm not sure I can wait till a book gets written and published!

A Question of Intent : A Great American Battle With A Deadly Industry

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An Educating and Entertaining Read
great expose of an evil industry
A Breath of Fresh Air
Civics lesson that reads like a thriller
A Govenment Policy Thriller

A Question of Intent : A Great American Battle With A Deadly Industry
David A. Kessler
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Ashes to Ashes: America's Hundred-Year Cigarette War, the Public Health, and the Unabashed Trium ph of Philip Morris
Regulating Tobacco
Assuming the Risk : The Mavericks, the Lawyers, and the Whistle-Blowers Who Beat Big Tobacco
Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization
The Cigarette Papers

ASIN: 1891620800
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Amazon.com

This is the David-and-Goliath story of how an American bureaucrat took on the tobacco industry--and helped topple it. David Kessler, head of the Food and Drug Administration for seven years under Presidents Bush and Clinton, earned the nickname "Eliot Knessler" from The Washington Post--a pun meant to evoke the memory of the Prohibition-era gangbuster--because he rejuvenated a moribund agency. The FDA regulated, in Kessler's words, "one quarter of every dollar Americans spent--from the food they eat to the drugs they take to the cosmetics they wear." Yet it lacked the courage to take on the country's most lethal product: cigarettes. So did Kessler, at least initially. He agreed with aides and others that Big Tobacco was too powerful a force in Washington, D.C. "The industry perceived threats everywhere, and responded to them ferociously," he writes. Moreover, challenging the industry would waste important resources that could have a more tangible benefit for consumers if they were spent elsewhere. Even before making the choice to go after cigarettes, Kessler was a figure of controversy, and this only intensified when he became one of the few Republican holdovers in the Clinton administration.

Much of the book deals with the routine business of the FDA: orange-juice seizures, a fight to restrict the sale of body tissues from foreign sources, how he responded to complaints that syringes were found in Pepsi cans, and so on. But the driving force behind Kessler's narrative is how he slowly woke up to the possibility of regulating cigarettes. "It is too easy to be swayed by the argument that tobacco is a legal product and should be treated like any other," he writes. "A product that kills people--when used as intended--is different. No one should be allowed to make a profit from that." His story is a lesson in Washington power politics--a game he played with naiveté when he started but was expert at by the end of his tenure.

To say Kessler and his team of FDA regulators "defeated" Big Tobacco is an overstatement: they were part of a broader effort that included trial lawyers, consumer groups, and crusading journalists, and the industry hasn't exactly gone away. But they were instrumental in forcing tobacco companies to admit that nicotine is addictive and cigarettes cause cancer, and in bringing about a sea change in the industry's legal and popular standing. Kessler now believes in regulation so tight it will strangle Big Tobacco forever: "If our goal is to halt this manmade epidemic," he writes, "the tobacco industry, as currently configured, needs to be dismantled." A Question of Intent is a well-told muckraker. It unfolds deliberately, like a good detective story. Admirers of Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action, especially those with a taste for public policy, won't be disappointed. --John J. Miller

Book Description

When David Kessler came to Washington to lead the Food and Drug Administration in 1990, the agency was at a low point, weakened by years of deregulatory fervor in Washington and by the corrupt actions of a few. And soon after taking office, the thirty-nine-year-old physician had to deal with the daily drama of murders masquerading as random product tamperings, imports of contaminated body parts from the former Soviet Union, political fights over the contents of food labels, and efforts to speed life-saving therapies to desperate patients. What was not on David Kessler's agenda was tobacco. But soon, he confronted a simple question: "Why doesn't the FDA regulate the consumer product that is the nation's number-one killer?" Everyone in Washington offered the same answer--the tobacco industry is too big and too influential. Challenging it would be a fool's errand.

Despite the risks, Kessler and a group of unlikely heroes at the FDA began an historic journey inside the mazes of America's most secret and deadliest industry. A Question of Intent tells their story. They soon realized how enormous the task was, for the industry's reach stretched everywhere, deep into the scientific world, the legal profession, and the government. No one had ever conducted an investigation into the inner workings of the tobacco industry. Exploring every possible avenue, interviewing terrified informants, conducting forensic tests, and obtaining secret documents, the intrepid investigators found themselves aiming at the heart of the world's most powerful corporations. Armed with persuasive new evidence, Kessler entered into an intense political struggle, one that involved every branch of the federal government.

