Consultants Books

I read the reviews and was excited to get my copy only to be disappointed. I found nothing new here. Read it in about 30 minutes and it was not worth my time or my money. Perhaps some people need to be told the basics and it may help them.

Be warned that this is a poorly structured 92 page pamphlet - not really a book in any legitimate sense. And much of the information is outdated or plain old in bad taste. The author still recommends wearing shoulder pads - and leggings with oversized sweaters. While this little thing might have been a cute thing to give to her consulting clients 10 years ago, it's far too expensive for what you get...

The fashion advice found in Ginger Burr's "Fashion Secrets Mother Never Taught You" has been an image saver for me. I love the book and refer to it constantly for work or play. After adjusting my wardrobe to compliment my body type (instead of fighting it) and implementing the ideas of appropriate jackets, hairstyles, accessories, etc., I can put together a professional business image that says pay attention, or a casual image that says lets relax and enjoy. Regardless of the situation, image, especially first impressions are extremely important and Ginger's book has helped me put it all together for the best first impression. This is a must have book for my family and friends too.

I loved the pratical nature of this book. You can flip through and find a fashion remedy or new tip in no time. I learned a lot. For example, because I suffer from having a small upper body and a larger lower body, using things like shoulder pads and the right jacket length has made a world of difference in how I look (everyone thinks I've lost weight :). I also saved money after reading the tips on avoiding buying mistakes. Great gift for the friend or family member who hates to shop yet wants to look good.

How wonderful to have someone give me straight talk about simple actions I can take to spiff up my wardrobe/appearance! Like the splits in my skirts, for example ... I like to wear long skirts, and they all seem to come with splits. It never occurred to me that I could sew them up! Thanks for permission to make a 100% improvement in the appearance of the skirts and 100% improvement in my confidence wearing them.

Ginger also gave me permission to buy really good quality clothing. Somehow I "knew" that I seldom wore many of the bargain clothes I had collected, but in reading this book, I felt like I had a loving friend looking at my closet and understanding me, rather than making me feel like a fashion emergency.

While I'll probably never taper or shorten my skirts, I know that's good advice for folks with really great legs. However, I definitely got a boost from the idea I only have a 6" waist ! Finally, toupee tape for shoulder pads and scarves that float is a tip that alone is worth the price of the book.

I re-visit the book every couple months to find another quick and easy way to make me feel great about myself and improve my appearance. Mom would really have loved that.

My company does software development for Web sites. Making a proposal that sells and setting fees correctly has been a daunting task. This book has step-by-step flow charts for determining the proper price and creating proposals that sell. I have a number of books in the general area, but this one is our bible.

I first picked up this book at the library when starting my consulting agency. I found it so valuable as a second and third read and as a resource, that I ended up paying almost $20.00 in late fees. I should have just bought the book, as should you. I highly recommend it.

There are MANY of these types of books out there, but this is definitely in the 'Gotta have it' section. I bought it and continually use it as a resource.

The greatest part is that it covers some VERY difficult material well. I found fee setting and the interim and final reports extremely difficult to do before I bought this book.

It is important to note that this book is not just for independent consultants, but for anyone selling consulting services and other professional services.

If you are not sure whether you want it, get it at the library and take a look. Just remember to take it back!

As an experienced consultant I've found this book to be extremely useful when I stumbled across it. I've recently started my own consulting practice and have found this book to contain some really useful information and steps on setting up your fees along with developing contracts. It reads very easily and walks you through the process step-by-step. Wish I had found this book while I worked for a larger consulting company, it would have helped out a number of times when trying to walk through the process, or as an education for anyone developing proposales, fees, and contracts. Highly recommend it for anyone in the consulting field (either solos or working for one of the big boys).

The items covered in the book are basic and need to be discussed. However, the sample items and some tables used show data from 1988. This info is not useful.

This book came just in time. My consulting practice took off suddenly and I literally dashed to amazon to search for a book with information I could apply right away. It was an invaluable aid. And after a couple of years, it is still a useful reference, always close at hand.

