Agent Books

This book is one of the best books that I have listened to this year! How do we get more business owners and presidents to take the advice of this book?

Change means taking people out of their comfort zone. Change is painful. Countless self-help books and score of motivational speakers would tell you to embrace change, and that change is good/what one needs to grow/ [substitute your own here]. May be, but all of that is just sugar coating. The best you can argue is probably that some change is less painful than the others. Some people have trouble changing from having two sugar in their coffee to one. You know it's good for you but it's a pain.

After studying large businesses, John P. Kotter deduced that any major organisational change must followed these 8 steps, and in sequence.

1.Establishing a sense of urgency
2.Build a group with senior management support
3.Developing a vision and strategy
4.Constantly communicate the change vision
5.Empower employee to take action, encourage employee to take calculated risk
6.Generate short-terms wins, celebrate wins to build momentum
7.Use increased credibility to propagate more change throughout the organisation
8.Don't stop. Keep pushing so the change can become a habit.

Kotter wrote that outstanding leaders takes a long term view, decades or even centuries can be meaningful time frames for major change. Some says the book is outdated. New forms of communication, and the Internet have change the way people interact with one another. I still like simplicity of the 8 processes. The problem is getting senior and middle management to buy into it. There are no shortage of company paying lip service to "empowering" employee or think communicating change as a half day training session, one time only. I do, however, believe a decade long change program is unrealistic.

Technical people hate words like vision and strategy. Weasel words like these are too easily regurgitated out when management have no idea. Kotter did a great job changing my perception by telling a story:

Three groups of people looking for a safe resting place during a rain-storm. The first leader gave order to his group to "Get Up and Follow Me, Now!", a few did. The 2nd leader provided detailed instructions for the group - stand up, march in this direction, two feet apart, stop before the tree...etc. In the 3rd group, someone tells the others: "It's going to rain. Why don't we go over there by the tree. We'll stay dry, and have fresh apples for lunch."

A vision serves 3 important purposes: to provide a clear general direction for change; to motivate people to take action in the right direction, even if its mean initial pain; to help align individuals and coordinate the actions of different people in an efficient way.

BUY THE BOOK! If your organizaiton is failing in its re-organization then read his book. He will describe in infinte deatil the correct steps that your organizational leaders must perform. He provides real life examples of success and failure.

Louis

This book is what I needed and I enjoy the book. I received fast service.

This is one of the founding titles in the field of Organizational Change Management. For those who are just entering the field, I recommend reading this book to gain a sense of what the field used to be like in the mid 1990s. It will help you to baseline your current insights and understanding about Organizational Change Management today. The book below is another must read, must understand for those just entering the field. Happy reading!

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change

Albeit the book digress of the main plot once and again it'll keep you interested in the story. You'll have some inklings of who is the bad guy but only at the book's end and then you'll ask yourself "of course why didn't I see it before?" Once you reach half the book you won't be able to stop reading.

I read many of the other reviews, this one just didn't do it for me. It was still good and very fast reading.

This is a funny, emotional, and compelling book. I love all Myron Bolitar books because they are great stories that are flat out fun. This one adds the story of Myron being a father and what that means. Excellent!

You will be asking yourself this by the time you get done this story. Myron must use some ruthless tactics in this one to try and save a person's life and this person is very important to him. Of course ruthless is Win's middle name and he has no remorse when it comes to dealing with evil with his Sixth Degree Black Belt mind and body.

The reason that I gave this story a three is because it's slow first half and lack of action. I like more action with a mystery such as this one. The end is very good and kept me guessing. I like the characters in this series, but they were all a little dull.

I have only recently started reading Harlan Corben(s) books, and this is the second of the Myron Bolitar searies. Fun tongue-n-cheek writing, with great twists. I liked "Promise Me" better. When stumped for a good page turner to buy, Mr. Corben is on my best bet list, along with Joseph Finder, Peter Straub, Richard Preston and of course Stephen King.

The Members of Turning Pages Book Club, unanimously found the "Black Bird Papers", to be wonderfully written, with both excellent flowing dialogue and descriptive scenarios. The reader was taken on a journey through beautiful scenarios at Dartmouth University located in Vermont; with such vivid description as ,"the open horizon,a kaleidoscope of rich colors and textures...as they looked over the mountain and down into the tree topped terrain of the valley;...the jagged white snow caps"... (pg.325).
The reader is not only lured in to the unfolding murder mystery, you are also lead into each area surrounding the case with vivid descriptions of each location and character involved in the story.
The storyline, was very believable, with a simple plot,involving innocent people, who are just,going about their daily routines;(the distinguished professor Wilson Bledsoe), the character,which the story unfolds around; his wife, plenty of villains, good guys and his brother who works for the FBI, and turns out to be the main protagonist in the story, (Agent, Sterling Bledsoe).
This story would make an ideal movie with all of action and interesting characters, along with the beautiful back drop of the featured college town located in Vermont.
Great job, Dr. Ian Smith, we hope that you will continue to write stories with Agent, Sterling Bledsoe as one of the main characters.

