4* for plot; 2* for credibility of team decisions
357626
SEAL TEAM 666 ISBN: 9781250007353 St Martin's Press, Hardcover, 310 pages by Weston Ochse is a paranormal action novel covering action by a Navy Seal Team.
Petty Officer First Class Jack Walker has almost completed his Seal training when he is pulled out, given his certificate and is sent to join a special Seal Team that operates even more covertly than the rest. It is under the jurisdiction of a small unit answerable only to the President and Vice-President. He is the replacement for a member recently killed and has been chosen because of unusual happenings in his childhood that the selecting powers believe will make him valuable to the team in pursuing their highly unusual missions. The story follows this team on several missions as they encounter a number of paranormal and demonic creatures from a long lost time.
The story and its presentation provide a dichotomous reaction in this reader and needs perhaps a slight SPOILER ALERT.. The author is well versed in his acquired knowledge of languages, ancient legends and the activities of Navy Seals and has provided a story that is interesting and moves well. However, accepting the fact that it is a novel and one dealing with the supernatural, it is still difficult to accept the retention of Walker on the Team. He does not follow orders and perhaps more importantly, the reason for his selection repeatedly appears to be detrimental rather than helpful. It is difficult for any person, and probably especially for the many persons today who have had any combat training, to accept the consistent retention of a member who can place the entire team in jeopardy. As an aside, when dealing with supernatural powers, it is surprising that nothing new has been provided and added to the traditional arms carried by the Seals. Conclusion: an enjoyable read if one can overlook the listed features. Reviewed by John H. Manhold, award winning fiction/non-fiction author.
566425
There's been a fad lately for books that use statistics to show how our intuitions are wrong, and how experts get things wrong, and how everything you know about everyday phenomena is wrong.  This is the authors' second outing into sports statistics and it makes a good read even if you're not a sports nut.  Since Moneyball, as others have mentioned, sports statistics have become better known, and lots of people can use stats available on the web to second-guess sports managers.

The authors investigate several hot button issues in sports, from draft to "hot hand" to how much difference a manager makes to team wins, compared to the abilities of the players.  The results are often surprising.  But after a while, they get less surprising, as the authors seem to pick cases that illustrate how little human judgement matters in sports.

I do know from experience (or do I?  Maybe if I kept stats on myself I'd be wrong) that when I work for an inspiring manager who is a good leader I do better work.  Or maybe I'm just happier and like what work I do better.  Does it really make no difference?

Perhaps in sports, where performance is relatively easy to rank, the story is different.

So, should the Redskins get some random fan to coach?  Why did the same coach do well with them for ages, then fall on his face when he came back years later?  I still don't know.

But do read this book - it's very entertaining and makes its points well.  And if you own a sports team, try to use some of the insights here to do better in the draft, ok?  Your fans will thank you for it.
3029951
Lucas Mann's "Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere" is an intriguing look at the 2010 Clinton LumberKings, a team that plays in the Midwest League in Clinton, Iowa.  Mann discusses the players, the coaches, the front office, the townspeople (including a unique bunch of fans called "the Baseball Family" that have gone to every game for thirty years), the local economy, and just about everything else that anyone might find relevant.

Mann's portrayal of the town of Clinton is possibly the best part of "Class A" because it shows how the people living in a dying town in Iowa keep their spirits and hopes alive, partly by going to the local team's games, partly because they want to believe in something and the LumberKings are the closest available something to believe in.  But he also does a fine job discussing several players, two of whom have reached the major leagues -- Nick Franklin, now playing second base for the Seattle Mariners, and Erasmo Ramirez, who seems to be bouncing back and forth between the minors and the majors -- and how odd it is for these two men (one a millionaire, the other an immigrant from Venezuela) to be, in of all places, Clinton . . . a place that has a WalMart, a couple of convenience stores, a couple of fast food restaurants, and not much else.

