Advanced Interviewing Techniques: Proven Strategies for Law Enforcement, Military, and Security Personnel. By John R. Schafer and Joe Navarro; published by Charles C. Thomas, 800/258-8980 (phone),www.ccthomas.com (Web); 162 pages; $33.95.

Proper interviewing skills are, of course, crucial to the success of law enforcement and security. Scores of books detail interviewing tactics, many of them providing in-depth explanations on how and why the techniques work. In Advanced Interviewing Techniques, the authors cull the approaches that work best. Drawing from dozens of sources, veteran FBI agents John R. Schafer and Joe Navarro compile the interviewing techniques that have proven effective, without miring the reader in theory and case studies.

The style and layout adhere to the idea of keeping the information concise for easy reference, retention, and use. Bare-bones descriptions explain everything the interviewer needs to know, from rapport-building skills to overcoming interviewee resistance to detection of deception.

The skills discussed revolve around the theme that all elements in the interview process must be controlled, from the environment to the interviewer-subject relationship. Not all techniques work well, and some work hardly at all. But they all have a place, and the authors describe their applications and limitations.

References to outside texts appear in almost every paragraph. These notations allow the readers to conduct further research if they want more detailed information.

Taut and practical, Advanced Interviewing Techniques makes an excellent field manual for law enforcement and security personnel. In fact, any professional interviewer would profit from it.

 Reviewer: Dan Bergevin is the owner and operator of CanaryLane, an intelligence and security firm based in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area.