Professor Wilson August Bledsoe of Dartmouth College, esteemed Nobel and a $2 million Devonshire winner in Science attends a party in his honor for his Devonshire win at the home of the Dartmouth's president Wallace Mortimer the III. As a lover of science, nature and simplicity he had to be encouraged to attend this party by his loving wife Kay. Though she could not attend due to illness, she had his favorite meal prepared for his arrival from the party knowing his appearance would be brief.

In pouring rain, Wilson see's two men stranded on the road, give's Kay a call and let's her know he'll be a little late because he was stopping to help the men. Helping those in need was a part of his nature, and rain wouldn't stop him from doing so on this night. Little did he know that the men that he stopped to help would be the last people he would ever see or help. He would become a victim of murder at their hands.

Enter Sterling Bledsoe, Wilson's younger brother. Kay call's Sterling to inform him that Wilson was missing. As a creature of habit and much meticulousness, it was highly irregular for Wilson to be out and not call. Kay knew that there was a problem. Sterling, an FBI Agent and Professor at Hunter College loved his brother but their relationship had always been tenuous at best because in Sterling's eyes, his brother was always favored over him, for years he hated him and even had to seek therapy to sort out his feelings. As such the thought of something happening to his brother sprang him into action. Though it was against Agency policy Sterling insisted on being the lead on the case and took off for New Hampshire.

Within days Wilson's body was recovered and his body contained clues, a very prominent one pointed to a white hate group. The other was not so clear, however it would be become clearer to Sterling through his investigation. The not so clear clue was surrounding a blackbird. As Sterling delve further the blackbird took on an almost mystical significance, which lead him to what he believed was the real motive behind Wilson's murder a massive dying off of the blackbird population in area which Wilson had developed a keen interest in. While Sterling delve further into the blackbird deaths, the human body count increased, suspicion was raised that Sterling had something to do with the murder of his own brother and consequently his own life was endangered. What Sterling uncovers is absolutely startling, and would shake up the entire community, for good.

Many of us know Dr. Ian Smith from the former Tavis Smiley radio show, Celebrity Fit Club and the 50 Million Pound Challenge, however in 2004 Smith wrote a novel called The Blackbird Papers and it is truly a gift. Smith combined a quaint academic setting, with a grisly murder, a "CSI" worthy investigation, sibling rivalry and much more into a tight, well-written tome with enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested but absolutely clear on the story's path. This is a highly enjoyable, read and is highly recommended.

I really don't understand all the good reviews here. I thought this novel was poorly written, unimaginative, unoriginal, and cliched. If you want an honest review, check out the New York Times "Books in Brief" review. It was obvious in the first chapter who the diabolical mastermind was - so there never was much of a mystery. I also found a great deal of the book almost insulting in its implausibility. The only reason I finished the book at all was to be able to say with full knowledge, that it has no redeeming qualities. I gave it two stars instead of one only because, I'm sure worse books have been written - so I'm grading on a curve.

I thought I was enjoying the book but somewhere along the way it become a job to finish the novel. The plot was all right and the birds were enjoyable but somewhere it lacked something. That something that keeps you wanting to continue and finding you are almost done and wishing it wasn't. I bet his future books will become better and I will look forward to trying them in the future.

I could not get this story out of my head! A friend recommended it, and I am ashamed that I took so long to get around to reading it. This was an interesting book and an EXCELLENTLY crafted mystery. One special feature of the novel is the perspective on nature, and how it can be both beautiful and cruel at the same time. I was also very impressed by the ease with which Dr. Smith entered the world of writing mystery-thrillers-- I would not have guess that he was a first time novelist and a physician, except that I had already seen him on TV!

In terms of literature and writing style, the book is not incredibly original, but few mysteries are. As a story, this one really can't be beat. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery, especially African American book clubs, because we need more books like this one -- Sterling Bledsoe, a black character who is a FBI agent, and not a street hustler. A very refreshing portrayal!

Alright, I knew "who dunnit" pretty early on, but it was still a fun read. Mr. McNab for obvious reasons brought a great deal of verismilitude to the story. I'll definitely be picking up more of his fiction.

this Book is his best one so far i think, it was very hard for me to put it down and i think it's a very exciting read and andy has a great story once more and the more the book advances you are wondering how the book will end, very good job Andy!

Great setting for a crime - everyone snowbound or snowblind perhaps. The psychologist/sleuth is only a husband bringing his
wife's purse to the hospital. A good read if you enjoy lawyers in trouble

With all due respect to Andy, I think he should stick with writing true crime/non-fiction books as he did before ("Immediate Action" and "Bravo Two Zero"; both great, especially the latter one).

