Agent Books

Ralph Moss wrote an excellent review of this book in the Spring 1997 edition of the Cancer Chronicles. I am writing only to put his review into context. There have been many books written describing the shortcomings of medicine, particularly those questioning claims of the efficacy of medical intervention. These include Robert Mendelsohn's Confessions of A Medical Heretic; Richard Taylor's Medicine out of Control; Ivan Illich's Medical Nemesis; the New Medical Foundation's Dissent in Medicine; Samuel Epstein's The Politics of Cancer; Ralph Moss' Cancer Industry and Questioning Chemotherapy; Ulrich Abel's Chemotherapy of advanced epithelial cancer - a critical survey; What Doctors Don't Tell You's Cancer Handbook, What's Really Working; and Neville Hodgkinson's AIDS, the failure of scientific medicine. (I have also published two papers questioning the efficacy of surgical treatment of cancer in Medical Hypotheses.) These together support and explain the claim in the editorial in the British Medical Journal of October 1991 (Vol 303: 198-99) "Where is the wisdom...? The poverty of medical evidence" that "Only about 15% of medical interventions are supported by solid evidence... This is partly because only 1% of the articles in medical journals are scientifically sound". Thomas Moore's earlier (1989) book Heart Failure describes the poor record of treating heart problems with bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty and drugs to lower serum cholesterol. Moore's more recent book homes in on particular drugs such as those used to treat arrhythmia. With deaths from heart disease accounting for more than 40% of all deaths these two books on the inefficacy of treatments for heart problems fill an important gap. As a scientist I found the section explaining how "surrogate endpoints" are used instead of actual therapeutic benefits to test efficacy particularly useful. It explains why so many claims for the efficacy of chemotherapy are invalid. It is a pity that the book is now out of print.

This is an excellent account of the effects of allowing marketing of Tamnbocor (flecainide) as an anti-arrhythmic based on "surrogate" intermediate endpoints. Later there was recognition that in fact the drug was associated with increased cardiac death rates when a "gold standard" randomized controlled trial was undertaken. It also shows the problematic relationships between the payment and support of academic researchers into drug effectiveness and the drug firms, many of whose products have been life saving and life transforming. A very well balanced book and very enjoyable reading. The author erroneously describes RA Fisher as an American Genius which would irritate the very English (& later Australian) Cambridge professor of Genetics!

This important investigative work explains HOW and WHY the American Pharmaceutical Industry KILLS and no one seems seriously interested in stopping it, least of all the FDA! Legally prescribed drugs are now the 4th LEADING cause of death in the US. We are trying to change this by helping to train physicians and the public to use natural approaches instead of drugs, inspite of the continous FDA and FTC harrassment of all doctors in Alternative Medicine. Our system that financially rewards doctors millions of dollars for KILLING people is seriously out of control. If natural therapies are even alleged to have slightly harmed even 1 patient, the FDA stands ready to seize ALL of the supplies and put everyone involved in jail. Yet drugs are provably killing over 100,000 each year and the GAME goes on. I believe this book could help everyone understand that this must all change and soon. This book merely describes the tip of the iceberg and the 70,000 dead from these heart medicines described in detail here, is just a fraction of the real number needlessly killed by American medicine and surgery everyday at great taxpayor expense. WE have safe and EFFECTIVE alternatives to virtually every drug, including aspirin (not tylenol!) and most heart surgery is done on the WRONG plaque and does not significantly reduce the likelihood of a heart attack. There are SAFE natural alternatives not just for heart disease but for virtually every one of the major diseases today! contact G.F. Gordon M.D.D.O. President Gordonresearch.com and InCALM.com 1-520-472-9086 Payson AZ

Being the broad-scope work that it is, this book has hit the bulls-eye in terms of coverage. While there have been other books on IAs recently, this one covers all aspects of IAs.

Doing so, it has more positives than negatives; but of course this depends on whether you want an overview of the field, or an Intelligent Agent (IA) in "C" programming reference manual. It is more of the former than the latter.

It does cover a lot of ground and gives one a detailed taste for what artificial intelligence(AI), and IA's (Intelligent Agents) created from AI technologies are, and more importantly, what they *could* be. That is, if all the suggestions in this book were followed, we might soon have really 'intelligent' software emerging from various quarters (like the Internet or Intranets).

