With No One as Witness (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels)

Book Description

The police never suspected a serial killer was at large until they found the fourth murdered boy -- the first white victim -- his body draped over a tomb in a London graveyard. Suddenly a series of crimes and a potential public relations disaster have Scotland Yard on the defensive, scrambling to apprehend a maniac while avoiding accusations of racism.

Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley, distracted by concerns for his pregnant wife, has been assigned to the investigation, along with his disgraced partner, Barbara Havers, who's fighting for her professional future. Winston Nkata -- deservedly, if hastily, promoted to detective sergeant -- is the black face who will speak to the media. But none of them can imagine the tenacity and ingenuity of the killer they seek . . . and no one is prepared for the savage, shocking instant when everything will change forever.

Customer Reviews:

"He was in need of redemption".......2007-10-03

After a disappointing A Place of Hiding, Elizabeth George goes back to the basics, bringing back Havers and taking the series to the next level. George has always distinguished her novels by creating a product that is distinctly different from the typical police procedural. The differentiating factor is that she spends a considerable amount of time telling us about the personal lives of the characters. As a result, you will get much more enjoyment from reading this series in order, so if you are new to George's work, I recommend that you go back to the beginning: A Great Deliverance. For those that have been following this series, fasten your seat belts, because not only are you going to get a story with a devious serial killer that is hard to catch, but also on where there will be some important developments in the lives of the main characters.

Four boys have been murdered, but it was not until recently that the police and the Scotland Yard realized that there is a serial killer out there. The situation can be best described as a public relations nightmare, since only the last victim is white, and there are likely to be some accusations about this, probably justified. The good news is that all of our beloved characters make an appearance in this novel, Lynley, Havers, St. James, Nkata and even Havers' neighbors and Nkata's object of desire.

I liked the way in which George provides the story with several layers, transforming it in a mesmerizing read. For example, the pressure by the press on the Scotland Yard generates serious problems between Superintendent Lynley and his superior. There is also the issue of the previous demotion of Havers and now the promotion of one of her friends, trying to assuage the fire of public opinion. The relationship between Havers and Azhar, Nkata and his romantic pursue of Yasmine, and Lynley and Helen's soon-to-be-born son are other important storylines.

The writing is superb, and that is the only reason why George can write a 700+ page novel without us losing interest at any point. One of the things I enjoyed the most was the omniscient narrator that allowed us a look into the killer's mind, allowing for a better understanding of his motives. Finally, there is the big surprise towards the end, which some people may not like, but I think that sometimes it is necessary to shake things up a little. Ultimately, this is one of the best books in the series, and I am already looking forward to what comes next.

A great thriller.......2007-07-04

Elizabeth George never fails to fulfil the expectations. I've followed the adventures of Inspector Lynley and co. for years now and this book was as much as a page-turner as its predecessors.

This time Lynley and Havers investigate a series of murders in London which seem to have a racist background. As the murders escalate, they both work frantically to try and catch the killer as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the tale of their own personal lives keeps unfolding as in all previous books and, as it often happens, becomes influenced by work-related episodes.

The end of this book is the beginning of Ms. George's next one. It will leave the reader flabbergasted. I certainly was!

Masterful mystery by a masterful author.......2007-06-06

George's vivid and multi-faceted characters are what always keeps me coming back for more. I think she is not only one of the finest mystery authors out there but also one of the finest authors, period. This book is certainly no exception and while one of its plot twists was ruined for me by my reading a Time review of her novel after this one before reading this one, it really didn't lessen the impact. Whenever I read one of her books, I find myself devouring the pages ravenously, completely caught up in the world she has created. What I find so endlessly fascinating about her books is that she not only writes from the perspective of the detectives on the case--Havers, Havers, Havers, I can never get enough of your character!--she also writes from the perspective of the crime's perpetrator. Thus, she delves into the darkness and depravity of those who commit unspeakable crimes.

