Kevin Murphy Books

I've always dreamed of having a franchise of my favorite old-fashioned diner, and The Franchise Handbook has given me valuable insight into what to expect as a franchisee: from finding the initial startup costs and hiring employees to managing employees and purchasing supplies. The Franchise Handbook offers valuable, in-depth advice, even going so far as to offer tips on how to conduct your market analysis, so you don't need to hire an expensive market research firm. One of the unique, and most interesting, parts of the book is the section devoted to franchising your own business, which includes a detailed list of questions to ask oneself before making the decision to franchise.

This book also includes a list of franchises (with website, email address, and other pertinent information), an exhaustive glossary, and a plethora of links to helpful sites for the aspiring franchisee or franchisor. If you're considering becoming a franchisee or want to franchise your business, make sure you buy this book first! It's an easy, educational, and enjoyable read, definitely worthy of five stars!

If you've ever considered owning a franchise, this book is for you. The book contains valuable information for researching and choosing the best franchise for you. The information in the book will help you consider all the important factors in a franchising business. An alphabetical listing of companies offering franchising is included in the back of the book. Each listing contains the address, contact person, phone numbers, email addresses and websites for every company listed.

The legal issues surrounding franchises are covered in depth in this book. Federal laws regarding franchises are discussed in the book. State laws and the difference between registration and relationship states are also covered. A list of franchise attorneys grouped by state is located in the back of the book as a handy reference. There is also a glossary of terms related to franchising to help you learn the terminology.

The financial aspects of franchises are discussed in the book as well. Each type of business entity is discussed and an easy comparison chart is included to help you easily see the differences between each type of business entity. The information on creating a business plan and getting financing is very helpful if you are new to the concept of franchise ownership. You will learn how to create a business plan, conduct a market analysis and create financial statements.

This book is a must for anyone even remotely considering the purchase of a franchise or, for that matter, considering the franchising of their own business. The title says it all, The Franchise Handbook, and it is indeed a comprehensive and thorough handbook treating all factors that must be considered before and after buying a franchise business.

The Handbook discusses approaches to the selection of a franchise; pre- and post-purchase financial issues; marketing, operating, and expanding the franchise; legal issues; and all of the factors that should be considered when contemplating the franchising of one's own business.

The Handbook is a remarkable resource, and provides pretty much all that the prospective buyer of a franchise should consider before and after making the decision.

The Franchise Handbook contains a LOT, and I do mean a LOT, of information about franchise systems. Included are step-by-step guidelines regarding how to research possible franchise options including how to estimate start up costs and how to finance the franchise purchase. Of course, the information doesn't stop there; the book goes on to outline how to prepare financial statements, how to conduct a market analysis, and how to successfully choose a franchise location. All pivotal to franchise success or failure.

Then, the book goes beyond that. It offers additional strategies on how to hire and manage employees, purchase and manage supplies, protect your franchise territory, and then, when everything is going just the way it should, how to expand your operations. The book is proactive toward developing successful franchise and business practices. It has an unbiased view of the facts and even lists the pros and cons of selecting a franchise model business. Chapter 18 looks briefly at legal issues that affect franchise models and Chapter 19 offers a list of companies that offer franchises and franchising resources.

This book is a great starting point for building a level of independence by living the American dream and becoming your own boss at your own business. A definite must read!

I was asked by the publisher to review-edit the chapters of this book. They liked my input so much, I was then asked to write the forward. Most, but not all, of my editorial comments-revisions were included in the published version. Unfortunately, they elected not to include my comments about the misleading nature of franchise 'success' statistics and some other critical information. For additional details about buying a franchise not included in this book, feel free to visit the Franchise Foundations website at www.franchisefoundations.com Peruse the "Buying A Franchise" and "Articles II' pages. These will provide additiional information and resources to use in making an informed evaluation-investment decision. That being said, this book stands head and shoulders above anything else that's currently published for the general public. Kevin B. Murphy, B.S., M.B.A., J.D.

