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Book reviews for "Graham,_Mark" sorted by average review score:
Keeping Score: Using the Right Metrics to Drive World-Class Performance
Published in Hardcover by Productivity Inc. (1996)
Author: Mark Graham Brown
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Where's the beef?
I am bought into the philosophy that the ability to effectively measure operational performance is key to achieving excellence. Unfortunately, this book provides little useful information. This is one of those 'advocacy supersedes real content' books.

Substantially Unsubstantial
Substantially Unsubstantial

Keeping Score is a good high-level review of the importance of metrics in strategy-driven organizations. Brown employs Kaplan & Norton's balanced scorecard methodology to illustrate the relationship between measurement and strategy. He doesn't really deliver much more than you would find in Kaplan & Norton's classic Balanced Scorecard book. I would like to have seen more suggested metrics around the various "themes": financial performance, customer satisfaction, product/service quality, process and operation performance, supplier performance, and employee satisfaction. I know macro- and micro-metrics are organization-specific; however, there are "generic" financial and satisfaction metrics he could offer. The Measurement System Self-Assessment 50 -item survey illustrated in the book is a great resource. It can easily be customized, automated and administered to stakeholders responsible for developing measurement systems. I applaud Brown for consistently reinforcing the formative rather than purely summative evaluation model. That is, any measurement system must contain historical (lagging), current, and forecasting (leading) measures. Those systems that are driven by summative data (i.e., historical) do not serve the real purpose of a measurement system, which is to allow stakeholders to make well-informed and better business decisions. Oftentimes, Brown downplays the complexity of developing and implementing a measurement system. He makes statements such as "Measurement is easy" and "Designing your own new and improved measurement system may not be a much work as you think..." These kinds of statements are worrisome and misleading because developing a robust measurement system aligned with organizational strategy is no simple feat. Nor, should it be. One extremely important area that is only slightly addressed is that of system maintenance and integrating the system into business processes. Once a measurement system has been established clear guidelines should be established as to how the data will be employed and used to make decisions. A truly strategic organization will incorporate the measurement system into the daily operations of the organization.

"Keeping Score" Right On Target
I ordered Mark Graham Brown's "Keeping Score" just as I got involved with a Balanced Scorecard implementation. As we worked through the process of designing our internal scorecard I found this slim volume (<200 pages) an invaluable aid. From the introduction through to the last chapter, I found this book full of practical ideas and advice. For instance, one of my personal pet peeves is the short shrift most larger companies give to the value of their people. In chapter 10: "Measuring Employee Satisfaction", Mr. Brown addresses topics such as the short-sightedness of improving profits through downsizing and how a balanced scorecard can help underline this mistake. He ends the book with a practical 10 item list "The Key To Successful Plans". After all the theory, I was glad to have a roadmap handy. I'd recommend this book to anybody who is contemplating a new scorecard, or rehabbing an existing one.

The Killing Breed
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Twilight (1998)
Author: Mark Graham
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A stylish and atmospheric mystery of Old Philadelphia.
In The Killing Breed, Mr. Graham introduces Wilton McCleary, a Civil War veteran who survived a journey through the Hell of Andersonville. Now working as a detective on the Philadelphia Police, McCleary is investigating his first case: to find out who kidnapped "the greatest ratting dog in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" from one of the city's premier politicians, Alderman Bunker. He barely gets a lead in the Bunker case when a more sinister kidnapping occurs, involving the youngest son of a local businessman named Archibald Munroe. With the reputation of the police force on the line, McCleary quickly takes the lead on the Munroe case and learns it has more in common with the Bunker case than just the criminal act of kidnapping. And before either investigation can be closed, McCleary must descend into Hell once more to uncover a past corrupt with the deceit of innocence and the treachery of power.