Even Deeper Ties that Bind.......2007-05-14

Once again Elizabeth George has taken a crime story that has so many twists and turns that you almost forget what you are really reading is the lives of the five main characters and how they grow and change through time. George is able to explore the complex world of human relationships with care, compassion and realism. That we come to know the characters and may even miss them between books is certainly a sign that George writes about the human condition. Yes, the crime puzzle is excellent, but it would be just another worn out formula detective novel without the human relationships. What happens to Helen forced me to put the book down several times before I could pick it up again and yet I understood why this had to happen. Like Sheri Tepper, George takes a writing genre and forces us to look at ourselves and our humanity and ask the tough questions about both. Reading George's books with friends, particularly close friends, is a way to enhance the George experience even more -- but it's still pretty good alone. I look forward to the next George novel, as I always do.

Good but not great.......2007-04-11

This book is very long and it took me a while to get into it. It was a bit slow going at first. I loved other books by Elizabeth George but this was not one of her best and the ending was terribly sad.

With No One As Witness (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels)

Average customer rating:

book
Wonderful, as usual
Sordid but fascinating
Bittersweet
It's the subtext, of course

With No One As Witness (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels)
Elizabeth George
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Series | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0060545607
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Book Description

Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley
takes on the case of his career.

When it comes to spellbinding suspense and page-turning excitement, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George always delivers. As the Wall Street Journal raves, "Ms. George can do it all, with style to spare."

In With No One as Witness, Elizabeth George has crafted an intricate, meticulously researched, and absorbing story sure to enthrall her readers. Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley is back, along with his longtime partner, the fiery Barbara Havers, and newly promoted Detective Sergeant Winston Nkata. They are on the hunt for a sinister killer.

When an adolescent boy's nude body is found mutilated and artfully arranged on the top of a tomb, it takes no large leap for the police to recognize this as the work of a serial killer. This is the fourth victim in three months but the first to be white.

Hoping to avoid charges of institutionalized racism in its failure to pursue the earlier crimes to their conclusion, New Scotland Yard hands the case over to Lynley and his colleagues. The killer is a psychopath who does not intend to be stopped. Worse, a devastating tragedy within the police ranks causes them to fumble in their pursuit of him.

Customer Reviews:

book.......2007-09-11

Elizabeth George is one of my favorite authors and this book is awesome! You never know who is the bad guy till the very end.

Wonderful, as usual.......2007-06-07

I discovered Elizabeth George when she only had two books in print. I've read each one as it has come out, and have enjoyed all of them.

One of the things I have always loved about this series is the continuing back story on all of the characters. They have grown and changed over the years that I've read the books. The books are both about the mysteries and about the people trying to solve the mysteries.

It is possible that this is a pivotal book and that the direction of any future stories is going to move to characters that were more minor in the past. I've decided that is OK.

Sordid but fascinating.......2007-05-13

This addition to the excellent Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers series deals fairly convincingly with pedophelia and sexually-motivated serial killings. This is not intended as a spoiler, but fans should note that this is a very sad story for some of the favorite characters in the series.

Bittersweet.......2007-02-16

I love Elizabeth George's novels...all of them. I have never read one that I didn't love, and this one is no different. She kept me guessing all the way to the end. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the death of Helen Lynley. I have read every single one of the Lynley novels, so I have followed the story of these main characters and feel like I know them. I feel like I too lost something when Helen died, and I'm wondering what the future will hold for the other characters, especially Thomas. Or perhaps there won't be any more novels after the follow-up to this one. That would be truly be sad. All in all a great read.

