I used to look so forward to the publication of a new novel by Robert Ludlum and when I saw The Janson Directive on the book shelves that excitement was renewed. However, The Janson Directive is only a parody of prior works.

The premise is the same of most of almost every other Ludlum novel - the reluctant hero who is forced to save the world from a super secret government agency or billionaire. At lease in this case it was not Nazi's trying to establish the Fourth Reich. Add in a female heroine, who the hero saved form being raped, and one has a formula that has been successful. The Janson Directive adopts this formula lock, stock and barrel.

It would have been a more entertaining book, notwithstanding the predictable nature, if it had been 100 pages shorter. Unlike earlier Ludlum book, the author at times discusses ad nauseam the details of certain of the events so that even the action loses its impact. Ludlum is still better than most other action writers and I am glad that I read the book because it was entertaining. However, it was not one his best.

The Jansen Directive is the second novel published since Ludlum's death. (With each passing book, one is left to wonder if there are any more finished or nearly finished transcripts in the pipeline or even to what degree the last two works were ghost written, at least in part.) Having read almost all of Ludlum's work, the Jansen Directive certainly felt like "a Ludlum." This was a great book....very hard to put down.
This book grabs the reader early and does not let go, leading on more than one occasion to fits of yawning in the morning because I had stayed up too late reading the night before. All in all, the Jansen Directive provides all of the action, suspense, frequent plot twists, and unexpected events that Ludlum aficionados have come to love in the conspiracy-thriller genre. This is clearly among Ludlum's best.

Suspense - Action - Intricate Plotting - Wonderful Intrigue - All the things which Robert Ludlum provided the reader in his most successful books are contained in THE JANSON DIRECTIVE. This is an action adventure thriller to rival the Jason Bourne trilogy, and fans will hope that a sequel for Paul Janson was also conceptualized before Ludlum's death.

Paul Janson, a retired field operative from the covert agency Consular Ops is clandestinely recruited to attempt an exfiltration of Peter Novak, a billionaire and Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been kidnapped by nationalist rebels on the island kingdom of Anura and is to be executed in three days time. After being informed of the details of the mission by Marta Lang (head of Novak's philanthropy - the Liberty Foundation), when Lang thanked him for providing she and her associates with hope Janson remained silent but concluded that "perhaps false hope was better than none at all". And indeed, on the verge of apparent success a terrible tragedy occurs as Part One ends. For reasons totally unknown to Janson or the reader, a "beyond salvage" is then issued by Janson's former agency and he is targeted for death.

The remaining eighty percent of the book involves unraveling the intertwined mysteries of the life of Peter Novak, the Vietnam wartime experiences of Paul Janson, the role of the secret ops of the U.S. government, the disappearance of Marta Lang, and the continuing role of the masterful Anuran rebel leader, the Caliph, who has also a fateful link with Janson's past.

The intricate nature of the conspiracy as it unfolds rivals the best books of this nature that I have read, and the characters are well drawn, especialy Jessica Kincaid, the young sharpshooter of unbelievable ability (literally, her achievements were a bit too good) who is on the team chosen to pursue Janson, but also several of the bit characters as well including the Russian Grigori Berman. I was especially intrigued by Peter Novak, who Ludlum clearly seemed to model on George Soros in many details. However, Novak chooses to achieve his goals through an activist "directed democracy" rather than Soros' methodology of simply promoting "Open Society". Nevertheless, the existence of Soros as a real life model for the accumulation of such vast wealth makes Novak's character more believeable.

As most of Ludlum's books, this displays deep cynicism regarding the actions of our government, and great understanding of the arrogance of power. I found Janson's contempt for "the best and the brighest" and his analysis of their faults truly refreshing. Several things argue against this being written (rather than plotted) by Ludlum. Most noticably, the contemporary idiom relative to his other books, as well as the more graphic and detailed violence. I was repulsed by a few of the descriptions of torture, as was undoubtedly the intent given their context. However, the fact Ludlum stepped out of character to write THE ROAD TO GANDOLFO and THE ROAD TO OMAHA keep me from reaching a firm conclusion regarding the extent of his role in the preparation of this manuscript. But is is good enough so that the publisher should have informed its readers concerning whatever collaboration occurred in its preparation and provided appropriate credit, as this would not have detracted from its appeal.