A Question of Intent is a gripping detective story, one that shows how the biggest issues of public concern are tackled in America today. Kessler digs deep to explain how an insidious and lethal industry was able to keep a nation in its grip for more than half a century, and how a small team at a government agency fearlessly faced it down.

At the height of the battle, "U.S. News & World Report" called Kessler "somebody you can tell your children about," comparing him to the protagonists of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and To Kill a Mockingbird. Like those classic American stories, A Question of Intent is about the search for the truth, about the choices people make, and about right and wrong. It is about moral courage.

Customer Reviews:

An Educating and Entertaining Read.......2007-04-25

David Kessler in A Question of Intent: A Great American Battle with a Deadly Industry provides readers with an entertaining and educating read that serves as a guide for organizations while showing an detailed view of bureaucracy, the media, and government organizations. He effectively displays the numerous benefits of affiliation between organizations and their leaders when trying to change the regulation over tobacco. Kessler also does a great job showing the role of a President and the effect he or she can have on organizations when they get to choose the leading personnel. Where Kessler falls short though is in providing a well organized story, free of excess personal narratives, and repetition. Do these errors tend to negate the quality of the book as a whole? No, but it makes me question his editor and the intentions he or she had in the scattered layout and whether included memoir aspects were entirely necessary.

By bringing the reader directly into the Food and Drug Administration's everyday happenings, Kessler is able to display the decision process of a government organization, while adding an element of suspense. His emphasizes the importance of connections and affiliation and teaches readers the scope and impact that lobbyists can have on the outcome of policies. He often describes that "too late" he realized that he had been "sandbagged by...lobbyists" and "overlooked [the] key tactical step" of lining up more support and connections (Kessler, 48). He shows that it was only through the support of his older staff and political connections that he was able to move forward in his fight for tobacco regulation.

The involvement of the reader in the processes Kessler and his team had to go through to get government attention on the regulation of tobacco could easily serve as a guide for other struggling organizations. He shows in detail how they used the media and were careful about their timing when making decisions. For instance, Kessler asked credible journalists to downplay stories to the New York Times to the extent that newspapers wouldn't even write about events such as the American Red Cross' bad blood supply. This manipulation of the media was useful to the organization by downplaying bad press and avoiding un-needed fear and panic. For other organizations who find themselves in the heat of the media, they might want to take notes from Kessler and his experiences

Another positive aspect of Kessler's book was his ability to show the vital role of the President. Most readers, like myself, would be surprised to learn that the President can have such a vital effect on issues such as food labeling. Kessler describes the difficulty and "maneuvering" it took to get amendments on the underage purchases of cigarettes on the Presidents desk (Kessler, 98). Once they got there, he describes how a Congressional hearing was crucial in how the media framed the issue - eventually leading to the impression the American public got on the topic. Overall, his book gives a great overview of what it takes to get an issue to the desk of the President, and how the steps taken after that can shape public opinion and determine the fate or success of a proposed amendment.

In the end, Kessler and his editor could have improved on the organization of the book. The subject of each 3-7 page chapter skips from topic to topic. It gets tedious when the reader has to continually shift his or her focus from tobacco to fresh food labels to the AIDS drug progression then back to tobacco - all with a little autobiographical information thrown into the mix. At the same time, Kessler consistently switches between using character's first and last names. One minute he's calling a successful reporter "Jim," like they're best friends, the next referring to him as "O'Hara" who had a "reputation among reporters for credibility" (Kessler, 92). The inconsistency is unnecessary and confusing.

Another detail that distracted from a smooth read from a trustworthy author, is his insistence on showing he "did not know" what he was doing, or that he "should have realized" that many of his decisions would have negative effects. Readers already understand no person is perfect, there is no reason to keep reminding them up to two or three times a page.

For readers who want an entertaining, yet educational read, Kessler's book provides both. While it does have its minor errors and editorial mishaps, his ability to produce a book that readers like a thriller yet explains the inner-workings of bureaucracy in a simple-to-understand way is uncanny. Lessons can be learned by regular readers seeking more information on a much debated topic - the regulation of tobacco - or big organizations looking to revitalize their strategies to achieve greater success in their goals.

great expose of an evil industry.......2005-10-01

America, for all its faults, is the battlefield on which many of the world's most important health questions are being fought. None of those is more important than the questions this excellent book addresses. Is nicotine a narcotic? Are America's major cigarette companies, collectively known as Big Tobacco, deliberately turning their customers into nicotine addicts?

