Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic Volume 2 - Flashpoint (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic)

Book Description

Nearly 4,000 years before the Death Star, fugitive Padawan Zayne Carrick's quest to clear his name for the alleged murder of his fellow Jedi-in-training brings him head to head with the galaxy's most feared fighting force - the Mandalorians! Along with a petty crook named Gryph and Elbee the grouchy droid, Zayne is a passenger aboard the Last Resort, a renegade ship piloted by the senile genius Camper and his fierce protector Jarael. Together, this motley crew will face kidnappings, hijackings, maniacal scientists, Mandalorian traitors, bumbling bounty hunting brothers, and a few really big explosions.

Customer Reviews:

Nice but no separate arc.......2007-09-24

This is the second trade collection of one of the new Star Wars comics. It delves a bit further into the development and "coming of age" of Zayne, a hopless jedi padwan and fugitive.

Where the first trade feels like a complete arc and a separate part of the story, this volume contains two halves of lesser "weight" - obviously mainly taking the time to develop the main crew a bit, while dropping in some new potential characters.

There are lots of nice moments, good art and an interesting take on the SW universe "way back when" - but the overall flow needs to pick up a notch (or the books need to be thicker for each release) for this to be a top of the line comic.

Lots of potential for the years ahead - here's to hoping they manage to keep the momentum without over-reaching the longevity of the story (next TP is out in January)

Jedi Falling.......2007-09-17

The writers of this series are following closely the stories of the video games. Not in continuety but in spirit. You can clearly see how the old Jedi Masters abandon and virually disown the war-effort against the brutal Mandalorians and thus condemn the younger knights. I felt that it was THIS that created the new wave of Sith Lords later on. The beleagered young Jedi had to suffer too much without guidance. Then they became powerdrunk and despised their old masters, who had sat out most of the war and all their suffering. Of course they would fall for the Dark Side. Why wouldn't they when half of their old masters already REEK of the Dark Side?

Great Collection; Great Art.......2007-07-27

i am really loving this series. its a pretty straightforward storyline without too many mysteries, but with enough intrigue and backstory. the flash-backs are easy to follow--too many times in comics its hard to tell where they start and stop. the art is pretty consistent throughout--both pencils and ink really give the characters, well, more character.

rohlan is a great mandalorian, one i hope hasbro considers making.

zayne is a very believable jedi--probably alot like most jedi out there, instead of the super-hero jedi we're used to.

gryph has to be my favorite. he is just enough comic relief without being over the top (unlike the ithorians, but they're not major players). he has great expressions and is easily likeable, but very shady as well.

the best page is where the mandalorians are landing (when gryph exclaims "the mandalorians are attacking...for real). its a gorgeous spread.

i highly suggest picking this, as well commencement up (which i agree does start slow), but it can't all be rising action/climax, can it?

Another Fine Collection From Dark Horse.......2007-07-22

Dark Horse continues their tradition of non-Heroes of Yavin stories with another good entry. Zayne is a different breed of Jedi from the typical mold, neither all-powerful or traditional. Great action, great artwork, and a great concept.

2 nicely drawn stories.......2007-07-18

Flashpoint uses some tried and true storylines, but the art is very nice and the dialogue is decent. A worthwhile read. I'm working my way through it a second time. Zayne's growing on me....at first I believed to be every stereotypical failed padawan rolled into one bumbling idiot...but he's getting more believable as the pages pass.

Average customer rating:

A bit different from the others but incredibly complex passion.
Couldn't put it down
Not a bad book, but not really fitting of the series it comes from
Audio Book Review
If you don't fall half in love with Nash - you didn't read the book!

Flashpoint
Suzanne Brockmann
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345456947
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Book Description

From unrelenting action to intense emotion, from high-stakes drama to break-neck pacing, New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann is a novelist who does it all. Now after her blockbuster hardcover debut, Gone Too Far, Brockmann delivers an exciting new thriller about men and women operating where agents of the U.S. government cannot, where America’s most ruthless enemies thrive—and where every step you take just might be your last. . . .

Jimmy Nash has already lived two lives—and he can’t talk about either of them. Formerly an operative of a top secret government agency, he has found a new job with a shadowy company called Troubleshooters Inc. Created by a former Navy SEAL, Troubleshooters Inc. helps anyone in desperate need—which provides a perfect cover for its other, more perilous objective: covert special operations.

Now Nash and a quickly assembled team of expert operators have come to the earthquake-ravaged country of Kazbekistan in the guise of relief workers. There, amid the dust and death, in a land of blood red sunsets and ancient blood feuds, they must track down a missing laptop computer that may hold secrets vital to national security.

