J Books

This book is a amazing book of Heroic Truth. It tells the truth about many of the literal hells of the 20th century, the countless deaths of millions. It is also the first book i have seen that actually deals with all murders by people/goverments.
In the Kellog-Briand act, if they wanted to outlaw WAR, they should have first outlawed Geonicide and Mass Murder. This may sound strange to many who think of war as the most evil thing of mankind, but in fact, it isnt. War has some loose honor, and loose rules, but they are still there. Geonicide has no rules. Geonicide, and Deomicide are just killing, pursuing, and exterminating.
This book offers a great perspective, and should be read by every living being capable of reading, and if they cant read, then it should be read aloud to them by someone else. This should be taught in all courses, all curiculums,and all course in colleges.
This book is a difficult read, but a must read. But remember though, many of these numbers for many of the atrocities are low, and he figures out the numbers by averaging high numbers and low numbers, which in the case of some, like the USSR, and the 32 million low, were placed by the USSR itself to just make propogande and make the thought into peoples minds. The Low for the USSR is at least 50 million, no less. It could very likely go up to 100 million, if you think about it too, and thus the number of Stalin's murders would go up to, as the other USSR Leaders werent as brutal as him.
China's Murder is also a extreme low. The number Mao Zedong killed is at estimates of a incomprehendable 6 million all-time low record, like saying Fat albert is a light-weight, and the number for mao is at about 35 - 56+ million murdered. This causes some strange statistics.
Overall this book is a classic and book that should be honored as much as the Bible.

It is bewildering to reflect on how many people were murdered in the 20th century by the hand of brutish governments. According to this book's estimates, the figure is around 169,000,000. This one-of-a-kind book is an indispensible compendium that informs the reader about why these mass murders were carried out, but more importantly, how. Hopefully, we will one day learn the lessons of history and stop these kinds of atrocities before they are allowed to reach the magnitude of those chronicled here.

Rummel delves into the historical tensions that brought about most of the conflicts that lead to mass exterminations. Many of us may know nothing beyond the basics about Stalin's Great Terror or Hitler's Holocaust. What's frightening to realize as you read this book is how the demagoguery that lead to these mass murder incidents is not all that far removed from what we hear from some of our own politicians today.

The author also goes into quite a bit of detail about some of the lesser known campaigns of genocide (or democide, as he insists on calling it) of the 20th century, such as that of Turkey against the Armenians, and incidents by the Polish, Japanese, and Pakistanis.

This is an important book. I believe it is one of the most important books I've ever read. No one who considers himself a serious scholar of 20th century history can omit this book from his collection.

And with reason. There is none of the sacrifice, drama or nobility reported in battles. It's not about Thermopylae or Gettysburg.

This is an account of what humanity has done to itself--and continues to this day. It's a book on comparitive demonology. One almost gets the impression that a soldier ripping a baby from his mother's arms, tossing it in the air and catching it on the point of his bayonet is the rule, not the exception. Ditto for POW's captured by front line troops.

The author is a professor of Political Science who finds it amazing that his colleagues write texts on the purposes of government, yet fail to mention that (with the possible exception of the Jewish victims of Nazi genocide) instead of protecting citizens from "the savagery of the jungle" by rule of law, governments have and continue to be, THE greatest killers of all.

"Democide" is the word he coins to combine genocide (murdering because of membership in a hated race, ethnicity,or religion,) plus politicide ( murdering for political purposes, e.g; dissidents ) and mass murder (indiscriminate killing).

Democide is always committed by governments. It is as organized as taxation or road building. Discounting civilians accidentally killed in cross-fires, or even in the aerial bombardments of cities, this still leaves horrifying numbers.

Pre-Twentieth Century? An estimate of 169,198,000 human beings massacred. Since this includes the victims of Genghis Khan, Incas, Conquistadors, etc., There's an obscene tendency to see them as not quite human, not quite real due to the distance in time. So Tarmelane, the Turkish conqueror slaughtered 100,000 people outside of Delhi and he liked to make pyramids of human heads?--Who cares?--Just stuff in history books. . .

Is WW2 is close enough? We all know about the 6 million Jews, but did you know that constituted only aprox 13% of the victims of The Nazi Genocide State?