They were the key questions David Kessler tackled when he was Commissioner of America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 1990 to 1997. Kessler, who is now Dean of the Yale University Law School, fought a tenacious battle with Big Tobacco and its powerful allies on Capitol Hill during those years. The battle was so tough and Big Tobacco so ruthless that Kessler and his small team were often compared to Elliot Ness and his small band of Untouchables who slugged it out with Al Capone's army of gangsters and corrupt politicians during the Prohibition years.

Certainly, the tenacity of Big Tobacco in the face of overwhelming evidence that damns its product can only remind the reader of Al Capone and America's Organized Crime, whose sole god is ill gotten money. Big Tobacco practiced, for example, the code of Omerta and, if Kessler is to be believed, former employees who gave evidence against them lived in fear of their lives. Big Tobacco had armies of lawyers and US Congressmen in their corporate pockets. All they seemed short of was organizing the gangland-style hits that were Capone's specialty.

Indeed, the specters of Ness and Capone are never too far away. Kessler hired special investigators trained by America's elite combat forces to interrogate witnesses. One member of Kessler's squad trawled all of America's seaports to uncover key evidence that Big Tobacco had illegally imported genetically modified tobacco into the United States. The book is, in many ways, a classic detective story needing only Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, Tom Hanks or some other celluloid figure to bring it to life. It races along from the very first page to the final denouement.

Big Tobacco's four-pronged counter-strategy against the FDA is also equally fast-paced. Working with military precision, it used, as page 169 tells us, frontal assaults, surgical strikes, allied attacks and air cover to overwhelm the offices and efforts of Kessler and his team. Like Organized Crime, Big Tobacco knew what side its bread was buttered on. Like Organized Crime, Big Tobacco's bosses proved themselves to be ruthless and cynical competitors with pitiless cash registers for hearts. Their proud boast was that they had more money than God.

Their vast war chests poisoned public debate in America for many years just as their product continues to poison the bodies of their fellow Americans. As well as the armies of hired lawyers who were central to their strategy, they employed mercenary academics to rubber-stamp their products with a scientific sheen of respectability. The aura of scientific impartiality these academics bartered away helped Big Tobacco's bosses accumulate their almost limitless wealth, buy their way into Capitol Hill and jam the world's hospital cancer wards full with cigarette smokers. Although Kessler names some of these contemptible researchers, he goes much further. By exposing their mercenary motives, he discredits them and Big Tobacco, which paid them their ultimately puny pieces of silver.

The book, despite its topicality, starts off with a quote from the Odes of Horace, which tells us that "The guilty have a head start, and retribution is always slow of start, but it catches up." Fortunately, the net is finally beginning to close in on Big Tobacco and its tainted allies. Thanks to people like Kessler and his team of Untouchables, the nicotine debate is starting to be aired out into the open.

Sometimes, of course, the cure is worse than the disease. Kessler's comments about nicotine nasal sprays should be enough to make anyone feel pity for the nicotine abuser and disgust at the companies which can conceive, let alone peddle such an obnoxious product.

No sympathy whatsoever can be spared for Kessler's villains. Though bloodied, Big Tobacco is far from bowed. It continues to ensnare American schoolchildren with its product and to export its deadly product to the four ends of the earth. Despite Big Tobacco's enviable revenues, its feet of clay and the tissues of lies it surrounds itself with have both been well exposed by this great book, which President Jimmy Carter and a host of other luminaries endorse. The hope must now be, as Kessler puts it, that Big Tobacco will eventually be drummed out of business altogether. Their demise would not only make the air we breathe cleaner. It would also help clean up the corridors of power, which Big Tobacco so thoroughly infected with its own insatiable addiction to the profit motive.

A Breath of Fresh Air.......2004-03-25

Thank you, Dr. Kessler, for pursuing the tobacco dragon and for writing this book. It should be required reading for every medical and divinity school student.

Civics lesson that reads like a thriller.......2002-08-05

Wow. Who would have thought a book on the history of the FDA's handling of tobacco regulation would read like a spy novel? I grabbed this book off the new books shelf at the library, and picked it up expecting to skim through it. Kessler begins with how he was chosen to head the FDA, and introduces several of his staff including the one who started him toward taking on the tobacco industry. Then we get plenty of background including the history, marketing, and laws concerning tobacco.

