David Books

I don't know why I haven't heard more about this book. I stumbled across it purely by accident but have been surprised to find it is one of the best reads I've had in this genre this year. Glad I found it.

For a very long time, this book was "Unavailable" or "Out of Print". Naturally, I found that intriguing. When this book became available to order, I wasted no time. I feel my wait was certainly rewarded.

Michael's prose is magnetic. It's as if I'm drawn to read faster and faster. These types of reads are rare, to me. Character development was effective, and the storyline is wonderful, even if controversial.

To anyone who likes Cold War books, this is a must-read. For those who want a good story to read, pick this up. I know your money will be well spent!

If you like Historic Fiction, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Spy novels, Cold War Political Intrique, or even action works (to a lesser extent) then this book is for you! It welds the aforementioned genre's together and is a perfect rainy sunday afternoon read. Hard to put down, and a fascinating scenario! I had to read it two times to be sure I didn't miss any details. Totally believable plot line and excellent characterizations, as well as interesting details on the space programs of the era from both the US and Soviet perspectives. I heartily recommend Red Moon.

So far I am about half way through the novel and it is a good read.

This book is painstakingly researched, well written, entertaining, and an all around great read. This has to be one of the best novels I've read this year. I hope there's more to come.

I am a fitness freak and a fitness and dance instructor. I am always looking for a new way to challenge my body and take it to new extremes. This book really gave me an understanding of what I need to do to take my body and its strength to the next level. It is comprehensive and easy to understand. I reccommend this book to all my friends and anyone who is looking for a good fitness trainer but don't have the money for a live one, whether you are just starting out or you are stuck in a rut. He has developed workouts that fit your body type too, which makes it even more of an ideal workout because you can zone in on slimmming your trouble spots.

I have found this book to be the best on the market when you want quality information concerning nutrition and exercise. I have highlighted so many pages to reference back to. David goes into detail on so much plus there are color pictures. I also purchased his book The Ultimate New York Body Plan but found this one more practical and attainable in reaching my goals. After reading this I can see why he is known as a fitness guru, and this book has sound advice that can be beneficial to attaining a better body!

This is a good program for people who want to get in and stay in shape without spending half of their life at the gym. You do need to spend some time building your own program sheets using the info in the book. I also bought his "Ultimate New York Body Plan" (it reflects on my obsessive streak that I'd buy both!)and I think that program would be difficult to implement for most ordinary mortals. Buy this one!

There are plenty of basic and advanced versions of exercises divided by body part. The book has many pictures that clearly illustrate the exercises. There are plenty of body weight exercises, as well as with weights. I found this book to be very helpful in creating an exercise program!

There's a reason why Heidi Klum and other supermodels seek David out for his training skills. He not only focuses on the physical and nutritional elements to fitness, but also the mind and motivation. It's like having your own personal trainer right in your home and for much less money!

This is an excellent book for those who want to really dig deep and see what Jesus was saying in the Sermon on the Mount and that he wasn't just talking to his disciples but to us too.

This is a wonderful book and well worth the time to invest in reading it. I would urge you to buy this timely book.

Through forceful, powerful, blatant, bold Calvinistic and evangelistic sermons, Pastor Jones did a marathon preaching on one of, if not the most controversial and heavily debated Sermon on the Mount; shattering other man-centered, self-centered, legalistic, antinomian, perfectionist interpretations. I have to admit before I read these sermons, I had most of my interpretations wrong. Here are some observations from what I took in. First, the Sermon on the Mount is not a social gospel where all it cares about is the actions, ethics and morale of the story. Though important, they are neither the meat nor the center of it; Christ the Preacher is. Not only is this so, but as Pastor Jones remarked in the concluding sermon, that throughout the course of it, Christ declares, I would say, both implicitly and explicitly, that he is the true giver, interpreter and center of the law. Second, no one can rightly live out the principles taught in it unaided unless one is a believer relying on the grace and power of God who enables him to do so. Third, it is not something one has to do to become a Christian. Instead, it shows what Christians should become as a result of a new gracious ruling principle in their hearts. Fourth, in some cases like turning to the other cheek, going extra miles, giving away both the cloak and the coat, loaning to those in need, not committing adultery, it is the general bigger-picture principles behind the detailed examples that was to be conveyed, not the actions themselves that are the most important. I wouldn't write what they are here, but let the readers discover on their own. Fifth; on the other hand, it involves some details which Pastor Jones beautifully expounds within the general description or principles, for example, on what the Lord's prayer means and how it is to be prayed properly with the right heart and attitude, how to determine the characteristics and signs of false prophets and professors, what it means to enter through the straight gate and going through the narrow way, what building house on sands and rock by the foolish and wise man signify and how we know which one of these categories we fall into. These are stunningly soul-searching; something critical that those of us who confess to be Christians should test ourselves with. Here is one of his quotes worth musing on what it urges us to do in regard to entering the strait gate,