This is what I wanted. I don't really know how valid this is but it is a nice checklist to measure add in adults. It certainly is better than the computer tests. It is nice to have somthing objective for adults.

I found this text to be a most useful resource for ADHD from a bio-psychosocial point of view. It included an exhaustive literature review of studies, of both children and adults, with ADHD. I also appreciated the discussions on cause/ effect relationships. I highly recommend this text for Physicians and Psychologists/Therapists working together and being on the same page with patients suffering from and living with ADHD.

The first edition of "Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder : A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment" was generally considered a must-read for all Clinical Child Psychologists and other practitioners who worked or planned to work with children with behavior disorders. The second edition is even better, as it should be. This edition clarifies how we have learned much about ADHD in the past decade. The book's coverage of relevant literature, findings, and data-based theories and treatments makes it one of the very best books on ADHD available on the market. I recommend it to all who plan to work with behavior-disordered children. Also, this text should be in most public libraries to allow parents the opportunity to read accurate writings about ADHD.

Barkley & Murphy offer a superb resource for the beginning and seasoned clinician who seeks to provide thorough screening for the cluster of potential psychiatric issues surrounding the 'ADHD' phenomenon.

This resource is based on the findings of ongoing best practices research. It offers multiple refereces. And it offers many suggestions for ongoing assessment.

This resource is particularly useful for those clinicians who communicate regularly with primary care providers as a means of documenting progress or raising questions about modifying treatment strategies.

Finally, it serves to discover behavioral data which is so vital when considering medication as a therapeutic strategy.

Dr. Barkley has contributed an extremely beneficial companion to his handbook for diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. The rating forms are very useful for the clinician assessing ADHD and comorbid features. Dr. Barkley's discussion offers extremely helpful guidelines for assessment and treatment of ADHD and various emotional-behavioral issues which may accompany or mimic ADHD. This volume is a must for any practicing health or educational professional involved in the assessment and treatment of ADHD.

A very insightful look into the UMASS study and the Milwaukee study. A fascinating look into the impact of ADHD across the lifespan. Highly recommended.

Stephanie Moulton Sarkis PhD NCC LMHC
Author, Psychotherapist, and ADHD Expert

Within the vast, bleak universe of adult ADHD, most glints of hope, have either blinked pathetically, using what remains of rapidly stagnating, kinetic, energy or have imploded in the air-less vacuum of a world that few understand and even fewer care about. This new book by authors Barkley, Murphy, and Fischer has, for the first time, given me the confidence to believe that, for adults with ADHD, a new day has dawned, a new light is shining, and the thick fog of shame may, over time, be blown away.

The door has finally slammed shut for the skeptics, the uninformed, the misinformed, the mal-intended, and the ignorant health care professionals and "experts" who, unless they buy a copy of this book and study its contents, will find that their days treating adults with ADHD are numbered.

I am not an MD, psychiatrist, psychologist, or PhD clinician; I am a 50 year old well-educated, upper-middle class, senior executive-level, male who, in my early 40's, was diagnosed with ADHD. In the struggle to help identify the potential sources of my rapidly deteriorating life, I had finally found one that had a name, but was it too late for it to matter?

To stay afloat in my cesspool of confusion and uncertainty, in addition to therapy and medication, I relied heavily on finding and studying every source of information that I could dig up regarding adult ADHD. At the time, with the exception of a few, well written and relevant books that were on the market, there wasn't much from which to choose. Despite these resources being helpful, something was still missing in the conversation, but I didn't have the capacity to understand the nature of what that might be. Over the next year, it became obvious to me; I was able to understand the extent to which ADHD had negatively affected my life and discovered, first-hand, "the ugly truth" as to why; that adult ADHD is one of our most debilitating and devastating disorders. It was while looking and listening for informed, motivated, and credible advocates who truly understood and promoted this philosophy that I also discovered a silence that continued to be deafening, until now.