There is a good thing, though, that comes out of this book. I learned how to go into hiding, how to evade the enemy, how to conduct survaillance, how to lose people in the crowds, how to lie when checking into hotels, how to ditch cars and never use credit cards while on the run. Not to mention how to make home-made bombs using kitchen cleaners. It's a good guide on what to do while hiding from government agencies or 'other organizations'. "A Fugitive's Manual".

Otherwise, as a fiction novel, it's not all that good. But I still appreciate the tips!

Recently, I acquired a copy of the Stephen Leather thriller, Hot Blood (A Dan Shepherd Mystery), which had on its front cover a sticker that screamed "Better than Andy McNab or your money back". Leather's ongoing fictional hero, Dan "Spider" Shepherd, is a former member of the SAS now working for an ultra-secret undercover unit of London's Metropolitan Police. Nick Stone, the protagonist making his initial appearance here in McNab's first novel, REMOTE CONTROL, is an ex-SAS trooper now working for MI6. What, do Leather and McNab have a mano-a-mano thing going? (I don't ever remember seeing a Dean Koontz release with the claim, "King writes dross; read my stuff.") When queried by me, Stephen said that his publisher suggested the ploy. But, since I did end up buying REMOTE CONTROL, perhaps the point is to sell more books from both.

Here, Stone is tasked by his SIS controller to follow two hard IRA boyos to Washington, DC, to see what mischief they're up to. Once comfortable in his hotel room, Nick is almost immediately recalled home. But, before catching the next plane back across The Pond, Stone decides to visit old SAS pal Kev, now working for the DEA. Arriving at Kev's suburban home, Nick discovers his buddy bludgeoned to death and his wife and one of two daughters with their throats cut. Stone find's the second daughter, 7-year old Kelly, cowering in a hidey-hole. Realizing that Kelly saw the killers and her life is now in peril, and that he himself may become a suspect in the bloodbath, Stone grabs the girl and runs. Over the remainder of the book, our hero must discover the identity of the murderers, protect Kelly, and get both of them to safety in England where his boss, Simmonds, will certainly sort things out.

For a first novel, REMOTE CONTROL is better than average. McNab's personal tour of duty with the SAS imparts a patina of realism to the actions of his Stone character. Indeed, Nick is a Tough Guy in somewhat the same vein as author Lee Child's ex-Army MP, Jack Reacher. At one point in a desperate, hand-to-hand struggle with a Bad Guy over control of a pistol, Stone must essentially chew the man's face apart. Somehow, I don't see Leather's hero doing anything so messy.

One of the criticism's I've made of the Dan Shepherd series is the fact that Spider's young son Liam is trotted out as a prop in every installment to re-emphasize that widower Shepherd is otherwise a warm, decent, family man whose day job takes him to the world's hard and grotty edges. In REMOTE CONTROL, Kelly also starts out as a prop. But, by the conclusion, she plays an integral, nail-biting, and very satisfying part. I see from plot summaries that Kelly also appears in follow-up volumes of the Nick Stone series, so I've gone ahead and ordered the second out of curiosity to see where McNab takes the character.

The drawbacks to REMOTE CONTROL are that we've seen the scenario before in books and films - adult and child flee a deadly conspiracy hand-in-hand - and, well before the end, the coming betrayal twist becomes all to obvious.

By profession, Stephen Leather is a journalist who's lived all over the world. McNab - a pseudonym ostensibly to protect his identity from vengeful terrorists left over from his bad old SAS days - continues to work with intelligence organizations on both sides of the Atlantic. I suspect, therefore, that Andy's books will be more realistic in the finer points, while Stephen's will show a wider scope of imagination. In any case, both are excellent British authors creating some very entertaining reads.

Hey, Stephen and Andy, why don't you both co-author a thriller in which both Dan and Nick appear? The potential for a friendly, or not so friendly, rivalry between the two heroes is almost too good to pass up.

I love, love, love Harlen Coben's books/writing. The Myron series is just the best and I look forward to him returning them to paper. You won't be disappointed in this, or the other reads. From the first paragraph to the last, it is a page turner. And the humor that comes from Myron and his co-stars is just icing on the cake.

I couldn't put this book down! I finished it in two days. Myron Bolitar fans will be pleased!

another good coben novel.....I can't wait to read them all, we pass them around in the office.

You really should read the Myron Bolitar novels in order to see the characters evolve. This book has all the trademarks of all the MB books-its hilarious, action packed, unpredictable, and satisfies at the end. I don't know if there is a better series out there than Myron Bolitar.

ONE FALSE MOVE is the fifth novel in Harlan Coben's "Myron Bolitar" series about a sports agent who solves crimes related to his clients. I think it's the best in the series so far.

