Rating: 
Summary: A Disaster in Principles
Review: It is rare that I find a book as disturbing as this one. I purchased this book because I have an overall principle against lying and a strong dislike of liars. Many times I found myself quite uncomfortable reading the "advice" this book offers because most of the tactics used to discover the lies involve LYING! And I don't mean white lies, I mean outright, in-your-face, complete misstatements of facts or invented stories. At some point, a principled human being must ask him/herself whether the ends justify the means.If I tell a lie to catch a liar, what have I taught the liar? I've reinforced the idea that caused the person to lie in the first place - that telling a lie to achieve something is acceptable. I can't imagine a more unethical approach to discovering an ethical shortcoming. Furthermore, what if you're proven wrong and the person WAS telling the truth? Now YOU have committed a lie. Many of the lies the author would have you commit are easily revealed as such if the accused is, in fact, telling the truth. For example, you're encouraged to basically state that you know the person did it and you have proof. If they really didn't, you will look like a fool! If you work in Loss Prevention or Law Enforcement perhaps these ends DO justify the means, but for most daily interactions (the types most exemplified in this book) they do not, in my opinion. The author states right up front, "This book focuses on the truth and how to get at it." I'd argue that it instead focuses on lies and how to tell them to discover them. If you're willing to lie to catch a liar, this is the book for you. But if you, like me, detest lying, you will find this book troubling and regret purchasing it.
Rating: 
Summary: Use at your own risk.
Review: While the book contains a few useful (if commonsense) hints, mostly it encourages quick judgments based on limited and unreliable observations, as well as the use of manipulative and sometimes deceptive techniques to determine whether other people are lying. This is likely to do more harm than good in just about any situation. I also find the warnings about the limitations and ethical implications of the techniques inadequate, and even though the book claims to be based on "the latest research", it lacks references or further readings. If you find yourself frequently in situations where you are concerned about whether other people are lying to you, that should indicate to you that there are other problems in your life or business. A book on communications, relationships, contract law, negotiation, and/or business organization is likely to serve you better. In a kind of circular logic, the book may have some value in letting you recognize when other people are trying to apply the techniques it describes. While the techniques are hardly subtle, identifying them specifically as indicators of suspicion and insecurity in a relationship may let you address the underlying issue more constructively (assuming, of course, that the suspicions are unfounded).
Rating: 
Summary: a manual of cut-throat strategies
Review: Unlike other books which just deal with reading body language, this book contains specific strategies to use in digging out the truth from suspects. If this sounds like something that would be useful for law enforcement officers in obtaining confessions from known offenders, you wouldn't be far off. The book doesn't really deal with the prospect of using these techniques on someone who ultimately proves to be innocent, and the underhanded nature of many of them could likely backfire. More than a few of these strategies are a bit questionable, and one would have to have a little experience and intuitive insight in using the right technique at the right time. He also makes the common mistake of pigeonholing specific behaviors as indicators of certain states of mind (his information about reading eye movement is just wrong). The cover claims "How to get the truth in 5 minutes or less." I'm not so sure. Nit-picking dept.: His story about Churchill and the bombing of Coventry is wrong, as there is no evidence the Prime Minister had advance knowledge of the attack.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Investment
Review: This work has numerous techniques for any person to use in getting to the truth. Some of these techniques are obvious and others need further study. If you are expecting to read the book and immediately use the techniques effectively, you will be disappointed. As with most jackets on books, boastful promises and claims on this work are similar to the late night info commercials seen on cable TV. I have been studying NLP, nonverbal communication, and personality styles for 34 years and found the author's approach at times confusing and scattered. It takes practice and patience to learn these methods. There is no "5 minutes to the truth" in the real world. However, Dr. Lieberman does have numerous practical examples and scenarios to guide the reader in the life long process of understanding yourself and others. Read the book; it is a good investment!