"You have to go out of your way to find this gate. You will have to analyze yourself and be very honest with yourself, and having refused to hold back, say, `I am going on with this until I discover exactly what I have to do'. Here are so many who do not find this way of life because they have never sought the gate and entered in.... [it involves] fasting, sweating and praying... we must give ourselves no rest or peace until we know for certain that we are on this way."

And lastly, without trying to be simplistic, the underlying principle of it all is that it is the spirit, not the letters that matters. It is the heart, the desire, the attitude, the character and the outlook on one's life, not the actions, that Christ is concerned the most and therefore focuses his sermons on to graciously rebuke, correct and encourage. Despite his sober and frightening warnings, we should not lose heart but continue to persevere to the end to follow him for he who has began a good work in us will never leave us nor forsake us and will carry it on to completion.

This is a wonderful book that does not hide nor apologize for the fact that it is really a compilation of 60 sermons delivered by the author. Each chapter is one complete sermon. This will be helpful and instructive to some and confusing and frustrating to others. I, for one, love it. The illustrations he uses are very good but the questions he uses to cause one to search their own heart in light of the scripture are fantastic. He applies the passages being studied to real life in meaningful ways inviting the reader to interact with the passage and allow it to have its work on their heart.

This is NOT a preachy book but is it a book full of preaching...many a pastor would do well to study this book for its instruction on how to put a sermon together.

BTW, if you wish to purchase the electronic version of this two-volume-in-one-book BE AWARE that only Volume one is included in the electronic version.

This book on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is one of the best books ever produced by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. If you have never encountered Lloyd-Jones then you will be blessed as you read this book and discover a man with a passion for both the Word of God and the God of the Word.

Lloyd-Jones, according to John Piper, is one of the last true Calvinistic Methodist from the days of George Whitefield. Here was a man who not only embraced Reformed Calvinism but also embraced a passion for God from the likes of Whitefield and John Wesley. He not only wanted to study the Bible and teach it clearly but he wanted to give people a hunger for Jesus that would become evident in holiness in life and character.

In this book, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explores the implications of the Sermon on the Mount for the Christian. He works his way slowly through each passage giving not only the content of the passage but many points of application for your life. I would encourage you to have your Bible open to Matthew 5-7 as you read this book and even more to memorize the passage (Psalm 119:11). This is a solid book well worth the price and its also a book you will refer to again and again.

I spent 2 hours last night just reading half of the seafood section and was just thrilled! The book is well written and very informative. If you've ever wondered about the different types of tuna, clams, crab, scallops, how to prepare and EAT a whole fish (and which are the best to cook whole), which varieties to avoid, or just want some good options for tempura or breading... then enjoy. I bought this for my brother and one for mysleft for Christmas. I am now getting another for my sister. We all love food and love to cook. This is a must for anyone that loves food or loves someone that loves food (and just loves to eat).

This is the best cookbook I own. Granted I'm in a phase of cooking where I can make a slew of pasta dishes, but now I want to branch out a little. This book provides clear and concise recipes for all my favorite "basic" dishes, from quesadillas and matzo balls to thai curries and falafels. The authors also give tips on seemingly simple things such as making fluffy rice, buying fish smoking meat, as well as in depth descriptions of grains, seafood, veggies etc. in their many varieties.

What I love most about this book is that it allows the reader to master the basic recipe before it provides another trussed up version. If I want french onion soup, I don't want someone else's fancified take. I want one that tastes damn good and takes me back to France in the winter. (And it does too!)