Pros: Covers almost every topic that is even remotely related to J2EE (I guess this is a pro...). A few of the individual chapters dealing with specific topics were actually quite useful (the JNDI and JMS chapters come to mind)

Cons: First off, while I have a tremendous amount of respect for the author's technical knowledge, his writing style is as dry as sand. Trudging through the prose in this book was a burden I won't soon repeat. The countless (and I do mean countless) class diagrams failed to add any value whatsoever and usually just tended to add to the confusion. Tried to cover too much and therefore failed to cover the critical topics in enough depth.

My advice? Sun's J2EE Blueprint is a MUCH better overview of the J2EE architecture. Once you've absorbed that, buy individual books on the specific technologies. I can recommend Monson-Haefel's Enterprise JavaBeans 2nd Ed. and Hall's Core Servlets and JavaServer Pages. Both are a pleasure to read and cover their respective topics in depth.

Overall this is a useful book for J2EE developers. I specially like the integrated e-commerce sample, which was developed and is targeted for deployment using WebLogic 5.1 and Oracle 8i (both are real-world technology of choice by major companies), and this alone makes the book unique. This is accompanied by detailed instructions at the end of book for setting up the environment for running the sample application. The CD even includes an evaluation copy of the WebLogic Web Server 5.1.

Since the previous reviewer has already pointed out that this book covers all J2EE related topics, I don't need to repeat them here. Another unique feature of this book is that it also covers Microsoft's DCOM technology and its version of Java, and briefly mentioned how to integrate DCOM into J2EE apps.

My biggest complain about this book is that while trying to be comprehensive and make this as a single-volume reference source for J2EE, the authors actually sacrificed to some degree the focus of the book and omitted certain would-have-been very useful details. I would like to see basic information on HTML, TCP/IP, HTTP, web secutiry, OOD, Java fundamentals, client-side Java, CGI, and basic RDBMS/SQL content (13 out of 38 chapters) removed from the book. I my opinion these are prerequisite knowledge for any J2EE developer and are better left for other books. Instead of those topics, I would like to see more pages added to explain the code of the integrated sample (for example an explanation of the overall architecture and design decisions). Also, I think the book's repeated use of class diagrams to show Java class API is over-done.

Being the first book available on the market that toughs upon all aspects of J2EE, this book definitely has its value, even though there are obvious shortcomings. One final thing, this book is more about an overall picture of J2EE, not so much about every single detail of its component technologies. Therefore, if you are looking for a book on a specific topic, such as JSP, servlets, EJB, there are better books for them.

I found that this is the only book which covers all J2EE APIs at great length and with real world working examples. I am impressed by the way the authors explained the various aspects of J2EE APIs Servlets, JSP, JMS, EJB, JNDI, RMI-IIOP and deploying in two different Application Servers (J2EE RI and Weblogic 5.1). The chapters are put together in a very well organized manner. At the end of the book, there is a working version of online Store using all the J2EE technologies, which I found very useful. The material is clear and straight forward. The book covers the interests ranging from novice to expert Java Developer. The books has lot of pages like other java books, the difference is that the book does not waste any page to show api. Overall this book is a very good book for a J2EE Developer.

Utopia is a classic masterpiece that conveys More's vivid imagination of the Island of Utopia. Although most of the characters are fictional, it is intriguing to learn about the true values of European societies during the 16th century, when More actually wrote the book (although many scholars believe that the exact year was 1515). Truthfully, the book is quite easy to understand. All More tries to do is convey his own views of how society should be through Raphael. Moreover, the use of imagery in Book I is quite fascinating, including the constant references to Roman and Greek myths and beliefs. It is also quite remarkable to see that the story begins to be more and more interesting after More and Giles come back from dinner. To make a long story short, I think it is a great book because of the actual time it was written in since most pieces of literature written at that time were either lost or destroyed.