Overall, by genocide, euthanasia, killing of hostages, reprisal raids, starvation, forced labor camps and so forth the figure is anywhere from 15 to 31 million, most likely 21 million. Rummel admits he may be off somewhat in numbers, but certainly not as to the State's intentions. The Nazis still head the list when it comes to killing people in occupied territories, with the Imperial Japanese Military being second.

As to murdering one's own people, it's estimated some 35,236,000 for the Communist Chinese Anthill. The author notes that those who were shocked by the 1989 Beijing massacre of students, really shouldn't have been--it's the norm. But even that figure is topped by 54,800,000 victims of The Soviet Gulag State.

(Not counting an additional 5-7 million comprised of German POW's plus non-combatants deliberately murdered by The Red Army).

For sheer numbers, Stalin is our grand prize winner in brutality. In terms of percentage, however, the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot beats his insanity--they wiped out nearly one third of all Cambodians.

The chapter on The Vietnamese War State is most instructive, not just for the total toll of 1,670,000 victims but for the inferences Rummel draws: Before the U.S. entered the war, the Viet Minh were already as hardened a bunch of mass killers as the most disciplined SS units under Himmler. America had no idea what it was getting itself get into.

The Balkans are something else. Off the scale.

Required reading.

Professor Rummel's work, Death By Government, is a product of eight years of research into the roots and causes of Democide - defined as the intentional killing by governments through genocide, politicide, and arbitrary mass murder of its people. The cornerstones of current U.S foreign policy - centered around fostering democratic freedom - are based upon Professor Rummel's correct observation, that liberal democracies promote the greater peace and they are essential to eliminating Democide and ending wars between nations. Through empirical research the evident truths become exposed and the reader is left with the overall understanding that absolute power corrupts and leads to the murder of a governments' people and that only through restricting and checking power can these horrors be restrained. Democracies virtually never make war on each other and the more democratic two governments, the less the likelihood of violence between them. So not only is democracy a solution to domestic democide, but globalizing democracy is also a solution to war. The existence and spread of liberal democracies (not just electoral democracies, but liberal democracies in terms of civil and political rights and liberties) provides the long run hope for the elimination of democide and war. Professor Rummel astutely notes that power's relationship to democide is on a continuum - the more absolute the power, the more democide. The problem is Power. The solution is democracy. The course of action is to foster freedom.

R.J. Rummel has spent his career assembling data on genocide, politicide and other government mass murder (studying more than 8,200 reports with estimates). He introduced a concept he calls "democide" which includes genocide, politicide, mass murder, and indiscriminate killing of civilians. It does not include battle deaths or collateral damage. He is using a scientific methodology that he applies consistently to come up with consistent mid-range estimates for democide. His findings are horrifying. 170 million people were murdered in the 20th century alone. Later he revised this number to 262 million. For comparison, it is estimated that 70 million people died from famine in the 20th century, 25 million has died from AIDS, 250 million died from Malaria in the 20th century, and 300 million from small pox. In conclusion democide killed considerably more people than war, famine, and AIDS and as much people as the two worst 20th century diseases. It should also be noted that previous centuries were just as democidal.

Rummels book "Statistics of Democide" presents his findings in great detail (very long lists of statistics), and additional information can be found on his web site. This book "Death by Government" gives some statistics on the topic, but the focus of the book is not on the statistics but descriptions of the democides and the regimes that perpetrated them. Therefore this book is easier to read and perhaps a bit more interesting (but just as gruesome) compared to "Statistics of Democide". However, "Statistics of Democide" is a better factoid resource.

In this book he describes the following murder regimes and their democides in more detail: Soviet Gulag State (62M), Chinese Communist Anthill (35M later revised to 78M), The Nazi Genocide State (21M mostly genocide), The Depraved Nationalist Regime, KMT (10M), Japans Savage Military (6M), The Hell State Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge (2M), Turkeys Genocidal Purges (1.9M), The Vietnamese War State (Vietcong) (1.7M), Poland's Ethnic Cleansing after the war (1.6M), The Pakistani Cutthroat state (1.5M), Titos Slaughter House (1.1M), Orwellian North Korea (1.7M), Barbarous Mexico (1.4M), Feudal Russia (1.1M). M=million killed.