It concentrates on explaining the essentials of the cognitive and computer sciences that are relevant to IA design and creation, especially the considerations that seem to have contributed to 'intelligence' in the natural world (like our brains). I liked all the various definitions of intelligence!

It goes into the details of various architectural approaches to designing systems of interacting, or collaborating components. I found the material on the necessity of common agent languages (that is, languages in which the agents speak to each other) to be particularly enlightening.

Also especially useful was all the information about autonomy, agent mobility, standards that agents can make use of (like IIOP), and what languages and environments might be particularly suited to IA implementation. There were a couple of subjects that seem, in retrospect, out of place (like OpenDoc). But given that the coverage is about certain architectural and implementation concepts of those subjects that were important to IAs, and that it was only a few pages, this was a minor issue with me.

The book explains, at a surface level, the common soft-computing technologies like ANNs, genetic computing and fuzzy logi! c, as well as more traditional approaches like expert systems. It gives examples of real software that you can buy and use to incorporate these techniques into agents. For example, the book provides a good synopsis of Cyc, which can be used by agents to incorporate 'common sense' reasoning capabilities.

I did not expect it, so I was not surprised that this was not a programming manual. There are a couple of other books on IAs that concentrate on particular kinds of relatively simple agents in particular languages. Yet, to be honest, in lieu of lots of specific code and examples of actual agents, it provides a lot of pointers to other researchers' works in companies and academic settings.

This book is much more than what has appeared on the market thus far. Its breadth is actually pretty amazing considering its length of around 400 pages. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to either gain a good grounding in intelligent agent design and development issues, or to expand one's purview of how intelligence could be enabled within today's and tomorrow's distributed computer systems.

For those of you interested in reading a little history, some present implementations and the possibilities the future holds...this book is for you. If you require a more design-oriented book you might look elsewhere. I absolutely loved this book!!

Intelligente Agenten sind längst nicht mehr nur ein Thema für abgedrehte Software-Entwickler. Microsoft ist in den Markt der Agent Software Produkte eingestiegen und die Regale der Buchhandlungen füllen sich mit Abhandlungen zu diesem Themenkomplex. Inhalt: Michael Kapnik und Jay Johnson beschreiben in Ihrem Buch die Architektur, Technologie und Anwendungen für Intelligente Agenten in ver-teilten Umgebungen. Die Autoren thematisieren nahezu alle Aspekte dieser Technologie. Künstliche Intelligenz in Experten Systemen, Fuzzy Logik, Objektorien-tierung und Architekturen von Agenten bilden den ersten Teil des Buches. Der Vergleich na-türlicher und künstlicher Intelligenz beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, ob Computer die Natur des Gehirns nachbilden können. Die Industriestan-dards CORBA, OpenDoc, OLE/ActiveX und DCE werden als Basis für die Infrastruktur intelli-genter Agenten kurz erleutert. Für Tools und Entwicklungsumgebungen geben die Autoren neben der theoretischen Beschreibung auch einen Marktüberblick über verfügbare Produkte und weiterführende Literatur zu den Tei-laspekten. Im Anschluß werden Design- und Sicher-heitspekte beschrieben. Dies umfaßt die Bereiche Anforderungsanalyse, Plattform, Umgebung und Paradigmen für verteilte Um-gebungen, Client/Server und Mobilität. Daneben werden Methoden zur Fehlerbe-handlung, digitale Signaturen und Konfigurationen durch die Endanwender dar-gestellt. Nachdem die Grundlagen für die Entwicklung der Agenten gelegt sind, beschäftigt sich das Kapitel "Developing Intelligent Agents NOW" mit Sprachen und Entwicklungsumgebungen, wie Java, Smalltalk und Telescript. Die Einsatzgebiete intelligenter Agenten sind vielfältig. Viele Anwender setzen sie bereits in Standard-Office-Produkten oder E-Mail-Anwendungen ein. Daneben unterstützen in-telligente Agenten ihre Anwender im Netzwerk-Management, bei der Suche im WWW, bei der Filterung von Daten, beim Kommunikations-management und vielen anderen Bereichen. Der Ausblick in die Zukunft intelligenter Agen-ten bi! ldet den Abschluß des Buches. Neben weiteren Anwendungsgebieten für Agenten in Datenbanken, im Netzwerkmanagement, in Suchmaschinen und im Privatbereich wird auch auf mögliche Gefahren durch spionierende oder destruktiv agierende Agenten hingewie-sen. Beurteilung: Sätze, wie "Mein Computer fühlt sich alleine, weil ich es bin" zeigen, daß es sich nicht um eine theoretische Abhandlung über die Agen-ten-Technologie handelt. Immer wieder stellen die Autoren einen praktischen Bezug her oder wagen einen Blick in die Zukunft. Es gibt je-doch auch Kapitel, die nicht so leicht zu lesen sind. Dies ergibt sich aus der Komplexität der behandelten Themen. Denn die Entwicklung intelligenter Agenten in verteilten Umgebungen ist nicht trivial. Das Buch liefert das "Handwerkszeug" für die Entwicklung verteilter Systeme mit Hilfe intelli-genter Agenten. Es schneidet alle relevanten Themen an, ohne dabei zu theoretisch zu wer-den. Aufgrund des Umfangs der behandelten Themen sind die einzelnen Technologien nicht erschöpfend dargestellt. Wer detaillierte In-formationen benötigt, kann jedoch auf weiterführende Literatur, auf die in dem Buch hingewiesen wird, zurückgreifen.