This book is for the seasoned and novices alike who love good unadulterated regional basics with the occasional fancy versions thrown in too.

This is a very useful "contemporary American" cookbook- It's well-written, informative, and full of great recipes. It's pretty ecclectic, and I find myself disappointed sometimes when I try to look something up in the index and it isn't there. It's kind of like asking your braniac friend a question and they don't have the answer- you kind ofassume that they do. This book is so good at what it does you assume it's good at everything. The biggest problem with this book is that it doesn't have all the answers. The greatest thing is that all the answers it has are correct. This isn't one of those utility cookbooks you use like "Joy of Cooking" or "Fanny Farmer." You might not find a gravy recipe, but if you want to serve a dynamite meal to guests without looking like you were trying to get all fancy, this is a great book. And let me reiterate that there's a lot more than recipes in this book- it's also very informative. The continuous use of the third-person plural (The "Royal WE") is a bit annoying, but it's clear that this is David Rosengarten having to prentend that two guys named "Dean" and "Delucca" actually wrote it. Not terribly friendly to dieters, this book is nevertheless not all about fat and carbs. Just lots of good food. Really, really good food.

I hate to judge a book by its binding, but with a cookbook, even a paperback...you expect it to hold together for more than two uses. The recipes here are caloric, innovative, challenging and delicious. But the book falls to pieces quickly and it's all downhill from there. Maybe a spiral next time? Anything would help.

great content.

I have dozens upon dozens of great cookbooks, but I find that I consistently begin with only a handful of them when looking for a good recipe: Joy of Cooking, Bittman's How to Cook Everything, and this great Rosengarten offering. Try making the beef carbonnade - he suggests adding prunes, which works incredibly well.

Advice or information given in this book may not work for all students?
What may work is worth knowing!
About a 3.9 Star buy!

Great how to guide. I bought it for my daughter who will be a Freshman this Fall. Lots of the same things I've been saying (with greater impact coming from someone else other than Mom), plus a whole lot more. Knowledge is power and this guide offers hints from study habits, avoiding weight gain in the dorms, to dealing with roommates - even an appendix on common errors in English! I also appreciated that the proceeds from the sale of the book go to the Boulder Valley Humane Society. Bravo Mr. Kennedy!

This book helped me get over $11,000 of free financial aid. Obviously to say it paid for itself would be an understatement. The book not only shows you how to get good grades at the college level with less studying, but also shows you how to get free financial aid and scholarships, which I found the most beneficial.

The author shares his tricks for applying for and getting all kinds of scholarships, grants, and loans and also low-interest Federal Student Aid (FSA). The amount of free college money out there for you to get is amazing. For example, the book talks about one little-known scholarship for students who are left-handed called the Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship lol.

Long story short, this book is a great investment and will pay for itself hundreds if not thousands of times over. My total haul amounted to over $11,000. Not too shabby I'd say.

Everyone at OU is talking about this book!! I just got a $3700 scholarship with the help of this book and am so encouraged I'm now going to go for more!! The key is knowing where to go to get it and persistence. I'm here to tell you it PAYS OFF BIG TIME! Great advice about college success too. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Im a high school junior and got this book. I've applied a lot of the tips to my high school life, and my grades are doing a lot better!

I recommend this to anyone in any level of school, from high school and onward.

Very good book that teaches counting and basic concepts. Great illustrations - clear and colorful. Quick read so keeps the attention of very young readers. I love reading it to my 16 month old and she loves to listen to the story as well as look at the illustrations.

My 13 month old *LOVES* Miss Spider, and I was getting really sick of Miss Spider's New Car (which is a great book, don't get me wrong, I was just tired of reading it 3x/night.) I went looking for the original Miss Spider's Tea Party in board book format (which you can't find, why is that?) and stumbled across this one and the ABC one. He likes both of them, I slightly prefer this one because frankly it's shorter. The artwork is still the classic David Kirk Miss Spider traditional stuff, not the computer-animated from the TV series stuff. And if you know the original Tea Party story, it's an abbreviated version of that, so it's kind of fun to see where they go with it for the Counting. So all in all, a decent alternative.

