P Books

In A Doctor's Life: Unique Stories, Dr. William Close draws upon his many years of practice to present the reader with invaluable insights into compassionate care giving in today's high-tech world of medicine. A medical memoir sharing cameos drawn from fifty years as a practicing physician and surgeon in New York's "Hell's Kitchen", sixteen years in Africa's brutal and chaotic Congo, and as a country doctor in rural Wyoming, these vignettes and observations include a broad spectrum of patients and notable characters ranging from African leaders to oil field roustabouts, casualties of civil war in the Congo to older people in rural Wyoming reaching the end of their lives at home. A Doctor's Life is highly recommended reading as both an autobiography and as a persuasive testament that compassion and courtesy are as important as scientific excellent when working for the benefit of patients and the advancement of the medical profession.

If you aspire to be a physician--not just any physician, but a good one--these memoirs should be required reading. I first read these stories in manuscript form as a medical student, and they became the template for my professional life. As Doc told me in my last year of medical school: "Let med school teach you the science of medicine; I'll show you the art." And he did, through his life and through these very stories. For as physicians, we are trained to guard our professional boundaries, to not get involved in the lives of patients, and to equate curing with healing. Dr. Close's encounters, chronicled in this very readable first-person account, prove that's not always the best medicine. In "Tata Felix," he exposes with candor, warmth, and humility the foibles of his own humanity and demonstrates how powerful (and often overlooked)a simple act de presence can be. In his Wyoming anecdotes, he convincingly shows that while knowledge without compassion may cure, it doesn't always heal. The stories are well-written, the real-life characters vivid in your mind's eye, and you feel like you are there with him in Africa and in Big Piney. Most of the stories leave you with the distinct impression that here was one of those sublime moments in life when you learned something profound about what it really means to be a doctor. This book is, in essence, an impassioned plea to physicians everywhere to not assume the mantle of medicine lightly nor haughtily, but to wear it in humility and reverence, even perhaps with awe, remembering that they are called not to be served, but to serve.

An elephant in the maternity ward? A carpenter's brace and bit to drill a hole in the cranium? The "Urine Man" at the Presbyterian Home for Women? Oh, and much more! Here is the story of a doctor who, using the most primitive of equipment, performed a host of procedures in this African outback so far removed from high tech medicine as most of us know it today. From the often violent, always political machinations of civil authorities in the African Congo to the quiet complacency of a small Wyoming community . . . from the hectic internship in New York to the broad expanse of the western plains . . . it's all there. A Doctor's Life is the embodiment of the tragic, the hilarious, the truly compassionate. This is a trilogy in one book: New York, Africa, Wyoming -- an exciting, wonderfully human account of Dr. William Close and his keen insight into, not just the world of medicine, but the human condition -- witty, inspiring and stunningly true to life.

My main complaint with "A Doctor's Life: Unique Stories" is that I wish there was more. In this book Dr. Close shares many unique and moving stories from his medical practice in New York, Congo/Zaire, and Wyoming. His stories from his time in Africa are especially interesting to me. In the pre-independence Belgian Congo he worked first as a hospital surgeon in Kinshasa, then in independent Zaire, as President Mobutu's personal physician. From his perspective as a physician he sees the end of colonialism in central Africa, and the beginning of the chaos of independent Zaire. One very touching story is that of his domestic security guard, an elderly veteran of WWII, whose wish is for a doctor to see his dying wife, just so he can tell his grandchildren that she was seen by a doctor before she died. The chapters about Mobutu depict a man very different than is typically seen in print; apparently even dictators have their good side. This book is recommended to anyone who is interested in medicine or Africa. [Note: most of this book is the same as the out-of-print "A Doctor's Story"; the newer version has two new chapters and photographs.]

"A Doctor's Life; Unique Stories" is a gripping, funny and touching real life depiction of the odyssey of Dr. William T. Close, with a description of his career as a surgeon and physician in New York, Africa and a small Wyoming town called Big Piney. His experiences speak humbly of an individual who is a humanitarian and a practical idealist, who exhibits a deep commitment to his fellow human beings, regardless of their circumstance.