It's the subtext, of course.......2006-10-15

Elizabeth George's Lynley/Havers procedurals are always carefully researched, full of details about investigations, richly rouned in character, and there is usually the kicker "mystery" solution to boot (no pun intended). This latest Lynley/Havers is no exception. And like most of the earlier books in this series, it has a VERY serious subtext. In the case of "With No One As Witness," what lies beneath the detective work is the fully fleshed-out investigation of the plight of just-barely-adolescent boys from impoverished backgrounds, with parents (those who are in evidence at all) who are often detrimental; with all manner of adults preying on them; with banding together in gangs for self-preservation; not to forget, of course, the attempts (Colossus) to bring some order, some education to these blighted lives. As shocking as the end-of-the-book shooting is, it is all of a piece with the thesis of this novel, and it is certainly no surprise that George's follow-up book is a prequel to this horror, an investigation of the young killer.
Very thought-provoking book, well crafted. A stunner.

Average customer rating:

With No One as Witness
Elizabeth George
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton Audio Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Mystery & Thrillers | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1840328878

Average customer rating:

Sin Testigos/ With No One As Witness
Elizabeth George
Manufacturer: Roca
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Average customer rating:

WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS
Elizabeth George
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UQ3YZW

Average customer rating:

With No One As Witness
Elizabeth George
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0340827467

Average customer rating:

With No One as Witness
Elizabeth George
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0340827475

Average customer rating:

With No One as Witness
Elizabeth George
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton Audio Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 184032726X

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With No One As Witness (SIGNED)
Elizabeth George
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HKK5I0

Average customer rating:

With No One as Witness (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels)
Elizabeth A. George
Manufacturer: Books On Tape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

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Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Product Description

When an adolescent boy's mutilated body is found, it doesn't take long for the police to realize that this is the work of a serial killer.

Average customer rating:

The Welkening? No thank you.

Enjoyable & Hoping for more!

What Could Have Been

The Welkening Review by Linda Branch

So...When Can We Expect a Sequel?
The Welkening: A Three Dimensional Tale
Gregory Spencer
Manufacturer: Howard Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Guardian of the Veil: A Three-Dimensional Tale

The Return (Mars Hill Classified)

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Father of Dragons (Binding of the Blade)

DragonFire

ASIN: 1582293554

Book Description

Lizbeth, Bennu, Len and Angie are misfits, and they know it. They are often overlooked and ostracized for being overweight, short, airheaded, or wearing coke-bottle glasses. When bullies inflict a wound to Len's head, the four friends find themselves suddenly thrust into an alternative dimension -- the realm of Welken, an idyllic kingdom under attack by Morphane the Soul Swallower. The noble defender Piers urges the four to aid his beleaguered land. But their insecurities hold them back until several mysterious adventures reveal that the weaknesses so disdained in their own world are weapons of great power in Welken. Victory is far from certain, however, as the enemy resorts to shape-shifting and deception, finally storming the Welkeners with an army of slaves. Unless the misfits find the courage to wield their weapons and turn the battle, Welken will fall into the death grip of Morphane.

Customer Reviews:

The Welkening? No thank you........2007-10-03

I read this book years ago when it first came out and it held my interest.
But, when i read it again a few weeks ago, I realized how lame it really was.
The 'three-dimensional tale' aspect of this book is just boring. By the time you get into one side of the story, the author has switched over to a children's story book! It's totally pointless, unless your objective is to add pages to the book.
Character development was almost nil as well. You know who they are, but not WHO they are. I didn't ever develop a connection with the characters, which is what a good author knows how to do!
The writing was my main turn-off with this book. It's just not good. Mr. Spencer can't seem to decide what type of book he is writing. Sometimes the teenagers in the story(ages 15-18) speak as if they are 40 years old, then other times you would think it's kids from 1985 you are reading about. The dialogue is just silly. But not in a fun way, more of a 'are-you-kidding-me-he-can't-be-serious' way.
Then, when you add some of the mixed metaphors and the odd descriptions, you just lose interest.

If you are not an avid reader and have not read very many talented authors, you might enjoy this. Otherwise, look up Stephen Lawhead or Frank Peretti for some first class story-telling.

