Excellent resource
This is an excellent book, but you really need to invest time in studying and reviewing its contents if you want to master this skill. Well worth the effort if you are serious.

Interesting
This book I find interesting. I don't know if all of what he says checks up with reality however there is only one way to find out.

Great Subject, Book Needs A Lot of Work
I can see why the book is a Top Seller. The title, topic, and the possibility of the content being great is appealing. However, it's my opinion that in order to have been a great book, consistent with the author's talent and zeal, it should have been twice as long to create clearer thoughts and more connected content. It needed more focused examples, either focusing on law enforcement or business or card playing, not all three. The concepts needed to be better explained with better logic and better continuity.

Though a great book potentially, I had to rewrite sections on note paper in order to have it make sense. I kept getting the picture that the book was transcribed from a free flow of thought recorded between appointments. Then the editor was on vacation when the publisher okay-ed it to be printed.

I suggest the publisher re-release this one in an expanded form. I would buy that version before this one. It has a lot of potential and the author's credentials are the best.

I am reading his other book, How to Change Anybody and am hoping the money was worth it.

It helps....a little
I bought the book because I am an Army/ National Guard Recruiter. It is critical for me to be able to "read" people. I interview hundreds of people who want to serve their country. While the Military can certainly motivate someone to hone their leadership/discipline skills it cannot remold character. It is imperative I don't send a child molester, psycho mass murder to Basic Combat Training!

I read the book and took notes. It helped.....a little. I could see where I misread someone in the past and helped me to fine tune my skills but... it cannot replace what you intuitively know.

I am not a person that can meet someone and "read" them. I am a very trusting person. I have been taken in the past. I *can* say that once I have your number... you are toast. However, I am constantly working on improving my skills and this helped...a little.

Would I recommend this book? Not really.

Good Theory, but Always Requires Context
I have to admit that if this line wasn't in the book, I would have likely rated this book lower:

"Does this mean you will be able to read anyone with perfect precision, every time? No. The system is not 100 percent foolproof. However, you will gain a definitive statistical advantage in every encounter."

The theory mentioned in this text is sound, but without a good grasp of the context of a situation, the information here is useless. It's important to understand how someone is, the experiences that affect them, and the context of the situation (formal vs. informal for example) so that reactions can be gauged properly.

Another warning about this book: Some of the examples are unclear without a conceptualization of the context, and without a firm grasp of the concept being discussed. It's not unusual to need to reread sections of the book and (to an extreme) ask questions.

As far as who I would recommend this book for... Although the title of the book makes it sound ideal for everybody, it really takes both intelligence and a good character to apply the techniques properly and accurately. When I say good character, I mean someone who is good at avoiding the pitfalls of human nature, such as egotism. Keep in mind that this book is based on Psychological principles, some of which we ourselves are subject to and that can intefere with our ability to use the methods defined here effectively.