As a social critique this book is very effective with answers to many arguments. Thomas More is a wise, brave and educated man who was executed by orders of Henry VIII, and wrote Utopia more as an explanation of why society needed to be far from perfect in order to be enjoyable. Utopia, meaning in Latin "in no place", was written entirely in satire, and many have said that it was a great source of entertainment for the more educated as they watched those less educated argue on the side of a Utopian state while quoting Moore, and having never seen the satire present while reading. Mr. Moore's Utopia touches on every aspect of the human existance as it would be experienced if we prescribed to this way of life. I found many of his discriptions colorful, and commonly found myself of the verge of anger before realizing that Mr. Morre was more often than not simply playing the devil's advocate.

This was very enjoyable for me. I would recommend that everyone take a risk and read this one.

It's unfortunate that it seems as if most of these reviews were written by people whose only knowledge of More has come from the (mostly incorrect) opinions they have formed after reading this book. I don't think one can truly understand its import until he or she understands where Moore is at this point in his life and what he previously wrote ("Life of Pico", for example) and what he wrote later (while in prison, perhaps). No, he wasn't expressing his views through Raphael. In fact, it's clear that Raphael is an opinionated fibber (i.e., he discovered Utopia after Vespucci's fourth voyage? There were only three and Morus knows it...) and his account is purposefully filled with contradictions. There's more to it! More is raising issues, trying to make the careful reader think (and shame on some of the other reviewers for not being careful readers). And once you've read this book, read enough More (ha!) to understand what was going on in the bigger scheme of things, such as More's relationship with the other Renaissance humanists of his time and Henry VIII.

There aren't many good African American mystery writers and there are even fewer black private eyes that you'd want to read about. Walter Mosley and Easy Rawlins, however, satisfy both of those criteria in solid fashion. More than that, though, this is simply a good, fun read .

The setting is Los Angeles in the 1940s, probably the most fruitful noir time and place there is. During those boom years of post-war expansion, a man could make a good living and even buy a place of his own.

That's all that Easy Rawlins wants. When he's laid-off, though, he can't make his mortgage. He's going to lose his house and he'd rather do almost anything than that. He finds, though, that he has to do more than he bargained for.

When a mysterious white man offers him $100 to find a missing white woman, it seems simple enough. Nothing, of course, is ever as it seems. Rawlins quickly finds himself in trouble and there is no easy way out. It takes a hardness that he tries to hide for him to come out alive.

For a first novel, this book is very solid with a lot of personality. Mosley captures a people and culture that we don't get to read much about. Easy is a good, fresh character; one of the best new entries to the mystery scene in a while.

This book is recommended to everyone who enjoys a good hard-boiled mystery, especially fans of Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, and Ross Macdonald

Set in post-war Los Angeles, Walter Mosley's debut novel Devil in a Blue Dress is a riveting story that makes you want to read the whole series. Easy Rawlins is a black war veteran who wants nothing more than to pay his mortgage on time. This is difficult because he has been recently fired from his job at an airline factory. He thinks that his problem has been solved when a white man offers to pay a fair sum of money for him to locate Daphne Monet, a young white woman who likes to frequent black bars. But when two people are murdered, including his friend Corretta, he must do his best to save Daphne and himself. Mosley has stunning descriptions of Los Angeles that put you into the book. You can hear the characters talking when you read the dialog. I couldn't put Devil in a Blue Dress down. It it is perfect for mystery lovers or those just looking for a good entertaining book.

Easy Rawlins is not the typical private detective, but he is the freshest one to come around in a long time. Easy is an African American WWII veteran from Texas, now living in 1948 L.A. where he proudly owns a modest home. The home is all he has to be proud of since he got fired from his job at a defense plant. Life for Easy is not easy at all. Then one day, a white man dressed in a white suit offers Easy good money to locate a beautiful blonde known to hang out at black clubs. For a man with a mortgage and no money coming in, the offer is too good to be true. But then offers like this usually are.