To get it done, Nash does what he does best: break every rule in the book and manipulate those who can help him get what he needs. But this time, Nash may have met his match in Tess Bailey, an Troubleshooters operative with all the right instincts—and zero field experience. The deep attraction between them is immediate . . . and potentially explosive, with risk at every turn. Now these two professionals must play out their dangerous games in the world’s most dangerous place—cut off from their own government, cutting deals with people they can’t trust, and guarding forbidden passions that threaten to compromise their crucial mission.

A full throttle adventure teamed with heated emotion, Flashpoint proves that Suzanne Brockmann can spin suspense unlike any other author working today.

From the Hardcover edition.

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Jimmy Nash has already lived two lives—and he can't talk about either of them. Formerly an operative of a top secret government agency, he has found a new job with a shadowy company called Troubleshooters Inc. Created by a former Navy SEAL, Troubleshooters Inc. helps anyone in desperate need—which provides a perfect cover for its other, more perilous objective: covert special operations.

Now Nash and a quickly assembled team of expert operators have come to the earthquake-ravaged country of Kazbekistan in the guise of relief workers. There, amid the dust and death, in a land of blood red sunsets and ancient blood feuds, they must track down a missing laptop computer that may hold secrets vital to national security.

To get it done, Nash does what he does best: break every rule in the book and manipulate those who can help him get what he needs. But this time, Nash may have met his match in Tess Bailey, a Troubleshooters operative with all the right instincts—and zero field experience. The deep attraction between them is immediate... and potentially explosive, with risk at every turn. Now these two professionals must play out their dangerous games in the world's most dangerous place—cut off from their own government, cutting deals with people they can't trust, and guarding forbidden passions that threaten to compromise their crucial mission.

A full-throttle adventure teamed with heated emotion, Flashpoint proves that Suzanne Brockmann can spin suspense unlike any other author working today.

Customer Reviews:

A bit different from the others but incredibly complex passion. .......2007-08-08

Here's the new breed of super-heroes, employed by none other than our collective heart-throb ex-SEAL Tom Paoletti. His new company is called Troubleshooters Inc.: covert special ops, going where no government dares to go, etc. You know the drill! Jimmy Nash and a team under the leadership of the fascinating Lawrence Decker (and there's a story within a story - you'll be screaming for his book!) enter Kazbekistan as `relief workers' following an earthquake. Their mission is to find the laptop of a top al-Qaeda operative, killed from injuries in the quake, hopeful it will yield info on potential world-wide terrorist attacks. Computer whizz Tess Bailey also comes, disguised as Nash's wife. Problem: after a previous `Agency' ambush gone wrong, Nash had an explosive one-night stand with Tess, knowing she was probably in love with him. Posing as husband and wife in very close quarters increases Nash's blistering, protective attraction to her. To complicate things, they're under intense scrutiny from suspicious locals, and face the increasing threat of imprisonment and torture at the hands of the cruel, fanatical warlords. Then there's Decker's little `problem' screwing up things, which is really unexpected! Suzanne Brockmann delivers incredibly complex passion in this romantic suspense, with things escalating to a heart-stopping flashpoint. You'll be holding your breath all the way through.

Couldn't put it down.......2007-05-08

I just happened to run across Suzanne Brockmann by chance and now I am looking forward to reading all of her books.

Flashpoint was the second one of her books that I've read and I couldn't put it down. I found myself reading it during TV commercials, then I just turned the TV off and kept reading, and reading and reading. I was even reading it at work until I just had to finish it.

This book had just enough romance to keep you going and enough suspense to keep you wondering what would happen next. I would recommend this book to all my friends.

Not a bad book, but not really fitting of the series it comes from.......2006-07-07

7th book in the SEAL Team 16 series.

Hmm...well, what comes to mind to say first about this book is that it was good, if taken simply as a book on it's own, but if you take it as part of a series where 6 books came before it, it was lacking.

Flashpoint begins a new phase in the SEALs series, a serious sharp left hand turn from the previous books. After the events that happened in books 5 & 6, several SEALs and FBI Agents left there jobs - some willingly, some not - and formed a security consultation firm, Troubleshooters Inc (TI). So in this book, instead of being focused on SEAL activity, you have a mission being done by TI. Because of all this, you have not only a new book premise, but also an influx of new characters. All of the main characters in the book were completely new.