I read a ton of thrillers, and Coben is one of the most consistently entertaining writers in the genre. He's a first-class plotter, and his characters are both funny and endearing. While Coben is best known for his more recent standalone thrillers, his Bolitar novels are also well worth seeking out.

ONE FALSE MOVE, in particular, showcases Coben's many strengths: it is very tightly written, moves like lightning, and is both funny and suspenseful. There are also several moments, involving Bolitar's personal life, that are quite emotionally touching. Overall, this is a first class effort by a great storyteller.

Although you can read the Bolitar novels in any order, I recommend reading them in sequence (starting with DEAL BREAKER) to maximize your enjoyment.

A very, very short but very, very wonderful book that takes place during WWII. In a remote, unnamed town in an unnamed country, Nazis take control, thinking themselves in an easy position with all the arrogance of a regime of people with radical ideals. They quickly discover it's not much of a picnic to be in a town full of people silently resenting you and ready to take action the moment one of the invaders lets down their guard, whatever the consequences. This book might have only been a bit over a hundred pages but it was vastly moving and really impressed itself on my mind. Highly recommended.

In 1942, at the height of the Nazi domination of Europe, Steinbeck wrote this novella about a small mining town under enemy occupation. Neither the country nor the aggressor is specified, and the character names are generically European, but everything fits the German conquest of Norway in 1940. Steinbeck wrote the book frankly as propaganda, as a contribution to the war effort; the introduction by Donald V. Coers to the Penguin Classics edition admirably documents the success the novel had in numerous translations smuggled into occupied Europe. Coers also discusses the controversy that the book stirred up among critics in America, some of whom accused Steinbeck almost of literary collaboration.

But therein lies its fascination. At first blush, the subject suggests a story of helmeted Nazis and daring saboteurs by Alistair MacLean or Jack Higgins, and propaganda would seem a rather low literary form. But the amazing thing -- though obvious in retrospect -- is that Steinbeck keeps his own style intact, just as though he were writing of the American heartland. He is less concerned with great events than with the people caught up in them, and he describes them with the same understanding, warmth, and even humor that he would bring to CANNERY ROW or EAST OF EDEN. Furthermore -- and this is what so shocked his critics -- he finds the same humanity in the occupying soldiers as among the victim population. I titled this review "Occupation" rather than "Resistance" because Steinbeck's book really is two-sided, and shows the soldiers being destroyed as much by their own isolation and loneliness as by the overt acts of the people. The nearest thing to a stereotypical Nazi is the keen-as-mustard Captain Loft, who wants to do everything by the book. But his commanding officer, Colonel Lanser, says of him: "He's frightened. I know his kind. He has to be disciplined when he's afraid or he'll go to pieces. He relies on discipline the way other men rely on sympathy."

Lanser, the First War veteran who sees the folly of his orders even as he is forced to follow them, is one of the two richest characters in the book. The other is Mayor Orden, the aging representative of the townspeople, who is confused by events at first, but gradually comes to realize his true role. The scenes between these two men, impossible negotiations unresolved by their shared humanity, show Steinbeck at his best. Even Steinbeck's slightly awkward reach for grandeur towards the end, when Orden tries to quote Socrates, is redeemed by the fact that the old man cannot quite remember the words. Whatever the context, Steinbeck writes best about ordinary people because he can imagine himself in their minds and feelings. The fact that he is writing about a situation he had never experienced in a country he has never visited, makes that feat of imagination nothing less than amazing.

Now it was that the conqueror was surrounded, the men of the battalion alone among silent enemies, and no man might relax his guard for even a moment. If he did, he disappeared, and some snowdrift reeived his body. If he went alone to a woman, he disappeared. The men of the battalion could sing only together, could dance only together, and dancing gradually stopped and the singing expressed a longing for home. THeir talk was of friends and relatives who loved them and their longings were for warmth and love, because a man can be a soldier for only so many hours a day and for only so man months in a year, and then he wants to be a man again, wants girls and drinks and music and laughter and ease, and when these are cut off, they become irrestibly desirable. "

~John Steinbeck, The Moon is Down

This book, written and released in the first year of of the Second World War, was extremely contraversial for Steinbeck. He had already established himself as a wonderful author whom was loved and respected for his clever word choice and characters, but the authoring of this book called him into question in some eyes.

He tells the story of an occupied country, more importantly, an occupied city, where the invading soldiers come into a peaceable-minded people's town and try to slowly take power; eventually seeing that no one takes well to enslavement, and winter begins. Steinbeck gives each character on each side equal time to tell their reasons for being there, for killing the soldier, for falling in love with the coal miner's wife and visiting her on rounds, for being a mayor who stands up to the colonel but does not consider himself to be very brave.

We find out the minds of all creatures of war, the occupied, the enslaving, the confused and angry.