The plot sounds typical, but Mosley's writing is anything but. Mosley paints a clear and atmospheric picture of racial segregation in post-war L.A., but that picture is not overexposed. Easy not only has to endure the dangers of finding this girl, he must do it in a hostile background where white policemen and higher-ups look for any type of crime that they might pin on him. The story of the transplanted man from the south living on the west coast is not unfamiliar, but making him a black man facing prejudice on every side makes the story more alive and the plot more tension-filled. Again, this is not done in a heavy-handed way, but with a subtle touch that makes you want to turn the pages.

Mosley is very much at home with the hard-boiled style of crime noir and it shows on every page. This is not a Hammett or Chandler re-hash. This is a fresh, lively, exciting mystery from a very fine writer. If you haven't experienced Mosley and Easy Rawlins, pick up the Blue Dress and try it on for size.

215 pages

I've read the Deitel Java, VB and C++ books prior to this. All of these books were marred by poor color choices (text and background), errors in the code and the fact that you needed a teacher to explain the book to you. This is not the case with this book. It's seems the Old guy and the Young guy have learned a thing or two about what students require in a learning guide. This book is for Internet Explorer ONLY. No examples of cross browser code is here. This book alone will NOT make you a web developer but what it will do is start you down that path. I do have some complaints though. This book, like the others, is designed for the classroom. That being said you will get the most from it in a classroom setting with a competant teacher. My recommendation to the Guys is to have a public book available that has the answers to the questions in an appendix along with the complete chapter ending projects on a CD. Keep a separate edition for the classroom use.

Your company wants to train you to be the corporate webmaster. You need to know HTML, ASP, DHTML, XML, JavaScript, VBScript, Perl, Cgi, Active X and so much more. Then you find you that the training budget is limited to one class, what choices do you have?

If you're like me and money is the concern that invest in a self paced, highly detailed cyber classroom instructed training course and Prentice Hall has the right application and book for you to learn from and the authors put together a program will have you programming and coding right from the beginning to the end of the course.

In the book you find screen shots of the finished code, you'll find actual coding examples to follow along with and you'll find everything you need to make short work of the Web design. You will have to practice in order to master the techniques, but the self-pacing of the course gives you as much time as you need.

There are also 2 cd-roms included with the package. The first included Microsoft PWS, IE5, Paint Shop Pro (trial version) and Adobe Acrobat Reader. The other cd is the cyber classroom, packed with examples practice questions and tips for more interactive learning as you go.

Prentice Hall has proven to be a leader in the e-training arena and this package is a first rate example of that commitment to excellence. Visit Prentice Hall's web site for even more books and training courses, you won't be disappointed.

I started using the Deitel books while taking C and C++ courses in college. Since then, I followed with Java, Visual Basic, and now this latest gem, Internet & World Wide Web. As always, the example listings are wonderfully documented and the text is very clear. The accompanying CD like those with their other books are of exceptional quality. That is, unlike many other book CDs, these will work in your world on your machine. Until I can take one of their classes, the book will be the best source of hands-on listings, examples and exercises to learn how to program web applications. Like their other books, there are helpful 'tips' and 'common programming errors' sections that bring the objective of writing functional well-written programs into sharp focus.

This Internet book has excellent working listings to demonstrate and explain ActiveX, SQL, ADO, Perl and e-Commerce. The accompanying CD really does have MUCH more.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a clasic so, naturaly, I had high expectations. I certainly was not let down. It has a totally unique style with much detail and extensive writing. Yet, this novel is a very quickly read novel, unlike other excessively detailed books like Dracula. This book is not boring. This book is fun. It doesn't ruin the plot with too much detail like other books. Other fantasy books are usually not even close to realistic. Whereas Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is close to being conceived realistic. This book has a general morbid feeling to it where other fantasies are sometimes cheerful and happy. Robert Louis Stevenson is a realy good writer in my opinion.
He uses a very wide range of vocabulary. Stevenson uses many 19th Century terms that seem weird and different to me.
One thing bad about his writing is his punctuation. He uses way too many semicolons and comas. He makes one sentence out of six or seven sentences.
This book was not the best book I ever read, but was not the worst either. it was mediocre. however It was miles ahead of Dracula. Dracula is boring, whereas Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is fast paced, quick, and fun to read. its pritty morbid which is kind of a down side, but Since it is very short it is a good book on my list.

