This book is written in an accessible and practical format. It assumes nothing but at the same time treats the reader as an intelligent participant on the journey to understanding evidence based practice.

It is up to date and I was especially impressed with the web address it gives to ensure the reader is kept abreast of any changes since publication.

It systematically explains the need and use of 'evidence', how to find it (the search advice is comprehensive and includes details such as search terms and the best search engines aswell as web addresses) how to evaluate it and also how to act on it.

All in all this book was great, and I would reccomend it to anyone involved in evidence based healthcare practice as it will guide you through the thorniest problems.

Watery Grave is the continued story (the third installment) of the story of Jeremy Proctor and his mentor Sir John Fielding. One does not have to read the second book (I hadn't) to understand the events.

Alexander's writing and plotting have improved and become more ambitious in the interim. Watery Grave involves a murder (perhaps) committed on board a ship during a storm; the subsequent investigation turns up a rat's nest of corruption and pits land- and sea-based legal jurisdictions against one another. We also learn how Fielding lost his sight. I wanted to see more of what happened on the ship, and I felt that the end of the novel was quite disappointing. What should be devastating courtroom scenes are skipped over, given little impact, and largely told rather than shown. Careful readers will also find at least one minor continuity error. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining book featuring some interesting characters, particularly the perceptive Fielding.

After having written this review I noted that another reviewer thought there were historical errors. I don't know enough about the period to judge whether that's correct or not, but if so it should be counted as a serious flaw in the book.

"Watery Grave", the third in Bruce Alexander's series of Georgian-era mystery novels, shows the writer's and characters' progress. The captain of a naval ship goes overboard in a storm, and it is the job of protagonist, blind magistrate Sir John Fielding to discover whether it is murder or misadventure. After the cardboard plotting of his first book, and the overly-convenient plot twists of the second, "Watery Grave" shows that the author is capable of more complicated plotting and characterization. The conflict between naval and civil justice is developed, and the underlying theme of homosexuality provides a dark motive.

While it is true that, as some critics point out, Patrick O'Brien's British nautical series, set a few decades after this series, is far superior in characterization, dialogue, and historical research, perhaps that sets the standard too high. This series is not brilliant or deeply-researched, it is simply a string of fun, readable whodunits. The interest is provided by the Fielding and his young assistant, Jeremy Proctor, and by the historical color of 18th century London. The greatest flaw in these books, I believe, is not the thin historical research, but the weakness of the courtroom scenes. After spending chapters exposing lies and hunting down witnesses, readers should rightfully expect better and more dramatic trial scenes. It's far from perfect, but it's pretty enjoyable all the same.

I have read the other reviews of this novel. I would like to say that this is a fantastic novel.I really enjoyed the story as well as the different characters.I am in the process of reading all the Sir John novels (reading #5 as we speak). I undertand the argument about the speech and historical errors,however i think don't think it takes that much away from the story.unless you are well versed on the speech and customers of England in the 1700's then it will not matter.Try this series out,read Blind Justice and I'm sure you will not be sorry. Simply put it's just a good yarn!

After having read a number of books in this series, I've come to the conclusion that Alexander simply wants to write old-fashioned mysteries, PG-rated, with much of the action set off-stage and the characters never really threatened. As his character Sir John Fielding says, he likes to pull rabbits out of hats. Readers who like this kind of mystery will probably enjoy this book, while those who like their stories more down-and-dirty may not.

The Color of Death is better paced, plotted and characterized than some of the other books in the series, though emotional melodramas (Annie and Burnham) seem to come and go rather quickly, leaving not a wrack behind. Robbers, perhaps of African descent or perhaps in blackface, have been cleaning out local rich folks' houses and committing murders, and Jeremy and Sir John, with their associates, must solve the crimes. This gives Alexander an opportunity to bring in themes of racial prejudice, and his characters (at least the good guys) seem to be much less prejudiced than one would expect from persons of their time and place. There are many interesting moments here -- the troubled domestic relationship of Mr. and Mrs. Trezavant is one -- but in general they are not deeply explored.

Overall, this is a readable, more or less entertaining, but rather shallow book.