"Good. Now I'll tell you, and I hope you'll understand it. You're not a man anymore. You are a soldier. Your comfort is of no importance and, Lieutenant, your life isn't of much importance. If you live, you will have memories. That's about all you have. Meanwhile you must take orders and carry them out. Most of the orders will be unpleasant, bu that's not your business. I will not lie to you, Lieutenant. They should have trainedyou for this, and not for flower-strewn streets. They should have build your soul with truth, not led along with lies... We can't take care of your soul."

When I read this, I wonder about our troops in Iraq. I wonder about the Iraqi refugees trying to flee from the destruction and pain we've caused, for whatever end. War is an ugly business, and this book shed light on it for me as just that: a snapshot into war and how it effects the creatures within it.

I recommend The Moon is Down and promise you will be moved by the simple story John Steinbeck tells about this unnamed town somewhere in the snow, fighting for their lives by turning cold, hanging solidly together, while soldiers attempt to hold the entire existence under control, even though they long for the familiarity of home.

"Do you remember in school, the Apology ? Do you remember Socrates says, 'Someone will say, "And you are not ashamed , Socrates of a course of life which is likely to bring you an untimely end?" To him I may fairly answer, "There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether he is doing right or wrong'."

This is Steinbeck's fifth novel or more accurately a novella. The writing is exceptional and it must be ranked as average or better, but it is short and cannot be compared with his best known novel "Grapes of Wrath." Steinbeck shifts his focus away from California and gives us a very interesting book based on World War II. Think it is exceptional and one of his better short works. It is almost as good as his other famous novella "Of Mice and Men," which was his first novel. I have read most of his works including the present, which is an interesting and a must read for Steinbeck fans. It has interesting prose and good drama, and it is very well written. I would rank it on par with "Cannery Row" and ahead of "The Pearl" and better than "Tortilla Flat" in my opinion - based on the writing.

It is an interesting book. It is about resistance to an invading force. We can assume that it is probably Norway during World War II, and their resistance to Germany, but Steinbeck keeps it a bit vague which broadens the appeal of the book. It could apply to any invading force.

John Steinbeck (1902 - 1968) was among the best known American writers of the 20th century. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize for literature. His 1939 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Grapes of Wrath" has over ten million copies in print.

Steinbeck was born in rural California, went to Stanford, and spent most of his life in California. He has been associated with the plight of farm workers and others. His books have been very popular and many were made into movies and stage productions. He won an Academy Award nomination for best story in 1944.

I have read a number of his novels and am still surprised with the quality of his work - especially his short stories and short novels and this is another good example. The present work is short and probably ranks among the middle or higher of his 17 novels and novellas. Readers will appreciate the clarity of the prose, the characters, and the message.

It is not a heavy read and takes one evenings to read. I liked the book and give it a positive recommendation, and it would be high on my list of Steinbeck novels.

As a suggestion, do not buy the book alone, but rather would buy it as part of a collection such as Steinbeck's book: "The Short Novels of John Steinbeck," from Viking Press in 1953, and updated versions of that book.

The Moon Is Down is a history book. It wasn't written to be such but it is now. It's a history of everything right and most things wrong during World War II.

John Steinbeck takes us on a journey of a people conquered physically but not in their hearts and souls. It's a good read. . . a very good read, because it reminds us of what terrible things can happen, Man's Inhumanity to Man, to coin a phrase.

But it also reminds us of strength and honor. It shows us what can be, good and bad.

It is not Steinbeck's best but it is still good. It isn't Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men, but not every book is. It's good, very good.

Barbara Corcoran knows how to sell but her mother was an inadequate financial educator. According to an online blog:

"The lessons themselves are interesting and useful, but Corcoran, who boasts straight D's in high school and college demonstrated that there were some important economics lessons that were missing or forgotten. The other morning on the Today Show, she gave her take on the current crisis of foreclosures: the big financial institutions lured poor suckers to buy homes they couldn't afford in order to make a buck, and the government wasn't doing enough to help these poor people. Some of you might recall that real estate brokers were involved somewhere in the this process...hmm, what was that? Oh, yea brokering the transactions. Hey, Corcoran is a broker!
Apparently, one of the lessons her mom taught her was, "always cast blame in every direction but yours."
Corcoran established her credibility on economics, as it were, beginning in November 2005, when she was pooh-poohing economists who were warning about the unsustainability of the housing boom:
It's funny what's happening right now - there's so much uncertainty in the market, and everybody's been spooked by all the media coverage that's out there that it really is a great time to buy. It's a great opportunity right now, and I don't think it's going to last very long...This 'bubble babble' is baloney, and it's scaring people away and making buyers "think about it", and while they're "thinking about it", the house prices are going to go up, and I truly believe that.
By next Fall, Corcoran was singing a different tune...about why people should be buying: If you look at the actual sale prices, the deals that are happening now, prices have already come down, and they've come down by a lot.
Another lesson she learned was, "It's OK to mislead your customers in order to make a sale." end of quote

The net of this is that Ms. Corcoran thinks that taxpayers (she doesn't seem to understand that our taxes fund the government) and retirees (she doesn't seem to understand that most retirees are invested in these financial instutitions) should pick up the costs of her firm's pushing people into homes they couldn't afford.