Overall, there's some nifty writing here, some excellent descriptions, and some genuine feelings evoked by Mann.  Which might make you wonder, "So, Barb, why didn't you think this book was quite up to the five-star level?"

Mostly, the reason I couldn't give this book five stars was because Mann's balance between baseball, the economy, and the "common people" that make up the fans of the LumberKings seemed just a bit off.  Further, I would've liked to see fewer references to Mann's own pot smoking and drinking, as Mann himself was *not* the story -- instead, as the writer observing it all, he's more properly the *conduit* to the story.

Bottom line: This is a very good slice-of-life tale that features minor league baseball, the economy, and the town of Clinton, Iowa.  It's entertaining, often funny, sometimes profane, and gets all the issues right.

Four stars, recommended.

Barb Caffrey
672138
All Meredith wants is a break from the drama of the last months, but instead everyone around her is warning her about the dangers of her mate's Irish pack; she goes with Donovan to help him investigate several mysterious deaths, and quickly gets embroiled in deadly conflicts.

(Though reviews are inherently subjective, I prefer to provide some organization to my opinions through the use of a personal rubric. The following notes may contain spoilers.)

Plot and Setting: 4.7 -- Plot is engaging from start to finish. Has unique elements and no major holes, but a few shaky bits and/or a slight lack of focus. Setting is clear and believable. Timeline may be a bit hard to follow. Lots of action, and a strong romantic bond without really any romantic drama, which was refreshing. There are a lot of disparate conflicts: within the Irish pack, related to the fey, and regarding all the other, global issues. We get introduced to a lot of them, and get hints that they will be ultimately resolved, but only a few conflicts are completely wrapped up within this book. I appreciate the realism of this, but would like to hear more about the next steps for the Irish pack! The internal timeline is consistent and clear, but we're only given that it's cold outside as far as when it fits more specifically into the overall series timeline.

Characters: 4.5 -- Main characters are relatable, realistic, interesting, and dynamic. Some minor characters have depth, while others may be slightly stereotyped or simplified. Definite strong points in the relationships between characters. I like Meredith a lot; she's got a lot to offer, yet she fluctuates between confidence and self-doubt, which is realistic and relatable. She has the right balance of optimism and uncertainty, recklessness and intuitiveness. And I love how she helps Donovan by forcing him to really look at what he's doing and make wiser choices. They are a good couple, and I really rather love the way the 'true mate' thing completely eliminates all doubt and drama from their feelings for each other. Must be nice! Minor characters range from being mentioned so briefly they barely count as characters, to one-note crazies like Vivian, to ones with more nuance and depth, like Cosette, and also Meredith's new garda buddy.

Mechanics and Writing: 5 -- Few, if any, typos, punctuation issues, or word errors. (<3/100pgs) Intelligent use of POV. Skillful writing that adds to the story. Errors include a dropped word or two, one missing period. Well written and well proofed. POV is all 1st-person Meredith.

Redeeming Value: 4.3 -- Partially focused uplifting themes or lessons. Drugs, alcohol, violence, etc, are not glorified, though there is some shaky ground. No explicit sex scenes. Implied moral guidelines for behavior. I truly appreciate the absence of sex scenes. Meredith and Donovan do share a bed, but are also very clearly waiting for their bonding ceremony 'wedding' for the sex part. We do learn that Donovan has slept with women before, but he admits that he regrets it now. Violence is definitely a factor in the story, and there are some truly gory, bloody scenes, but the distinction between 'good'/justified violence and 'evil'/self-serving violence is made quite clear.

Personal Enjoyment: 5 -- I loved it. It made me feel in all the best ways, and leaves me content and satisfied. One I'll definitely read again.
1773964
The heading may be a bit unusual, but sometimes the cover art has no relation to events in the text.  In this case, the book really does have a chapter in which Claire, her nephew Nick, and Nick's coach Tucker actually repaint the living room of her late sister Janice's house, so it's worth a mention and a commendation.