I lost my marriage and left behind a turbulent twenty year career and sustainable income, and have spent the last two years in a desperate search for my lost life. Today, as a worn out Guinea Pig in my own ADHD experiment, the results of which I hope to utilize in my attempts to create positive change for me, and perhaps for other adults with ADHD, I take great comfort in reading and studying "ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says." I appreciate this amazing resource, and feel the utmost respect for the three authors who have devoted their lives and considerable talents and skills to not only wade through and organize the dark morass of books, clinical studies, scientific papers, surveys, interviews, and journals that already existed, but to add to this mix their own ground-breaking and desperately needed perspective and conclusions regarding the incredibly important and massively misunderstood subject of adult ADHD. ~ Thank you. Jon Teger

Dr. Barkley's newest book offers the professional or the well educated lay reader an in depth review of the latest empirical findings on ADHD in adults. It is not a self help book although it may be helpful to a well informed ADHD patient or family member. Two major longitudinal research projects form the core of the book and each examines how this disorder looks as adolescents move into adulthood. Each chapter is followed by an executive summary of the major points. For the reader not steeped in the nuances of research projects this is necessary to avoid getting lost in the detailed findings. The final chapter also nicely summarizes the implications of the research for our best current theoretical model of the disorder and for its treatment. I am a clinical psychologist and Dr. Barkley's body of work in the area of ADHD is an example of what is best in clinical psychology. This work is another in a long series of notable achievements.

The previous reviewer, Jon, said it all. Adult ADHD is real. You will learn all you need to know about it by reading this amazing book, culminating decades of rigorous study and clinical expertise.

Researchers such as authors Russell Barkley, Mariellen Fischer, and Kevin Murphy are the reliable anchors in a storm-tossed sea of ignorance, lassitude, indifference, and outright chicanery and propagandizing regarding adult ADHD.

Their studies are stunning for their elegant design, careful execution, and solid results. The text is well-written and profound, even to non-clinicians. When it comes to interpreting certain human behaviors, it will turn all your paradigms upside down and then inside out.

I cannot imagine any physician or therapist in this country--no matter what the specialty--not reading this book very carefully. Because untreated ADHD cuts across too many issues for any healthcare provider to remain unaware. These issues include higher risk of traffic and on-the-job accidents, substance use, and poor health habits that can lead to the chronic diseases that so afflict this country, including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.

ADHD is thought to affect from 10 to 30 million adults in the U.S. alone, depending on how broadly the criteria are applied. Yet only 10 percent of that lower figure is diagnosed--and even fewer in treatment.

Too often, ADHD is misdiagnosed as depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, borderline personality disorder, substance use disorder, attachment disorder, and the list of personality disorders goes on--most of which carry poor prognoses. Consequently, too many people suffer in frustration, piled on with moral judgments or plied with the wrong medications or therapeutic interventions that often make ADHD worse.

It's time to join the 21st Century regarding a brain condition that affects so many people, and this book, in my opinion, leads the way.

Kevin Murphy, a scholar of Soviet history at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, has written "Revolution and Counterrevolution: Class Struggle in a Moscow Metal Factory" as a bottom-up chronicle of the experience of the Russian working class in the period from the beginning of the 20th century up to the height of Stalinism. There are many histories of this period, but Murphy argues that too many of them are top-down, primarily political histories, and that they are often cherry-picked in terms of subjects to fit a particular ideological interpretation of Russia's revolutionary history. Therefore, Murphy has chosen one particular metal factory in Moscow, named "Hammer and Sickle" (formerly the Guzhon plant), stating that this way it is impossible to selectively choose examples, and also emphasizing the central role that metal production was given by successive Soviet governments, for whom the political loyalty of these workers was high priority.