Enjoyable & Hoping for more!.......2005-11-27

I purchased this book shortly after it was released. For a while, it sat on my shelf untouched due to the fact that I had too many text books to read through. When I finally picked it up, and dusted it off, I found an enjoyable tale. It is full of great word play and descriptions of places and people. Readers can identify with the four main characters, who call themselves "The Commiseration of Misfits". This was a great story and I hope Mr. Spencer will write a sequel or maybe write other stories. He has a good imagination. Hopefully "The Welkening" will not be the last thing we see from him.

What Could Have Been.......2005-07-08

This has to be one of the hardest books to review. Much of the acclaim in the friends' reviews is true. The Welkening is a complex tale, three dimensional, clever, unique, fresh, innovative. The glich is, there are so many problems in the writing, the story is hard to follow. Would that Gregory Spencer, such an imaginative mind, had spent more time learning the craft of fiction. Or that his editors had helped him with things like repetition, poor transitions, weak set up and absent foreshadowing, baffling character motivation, and muddled point of view. This story had the potential to be great. Instead it may well languish on shelves because no one cares enough about the characters to persevere. Too bad. The Welkening contains, in small doses, some of the most inventive language. If only Spencer had Tolkienized his story, even a little ...

The Welkening Review by Linda Branch.......2004-10-15

Gregory Spencer has captured the essence of a three-dimensional tale in his new book, The Welkening. He has developed the four main characters into believable heroes who find action and mystery around every corner as they come up against forces of evil in a strange land.
Spencer writes with visual richness that carries the reader into unknown worlds that are paradoxes of shadows and blinding lights. He creates the extraordinary out of the ordinary with sensitive symbolism of animals, numbers and nature and allows the characters to grow through great paradigms of self-awaness.
The Welkening gives us clues in the very first chapter of the path on which we are being led, but I missed them because I was carried away with the intrigue and fast pace that each page gave. I did go back and read the novel a second time and found clever clues on each character that would prove to be important as the story grew.
Readers of all ages will enjoy this novel and they will hope that Spencer has a Welkening Two on the drawing board. He certainly left the door open for us to want to know more about the life and times of our heroes. One book just whets our appetite for the adventures to continue.
Gregory Spencer's The Welkening is delightful fantasy...or is it?

So...When Can We Expect a Sequel?.......2004-09-24

Gregory Spencer has woven a three-dimensional tale rich in adventure, symbolism, and humor. Four friends, who call themselves misfits, are desperate to escape their tormenters and somehow enter an alternate dimension, where a soul-sucking evil has been let loose in the land. How they learn to become in Welken and of Welken, whether in this dimension or their own, is the central story. The heroes are not perfect, but they strive for goodness and mastery over their own insecurities and limitations. Spencer weaves his symbolic lessons through a balanced blend of both action and reflection, infusing the dialogue with delightful word play and a deep appreciation for the power and possibilities of redemption. There is more than enough mystery and imagination to satisfy even the most ravenous readers of young adult fantasy. When all is said and done, this is an excellent tale, a grand adventure, and a good time.

Book Description

An original space adventure based on the hit TV SF series Andromeda starring Kevin Sorbo he Andromeda Ascendant is the last surviving ship of the long-dead Systems Commonwealth interstellar empire. Its captain, Dylan Hunt, along with the crew of the Eureka Maru, has been trying to contact outlying planets who might rejoin the revived Commonwealth. But one such planet responds to the Andromeda's friendly advances with an all-out attack that cripples the Andromeda. Fleeing on the limited power that the ship can muster, Hunt, Beka Valentine and the rest of the crew seek a resupply depot, but none is near enough for them to reach, except for an abandoned station, uninhabited since the collapse of the empire. When Hunt, systems analyst Seamus Harper, and Andromeda's AI Rommie get into the station, they find it's not quite uninhabited. Strange presences assail them. Something very dark, evil, and entirely unknown. And while they try to get what they need without being killed by whatever is lurking on the station, something is attacking the Andromeda itself. There's plenty of action and suspense before this routine re-supply mission can be finished . . . if it can be finished.