What a great read. I found it very helpful to have a great set of references that are organized by topic. This book would be an ideal one for the Kindle--especially if it could be continually updated (the references stop to the year of publication). If you are eager to expand your coaching horizons, I think this is an excellent resource. Also, chapter six is a fabulous model for framing coaching issues. So far, one of my favorite books!

Frederic M. Hudson wrote this exhaustive reference manual and survey of the field of coaching primarily for coaches and aspiring coaches. He focuses on teaching the best practices in coaching and conveying knowledge, extensive resources, thorough book lists and professional programs. The real message underneath all this data is that a good coach is the ultimate human resource. If you're a coach, you'll benefit from the book's thoroughness. If you're unfamiliar with the field, it's a textbook for understanding many facets of professional coaching and its impact on people and organizations. We recommend Hudson's book particularly to coaches, and also to those who want to learn more about coaching, human resource managers, business libraries, and executives who are recruiting coaches or team leaders. Just forget the idea that all you need to know you learned in kindergarten; to thrive, you need to keep learning continuously. Just ask a coach.

The author has been working with adult developement and coaching since earning his PhD in the 60's. Hudson shows us how the field of coaching relies on the work from a variety of disciplines. He provides many sources from these disciplines to help aid coaches when working with specific groups or specific problems. For anyone building a strong foundation in coaching, this is a great reference book to have handy on your shelf. It's especially useful for newly-trained coaches who might need a deeper understanding of their profession or a good way to avoid reinventing the wheel.

I have read several books about coaching and generally enjoy them alot. This book however was a big disappointment. Really it only contains list after list of suggested reading. That is all it is. I would really estimate that no less than 75% of the book is made up of "Basic library suggestions". Terrible.

As a Life Skills Coach, based in Melbourne Australia, I am always on the search for coaching texts that will enhance my professional skills and coaching knowledge. 'The Handbook of Coaching' is with out a doubt I believe one of the most valuable coaching resource materials I have discovered. Hudson has covered a great deal of material, yet the insights into the various areas of coaching, methodologies and foundations of coaching, are supported by an excellent bibliography section, relevant to the end of each chapter.

The author's writing style is clear and only uses jargon relative to the context, ensuring a novice to the coaching practice feels immediately able to grasp key concepts. This is the value that managers, HR personnel and coaches alike will gain from the book...ease of understanding and practical.

It is a how to book and refernce guide that sets out to (and I daresay achieves)to establish a relationship with its reader; as a handbook of this nature should.

The life transition model that Hudson introduces, acknowledges the validity of adult hood problems, as being more than mere extensions of our child hood challenges. It acknowledges also the process of transition versus the static nature of a changing event.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This book, in conjunction with the others in the series, is a great memory tool when trying to learn the various disease processes and symptoms related to them. There is something for every system and area of nursing. As a nurse educator, I enjoy distributing these after I have discussed a specific topic to reinforce the material on which I have lectured.

This book provides many very good prompts for helping to remember difficult subject matter. Plus they are fun and help to lessen the stress level and rigidity often seen in higher ed courses. I use these memory aids with my nursing students and have actually seen an improvement in their recall ability. Good Product!

If you are studying Nursing or are aspire to be a nurse you need this book!

I have used this book to study for the NCLEX. Great way to remember terms and diseases.

I purchased this book thinking it might provide some fun "post-conference" ideas for my LVN students, but found it to be a little too brief, not enough for each subject - ie, more cutsie drawings than info and/or critical thinking to share with the students.

If you are looking for an in-depth troubleshooting giude, there are plenty out there. If you have been working with Exchange and Outlook for some time, but can't remember how to do those mundane tasks "helpdesk" does, this may be the ticket. Don't remember how to install or configure AutoAccept Scripts? Its here. Need to move mailboxes (you've done it dozens of times---two years ago), its here. This book gives equal time to both Exchange and Outlook, not something you find everywhere. It is what it is. Don't expect it to be more and you'll be glad that you got it.

I praise Microsoft Press for producing a book that is so simple to use. If you are an IT professional and want to be a hero, you need this book!!! Better yet you can't live without it. It gives you step by step procedures to maintain your server at top notch condition. I have bought other books that were so hard to understand and use and cost an arm and a leg, but this book and the other Pocket Consultant books are just what you need. I can't wait for the IIS pocket consultant to come out. Microsoft Press needs to produce more of these books for other applications.