Very comprehensive easy to read resource regarding cardiac drugs that is designed for health care professionals. I exceptionally like the links to updated information on the web site.

This is a classic of cardiovascular medicine. In its newest edition Opie's book is excellent in many ways: first, it is a small book, almost a pocket-book, and loaded with concise yet precise infformation. It is the kind of book you can put in your black bag and you can belive it will be valuable anywhere, from the ICU to the ambulatory. There are many excellent chapters on drugs, all of them with an solid pharmacological basis, each chapter is an great review of the subject. But the best of this book is that it is very practical: it goes straight to the problems more commonly found in the cardiology office or in the ICU, with the big advantage of being small and portable. An must-have book for physicians intrested in cardiology and in cardiovascular drugs pharmacology, also excellent for residents. Hope we have an new edition of this great book soon!

I happened to see this book with a cardiology resident..owing to its sleek size he was carrying it in his pocket. Although the edition was 5th, i was so impressed with the chapters on beta blockers, ace inhibitors..Not only every chapter covers the basic pharmacokinetics and dynamics of each group in detail, but each drug has been considered individually as well. Add to it, the references to the clinical trials conducted, the book is indispensable. Especially the last chapter "which therapy for which condition", is a section for quick reviews before grand rounds. I made up my mind that very instant..this book is a MUST have!

'Monsieur Proust' is based on tape recorded interviews with Marcel Proust's personal assistant/chambermaid Celeste Albaret, made in the 1970's, several decades after Marcel's death. The text has (probably) been altered from the spoken word, and is very clear, consistent and readable. Celeste tells in detail about the last ten years of Proust's life, which he mostly spent in his bed, curtains blocking the light and a layer of cork shutting out noises - writing on 'À la recherche du temps perdu'. Celeste had to attend to all of Prousts routines and whims: he usually woke up late in the afternoon, ate only a croissant and some coffee and sometimes went out in the middle of the night to attend parties, and Celeste had to stay awake and let Marcel in cause he didn't use a key. As time went by the relationship between Marcel and Celeste became closer, and he became more and more dependent on her.
'Monsieur Proust' is not only about Marcels charming eccentricities. It also gives a glimpse of Paris in the late 1910's, and some insight into Proust as a writer, the relationship between his writing and memory and the demise of the old society. And the debacle between Proust and Gallimard and Gide when 'Du côté de chez Swann' was first refused (something Proust made them regret).
Also, Celeste criticizes some of the established views of Proust given by other commentators, his homosexuality for instance. I don't know how trusted Celeste can be as a narrator, and what may be additions made by the publisher, but 'Monsieur Proust' is a very captivating read.

The pleasure of memoirs is that for all that they allow a circumscribed vision of things they tend to offer coherent narratives of the past, and let you know "what it was like." This famous memoir by Celeste Albaret, Proust's housekeeper for ten years while he was writing his masterpeice, gives us thus a better and more complete view of the writer during his most productive years than could be imagined otherwise. Albaret was not a writer herself--the memoir was composed by others who shaped her oral reminiscences--but this work is beautifully shaped, and flows wonderfully. Almost all the major questions anyone would have about Proust--how he wrote, what he was like, who the bases were for the characters in his novel, and what his relations with his family were like--are answered in due course, and though Albaret retains her biases (she refuses to give much credence to his affairs with his chauffeur and others, for example) she is still as honest as can be. It's clear that she considered knowing and working for Proust the great event of her life, and she feels bound to tell as much as what she saw as she can.