Following this treacherous course of events, Mr. Graham's well-paced mystery creates an atmosphere that permeates Philadelphia's antique charm with a physical awareness of the muggy summer haze and gaslight noir in which the story unfolds. The Killing Breed's pages come to life with cast of characters -- from the compelling, self-assured McCleary to the imposing, self-confident Bunker, and the tormented Munroe to the demented kidnappers -- that bustle about the streets of late Nineteenth Century Philadelphia in search of ransom, solace, power, and the successful closure of two crimes. An intriguing look into the darker side of The Quaker City in the 1800's, The Killing Breed blends the dark finesse of Poe with the terse dialogue of Chandler; it is sure to appeal to the tastes of hard-boiled fanatics, mystery lovers and anyone who enjoys a thoroughly entertaining read.

No one will wilt with this excellent post Civil War mystery

In 1874 Philadelphia, police detective Wilton McCleary enjoys his job, protecting his fellow citizens from the criminals. However, the former Civil War vet soon finds himself embroiled in two different cases that take him to the seamier side of the city.

A valuable canine, Jocko, has been dognapped....

THE KILLING BREED is an impressive debut novel that will elate fans of historical mysteries. The two prime plots intelligently blend into a cohesive and highly intelligent story line. Wilton is a fabulous character and the secondary cast helps bring post Civil War Philadelphia into clear focus. If this novel is any indication of the future, Mark Graham has a long career ahead as the author of the Wilton McCleary historical police procedural.

Harriet Klausner

An ingenious mystery in a fascinating historical setting.
I am a fan of historical mysteries but have always yearned for a book that realistically recreates the past rather than paint it with a cozy glow. I have finally found what I've been looking for in Mark Graham's The Killing Breed. Graham masterfully evokes the rich squalor of nineteenth-century Philadelphia in this murder mystery featuring police detective Wilton McCleary, a Civil War veteran with no illusions about his city or its inhabitants. The period detail feels so real that I would swear the author had lived there. I wholeheartedly recommend The Killing Breed to lovers of historical mysteries, of mysteries in general, and of historical suspense novels such as those by Caleb Carr. This book is the first of a series featuring McClearly. We are in for a treat! Mark Graham is a major new talent.

The Black Maria
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Twilight (2000)
Author: Mark Graham
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Where did the title come from?
I've read all three of Mark Graham historical Philidelphia mysteries. I enjoy his stories. His research is actually quite remarkable, and it gives the reader an insight into the past that they may not have had. This book does that very well with the Centennial World Fair in Philidelphia. It does make you sad that all that grandeur is gone, especially after what was spent. It also gave me an insight into what World Fairs were like in their heydey. Graham's writing though is rather simplistic. This makes for quick reading of the book, and somehow the dialect and way of speaking didn't ring true with me for the era. Also, where did the title come from? The title really had no reference to the story at all. The mystery was pretty good, although I had figured out the guilty one by about 1/3 of the way through the book. But I still enjoyed the story and the sense of history that Mr. Graham instills. That's why I gave this book a higher rating than the grammar and writing skills warranted. I disagree with one of the previous reviewers viewpoints that if you really want "the smell and stink of the open sewers, read Anne Perry". I have read all Ms. Perry's books and I enjoy them immensely, but Mr. Graham's novels do really give that sense of time and place just like Ms. Perry's. His extensive research helps him achieve this. But if you really want the smell and stink, as well as the sense of place, correct grammar and syntax, I highly recommend Peter Lovesey's Cribb and Thackery novels. They're the best I've read on this era.

Philadelphia in the late 1800's
Black Maria pulled me in when reading the back of the book and the descriptions of Philadelphia in the midst of the Centennial kept me going however, the plot waxed and waned. I went from being engrossed in the mystery to skimming pages at a time.

I would have given the plot around 3 stars but the research involved was excellent and the book really made you feel as though you were wandering around the streets of the Centennial with Detective Wilton McCleary and his pal Tad. Det. McCleary has had it rough, apparently in the first two novels the reader learns this. As I had not read either it took me a few pages to learn his past but Mark Graham does a good job summarizing for us without making it feel as though that is what he is doing as he scatters the past throughout the novel.

McCleary is relegated to the task of policing Shantytown, the run down slum area of Philly and bringing the swells in for a good time. It is on one of these runs that McCleary discovers the body of a dead girl and is drawn in as the police quickly try to dismiss the death. McCleary is not satisfied with the reasons they are giving him for trying to cover the brutal murder up so he starts his own investigation.