This is a great book for handy ready reference. If you are trying to perform a certain function or decipher a properties box, this is the book to have. However, if you are looking for a logical step by step breakdown of Exchange Server 5.5 or want theory behind 5.5 this is not the right book.

It is well written for its intended prupose. It is concise and to the point. Just what you need when you need to configure a component of Exchange Server.

I have referred to it on six occasions so far and found the answers five of those six occasions. The title is an apt one: The Administrator's Pocket Consultant.

This book is lucky to get 2 stars. The only reason it did, was because it took Technet and shrunk the pages. It's more convenient than carrying around a Technet CD. There is no new information in here. If you have been using Exchange for a while, don't buy this book. If you have Technet (and know how to use it), don't buy this book. I was looking for a book that would be more in depth and help me out with troubleshooting Exchange. This book does not do that. If you have never seen Exchange and were recently hired to support 20 Echange servers across a large WAN, buy this book, otherwise look for something else.

If you completely don't know what you're doing with Exchange and don't have the patience to read a 700 page manual, this book is for you. I read it in an afternoon and still refer to it occationally. The discriptions are brief but to the point and will point you in the right general direction. You can look up the details on a subject in Technet. Good book to take a quick look at some of the functionality of Exchange 5.5 and Resource Kit.

This review pertains to the audio version, read by Allyson Ryan. I think this would be a very entertaining read, but it is a lousy "listen." The reader does not differentiate well between characters and she has a habit of dropping the ends of words and sentences. This is just my personal quirk, but she pronounces contractions, such as wouldn't and couldn't, as "woodent" and "coodent" like some cutesy four-year-old. Although the novel is set in California, several of the characters have southern accents for some unfathomable reason. It's just more annoying than entertaining, reinforcing my conviction that good readers are amazingly talented folks.

Patricia Smiley's mysteries have been favorably compared to both Janet Evanovich's and Sue Grafton's successful string of novels, and for good reason. Her books are well paced, and the stories evolve organically. Most importantly they're just plain fun to read.

As if that isn't enough, the setting of Smiley's novels leads to a comparison with another author, this one from a bygone era. Smiley captures today's Southern California as effectively as Raymond Chandler did in the `30s and `40s. But where Chandler sometimes employed pseudonyms for real locations - Bay City for Santa Monica, Idle Valley as an amalgam of various San Fernando Valley neighborhoods - Smiley's landscape is as accurate as a Thomas Brothers map. You could follow her directions down Sepulveda, La Cienega, or the 405 and see the very offices, restaurants, and denizens she describes so convincingly. Along the way she gives us bits of local South Land history, all the while conveying the very essence of what it means to be an Angelino.

In "Short Change", Smiley's latest effort, heroine Tucker Sinclair is caught in a web of deceit fueled by greed. This time she must appease competing land moguls, decipher a manipulating psychopath, and locate a troubled, missing client. And that's just during work hours. In her personal life Tucker is forced to confront her own lineage, even as she squeezes in a little love of her own. All of this is accomplished with the protagonist's signature wry humor and very human self-doubts.

Smiley gets better with each book, and Short Change is her best yet. As much fun as a fast ride along Mulholland Drive in a top-down Boxter.

--- Steve Long

Patty Smiley has again created a fast-paced and exciting read about Tucker Sinclair, a business consultant who does "business" and "consults" --- sometimes together, and sometimes not. The many characterizations will draw you in to her well-woven story line.

(Also available as CD)

Los Angeles business consultant, Tucker Sinclair, has left corporate America and is trying to build her own business. She's currently working with Charley Tate. Charley is a P.I. who is also trying to get his business off the ground. But Charley's been sidelined by a hit-and-run driver (and a wife who rather he spent all of his time with her) and Tucker steps in to save the day.

Eve Lawson is a strange woman. It's as if she stepped out of the 1980s. She breezes into Charley's office and hires Charley to find out who is following her. The question is: who would want to follow a writer who is working on a book about the post-World War II real estate boom in Los Angeles?