The descriptions of the democides are horrific and very sad. The big questions are how can these things happen? People can be very cruel and brutal towards each other that is for sure, but regimes that hold a lot of power over their citizens are the regimes that will commit these crimes. To quote from Rummels web site: "Why do dictators kill and make war? Is it for glory; for things, for beliefs, for hatred, for power? Yes, but more, because they can". Regimes that can't do it won't. Democratic regimes, especially liberal democracies commit very little democide.

Well written and unique. Character and plot driven. Characters are so well described.

Anything by Robert Anton Wilson is worth reading. His Illuminati stuff is doubly so. The original Illuminatus Trilogy is one of the greatest scifi, horror, thriller, political, historical, adventure and pornographic novels ever written. All of the Historical Illuminatus books are equally well done, equally fun to read, and equally true historically.

I absolutely loved this book. It would be a five star review, except for the fact that I've already read the two follow-ups. They betray the fact that RAW burned through all his best ideas on the first book. What appear in EWS as great set-ups for subsequent books turned out to be one-shots, left to die on the vine in the rest of the series. The Widow's Son is also a good book, but RAW spent too much time on farcical footnotes and not enough on character and plot development. So some of the genius of The Earth Will Shake is ruined by lack of cultivation.

Still, I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, conspiracies and using the arts to help liberate mankind.

I read this book back in the late 80's when it was printed by a mass-market publisher (Signet, I think) containing two abridged volumes; The Earth Will Shake and The Widow's Son. I loved it then and was never able to find Nature's God. Now I have all 3 books. After re-reading this edition, I've enjoyed it twice as much!! There is still yet an unpublished forth book, "The World Turned Upside Down" and we're all awaiting this gem to be published. Earth Will Shake is a coming of Age novel set in the enlightenment era where a murder happens in church during an Easter mass. From that point on it's a roller coster ride of wicked but serious fun. You are enlightened by the sheer weight of the subject matter that continues to this day. In these works you meet diverse characters who are historically real. I.e., the young Mozart, Count Cagliostro and Casanova, just to name a few. Dan Brown though entertaining, is comparatively an amateur hack when writing about the Illumniati (see for yourself and read this. You won't be disappointed). When the Da Vinci Code got ALL the attention, there was no mention of this work and I find that a sad reality though parr for the course in these "shaky" times. Remember, "reality is what you can get away with"...

Robert Anton Wilson has proven to be capable of extraordinary talent with this series. Mixing fiction with non-fiction he weaves one of the most satisfying Masonic related tales to be discovered and published. The Earth Will Shake, The Widows Son and Natures God are a type of writing that I had previously not encountered through Wilson. This series can actually be very inspiring, and it's written in such a dramatic way I am convinced it would make an excellent movie. Yet, at the end of the series, the reader sees reference to the fourth book "The World Turned Upside Down", and alas, it is non-existant. Whatever reason Bob has for abandoning us devout readers of this series (I have read all three books three times and stolen much wit from them) I urge you, dear Bob, please don't leave us hanging, finish the fourth book! More! More! Your Friend, Joey

Doug Moo offers a great exegetical and expositional commentary with the PNTC series offering on James. Well worth the buy, if you don't have a solid commentary on James. Nothing too crazy, and lots of compelling argumentation for his positions.

If you are looking for an answer to a question raised about the meaning of the book of Phillipians, you could not find a better treatment. This is a wonderful resource and fine treatment of the text. I used it in a series of sermons, and found it very easy to acess and get the gems of the book.

I have five critical commentaries on James (Lenski, Bruce, Woods, Martin, and now Moo). This one will more than likely be the primary source for me when I study the book in a critical fashion. He is thorough and that is what I want. If you are a preacher looking for something quick and in summary form, a smaller work might be more useful. For me, as a preacher, if I am in the circumstance where I need something quick I am already in trouble. I like the Pillar Series. Not long ago I read of one's review that was overly critical of the work on the epistles of John - I do not subscribe to that sentiment at all. It is a good series!