Through his search, McCleary meets the King family, Hiram is a wealthy man that no one likes to cross, his son David, a cub reporter who accompanies McCleary on a run through Shantytown and his daughter Elsie, the unhinged beauty.

The reader follow McCleary through the opium dens and freak shows to the Centennial to try to discover a killer. While this book did not keep me entirely enthralled it will be enjoyable to many fans of Graham or readers who like historical mysteries. Personally, I would recommend The Alienist and Scarlet Women to readers who want a good historical mystery.

Great history and mystery
Shortly before reading The Black Maria, I read the highly touted Conspiracy of Paper. That book had great historical detail, but a weak mystery. What makes Mark Graham's book such a pleasure to read is the combination of fascinating history with a well plotted mystery. In this case, a mystery with an ending that took me completely by surprise. I was convinced I had it figured out, only to find I had been expertly fooled. Please Avon, publish Mark Graham's next book in hardcover and put some marketing behind it. He has earned the right to a Caleb Carr sized audience.

Henry Explores the Mountains
Published in School & Library Binding by Atheneum (1975)
Authors: Mark Taylor and Graham Booth
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Henry Explores the Mountians ~ Mark Taylor
This is a very adventurous book. It shows how little kids can prove themselves responsible. It shows how young children, know ho to act in scary situations. Some people have to learn that young children can be trusted, but they should be able to prove themsleves first. Sometimes young kids just want to grow up, so they wanbt to explore and learn how to do things for themselves.

I like the character Henry in this book. When Henry and his dog sent out on a journey to explore the mountians, they do not know what to expect. They have a good time exploring and take extra precautions. They meet some friendly and unfriendly characters, yet they know how to handle the situations. Henry takes controll of the bad situation and turns it into a learning experience. This book teaches a lot about how to act when on a journey. It also shows how kids get regconized for the good deeds they do.

A Llama in the Family
Published in Paperback by Scholastic (1996)
Authors: Johanna Hurwitz, Mark Graham, and Tonya Alicia Martin
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Great guided reading book!
I am a third grade teacher and this past year one of my guided reading groups read "A Llama in the Family" by Johanna Hurwitz. We had so much fun reading about Adam and his adventures with Ethan Allen. My students were enthralled with the idea of a llama as a family pet. Johanna Hurwitz was skillful weaving so many fun and meaningful experiences into her story. As a post reading assignment my students had to make pamphlets to advertise a llama trek. What made it special to me is that this summer my husband and I found a bed and breakfast, The Applewood Inn in Virginia, that actually offered llama treks. Needless to say, that was the hook that got us to stay there. We didn't eat blueberry soup on our trek, but we learned so much more about llamas. Pick up a copy of the book, it is so much fun to read and there is much to learn about llamas.

Another good book from Johanna Hurwitz
Hi. I'm a third grader from the U.S. I give A Llama in the Family 4 stars because it is very funny and a little dull. It's a little easy but still another good book from Johanna Hursitz. I recommend it to everyone ages 7-8. It talks about a llama named Ethan Allen. The main characters are Adam, April, mom, dad, and Ethan Allen. I didn't like the ending because it really doesn't give a good ending. They could have written a little more but it's still a great book!

It's a spectacular book!
Hi I'm a third grader from the U.S and I give a Llama in The Family four stars for its good ideas and suspense. I was on my toes through the whole book. I would recommend this book to a 7 or 8 year old kid because it is challenging but it is not long enough. As you probably know by the title the story is about a llama that somehow joins a family. You will find that the llama makes the family crazy with sprises and excitement.

The Rough Guide to Spain
Published in Paperback by Routledge & Kegan Paul Books Ltd (1983)
Authors: Mark Ellingham, John Fisher, and Graham Kenyon
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Worst Travel Guide Ever
The most recent edition of this book would be better called the "approximate" guide to Spain. Much of the information in this book is simply wrong: maps were upside down (north pointing downwards), accomodations recommended were often dirty or unpleasant or much more expensive than the rough guide said or than alternatives we found on our own, descriptions of things such as the entrances to cathedrals and locations of turists offices were wrong, and often instead of recommending specific places the authors just recommended checking with the local turist offices for accomodations and other information -- making us question what the book was good for anyway. I had a much much better experience with the Lonely Planet guides. Do not buy this book if you are looking for help getting around Spain.