What follows is a familiar (at least to people with knowledge of the period and place) but well written in-depth history of this factory, in particular focusing, as the subtitle indicates, on class and the class struggle. Murphy stresses that other factors, such as culture, daily life, the experience of women, religion, and so forth are also important topics, but these all get a fairly perfunctory nod, with the clear focus being on the traditional topics of the economic struggles and experiences of the workers and their political views and activism. There is a very extensive and precise discussion of the many committees, strikes, and other such collective undertakings of the workers, almost too much; but as such, Murphy does give us a very good view of what the general life and reproduction of the average proletarian was during this period, certainly one of the most important issues for understanding a self-declared "workers' state". He also does not fail to put the specifics of the factory into a broader context, giving the necessary background in terms of state policy, Civil War, famines, political fighting and so forth and then returning to the factory to tell us the impact of these developments. This produces an at times almost documentary movie-like day-to-day view of the factory workers' life.

Murphy's exposition follows the general critical socialist (Trotskyist) view of the successes of the Soviet Union during the early period, despite the ravages of the Civil War (during which the original proletariat upon which the Party was based was almost entirely destroyed), with a period of stability during NEP, and then in the late 1920s an increasing take-over of Stalin and the Stalinists, which are portrayed as systematically dismantling the socialism of the USSR and replacing it by what Murphy explicitly describes as 'counterrevolution'. Many of Murphy's criticisms are apt, if well-known by now, but often the arguments also appear opportunistic, in particular when he contrasts the government's policies and views with the suggestions of the United Opposition, led by Trotsky; which follows the opportunism of that Opposition itself. For example, the Opposition immediately latched on to the grievances of the workers which concentrated on the lowering real wage due to rampant inflation and the increasing pressures of industrializing with practically no resources, as well as lack of housing, but what is not mentioned is that Trotsky et al. originally came into conflict with Stalin because they felt that industrialization should have been undertaken faster and more thoroughly! The same goes for many of the resentment against industrialization on the part of the workers, which Murphy tries to make much of - he repeatedly explains how despite the decreasing standards of living, the Opposition never really had any chance at delegitimizing the existing government, let alone overthrowing it, and that they were never a threat in terms of completely subverting the acceptance of the government by even the old proletarian activists, but Murphy never shows us how this was possible if the Stalinist government was so detested. Indeed many of the criticisms of Murphy himself as well as the workers of the time were quite correct, but one does not get the impression that there was any serious alternative available, and certainly not in the shape of Trotsky's United Opposition. This by no means justifies the Stalinist policies, but one gets the feeling the explanation for the other side of the historical story is missing. Murphy himself puts the main blame on the eradication of the old proletariat and its replacement by politically non-conscious and undisciplined peasants-turned-workers as a result of Civil War and disease, as well as the destruction from on high of the more or less independent unions.

Another issue is the perpetual problem with mainly documentary histories of this sort, which is that it is difficult to judge the 'representativeness' of given complaints and statements by individual workers - this is by no means Murphy's fault, but it does mean that even if an editorial line by Murphy is supported by one or two worker quotations, it is difficult to ascertain how meaningful those are. I do not suspect any moment that Murphy has manipulated the material, but this is just a problem that comes with the territory, which goes just as well for similar documentary works by Kotkin, Steinberg, and others.

Be this as it may, on the whole this is an excellent and insightful bottom-up history in the best socialist traditions of describing the 'people's experience'. Murphy has made good and judicious use of the archives material available, and has made the most of the limited scope of his subject matter. It is the freedom of the competent and just historian to have his/her own interpretative (political) line, as long as the facts are not stretched to fit the view instead of the other way round, and Murphy has (as he says in his introduction as well) done his best to reflect critically on the orthodox Trotskyist interpretation. As a result, this book is simply a very good monograph, and useful for all interested in the history of the period.