My daughter loves this book. She just made 2 and she repeats the ending of each line in this book. I bought it twice because that's how much she loves it. I can read any other book to her, but in the end she makes sure I read Miss Spider's Tea Party. It's a beautifully illustrated and very very well written book.

My 6 month old has liked this book since he was 4 months old. Now his face lights up with a big smile when I pull it out. Sometimes he even starts to fuss when I put it away! The illustrations are just so vibrant and colorful that he's mesmerized by it. I really really wish I could find more books like this. I've looked everywhere! This is definitely a best buy for parents who want to start reading to baby at an early age.

This book has some of the most beautiful artwork you will ever see in a children's book. My 17 month old took a few tries to warm up to the story, and it still isn't a favorite of hers. A lot of times we will just sit and look at the pretty pictures.

David Stanley manages to inform and create atmosphere concisely and with speed. The reader becomes quickly aware that Kieran has a troubled past and knows that he will soon become entrenched in further entanglement. This novel promises to be tense. With this in mind we are invited to read on.

For those who desire a good book to treat our modern tastes and sense of our physical awareness, our willingness to explore the previously taboo, then David Stanley's Sleeping with Rachel is it. After reading merely the first five pages. I was salivating, wanting to know what secrets lie in the father's grave and more importantly what relationship does Kieran have with his sister. This book tests the definitions of love and far more significantly, its boundaries. It's nice to know that writers are coming into existence that can finally answer the questions of our generation, all grown up in our thirties, yet still the children of our parent's past, present and future. If you liked Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, you will love this book.

The opening chapter of this novel is delivered like a well-aimed blow. We're straight into the narrator's world and his point of view with no time wasted. It's clear from the off that we're embarking on a journey that's going to be far from comfortable and yet alongside that clear intention, compassion and humour are as evident in the opening pages of what promises to be a remarkable piece of work, as the sense of unease at the inevitable impending horrors. That's a really hard balancing act to pull off and the author here seems to manage it with style and with ease. I feel myself starting to (figuratively) put my hands over my eyes and peek through my fingers as this story starts to unfold - like the opening of The Lovely Bones (for example), I realise I'm going to be taken somewhere I really don't want to go but will be compelled by the persuasive style and the compelling plot to stick with Kieran.
The characters are surprisingly well realised in such a short narrative space - something I'm finding rather lacking in many of the other stories in this competition. We already see the contradictions in Kieran's character, doubtless we'll see their roots as the story progresses, the black and slightly bitter humour and his wry, brutal detached observations of his wife show him, even at this early stage, to be a fully realised and meticulously drawn character.
This very solidly crafted opening also introduces several principal interwoven strands of plot simultaneously without any hint of clumsiness or recourse to `techniquey' devices - the gift of a great story teller is to make you forget you're being told a story and simply accept the narrative. In the complex emotional and psychological knot that this novel promises to be, we know from the outset that the various strands will be made of horrors, terrors and all manner of taboos but this opening also promises that these will be tempered with sufficient tenderness and sympathy to prevent the novel becoming black and bleak simply for the sake of it. At least I hope so - I think this writer shows exceptional promise and I hope to read more of their work.

Sleeping with Rachel by D. Stanley opens with a phone call to Kieran Park from his twin sister Lisa. She needs him to come round right away, but won't tell him why.

Subsequently there's a moment of PTSD flashback (dead man on the floor) and an interchange with his wife Shona. These paint some circumstances of Harrison's life: haunted by grisly memories and dispassionate about his marriage.

When he lands up at Lisa's, he suspects something awful--rape or cancer--but she shows him an add for a new housing development. The message is clear: they'll have to dig up their father's remains. This was the moment when my curiosity was truly piqued.

The writing is clean and serves the story well. From Kieran's POV we see a man who appears calm both inside and out (for now) though this wasn't likely the case just a short time before. Both his wife and his sister seem concerned with his stability. The author puts forward this one line to really demonstrate Harrison's awareness of other's thoughts regarding his 'fragile' emotional/psychological state:
~'I imitate a sane person I saw once in a shoe store, causing her to laugh. `I'm fine.''