The investigator in this novel set in the late 1700's is a blind magistrate, Sir John Fielding. His primary source of information is his young assistant, Jeremy Proctor. The story begins with the report of a burglary and robbery in an exclusive part of London not far from Sir John's residence and chambers. On investigation, Jeremy and Sir John find the home has been stripped bare of its valuables, and one of the servants has been killed in the process. The other servants at the house tell Jeremy and his master that the intruders were black men. The novel then consists of a search for the criminals, as several more robberies'evidently by the same crew'occur in the district. Alexander has here written a novel whose leisurely pace matches that of the era he writes about. Its strong point is the picture it draws of London, its streets, markets and customs of that era. For the reader looking for the break-neck speed of the typical novel set in the current age, THE COLOR OF DEATH will be a disappointment. But for anyone more interested in a stroll through a different time and place, this will provide an evening or two of entertainment.

"The Color of Death," by Bruce Alexander, is a mystery set in 18th Century London. It features Sir John Fielding and his seventeen-year-old assistant, Jeremy Proctor. Since Sir John is injured early on in the book as a result of a gunshot wound, he needs Jeremy more than ever to help him investigate a series of robberies and murders in an upscale section of London. The victims claim that their attackers are a band of ruthless black men. Jeremy, under the direction of his mentor, Sir John, conducts a thorough investigation to uncover who is really behind the sudden crime wave. Sir John, Jeremy and the various characters who populate Bow Street and the surrounding areas of London are pleasant and engaging. Alexander brings 18th Century London alive with authentic period detail, even including a visit with the renowned lexicographer, Samuel Johnson. The ending of the book drags a bit, however, and the story takes a little too long to play out. In addition, the author relies on a series of far-fetched coincidences to tie up the loose ends of the plot. "The Color of Death" is a fairly entertaining novel, but I disagree with those who compare Sir John Fielding to Sherlock Holmes. "The Color of Death" lacks the wit and the flavor of the best Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

I have read several books in this series but found this installment disappointing.

Alexander seems unable to break out of the "someone's been murdered and the characters must find the culprit" plot mode -- even within the mystery genre, surely it's possible to be more creative than that. Jack, Knave and Fool is talky and forgettable, with much of the action and drama happening offstage. The characters change little and never seem personally challenged. Jeremy's "voice" has developed somewhat, but that's not enough to save this honestly rather boring book. Strange pseudo-archaisms on the order of "Nicely dressed she was" add an annoying touch.

There is an inherent danger in taking a historical figure and using that person in a fictional setting. Sir John Fielding was founder of the Bow Street Runners, the precursors to modern policemen and Bruce Alexander makes a valiant effort to turn him into the hero of this mystery. The details to the criminal investigation with the limitations of the forensics ring true and the characters are engaging. The mysteries themselves are very basic and some characters seem to be added just for effect, but all in all not a bad addition to the historical mystery field.

Readers looking here for a land-locked Patrick O'Brian series will be disappointed, for this series of historical mysteries is not nearly as strong or well-researched as the Aubrey/Maturin books. Having said that, the series gets incrementally better with each installment. The first of Alexander's books, "Blind Justice", was laughably simplistic. Everyone actually gathered in the drawing room in the final scene, a la Agatha Christie, to unmask the villain.

This is the fifth book in the series, and Alexander capably keeps two separate investigations humming along. A few minor characters are developed, and Jeremy is becoming a young man.

It's a good story, I'll read the next one. It's as good as the others, but no matter how long this series runs, I don't think it will ever become worthy of buying in hardcover. It's a pop mystery, enjoy it or not. There's always another one to read.

This book is for all intents and purposes a recording primer. I could see it possibly being useful to someone who has absolutely zero recording experience, but that's about it. Since there's a ton of basic recording articles already available out there on the web, this book's recording-related contents can be had for free by doing some surfing or by hanging out at the Home_Recording Yahoo group for a couple of days.

As far as its coverage of the BR1180 goes, if you've already attempted to record one or two songs on the unit and have read the manual through once or twice - and that's how I recommend you approach learning this unit - you've already learned more than this book will ever teach you. The author ducks the difficult topics - at one point saying something like, "Don't try to bounce, it's too complicated"!!! Again, you're time would be better spent hanging out at the BR1180 Yahoo group.