Simply excellent !
This is the only book you will ever need while traveling in Spain. I hope it is sufficient to say that I own the 5th, the 6th, the 7th and the 8th edition of this book. During the past 10 years I visited all regions in Spain and this book has been a excellent help.

Spain, not so rough when you use this guide
This is an excellant travel guide book. It is an essential book for any one traveling to Spain, especially if this is your virgin trip to the country. There is a broad spectrum of choices to choose from, from the very inexpensive to the very expensive. It fills the palette for all tastes. The inexpensive choices give you a taste for the culture and people of the area that you visit and their comments are honest and helpful. I will buy this guide wherever I travel.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Published in Audio Cassette by CBC Audio (2000)
Authors: Mark Twain, Graham Abbey, Peter Donaldson, Robert Benson, Joyce Campion, Richard Curnock, Jennifer Gould, and Duncan Ollerenshaw
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An American Cynic in Dystopia
Mark Twain's satiric fantasy "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" sets up the premise of a 19th Century American being transported (via the application of a crowbar to his skull) to the legendary Camelot, where he initially suffers culture shock in the extreme. The novel's immediately obvious flaw (and I assume Mark Twain was aware of it but simply ignored it) is the 19th Century hero's ability to communicate with Britons of the 6th Century. They, of course, would have been speaking an English similar to that in "Beowulf"; the book has them talking like characters in "Hamlet". The opening chapters are comic in mood, complete with limp jokes. (When one character introduces himself as a page, the Yankee replies: "Go 'long, you ain't more than a paragraph." Oh, Lord.) However, the story quickly becomes dark and then increasingly darker. The degraded condition of the masses (which the modern hero compares to 18th Century France) culminates in a tour (with King Arthur disguised as a peasant) of a oountryside corrupted by monarchy and the Church, both of which were loathed by Mark Twain. Feminists should be warned that the author's misogyny is given free rein here: all the ladies of the court are thoughtless twits, and Morgan Le Fay is a shrew who habitually and casually kills her servants. The heroine Alisande (who, of course, becomes Sandy) is a tiresome chatterbox, whom the hero abruptly marries as a sort of social condescension. But his attitude towards women is merely a part of his general misanthropy, leading him to write at one point: "Well, there are times when one would like to hang the whole human race and finish the farce." Once the protagonist has established himself as Arthur's right-hand man (he's called "The Boss"), he exercises his Yankee ingenuity to industrialize the realm. With the genius of Gutenberg, Morse and Bell at his disposal, he sets up a newspaper and introduces the telegraph and the telephone to the Middle Ages. (Just how he devises the technology to accomplish this is not made too clear.) At any rate, The Boss is considered a great wizard, and Merlin (or Brer Merlin, as the Yankee calls him) is treated like a fraudulent fool. Motivating all this is a somewhat smug sense of 19th Century superiority. Actually, the Yankee goes beyond his own century and into the 1900's. When Guenever's treason causes the civil war which divides Britain, The Boss drills a group of cadets (his West Pointers, he calls them) that he leads off to battle against the anti-Arthurian knighthood. The result is a blood bath presciently and repulsively similar to the trench warfare of 1914-1918. (The novel was published in 1889.) If this is meant to be an indication of future efficiency, it's an extremely pessimistic vision. But then, the whole story is Mark Twain's gloomy statement on Mankind's uneasy place in a dysfunctional world, be it the Dark Ages or the somber present.