But there's more! This book goes well beyond a collection of stories about a remarkable man's life. The messages illustrated in the descriptions of the patients Dr. Close encounters refocus attention on the human side of medicine. Dr. Close effectively reminds individuals working in the medical field that it is the patient whose health crisis brings the medical team together with the multiple goals of understanding the pathophysiology of disease, the delivery of optimal expert treatment and compassionate care. The patient, Dr. Close teaches us, is more than a disease, more than `a case to be plugged into a treatment protocol'.

This respect for human life is evident in the stories of his practice of rural medicine in Big Piney, Wyoming. Dr. Close describes spending the time necessary for good care and seeing many patients in their homes, especially at the end of their lives.

The messages in this book will inspire many who practice nursing and medicine to approach the care of their patients with expertise and compassion, for the sake of the patient, and for the optimum experience as a healer. Potential patients will yearn for the kind of patient/doctor relationship that Dr. Close's patients enjoy.

"A Doctor's Life; Unique Stories" is a celebration of an approach to life and fellow humans that is dedicated, passionate and honorable. Everyone who reads this book will be inspired and entertained.

Wonderful introduction to Barth's dogmatics. Warning: It will make you want to get his detailed work, like Karl Barth: Church Dogmatics. His evangelical thinking is first rate and, while his ideas take a bit of work to understand, I promise you the effort is worth it.

I read this on a whim because I am surrounded by Barthians and it often hard to understand what they are talking about. This is an easy read, if in translation, and a perfect introduction to what Barth thought, how Christology is central, and what dogmatics are.

Read it, cherish it.

It took two readings for me to begin to appreciate the depth that Karl Barth put into this book. As my theology professor says, Barth is "deceptively easy" to read. This is indeed true. You read a paragraph and think you get an idea of what he is saying, but the philosophical ramifications of his perspectives are enormous. They blow apart human, frail understandings of God and forces one to view things differently, yet in a refreshing way. A great beginning to a monumental theologian.

One of the remarkable things about this text is that it is derived from lectures Barth delivered without notes. Reading the text shows the remarkable clarity and insight of a man who had spent a lifetime developing a massive theological system (although Barth himself would hesitate to call his work systematic theology, constrasting his work with Tillich, who explicitly claimed the description for his work). Barth's 'Church Dogmatics' represents a major achievement in the history of theology, twentieth century or otherwise; this text, 'Dogmatics in Outline', can serve as a good introduction, a brief overview, or a quick reminder of the greater work in 'Church Dogmatics'.

Barth warns against using this text in a Cliff-Notes fashion for the larger work; however, modern reality being what it is, many students and readers will never find the time to explore the larger work, so this is a welcome text. It goes beyond 'Church Dogmatics' in some ways, in that this text (perhaps more than any other of Barth's, or perhaps on a par with his 'Humanity of God') serves as a guide to Barthian thought without the difficulty involved in his weightier works.

'Dogmatics in Outline' has as its backdrop the war-weary European theatre; indeed, these lectures were delivered in the bomb-damaged University of Bonn. If ever there were experiences that would question the love of God and the grace of God toward humanity, the experiences of the few years preceding these lectures would have served as such. Barth takes the experiences of World War II and the Holocaust into full account as he discusses the importance of faith. One of Barth's concerns throughout his career, and certainly in the aftermath of world war, is that moderns have lost the ability to speak in theological and faithful terms. Humanity has a tendency toward idolatry (an idea Barth shares with Tillich), even those who consider themselves orthodox.

Many Christians will readily recognise the overall outline of this Outline -- Barth uses the basic framework of the Apostle's Creed. Indeed, Barth hesitated to publish these lectures, given that he had two other works dealing with the Creed already published; however, it is this collection that stands best in memory. Perhaps it is Barth's method -- rather than reading a lecture, he gave a talk -- that makes this such a powerful work.