The main focus is on Jimmy Nash, a former "Agency" operative who is working for TI now. Then there Tess Bailey, a former "Agency" support staffer who joins TI because she wants to do field work. She and Jimmy had a one night stand 2 months before the book started. Those two, along with a few other agents, have been given an assignment to go to Kazbekistant (fictional country) to retrieve the laptop of an al-Qaeda associate who was killed in a recent earthquake. Once there, they meet Sophia, an American in hiding and in big trouble.

As I said, the book on it's own isn't too bad. The plot was somewhat interesting, and the characters weren't too bad. Tess and Jimmy's romance was fairly decent. On just an overall level, the book kept me reading, but it didn't necessarily have me enthralled.

The problem, though, is that it IS part of a series and Brockmann almost completely disregards everything she set up and did in the previous 6 books. Well, to a certain degree. The idea for TI was born at the end of book 6, so tha was used, but that was about it. She didn't follow the format she'd always used, she didn't utilize all the wonderful characters she'd built up, nothing. It barely felt like the book was connected at all. Tom Paoletti (book 1) has a short appearance at the beginning and the end, because he runs TI, Cosmo Richter, a SEAL has a cameo, and Sam and Alyssa are mentioned once, but that's it. She doesn't even tell us anything about Troubleshooters, only the barest of details. Considering the setup of the book, a more detailed description would have been nice. I missed the historical flashback scenes in this one too.

Overall, the book was a bit of a disappointment. Brockmann should have stuck to the formula that made the other 6 books work.

Rating: 3 / 5

Audio Book Review.......2006-05-06

I listened to the 13 hour audio CDs while traveling in the car and it made the time pass quickly. There are two voice actors reading this story. It is an average tale that is more romance than suspense - definitely not Tom Clancy! Fairly entertaining characters, but the constant bickering between Nash and Tess got old pretty fast. It was also unbelievable that they were trying to have a conversation about their relationship as they were carrying guns and trying to escape from enemy confinement! The repeated use of "four-letter-words" is more irritating when heard so often on the audio (somehow it bothers me less to read them then to hear them).

If you don't fall half in love with Nash - you didn't read the book!.......2005-12-30

I love Suzanne Brockmann! There is no other author that can compell me to read until the ugly hours of the night. This book has been one of my favorites and one of the books I return to again and again.
It may be slightly disconcerting to some Brockmann fans because it introduces all new characters with only a small overlap of familiar "friends". Once I got over that, I loved it. Once I finished it the first time, I re-read it within the month.
Decker and Nash worked for the "agency" until they discovered just how expendable their superiors believed them to be. They left the same night, but not before Nash free falls into a hot, passionate and emotionally frightening night with fresh faced, wholesome, Tess Bailey. Next day, both agents are gone.
Months later, Tess quits her job after realizing she will always be turned down for promotion because she is a woman, and too good at her technogeek computer brilliance. Same day, she is on a plane to meet Tom Paoletti, head of the Troubleshooters, Inc. She walks into an interview and straight into Decker.... and Nash. Rapidly, they find themselves heading to K-stan posing as relief workers after a devastating earthquake. Jimmy Nash is melting down from the inside out. He ran away from Tess because he found he cared and that messed him up. Now he can't run. He has to stay and pretend to be her husband and hope he can keep his hands to himself.
This book is brilliant in dialogue. Her wit is ever present. The description of where they are and what they are doing is so vivid, I feel like I watched it in a movie.
Don't let this experience pass you buy. You will put the book down, half in love with the idea of Jimmy Nash.

An Expensive Way to Make Bad People Worse: An Essay on Prison Reform from an Insider's Perspective (Flashpoint)

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Best Synopsis of the Current State of Prison Wrongness
An Expensive Way...Review
Destroying and exposing the myths of the need for more prisons in the U.S.
What Americans Should Know About Our Prisons

An Expensive Way to Make Bad People Worse: An Essay on Prison Reform from an Insider's Perspective (Flashpoint)
Jens Soering
Manufacturer: Lantern Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1590560760

Book Description

The United States has more people locked away in prison per capita than any other country. Prison building is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and in some states more money is spent on prisons and prisoners than on education. Nearly one quarter of all prison inmates worldwide are housed in U.S. jails or penitentiaries, even though the United States has only five percent of the world's population. Yet, in spite of the vast amount of resources spent on locking people up and the number of people in prison, the United States leads the developed world in the number of homicides and violent assaults.

For the last eighteen years, Jens Soering has experienced the inside of many different prison environments, from a youth remand center in London to America's notorious Supermax prisons, to medium-security institutions. What he has seen and experienced has convinced him that not only do prisons not rehabilitate prisoners who may be useful for society once their sentence has ended, but prisons turn petty criminals into hardened convicts—all at enormous expense to society. Meanwhile, other nations control their crime rates at a fraction of the cost of the United States correctional system.