But while Charley's back is on the mend, Eve's boyfriend turns up dead and Eve goes missing. Tucker had better start working overtime to solve the crime before anyone else dies. And while she's at it, Tucker has to build her own business, save Charley's, salvage what's left of her own love life and figure out a way to get her conniving aunt off her `back.' Auntie Dearest wants to evict Tucker from her ocean digs--and it might be that Tucker's mama will have to save the day.

Short Change is a fast and fun romp into Tucker Sinclair's world. She's smart, savvy and unique with enough dysfunction to make her a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to Patricia Smiley's next Tucker Sinclair novel. I want to see what happens with Deegan.

Armchair Interviews says: A new mystery series worth reading.

This is the third entry in the Tucker Sinclair mystery series, and it is just as much of a good read as the earlier ones. Tucker is a management consultant, her primary expertise rescuing businesses in trouble; the fact that she is a smart, resourceful woman with a knack for getting herself into - and hopefully out of - trouble is just a bonus. Her latest client is a p.i. named Charley Tate, a retired LAPD bomb squad sergeant. As Tucker is attempting to turn his business into one that actually earns him a profit, Charley is hired by a woman who identifies herself as Eve Lawson and tells him she fears she is being stalked, and pays him a $1,000 cash deposit to find out who has been following her. Tucker reluctantly agrees to assist him. Then, in short order, the woman disappears, and a wanted embezzler, whose name and description fit that of Eve's boyfriend, is found murdered, and Eve becomes a suspect in the murder; it appears that either she killed him or she's to be the killer's next victim.

Of course, there are the requisite number of personal preoccupations, e.g., Tucker's boyfriend, a handsome homicide detective with the LAPD, who seems to have had a relationship with a Deputy DA who thinks the relationship is still present tense; and a paternal relative who claims that Tucker's father is someone other than the man her mother married. While trying to deal with these distractions, Tucker becomes increasingly involved in the investigation of the murder and the whereabouts of Charley's client, imperiling herself in the process. There are questions of fraud, corporate greed and shady property dealing, though the tone is mostly light and the writing funny. Tucker is a good-humored and capable woman who is surrounded by a mother named Pooky who runs a yoga studio one of whose employees is named Petal; just possibly a father who goes by the name of Peaches LaRue; a West Highland terrier who was adopted and who is therefore referred to as a "used dog," et al - an altogether charming bunch, in a book whcih is equally delightful and fst-moving.

Midnight Louie does his usual great job of "solving" this murder mystery set in a Bookseller's Convention. Actually, he finds the body and of course he is responsible for his human, Temple Barr learning who did the dastardly deed and proving it. Miss Barr gets into a lot of trouble along the way and, of course, Midnight Louie "rescues" her from it. Midnight Louie is the ultimate in purrivate eyes with his tough, hardboiled outlook, just like the human detectives.

This first of the "Midnight Louie" series introduces the reader to the world of Las Vegas hoopla through the eyes of a never-say-die, young free-lance PR woman, Temple Barr, and "Midnight Louie," the 20 lb. black cat who decides to adopt a new human. Temple demonstrates a talent for stumbling over dead bodies and, instead of being frightened, must investigate *whodunit.* Midnight Louie does have his say, and demonstrates his feline logic and methods of helping her be at the right place at the right time. Carol Nelson Douglas turns a dandy phrase that's fun to read. This non-fiction addict, and spouse, are now hooked onto Midnight Louie.

Both the adventures if Midnight Louie and my addiction to said cat and his "roommate", the petite but very professional PR specialist, Temple Barr. Little does she (or the new reader) know that when Temple sets off in her trademark high heel shoes after a black cat on the loose at the American Booksellers Association convention in Las Vegas that this is the beginning of not just a mystery and murder but one of the most intriguing partnerships in mystery books.

Not only is Louie - the back cat that Temple pursues - intent on leading her to discover the body of Pennyroyal Press publisher Chester Royal- he also manages to squirm hs way into her heart - especially when he does a Sidney Carton and risks life and limb to help rescue Baker and Taylor - two cats who have been catnapped at that same ill-fated convention.