If you're a writer, you can't help but feel curious about the habits of other writers -- particularly the great ones, the writers you admire. How and when did they work? How did they accomplish their masterpieces? Of course, a cross-section of famous writers only demonstrates that there is no one way of working. Hemingway got up at dawn and wrote until lunch or so. Kafka had supper late in the evening and then began to write after ten or eleven o'clock, when everyone else was going to bed. Evidently day is as good as night, if you have talent and the will to write.

One of the more unusual schedules had to be that of Marcel Proust. Unlike Kafka, who wrote at night even though he had to get up in the morning to go to the insurance firm where he worked, Proust was a man of independent means and was thus able to maintain as irregular a schedule as he liked. Or rather, his schedule was highly regularized, it just wasn't exactly "normal." Typically, Proust woke up around four in the afternoon -- if he even really slept that much, which is an open question. Upon awakening, he would "smoke," which was his term for a fumigation process meant to relieve his asthma. Afterward he would drink one or sometimes two cups of cafe au lait prepared according to very stringent requirements. Sometimes he would eat a croissant, sometimes not. If he were staying home for the evening, as he often did in the years he was writing A la Recherche du temps perdu, he might begin work right after this "breakfast." If he was going out, he might not return until the middle of the night. Arriving home at, say, three in the morning, he might spend a few hours telling his chambermaid all about his evening -- and then, at perhaps six in the morning, after having been up all night, he would begin to write. What's more, he always wrote in bed. It really gives new meaning, when you consider this, to the famous opening line of his masterwork: "Longtemps je me suis couche de bonne heure." For a long time I went to bed early -- this was written by a man lying in bed after having been up all night.

The chambermaid who was Proust's nocturnal confidante during the last decade of his life -- precisely when he was writing his masterwork -- outlived him by more than sixty years. (Proust died in 1922, Ms. Albaret in 1984). For the bulk of those years, she maintained a strict silence about her former employer, honoring Proust's own sense of privacy. But finally, late in life, she felt the need to set the record straight and thus agreed to be interviewed for this "as told to" memoir. This is fortunate for fans of Proust, and for fans of literature in general, for her memoir is as intimate a portrait as you can find of any writer. It is the kind of view you produce of a person whom you love, respect, admire, but also serve in the most minute and detailed capacities. You can practically smell Proust's underwear in this book -- which is not to say that it's a lurid tell-all, because it isn't. Ms. Albaret seemed only too content to keep Proust's underwear perfectly clean.

Too clean, some critics have said. And it is true that Ms. Albaret flatly denies Proust's homosexuality. She admits he went to a certain male brothel, but only -- in her view -- to gather information for his book. Otherwise, if he had any trysts during her decade with him, she didn't see them, or didn't want to. But then again, so what? Do you really have to look for stains in the man's underwear? In comparison to all the vanguard writers who were absolute jerks, it comes as something of a relief to read of a writer who comes off as a sweet, generous, nostalgic, insightful man.

Not that Proust didn't have his eccentricities, because certainly he did: his nocturnal schedule, abstemious diet, the cork walls lining his bedroom to prevent noise, the curtains closed to keep out the sunlight. It can almost be harrowing to read of Ms. Albaret's indoctrination into Proust's neurotic universe, and yet at the same time you can recognize that this controlled climate was necessary to enable Proust to recreate the splendid universe of memories in his book. Ms. Albaret says it best herself:

"Now I realize M. Proust's whole object, his whole great sacrifice for his work, was to set himself outside time in order to rediscover it. When there is no more time, there is silence. He needed that silence in order to hear only the voices he wanted to hear, the voices that are in his books. I didn't think about that at the time. But now when I'm alone at night and can't sleep, I seem to see him as he surely must have been in his room after I had left him -- alone too, but in his own night, working at his notebooks when, outside, the sun had long been up."