`The Epistle of James' by James B. Adamson, 1976, 227 pages in the series The New International Commentary on the New Testament; `The Letter of James' by Douglas J. Moo, 2000, 271 pages, a volume in the series The Pillar New Testament Commentary; and `James' by Ralph P. Martin, 1988, 240 pages, A volume in the series Word Biblical Commentary are all `full featured' and recent commentaries on the first of the short `catholic' epistles in the New Testament.

I find it amazing how different the material is in these three volumes. After 1800 years of commentary, one would expect a fair amount of uniformity in thinking about this short letter, but there is a remarkable range of differences in emphasis among the three.

Those of you who are familiar with the world of biblical commentary will recognize that all three are part of major series of commentaries. Adamson and Moo belong to series dedicated to the New Testament, while Martin's volume is an offering of a larger series on both Old and New Testaments. And, each volume is organized in a way to match the editorial style of their series. This is most clearly seen in Martin's volume, as his work is organized in virtually the same way as the much larger work on Paul's Epistle to the Romans by the distinguished scholar, James D. G. Dunn. This is no surprise, as Martin is the New Testament editor for his series, the Word Biblical Commentary.

Ranked by scholarly detail, Martin has the most and Adamson has the least, with Moo somewhere in between; but don't take from this that Martin is heavy on the Greek and Adamson has no original Greek. All three are specifically written for the scholar and assume that the reader either knows classical Greek or is willing to slog through all the Greek words and expressions. The irony here is that while Martin is the most heavily scholarly, it may also be the most accessible to the lay or strictly pastoral user, since this series divides scholarly observations into the `Comments' on each paragraph, while more general thoughts are spelled out in straight English in the `Form/Structure/Setting' section and later in the `Explanation' section following the `Comments'. Adamson organizes all his `special' or more technical topics in `Excursus' sections following his main commentary. I found this just a tad distracting, especially when I discovered some mistakes in references to these Excursus sections in the main text.

All three authors give us their own translations of the text, and all three agree on where the difficult phrases are to be found. If I were to pick a volume purely on the basis of their translation, I would prefer Adamson, as he seems to give translations that best resolve these difficult sections. But, in all three cases, the authors agree on where the difficulties lie and, in general, the nature of the difficulties.

In the three authors' introductory chapter on the author, themes, and canonical status of the letter, all three agree on the major points. They uniformly agree, for example on the belief that the letter does, in fact, represent the thoughts or writings of James, the brother of Jesus, who was head of the Christian Jews in Jerusalem up to about 62 CE. They also agree that the final form of the letter was rewritten and polished sometime in the early 2nd century, CE. The authors are also uniform in their citing Martin Luther's misunderstanding of James; however, I would give Luther credit for seeing scriptural support of many Roman Catholic doctrines, even if any sound reading of `James' shows that this support is probably stretching James points just a little too far.

On the major themes of the letter, I generally prefer Martin's emphasis on the three topics of `Wisdom', `Perfection', and `The Piety of the Poor' to the other authors' interest in theology and the law. James is clearly spending less times on these typically Pauline topics than he is on lessons for a Christian life.

Among all the other differences, it is most remarkable to see all the differences between how the three authors structure an outline of the short letter. If you didn't know better, you may think they were talking about two different writings. This is just a symptom of the fact that `James' is much less a theological argument a la `Romans' and much more a collection of lessons on prayer, right Christian behavior, and the implications of faith. This is consistent with the fact that the letter has much in common with the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Matthew (See Martin).

One last difference I detect between the three is the fact that Martin makes more connections to modern theology of, for example Dietrich Bonhoffer, while Moo and Adamson have more citations to the great reformers, Calvin and Luther.

If I had to pick only one of these, I would go with Martin's volume in the Word Biblical Commentary series. If I were interested only in pastoral interpretation, I would go with Moo or the article `The Letter of James' by Luke Timothy Johnson in `The New Interpreter's Bible', since both refer heavily to the standard NIV and NRSV translations. If your interest is in a scholarly study of the letter, you will probably want all three.