Barth begins by describing dogmatics as being a critical science concerned with the Christian church. Science here is not used in the terms of content but rather of intellectual method; like Tillich, Barth wanted the modern world to recapture the sense of necessity and validity of the theological enterprise, and using terminology and methodology made sense in this context. However, almost as soon as Barth described his task in terms of critical science, he gave an extended discourse on faith, in terms of trust, knowledge, and confession. Faith is a decision, Barth claims, that must be credible and comprehensible as well as accountable.

Never leaving aside Barth's key idea of the infinite difference between God and humanity, Barth traces through the statements of the Creed the love and grace of God toward humankind, and our response to that grace. Drawing heavily upon the New Testament texts and the overall history of salvation through the history of ancient Israel, Barth's sensitivity draws God and humanity into close relationship particularly through the person of Jesus Christ, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, continued in community through the church. The revelation of God, according to Barth, comes solely at God's discretion -- there is nothing we can do to force it, or merit it, but it is given to us all freely in any case, from God's infinite love.

Stanley Hauerwas recommends a yearly re-reading of Barth's 'Dogmatics in Outline' for those of us (which is all of us) 'tempted to forget our strangeness'. The book is not lengthy, and can be read fairly quickly in a few sittings. It is a great text.

Although not a long book, Dogmatics in Outline presents an impressive brief of New Testament theology. Barths ability to present a balanced outline, void of any radical deviations, not only makes for refreshing reading, but allows Barth to examine the Scriptures with much more insight than would otherwise be possible. Barth proposes a study of dogmatics based on history. It is the history of God's dealings with the nation of Israel and the church that leads us out of the realm of subjective philosophy and nonsensible theories about the nature of God into the account of the content of the proclamation of the church. The study of dogmatics based on history helps prevents us from being led astray by the sometimes false evidence of our thoughts and hearts and groups our faith on the evidence and testimony of the apostles and prophets.

Barths respect for the Scripture colors his whole theology. According to Barth, ones belief in the Word of God is equivalent to trusting it. When a Christian trust in the Word, he is given a gift of freedom by God, freedom not only from sin, but freedom to believe. One is no longer required to justify himself before God because God has set him free from such worry.

The strongest part of Barths book is his concept of revelation. Revelation is the sole prerogative of God- Gode revealing himself to man. It is because of this that it is mere speculation for man to try to prove the existence of God. Barth goes even one step farther by stating that trying to prove God by the so-called give famous proofs is mere folly since the bible speaks simply as God as being one who needs no proof. The sixty-four dollar question is how does God prove himself? Barth answers that God shows himself to man through history. According to Barth, the Bible is the record of God's deeds though which we can come to know God and that this climaxes in the person of Jesus Christ. Since God is the God if history natural revelation, the revelation of power, beauty and love is totally inadequate to come to saving knowledge of God. Natural revelation is only a witness to God and not about him.

All told this is an enlightening book, informative and well written. If you are looking to gain a further understanding of neo-orthodoxy, this book is for you.

New ideas for behaviour change specialists. Quite a lovely book.

This is a great book. It is easy to understand and use. We need more guides like this.

This book is a wonderful, practice resource for international development staff. Intuitively appealing, it gives good advice on campaign materials development. Most appropriate for non-researchers; great for field staff.

This book contains much valuable information for understanding risks and understanding how to get others to understand their risks. I am very pleased with the practicality of the theory behind the book and have found it useful in my crisis communication work.

I was taught that fear appeals didn't work but we used them anyways in our state health department work. This book explains what we instinctively knew -- that fear appeals work and they work well given the right conditions. I like the theory in the book and the worksheets.

Young investigator starting your own lab? Fresh Ph.D student on the verge of giving up science? READ THIS BOOK! As an embryologist (and an embryologist's wife) struggling to find a position in today's difficult economic situation, this book put things in perspective. In this book, personal and scientific stories are intertwined in a formidable fashion. This makes the whole book understandable by most: even if you don't get the scientific part, you will understand and possibly relate to the personal account of this 20th century man. I did not have the honor to meet "The Trink" but I met or read many of his former student. I had the utmost respect (to say the least) for the scientist. Now, I wish I had met the man.