With all the press on Big Tobacco, I expected them to be shown as fiendish. I've been a member of Americans for Non-Smokers Rights for 20 years, and I've read all about the Industry's dirty tricks, and I fully expected to read about them again here. What I didn't expect to find was the thoroughness in Big Tobacco attempted to discredit the FDA, and Kessler takes us through the political campaigns and counter-campaigns. He shows how Big Tobacco created fake advocacy groups on several issues, leading to their attempt to muzzle the FDA and cut off all their government funding. If you remember the '94 Contract with America and the movement against Big Government, you'll be surprised to find how Big Tobacco co-opted it to fight the FDA, one of the more admired agencies.

If you weren't already cynical about how the US government operates, this book will get you there, even with its descriptions of some of the good guys continually outmaneuvered by the bad ones. Several congress members are shown to be captives of Big Tobacco, doing their dirty work with scripts written by their lobbyists and lawyers.

And speaking of lawyers, one of the most amazing revelations to me ok is how the tobacco industry became captives of their law firms! Yes, instead of working for their clients, the law firms ended up calling all the shots, and the CEOs would read statements prepared by them. The book covers how this came to be.

If you love looking of source material, you'll be busy. Kessler leaves plenty of footnotes in this meaty book for your review. My only complaint is that the book jumps around in places, as the story moves forward or back depending on the topic being covered. But this is a small beef, as the material is so compelling. Find out not only how cigarette's nicotine content was manipulated but how the industry tried to hide this obvious fact from FDA visitors to their manufacturing facilities. Enjoy the victories and despair over the setbacks; this is a policy-wonk's book as written by a Tom Clancy wanna-be.

A Govenment Policy Thriller.......2002-06-24

This is an excellent book. Kessler's story reads like a thriller, but is non-fiction. In addition to the fascinating narrative, Kessler provides along the way many insights into how Washington REALLY works. The most disheartening thing about the book is the extent to which Kessler documents how our political culture is awash with tobacco money; the tentacles of the tobacco companies seemingly reach everywhere. Kessler reveals that many "think tanks" and other public policy mouthpieces--even senators--have been bought by big tobacco and are literally reading from scripts the companies have provided trying to shift tobacco issues into ideological issues involving freedom and democracy. Unfortunately, the tobacco companies usually win with such strategies. Kessler is quite non-partisan in his approach to his topic, so politicians are judged purely by their stance on tobacco. Clinton comes out as wishy-washy, Gore as rock solid, while Dennis Hastert, Newt Gingrich and assorted others come out as shills for big tobacco. A very enlightening and enjoyable book; it will make you yearn for true campaign finance reform.

Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, The

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Where are the potholes in this road?
A useful tool for small group directors...

Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, The
Bill Donahue , and Russ Robinson
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0310247063

Book Description

A troubleshooting guide for Church leaders. Assessment and solution for seven common obstacles to building small groups.

Customer Reviews:

Where are the potholes in this road?.......2007-03-09

Why waste a year or two in your congregation's spiritual journey? Why drive blind into dangerous, program-breaking potholes if they are, in fact, already identified? This book is a great resource reflecting some gifted teachers who have looked back and debriefed about what could have been done better "if only they'd known". Well, now they do and their feedback is available here. It has been referred to actively by our leadership group frequently in our 18 months of planning pre-launch. Now we use it to check our status relative to potholes. Our eyes are open to the Deceiver's obstacles and there are many. Plus, ol' Mischief Maker wants us to think good things aren't and so makes good decisions seem dangerous, like: embracing Holy Spirit-driven movement when a group comes together in an unexpected way. Sometimes there is fear of the unplanned. Sometimes there is confidence in something which generally hasn't worked elsewhere. So when is an idea constructive? When might it be destructive? This book addresses the 7 'sins' Willow uncovered; the flip side is knowing how to avoid them or fix them right out of the chute. Thank you, Willow.

A useful tool for small group directors..........2006-12-15

I have read other books from Donahue and Robinson and heard them speak at several small groups conference, so the information in this book was relatively familiar to me. Nonetheless, "The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry" is a valuable resources in which these small group gurus share their experiences and failures in the hopes that others involved in small group ministry within the local church can avoid those same missteps.

