In Trends In Outside Support For Insurgent Movements, Daniel Byman, Peter Chalk, Bruce Hoffman, William Rosenau, and David Brannan effective collaborate to produce a cold, hard, meticulous look at state support, incitement, and sponsorship of insurgencies from the Cold War ear through modern globalization. All types of this practice, from offering fighters or training to simply offering a blank check are closely scrutinized. An incredibly timely book given the world situation today and the American commitment to eradicate rogue state supported international terrorism, and written at a college level with heavy research and annotation, Trends In Outside Support For Insurgent Movements is a fascinating, albeit disturbing, look at political machinations around the world.

This book is about the life of a confessed mob hit man. Some times books like this make me question if the author is not adding a little to make sure the buzz is there it sell the book. If this guy really did the damage he claims and for the reasons stated then why did not one of his "family" friends not put a hit out on him? And while we are talking, how many people have claimed to have been part of the Hoffa killing? So many they evidently needed to pick Hoffa up in a school bus to fit all the killers in.

Don't get me wrong; this is a very entertaining book, with just an armload of tabloid type details about the mafia and a lot of interesting stuff on the government and the witness protection program. The book is a very interesting jump into the world of the Mafia and you will remember of lot of the story for a good while after you have finished it.

Hey, I want to read this book but cannot find it anywhere. Please E-mail me at kdokan1074@aol.com if you know where I can get a copy at areasonable price.

if you have read this book you will understand the need for it to be a feature film. it is almost impossible to get a copy of this book. "the powers that be" made sure of that. i presently own the film rights to make it . the script is done.afters 2 years of work .. now all i need is a green light . interested? contact me joe droneheads@aol.com

The only publication I've seen that doesn't slavishly recommend fosomax as the only way to reverse osteoporosis. I was heartened to see a positive review of this book from a physician on Amazon.com, because when I mentioned these authors' recommendation of calcium plus ipriflavone at a lecture by a local internist, he dismissed it out of hand (and out of ignorance of its existence) as "one of those rumors that fly around the Internet." The only problem is, how do you find a physician who is willing to help you try this regimen, which apparently is far safer than Fosomax? The authors do not explain how to find a nutritionally oriented doctor in a world of simplistic, cookie-cutter, prescription-pad, one-solution-for-all medicine.

As a physician, I found this book to be very informative and well written and does a great job of explaining exactly what is causing the bone tissue to lose calcium and therefore bone mass as we age. The book also explains how calcium and other minerals and supplements exert their effect on the bone. As I said before, I strongly recommend this book for all women, regardless of age, if you have an interest in preventing or treating this very common condition.

The authors appear to know their subject well. I would recommend this as a beginner-to-intermediate introduction to fundamentals except for the numerous errors.

Some errors are like "typos" such as 6 instead of 60, some are more serious and subtle such as specifying a call when a put was meant, and some are fundamental structural problems with the book. For example, the Quiz answers don't match the chapters to which they purportedly provide answers, and in some cases only some questions are answered anyway.

The errors are so numerous, and some of a type that they won't be caught by the average beginner, that it might be dangerous for a beginner to rely on this book as a reference or as an only introduction to options.

I'd really like to have a completely "cleaned up" copy, as I think that could make this the best introduction that I'm aware of.

Mike Williams and Amy Hoffman have written a clear concise book that is the best single option book of the scores that I have read. They teach a course thru the Pacific Options Exchange that I have had the pleasure of taking. The course is excellent and the book is superb. I was asked to help them improve their course and it needed very little improvement and the book is just the best description of synthetics and the more complex strategies in easy to understand examples. Mike and Amy you really outdid yourselves on this work - you should be proud.