My first and last time meeting Professor John Philip Trinkaus was in 1995 at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental Biology. He was there to receive the first E. G. Conklin Medal. It was an award to "a developmental biologist who has made and is continuing to make outstanding contributions to the field."

The book editor asked Professor Trinkaus to write his life down. I think Professor Trinkaus did just that. It is a story of his love of science, his study of epiboly, his teaching philosophy, his marriages, his view on religion, his political activity (and how it affected employment), his account on anti-Semitism at Yale, and more.

His scientific lineage traced back to Georges Cuvier, and Louis Agassiz. He wanted to see a comprehensive understanding of a complex biological phenomenon by piecing molecular, cytological, and behavioral studies together. He described his fun at Wood Holes. He pointed out Ross Harrison's view on the determination concept. He explained the failure to identify the chemical nature of the organizer, his experiments on glucose that stimulated quite a lot of morphogenesis in blastoderm (but no heart), the advantage of cross-disciplinary training, and the reason for the joy of research. Personality does make a difference in science, at least it determines if you would seek someone out or not. He also explained how to choose a Ph.D. dissertation topic, the benefits of being independent, and the function of a professor in attracting students, assigning problems, providing students with independence, and setting high standards by example. He revealed the rationale for sole authorship of graduate students, and the problems of basing evaluation on the number of publications. He cautioned the understanding of pathways and epigenetic process has been ignored in the cytoplasm starting from the genes. He expressed his uneasy feeling about prizes to individual scientists because of the collectivity nature of science, and his guiding principle for serious research.

In addition to biologists, people interested in American history will find this book fascinating.

Life should be fun, as well as interesting. Few scientists have the knack of optimizing this fun, for others as well as themselves. For many decades, the best parties in Woods Hole were notoriously those given by JP Trinkaus, who died this past spring just after completing this autobiography.
This man was remarkable in two main ways. One was the steadiness of his own research. In every decade from the 1930s to the 2000s, he published substantial contributions to embryology. These included the key labeling experiments that proved sorting out by dissociated cells of higher vertebrates. He also wrote the leading book on how cell movements relate to embryology, Cells Into Organs: The Forces that Shape the Embryo (Second Edition, 1984. Englewood Cliffs (NJ): Prentice Hall).
His other special talent was social. This included the courage and instant wit to puncture powerful scientific bullies. On of these, who habitually pontificated negatively after lectures by younger scientists, got what he had long deserved in this reply: "Did everyone get the question, or shall I repeat it?" Such irreverence was frequent. More often, however, his social talents were positive: a skill for stirring people up, getting them together, encouraged, enthusiastic, or sometimes exasperated. His research seminars, like his parties, were famously stimulating. During both, his guests magically became smarter and happier than usual. That warm magic comes through in this book.
There are also surprises: his mother became New York State chair of the Women's Christian Temperence Union (WCTU); he was briefly in a secret cell of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CP-USA); and he was friends with Judge Bork. Few scientific biographies have so skillfully woven actual research discoveries into the personal details of a life. Readers can learn a lot about fish embryos here, as well as how much fun it is to make discoveries. This book would be a good gift for nonscientist friends, or for a young person thinking of going into science, to show them what a research career can be like. Researchers themselves can find a lot of wisdom, such as what we really mean by criticizing research as "too descriptive," how cell sorting is related to normal development, and how to manage graduate students.
Other reasons to buy this book include Phillip Armstong's beautiful drawings of developing fish embryos, printed at the outer upper corners of each page, so one can flip through the pages and produce a time lapse. People who knew Trink will enjoy this book, and those who did not know him will find out how much they missed.
Book review by Albert K. Harris, Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill from Quarterly Review of Biology, 79(1), March 2004, reprinted with permission of The University of Chicago Press.