This is a reasonable book about selling and has cute stories. However, I would not recommend this book or Ms Corcoran for advice. Personally I'm in the market for one of those NYC multi-million dollar apartments and after the Today Show, I won't be turning to Ms Corcoran. The only thing that would change my mind is if she begins to take responsibility for her role in the real estate crisis, and takes a basic supply and demand econ class (and earns at least a C).

I read this book off and on for two days because I couldn't put it down! This book really surprised me in that it is packed with good advice and stories that will make you laugh and astonish you. I liked how her family was presented, it made me wish I had grown up with them! I loved how the stories from her childhood were directly related to how she operated her business.

This is one great book! Anyone in business for themselves should read it. This book is interesting, funny, exciting and fun to read. You really do get hooked into and can't put it down! This has got to be THE best business book I've ever read!

I thought the Bonus Manual was a great way to end the book!

I almost feel like my review should be first.

I have squandered a small fortune on self improvement books.

This book enabled me to commit.

And if you haven't committed then you are waiting.

This book was such a good read, and so full of basic common sense and encouragement that you (women is particular) can do anything you set your mind to. I highly, highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book.Practical, upbeat,encouraging. While I am in the healthcare field I learned many things that I was able put into practice in my own business. I really learned a lot and highly recommend this book. Susanna Thomas

Why is Myron's best friend in jail? Why won't she speak with Myron? True friends are always there when you need them and Myron and his friends don't disappoint.

Watch as this unfolds into an amusing and interesting story.

I loved the book. Harlan Coben is one of the best author's of this genre.

I loved the book. Just finished it and have started another. It's great to find a new author to enjoy.

The Myron Bolitar series is awesome. These books are just as good as his individual novels but they have a much more positve mood, are funnier, and are just great fun. This one was not complex but not so much that you got lost, and once again, as in Fade Away, it ended up having a great deal to do with Myron's past. Awesome!

I'm a big fan of Harlan Coben, who I consider one of the best suspense writers working today. Like many people, I read Coben's standalone novels, like TELL NO ONE, first. I am now working my way through Coben's older novels, a series of murder mysteries involving a sports agent named Myron Bolitar. THE FINAL DETAIL is the sixth novel in that series, and it's very enjoyable.

I've read almost all of the Bolitar novels now, and I'm very impressed with this series as a whole. The Bolitar novels are more comedic than Coben's standalones, but the suspense novel is still very high. I really like Bolitar as a character, and the supporting cast is wonderfully colorful and eccentric. With one exception (BACK SPIN) this series seems to be getting better with each subsequent book, as Coben improves his writing and plotting skills.

THE FINAL DETAIL involves the murder of one of Bolitar's clients, a murder which threatens both his agency and his long-standing relationship with Esperanza, his business partner. The personal stakes for Bolitar are therefore higher in this novel, which leads to a very exciting read. My only quibble with this novel is the resolution, which kind of comes out of left field, and is not particularly believable. Overall, though, this book is both suspenseful and hilarious, a really fun read at every level.

While this Bolitar novel isn't quite as great as the one before it (ONE FALSE MOVE), it's a worthy addition to the series. I would, however, caution readers not to make this novel their first Bolitar read -- there are simply too many references to prior books and characters. Read the Bolitar books in order to maximize your enjoyment.

I'd recommend this book or Casino Royale if you're curious about the 007 series but don't want to read more than one or two. "From Russia with Love" showcases Ian Fleming's background in military intelligence (MI5) for the British navy during World War II. The movie stays pretty much true to the book -- except for the ending. JFK was right to praise this book. It's macabre to note that Bond novels and movies -- especially this one -- sometimes have mild anti-Communist themes and that Marxist subversives (Oswald and Sirhan) killed both Kennedys in the '60s.

I just finished reading FRWL a 2nd time, with 10 yrs between readings. It's a nice contrast to the rambling texts that litter today's best seller lists. Again I enjoyed the crisp, tight prose; the delayed introduction of Bond's character; the villians and heroes; the "cultural" drama of the Cold War. It's truly an espionage tale "par excellence." I concur with other 5-star reviews -- stop reading here and pick up the book!

Though it ends with as sharp a period as any Ian Fleming ever made, the operative punctuation in 1957's "From Russia, With Love" is found in its very title, a comma. "From Russia" is not an end but a turning, from the lighter Bond adventures Fleming penned at the start of the series toward twistier, more complex yarns.