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly good.......2006-03-28

This is a surprisingly good entry in the Andromeda tie-in series.

While it reads much like two sequential episodes from the series, it is nonetheless tightly plotted, and takes advantage of some of the untapped potential of the complex universe the Andromeda inhabits. This is a Trace-centric book, but nonetheless all the characters are given their moments in the spotlight. More importantly, McDonald took care to have a sustained, believable, rich plot.

This is one I'll re-read.

Gene Roddenberry's Waystation .......2005-09-06

Loved it 5 stars all the way. Loved the story line. It gripped me from the start to the finish. I highly recomend this book.

Jenny

A Very Good Read.......2005-04-22

This is a very enjoyable read. The story is fast paced and all of the characters have their opportunities to shine. The story is primarily centered around Trance who is experiencing quantum leaps of reality and living other potential time lines while the crew of the Andromeda are desperately trying to find a way to repair the ship and a dark secret awaits them on the 'abandoned' Waystation.... pretty good stuff! I definitely recommend this book.

A Good Two-Thirds of a Novel . . . ........2005-04-10

I began WAYSTATION without high expectations, since spin-off novels from video series or films are rarely masterpieces. I was pleasantly surprised. The novel shows some surprising quality in places. It really had me turning pages and enjoying myself. Too bad that, overall, it lacked a satisfying ending and -- at the end -- just sort of twittered out into limbo.

At first I was a bit put off by the constant flip banter between the characters. However, this constant banter became more familiar by the second chapter and I started to flow with it. Perhaps because I came to enjoy the characters. I have seen the Andromeda TV show and expected the characters to be cardboard cut-outs from the show, but the author did a surprisingly good job of bringing them to life. The best developed character by far was Trance Gemini, that peculiar little elfin woman whose role I never understood in the TV series. She becomes the focus of this book, and carries it. I need to give Mr. McDonald a gold star for developing her into an interesting character for the reader, given that I am not sure the TV show provided him with much to work with in this regard.

The novel also helped me to understand some riddles of the TV series that never made sense to me. Like, why there are TWO Andromedas -- one a hologram and one an android. Turns out they are two different characters. At times they even begin to argue with one another.

The plot started so well. The ship Andromeda Ascendant has been badly shot up in a battle with defense forces of the planet Kantar; she escapes, limping, into Slipstream drive, but is forced to drop out of hyperspace when systems fail. The ship thus defaults into a very bad location, a quadrant with little but empty vacuum. No planets, no moons, no asteroids. However, by good fortune Andromeda's star charts reveal an old waystation, built centuries earlier to service starships in the early days of exploration. The plot centers on a desperate effort to (1) travel to the waystation, (2) find materials necessary to effect repairs on the Andromeda Ascendant, and (3) return.

Here's where the book runs into major problems. At least three-quarters of the book (roughly 200 pages) has concluded before members of Hunt's crew even REACH the waystation. Thus the author has only about 65 pages to roll out most of the plot and wrap up the book. Scene follows scene in a rush, blurring past the reader as the author tries to tie everything up in a few tens of pages. Even with all this haste and compression, a lot is left hanging as the book ends.

Perhaps the author might have had more room to conclude the book if he did not devote so many pages to Trance Gemini's dimension doors and encounters with quantum alternates of herself. While this element worked well for a while, and was genuinely interesting when first introduced, it eventually got to be very repetitious and overworked. I kept asking, "oh, no, not again -- haven't we been there before-- like four times at least?" A sub-plot that got out of control?

To wrap this up -- this novel had many elements I liked a lot. The characters, plenty of drama, great sense of humor, and a fast-moving action plot that takes us to about page 200. At that point structure seems to break down. The ending is compressed, cursory, and disappointing.