This is Moo's second commentary on the epistle of James. He wrote his first one in 1985 as part of the Tyndale series. This commentary is the result of fifteen years of reflection on that work. The content of this commentary makes it evident that this is the mature thought of a noted scholar on the letter of James. Those fifteen years left him more convinced "that the heart of the letter is a call to wholehearted commitment to Christ" (x).
Moo provides a lengthy introduction to this epistle (46 pages worth). This introduction includes the history of James in the church, nature and genre, authorship, theology, occasion and date, and structure of James. Concerning authorship, Moo holds that James, the bother of Christ, is the author. He presents arguments against this traditional view and then answers them. The section on the theology of the book is a feature more commentaries would do well to include. He dates the writing of the letter around the middle of the 40s AD. This is important because the date of writing has great implication on the relationship of the letter to Paul's teachings. Moo does not place a ridge structure on the letter. Instead, he finds "several key motifs" which "are often mixed together with other themes in paragraphs that cannot be labeled as neatly as we might like" (45). Denying the assertion of some commentators that the letter has no unifying purpose, Moo argues that the central concern of the letter is spiritual wholeness of the readers (47).
Moo's analysis of the text is insightful. His word studies are well done. He presents a wide range of possible meanings but uses the context to determine which meaning is James's meaning. Moo also does a good job in showing James's relationship with Paul. James is not writing against Paul. James means something different by faith than does Paul. They are addressing different problems.
The format of the commentary is user friendly for the most part. One helpful aspect is that Moo's introductory notes precede the verse by verse exposition of major points and most sub-points. Moo transliterates Greek words making the commentary usable to those who do not have the advantage of knowing Greek. One slight critique concerns the chapter divisions. The chapter divisions of the commentary are based on the chapters of James. This is fine, but the table of contents is broken down by his outline. One would whish the editors would choose a method of division and stay with it. The only other criticism is that Moo's writing style can be difficult at times. These two minor criticisms in no way change the fact that this is a masterpiece. It is short at only 251 pages not counting indexes. Anyone from a layperson to a scholar will benefit from this commentary. This reviewer would recommend it without hesitation (something he does not do often).

This book explains the general principles of financial planning and gives other resources of useful information. It also talks about some specific situations. While it cannot teach you how to do it yourself, it is a good start for everyone who needs to do financial planning!

This is a great book. It is full of helpful information on the financial planning process. I highly recommend it!

If you are cautious on your personal finance and don't want to just listen to your financial advisor, the book might be good for you. It covers a lot of topics of personal finance. The second part is especially good. It talks about the financial issue at life time changes such as marriage, becoming parents, divorce, etc. Very solid information on tax issues. A lot of tips on tax saving.

When I started teaching financial planning to US Air Force officers planning on reentering the general economy it was a little known subject and you had to scout up your material from pamphlets, magazines and newspapers with help from stockbrokers.
"Ernst & Young's Personal Financial Planning Guide" published by John Wiley & Sons, which is the same publishing house that publishes the JK Lasser's tax manual puts the information all in one volume.
Of intense interest to us is the chapter on starting your own business, which as authors we are doing in our senior years. The material is geared to the younger generation who are just starting out, but the advice is sound and easy to understand without an extensive background in accounting and economics.
Financial planning is rough at this period in our history, because of the skyrocketing prices of necessary goods and services not used in the consumer price index, hence they are excluded from inflation percentage calculations. Gasoline, medicines and health care are three I can name, off hand, that affect the general population, but fall outside the index. This phenomena is not addressed in the planning guide, but then Congress has not touched it since the Johnson adminstration either. It is not something that winning the lottery will answer for an individual, but it is like trying to hold a large balloon half-full of water in one-hand and keep it round.
"Personal Financial Planning Guide' is the best we have found for a realistic look at all aspects of financial planning. The table of contents and index are outstanding for locating information.
Nash Black, author of "Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors 2007."

Absolutely one of the best financial planning reference tools around! If your personally planning to restructure your financial life or hire a professional to do it for you, then this book is a must have. It provides a wealth of information as well as an extensive array of guidelines and tips for every area of your life . I especially like that it brings to light concerns of areas you may not be immediately affected by (aging parents) but should be planning for now. Having hired a professional, this book has proved Indispensable in that we have been able to knowingly select and plan individual or particular methods of approach towards our financial futures and better implement them through a professional planner!!!

Acting is a job, you are an employee it is not about ART.