Overall, I found the story engaging. It attracted and held my attention by presenting enough information to make me curious about Harrison's past and present. I wasn't floored by the writing, but it was good and worked well with the story itself.

An acutely disturbing past, colouring the present in errant shades of internal unrest, governs the lives of Kieran and his twin sister, Lisa, and extends outward to Shona, Kieran's wife.

What childhood shames and atrocities brought the twins to this moment? How close is too close in sibling relationships? Can I empathize with Shona's feelings of always being number two in her husband's life, even if she may not have been a good life-partner choice? Did Kieran sabotage his marriage from the beginning through his damaged history and self? How does Rachel's long-ago death find closure? Why do two supposed adults not see themselves and what they have become, through other's eyes?

David Stanley's excerpt raises dozens of questions that demand answers! There are plenty of gleaned potential twists and turns to this story that urges one into wanting to know the full story! I want to see if all the characters ultimately learn something about themselves and if, in the end, they can finally learn let go of their demons and become emotionally and mentally healthy people. Or not. This is definitely a read that I believe deserves the opportunity to voice itself to the world! Publish this book! ASAP please!

I don't believe I've read a more compelling book! It was purchased from a bargain table as something to read while recovering from a foot injury. The therapy for my soul and mind was worth far far more than the few dollars I paid.
So many times I've been disappointed in the quality of "Christian Fiction." Not so with "SOUTH PACIFIC JOURNAL." The characters are believable and very interesting. Descriptive passages place the reader on location in the South Pacific. I've never read such compelling "flash-back" passages. Even though the narrative left many unanswered questions about the characters (What happened to the lieutenant? How did Sarah try to contact her family? When and how did she return to Manila?) I feel as if I really know the characters personally. I hope David & Nancy French write a sequel.
My gratitude goes to the authors for such excellent writing and to the publisher for printing this book.

About the second world war, this book clearly describes the troubles of a female living in Manila in that time period. It is so hard to put my review into words for fear of forgetting minor details, although you will never forget anything after you read the book. Some parts are touching, some gruesome, but it still reflects one idea throughout the story: the love of God.

I will not soon forget this book. It gives the most vivid impression of actually being in a war torn situation that I have ever read. It seemed so real. The spiritual thought process of the young woman is very believable. It would be especially interesting to a Jewish person. I did feel that the end left a lot of questions that I wish had been expanded on, but not to the extent that it was bothersome. I would recommend it.

I have David French as an instructor for one of my law school classes & have had numerous opportunities to listen to him speak. Not only does he tell great stories (his students LOVE listening to him tell stories), but he & his wife have done an incredible job at carrying over this wonderful skill into writing. As I read the book, I kept forgetting this was their first novel. The story is so compelling & well-told that in spite of all the reading I had to do for my law classes & the sleep I definitely needed to get, I stayed up late reading into the early morning hours. The more I read, the more I wanted to keep reading & the harder it was to put the book down. The ending will definitely touch you... as I read the last couple of chapters, tears rolled down my face & the events caused me to really think about my faith. I will be sending this book to my friends... it's definitely worth reading!

Think about all of the people you've known in your life. A few will stand out from all the others. Something about them makes you want to spend time with them, to get to know them more intimately, to learn from them. Sarah Lavine is like that. She is the main character of this book and, as I read the book, I found myself wishing I could sit down and talk to her, even if it mean sharing her very dangerous circumstances. Like the few people you've met who were worth knowing, Sarah has something at her core (in her soul) that is important, alive and true. She knows something that maybe you don't. So you need to spend time with her and learn from her. It's only 216 pages. It won't take you long. In fact, it's too short. It left me wanting to learn more.

Although I am not quite finished with the book, I can highly recommend it to anyone interested in the real background and inside operations of the CIA written by past insiders. The content has been screened to assure that no classified information is contained, as well no endangerment of agents or other pesonnel is done. To add to the real meaning of the book, the forward was wiritten by George Tenet, Director of the CIA.

Some of the details of particular operations will have you on the edge of your seat. You will also be amazed at some of information on equipment developed and used by agents. You will be given an opportunity to decode a message using a real cipher code.

Don't miss this one!!