One thing that I appreciate about this book is its straightforward format. The seven deadly sins of small group ministry, as assessed by the authors, each occupy two chapters. The first chapter on each sin describes the problem, and the second chapter provides some solutions. This allows the reader to pick and choose a particular issue and read about it in some detail without having to read the entire book. I appreciated the experience of reading it straight through but look forward to referring to it in the future on one or more specific topics, and the simple format makes that notion feasible.

The second thing that I appreciated most about this book was the author's experience and wisdom. It is clear that they have gathered insight from years of small group ministry, and they are honest in stating that they have actually committed almost all of the sins at one point or another. That humility (and the almost playful writing style throughout the book) makes the information very accessible. The suggestions are not coming from some perfect small group geniuses, but instead come from real people who have made real mistakes and can offer real solutions.

My primary criticism of the book is that a somewhat limited perspective is provided. It only makes sense that they would write from the framework of Willow Creek, where they both spent much of their ministry lives. However, they seem unable to extract themselves from the Willow way of doing things. Quite frankly, the assimilation structure that they suggest is nothing if not overwhelming. In fact, the entire book is rather formidable. Again, it is formidable because they have so much important information to share, but it might be more useful if they had eliminated some of the painstaking detail and emphasized the main ideas.

I am glad that I read this book, and I know that it will shape how I proceed in my role in leadership over the small groups at our church. We are actually committing several of these deadly sins right now, and I now have the ammunition to make some necessary adjustments. If you are willing to dive into the thick of Willow Creek's learning from groups, this is a great book. I highly recommend it.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Igniting Worship Series)

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The Seven Deadly Sins (Igniting Worship Series)
Eric Elnes
Manufacturer: Abingdon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 068705320X

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REALLY SCARY book
Superb Medical Thriller
This Author Never Ceases to AMAZE US
Deadly Delightful
Great except for one thing.

A Deadly Practice
Leonard Goldberg
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451179455

Customer Reviews:

REALLY SCARY book.......2006-03-04

I spent more than 7 hours reading this book and to be honest it really scared me. There was new twists and turns about the killer and what she was doing. I would give it a 5 if I liked the author's sick sense of killing humor (I don't think the nature of the killings were appealing in any sense). But if you are looking for a book to scare you and keep you up wondering who is next on the killer's list, then this book is for you.

Superb Medical Thriller.......2004-04-03

A serial killer with a grudge against doctors at an L.A. hospital and the expertise to imitate each of his victims' medical specialties stalks the hospital halls, and forensic pathologist Joanna Blalock must stop him before she becomes the next victim. Just like the first book, you don't even have a clue who the killer is until the last 50 pages. This book was really hard to put down. If you're into medical thrillers, start this series!

This Author Never Ceases to AMAZE US.......2001-05-27

Once again Leonard Goldberg has come through with a fast-paced, twisting and turning plot that keeps the reader mesmerized throughout the book. I always know that it's safe to take one of his novels with me when I have a lot of down time because they consistently hold my attention and keep me focused on the book instead of the time.

This book grabbed me from the opening pages and kept my interest until I closed the last chapter and handed it off to my hairdresser.

If you don't follow Mr. Goldberg's series, I strongly recommend that you start - always a promise of a great read.

Deadly Delightful.......2000-07-02

This is my first look at Leonard Goldberg and I just couldn't put it down, ala Patricia Cornwell! The plot of doctors getting murdered in very gruesome manners and the passages where the killer's thoughts were described -- while not identifying the killer is excellent! I loved the relationship between the forensic pathologist, Joanna Blalock, and the cop, although that seemed a little too close for comfort to Patricia Cornwell's Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her FBI boyfriend. However, many cop books portray relationships between cops and other cops or other people in law enforcement, and in real life, this happens all the time! The reputations of doctors being on the line during a malpractice suit was very realistic and moved along at a good pace between all the murders, blood and guts -- and stray hands falling here and there. Definitely a book for the morbidly curious. That's me!

Great except for one thing........2000-03-07

The book was a great read- suspense, thrilling, and sometimes surprising. However, I got REALLY tired of every male character in the book drooling over the beautiful Dr. Blalock. A few drooling characters would get the point across. ALL of the males drooling got real old real fast. The love interest part of the book really dragged the story down. I felt like it was added so this could more easily be made into a block buster movie. The book would have been better without the love interest.