It's also one of the most captivating of Bond stories. It opens with an image of a well-built naked man lying face-down on a rose-hedged lawn. He looks dead but is very much alive, dangerously so, as we discover. Red Grant is not only powerful, he is madly homicidal, a combination that endears him to his Soviet masters. Grant's latest assignment, part of a larger operation to embarrass the British secret service, involves the killing of one of only three Britishers who hold the dread double-0 distinction and thus is kind of Grant's opposite number: 007.

"English spies we have captured speak highly of the man", one Soviet spymaster notes. "He is certainly much admired in his Service. He is said to be a lone wolf, but a very good-looking one."

To demoralize the British and reverse a string of losses, head Soviet spykiller General G. commands Bond not only be killed, but "killed with IGNOMINY". Enter Tatiana Romanova, a beautiful, mild-mannered government clerk who becomes both pawn and queen in the chess game against Bond.

The build-up is great, and once Bond enters the scene, like a matador the last to enter the bullring, Fleming kicks the story into an even higher gear. Buying the cover story that Tatiana has fallen in love with him from a file photo and wants to give him a secret Russian decoder, Bond travels to Istanbul and meets Darko Karim, the British secret service's chief Turkish ally. Fleming bathes us in atmosphere, and takes us from a gypsy catfight to a nighttime assassination to a hotel-room seduction in a classic example of "the Fleming Sweep."

"Near the airport a dog barked excitedly at an unknown human smell," Fleming writes. "Bond suddenly realized that he had come into the East where the guard-dog howls all night. For some reason the realization sent a pang of pleasure and excitement into his heart."

"From Russia, With Love" may well be Fleming at his least politically correct. Tatiana is little more than a plaything, while Darko Karim regales Bond with his un-Western notions of romancing a woman, which involves chaining her to a wall and feeding her table scraps until she falls in love with him. But this is part of "Russia's" dark charm, presenting such awful ideas so palatably in the form of Karim, one of the best characters in the 007 series with his fatalistic charm and suavity.

"Russia" comes up short only in the adventure department, with Bond little more of an active player here than he was in "Diamonds Are Forever" and getting a ludicrously detailed rundown of the enemy plot before his "liquidation". The ending is definitely improvable (and was in the subsequent screen adaptation, the best of all the Bond movies).

I'd call the earlier "Casino Royale" and later "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" the best Bond novels, but "Russia" lays down the groundwork of the entire 007 concept with unrivaled drama and passion. It can be seen today as the moment when James Bond went from diverting pulp fiction to essential cultural touchstone.

They couldn't write a book like this today. For example, the main character--Bond--doesn't even show up until page 123! The entire first third of the book is a detailed following of the villains plotting Bond's death. It's not until we get to the execution that we meet James Bond.

Be that as it may, I found it to be an interesting change of pace, and I was never bored. There is more espionage than action, but when the fighting occurs, it is quick and brutal. Fleming can make you cringe with his viscious descriptions of down-and-dirty combat.

Aside from the lengthy intro without Bond, the movie version seems to have followed the book rather closely (especially compared to some others). However, the Bond of the books is a different man than the Bond of the movies. He's fallible, and prone to getting his heart broken. This, I like. But as another reviewer mentioned, he makes some pretty serious mistakes that nearly cost him his life. It can be hard to root for him as a secret agent at times like this. Still, I do.

And, at least once in each Fleming Bond novel, there seems to be something "inappropriate" by today's standards. This is half the fun of reading them. (In "From Russia With Love," Tania asks Bond to beat her if she overeats and gets fat, and Bond readily agrees. Hilarious!)

Ian Fleming's James Bond novels are certainly not the mixed bag that the films are, but some are certainly better than others. From Russia with Love is, along with Casino Royale and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, among the best.

From Russia with Love starts off on a different foot than most of the other Bond novels. Bond himself doesn't appear until part two, 95 pages into the story. Until then, the story centers on the deadly operatives of SMERSH, Soviet Russia's spy-killing organization. It's this first part that sets up the main plot of the story--a Russian scheme not only to assassinate James Bond, but to do so in a way that will scandalize the English public and shame the Secret Service. One of the more famous Bond girls, young Tatiana Romanova is suckered into posing as "bait" for Bond, and unbeknownst to her, both she and Bond are set up to die at the hands of Irish psychopath Red Grant.

With those pieces in place, the plot proceeds methodically from point A to point B. Fleming was never a master plotter, but that's not the point. Having all the parts set up and ready for action generates enormous suspense--when, for instance, is the serial-killing Grant going to make his inevitable and violent appearance? Even for those who have seen the film version, there's plenty here to surprise and lots of white-knuckle thriller chases, fights, bombings, and near-misses.

The book does have flaws. Bond is a bit too obtuse and more of a pawn than usual, and Tania is just a bit too wide-eyed and innocent, which I suppose is the point. But the book moves so briskly from the opening setup through the building suspense and action that one hardly has time to criticize the characters--the world is moving just as fast for them.