The story itself is good, in the sense that the plot is sufficiently well structured to carry the reader's interest.  There's perhaps a bit more melodrama than absolutely called for in regard to past events (Tucker's career in the NFL before he retired to coaching, Claire's abusive first marriage), but present events play out in a logical manner.
4226831
The Resistance is a short party game in the same vein as Mafia or Werewolf, in that there are two hidden teams who are working at cross purposes, and figuring out who is on what team is key to winning.

The main thrust of the game are Missions, which are either passed or failed. The Resistance team wants missions to Pass, while the Spy team wants them to fail. Each round a new player gets to be the leader and decide which players get to be on the next mission team. If the team goes on the mission (everyone votes yea or nay on the selected group), then each team member gets a "Mission Pass" and "Mission Fail" card. They play these secretly into a pile, which is shuffled and revealed. If all mission cards come up "Passed," then it's a successful mission and one point is awarded to the Resistance team. But if there's at least one "Failed" card in the pile, then the mission is sabotaged and its one point to the Spy team. The first team to get a total of 3 Passed or Failed missions wins the game.

This is a great party game that can be played in about a half hour (depending on the number of players) and handles from 5-10 players. As it is a game about bluffing and deception, make sure that those who want to play are down for some intrigue, and can take lying and backstabbing with good humor. One point in its favor (and an aspect that separates it from Mafia/Werewolf) is its deductive elements; watching the way people vote and keeping track of who was on what team for certain missions gives players information to work with in figuring out who is who. There's still plenty of room for "I think Joe is a spy because he looked at me funny!", but there's also some hard evidence for those who want more to go on.

As a final word, this is a hard game for the Resistance Team to win, so don't be surprised when the Spies win more often than not. This is nicely mitigated by the included expansion called "The Plot Thickens," which gives an additional level of deduction and control to the game.

All in all, you will enjoy this game if you:

 - Like social party games like Mafia/Werewolf
 - Don't mind double-dealing and backstabbing
 - Only have a short time to play
 - Enjoy light deduction/bluffing
3856307
Rick Shelley has a very believable way of portraying combat, and he does a very credible job of putting you in the heads of combat veterans. Better still, he understands Murphy and all the things Murphy can do to an operation.
Side Show is the second book dealing with the 13th Spaceborn Assault Team (SAT) as it fights another desperate action against the foes of the Accord of Free Worlds. In this case, the Team is part of a larger landing force trying to liberate a world that has been occupied by the enemy for some years. The Accord forces are outnumbered, but have a minor tactical edge in that they don't have to worry about holding down a hostile populace, so they can concentrate their forces. Unfortunately for both sides, the author deals with interstellar logistics in a realistic manner; that is to say, what you land with is what you've got. Period.
Faced with a scarcity or resources, and near parity of forces, both sides cautiously maneuver for position, hoping to catch the other at a moment of weakness or disadvantage. The battlefield has become nearly static, with the Accord forces at a slight disadvantage, until word comes from on-high: Send a force to rescue or kill a team of scientists that have been working on a top-secret McGuffin in a hidden lab since before the planet was occupied. Now the 13th SAT must breakout and leave the relative safety of their perimeter behind. Next, they must break contact with the enemy forces, and disguise their direction of march so as not to reveal their objective. Finally, they must rescue the scientists, and either return them to the perimeter of the Accord Forces, or kill them and destroy their work to prevent the enemy from capturing the McGuffin.
It's a desperate gamble, and the mission looks like sure suicide, but this isn't the first time the 'Lucky' 13th SAT has been sent out to die, and that's the one thing they're NOT good at doing. Meanwhile, as the 13th is chased by their perplexed foe across the wild countryside, the breakout has stirred a hornet's nest in their wake and the battlefield is static no longer. Each side is trying to turn the other's flank, and a dog-fight for final victory has erupted. Who will emerge from the witches' cauldron at the old perimeter? Will the 13th SAT make their objective on time? Will the McGuffin be as important as it's supposed to be, or is it a forlorn hope? More importantly, what will happen to the individual members of the 13th as they fight and skulk their way across a strange planet on a mission they only partly comprehend?
Read it, and find out!
The one thing of note here is that Shelly's take on future combat isn't all that unlikely, and he takes realistic note of the logistical difficulties inherent in projecting power across interstellar distances: Even with 'magical' space drives, the energy cost and time involved mean that your best bet is to send a combined arms force with as many supplies as possible, and go reasonably light on your troop numbers. Further, simple, multi-purpose weapons are likely going to be more practical than more lethal but less flexible weapons. Lastly, anything that can reduce casualties, or return casualties to the line, is a real force-multiplier, and should be sent along. Rick Shelley's Accord of Free Worlds understands this, and they equip their SATs properly. So, very few 'Gee-Whiz' weapons, just simple, serviceable, and reliable ones.
Well, I won't give a way any more, but you can rest assured that this is a very good, very well-written, but ultimately conventional combat arms story. It's well worth reading, and I strongly recommend it.
1611227
Good book but requires a few leaps of faith to accept how the crime was eventually solved.  A bit cliched (old experienced male cop paired with young pretty female--- both misfits in the department), but the working relationship between the two was good, the dialogue was too, and (spoiler alert) at least they didn't end up in bed together after a night of drinking (least not in the first book...DK about next in series).
Author did a nice job on the plot and pacing of the story.  Lots of suspects. Lots of plausible scenarios for how it all went down, which were deftly replaced by other plausible ones as new evidence emerged.  Several unexpected twists and turns which keep it interesting and keep you up at night wanting to read more.  Biggest complaint was that there were times when Stone develops an implausible theory, pursues it at the expense (and time) of other more realistic avenues and, bingo, he is right.  In some cases it was briallint. At others, a bit contrived and far fetched, requiring suspension of disbelief.  Still, when all is said and done, it was a very enjoyable book.  Have decided to buy the second to see if the author delivers the goods again.
2304845
I checked this book out of the library after seeing Bob Costas on the YES Network's "Center Stage."  I've always admired Costas for both his intelligence and his love of baseball; he seems able to throw around facts and statistics from regular season games played thirty years ago.  I also like Costas's seemingly "romantic" view of the game, although he denies that he has that attitude.
As baseball is played now, the Braves and Yankees (and probably a few other clubs) have a decided advantage over most other clubs based solely on their wealth.  The rich teams buy the best players, win the World Series, make more money, and buy the best players, and win again, and make more money, etc. etc.  Teams like the Devil Rays and the Expos really don't have a chance in hell of ever winning a pennant unless things change (or unless they do what Florida did in 1997 - spend tons of cash on outstanding players, win the Series, and then have a firesale).
This book has some totally valid ideas on how to make the game better... specifically, how to level the playing field so that every team has a chance.  The ideas that Costas offers in this book are WORKABLE, and would appeal (for different reasons) to everybody involved in the game - from wealthy owners to poor owners, and wealthy baseball stars to rookies.  And these ideas would accomplish what Costas and the rest of baseball fans want... they would LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD.  After implementing these ideas, the World Series winner wouldn't be the one with the most money, rather the one with the best farm system, the one that made the best managerial choices, and the one whose players played the best.  That's how the game should be.
Some of Costas's other ideas seem to be a matter of his personal preference; ideas that he feels would make the game more exciting.  Such as no DH, no Wild Card (which he argues would make pennant races more exciting in September), leagues with only three divisions, etc.  I don't necessarily agree or disagree with his ideas on these matters, but he may be correct - it might make the game more exciting.
I'd love to see Costas's ideas implemented.  And I say this as a Yankee fan!  If anybody is benefitting from the current model of business in the game, it's my beloved team... but still, I'd like to see other teams get a fair shake.  Dominating the other teams year after year gets a little boring after awhile!
2504961
The authors ultimately hope to steer you to their website to obtain power rankings.