Let me first echo the sentiments expressed by others and comment on what a beautiful edition the Univ of Nebraska Press has produced. The margins are indeed wide and the type very readable. This edition is easily held, the illustrations nicely complement the text and the binding is quite durable. The introduction by Joyce Carol Oates is helpful albeit pedantic. Also, those who've read the Univ of Calif Press edition of Frankenstein will notice some overlap between this introduction and the one that Ms. Oates wrote for that particular edition. Nonetheless, the introduction is valuable.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of those stories, like Frankenstein and Dracula, that seemingly everyone has heard of and believes they understand("mythopoetic " in the language of Joyce Carol Oates). Much like the aforementioned works, the actual details of the story may come as a surprise to those who assume they know the story based solely on the popular understanding. For that reason alone I think the book is worth reading.

Dr. Jekyll is a respected if somewhat reclusive London doctor who has, through the course of years of experimentation, managed to create a solution which brings to the fore his evil alter-ego. Unlike many gothic literary villains, Hyde is not imbued with superhuman strength or exceptional gifts of any kind. In fact he is of a smaller and less imposing stature than most men. What he does possess however is a complete lack of compunction with regards to others. Hyde for example ruthlessly runs down a small child who gets in his way. As is the case with Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll creates something that he can't control and which eventually destroys its creator.

The inhumanity that the fictional Hyde displays can be seen in the non-fictious world on a daily basis. As such, there is a realism to the story which is missing from many horror stories past and present. The fact that such a short and captivating work exists in an attractively packaged edition makes this one classic that will be a joy to read for all.

The University of Nebraska Press edition of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is beautiful! The illustrations by Barry Moser, woodcuts that progress chronologically through Dr. Jekyll's life as it is described in hints throughout Robert Louis Stevenson's story, are atmospheric and evocative; a picture of a boy being guided by his father, for example, echoes Dr. Jekyll's comments that he has a "fatherly" interest in his alter-ego, Hyde, while Hyde has a son's "indifference" to the father; the cover illustration is a portrait of Dr. Jekyll's father destroyed by Mr. Hyde on a rampage.

Joyce Carol Oates's introduction is worthwhile, especially for those readers who know the story, as most English-speaking people do, in its basic framework, but who have not yet actually traveled the dark road with Dr. Jekyll and his friends.

It is a pleasure to read a classic book in such a carefully crafted edition. Too often books such as this are printed in cheap editions with narrow margins and lousy type; this one fits comfortably in the hand and is easy on the eye as the reader is drawn into this allegorical nightmare.

This review refers to the University of Nebraska Press edition only.

This book has been around since I was a child. When it was given to me, I found it very easy to read and understand. I don't remember exactly how old I was, probably around 6 or 7... but the text and the pictures helped me to understand the concept of human sexuality as well as made it clear that this is what adults do. During no time while reading this book did I feel compelled to try out anything that was described within. This book is honest, open, and very helpful to a child who wants to know the details without the boring technical terms that go along with sexuality. (Although, this book is technical in its reference to names for body parts) As a parent, I fully intend to buy this for my daughter when she starts asking the famous question, 'Where did I come from?'. I know in reading this with her, she will be getting the honest truth about her origin in words she will understand, in a way that would help any parent discuss this important subject with their child. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any parent struggling with the issue of getting the facts out clearly and comfortably for all those involved.

I don't have children (yet), but when they do, this book will be accessible to them at a very young age. Adults will be tickled by the adorable illustrations (although some may be shockingly more graphic than you may expect)... they are straight-forward and yet non-threatening.