Embryologist: My Eight Decades in Developmental Biology by John Philip Trinkaus combines the passion and diligence of the researcher with a rare frankness about himself, his colleagues, and his discipline. Candid and perceptive, he brings to life crowds of people and takes us with them on a voyage of discovery into some of today's most important scientific advances.
Submitted for Dr. Trachtenberg by Dr. Kurt E. Johnson, President and Publisher, J&S Publishing Company

This personal memoir by the world's leading authority on morphogenetic movements in early embryonic development is a literary gem. The writing is lucid and expressive, and the author's style conveys in a clear, direct voice that will be easily grasped by lay people, the fundamental questions in the early development of animals. I was sorry when I finished reading the book because I wanted more.

Of greater importance, in my opinion, is the obvious passion Trinkaus evinced for his craft and for the animal material he worked with all of his life. This emerges not only from his careful, critical discussions of basic questions concerning cellular movements, and the reasons for the experimental approaches taken by him and his scientific colleagues, but in his descriptions recounting the excitement of discovery, starting in his late teens when he studied the genetics of pigmentation in goldfish, and continuing into his sixties, when, in a darkened laboratory at the Roscoff Biological Station in France, he discovered for the first time directed (pigment) cell movement in the developing eggs of the blenny, a small marine fish. A sentient reader can follow through the pages of this latter journey of discovery and experience the fervor that gripped this outstanding scientist on the cusp of one of the last important scientific forays of his productive life.

Trink's friends and colleagues who have not already purchased a copy of this memoir should do so, because they will have the experience of revisiting, in a delivery redolent of his characteristic bluntness and panache, the personal and professional passions that directed his life and the obvious pleasure he derived from his close personal relationships. As someone who knew and admired this exceptional scholar for fifty years, I promise you that reading this memoir will be a moving experience. Trink is gone but his remarkable spirit lives on in his memoir.

Review submitted by Kurt E. Johnson, Ph. D. on behalf of Dr. Mellon.

I see that the other reviewers here either hate this book or love it. I fall in the latter category. Having studied music theory extensively, this is the one book that actually deals with music as a communicating art, not as a bunch of symbols on paper. I think that any composer of music (pop, Classical, rock, etc.) could learn valuable pointers on how to write music that is interesting and moving to the listener. One of the problems with much 20th Century music is that it exists on paper as something interesting, but does not reach the ear as such. It appears that Leonard Meyer has been daring enough to admit that music can affect people's emotions and maintain their interest intellectually, rather than just existing as an exercise in note placement (alla Schenker or Forte).

How many music theory books written over 45 years ago are still taken seriously, never mind still in print?

It was my great pleasure to study with Leonard Meyer at the University of Pennsylvania from '86 through '89. Even though I am a composer and not really a theorist any more, I consider him one of my most influential teachers. His writings and lectures deeply affected me as a composer in that his understanding of music -- how it works, how it affects us, how our individual cognitive processes come to bear on what we are hearing -- found its way into my aesthetic. Even though Dr. Meyer in later years came to argue with himself (this was tremendous fun, by the way: sitting in his lectures, listening to him tell himself why his earlier writings were so wrong), this is great stuff, written by a great man.

Be forewarned that in spite of the title, this is musically technical stuff: don't expect vague, poetic philosophizing. The analyses are intense and detailed and require a strong background in music theory and form.

I have yet to finish up with the book but it's a very clear thorough book. Meyer explains details that you thought couldn't be explained. I have intuited a lot of the material but it is so darn gratifying to see it written, to see I haven't made it up out of thin air!
Really a must read!!!

What can I say? This book is essential reading for anybody who loves music. Period.

I found this book quite enlightening, as well as pleasant to read. Like Professor Tolkien's hobbitts, I enjoy books that tell me things I already intuited but had no terms for.

The book explains concepts by illustrations from several fields. If you are familiar with even one of the fields, it gives you immediate insights to the others.

A great autobiography of the man who, as a young boy, inspired his father to write the Pooh books. The magic and tragedy of childhood is presented in one of the most authentic books to show the world through a child's eyes. Christopher Milne's long quest to rid himself of the shadow of Christopher Robin is also presented beautifully.