The book suggests different methods to develop power rankings for NFL teams, and gives guidelines for betting based on those power rankings. It suggests a good NFL handicapper should aim for a 55-60% in the NFL win rate, which is unreasonably high for the long-run.

The authors offer such anecdotes as "Always lean to the underdog" and "be confident in your handicapping skills." There is a lot of other questionable reasoning to support underdog betting, such as "NFL football is a game of parity...Thus underdogs have greater investment value."

While the book is full of bad advise and analysis, it does have a few good ideas for newer bettors. There is a basic explanation of homefield advantage in NFL, and how to use power rankings to create a line. There is also some discussion of "emotional edges" which might be better attributed to public sentiment, such as how a team does against the spread the week after getting routed.

The book also touches on "statistical analysis." It identified a few metrics such as yards per pass attempt on offense and defense. There is no quantitative analysis of how (or even if) the factors identified are useful in setting a line.

There are much better books on handicapping out there that are more affordable, and I would not recommend this book to anyone.

The book touches on some ideas that if developed, are the start of a correct analysis.
1451733
I love this format.  When I just read an annotated game (for example, from Neil McDonald's Logical Chess), I can coast along.  Being confronted with a choice *every move*, OTOH, requires me to really work hard.  I think there is much greater learning value when I perform my analysis, make my choice, then see how it compares with the actual GM move.

There are diagrams every 2 - 3 moves (4 - 6 ply), so you may be able to work through the book without using a board.  I'm rated about 1900 on FICS, and I haven't needed a board at all.

The target audience for this book is probably 1200-1800 ELO, although I think it can still provide value up to 2000 ELO.

The book does have some minor flaws:
* Some typos have left me scratching my head.  A certain reply is supposed to refute choice B, for example, but it's illegal!  Ponder long enough, and you might figure out that he meant Rc1+ instead of Rb1+.
* The analysis can be somewhat shallow.  Some interesting lines are not considered, and occasionally the reason the winning GM chose a move doesn't hold water.  (Then you look more deeply, and work out the real reason.)

All in all, a worthwhile investment of time.
4677850
This 12th installment in the series about schoolteacher Tom Mason and his partner, retired pro baseball star Scott Carpenter, focuses on Tom's life as an English teacher and union rep at a suburban Illinois high school.  With trends in teaching quickly changing, there is a definite division between the "old guard" teachers in the English department, and the newbies fighting for tenure and to have their methods and preferences recognized.  By playing favorites and encouraging such strife, the administration of Grover Cleveland High School has allowed this rivalry to escalate into a near war, departmental meetings with teachers shouting out insults at each other, distracting the administrators as well as each other.  But when one such meeting ends with two dead bodies found on campus (both found by Tom), it's clear that there may be more going on here than professional rivalry.

The novel can be a bit of an eye-opener to readers not aware of the "old vs new" arguments that are indeed part of the educational process in America, and a shock to find teachers behaving worse than the kids they are supposed to be teaching.  When a pattern of lies emerge that implicate Tom as a possible suspect in the murders, he starts an investigation of his own, helped by his few allies in the school willing to risk getting in trouble with the administration, seemingly oblivious at first, but later found to be deeply involved in the scandals that may have triggered the murders. Grade and statistic rigging, teachers cheating on pay for extracurricular activities, bigotry based on ethnic origin and sexual orientation, selling tenure for favors, as well as good old fashioned sexual improprieties surface as possible factors that could have led to the deaths.  The police are stumped, and Tom is in the middle of the group of "likely suspects" that increasingly want him out of their way.

Zubro can always be relied upon for a well-written and meticulously crafted mystery novel, and this is very much in that vein.  It is a bit more one-dimensional than most in the series, and doesn't really involve Scott except as the stabling and protective influence on Tom. While I can believe the exaggerated internal strife in a high school leading to such events, the police reaction seems less than realistic to me, in this story.  But, it is, after all, a work of fiction, and definitely one worth reading. I give it four stars out of five.
4445498
Having suffered through several Major League Baseball strikes/lockouts, including the two big ones in 1981 (713 games) and 1994 (948 games), I immediately saw the appeal in Michael A. Draper's tale of murder and 'vindication.' After all, who among us hasn't questioned the motives of men who walk away from their jobs to pad a salary that's already more than we'll make in our lifetime?