Soering does not argue that prisons should not exist or dispute that there are people who need to be locked away. His book is not an indictment of the legal system that lands many people in prison. Instead, An Expensive Way to Make Bad People Worse offers a mainly monetary analysis of why it is absurd fiscal policy to lock people up so often and for so long.

Customer Reviews:

Best Synopsis of the Current State of Prison Wrongness.......2007-05-16

I am very interested in prison reform, since what we are doing is barely treading water, and definitely *not* making the situation (crime, rehabilitation, costs) any better at all.

The author, a convicted felon himself, is very clear-headed in his writing style, and he presents the facts of the case against the current state of the prisons in this country as dispassionately as possible.

I very much valued his honesty, his clarity of writing, and the many facts, figures and comprehensive backup that he provided.

All in a very easy to read book!
Please don't miss this one -- it is well worth the cost!
I am planning to purchase another copy, for our local public library.

An Expensive Way...Review.......2006-03-20

This book was really well writen and I found it very interesting.

Destroying and exposing the myths of the need for more prisons in the U.S........2005-10-25

Jens Soering's insights into the prison system in this country are based on his ongoing personal experience and in-depth research into a prison system that is reeling from ever expanding costs. A system that is failing miserably in terms of any social benefit to a society that is for the most part unaware of the staggering and growing costs to support a system that is anything but just and certainly and unquestionably an economic failure. Jens explores several myths about the inaptly named "criminal justice" system in this country. It is an easy read for anyone who would like to understand why there seems to be a revolving door in our prisons and spiraling population growths. It is an essential read for anyone engaged in prison ministry or criminal law. I am purchasing copies for all of our key prison ministers.

What Americans Should Know About Our Prisons.......2004-11-23

This slim volume is packed full of information that most Americans are unaware of concerning criminal justice issues. The author focuses on what has happened in the last 30 years in America. Most shocking is the fact that we are spending 7 times more on prisons than in Jimmy Carter's presidency, yet the crime rate has remained virtually flat. Also, we are spending many times more than other industrialized nations, yet our crime rate is about the same as theirs. Obviously, we are not getting what we are paying for. Prisons have now become a big business that states lobby to have in their area, so there will be economic interests to fight true reforms and cut-backs. This book would be appropriate for almost anyone interested in knowing more about prisons. Short and concise, filled with charts and graphs, it would be useful in church classes on social issues, adult education classes, high school and college classes that deal with prison issues, and as a resource on anyone's bookshelf. Pastors, lawyers, and state legislators should have copies! I learned a lot that I didn't know when I read it, and decided to feature it in my bookstore.

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From the Back Cover

Flashpoints in the War on Terrorism

Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0415954908

Book Description

The future security environment has been forecast in terms of nation-state clashes over natural resources, modernization, and culture. Yet America's security interests are more directly affected by the intractable tension between Muslims and non-Muslims within six specific regions: the Fertile Crescent, Balkans, Post-Soviet Region, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. These clashes have led to extreme violence and fuel terrorism not only within those regions, but globally. The National Intelligence Council forecasts within the next 15 years "weak governments, lagging economies, religious extremism, and youth bulges will align to create a perfect storm for internal conflict in certain regions." Flashpoints in the War on Terrorism illuminates the root causes of these crises and offers policy recommendations to prevent the coming storm.

Countering grass-roots extremism is necessary to ameliorate conflict. However, foreign jihadists are ready to fight anywhere they believe Muslim lands are under attack. Thus it is important to understand the relationship between internal and external actors and domestic and foreign interests. To be successful, the United States must secure lasting peace and economic development in these regional flashpoints, which are primarily characterized in religious terms. By bringing together experts on each region, this book traces the historical roots of these conflicts, the impact of colonial powers imposing artificial boundaries on populations, how modernization transformed these conflicts by making them more deadly, and their link to the ideology of Political Islamic terrorism. Ultimately, Flashpoints in the War on Terrorism prioritizes US foreign policy challenges by identifying critical hot spots that stoke the fire of international terrorism.