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THE DEADLY SINS OF Aristotle Onassis
A tragic true story of wicked deeds reaping grim rewards

The Deadly Sins of Aristotle Onassis
Stuart M. Speiser
Manufacturer: ACW Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1932124624

Book Description

Some 30 years after the death of world-famous shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, the truth he never wanted divulged about his only son's death is finally coming out. In his new book "The Deadly Sins of Aristotle Onassis", internationally renowned aviation attorney Stuart Speiser reveals documents Ari ordered hidden from public view showing he played a crucial role in the 1973 plane crash that killed his 24-year-old son Alexander.

At the time of Alex's death, Ari was ruthless in publicly blaming both the CIA and Donald McCusker, a former NASA test pilot who was flying Ari's private plane with Alex when it went down. McCusker, who survived, was at the controls auditioning for a job as Ari's personal pilot. Speiser, who represented McCusker in the ensuing lawsuit against Ari, delves into previously suppressed areas of Aristotle Onassis's personal and business life unearthing intriguing new details. This is the first book to show that once Ari found out he helped cause his beloved son's death he lost the desire to live and willed himself to die--it was guilt, not grief, that killed him!

Customer Reviews:

THE DEADLY SINS OF Aristotle Onassis.......2006-03-03

I enjoyed the book because It contained several pages about two of my cousins, and because it is very interesting to get more of an inside account as to the lives of Aristotle Onassis (whom I've never cared for, and this made me feel even more dislike for the man) and Jackie Kennedy Onassis,( giving me a different perspective of her as well ,it made me feel that she was overly interested in money.)

It took me awhile to get thru the first few chapters as there was a great deal of technical information. Good information, but a little deep for someone not entirely interesting about planes and boats at that level. Again, further into the book there was lots of technical stuff that slowed me down.

If you have an interest in Aristotle Onassis and family and Jackie Kennedy Onassis this would be an interesting book and if you wanted to know the depth cause and result of his son dying in a crash, THIS is the book to read.

A tragic true story of wicked deeds reaping grim rewards.......2006-02-08

The Deadly Sins Of Aristotle Onassis is the true-life story of the famous Greek shipping tycoon who married Jackie Kennedy. He was the penultimate 20th century con man, able to charm the press even as he spun ever more elaborate frauds, from the illegal acquisition of war-surplus ships by falsifying ownership records to bribing Saudi Arabian officials for oil concessions to slaughtering whales in violation of international agreements to hiring Howard Hughes' hatchet man for wiretapping and intimidation, tax evasion, and more. Yet his life of deceit and control caught up with him, robbed his children of their happiness. The Deadly Sins Of Aristotle Onassis reveals how his boastful behavior and charade of invincibility ultimately trapped his son Alexander aboard his fatally defective personal airplane; how the guilt from his son's death caused him to end his own life prematurely; and how his legacy of criminal behavior lived on in his daughter, who tried to cheat Jackie Kennedy out of her rightful widow's share of his estate. A tragic true story of wicked deeds reaping grim rewards.

The Seven Habits of the Good Life: How the Biblical Virtues Free Us from the Seven Deadly Sins

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The Seven Habits of the Good Life: How the Biblical Virtues Free Us from the Seven Deadly Sins
Kalman J. Kaplan , and Matthew B. Schwartz
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books

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The Workbook on the Seven Deadly Sins
The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

ASIN: 0742532747

Book Description

In The Seven Habits of the Good Life, the authors highlight seven biblical gifts self-esteem, wisdom, righteousness, love, healthy appetite, prudence, and purpose and present them as alternatives to the seven deadly sins and their antidotes. Each gift enriches our lives by integrating concern for ourselves with a healthy concern for others. Incorporating clinical case studies and the voices of real people, together with biblical stories, this book shows how the wisdom of our religious heritage provides successful ways to handle difficult situations and to embrace life to the full with harmony and balance.

What Your Counselor Never Told You: Seven Secrets RevealedConquer the Power of Sin in Your Life

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Biblical, practical, and wise

What Your Counselor Never Told You: Seven Secrets RevealedConquer the Power of Sin in Your Life
William Backus
Manufacturer: Bethany House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Telling Each Other the Truth, repack

ASIN: 0764223925
Release Date: 2000-12-01

Book Description

Groundbreaking book on how sin is the basis of many common emotional and psychological problems. Includes a unique self-test to help direct readers in their pursuit of life-changing virtues.