Rating: 
Summary: I've become a star at work
Review: I work as a loss-prevention manager of a major electronics store chain.I've read all the manuals and books on interviewing and interrogation and this book is infinitely better then anything I've come across in the past nine years or so. It has literally changed the way we do our job and has had a dramatic impact on my career. I've been asked to give a lecture to our other store managers on how I use the book and it's techniques. One of the things you will like most about the book is that it isn't full of technical jargon and complicated language. The techniques are easy to understand and simple to use. And most importantly they work and they work well. Some old-timers think that you have to go on 'gut instinct' or intuition to find out if you're being lied to. This simply is not true. Getting the truth from anyone is not difficult. It's actually pathetically easy. You just have to ask the right questions and use the right techniques. If you're in a similar occupation you need this book.
Rating:
Summary: Practical and useful, conditionally
Review: As an average guy, I found this book practical and useful. At least I become more aware of the uneasy gestures and "freudian slip" of those who wanna cheat me. I learnt tricks to test potential liars and to tap more information from people who wanna keep something in their mind from me. In particular I like the way the author put his theories into real life sample setting that readers like me can understand better how to apply different tactics under different circumstances. However, I have to say that there still exists significant ground for improvement. First, the priniciples are loosely linked in various chapters that one might have to read the book several times before one can really absorb the essence into his/her mind. Such a weakness is rarely found in books written by PhDs. Second, many more conditional applications can be added into the book. Third, there are just so many tactics for so diverse situations that one might easily forget them all. I am afraid I might have to read it over four times to bear at most 50% of the more useful tactics in my little mind. In a word, a good read. Nevertheless, an enhanced version from the author is much anticipated.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo Dr. Lieberman.
Review: For the life of me I do not understand a reviewer's criticism of Never Be Lied to Again. I know people in law enforcement who use the techniques in this book and are very grateful for them. Some of the critics of this system say that it is wrong to use deception to get at the truth. (As Dr. Lieberman suggests is sometimes necessary). Well I live in the real world and if these techniques help to keep a rapist or a child abuser off the streets, then it has done its job. This book is effective and greatly needed. If the methods offend you and you don't care that your spouse is cheating on you or your employees are ripping you off, then don't read the book. But on behalf of us in the real world, thank you Dr. Lieberman.
Rating:
Summary: This book is scary
Review: Mark my words: this book is going to change the way people relate to each other--for the better. I would have given it five stars but I took one away because to some degree it shows people how to become better at lying. I know this wasn't the intention of the book, but it does this nonetheless. Overall the book is truly astounding. The techniques are not just common sense advice, they use proven, practical systems for lie detection. What I found most surprising is just how fast you can tell if you're being lied to. It really does take only two to three minutes. There's a section called MIND GAMES and an other called ADVANCED TECHNIQUES. Check these out first, they work for me almost every single time. And a fun read too. It's not dry at all. The book is broken down into many sections so you can learn something new every couple of pages.
Rating:
Summary: knowledge is power
Review: I found this book very enlightening. I was truely amazed, but you must remember that some people come into contact with liars more than others. The tips for finding out if your partner is being dishonest really hit home with me when i look back on my former relationship.
I cant understand the mentality of some reviewers who think this book will turn you into some kind of liar. If I purchase a book on serial killers I wont become one, but might learn something of interest instead. Its insulting to my intelligence to think I will be somehow swayed by a book along a dishonest line.
Remember knowledge is power and arm yourself for the real world where dishonest people abound!
Rating:
Summary: Practical and useful, conditionally
Review: As an average guy, I found this book practical and useful. At least I become more aware of the uneasy gestures and "freudian slip" of those who wanna cheat me. I learnt tricks to test potential liars and to tap more information from people who wanna keep something in their mind from me. In particular I like the way the author put his theories into real life sample setting that readers like me can understand better how to apply different tactics under different circumstances. However, I have to say that there still exists significant ground for improvement. First, the priniciples are loosely linked in various chapters that one might have to read the book several times before one can really absorb the essence into his/her mind. Such a weakness is rarely found in books written by PhDs. Second, many more conditional applications can be added into the book. Third, there are just so many tactics for so diverse situations that one might easily forget them all. I am afraid I might have to read it over four times to bear at most 50% of the more useful tactics in my little mind. In a word, a good read. Nevertheless, an enhanced version from the author is much anticipated.
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