Hollywood is a business.
It is a treasure to access the perspective of Columbia Pictures former business affairs executive, Michael J. Wallach; "How to Get Arrested" is a must read for those striving to work and equally beneficial to those already working as Actors.

Michael J. Wallach's book helps an actor prepare in a practical way for a career in show business. His writing is insightful and full of humor; he is generous in sharing pertinent information to advance your career. Never before have I read a book by someone in the industry that has been so generous with their information. Thank-you Michael!

Michael's book is a great guide to an industry that will respect you for being a worker bee not a wanna bee; and how to be a professional.
BE a PROFESSIONAL then DO the job and HAVE a career!
Be on time, KNOW YOUR LINES, LISTEN, Be respectful and stay humble.
If you're not an actor this book gives many great insights to being a better person and getting things done.

This powerhouse of a small book is an invaluable guide for actors. Mr. Wallach offers a great little book that cuts to the chase... illuminates the illusive, rocky terrain to success in the biz. If only I had had this knowledge back in the days... which he so caringly shares with actors now. HOW TO GET ARRESTED is a wonderful gift. MM

This is a VERY basic book for newbie actors, probably young actors, who have no idea what they are getting into when they come to Los Angeles. Since there are so many clueless actors who come out to Los Angeles every year, this book has a ready-made market of endless "how do you do it" wanna-be stars. But, for someone who knows a bit about the business and treats it like a business to start with, this book comes across too novice.

This book was not only very informative, it was fun!
I bought it for my daughter and got engrossed in it myself.
It really is a must read for aspiring actors and their mom's!!!!!

I feel that I have somehow become a little jaded and bitter over the years of struggling. Something I detest, thats why
I need to make the hard turn and come back and hit it at a different angle... I don't know, It's your book that opened my eyes! ha ha ha!

This is a well written, knock your socks book. If you like suspense, then this is the book for you. I highly reccomend it. It's a story of torture and murder that puts you right in the middle of all the action. Bobbie Pfeifer knows exactly what to do to grab you and take you for the ride of your life.

I love it when I read a book or watch a movie and am not able to figure out the ending. This book was so interesting and suspenceful. I really enjoyed it through and through. It truly was something I couldn't put down. I hope there are more books like this in the future.

From the moment I started reading I felt I was there with Jessie. I couldn't put the book down. I will recommend this book to everyone. Bobbie you did a wonderful job.

What a great book. It was recommended to me by my co-worker who was a school chum and friend of Mrs. Pfeifer's. I started to read it out of curosity and ended up devouring each and every word. I recommend this book to anyone who loves an "on the edge" suspense story. I liked the clean cut way in which it's written yet keeps the descriptions accurate. What a great book! I appreciate the non-wordy, not-over discriptive, right to-the-point style of writing you have. The suspense kept me racing through the chapters to very the end! I'm looking forward to your next book. Great Job!

This is a great book that keeps you reading. My mom loaned it to me and I finished reading it in 24 hours! I usually don't read suspence books but this story is told so very well. I love the way it ends! I will recommend to all of my friends!

I purchased this expecting some advice on legal issues, but this book is so much more. It talks you through the whole process of producing a film from start to finish, including valuable information on finding investors, attaching stars, behind the scene terminology, production advice, sample legal forms and what do with your film once you've made a cut. All of the advice is indispensable. This is a must have for any independent film producer, especially those new to the industry. It should be taught as a textbook in film schools. The most helpful book on producing I've stumbled upon yet.

I highly recommend this book. As a first time amateur independent film producer, with about 30 film books resting on my shelf, I believe I was constantly thumbing through this one the most during preproduction. This book contains so much useful information and helpful insights, it's almost like having an industry consultant right there with you. Unlike other books, there weren't a lot of sections where they seemed to rush on to the next chapter without exploring the present topic in some depth.

If it's not already, this book will soon become the industry standard for substantive knowledge of the film business for independent filmmakers. Deal points, standard contract provisions, the often technical and confusing jargon, and the historical context for many industry practices are all covered here in comprehensive yet concise fashion. Topics of interest that are covered in depth include standard talent and producer agreements, developing a screen play, financing, and digital distribution. The book was a tremendous asset to me when I had to help an independent filmmaker comply with complicated federal securities laws in order to raise $200,000. Highly recommended.

jeffbrownlegal@gmail.com

It was a book with that gave you a good background on how film production works from a legal perspective. So you should read it if that is your concern. The authors are lawyers, not producers.