This book is too good to pan, but too weak to praise.

fast-paced entry in Gene Roddenberryýs Andromeda universe.......2004-06-20

The last remaining High Guard Starship from the defunct Systems Commonwealth, the Andromeda Ascendant, heads to Kantar on the outer rim of the galaxy in their quest to rebuild galactic society. However, instead of a friendly welcome, hostile fire batters the Andromeda forcing the crew to flee the planet in a crippled vessel.

Desperately in need of repair, but near nothing except a three century abandoned Waystation, Captain Dylan Hunt lands on the frozen orb over the warnings of time traveling crew member Trance Gemini. The Captain will find his belief system, already shaken to the core, further wrecked on this tundra as the so-called empty station has a creature stalking the crew with a different justice system than the corrupt Commonwealth had.

WAYSTATION is a fine fast-paced entry in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda universe that is clearly targeted for fans of the series though newcomers will enjoy the unique cast, the moral question of what is justice, and the outer space action. Trance steals the show, but she is a two edged humanoid like heroine as she is an intriguing distinctive protagonist, but her time travels can become quite confusing when the audience tries to follow her non-linear movements especially when she argues with herself at loci when "two" of her converge (will need more than a scorecard to keep track). The Roddenberry faithful will especially take delight with Steven E. McDonald's entry in this long running space opera.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

good book

It's OK

Please Understand Before You Write a Cookbook

Not Perfect but Still a Good Value

Field Guide to Meat

Field Guide to Meat: How to Identify, Select, and Prepare Virtually Every Meat, Poultry, and Game Cut
Aliza Green
Manufacturer: Quirk Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Meats | Meat, Poultry & Seafood | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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The Complete Meat Cookbook

Accessories:

Field Guide to Herbs & Spices: How to Identify, Select, and Use Virtually Every Seasoning at the Market (Field Guide To...)

ASIN: 1594740178

Book Description

What's the difference between pork sirloin and pork tenderloin? Are Spanish chorizo and Mexican chorizo the same thing? Do quail and pheasant really taste just like chicken?

Whether you're a casual griller or a haute foodie, you need the latest volume in our popular Field Guide series--Field Guide to Meat. With engaging text from award-winning chef Aliza Green, this illustrated guide shows how to identify and prepare more than 100 different kinds of meat, from beef and pork to lamb, poultry, wild game, sausages, and more. Featuring detailed descriptions, selection tips, and full-color photographs for easy identification, Field Guide to Meat is every carnivore's one-stop reference book.

Customer Reviews:

good book.......2007-08-08

great book, nice pictures, good instructional wording. of course this book would not help you open a butcher shop, but for the average consumer, its a great book.. this seller delivers what they promise...

It's OK.......2007-07-16

If I would have seen its content in a book store I would have not bought it. It works OK as reference. Not worth returning it.

Please Understand Before You Write a Cookbook.......2007-04-26

It makes my heart heavy to suspect a cookbook author of lacking veracity, but here, J'ACCUSE. If you are looking for a book that will educate you how to choose a good piece of meat or learn how the cuts of meat differ, you must look elsewhere. Please do not buy this book. To answer your next question, this is a lousy book that should have been rejected out of hand by the editor and never seen the light of day.

NAMP (North American Meat Producers) has its official guide The Meat Buyers Guide : Meat, Lamb, Veal, Pork and Poultry to meat that is often used by professional chefs. It is quite informative, but also costs a Ulysses Grant. I applaud the effort to produce a similar, less expensive handbook for consumers that costs only an Andrew Jackson (or small enough to toss into your chef's bag), but this book ain't it.

The author genuinely does not seem to understand the subject of which he/she speaks. It would not surprise me to learn that the author is close to being a vegan (I would like to know how many nights a week the author features a huge chunk of meat as the main course for dinner). It is lacking in practical particulars and spectacularly unhelpful to the meat buyer puzzling over the meat case in a grocery store; the `how to choose' section is especially worthless if you are holding a Styrofoam and cellophane wrapped package in your hand at the supermarket. It seems to be one of those books `invented' in front of the word processor. I suggest you save your shekels and buy the NAMP if you must. Perhaps I am being overly critical because I have worked professionally as a retail butcher (I wonder if the author can say the same thing), but there is so much wrong here that I cannot be charitable.