I have read several options books and they are mostly theoretical or geared towards option market makers. This was the first book I read that I felt was practical. The beginning of this book is very simplistic and explains everything from what an option is to how they are priced. I found it a little to easy, but if you do not know anything about options then this would be a great place to start. The second section and strategy section are the best I have seen for the practical retail trader. I found it very interesting how market makers make markets and how it may effect the retail trader. This was also the first book that I have read that made volatility simple to understand. The best part was the strategy section. The book is divided into bullish, bearish, flat market, and volatile market strategies. I found this to be a great reference tool. This book should be on the self of every advanced retail trader. I have seen the author, Michael Williams, speak in New York and found him very knowledgeable, but even more importantly an excellent teacher. I would rate this book 4 1/2 stars because I am already familiar with options and the beginning is introductory. This book is for the retail client that wants to take advantage of options and the leverage they provide. I would rank this book for beginners to intermediate. For an advance book I would recommend Natenberg's "Option Volatility and Pricing". These two books together are all you need for stock options.

I had to read this book for school and at first was totally lost. But, after I understood the book more I really liked it. I haven't read any more shakespere but after that book I plan to.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is about many confused lovers. One loves another and another loves another. It is also about love at first sight. This is only because a fairy put spell on people to make this happen. But, I must say that A Midsummer Night's Dream is really a good movie.

I simply do not, cannot and will not understand how anyone can do anything but love A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare is Shakespeare, and after reading or enacting this play, any foolish mortal can see why he has stuck around for so long, inspiring, haunting and getting raucous laughs and sighs out of many completely different generations. The language is beatiful, and for anyone who is mistaken, Shakespeare is not old English. He is not middle English. That's right, he's an older kind of modern English, and after you get into his rythym, it is not hard to comprehend in the least. Shakespeare is a magic that picks you up and mercifully and marvously refuses to let go of you. Shakespeare is a passion which swirls around in so many different ways, just to jump up behind you to startle and surprise you when you thought you got him down. Shakespeare is the genius who knows more than anyone about the human character, and what he does not know he revels in the mystery of not knowing. In a Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare is at his witty, sophisticated, passionate, knowing and romantic best, and anyone who has a heart which beats must read or see it for their own good.

..."Tough Guy" is definitely worth reading. Having read just about all the mob books that are in print (everything from Wise Guy, to Murder Machine, Last Mafioso, etc.), Maloney's book is definitely entertaining and somewhat enlightening. Other reviewers (below) have challenged Maloney for his truthfulness (which may, in fact, be in question), but many of the details in the book are easily verifiable. Maloney certainly doesn't overstate his ability to plan criminal operations or choose the right 'crimey' (crime partner)...

Two thoughts immediately come to mind:

1) Maloney truly was a tough guy. Surviving ten bullet-holes (including eight at one time) in a series of attempts to fulfill the contract on his life will get you on the "tough guy" list. Maloney was hooked up with some of the celebrities of "the life" including John Gotti, Jimmy Burke (of Lufthansa and DeNiro/Goodfellas fame), the Coonans and Mickey Featherstone(Westies) and a host of others.

2) Maloney was definitely a couple of sandwiches shy of a picnic. His trust of completely untrustworthy characters, his complete lack of preparation for significant criminal operations, his willingness to attack and kidnap made men... all pointed to, shall we say, a less than gifted intellect. His continued survival despite this limitation is testament to his toughness and durability.

If you enjoy mob books, you'll definitely find "Tough Guy" worth reading.

In my opinion this is the best true crime book i've ever read. For once a man like Eddie Maloney had the courage to expose the mob and the fbi for the treacherous people they truly are.
Vito, Brooklyn, NY

This is the best true crime story i'v ever read, i couldn't put the book down, i stayed up all night reading this book until i finished it. I've read the book twiced since then.