This book is a serious but very readable approach to educating filmmakers on the maze of legal hoops that must be jumped through in order to create a film. Indispensable resource to have.

The past is prologue so they say and it couldn't be more true than in the case of Elias, Ian and Jill. A few short summer days, an accident, and what brought Jill into the world of Elias and Ian took her away.

Ian Hamlin grew up to be a tough FBI agent, Jill became a meteorologist and Elias a spoiled rich man. Ian and Elias lost their friendship after reaching adulthood to become bitter enemies while Jill put them out of her mind.

That is, except for Ian. Her memory of a boy could still stir her senses as a woman. Because of him, she never found any man she wanted to stay with. Until Elias came back into her life and she thought maybe he could be the 'one'.

But fate played with their lives again. Eight dead women with the same name as Jill, brought Ian back into her life as an investigator intent on protecting her and catching a serial killer. And Jill was back to square one romantically.

Talented J. D. Tynan has a surprise in store for the reader as the story unwinds and the plot thickens. Like a magician, who has you looking at one hand while another pulls a coin from your ear, she points your focus on a possible killer, but lurking in the background is a shadow that moves into the foreground as the story moves along.

Recommended for any fan of suspense or romance. A well told tale with interesting characters who move the plot along. Enjoy. I sure did.

This book has it all! Jill is being stalked, but around every turn, you come up with a different bad guy. It's almost like the author did that on purpose!! Great job with this first novel. I'm really looking forward to her next book, Charlie Ford Meets Secret Agent Man!

Very few authors can pull off putting that much sexual tension and intense heat into a GREAT suspense novel! This author's style is refreshing in a world of repetitive romance novels. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great gripping plot with a side of steamy sex! Five stars...plus two more for making me blush! Buy this book today!

When my friend suggested this new author, I had doubts because I love to read Lilian Jackson Brown and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I have to say that J. D. Tynan far exceeded my expectations and I highly enjoyed her wit and humor. The dialogue itself was incredibly real. I felt as if I were in the room with these characters. The detailing was not overly done like a lot of new authors tend to do. It was subtle, yet again, I felt as if I were in the same room with these people.
The story itself was GREAT! A love triangle with the twist the author threw in. Who would have thought? I give this my best rating of five stars because I want this author to succeed. I want to read every word she has ever written. Buy one today, you won't be sorry.

Jill has been targeted, but by whom? Oh boy, what fun you will have figuring it out...Or trying to figure it out. I was shocked that this new author did such an amazing job with misleading the reader.
When you are finished, you will be sad because the great characters stay with you and you just want them to go on and on. Someone convince this woman that a sequel is in order. Don't plan on putting it down after the 3rd chapter as it gets way too good! I give it my highest thumbs up.

After taking Patrick's meditation workshop on applying "The Secret" to your own life, and having it be my 1st meditation experience ever, I was hungry for more and asked Patrick specifically if he could recommend a book with a cd for follow up on meditation practice. He grinned and produced a book without even telling me it was his own. The book is a great read, and has a meditation cd on the back cover.
I truly believe the soul is magical and is working round the clock in ways we don't often notice. When we open our hearts, we will see manifestation of just what we wish for appear at just the right time, before our very eyes. Patrick's work is truly inspirational. Bought them as gifts for my soul circle of friends. Highly recommend.

The CD alone is worth the price of the book! Patrick's soothing voice, eloquent words and spiritual wisdom are truly a rich blessing.
Ed Rockey, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Chair
Pepperdine University

I highly recommend this book wherever you are on your spiritual path. "The Magic of the Soul" is loaded with practical tools you can use everyday. Patrick's personal experiences, inner journeys and spiritual studies culminate in this book and are shared as gifts for the reader. The book comes with a remarkable CD full of guided meditations. I especially love the guided visualizations where Patrick's voice is an enchanting journey to our own inner wisdom and love. Author Patrick Harbula is the consumate teacher that you can experience for yourself through his classes, workshops, retreats and certifications at the Life Purpose Institute. I encourage you to experience the magic of the message with Patrick.