Kevin Murphy's Revolution and Counterrevolution: Class Struggle in a Moscow Metal Factory makes an enormous contribution not only to the study of the Russian Revolution, but to political and social historiography in general. Exploring the lives of workers in the Guzhon factory (later the Hammer and Sickle Works) in Moscow between the 1890s and 1932, Murphy deftly analyzes how "a movement based on egalitarianism and freedom transformed into a system based on exploitation and repression". An exhaustively researched micro-history of one factory in the heady days of the revolutionary events of 1917-1924 and the Stalinist counterrevolution of the mid- to late 1920s, Murphy puts paid to the Cold War textbook notion that the Russian Revolution led inescapably to the horrors of Stalinism.

Based on a wide range of archival sources opened to researchers after the fall of the Soviet Union, Murphy demonstrates that even during the harsh privations of the Civil War (in which the United States, Britain and France sent thousands of soldiers to defeat the Revolution) and the New Economic Policy (NEP) from 1921-1928, metal workers in Moscow sustained open, democratic and effective factory committees. Workers struck and organized demonstrations against conditions in the factory, but they continued to support the early Soviet state with which they felt a close political affinity. Indeed, the revolutionary Soviet government democratically negotiated a system of effective and popular dispute arbitration which involved over 6 million workers. There was an active culture of protest and shop-floor organization, most workers were union members, women workers participated in special women's meetings to advance their interests, and opposition to state policies was tolerated. Union organization was so well developed in 1925 that the factory director later complained that trade union representatives and not managers held real power in the factory. As Murphy writes: "`The early Soviet participatory institutions differed markedly from those of both the Tsarist and Stalinist eras. It was workers' trust and involvement in workplace institutions that gave the factory regime an essential degree of legitimacy."

Murphy does not deny that the period from 1921-1928 saw the rise of a Stalinist counter-revolution that effectively smashed the impressive democratic gains of the revolution in the workplace and in society as a whole. But, contrary to the traditional historiography, he convincingly argues that this was not a preordained destiny nor a linear path. The gradual weakening of workers' control from 1921-1928 was not based on a popular mandate among the workforce for Stalinism, but on management repression and the control of food distribution that was used to discipline the workers. The implantation of the coercive policies of forced industrialization, and political repression in society at large, was a highly contested process in which workers and citizens fought to maintain control.

Revolution and Counterrevolution effectively challenges the academic orthodoxy and political conservatism among historians of the Russian Revolution that there was a straight line between 1917 and Stalinism. This position has been used ever since the Revolution as a stick with which to beat any attempt at social and political transformation. Murphy effectively demolishes the notion that the early Soviet state terrorized the working class and that Stalin had a popular base among the population. He joins an impressive group of radical historians such as Steve Smith, David Levine and Alexander Rabinowitch who stress the popular, democratic nature of the Russian Revolution and the real if short-lived gains that Russian workers achieved through actively taking part in their own emancipation. This book is highly recommended to all those interested not only in the Russian Revolution, but to readers interested in twentieth-century political and social history, social movements, the working class and radical historiography.

Prof.Dr. Sean Purdy, Departamento de Historia, Universidade de Sao Paulo

By looking at the development of the Russian working class and the Russian Revolution through the lens of workers at one factory, Kevin Murphy provides an invaluable resource for understanding the dynamics of workers' struggle.

With access to hitherto closed archives, Murphy traces the debates and militancy amongst workers in one factory. We learn how the rise of Stalinism required a concerted effort to destroy workers' organizations and that it was a battle. Workers didn't simply roll over or embrace Stalinism.

For anyone interested in this period of history, I highly recommend this book.

I read "Revolution and Counterrevolution--Class Struggle in a Moscow Metal Factory" by Kevin Murphy (published by Haymarket Books) and found it to be one of the most interesting and useful books I've
read in a long time.

My understanding of the process of the degeneration of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalinism was profoundly altered by reading it.The interpretation that I had always gotten was that the working class disintegrated during the civil war and though it grew numerically during the New Economic Policy , it never recovered its economic strength or any political will and the bureaucracy grew apace with the decline of the working class. From Murphy's book, we learn that there was a real economic revival of the working class,
that workers' control was at least somewhat reasserted and that the class
struggle was alive through the whole period up to the rise of Stalinism.