The text is also to-the-point, but more friendly than blunt... just enough information to satisfy young, curious minds without giving information overload. A great book to read before you even have children as it will help to mentally 'pshyche' you up to being able to more freely discuss the topics of sex and reproduction with your children when the subject comes up.

My mother gave me this book when I was about 10 years old. I am now 40 and I still love it. I have 5 children and I am giving them the chance to enjoy this as much as I did. I felt that my questions were answered in a language I could really understand and that I wasn't embarrassed. After I read it as a child, I was able to talk with my mother. She and I had a great talk. After each of my children have read it the same thing has happened. We talk and laugh, but we're not embarrassed. I have 3 boys 16, 12, and 2 and 2 girls 13 and 11. I thoroughly enjoy this book and share it with everyone I know.

Of all of Shakespeare's plays that I have read, this is the most enjoyable. The characters are real and engaging - the sweetly stupid Bianca and her hoard of suitors, Baptista, who is more interested in selling his daughters to rich husbands than making them happy, the sly and masterful Petruchio, and most of all, Katherine, the Shrew. The play is full of action, comedy, and enough mistaken and hidden identities to keep the reader happily confused.

Katherine, who appears to be "tamed" by Petruchio's cruelties, learns the art of subtlety and diplomacy that will enable her to survive in a society ruled by men. Her speech in the last scene is not a humbling affirmation of the superiority of men, but a tounge-in-cheek ridicule of Petruchio, Lucentio, and Hortensio, who think that a woman can be tamed like a wild animal by a few days of bumbling controll.

The Folger Library of Shakespeare's plays are the most readable editions that I have seen. There are detailed side notes and definitions of unfamiliar words, which are perfect for the reader who is not familiar with Shakespearean English.

When drama goes hand in hand with comedy, a fantastic and peculiar pair enters the stage. It is quite difficult to achieve that strange feeling in which the reader is able to find pity in joy, as Shakespeare was able to do when writing his comedy The Taming of the Shrew.
Baptista is stubborn to let his favourite and younger daughter Bianca get married after finding a suitor for the shrewish Katherina, his oldest daughter. As a consequence, a complicated mockery is carried out and anyone displays a true identity both literally and metaphorically. Besides the humorous joke and its funny characters, compassion is clearly shown.
A classic that a reader will never forget. Furthermore than a simple play, Shakespeare also criticized the submissive role of women as well as the poor treatment of servants, always from a comic view, which is a useful way to understand the Elizabethan period, with its habits and customs. Although it may not be too realistic and the actions are sometimes extravagant to happen in true life, it does not let the reader get bored and he/ she will find that the book is easily and quickly read.
Once again, a classic that everybody should read in order to start changing those problems that have persisted for ages: women's role in society and everyone's right to have a satisfactory treatment through injustice.

The Taming of the Shrew is a play within a play. It starts out with a drunkard, Sly, and a lord. The lord bets that he can trick Sly into thinking he is a lord. When Sly wakes up he doesn't understand, but eventually accepts who they say he is. After a few minutes he becomes bored and the play, "Taming of the Shrew" comes on. It is a play that has men dressing as women, other men, and women dressing as men. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a book that will have a geat beginning, middle, end, and will keep you wanting to read the next page.

As a Muslim growing up in the USA, it has always been hard for me to be named a terrorist everytime I read the paper or turn on the television.

Although many of these facts are known by the Islamic community, which has written about the prejudice and bias against Islam, no book until now was available for all Americans to read. In his book, Paul Findley, described as "First class" (Christian Science Monitor) and "Straightforward and valid" (Washington Post), confronts, as well as explains the false images of Islam and Muslims in America throughout the past few decades.

I certainly believe this is one of those books that must be read, not only for the Muslims that are desperate to get a brake, but also for the Americans who think to themselves after Headline News; "How can this religion have over one billion followers if it's about blowing up everything they see?"

Hopefully, this book will have great positive effect on Americans and their idea of Islam...