I have serious issues with much of what the author states. Take, for example, the beef chapter (chapters on veal, pork, lamb, poultry, game, and sausage are equally questionable).

The grades of beef are mentioned, but the basis on which this is determined or what the relevance is to the cook is not mentioned. Aging beef is covered, yet the reasons why this is done is likewise not mentioned. The section `beef primal cuts' is surprising about how much practical information it does not have. In (Beef.2) the author inexplicably and confusingly combines marrow and knuckle; these have nothing to do with each other, except that they both come from a cow. In `Bottom Round' (`Description'), the statements about `stew meat' and `kabob meat' are simply not true. `Well marbled whole brisket'? Ain't no such thing unless you are thinking of the fat cap that separates the point from the flat. Ground beef and cube steak have absolutely nothing to do with each other except the author's laziness or never having eaten either one (there are tremendous differences at the retail store level, and each should have an important mini essay of its own to educate and warn the consumer). One of the few sections I think are correct are `Hanging Tender' and `Oxtail'. The `Rib' (as in prime rib) section is hopelessly confused, parroting other cookbooks without complete understanding, and partially wrong. The `Rump' section is questionable; it might be a regional thing. In SF, a `rump roast' is a chunk of meat from the bottom round, and is especially tough and flavorless and unworthy of your carnivore dollars even if on sale; yet, the author implies that it comes partially from the sirloin. Note that here, the author does not list the NAMP number, so who knows what cut of meat the author is referring to; I note that the publishers, and presumable the author, are both from New England (Philadelphia actually, but from my vantage on the `left coast', it is all the same thing). In the `Shank' section, the author eschews traditional uses of this cut for an obscure Korean recipe (which is, I can say, delicious, but not acceptable as a basic of this cut of beef for people who are trying to learn what this cut of meat is about). The recipe for New York Steak (`strip loin') is only for the whole roast (rather unusual) instead of the almost ubiquitous individual NY steak (again, I suspect this is a New England sort of preference). Some of the more expensive cuts of beef (top sirloin, flatiron, filet mignon, porterhouse) receive more coherent treatments, perhaps because the author has actually eaten/cooked them. In the offal section, the author clearly has never prepared or eaten any of them, and seems to be parroting other cookbooks.

Each cut of meat has a recipe, which I applaud. However, the recipes are remarkably generic and unhelpful unless you already know how to cook that particular piece of meat. The recipes are so generic and vague that they are sometimes laughable and usually useless unless you are a foodservice professional.

It has a system of graphic symbols; however, they serve only to categorize the various steps in the rather questionable recipes. It would have been more useful to come up with a system of symbols that tells the reader what the best preparation methods are for each cut of meat.

Each meat has a `Flavor Affinities' section; forgive me for doubting that the author has tested all of these flavor combinations. I wonder where the author cribbed these lists from. There is also a `how to choose' section for each cut; they are consistently off-target and unhelpful.

Not Perfect but Still a Good Value.......2007-03-26

If you end up buying hamburger every time because it is the only meat you know how to cook, or can't figure out why one cut of beef makes a tender steak while another cooks up like a bus tire, do yourself a favor and buy this book.

First, what I didn't like: I often wished for better illustrations showing where on the animal cut resides. The one diagram in the front of each section was not as detailed as I would have liked and it was a bit of a pain to turn back to it all the time.

Now, what I did like: The description of each cut includes cooking method and flavor affinities. If you know some basic techniques and have some common herbs and spices in your cupboard you have enough of a recipe right there to turn your meat into a meal.

There is also great coverage of charcuterie and game.

Field Guide to Meat.......2007-01-28

Very well organized and packed full of information. Great value for the money for a person who is interested in knowing what kinds of meat to buy and cook.

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