Temple is a Mighty Mite - small but brave and ferociously curious. Following Louie's lead, and with a bit of martial arts training from her divine new neighbor, Matt Devine - she manages to solve all the crimes. In the process she acquires a roommate and protector - the somewhat oversized but magnificent Midnight Louie.

It is the rollicking beginning to an aphabetical series of Midnight Louie mysteries - what could be looked on as the first chapter of one very long and entertaining mystery saga. While each book in this series stands on its own merits as a good read, it is great fun to start at the beginning and read the books in order. Then the real structure of this series becomes evident and the entertainment value triples.

Louie is not your ordinary cat detective. He plays an active part in solving the mysteries he encounters, whether it is simply calling attention to the most vital clues or by intervening tooth and claw to preserve and protect. He's tough talking, with an amusing way with words - a sort of feline Sam Spade but with a heart of gold - although he'd prefer that you not notice that. And Temple Barr is not your typical small female with a shoe obsession, but an intrepid investigator full of courage and heart.

Along the way we get some intriguing glimpses into the world of publishing as well as the vagaries of human nature. The Midnight Louie series may read like light cozy mysteries on one level, but read carefully. They are also insightful on a number of levels - and that insight keeps growing as the mystery progresses.

Everything I've read by Carole Nelson Douglas has been both kind of sweet and not particularly original -- the kind of book that leaves you thinking, "Well, that was cute." This can either be marginally appealing, as in her Irene Adler series, or downright annoying, as in her attempts at high fantasy. _Catnap_ falls into the first category, as the author jumps on the feline sleuth bandwagon.

For those interested in the combination of cats and crime, I place the maunderings of Midnight Louie solidly between the interminable "Cat Who..." series and the delightful adventures of Mrs. Murphy. Louie plays a marginally more active role in crime solving than the Siamese Pair of the former, but is not quite so involved as the latter. Like Mrs. Murphy, he has a perky female associate to do the actual work of putting together clues and bringing them to the attention of the proper authorities. Unlike Mrs. Murphy, Louie seems a great deal more interested in self-agrandizement than in true crime solving. There is less of an emphasis on the legendary feline curiosity than there is on the equally legendary feline ego.

The setting is interesting as it gives a kind of perspective on Las Vegas as an alien culture. The supporting characters and subplots are derivative, and I thought the grand "revelation of the crime" scene, where the case was presented to all the suspects gathered in one room, was super unrealistic and annoying. Still, _Catnap_ kept me occupied on a grey afternoon when I couldn't think of anything better to do. If you don't go into it with very many expectations, you won't be disappointed.

As a series, the Midnight Louie books are standard for the genre and many are much more interesting and original than the first volume. The ongoing supporting cast is appealing, and the series-spanning subplots hooked me into reading past the first two books. Though the crimes and motives are fairly stock, some of the settings are quite original -- I especially liked the book set at a strippers' convention (_Pussyfoot_) and the one set at a Romance Novel convention (_Cat in a Diamond Dazzle). The series could use help from a continuity editor, however. In one book, a major event is stated to have happened both in 1969 and 1959; in others it seems that the author can't remember where one early crime happened, but sets it in this Vegas hotel or that as the whim takes her. Also, there are long sections dealing with the characters' "personal growth" that seem more like something from a psychology or self-help text than real conversations between people. And the characters have an annoying incapacity to use common contractions like "don't" or "won't," which makes much of the dialog seem stilted and unreal.

If you like gimick mysteries with a lot of fluff and not much suspense, you could do worse than the Midnight Louie books. Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers they're not, but they're still amusing.

A fan of the mystery, Catnap allows for the "purr-fect" twists that keeps you guessing. Not only do you get the clues and the chance to figure out the murder, you get a "cat's eye" view of the "purr-dicament." Being a cat lover as well I found that to be an enjoyable touch. "Midnight Louie" has a way of putting his mark on things; the type of mark that doesn't stink up the story line, but instead inhances it. I would recomend this book and any in the series to any avid mystery or cat lover.

Tucker Sinclair can't seem to decide whether she's a business consultant or a private eye. In this caper, she begins as an advisor to an iffy high-scale retail chocolate shop, retained to improve its somewhat shaky business. Unfortunately, one night the cleaning lady is murdered in the shop and Tucker finds the body.