Back in Time and Smater than Anyone
When Hank Morgan, the head superintendent of the great arms factory, receives a smack on the head given by a friend nicknamed Hercules, he wakes up under an oak tree. A young man tells Morgan is he is in Camelot in the year 528. Not believing the boy, Morgan insists it is the year 1879 in Hartford, Connecticut. Morgan's adventures are written in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain. Sir Kay throws Morgan in prison after he finds the Yankee and scares him up a tree. Sentenced to death the next day, Morgan performs a "miracle" before he is hung and King Arthur, believing him to be a wizard, set him free. Slowly, Morgan works his way up to "The Boss" of King Arthur's court and brings all of his 19th century knowledge to the people of Camelot, such as the telephone and electric lights.
Although I would recommend this book to advanced readers, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is over 400 pages and it was difficult for me to get into the story at first. Also, the language was hard to understand. For example, "Fair sir, will ye just?" and "Prithee do not let me." Despite the length and the language, I enjoyed the way Twain used characters and stories from the Arthur legends and formed them into the plot. The book made me think, what would the world be like if some one actually did go back in time?

An overlooked classic
'Connecticut Yankee' is an excellent political satire still relevant to today's world. Everyone's heard of it, and it's been spoofed many times in film. However, few people have read it and they're missing a treat. Mark Twain is one author whose works consistently remain applicable to modern society. 'Yankee' is funny, interesting and highly worth your time.

Baldrige Award Winning Quality
Published in Paperback by Productivity Inc. (01 December, 1998)
Author: Mark Graham Brown
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Baldrige Smaldrige
There is no greater hoax than the TQM revolution. What it really is, is an excuse to fire people in failing organizations.

If you are reading this book, don't be worried for you are already in Elysium and you are already dead.

Excellent detailed guidance and insight.
Provides a detailed understanding of the criteria, shows how to write an application, and is a tool for assessing an organization and developing plans. Excellent guidance and insight.

Olivia/Lucy
Published in Paperback by Silver Moon Pr (1998)
Authors: Charles Graham and Mark Slade
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A Mixed Bag-Read the first half only!
Both books are of the female abduction/submission scenario. 4 Stars first half, ZERO stars for second. Olivia, the heroine of the first novel is actually well written and develops the character as well as a delivers a reasonably well written series of sexual vignettes, numerous bondage/discipline scenes and some real eroticism. The second novel (Lucy) is an execrable piece of trash, again dealing with the female abduction/submission scenario. This portion of the book utilizes the time "honored" scenario of "humiliate, beat, rape" and then the "beat the woman, then humiliate her" followed by the usual violent rapine scenes. This part of the book is trash, written poorly and only worth shredding. Personally, I tossed it in the trash.

Wow
This is two novels and some bonus excerpts for the price of one. The first novel--Olivia--rates five stars. It is a hardcore bondage, dominance and discipline novel that does a very good job of marrying the erotic with the literary, making it a very engaging read. Olivia is a suffragette in Victorian England who has pissed off the wrong powerful man, who takes it upon himself to teach Olivia that far from being his equal, she is actually suited only to be his pleasure slave. The capture, training, discipline and play scenes are all at a grippingly intense level, that is both hugely erotic and impossible to put down. Olivia's transition and acceptance, her emotional reactions to the experience and her balance between shame and arousal add a dimension to the novel that is both exciting and engaging.

The short excerpt between the two novels is badly written, unerotic, and unnecessary, but takes up very little space so is hardly worth mentioning.

The second novel, Lucy, is even more of a hardcore, heavy bondage and discipline novel than the first. Lucy is a hapless captive taken to be a love slave by ruthlessly cruel captors. Her emotional turmoil is less developed, and her transitions are disappointingly fake and shallow (particularly after the masterful, pun intended, emotional development we were treated to in Olivia). However, this novel makes up for poor writing with inventive scenes of pain, degradation, and creative bondage.

If bdsm is what you're into, you'll enjoy this double dose.

Alicia's Tutu
Published in Hardcover by Dial Books for Young Readers (1997)
Authors: Robin Pulver and Mark Graham
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Interesting, enjoyable, but a little flat...
We checked this book out of the library and my 4 year old daughter insists on me reading it every night. A good testimonial! The book is pleasant and easy to read with nice illustrations. It provides a good basis for a discussion of need v. want. Like the above reviewer, I too was disappointed in the overly tidy ending. Also, the illustrations appear a bit too impressionistic (for example, it is difficult to identify Alicia on several pages) which frustrates my daughter and me.

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