A great autobiography of the man who, as a young boy, inspired his father to write the Pooh books. The magic and tragedy of childhood is presented in one of the most authentic books to show the world through a child's eyes. Christopher Milne's long quest to rid himself of the shadow of Christopher Robin is also presented beautifully.

....about enchanted places and enchanted childhood favorites.

Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and all their friends have been family friends of us for a long time, and it was a treat to find this book about Christopher Robin, and be able to read about what it was like to be him. Did he really have a bear named Winniw the Pooh, did the Hundred Acre Wood excist, did he and Pooh play on Poohstick Bridge? What a fantastic childhood he must have had?

Of course the imagination in my mind was not all correct, at least not the fantastic childhood part. In this book Christopher Milne tells us from his heart how it was to be the son of A.A.Milne, the creator of all our childhood friends. The book is written with alot of charm, but we can also read between the lines about the negative effects of being a "famous" child, a boy with a childhood who belonged to, and still belong to the whole world.

If you know Winnie the Pooh, and who doesn't, this book is a little diamond, a book full of great details, a book which gives a unique view of the Christopher Robin myth.

Britt Arnhild Lindland

...as was reading the rest of the trilogy when it was in print. (I got the whole trilogy through a friend in England, but I'd never heard that Mr. Milne had written a fourth volume.) I'm glad to see that excerpts of all his memoirs are available in one volume, BEYOND THE WORLD OF POOH, because Mr. Milne was indeed a gifted and sensitive man.

I have a special interest in this book because Christopher Robin, of all the characters, was my favorite -- indeed, my alter ego. I knew from an early age that there was a real boy behind the fictional character, and I sensed the three of us were a lot alike. It was a delight to find out just how right my intuition was.

Despite tales of Christopher Milne's bitterness over being forced into the spotlight by his father's tales of Pooh, this comming-to-terms-with-it-all autobiography is filled with wonderful memories of Christopher's childhood and his relationship with his father, his nanny and his mother. He addresses with much warmth and humor the question "What was it like to be Christopher Robin," and, as it goes into much detail about the real enchanted places in Ashdown Forest in England, it's a must read for anyone making an "expotition" to the real-life haunts of Pooh and friends

This book sticks to the music, and what music it was, or should I say, what music *made* - sometimes from situational film material. But this work sticks mainly to A-list, non-soundtrack recordings.
Whether he stuck closely to the demo, or reference disc, or completely reworked the tune, he made it at least interesting and listenable, and those that didn't make that cut (like "Hey Jude") are given a fair chance.
Since '68, I still can't believe what he did with "You'll Never Walk Alone"; discovering years later it was he on piano working out a "head" arrangement on the spot, made it seem even greater. This book will remind you why you liked a particular track in the first place or why you should have. At age 17, I didn't appreciate the depth of this performance, which in this book is described with masterful strokes. Another revelation for me was in reading about "Crying In The Chapel". I've always enjoyed Elvis' record of it, but thought he could have put more *voice* on it. Roy and Aspell evaluated the number as a whole and brought out nuances which have caused me to realize that it, too, is A-list.
I would have been happy to find reviews of movie fluff entries like "Sand Castles" or "Shake That Tambourine", but let's hope we get an "alternate take edition" of this fine manuscript.

THIS NOVEL SHOULD GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS ONE OF THE GREATEST BOOKS TO EVER BE WRITTEN ABOUT THE KING OF ROCK -N- ROLL . IT'S REALLY GOOD . IT TELL'S THE STORY BEHIND 112 OF THE KINGS GREATEST AND NOT SO GREATEST SONGS .IT FOCUSES ON WHAT REALLY IS GREAT ABOUT ELVIS' LIFE HIS MUSIC !

There have been 4,567 books written about Elvis, mostly by people who have never known him, but whose third cousin's sixth-removed niece might have once dated Elvis' former schoolteacher's third wife. Then there's "The Essential Elvis." What makes this book so different is that Samuel Roy and Tom Aspell trace Elvis' life and legacy through personal history as well as 112 of his most significant songs. The book doesn't proclaim to be an expose or definitive history (it's neither); what it is is a clear portrait of the Man Who Would Be King, told through behind-the-scenes knowledge that uncovers and pieces
together the story of a man, his times, talent and cultural influences. And the 20 photographs -- many of which have never been published --- add a nice touch.