Murphy's emphasis on the reformist strategy of the bureaucraticly degenerated workers' state coopting the early New Economic Policy militancy helps explain why the working class never developed a strong enough independent alternative to defeat rising Stalinism. The other factor of course was the confusion of the Opposition and its sporadic opposition to rising Stalinism. Russia thus shows the need for
a revolutionary party positively in 1917 and the failure that resulted
from the lack of one in the late 20's.

The overall impression I get from Murphy's book is even more optimistic than before. In spite of the total destruction of
the economy, millions of deaths, cannibalism, the loss of 40% of its
territory in 1918 and almost all of it outside the Moscow and Petrograd districts at the depth of the Civil War, some form of workers state ,however degenerated, persisted until 1928-9. With all the horror the workers of Russia faced, it still took Sate Capitalism ( Stalinism) nearly 12 years to consolidate power. Far from revolution automatically producing tyranny, the prospects for success in a much more developed world economy are so much greater than they were in 1917. But it does put an even stronger imperative on internationalism.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Russian Revolution or the prospects for fundamental social change today.

Thanks so much to Kevin Murphy for putting in the time and effort to produce such an important addition to our understanding!

super photos great for design ideas and research... also helpful in historic renovation projects...

This is a very well put together book, the text is well researched and the images are crisp. It's very interesting to see all the different architectural styles. These houses are all furnished beautifully and the photographs really capture the details and craftmanship of these amazing townhouses. When you visit Boston or New York you can't help but be enchanted at the rows and rows of these houses, whether it's New York's Upper East Side or Greenwich Village or Boston's Beacon Hill. The houses in this book are from all over the country, from Savannah to San Francisco and each one is at least as interesting as the last. If you have any interest in townhouses or beautiful books in general, then I believe you will enjoy this book.

The Townhouse is a classic American urban building style. This volume follows the history of the American Townhouse from its Colonial roots on the Eastern Seaboard to the style's highpoint in the Row Houses and Brownstones of the late Nineteenth Century. Featured in this book are twenty five beautifully photographed homes. The chapters chronicle the styles evolution from the Colonial and Federal periods to the Greek Revival, Italianate, Brownstone and Queen Anne periods.

For those interested in the history of the style, the first two chapters do an excellent job of placing the Townhouse in its proper historical context. However, the heart of the book are the photographs of the twenty five Townhouses. Most of these homes have been restored and are now museums. Rader Kurazj is a skilled architectural photographer and there are many wonderful photographs of both building facades and interiors. This book is recommended for all those interested in learning more about an important American architectural style.

Police Chief Joe Weiss of the Lackenby police department hires Dr. Matthew Shea as an investigative consultant for a dollar a day plus expenses. Shea teaches a popular class at the local university on "Socio-Emotional Origins of Crime". Weiss once served on the New York City Police Department. Shea brings extensive investigative work and a degree in behavior sciences. Together they form an unbeatable team.

Shea tells his students that all crimes have a pattern, if only you closely enough. But Weiss can't find the pattern in a recent rash of murders; three people have died in two weeks, and Weiss hopes a fresh pair of eyes will help. Weiss assigns the nitty-gritty work to his department, thus freeing himself and Shea to examine the bigger picture.

The victims of the crimes have nothing in common. Different ethnic groups, male and female, economics and method of death separate them. Soon Shea realizes that the killer is staging the murders, making a victim look like she fought back, for example, when she was actually too drugged to do so. Then several of Shea's students unexpectedly complicate the investigation when they try to use techniques taught in the classroom on the streets.

An extraordinarily well constructed mystery, DEGREES OF MURDER will hold the reader's attention riveted as plenty of misdirection and suspects fill the tale with suspense. The setting of a university for the class and many of the cast of characters lends the tale a touch of authenticity, without pushing the envelope of possibility. Moreover, Murphy's background in military experience in security and police work lends the narrative voice a complexity and depth that marks it as a classic. DEGREES OF MURDER is going on my keeper shelf. Very highly recommended.