Customer Reviews:

From the Back Cover.......2007-01-28

From the Back Cover

"Derek Reveron and Jeffrey Stevenson Murer provide a much-needed corrective to the spate of alarmist writings on the Islamist roots of terrorism. Their essential book should be subtitled, `The thoughtful person's guide to political violence in the Islamic world.' Fourteen country and regional studies show that most terrorist threats to the U.S. and regional security come from festering local conflicts in weak Muslim states, not from global jihad. While many activists claim an Islamic identity, their struggles mainly reflect nationalist goals and economic grievances. The U.S.-led `war on terrorism' risks internationalizing these conflicts by pushing political militants into the eager arms of jihadists."
--Ted Robert Gurr, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland

"This outstanding and timely essay collection pinpoints the causes of political violence in a number of conflicts worldwide, and demonstrates the need to take a more nuanced and comprehensive approach to fighting terrorism. The authors offer insightful and practical recommendations for simultaneously combating terrorism and promoting democratic reforms."
--Karin Von Hippel, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies

"This volume represents a vital and comprehensive effort to understand the wide variety of local struggles that are often subsumed under the label `global war on terror.' Collectively, the case studies present a formidable, empirically grounded challenge to the conventional wisdom that the United States is confronting a global Islamist movement. Anyone who wants to understand the `war on terrorism' for what it is rather than for what we imagine it to be should read this book."
--Jeremy Shapiro, Research Director and Fellow, Center on the United States and Europe, The Brookings Institution

Flashpoints in the War on Terrorism offers a uniquely comprehensive overview of international political violence by bringing together foreign-policy experts on several regions who examine conflicts in the Fertile Crescent, the Balkans, the Post-Soviet Region, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and sub- Saharan Africa. With cogent assessments of civil conflicts that portend to be parts of a "global jihad" each chapter both dissects the historical roots and socioeconomic causes that catalyze terrorism in those areas, as well as posits ways for the United States to meet the myriad of foreign-policy challenges posed by the growing threat of contemporary international terrorism.

Environmental Restoration (Flashpoints Series)

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Environmental Restoration (Flashpoints Series)
William Throop
Manufacturer: Humanity Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1573928186

Book Description

The natural environment is increasingly encroached upon by human interests, often in pursuit of commercial goals. Mining, logging, and other pursuits that involve physical extraction from the land, as well as development, waste management, and pollution all take their toll. One argument often heard in support of activities that affect the natural environment is that of restoration: Once the land has served its commercial purpose, the natural space would be restored to its former state.

Environmental Restoration outlines philosophical perspectives on the rapidly growing practice of environmental restoration. Some argue that restoration should be a new paradigm for environmentalism; others maintain that it simply more of the human domination of nature that is at the heart of our current environmental problems. While it is clear that the environment can never really be restored to its pristine state once it has been disrupted, the question remains: Can restored natural spaces be considered truly truly natural, or are they humankind's own creations? The ongoing debate will help shape environmentalism in the twenty-first century.

This collection covers a range of issues about the goals of restoration, the values underlying these goals and means for achieving them, and current attitudes toward restoration. Articles are juxtaposed to highlight areas of controversy and the arguments in support of divergent views, and nontechnical discussion of restoration projects place these issues in the context of current policy making and practice, making them accessible to students, environmental professionals, and lay persons alike. Contributors include Robin Attfield, Susan Power Bratton, Robert Elliot, WIlliam R. Jordan III, G. Stanley Kane, Eric Katz, Andrew Light, Stephanie Mills, Steve Packard, Holmes Rolston III, and other leading environmental philosophers and restorationists.

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not Dupuys best work

America's top military thinker uses a Lanchester strategy
Future Wars: The World's Most Dangerous Flashpoints
Col Trevor N. Dupuy
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
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Futurology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0446516708

Book Description

The time is the near future... The Intifada, the Palestinian revolt, intensifies throughout the West Bank and Gaza. Egypt breaks diplomatic relations with Israel. The combined air forces of Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and Egypt invade the skies over Israel. The sixth Arab-Israeli war has begun... South Korean student protesters, marching to the demilitarized zone separating their country from North Korea, are fired on by South Korean security forces, resulting in nearly 1,000 casualties and worldwide cries of protest. Wildly escalating tensions culminate in air and artillery strikes by North Korea against the South that launch, in turn, the second Korean War... The revolutionary Sandinista Front regains power in Nicaragua in a bloodless coup. With a renewed offensive by FMLN guerrillas in neighboring El Salvador, the Sandinistas establish a supporting land supply link to the rebels by mounting an offensive into Honduras. Once again, Central America is engulfed in war... Russia's controversial prime minister is assassinated as he addresses a special session of parliament. A resurgent KGB takes power and declares martial law. Mutinies erupt in army and air force units across the country ushering in the second Russian Revolution... Today we witness a harsh paradox: after the long-hoped-for end of the Cold War, concern for world security has, if anything, dramatically increased. Now, in Future Wars, Col. Trevor N. Dupuy one of America's foremost military analysts, examines ten world hotspots where war might break out in the next five years. With the assistance of a unique analytical tool developed by the author, a computerized combat simulation used in several defense ministries around theworld, Future Wars examines the following possible global flashpoints, the third Gulf War, the fourth India-Pakistan War, the Sandinista War, the war for Transylvania, the Libya-Egypt War, the second Korean War, the second war for Africa, the sixth Arab-Israeli War, the