Three Strikes and You're Dead takes that anger, that frustration, and (let's be honest) that sort of jealous envy and follows it to a violent bottom of the ninth, bases loaded scenario. What begins as some chat room posturing very quickly escalates into a serial murder spree by a man dubbed "The Vindicator," who begins targeting the highest paid players in an effort to force a resumption of play.

This was a solid read, with a fascinating premise at its heart, and a well-developed mystery surrounding it. Draper wastes no time getting the game started, throwing an early fastball that sees a young superstar dead in his hotel bathtub. In the dugout opposite against The Vindicator is a team of amateur sleuths, an idea I originally struggled with, but which actually worked fairly well. The whole better-than-the-police trope ran out of legs long ago, but Draper has enough of a spin on his pitch to make it work here. It's as much a matter of passion and drive, as it is one of skill and luck, that makes them so successful in helping to track down their foe. They also help to ground the reader and provide a much-needed sense of normality in the face of inflated egos, salaries, and vendettas - even as their chase takes us on the road.

The first few innings were a little rough, with some solid storytelling marred by some awkward dialogue but, like any good pitcher, Draper soon settles into his game, and it's smooth sailing from then on out. Just when I thought the premise might be suffering a bit as it headed into the seventh-inning stretch, as the narrative began to feel a little tired, he switches to a knuckleballer who takes the game in an entirely new direction - one involving bombs, drugs, sociopaths, and domestic terrorism. It's a calculated risk, with a set-up that potentially stretches the bounds of credibility a bit too much, but the closer in Draper is strong enough to overcome any late inning jitters.

If Three Strikes and You're Dead were a baseball game, it'd be a slugger's match, with big hits, home runs, and some inspired base-running. There is a bit of a pitcher's duel at the end, as heroes and villains come head-to-head to determine the fate of the season, but it's the action that will have the crowd cheering. The ending might be a bit too perfect, with an epilogue born of optimism and wish-fulfillment, but the post-season is always about hope - no matter how blind or desperate it might be.
4016754
Bill Polians The Game Plan is a mixed bag for this reader.  Much of what he talks about in the book is either common sense or a bit dry, especially when he goes through the process of hiring a coach or choosing Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf as the number one pick in the draft. Even the talent evaluation sections seem a bit mundane.

Where the book is most interesting and engaging is where he talks about his stints with the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and his time building the Indianapolis Colts.  His chapter on finally convincing Jim Kelly to sign and play in Buffalo and the construction of a team that went to the Super Bowl four times in a row (and lost) was quite interesting and Polian clearly has a soft spot in his heart for his tenure with the Bills and coach Marv Levy.

Equally engaging is when he talks about his time with the Colts and clearly points out the implications of the salary cap on a teams construction.  There is only so much money to go around so once the Colts decided to build a superior offense around Payton Manning, meaning you also had to spend more money on that side of the ball, the salary cap hampered what they were able to do on the defensive side of the ball.  Tony Dungy was the right coach for the Colts because his defensive scheme allowed for players who didn't need to be superstars.  But nonetheless, the history of that team shows you that the defense was always we weak link with the exception of a few outstanding players.

Being an avid NFL fan I am glad I read the book but only found parts of it particularly interesting  those parts being the personal stories about the personalities and teams he was involved with.
1844563
This is an interesting and entertaining, if implausible, book about ethics, and the personal and professional choices of a pharmaceutical VP, an ethicist, a scientist and a homeless kid.

Plot summary:
Matthew, VP of a pharmaceutical company, butts heads with his ex-girlfriend Amelia who runs an ethical think tank and wants to bring down big pharma. Meanwhile, two homeless kids have squatted in Matthew's apartment becoming his responsibility.