And perhaps that is also the truest thing anyone can really say of a writer's schedule. Hemingway's dawn, Kafka's evening, Proust's night -- what they all have in common is their own internal rhythm, a private sequence of sun and moon. It was Proust's thesis that writing could recover time lost in reality, and yet the unspoken irony is that in reality you also lose time just in order to write.

Five Minutes: A Comic Thriller is a darkly funny, rip-roaring novel about a fast-talking realtor who is quite possibly the world's worst judge of character. Hunted down by drug dealers, irate customers, a betrayed girlfriend and the husband of a married woman he had an affair with, he has five minutes to live at the opening of the story - perhaps more if he can persuade the angry husband not to point the gun at his head. Then again, perhaps not. Oh, and his mother has come to live with him and won't take no for an answer. A wildly frantic novel about a ne'er do well whose bad deeds have caught up with him, and his wacky struggle to stay just one step ahead of the trigger, suspenseful to the very last word.

Five Minutes: A Comic Thriller is a darkly funny, rip-roaring novel about a fast-talking realtor who is quite possibly the world's worst judge of character. Hunted down by drug dealers, irate customers, a betrayed girlfriend and the husband of a married woman he had an affair with, he has five minutes to live at the opening of the story - perhaps more if he can persuade the angry husband not to point the gun at his head. Then again, perhaps not. Oh, and his mother has come to live with him and won't take no for an answer. A wildly frantic novel about a ne'er do well whose bad deeds have caught up with him, and his wacky struggle to stay just one step ahead of the trigger, suspenseful to the very last word.

Five Minutes: A Comic Thriller is a darkly funny, rip-roaring novel about a fast-talking realtor who is quite possibly the world's worst judge of character. Hunted down by drug dealers, irate customers, a betrayed girlfriend and the husband of a married woman he had an affair with, he has five minutes to live at the opening of the story - perhaps more if he can persuade the angry husband not to point the gun at his head. Then again, perhaps not. Oh, and his mother has come to live with him and won't take no for an answer. A wildly frantic novel about a ne'er do well whose bad deeds have caught up with him, and his wacky struggle to stay just one step ahead of the trigger, suspenseful to the very last word.

A very good handbook when you live in a very uncertain world with no job tenure or job security. Anyone reading the book in the context of career management will find it useful as the sections are generally short and to the point. Also key points are 'bulleted' so it is easy to 'digest' them. The cycle of separating => redefining => positioning => sustaining is very lucidly explained and supported with short case stories. Many of us have to re-invent ourselves; this is a useful handy book to have for thriving in a world that will eventually be dominated by free agents. Even though the book is written for an American readership, it is equally applicable to anywhere on planet earth!

Whether you are a contract or temporary employee, a consultant or freelancer, or working internally in management or on the front-line, FREE AGENTS is a wonderful gamebook for understanding the new world of work. It clearly explains the new rules of the workplace, and what individuals need to do to succeed, adn what organizatitions need to do to attract the individuals that will enable them to succeed. FREE AGENTS presents a clear and accessible four step process for individuals to become FREE AGENTS. It provides strategies and tips for individuals to answer four critical questions: What is the market that I want to serve? What are the unmet needs of this market? What are the assets I bring that can meet these need? How can I continue to acquire new skills, experiences, and relationships that enable me to sustain my employability in that market? This book helped me understand how I need to change my attitudes and actions to create and sustain my own employability. It also helped me see what companies are doing to attract individuals with the skills they need to succeed.

A well-written and logical exploration of the new workplace for both the "employee" & "employer". Defines roles and scenarios for "Free Agents" who shape their careers within one company as well as those who move from company to company. It goes well below the surface (and platitudes) of most self-help books to give real concepts and tools for developing your career and marketability, independent of a specific job or title. It also gives usable guidelines to employers on how to maximize the strengths of "Free Agents" to help grow the company. Case studies highlight the key elements

Hamshim a. Shomari is a virtual mystery man. He has spit the truth out to the youth, and has said very little since. No one has really picked up on this in the intervening 12 years, and built the kind of mass Black social movment he talked about. There are are even very few Black owned entertainment/hip hop companies of any types, less known hip hop cooperatives, as he urged, for example. Further, the Hop Hop Political Summit that has come onto the set is trapped in conventional liberal politics (the Democrats), and is not a new radical tendency or has any such potential, IMHO. Neither is Minister Farrakhan's "Millions" movements, which was invested in so much time and energy by the youth; clearly they must break off and go into an independent political direction to organize the hood directly, and no longer depend on false prophets. I kow this makes ome mad. Just stating it here: This is not a question of "diss", but cold analysis. Where is the proof of a movement(?), if it ain't in the streets, it ain't nowhere. Tell the truth, and let the chips fall where they may! (Malcolm X) The youth and poor people are dying from chemical warfare, internicine violence, poverty and violence, so who is really stepping up?