A "Arabian Nights"-era group who are taking gifts from their Caliph to a "Cauccasian" prince, are hunted by a "Vampyr". In order to survive, they accept his wager to tell a tale that is more sad than his.
• POSITIVE ELEMENTS: Self-sacrifice plays a large role in the book. When one of the men is seriously wounded in a fall, the others will not leave him, though it will slow their flight from the monster. At the end of the story, though the monster is getting ready to kill him, one of the protagonists cries for the beast's neverending lonliness.
• SPIRITUAL CONTENT: The majority of the characters are Muslim and constantly offer praise to Allah. Two of the characters claim to be Christian, but flee their faith because the Church won't allow them to marry. They are relatives. The main character speaks of Muslims preaching in front of Christian churches and converting many of them to the "true faith." This is somewhat disconcerting from a Christian perspective, as this book is obviously written on a grade school level and may affect young minds.
• SEXUAL CONTENT: .The book doesn't have any sexual content, per say, though the main character refers to the act by a crude term. Another character, while telling a story, mentions that he, as a young man, was following a girl who had promised sexual activity before disaster strikes. Two relatives marry, leaving their homeland and, presumably, their Christian faith to do so. One of the illustrations shows an Arabian woman in revealing attire.
• VIOLENT CONTENT: People are killed in a number of ways. One man is bludgeoned in the head, another's throat ripped out. Blood is shown to be virtually non-existent on corpses, as the creature that is stalking them feeds on it.
• CRUDE OR PROFANE LANGUAGE: One word. One man uses the phrase, "Am I a Christian or a Jew?" as a swear phrase.
• DRUG AND ALCOHOL CONTENT: The story is being told at a celebration where many of the characters are drunk from too much wine. At one point, a servant drops (and destroys) a barrel of wine.
• OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS: The book leaves one loose end. The main character mentions, in a story that he tells, that he regrets never having seen what was in a package that he delivered to a wealthy woman in his youth. We never find out what this item is. Also, the resolution seems a bit forced. The villain's story is predictable, at best.
Another thing to take into consideration is that this book deals with rather mature subject matter, considering its reading level. I'd say that a sixth grader would be able to read it with full comprehension. The violence and religious viewpoint should be enough to give Christian parents pause.
• CONCLUSION: For an adult, a decent, somewhat unfulfilling read. Not for the kids, though.

I've only read _Caliban's Hour_ by Tad Williams but I liked that much better than this book. I've also read some shorter works by Hoffman which I've had mixed feeling on. This seemed more like a long, short story. It did seem rushed because there was a lot in the story. A main setting of some men having dinner and then one of them telling a story and then the characters in that story telling many stories.

As confusing as that sounds it wasn't a confusing read. I like the arabian setting and it was funny at times but nothing really impressed me about it, except for one of the stories told within the main story.

I think it would be more impressive for someone just getting into fantasy as opposed to a veteran. Though as the last reviewer mentioned it may not correctly represent Williams' 'normal' style of writing.

Hi all,

I'm an absolutely _huge_ fan of Tad Williams. I've read everything out there from Talechaser's Song to Mountain of Black Glass (and read MST three times). I've read both of his shorter works: Child of an Ancient City and Caliban's Hour. In reading Child, I found the prose weaker than what I was accustomed to with Tad: perhaps this was due to the condensed nature or perhaps it was that much of the text was actually written by Nina? I'm undecided. On the whole I enjoyed it more than Caliban's Hour. I would recommend this book to fans of Tad but not to the uninitiated.

William Hoffman displays in this book an outstanding skill with words and astute attention to detail. His descriptions are so vivid that we experience what Charles LeBlanc is feeling -- both physically and emotionally -- as he seeks to clear himself of a heinous crime. The plot is cleverly conceived; the book, peopled by characters who are life-like in the detail with which Hoffman draws them. Hoffman displays a remarkable sense of place in his descriptions of the novel's settings, which range from Tidewater Virginia to the mountains of West Virginia. Always an imaginative story-teller, Hoffman has woven a story that plays out well!

Clear, evocative descriptions highlight this excellent novel by William Hoffman. Hoffman draws you in to the pages of Tidewater Blood until you can taste the rich, plaster dust in the shattered mansion of an old Virginia family, or feel the immense weight of the timeless, coal-laden mountains of West Virginia. The destroyed mansion is a metaphor for a ruined family, and the shrouded, ancient mountain coves a cautionary tale of our place in the world. Justice is well served as ex-con and fugitive Charley LeBlanc reaches into the mountains to uncover his family's secrets. The black sheep of his family, Charley is searching for his place in life, hoping to find it before the law catches up to him. If there is a flaw to Mr. Hoffman's fine book, it is perhaps a too-pat ending. Tidewater Blood is highly satisfying, nonetheless.