Spycraft, an important work that must be listen to/read and understood, especially in light of cooling relations with the Russians (once again). Anyone who has lived through the cold war will remember the tensions of the 'doomsday' clock and how it colored our world. As I remembered living through those times I felt there was an under current beyond our perception, struggling for dominance. This book details the struggle and fills in all the things you thought must have been happening.

Fantastic! Told from the unique perspective of the technical and operations officers of the day, this is a must read for anyone interested in the period of history between the Cold War and today.

This fascinating book takes you into the real world of the role technology plays in gathering intelligence. While not as magical as Q in the Bond movies, it comes awfully close and has the benefit of reality. Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton always tie the technology back to why it was needed and the various problems that had to be overcome in creating the solution. Seeing how the technologies evolved over time and how some of the technologies eventually became parts of consumer products was quite a hoot. While this is a 500 page book, I think you will be so fascinated by it that you will have a hard time putting it down. I know I did. It reads quickly because you just want to find out what happens next.

The book is in six sections. The first two chapters provide a short background on the earliest days of spying and tradecraft (how spies do what they do). Section 2 covers four chapters and the way the CIA facilitated a spy called Penkovsky and how he was eventually caught. Section 3 shows us the work of a spy called TRIGON, the first really small spy camera (The T-100) and even how our people in Moscow wore surveillance detection gear (the SRR-100). Part of the problem with these devices, decades before the iPod was how to wear an earpiece without it being scene. The solution was to create a perfect latex year that you wore over the earpiece. Another great story was the CKTAW operation that required the bugging of a secure Soviet communications line right in Moscow. A recurring theme in this book is how our operations were betrayed by traitors in our intelligence organizations such as Edward Lee Howard, Robert Hannsen, Alrich Ames, and others.

Part IV covers the amazing achievements of the audio techs, their gear, and some of the crazy operations they pulled off. Some of the problems they had provide comic relief. Part V tells the story of one of our audio teams going to Cuba in the early days of Castro's regime, their getting caught, and their brave years in prison. Eventually, they received the Distinguished Intelligence Cross. We are also taken to the early days in Vietnam, the early days of fighting terrorism, and the world of forged documents

Part VI provides six chapters on tradecraft. The authors show us how technology supports the important work of intelligence gathering in assessing and recruiting agents, the uses of cover and disguise, in creating and protecting concealments, and in covert communications. The sixth chapter focuses on how the digital age undermined the traditional methods and created a whole new realm of opportunity and challenges for spies and the agencies that have to try and counter them and the work of terrorists.

There are also six appendices (the genealogy of OTS, its chronology, its directors, CIT trailblazers from OTS, which names in the book were pseudonyms, and instructions on how to decider the code the book opens with. There is also a glossary, selected bibliography, acknowledgements, and a good index.

The book also has good drawings, diagrams, and photos.

Obviously, for people really in the trade this stuff is all ancient and out of date, but for those of us on the outside who have an interest in this, it is terrific reading.

Great stuff.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

It's hard not to be fascinated with the James Bond spy persona, what with all the cool gadgets and such. But what is the reality behind spies and their techniques? Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda by Robert Wallace, H. Keith Melton, and Henry Robert Schlesinger offers up a comprehensive, detailed guide to the real-life story of the tools that make up a spy's arsenal of weapons.

Contents:
Section 1 - At The Beginning: My Hair Stood on End; We Must Be Ruthless
Section 2 - Playing Catch-up: The Penkovsky Era; Beyond Penkovsky; Bring in the Engineers; Building Better Gadgets
Section 3 - In The Passing Lane: Moving Through the Gap; The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword (and Shield); Fire in the Attic; A Dissident at Heart; An Operation Called CKTAW
Section 4 - Let The Walls Have Ears: Cold Beer, Cheap Hotels, and a Voltmeter; Progress in a New Era; The Age of Bond Arrives; Genius Is Where You Find It
Section 5 - Prison, Bullet, Passport, Bomb: Conspicuous Fortitude, Exemplary Courage in a Cuban Jail; War by Any Other Name; Con Men, Fabricators, and Forgers; Tracking Terrorist Snakes
Section 6 - Fundamentals of Tradecraft: Assessment; Cover and Disguise; Concealments; Clandestine Surveillance; Covert Communications; Spies and the Age of Information; Epilogue - An Uncommon Service
Appendix A - U.S. Clandestine Services and OTS Organizational Genealogy; Appendix B - Selected Chronology of OTS; Appendix C - Directors of OTS; Appendix D - CIA Trailblazers from OTS; Appendix E - Pseudonyms of CIA Officers Used; Appendix F - Instructions to Decipher the Official Message from the CIA on page xxv
Glossary; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Acknowledgments; Index