With a background in writing, military, and police work, Kevin P. Murphy brings his own special expertise to the world of mystery writing. He has written more than 800 pieces, published in newspapers, the web, and magazines. He won third place in the 1998 Ridgewriters Branch of the California Writers Club Screenplay competition with "Something Bright and Alien."

Set in Lackenby, Illinois, Police Chief Joe Weiss calls on his friend, Matt Shea, a behavioral sciences professor at State Line University when two murders occur. Shea is uniquely qualified to assist in the investigation, since his background consists of considerable experience in investigation. As the two search for identifiable patterns in the murders, more murders occur, and the only pattern that emerges is the lack of a pattern:

"`What it says to me, Matt," Weiss continued, "is that we're dealing with a person who has some reason for making things look different than they are, and that is our pattern so far. What's the matter, Matt?' Shea shook his head as he muttered, `There was something there for a second -- almost visible -- something you just said triggered a memory of something -- but I can't get it out where I can see it.'"

Murphy creates almost a modern day American Poirot, as Weiss and Shea puzzle their way through serial homicides. There is plenty of action to satisfy the reader; much of the trivial police work is handled by officers, leaving Weiss and Shea to formulate their theories. Murphy creates a clever twist and denouement, by placing the killer right smack under their noses. The final chapters contain the chase, which is suspenseful, intriguing, and just plain great entertainment. The university setting, with people's children at risk, makes a chilling setting.

Degrees Of Murder is a well thought out old fashioned mystery designed to keep the reader at the edge of their seat. We never know when the killer will strike next, and as we get to know the characters better, we as readers develop an emotional stake in the outcome. Matt Shea and Joe Weiss are friends, honorable men, and we want them to succeed. The killer is a hateful villain: secretive; soulless; and intent on creating pain and suffering for kicks.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Police Chief Joe Weiss of the Lackenby police department hires Dr. Matthew Shea as an investigative consultant for a dollar a day plus expenses. Shea teaches a popular class at the local university on "Socio-Emotional Origins of Crime". Weiss once served on the New York City Police Department. Shea brings extensive investigative work and a degree in behavior sciences. Together they form an unbeatable team.

Shea tells his students that all crimes have a pattern, if only you closely enough. But Weiss can't find the pattern in a recent rash of murders; three people have died in two weeks, and Weiss hopes a fresh pair of eyes will help. Weiss assigns the nitty-gritty work to his department, thus freeing himself and Shea to examine the bigger picture.

The victims of the crimes have nothing in common. Different ethnic groups, male and female, economics and method of death separate them. Soon Shea realizes that the killer is staging the murders, making a victim look like she fought back, for example, when she was actually too drugged to do so. Then several of Shea's students unexpectedly complicate the investigation when they try to use techniques taught in the classroom on the streets.

An extraordinarily well constructed mystery, DEGREES OF MURDER will hold the reader's attention riveted as plenty of misdirection and suspects fill the tale with suspense. The setting of a university for the class and many of the cast of characters lends the tale a touch of authenticity, without pushing the envelope of possibility. Moreover, Murphy's background in military experience in security and police work lends the narrative voice a complexity and depth that marks it as a classic. DEGREES OF MURDER is going on my keeper shelf. Very highly recommended.

Kevin J.Murphy has written a book that is incredible.It is not only inspirational in a way of letting people know how precious life is,but it magnifies peoples lives like myself.That is because it touches our lives on a very personal level.A very wonderful book.This man made me relive my own childhood.