Customer Reviews:

Biblical, practical, and wise.......2000-11-28

I have not yet read this entire book, but I did read a chapter excerpted in "Cornerstone Magazine" this month (November, 2000). I have also read several of Backus's other books, such as "The Hidden Rift With God," which was excellent.

The chapter I read was on the sin of sloth. Backus address the psychological, spiritual, and moral dimensions of depression as it relates to the "deadly sin" of sloth. I found it to be balanced, biblical, and historically grounded in that the author refers to spiritual doctors of the church who have addressed matters of sin and righteousness in the Christian life. He also used a case study to illustrate how "telling ourselves the truth" about our situations and God's character leads to spiritual liberation. This is the main theme of Dr. Backus's works over the years.

The book addresses "the seven deadly sins" and how to overcome them in the Christian life. From what I read in the excerpt, and from what I have read before, I'm sure this is a fine book. I plan to get it and read it soon. Maybe I'll give another review then.

Douglas Groothuis

Deadly Attraction (Sweet Valley University(R))

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Very good and moving
Louis's ex wife comes between 2 lovers.
GREAT, BUT SO TRAGIC
It was a very moving and sad book.
One Of The Best SVU Books

Deadly Attraction (Sweet Valley University(R))
Francine Pascal
Manufacturer: Sweet Valley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Love & Romance | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0553566989
Release Date: 1995-11-01

Customer Reviews:

Very good and moving.......2006-10-24

Jessica and professor Louis Miles are running from Louis's wife Chole. learning later they will never be safe from Chole. Then at a cabin where Louis and Jessica are hiding Louis thought he heard something outside so he locks Jessica in the bedroom where Chole can't hurt her and while he's outside looking Chole sets off the gas stove. Louis saved Jessica but she had to go to the hospital and while she is in the hospital Chole comes and tries to stab her but stabs Louis instead. Then Louis Kisses Jessica tells her Chivary isn't dead and leaves with Chole and drives himself and Chole off a cliff if you read this book have some tissues nearby.

Louis's ex wife comes between 2 lovers........2005-03-23

Jessica and Louis are deeply in love. Mark Gathers takes care of his 2 brothers and 1 little sister,so Todd and Elizabeth decide to help. Lila and Bruce get a place of their own,but nothing goes the way it should.The vegetables burn,and their parents cut them off. Winston is in the army for cheating and Denise is there,too. Louis gives Jessica a Unicorn necklace,It was perfect,as a child,Jessica belonged to a group of girls called The Unicorn Club.When Louis's Ex wife is after them,Louis saves Jessica,and Louis falls into the river or something.

GREAT, BUT SO TRAGIC.......1999-04-17

I cried my eyes out when I finished reading this book! It was so sad that Jess lost one of true loves yet again! This ranks alongside a few other SVU books as one of the best written.

It was a very moving and sad book........1998-11-28

I have only read several books from this series and I find that Francis Pascal is a very good writer. I want to read more and more of the books on Sweet Valley University because I find them very intersting. This book I wanted to read from the moment I saw it, it caught my eye from it's title "Deadly attraction" I knew that it was going to be a great book, and it was!

One Of The Best SVU Books.......1998-01-18

Well I have about 145 Sweet Valley Books and I've read all of them.I prefer SVH series but I loved this book form this series.It takes your breath away and makes u want to read more and more.The scandal part is good but not that great altough Jessica's romance is perfect.The ending is so sad and this book is a once in a lifetime!

The Noonday Demon: Recognizing and Conquering the Deadly Sin of Sloth

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The Deadly Sins

The Noonday Demon: Recognizing and Conquering the Deadly Sin of Sloth
John Blackwell
Manufacturer: Crossroad General Interest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0824521366

Book Description

In these elegant and thoughtful essays, Dr.Blackwell takes us on a spiritual journey through the Bible.

Customer Reviews:

The Deadly Sins.......2004-04-18

Reading this book is an incredible insight into how the Deadly Sin of Sloth permeates our lives and can cause so much destruction to our souls. Dr. Blackwell shows how to overcome Sloth and how to make prayer and reflection an integral part of our daily lives.

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