The authors focus less on the "human" side of spying and more on the "technology" side of the spy game in this book. Going back to World War 2, you learn about the formation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and how they started to create their own tools to aid in the uncovering of enemy secrets as well as creating havoc behind the lines. These efforts created things like the Limpet mine (designed to be used on ships and attached below the waterline), the Mole (an explosive that would be attached to trains and would trigger when there was an absence of light, like tunnels), and the Anerometer (an explosive to be used on planes that would detonate when a plane reached 1500 feet in altitude). The key in their designs was that they were not "one-off" devices never to be repeated, but instead would be manufactured on a small scale, in secret, and be available when the situation called for it. Through the years, the technology becomes more focused on surveillance and capturing of communication. I was amazed at the wide array of bugging devices and homing beacons they were able to deploy successfully to track and monitor individuals who were intent on doing harm to U.S. interests. Although not one of the now cutting-edge devices, I was fascinated over what they were able to accomplish with miniature cameras in the 1960's that could be deployed to agents and used to copy secret documents. Tucked away in devices like pens and cigarette lighters, a spy could photograph a document in seconds with a high likelihood of success.

There are also interesting stories on how certain terrorist crimes were eventually solved. The most well-known example was the bombing of Pam-Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. With debris scattered over 800 miles, it was not an easy task to assemble enough clues to determine how the bombing happened, much less who was responsible for it. Incredibly, the case ended up turning on the discovery of a small piece of circuit board and a fragment of a t-shirt. The technology gurus were able to match the circuit board to a type and design made by a certain company, as well as find the location of where the t-shirt had been sold. These clues tied the crime back to Libya and two specific terrorists, who eventually were tried in an international court. But it was only due to the extensive amount of intel uncovered on unrelated cases that allowed everything to be reassembled for this particular incident.

Spycraft is not a book you'll sit down and finish in an evening. It's long (550 pages), very detailed, and it's not written in a novel-like style. But it is fascinating reading, and the authors did an excellent job in telling the story of the hidden people in the CIA who work with no recognition but make all the difference in the world.

Great story with an Indian angle. I am part native American and like a lot of my friends I was convinced that the Tiloks were an upriver tribe. Every thing sounded so familiar but different. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that they are a fictional tribe created by a blend of various traditions. Dun has done his homework in making up the tribe. The Tilok proverbs although not always believable as native American lore are a kick in the ass. The Spirit Walker concept is cool. The we pac ma thing is based I think on a Weott word and concept. Dun does a great job of throwing a little soft feel good Indian stuff into an otherwise creative story that is as exciting as heck. His writing is inventive and feels real so that it has the basic mind blowing ingredient that we all go for in thrillers. The story moves like a freight train as we follow the duel between a terrorist hunter and his target. The story is complex, the narrative excellent, and the characters clearly drawn. If you want to know the plot read the book. I haven't seen anyone do justice to it yet.