Add the disappearance of her assistant to the mix and Tucker has more to chew on than a bon bon. Presumably, her assistant has taken it upon himself to solve the mystery despite being admonished to say in the office.

Well-paced, and cleverly contrived, the novel is a breezy read. It holds up well, with suspense right up to the end. A light and enjoyable read, and recommended.

With Cool Cache Patricia Smiley has again elevated the female detective genre, and her own work as well. In her fourth novel of the series, heroine Tucker Sinclair is on the hunt for a chocolate loving killer while simultaneously trying to protect her pal and part-time employee Eugene Barstock. Against her advice Eugene has gone deep undercover, so deep she can't find him. He is searching for that same murderer, but for reasons of his own. Eugene has something to prove to himself and to others if they'll only listen. But is it worth his life?

This is engaging if standard fare. What sets Cool Cache apart is Tucker's very real persona fraught with doubts, decisions, and lost love. The character is so genuine and appealing you want to ring her up at her beachside home and arrange lunch at a Santa Monica bistro or an Inglewood taco stand. And that's the other Smiley trademark - knowledge of the Southern California scene from geography, to history, to the LA attitude. You almost need sunglasses and tanning lotion when you read a Smiley novel. For sure you need to fasten your seat belt.

Cool Cache shows us a more somber Tucker Sinclair than we've seen previously, but she's all the more believable for it. If you can't cruise the barrio, the beach and Rodeo Drive yourself, this book is the next best thing. And if you can visit those places, get the book anyway. Tucker Sinclair is just too much fun to miss.

Patricia has an amazing ability to swiftly bring in new characters and have them enhance the creativity of Tucker. She leaves you wanting more of this story.

Cool Cache is the fourth book in this very entertaining series that just keeps getting better. Tucker Sinclair, a great cast of characters and the authors habit of injecting actual business information into the series make it very entertaining.

Authors with the ability to interject real word business information into entertaining "who-done-its" are rare and Patricia Smiley has clearly joined their ranks. While this book is certainly not a business tutorial I do find books that provide insight into different businesses to be particularly enjoyable.

In this book Tucker becomes involved in both retail chocolate and the dating business while tracking down a murderer, and her missing assistant. Mix in some interesting slices of LA life and the continued development of a wonderful supporting cast and you have a great addition to the Tucker Sinclair series. This book is my favorite of the series to date and I can't wait for the next installment.

Not long after starting this book, I had a serious fit of chocolate-envy! Just reading "Cool Cache" may require either large infusions of chocolate (specifically truffles), or willpower of steel! This delightful new addition to Patty Smiley's Tucker Sinclair series is filled not only with mouth-watering chocolates to read about, but also a fascinating mystery.

Tucker Sinclair and Associates is a business-consulting firm, although the only "associate" besides Tucker is her male "executive assistant," Eugene. Keeping a close eye on her clients brings Tucker into a murder case involving a client, an upscale chocolatier in Beverly Hills, and a quirky clue, a rare green Quetzal feather, native to Guatemala, and symbol of an East Los Angeles gang. The narrative quickly gets more complex when Eugene decides to go undercover, sucking poor Tucker into the case, despite her best intentions to stay out of it.

So many things keep this mystery (and others in the series) from being banal, or a run-of-the-mill cozy. Smiley pulls in sub-plots about gang activity, stolen antiquities from Guatemala, and (besides the awe-inspiring candy) a role reversal, gender-wise, as Tucker is soon riding to the rescue of her intrepid male assistant. Woman to the Rescue! This is the fourth book in the series, yet, even though a part of a series, each book stands alone magnificently.

I would have loved to see a recipe or two in the book for making chocolates--but of course, I still recommend this book highly. It treats the readers intelligently, addresses awkward subject matter, and stays within the bounds of the rules of cozies with its amateur detectives, clever plot twists and dynamic dialog and characterizations. Cool Cache is certainly perfect reading for a hot summer day or for a cool spring evening!

by Laura Strathman Hulka
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Becoming a specialist in one's field is a typical goal when questioning one of his/her aspirations. In many cases, you'll receive the answer, "...to become the best." (Love those willing to lay it all out!) If one's goal is to be a specialist, one must adhere to a few simple principals, principals composing vigilant and unending education. This individual will be current, well read, and extremely competent (in significantly most cases) in their chosen field. Many would call this individual an "expert" in his/her particular field. An accurate characterization indeed yet still green where the legal community is concerned. Capitalizing on this expertise is the mantra of Dan Poynter's, THE EXPERT WITNESS HANDBOOK.