Before I read this book, all I had thought was that many muslims were terrorists or supported terrorism.(I got most of these ideas from watching movies like Executive descision and others) After I read this book I was stunned, such a rich, diverse and extraordinary religion, the Veil or Hejab that women wear in my opinion was wrong I thought at the time, no more I see it so much differently after I read this book. It's about respect, I also read other books after this one about Sharia(Islamic Law) and I found more examples of respect towards women, such as rape, in Sharia a rapist is swiftly given death, no man can touch a woman without her consent. It got me thinking afterwards and I also read up on religions and world statistics, Islam is the second largest religion in the world today with 1.3billion followers, it is also the fastest growing, and soon will be the largest. Most of the converts in the U.S. are women. in the past 2 years there have been many great documentaries that clear up misconseptions of this religion. The most notable was Islam: Empire of faith, excellent film. I urge people not to judge this religion based on what you see in the movies, look into it, talk with muslim people, read the english translation of the Quran if you can. Get this book, it will teach you alot. I'd like to thank Mr. Findley for this excellent book.

As a Muslim growing up in the USA, it has always been hard for me to be named a terrorist everytime I read the paper or turn on the television.

Although many of these facts are known by the Islamic community, which has written about the prejudice and bias against Islam, no book until now was available for all Americans to read. In his book, Paul Findley, described as "First class" (Christian Science Monitor) and "Straightforward and valid" (Washington Post), confronts, as well as explains the false images of Islam and Muslims in America throughout the past few decades.

I certainly believe this is one of those books that must be read, not only for the Muslims that are desperate to get a brake, but also for the Americans who think to themselves after Headline News; "How can this religion have over one billion followers if it's about blowing up everything they see?"

Hopefully, this book will have great positive effect on Americans and their idea of Islam...

Unlike some of the other books about Paul and Karla Bernardo, this book balances the facts, and the blame for the horrific murders, fairly.

The story seems to be told from an unbiased point of view and delves into the early lives of both Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo offering the reader a greater insight into the minds of these two coldblooded killers.

The book is a disturbing read because it deals with horrendous crimes but in my opinion, it is the best of the books written to date about this deadly duo.

Chilling, disturbing, compelling, intriguing. These are just some of the adjectives I'm choosing to describe Stephen Williams account of the Bernardo/Holmolka murder case.

Several times, I found myself having to put the book down simply because of the horror these two people acted upon. However, I continued to come back--in part because of William's straigh-forward, almost journalistic approach to telling their horrific story.

I've done some research on this case, and from what I can tell, William's account is the most accurate. I would most certainly recommend this book for people interested in true crimes. When I finished the book, I felt I had ample facts and evidence to draw my conclusions about both Karla and Paul -- I conclude, that Karla despite her obvious, outward beauty, and Paul, her pradatory, punk husband, both are pure evil and the devil incarnate.

Fabulously disturbing read!

Although I couldn't set this book aside without wanting to read more, it's not for the faint of heart. The details can be quite graphic at times, which was not exactly necessary to tell this horrific story, but it definately put into context how truly psycopathic Paul Bernardo and Karla Holmoka are. What really amazed me is the fact that neither of them is remorseful for what they did to those poor young girls. Mr. Williams does seem to focus more on Karla in this book, which lets us see that she may have been the true mastermind of all the crimes commited, but I would have liked to have read more on Paul as well. The only possible complaint that I could have about this story is that sometimes Mr. Williams jumped around with some details and also there were too many names associated with this case to keep straight. I was astounded that the police could "bungle" the investigations so badly, maybe those three girls would be alive today if Paul Bernardo was stopped earlier than he had been. I can't quite comprehend why the police settled themselves on facts which proved to be incorrect. It's as if they walked around with blinders on instead of meticulously checking out every piece of evidence. This is absolutely worth the read and it shows the great injustice served to all the victims of the sick minds of Paul and Karla. They should rot in jail, and I'm not talking about "country clubish", I'm talking about hard time in general population. Let's see how long they survive there!