Once started I could not put this book down.I was totally mesmerized by the feelings of this son and his total love and feelings for his Father.I nevr knew my Father,but I lived thru the joys and the pain that the author experienced in his time with his Father.Well written -Deep from the heart

I was given this book as a gift from a friend. I brought it with me on a weekend trip and read it in one sitting, with a dinner break in between. It has given me new thoughts on life, how we percieve things in this world. If everyone was made to read Mr. Murphy's book, the world would be a better place. The honesty and approachability with which it is written is far superior to any memoir I have read in a long time. Especially recommended for anyone who has lost a parent, anyone who has had cancer in their family, and teenagers struggling with their relationships with their parents.

THE REPOSITORY was a bit of a different read for me. I believe that it would be called, dark fantasy. Not that I don't like dark fantasy. I do. I just don't get to read it often enough. Adam gives us the standard evil characters but adds an air of"anything is possible" that is very charming. Once I'd picked it up and started to read, I couldn't put it down until I was finished.

First off, the cover. Yes, I do notice those things. I love good cover art and THE REPOSITORY has excellent cover art. Kevin Murphy, the cover artist, and Neil Seltzer, cover design, have put together the perfect package that could sell this book on looks alone.

Though THE REPOSITORY is not the sort of book that has to get by on looks alone. THE REPOSITORY is a wonderful read. Thrilling. Enthralling. You will find yourself under a spell as Adam Niswander cleverly weaves you into his story. And what a story it is!

I suppose that you want a bit of a peek. Okay, open the pages and you will find; an ancient fellowship, an evil witch, a gifted and kind man, Lucifer himself, and Ambrose Bierce. Just imagine. Can you? Well, if you can, you are Adam Niswander.

You are going to want this one. If you don't, I picked up a thing or two when I went to New Orleans and I just might have to demonstrate.

Buzzy

THE REPOSITORY is one of those books that you can't put down until you find out how it all turns out, and once it's over you wish it wasn't. This is a real page-turner, with a background of epic scope, characters that are simultaneously larger than life and all-too-human, and incredible pacing. Niswander tells a great story and he tells it well. His prose enters into poetic beauty during the Wormwood-like chapter introductions, attributed to Ambrose Bierce in the form of a report to his dark master. And on top of everything else, the item itself is very handsomely made. This is a book that fans of fantasy and horror will be doing themselves a disservice to miss

The Fellowship founded by Merlin consists of magicians dedicated to keeping Lucifer from destroying humanity. Over the past millennium, many dedicated individuals battled the evil minions of Lucifer. Though always victorious, the Fellowship members know their biggest fight is always the next war because a loss means the end of mankind.

The powerful witch Urthane la Voisen, a former resident of Hell, has been slowly eroding the organization for years. One of her mightiest successes was killing the sibling of Josiah, the librarian who maintains all the known books on magic. However, Urthane failed to slay the unborn child of Josiah's sister-in-law. When he was born, Randall was abandoned on the courthouse steps. He grows up in an orphanage. The lad has magical powers, but lacks formal training in their use. When a catastrophe strikes, the Fellowship turn to Randall as their only hope to defeat Urthane.

THE REPOSITORY is a fascinating but chilling account of the eternal battle between Good and Evil. Adam Niswader, author of the Shaman Cycle, has created a fine work filled with interesting heroes and delightful villains. The story line is so taut that readers will believe Mr. Niswader is chronicling real events including those of the future. This novel is simply great story telling.

Harriet Klausner

Everyone in management should know the simple techniques set down in this book. If all middle level managers spent a couple of hours reading the book, they would have less stress and better cooperation from their customers and employees.

This is a really good book and I recomend everyone that has kids to buy it for them. I think your kids will benefit from this book. I sujest that you buy this book for your kids and experience what this book shows to little kids. So if you haven't bought this book i sujest you go buy it now.

My kindergartner loves this book. We read it every night. She is learning basic addition without even realizing it. I also love that the animals are mostly from Australia including dingos, kangaroos and platypuses.

A great book to pass down or share with friends.

Charming story with wonderful illustrations. My son loves to count the "too many things to do" items on each page. We also learn about the fun animals of Australia and how they surprise their friend Kangaroo on his birthday.