Many "experts" have no interest in utilizing their knowledge in a legal setting. Frankly, at times, I don't blame them. However, being an expert in a particular field has its limitations relative to continuing challenges. Thus, many experts seek new, invigorating challenges. Those who have chosen to become testifying expert witnesses have most likely found the invigoration sought for displaying your knowledge in a courtroom is one of the greatest tests of that knowledgebase and your ability to articulate it. A daunting combination to be sure yet incredibly satisfying. I've been providing expert consulting and expert testimony services for close to ten years now. To say it is still a challenge and one that moves my adrenals into high gear is an understatement. However, it is one of the great highs relative to intellectual discourse and can be extremely financially rewarding.

THE EXPERT WITNESS HANDBOOK is the bridge between being an expert in one's field and displaying that expertise in a court of law. Dan Poynter has provided those interested in taking this bold step with a basic set of guidelines and recommendations relative to turning one's knowledge into a new (part-time or, in some cases, full-time) career path. In the first chapter, "What is an Expert Witness?" Mr. Poynter identifies what an expert witness does and why. However, this chapter's high point is the answers to his question, Why would anyone want to be an expert witness? Mr. Poynter goes on to answer these in fine detail; I'll just provide the base answer. In order: 1) To capitalize on your years of education and experience; 2) To get into the action (See! This is what expert thrive on.); 3) To put something back into the system; 4) To be hired to study (nirvana for life students); and 5) To make money.

From the first chapter forward, Mr. Poynter lays out a relatively clean chronology of the steps necessary for a "specialist" to become an "expert." Although every chapter will be important and vital to the neophyte expert, there are several chapters I would like to highlight as being germane and crucial to the seasoned expert as well. Chapter 7, "Maintaining Competence," is an almost laconic albeit important chapter advising the expert to continue to learn. For those who are eternal students, this will not be an issue. However, as a friendly warning, if one jumps into the expert arena and feels as though "I've made it," disaster looms for laws relative to experts change constantly as do the standards and landscape of one's field of expertise. Take this chapter to heart.

Probably the most important chapter and one ALL experts can refer to in the future is Chapter 11, "The Trial," although Chapter 10, "The Deposition" runs a very close second. In "The Trial," Mr. Poynter takes 50 pages of this 231-page book to describe the process and provide poignant Q&A between an expert and attorney on direct examination and the dreaded cross-examination. Mr. Poynter provides an excellent description of the process, the requisite preparation, and the actual flow of one's testimony. Before and after each Q&A, he espouses his opinion and advice to the reader, advice to be well heeded in most instances.

Overall, this is an excellent treatise on entering the expert witness arena. One area, in my opinion, Mr. Poynter did not cover in sufficient detail was the need for the aspiring expert to understand various points of case law relative to each expert specifically, the Daubert decision and its progeny. Although the intent of Mr. Poynter's book most likely was describe in sufficient detail the steps one must take to become a competent expert, the Daubert decision (and its progeny) are tantamount to any expert's acceptance in a court of law. Regardless, Mr. Poynter has written a very solid book and one I would recommend highly.