From Russia with Love is one of Fleming's best not only because of his signature pace and action, but because, in this novel, he takes the time to develop menacing villains and show us, before Bond ever steps onstage, just how dangerous they are. The androgynous Rosa Klebb and giant, moon-crazed Red Grant are well-developed and certainly among the best of Bond villains.

On a final note, upon reading this novel have Doctor No, the book's immediate sequel, on hand, because Fleming's ending is so abrupt and laden with ambiguity that you'll want to jump right into the next book. This is either a weakness or a strength. I'll go with strength.

Highly recommended.

I met with Candice when she bought the apartment I was renting in San Francisco last year. As we parted, she gave me her book as a gift. As I started reading her book, I could not let go of it until I finished it. Candice talks about her extraordinary life as a bright, energetic and successful female agent, and a single mother. The book is full of interesting stories, which shed light to the life in FBI. Despite of all her strengths, she struggles for the acceptance of her male peers throughout her career, but she never gives up. Among many interesting stories, she tells how she learned to shoot with a shotgun, which ended up dislocating her shoulder, which apparently never healed. Although the police-work naturally required lots of physical power, she managed to overcame her deficiencies as a female agent with her strong sense of humor, intelligence and knowledge. She became one of the best profilers - a task that requires significant data collection and analysis. The book is full of interesting FBI cases of serial murder, drug dealing, child abduction, and even specific cases we all remember from the media (such as the Tylenol case and Unabomber), in which Candice was involved to solve the mystery and to arrest the guilty party, which makes the reading even more thrilling and interesting. I strongly recommend this book not only as a fun and inspiring reading, but also as a book which provides lots of tips for public safety.

This isn't the best book I've ever read but it's a fun and interesting read about her career in the FBI. She wisely chose stories from her career (which must have been difficult with so many years of experience) and always included down-to-earth humor and humility when appropriate. When she entered, the FBI was still adjusting to having women agents but she remained strong, taking the high road on many occasions when she was not treated fairly. As a result, her career flourished and her life is a story worth hearing. She is truly a trailblazer. Just nobody call her Candy.

This was an interesting book about Candice Delong written by Elisa Petrini. Before becoming connected with the FBI, she'd been a nurse in a psychiatric ward. She was a divorced mother then, still something of a stigma in the early 1980s. In the late '80s she was assigned to the cocaine trafficing in Chicago.

There was a drug pipeline which stretched from the South American country of Columbia, then the cocaine capital of the hemisphere, up through Mexico into Texas; from there to Chicago. I've been told that it went through Lawrenceburg, TN on the way North.

There is a manadatory minimum 20-yr. sentence for anyone caught with ten or more kilograms of cocaine (about 22 lbs.). Each kilo is the size of a brick and worth $15,000 - 30,000 depending on the quality of the drug. Heroin is a lot more. She had some interesting times working with DEA in narcotics, even being tricked into babysitting for the informant on her first case.

She was involved in the Unabomber case and the way they discovered it was a former University of California at Berkley (where Savage (Weiner) may have found his cocaine) professor. She was in on the specifics in Montana,trapping Ted Kaezynski in 1996. Then back to San Francisco, where Savage settled.

She gives good pointers on how to handle home invastion or sexual assault. Always yell "Fire." There are almost twice as many sex crimes against women over sixty as certain killers go after the older women to act out their anger toward the strong female figures in their lives and the fact that elderly women are easier to control. Compliance is by no means the same as consent.

Rape is all about power, not sex. A woman's goal is to survive the attack. About 41% of rapes and sex assaults are committed by acquaintances of the victim. Sex offenders don't think like normal men and are always on the alert for what they think of as "provacative" behavior or dress.

After twenty years, she became a private citizen again and went on the lecture circuit. She is proud of her achievements and the privilege to work as a 'public servant' in the FBI.

What an excellent read! The characters and relationships are very intriguing-the author's world is filled with both obvious and subtle villains, as well as obvious and subtle heroes. Candice herself is fun, likeable and strong enough to give as good as she gets. Though she is being constantly second-guessed, undermined and underestimated, she ends up turning her "weakness" into advantage time and again. The author sets up the rivalry between the FBI and the DEA and her unique role walking between the two. Highly recommended.

This book should be listed under "fiction," because that's what it is. Ms. DeLong is a legend in her mind and her mind only. Anyone who reads this and believes Ms. DeLong actually did the things she claimed to do is living in a dream, just like Ms. DeLong. Don't waste your money. Ms. DeLong is as much a real life Clarice Starling as Barney Fife is Elliot Ness. I would recommend the book if you are looking for a good laugh. I rated this garbage one star because I wasn't given the choice of zero or negative stars.