Customer Reviews:

not Dupuys best work.......2003-10-18

This is not the late Col. Dupuys best work. It is a 'what if' book that goes beyond his normal mathematical approach to human events. Dupuy correctly illustrates the many'flash points' in the world, places like Israel, Pakistan, Central America, Russia, the Balkans. Yet he goes to far in 'forcasing' war in these regions. For instance: Egypt-Libya; their is almost no chance these nations would go to war and if they did the Libyans would be no match for the american/soviet equipped Egyptian army. Central america: The peace process here has brought and end to the 1980s style struggle and honestly these nations internal problems would not spill over the way Dupuy forcasts.

Dupuys worst scenario if the 6th arab-israeli war. Why? Normally Dupuy has been at the forefront of those that say history is important to analyze the future. But he is using bad history(odd for someone who wrote a book on the arb-israeli conflict) in his look at the 6th arab israeli war. First: he forecasts a staggering intifada that would help slow down the IDF in its lightning blitzkrieg to take out the combined arab armies. Dupuy for all is knowledge doesnt seem to realize that in 1967 when Israel took over the west bank the palistinains had a chance to fight alongside the jordanian protectors but they did little to know damage and had no effect on the war in the west bank. So how could they be any more successful now? Your telling me a bunch of rock throwing youth and a few guys with old AKs are going to stop the Israeli army, not this is just not the case. The palistinians wouldnt dent anything and the Israelis wouldnt be forced to 'massacre' them to get through.

A flawed book.

America's top military thinker uses a Lanchester strategy.......2002-03-19

This was a 1993 book. Dupuy thought India could take Pakistan before the Paks could use their nukes, but he thought it would be really close. Even in 1993. Now Pakistan has a cheap cruise missile and a good shot at civil war.

Dupuy warns that the Intifada could block off Israeli roads and slow the IDF even if they killed 'hundreds of civilians'; which probably understates what the IDF would do.

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Carlotta continues to evolve

Highly Entertaining Mystery

One of Barnes' Best

Takes a Nosedive

Another Gem In Carlotta's Collection
Flashpoint
Linda Barnes
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1401309054

Customer Reviews:

Carlotta continues to evolve .......2004-10-30

One of PI Carlotta Carlyle's favorite pasttimes is playing volleyball. When her teammate Gwen asks for her help in beefing up the security at an elderly woman's apartment, Carlotta agrees to do what she can. The woman proves to be an interesting character who is full of stories about her wealthy past. Despite Carlotta's best efforts, the old woman dies and the chief suspect turns out to be Gwen. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot and red herrings abound in the form of unscrupulous developers and greedy heirs. In the middle of trying to solve the mystery, Carlotta becomes a surrogate mother to her rebellious Little Sister Paolina, whose mother has decided to run off with a man. Her tenant Roz also contributes to the investigation while she paints art-deco murals all over Carlotta's house and consorts with some interesting men. Carlotta's character continues to grow with each addition to the series, and the plots become more interesting and complex.

Highly Entertaining Mystery.......2004-03-11

Carlotta Carlyle is a six-foot-tall, red-haired, half Irish-half Jewish, independent private investigator, who is a former Boston cop and she is currently without a client, a steady paycheck or any other visible means of support. She was briefly married a decade earlier and she isn't having much luck with the current crop of men in her life. She goes to the gym regularly, where she plays on a volleyball team, but doesn't know her teammates outside of the gym.

One particular teammate, however, a shy young woman named Gwen, asks Carlotta to have coffee with her. It turns out she's a home care volunteer and she's worried about an old woman, named Valentine Phipps, she has been taking care of in a seedy apartment building.

Valentine says someone has been trying to get into her apartment. Carlotta doesn't take her fears too seriously, but agrees to help burglar-proof her home. However Valentine dies, seemingly from natural causes, before she has a chance to install new locks. However her death is suspicious, because she appears to have been reaching for pills.

Carlotta learns that Valentine was the last tenant still under rent control and she starts to get suspicious. Then it looks like Gwen is being accused of the crime, she's black with priors, after all. So now Carlotta is on the job.