I picked up Tidewater Blood because of the article about mid-list writers in the Washington Post. I, too, am a writer, although not nearly as published. I know all too well the difficulty of Mr. Hoffman's struggle. It's a shame because he's a good writer and Tidewater Blood is a good book.

It's refreshing to read a contemporary novel that builds the plot by use of clean descriptions and strong dialogue while at the same time moving the story forward. Writing well is one thing, and having a story to tell is another. It's nice when you find that rare book that does both (unlike some bestsellers I could mention).

The only problem I had with the story was the frequency of Mr. LeBlanc being rescued by good samaritans. I don't know if I'd be so quick to help out a homeless fugitive, but Mr. LeBlanc repeatedly received food, clothes and shelter from strangers.

I hope Mr. Hoffman continues to publish more novels. I hope he continues to rage against the machine. I know I will.

Four men spend a weekend together, hunting in the West Virginia mountains. Three of the men are life-long buddies, one is an acquaintance - an outsider. A shooting accident while out hunting sees the outsider shot dead. The local sheriff is not inclined to believe that the shooting was an accident because the facts don't match the story. The story is told from the perspective of one of the three friends, Walter Frampton. He is a lawyer and is drawn into it both on a professional and personal level. He begins to realise that he didn't know his friends as well as he thought.

Once the excitement of the hunting accident passes, we seem to meander from scene to scene without achieving much. There is a side-story which doesn't have any bearing on the matter at hand and, ultimately does not resolve itself. Plotting for his next novel, perhaps? While interesting it loses momentum midway through, consequently my interest began to wane, I'm glad I borrowed this from the library, rather than bought it.

"Blood and Guile" is a rather leisurely read; if you're expecting lots of action and thrills, you don't get them. However, Hoffman has a strong command of his environment, and even though there are many flaws in this why did they do it?, it's still worth reading.

Four men go off hunting, and right away we find out that one of them has been killed in an unfortunate "accident." Hoffman is to be commended for not making the West Virginia law enforcement the typical hillbilly buffoons. Bruce Sawyers is a modern, healthy, young efficient sheriff whose investigation leads to the possibility that the accident was indeed a murder.

Although Walter is certainly not the most stalwart of heroes, his emergence at the end makes up somewhat for this lack of bravado. Along the way, we meet some interesting characters including Phyllis Duke, a woman with a very strange history; Drake Wingo, the he-man hunter who has found his newfound "fame" pivotal in his decision making; Cliff Dickinson, a rather foppish artiste type who is the supposed murderer; and Boomer, a clerk at the Grizzly store whose brevity does not diminish his interest. Unfortunately, the main female focus is Josey, and she comes across as being rather selfish and uninteresting. The inclusion of the Prince from Arabia story only serves to slow down the otherwise engrossing story.
There aren't many surprises; you can pretty much figure out what is going on, but it doesn't dilute the quiet impact of this story. Drake's exposition while hunting in the last section is a hauntingly realistic expose on how we refuse to face the truth.
RECOMMENDED.

a level headed lawyer and his boyhood blood brothers go grouse hunting with a fundamentalist landowner who winds up shot dead. Pacing is deliberate, tone is southern colloquial. rich in setting and atmosphere.

This book is totally lacking in credibility. It has been discredited by other more trustworthy sources. Frankos story on the Hoffa murder, for one, is a total fabrication. Please, do some research (read "The Westies," for instance, a much more jouranlistically credible source) and you will find that this book is FICTION disguised as fact. That is, if you care.

Alot of storys in this book are hard to belive. I read alot of other mob books and they all Have different versions to the same story. A good gangster book is WISEGUY or read the UNDERBOSS . it seems to me as if this guy just wants to be important. But overall its a good book.

Great account of a real-life tough guy and hitman. This book provides an insider's look into the mob and various prisons. Also, detailed accounts of murders and the planning that goes into them.