Of course, hip hop in this period has been dominated by gangsta rap, which is neither revolutionary or "real" by any measure, just all about the bling, accompanied by the worst sexism and nihilism. It was produced and controlled by white media executives as self-destructive counter-revolutionary culture. That is what made the hits on Tupac and Biggie possible. I believe that a radical hip hop activist movement is still coming, and will blow up and conquer everything, just like the Black Power movement did in the late 1960's, superceding the venerable Martin Luther King and the old wing of the civil rights movemnt, and producing the Black Panther Party and other radical tendencies.

"nuff said, Let's Organize the hood! All props to Hashim A. Shomari

This is an excellent, short study of the political possiblities and shortcomings of the current hip-hop culture. It sheds intellectual light on a culture that has moved into the current American consciousness.

Shomari takes the reader by the hand and guides them towards understanding that hip-hop is more than music. Using the Blast Master KRS ONE to frame his argument, this is a must read for newcomers to the culture, old heads, as well as parents who want to make sense of their children's fascination with hip hop music.

Shomari predicted five years ago that hip hop would totally overtake popular culture and his predictions are on the mark.

Hashim Shomari keeps his eyes opened so he can open the eyes of people of color. In this book he shows his concern for the Hip Hop culture and how the media is keeping the slave chains on their minds and souls. Hashim insists that the Hip Hop music has positive features of raising consciousness of the youth who listen to this music. A must read if your 'DOWN BY LAW'.

As this novel opens, it has been just a couple of weeks since the events depicted in the last novel, Stabbing Stephanie. But more important that that or that it is almost Christmas is the fact that it has been a little over two years since the events in Missing Marlene, the first Jane Stuart cozy mystery. Having not heard from her since, Ivy (Marlene's mother) is back for a short time.

As this is a series, I am going to be forced to reveal some details but as always will try to limit the damage for those who have not read the earlier books. In Missing Marlene, Ivy and Jane Stuart had a terrible falling out. Ivy and Jane had been roommates in College and still considered themselves best friends these many years later. Though separated and going through many life changes, they still kept in contact. Marlene was Ivy's daughter and soon after arriving in town to be a nanny to Nick, Jane's son, Marlene vanished and was later found dead. Despite the fact that Marlene was responsible for what happened to her by dealing with some unsavory types, Ivy blamed Jane for her death as well as a laundry list of other issues and ended the friendship.

Truth be told, Jane was somewhat relieved that the friendship ended as she had slowly come to the realization that Ivy was using their friendship as leverage against Jane for whatever she wanted at the moment. But guilt and a deep sense of wanting people in her life to be happy drives Jane and when Ivy suddenly arrives in town, Jane goes once again against her gut feelings. She allows Ivy to shoulder her way back into her life and her home. Soon she learns that Ivy now lives in New York City, a short distance away and has stared a new job and new career. She also has a new boyfriend in her life, John Baglieri. But, as expected, John is not at all what he says he is and neither is their relationship.

Soon after Ivy's arrival, Rhoda Kagan and Adam Forrest visit Jane at her literary agency. Adam is the new owner of Mt. Munsee Lodge located at the top of Mt. Munsee. Adam is trying something different in that he is trying to keep the lodge open during the winter off-season. He is doing it by offering weeklong stays on different themes. But he is in a bind as he has had a sudden cancellation and now has an idea to pitch to Jane. He wants her to organize a sort of writer's retreat for the week between Christmas and New Years using the local writers group and her publishing contacts. While Jane had planned to relax, she soon agrees and with her contacts it does not take long to get things organized.

She also agrees because it will give her a break from Ivy who has already obliviously worn out her welcome. But, Ivy insists that she be allowed to come and after Jane agrees, manages to get her boyfriend John invited along as well. Within minutes of arriving at the retreat the couple soon makes their influence felt by all participants. Almost from the start, the conference disintegrates in literary snobbishness and innuendo and before long, Ivy is dead and the conference is disbanded.