I found this book to be highly entertaining. I especially liked the way Ms. Barnes played all the multicultural characters off against each other, it really helped this interesting and exciting mystery come to life.

One of Barnes' Best.......2003-09-27

I am so glad that I read this book without first reading the negative reviews!

As a devotee of the Carlotta Caryle series, I consider "Flashpoint" to be one of the very best so far. As I mentioned in reviews of Barnes' earlier works in the series, she has attained maturity and depth, both in her characters and her plots, and it all comes together in this book.

As those who follow the series know, PI and part-time cab driver Carlotta is a volleyball fanatic as well, playing at the local Y whenever she can. So when one of her team members, a woman she knows only from the games and casually at that, asks for her professional help, Carlotta accepts. In no time, she is drawn into the cruel murder of Gwen's nursing charge: a seemingly harmless elderly woman. Carlotta being Carlotta, she cannot let the murder go, even though her police pals, notably her mentor Mooney, are on the case. And what she discovers leads into a labyrinth of the art world, the music industry and more.

Tied in with this interesting plot is the ongoing story of Paolina, Carlotta's Little Sister. For those reviewers who cannot understand Paolinia in her present highly obnoxious condition, I say go to the mall and take a look at the typical 14-year-old girl! Not the best age in any circumstances for the average female, and certainly not for one whose mother has suddenly abandoned her completely. Is she a rotten brat throughout the book? YES! Will Carlotta be able to get her through this phase and see her to adulthood? That's every mother's question and fear--and I found it completely believable. What was not so believable was the transformation of the mother, Marta, from a very sick woman disabled by arthritis to a sexy vamp on the prowl for men. This transformation was explained in a sentence or two, and sat badly with me throughout the rest of the book. But it did not ruin the story.

There is very little of the wonderful Gloria in this book, and not enough Mooney or Sam Gianelli (all regulars throughout the series), but there is more than enough of Roz, the impossibly erotic free spirit who inhabits Carlotta's rental roooms.

All in all, a simply great addition to the series. Don't believe everything you read in the negative reviews--try it for yourself! I think you'll be glad you did.

Takes a Nosedive.......2003-05-01

I thought this was an okay installment of the series, until I started getting to the end and it all unraveled.

I had trouble keeping up with what was going on and why various things were happening. The story just didn't seem to flow smoothly at all. And I didn't see the purpose of the sub-plot with Paolina and Marta.

On that subject, it's time to dump Paolina. At first she was an okay distraction, playing on something that the author is obviously fond of (Big Sisters). Now she's turned into a surly, smart-mouthed brat who seems to have no respect for Carlotta and all she's done for her over the years. Why Carlotta didn't belt her across the mouth a few times, I couldn't understand. On the same subject, Roz is also getting old after being an interesting distraction. I don't think the author could make her any freakier in upcoming books, and she's lost some of the spark she used to add to the books. Her attitude is also getting annoying -- she's Carlotta's tenant, and if Carlotta doesn't want murals of Big Macs on her walls or picked-up-in-a-bar one-night stands staying in her house, I find it annoying to have Roz mouthing off to her, telling her it's her life and none of Carlotta's business.

I hope Ms. Barnes gets back on track, because Carlotta is one of the few female PIs out there that I actually enjoy.

Another Gem In Carlotta's Collection.......2001-12-25

First of all let me say this: How anyone could possibly give this book, or any other Carlotta Carlyle mystery a bad review is so entirely beyond me. I think these people must be aliens from a distant and uncultured, illiterate planet, where they read the trash of such authors as William Faulkner that are supposed to be out-of-this-world brilliance. I think not.
This Carlotta Carlyle is not, in any way, bad or under-written. Barnes consistenly slams us with an enormously entertaining Carlotta novel. And "Flashpoint" is no exception that literarily-gifted rule.
Whenever I mention Linda Barnes to my friends or family, bringing up her mysteries in a conversation with my best friend's mother, I refer to her as my "beloved" Linda Barnes, same as authors like Joan Hess (only in reference to her Claire Malloy books since I loathe Arly Hanks), Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and Mary Higgins Clark.
"Flashpoint" is no way a bad novel. Read this book, and all other Carlyle mysteries by Barnes. I believe that "The Snake Tattoo" was the first in this series.

~Steven Harvey

Average customer rating:

THIS BOOK IS HARD TO PUT DOWN

Fiery madness

An easy read to pass the time!!

The best novel I have read in a long while!