Patrick has ascended elegantly so far in this life. He is a gracious, kind and unconditionally loving soul and this comes through brilliantly in his "The Magic of the Soul." I encourage people interested in their own spiritual and practical self development to experience his words, thoughts and meditations. We are blessed to have this wonderful man in our time. Read, enjoy, ascend...

Patrick Harbula's "Magic of the Soul" is one of those rare books that I picked up and could not put down, and that I have revisited many times as a source of inspiration and enlightenment. As a child, I loved watching magic acts and was mesmerized as I observed magicians seemingly pulling things out of nothing and transforming objects. Throughout this book, Patrick reminds us that our spiritual nature enables us to perform this "magical process" of calling forth greater goodness into our lives and our world than we have ever known. I particularly appreciated his practical insights on how we can transform our life challenges into something good and meaningful without denying the pain or discomfort we experience as we move through them. I cannot thank Patrick enough for the ways that his work has enriched my life, and how it has supported me in my work as a minister and spiritual counselor.

This book has been a life changer for me. Another great book is- No Soul Left Behind. Hope you enjoy these book as much as I did.

This is one of those books that, once you pick it up, you can't put it down. It is filled with entertaining and intriguing stories. You read of one person after another whose present life circumstances are connected with the cause of those experiences in various past lives.

Reincarnation is a topic close to my heart. A dream about a past life first brought me to Edgar Cayce. Where else could I find an explanation for the challenges in my present life presented in the dream except in Cayce's understand of how previous incarnations influence our present life?

Gina Cerminara thoroughly researched Cayce's trance readings given for many individuals for many types of life challenges. Cayce gave two types of readings. The first type were mainly to diagnose and suggest cures for diseases. The second type offered solutions and suggestions for dealing with life problems based on astrological impulses and the karmic results of past lives. These were the life readings.

Cerminara not only researched the Cayce life readings, she also grouped the lessons learned from these readings into categories. They are organized under chapter headings such as "Some Types of Physical Karma," "Infidelity and Divorce," and "Personality Dynamics."

I referred to a selection in her chapter on the "Mockery of Karma" in my book, When We Were Gods: Insights on Atlantis, Past Lives, Angelic Beings of Light and Spiritual Awakening, in which hypnotherapy sessions for weight control revealed a previous lifetime in which I had ridiculed my obese husband of an arranged marriage. In Many Mansions, Cerminara refers to a Cayce reading for a young woman afflicted with obesity attributed to a previous lifetime. The young woman had been a beauty and an athlete but she had derided people who were overweight. She was now "meeting herself" by having to suffer with the very characteristic she had scorned in others.

I like that Cerminara categorizes different types of karma as being either retributive, such as the karma of mockery, and continuitive, in which a person becomes accustomed to a certain attitude to life over a series of lifetimes. I too had an experience of continuitive karma because I had had a number of lifetimes in which, because of starvation or a bony body type, I had actually wished to be fatter. This attitude led to my present lifetime in which I gained weight easily but lived in a society in which a fleshy body is not preferred.

Many Mansions is a great book. It is many people's first introduction to Cayce. There's a lot to learn about the subject of reincarnation. For me, probably the best result is compassion for humanity's weaknesses and foibles.

It's a great book. Very highly recommended for anyone interested in Edgar Cayce, reincarnation, or the mystery of life.

By Carol Chapman, award-winning photographer of the ONLY Edgar Cayce calendar Divine in Nature: With Quotes from Edgar Cayce and author of When We Were Gods: Insights on Atlantis, Past Lives, Angelic Beings of Light and Spiritual Awakening.

I admire this man and wish his work would have been known to more people.

A fabulous book, extremely well written. This is one of the few books that has impacted my way of thinking. After reading this I find it easier to accept a lot of depressing things I see in this world.

I liked the book well enough, but I think Cerminara added too much of her own thoughts on the subject of reincarnation, almost reshaping the message Cayce brought to us through his "channeling". I would have liked to have read more of Cayce's words and less of Cerminara's "interpretations" of Cayce's readings.