"The Essential Elvis" is a thoughtful exploration of the King's music from 1954 until his death in 1977. It's an important and much-needed work that concentrates solely on Presley's artistry. Authors Samuel Roy and Tom Aspell break free from the ill-informed mythology of most Elvis publications by re-examining Presley's work in provocative, exciting ways. You may not agree with all of the writers' criticisms, but it encourages you to track down the 112 Elvis recordings listed in their book.

This excellent book is about what was most important to Elvis and his fans: his songs and music. One of the most significant things the authors said about Elvis is the following words: «The first and best thing that can be done for Elvis Presley is to lessen the emphasis that has been placed on his later years and focus on the talent and genius that define the King.....one of the reasons for his demise was because he cared and felt too much...it got to the point that being Elvis Presley was one of the hardest jobs in the world». I agree completely with the authors and, as a fan, my only wish is that this book will make the people, who don't respect Elvis, see the light...

I love every one of JA Jance's novels.The JP Beaumont and Joanna Brady series are my favorites. I have thoroughly been gripped by every one.

Failure to Appear J.A. Jance does it again in this 11th J.P. Beaumont mystery novel. Unlike most of the previous books, this one starts out, not with a crime, but with a personal mission. Detective Beaumont ("Beau" to his friends and associates) has left his Seattle home area to look for his runaway teenage daughter in an artsy community in Oregon. Of course, as anyone could have expected, violent crime soon intrudes.

For those who are familiar with this series, you can be assured that it is true Jance writing: characters who act like real people; a fast-moving story; plenty of self-deprecating humor; and a sterling protagonist who is all too aware of his not inconsiderable faults.

For those who are not familiar with J.P. Beaumont or Jance's Joanna Brady, who appears in a separate series, you have the pleasure of delightful discovery to look forward to. There are lots of books in this series. I've read 12 so far (and a bunch of the Brady ones, too) and I have yet to be disappointed with any of them.

If you're one who likes to start at the beginning of a series (which I think is not a bad idea with this one, for a number of reasons), the first is "Until Proven Guilty". However, if this isn't important to you, you can't go wrong with this or any of Jance's books, if you're in the mood for a fast-moving mystery novel with a bit more than usual in the way of character development.

My Wife reads these, and loves them! Looks like another all nighter to me!

In "Failure to Appear" lone-wolf Seattle homicide detective J.P. "Beau" Beaumont finds himself a fish out of water surrounded by family in southern Oregon and on the outside of a murder investigation.

Quite often, when a mystery author tries to fit so much of a protagonist's personal life into a book, the plot drags to a halt and the investigation into the crime is treated superficially because the focus is on massive character development. Jance manages to keep things moving at a fast clip and provide a mystery that is as multi-faceted as her lead character's personal difficulties. Beau has a lot to deal with in this book: a daughter who starts out a missing person and winds up pregnant and about to be married, a re-married ex-wife and her husband, a new girlfriend, a murder suspect that awakens painful memories, the siren song of a bottle of MacNaughton's, and a couple police officers out to nail his hide to a wall - not to mention the book's three murder victims or the loved one Beau loses in the course of the investigation.

There are a few nits that could be picked (Oregon vanity plates don't have 8 letters, for instance), but the quality of the rest of the book more than compensates. All in all, a great read.

This was the first Jance book I encountered. I decided to read it because it takes place in the town I live and work in. As much as I enjoyed reading about the places and cities I know well what I really enjoyed was the character of JP Beaumont. He is an ordinary man (a Seattle Cop wih an extraordinarily inherited fortune) who is caught between his work and his family. The characters seem very real and Jance's writing gives them a life and humanity that appeals strongly and makes you really care about them. The story never lets up either and you will find yourself hard pressed to put the book down. I have read every book Jance has written now and she is always on the top of my list of series that I am waiting for the next installment of!