Great plot. Poorly researched. Poorly edited.
Flashpoint
Lynn S. Hightower
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Psychological & Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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Eyeshot Eyeshot

The Debt Collector

No Good Deed (Sonora Blair Mysteries)

Satan's Lambs (Lena Padgett Mysteries)

When Secrets Die

ASIN: 0061094560

Customer Reviews:

THIS BOOK IS HARD TO PUT DOWN.......2007-05-07

And doesn't that say it all ? Lynn Hightower has great use of language and easy realistic imagery.....she really lets you to "see" locations, character's facial expressions, and maybe more importantly, she builds suspense slowly.

Some books make the reader do a lot of the work, piecing together incomplete or disjointed chunks of the novel, but not this time. This is a book that is easy to "fall into"; it's a hard book to put down.

And even though technically a whodunit crime book, FLASHPOINT is not an ugly look at American society. It's more a study of the protagonist, Sonora, and her life as a Mom, sister, partner, detective, and woman and how she deals with the divergent aspects of her life.

It's a great book and an easy one to recommend.

Fiery madness.......2005-09-04

Homicide Detective Sonora Blair is a single mother,raising two young children and coping with the strain of just being a Homicide Detective with its entree into the world of evil. Sometimes, the sheer horror of her job, much as she loves it, overwhelms her, leaving her with a burning ulcer and horrifying nightmares. A madwoman who looks frighteningly like Sonora, begins a reign of terror against men, tricking them into situations where she handcuffs them to the steering wheel of their cars, douses them with petrol and sets them alight. When the madwoman threatens the lives of her children, Sonora lives with the daily horror of leaving them to go to work and resorts to leaving them with her brother, but when her brother dies in the same violent way, Sonora is driven to the point of breakdown and the questioning of her choice of professions. While it's terrifying to think that this kind of evil madness exists, Lynn Hightower nevertheless writes a tight, fascinating crime story which keeps you reading, long after lights out.

An easy read to pass the time!!.......2005-02-26

This was my first novel of Ms Hightowers that I read. I have since read several of her others (Satan's Lambs and Eyeshot (I like it better than this one). Her plots are simple and very easy to follow. If you want a challenge to keep up - don't expect it from her in these early novels of hers. I intend to read some of her more current novels to see if she has developed her writing skills. I would recommend her Sonora Blair novels to any mystery fan - again they are light and easy reads. Great for a couple hour flight!!

The best novel I have read in a long while!.......2004-12-26

This was my first Lynn Hightower novel. Believe me when I tell you that it definetly has not been my only! This novel grips you from the first few chapters and doesn't let go until the very end! The plot is simple but very interesting! I read this book int two days, which is amazing considering I work full time, attend night classes and have a toddler at home! I highly recommend this novel to anyone that loves mysteries!!!!

Great plot. Poorly researched. Poorly edited........2004-09-29

Ms. Hightower has a brilliant mind for coming up with a plot. This story is great.

However, for a Lexingtonian/Cincinnatian, she seems to know very little about the area, and after countless mistakes, it begins to grate on the natives.

In a note to Ms. Hightower:
1) The river separating Kentucky and Ohio, running through downtown Cincinnati, is the OHIO River, not the Kentucky River. 2) You cannot take Interstate 64 from Cincinnati to Lexington, as this is an east-west Interstate (easily known from its even number), and Lexington is south of Cincinnati (on I-75).
3) In the 1990's, there was NEVER a mini-mart anywhere near Lynagh's, unless you are referring to the pitiful cigarettes'n'beer "mart" at the gas station behind it.

Please see my comments regarding your next book in the review I'm leaving there.

Asian Flashpoint: Security & the Korean Peninsula (ANU Studies in World Affairs Series)

Average customer rating:

Asian Flashpoint: Security & the Korean Peninsula (ANU Studies in World Affairs Series)

Manufacturer: Allen & Unwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

a recommended read

Flashpoints of Revival
Geoff Waugh
Manufacturer: Destiny Image Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0768410029

Customer Reviews:

a recommended read.......2000-08-27

Mr Waugh has done his research well, and offers a fascinating little study of revival history throughout the centuries and across continents. Unlike many such studies though, this author concentrates not on those great 18th and 19th Century awakenings, but on revivals of the 20th Century. Some of these are not well known at all, so his information is most appreciated, eg Solomon Island in the 1970's, amongst Australian Aboriginees in the 1980's, etc. He does spend an awful lot of time focusing on 'renewal' in the 1990's (eg Toronto), which many, including myself, would not include in the category of true historical revival. Apart from this, this is a most worthwhile read indeed.

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