Dun's approach is a new mix of the basic elements. At first I didn't know quite what to make of it. There is a peculiar effort to draw characters in a thriller that are struggling with moral conflict and even beyond that to comment upon national termperments in the context of individual struggles. Although the treatment moral and ethical issues is simplistic, and focuses on just a couple elements of complex issues, it is nevertheless very entertaining at least for some of us. Most thrillers just thrill and don't bother wrestling with any hard issues. Dun doesn't do it in a profound way but he does do it in an entertaining way and for all the failure to approach anything like a literary treatment, he does end up with a piece of swashbuckler and a smattering of social commentary. For example in Unacceptable Risk the French are very self serving, and somewhat duplicitous and extraordinarily susceptible of rationalization sufficient to enable them to sell out the rest of the world for their own ends. That'd the story of a couple French secret service types. Benoit Moreau is a criminal, wants to become good, but resorts to her old evil methods to accommodate her goal. So that she can get out of prison and get to her one true love she prostitutes herself, until its no longer necessary, and so achieves virtue when vice is no longer required. This is not to say that she doesn't struggle valiantly to leave her transgressions behind at the earliest possible moment. But before that moment, she typifies everything she supposedly abhors. Dun presents the dilemna cleverly and we find ourselves rooting for this morally comprised woman who one could say is pretty "good" for an evil character. Dun would have us believe that despite the very rocky road to goodness she more or less arrives on the blissful shores. The journey through these various moral thickets is strewn with constant action and the execution of the suspenseful plot is excellent.

This is my second David Dun novel and I liked it very much! I especially liked the "Tilok" proverbs at the beginning of each chapter ("The fat fox waits by the right rabbit hole.")

It seems to me that David Dun writes primarily for men. There's a great deal of machismo in his work, along with high-powered, physical action and intrigue. UA moves right along and is loaded with detail and scene setting. It has the usual terrifying Dun plot with associated twists, turns, and deception. I am impressed with Dun's courage in having characters we've grown to care about die in his novels, and die horribly.

In UA, the battle rages over possession of a certain gene vector that has an impact on human behavior, and the equally necessary substance to suppress the human immune system in order that it not destroy the vector upon implantation in the human brain and eventually kill the subject. This book gives a whole new meaning to the word "Chaperone."

As the back cover states, the center of the search is in the Amazon jungle. The global impact of how the findings will be used is what brings valiant Sam Wintripp into the picture. As is always the case, in the hands of good and wise leaders, the benefits of the newly found substance could serve mankind well. However, in the hands of evil individuals, like Devan Gaudet and his ilk, global destruction would be the only eventual outcome, though Gaudet's focus is the destruction of the U.S.

Dun has been criticized for not developing his characters enough. Perhaps that is an indication of a genuine male tendency. From my experience, many men are more interested in how an individual functions in a given circumstance or what that person's motivations are in a particular situation than they are in fully knowing a person. Perhaps it is this tendency that is reflected in Dun's character development. All-in-all, a good read. (If any of Dun's books with Sam Wintripp in them are ever made into movies (and they should be) I'd like to see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson play Sam. He'd be perfect! What a hunk!!)

Carolyn Rowe Hill

I can't understand how this book received all these good reviews. A promising storyline shouldn't be enough, should it? The book feels like a blind date with a woman who looks attractive but within first 15 minutes turns out to be a bi-polar mother of 2 ADD kids, whose daddy didn't love her, currently employed as a pet psychic. Too much baggage cluttering the story. The delivery is very anti-climactic, feels like Ben Stein from "The Wonder Years" is reading it in your head. I don't know, maybe I'm a bit spoiled by Crichton, Brown and early Clancy, but read and see for yourself.

This is the second novel by David Dun that I have read after The Black Silent. The basic problem is the same: a conflict between science used as a benefit for mankind or as a dangerous threat to humanity as a whole when in the hands of ruthless gangsters - or in this case (under the influence of 9/11) terrorists. Of all scenarios this is the worst imaginable. There is always the discussion in the media whether authors like David Dun give those terrorists ideas what they could do next. But I believe it works the other way round. Those monsters are never short of ideas. So authors depict certain possibilities, but it would be short-sighted to think that distorted criminal minds have not yet played with similar ideas. What the authors do is open their readers' eyes to what they might have to expect and prepare for the worst.
The entertaining side-effect of these horrors is the thrill that they experience while reading those stories. And - as in The Black Silent - the reader can expect excellent story-telling, and a plot with a lot of unexpected twists and turns that make you read the book in one go. The tremendous speed of the action is breath-taking. Who cares that some characters - above all Sam and his terrorist opponent - are slightly exaggerated and are on the way to becoming supermen? It only helps to make the novel's message clear to the reader and makes us aware of the possible dangers that fate may have in store for us.

A remarkable and very recommendable novel, not only for the friends of the genre.