Jane begins to nose around and discovers that amidst all the authors and publishing types, the usual themes of greed and jealousy have taken their toll with more than one perched on the thin edge of madness. This forth novel in the series is another enjoyable read featuring Jane Stuart and the various expected characters, both human and feline. After four books, these characters are like old friends and with no new real ground plowed here in terms of character development, a few dangling problems and themes are cleared up.

As noted in the earlier books, with his personal experience as a novelist, writing teacher and running his own literary agency, Mr. Marshall interweaves a secondary message for those interested in writing as a career. The series is worth reading, if not for anything else, for those literary authors that Jane represents and comes into contact with and how she handles their demands. Those short segments often provide laugh out loud reader reaction and are a key component of the series. This book as the others in the series is a fun, lightweight mystery.

Winky has Kittens, and she is not as featured in this one as the others, but the nanny and Jane make up for it. Jane is up to her snooping again and it almost gets her killed. Her friend Ivy is back and has a motive for renewing the friendship. Believable charactors, and motives really make this series intriging and fun.

Jane and Ivy were roommates in college as well as best friends. When Jane needed a nanny, she employed Ivy's daughter Marlene. When Marlene died, through no fault of Jane's, the friendship was broken until two years later when Ivy visited accompanied by her boyfriend Johnny.

When Ivy lets it slip that she has no place to go for the holidays, Jane invites her former best friend to spend them with her and then go out with her to a writer's treat at Mt. Munsee Lodge. Johnny shows up at the retreat but seems more interested in another guest then he is with Ivy. The last anyone sees of Johnny is a man with a gun chasing him into the nearby woods. Shortly after that Ivy's frozen body is found in the snow, knifed to death. Knowing she won't be able to live with herself if the killer isn't found, Jane starts her own investigation not realizing that if she gets too close to the truth, the perpetrator will have no qualms about killing her too.

Fans of Winky the cat will be delighted to know that she is pregnant and gives birth to six kittens during the course of this book. The childish wonder Jane's son exhibits at this miracle of birth is a joy to behold. The mystery itself is well drawn with so many suspects that Jane, once Johnny is eliminated, doesn't have a clue who did it. She has to go to motive and none of the possible perpetrators have one. Evan Marshall has written a fiendishly clever who-done-it, one that the heroine and the audience will work hard to figure out.

Harriet Klausner

I have fond memories of this book since my husband had this book when we met nad he used to make me recipes from it. It was the only cookbook we had in Tokyo in English. I think we may still have that old paperback somewhere. At these prices I'm hoping for a reprint. But the whole point is adventure mixed with t4he sensuality and homliness of cooking. We all are human in our stomachs.

recipes are not necessary. would benefit from editing, but a fascinating and fast paced world of intrigue!

The book may seem "easy" at first, but it offers wonderful look into the life of a (forced to be) spy, who through all sorts of adventures during the WWII's Europe basically takes care of himself and through simply being good, takes care of others...to make it more interesting in a way not to harm anyone. I highly recommend the book for being both good, deep look into people's nature in extraordinary circumstances and for some excellent recipes.

Maskell makes the case that typical cost account managers currently waste their financial knowledge tallying irrelevant columns of numbers and complying with narrow governmental regulations. He then details how they can provide critical business information to help managers make daily operational decisions (hence the book's title). Agile companies understand that this is definitely not an esoteric topic (despite only 2 reviews in 6 years). Business leaders who undertake the transformation of their accounting departments can realize a big competitive advantage. You can spot such evolved companies when their accounting books no longer represent inventory as an asset and developing employees as a liability.

Maskell takes a baseball bat to the Accounting Bee Hive with a call to ACTION for Accounting to become an integral part of the transformation of their business.

Concise, with clear steps to creating an improvement plan, the book is meant to start a dialogue among the Accounting community that will inevitably lead to a fundamental shift in how Accountants see their role in the organization. "Traditional Management Accounting is irrelevant at best," is enough to wake up even the stauchest dyed-in-the-Wool Cost Accountants and start them on a path to looking forward in the organization instead of focusing on past results.

This is a modern and fresh look at accounting the way it should be. When the universities start teaching this to our future accountants we may once again lead the world at our own game.