My opinion:
This was one of the odder reading experiences I've had in a long time. Basically it was really entertaining, but shouldn't have been given some of the choices Tucker made.

I like the way Tucker writes a lot. Her words flow and she kept me turning the pages with some very nice prose. But there was a whole lot of prose. It was dense with relatively little dialog. The pacing was good but it shouldn't have been considering the ridiculously high number of back story pages, including confusing double flash backs (where a character recalls an event a year ago and within the telling of that event the character of the past recalls another event three years earlier than that).

On the nit-picky side: There's an annoying over use of exclamation points and parentheses. It flipped from third person to first person for thoughts, without using italic or "he thought." (e.g. p. 36). And the physical description of Amelia didn't come until half way through the book.

I liked the three POVs of Amelia and Danny and especially Matthew, even when the characters did and said some really unlikable things. I never really did like Amelia, but I appreciated the growth shown in all the characters. The plot was a wee far-fetched, but I was ok with it. I was mostly surprised at how good the pacing was. It moved right along even with all the dang back story.

This wasn't light or a feel-good book and I didn't want the romantic element to work out into an HEA. It felt sort of like watching the TV series "Nip/Tuck" where you want to tell the people in the love triangle to get away from each other and move on already, yet if they did you wouldn't watch the show anymore. Same for this book, so you keep reading even though you know it couldn't possibly work.

Recommended with some reservations 3.5 stars.
4064828
Simon Kernick's books are reliable page turners.  They hook you in quickly and have you flicking the pages until late in the night.  This one is no exception, and the fact that I gave it only three stars doesn't mean that it's not relentlessly readable - it is!  However it's not one of the strongest plots that Kernick has delivered, relying too much on coincidences and the reader's willingness to overlook logic as the body count mounts.  And while the protagonists are very likeable, their behaviour stretches credibility too far.

The plot focuses on Matt Barron, recovering from a car accident which has given him amnesia.  His sister is looking after him and has hired both a nurse and a psychiatrist to help him recover his memories.  However he has a nagging suspicion that things aren't what they appear to be and when two very nasty killers turn up one day, he finds himself on the run for his life, while at the same time desperate to make sense of the vague memories that he has and find out why so many people are after him.

Like all of Kernick's books, some familiar characters will make an appearance along the way, including Tina Boyd and DCI Mike Bolt.  As we will also learn, Matt Barron has himself been a major character in a previous book (if you don't want to know which it was because that would constitute a spoiler, stop reading this review now - but if you do want to know, it's the eigthth Simon Kernick book, with the number ten in the title).
3061036
Lewis has written a fascinating study of the bean counter approach ,used by Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics to construct a team of moderately priced players chosen on the basis of ,primarily, on base percentage for everyday players and the number of groundball outs and strikeouts for selecting pitchers.
  This approach generated a number of divisional championships for Oakland in the weakest American League division,but no pennants and world championships. There are omitted variables and misspecification  problems in the sabermetrics(statistics) approach of Bill James used by Beane. First,James's system totally ignores the number of batter strikeouts. All outs are not equal. Hitting flyouts and groundball outs will many times advance the baserunner if any previous batters got on base. Hitting the ball also allows the baserunner to get on on an error. Strikeouts are thus the worst type of out. This omitted variables problem can be dealt with by simply deducting 1  to 1.25 points from the on base percentage for every strikeout over,say,100 for a regular,everyday player who gets 600 official at bats over the course of the season. The second problem is that the James system does not differentiate between walks due to the hitting skill of the batter and walks used by the pitcher to set up forceplays and double plays,especially if he is a pitcher who gets a lot of ground ball outs. Another category is needed-walks that are not followed by forceouts or double play groundouts and/or walks where the runner is able to steal second base. These walks are different from the walks given to a 40 homer player who strikes out 150+ times a year and hits .250 but has a .375 OBP.
  James's system needs to be adjusted to take into account these two factors.