I thought that this book was well written. And verry ineresting. And it told what happened during the late 1800. And it told how people where like back then.

The Judd family saga is a story that will inform you, captivate you and make you laugh at times. The trials and tribulations of a midwestern family's growth through several generations gives a realistic portrayal of typical rural life in America. Doris Burke's writing is comparable to that of Frank McCourt and if you enjoyed Angela's Ashes this should definately be your next read.

I found this book of The Judd Family very interesting. It showed how families survived and what life was all about in the 1900's. I would recommend reading all of the excitement and sorrow that happened to this family. It was a well written and unforgetable story.

As I read this book It made me feel as if I knew the family and what life was like for a struggling family in the 1900's. The characters seemed realistic. The book was well written and very descriptive. I especially enjoy reading books about the past, and I hope to read more from this author.

This author has a great way of describing events that took place in the past with this family. The different stories she tells make you sit back and recall things that have happend in your past. I hope to read more books in the future by this author.

This man and his book (along with his web page) saved my family. My daughter had been suffering with gall bladder disease and hypothyroidism for at least 4 years. Her symptoms became so bad she would not eat due to the stress it caused her. Slowly she was exhibiting anorexic symptoms and I knew she was slowly starving and not because she was psychotic. She was hungry and would eat only 4 or 5 safe foods as they were not a distress to her system. Needless to say, I got this book, read it in a night, emailed Dr. Smedley at 6 am. After he personally called me back, we were in his office after a 2 hour drive to see him by that afternoon. Long story short, she had gall bladder surgery and is a TOTALLY DIFFERENT GIRL. The truth has to get out for those that are suffering -- he is brilliant and the most compassionate man I ever met. Those aren't my words, they are the words of the technicians he sent us to, that tested my daughter.

Even though I was able to get the gist of this book on WebMD, I liked being able to read a little more in-depth on the article Dr. Smedley. had written. I have the info at my finger tips anytime I need to reference it and I have some food prepration ideas.

I am a professional pilot for a major airline. I have been to over 5 doctors. I have been sick for over 3 months. EVERY test that I have taken came back negative. here is a small list. CAT scan, 2 sonograms, hida scan, 2 complete blood work ups, 2 barium swallows. I read DR. Smedleys book and started on the no fat diet, within 3 days I felt considerably better. If you have the same problem that I have(diseased Gall Bladder) this program will work for you. As stated in the book The FINAL test that that you MUST GET to determine your illness is the CCK test. I had to fly to Kingston PA to get mine. In my opinion I feel that Dr. Smedley is an absolute genius in his knowledge of human body.
This book contains a lot of other gastro. info. This book saved my life and my job. I have the highest regards for Dr. Smedley

I had given in and met with a surgeon,for fear I would end up in the emergency room facing gall bladder surgery without a surgeon of my choice.It was a year ago and I was having constant gall bladder attacks,the gall bladder seriously inflamed each time. I found Dr.Smedley on the internet and got the book via Amazon.I felt completely better in a very short amount of time.Apart from the info regarding types of fatty foods to eliminate from the diet, I was surprised to find out that it was crucial to eliminate apples, because the pectin is a gallbladder irritant. Dr.Smedley is a lifesaver and a truely caring physician willing to share crucial knowledge.I unequivically recommend this book .

I had been to many doctors in the last five years and none could tell me why I was having these symptoms so perfectly described in Dr. Smedley's book. I had had an MRI, colonoscopy, EEG, complete blood work, Upper GI, and the list goes on. All of them turned up negative for any disease. I was desperate because no doctor would believe me when I told them I was sick. None of these doctors, whether GPs or specialists, tied these symptoms together as indicative of gall bladder and thyroid disease. My GP wanted me to see a psychiatrist, and that is where I would have ended up, had I not had a gall bladder attack, which I thought was a heart attack at first. Fortunately, I live near Dr. Smedley's office and a friend recommended him to me. He diagnosed me immediately and gave me this diet to follow. Within three days, I was feeling much, much better. Dr. Smedley is a life saver.