This is a frustrating book. On the one hand, there is some decent information here. However, it is very clear that the author did not spend much time thinking about how to communicate that information. This really just feels like a first pass outline/data dump which then should have been revised, edited and revised again. I will list a few of the problems below, but this is not a complete list.
First, the overall structure just seems to ramble along without a real plan of building from one section to the next.
Second, within sections it seems like topics just change in the middle of the section. I found myself reading some sections two or three times trying to figure out what connecting theme I was missing. I finally asked others to look at some of these sections (without any other prompting) and found that they could not figure out what was going on either.
Third, information is often repetitive across sections. A point will be covered once and then later covered again without any reference to the prior discussion and without any further insights.
Fourth, paragraphs are sometimes repeated almost verbatim. For example, a paragraph may occur at the beginning of a section and then again near the end with almost no change. My guess is that the author was moving things around in a quick edit and/or tossing it down either place it could work with the idea of returning to it later.
Fifth, the book uses bold faced paraphrases or quotes from other sources at the bottom of each page. I guess these are a clever way to show others have a similar view without really needing to work it smoothly into the text. However, they often are redundant (in the first chapter one page has a quote saying going to trial without an expert is on the edge of malpractice, two pages later there is a similar comment that says it is malpractice - both are from the same magazine). Worse, the references provided in no way allow a reader to go find the source and look at it for themselves. For example, if a magazine is cited there is neither date given nor a title of the article. It might have been quick, but it was not the most useful for readers.

Moving away from the specifics, I guess this shows how the author could write "over 100 books" as it says in his bio. I did find it strange that he kept stressing how careful we need to be in writing reports, yet he did such a sloppy job here.

To be fair (and why it got two stars instead of one) there is some useful information in here if you are willing to skim through and not get hung up on the flow. In the end, this is probably one or two decent articles of information if it was put together well, not a whole book. Of course, this is also cheaper than a lot of the other "comprehensive" books on being an expert witness.

Would I buy it again? No, but I would check it out of the library to take a quick look.

The Expert Witness Handbook covers a lot of ground, from selecting the expert and impeaching opposing experts, to being deposed and giving trial testimony. The author is evidently well versed and very experienced in being an expert, and his opinions and anecdotes are laced through the book. This is both the strength and weakness of the book - the author's expertise in parachute accidents shows, but it also limits the overall usefulness. The repetition and poor grammar are more annoying. Because this book was published by the author, the lack of editing may be somewhat anticipated. Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it useful, but a good editor could have tightened it up a lot.

This is expert writing on being an expert witness. I skipped around but read the whole book and highly recommend that you do, too. It might be tempting to skip a chapter or two, depending on your needs, but reconsider and read them all. This was very helpful in many areas of expert witness, both research and testifying.

I found this book to be informative and easy to read. It covered all aspects of an expert witness practice from how to get started to securing work to billing and collecting for your services. I will use it as an resource tool for many years to come.

This book is a must for anyone thinking of moving into any phase of wedding planning. Many different aspects of wedding planning are covered in detail. I had to go back and reread some chapters several times to glean all the information offered. Definitely worth the money if you are serious about wedding planning.

I was disappointed with this book. I didn't learn anything new from reading this book, which was really disappointing. For the price, it's just not thorough. There are many other books on the subject that offer the same advice and are a better value for your money. If I'd have had the chance to flip through this first I would not have spent the money on this book. Over-rated and over-priced.

I strongly encourage anyone who is entertaining the idea of becoming a Bridal Consultant/Wedding Planner to read this book. It is very informative and leaves no stone unturned.

This book is an excellent blueprint for those starting their own wedding planning business; following the end of chapter assignments alone will help you do everything from write your business plan to set up your pricing structure and create brochures in a managable, logical way. However, the bulk of the information provided is perfunctory at best and the fact that it is self published shows in the amature page layout and reliance on reprinted articles that offten feel like advertisments for the articles's author or his/her product. I'm glad I bought How To Start A Wedding Planning Business (HTSAWPB) because, as I stated, the end of chapter assignments are very usefull and it does give a good overview of everything involved. However, this is simply not a stand alone book. I also bought Start Your Own Event Planning Business: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Success and it is MUCH more informative with better, more fact based content and it complemented HTSAWPB well.

The Bottom Line: Go ahead and buy it if you can get a used copy (It's NOT worth $100+, I paid $50 and still overpaid), but don't make it the only book in your library on the subject

This book not only helps you set up your wedding and/or event planning business, it gives you insight into the wedding business. Understanding your market is essential to starting your own business. Ms. Phillips understands this and covers it in detail. Not only did I enjoy this book, it inspired me to take her online certification course. I owned my wedding business prior to taking the course. This book and her course truly gave me insight on how to further my business. As a bonus, I can now add the accrediation of being a "Certified Wedding Planner" to my business plan.