There has been a plethora of books tapping into the biodefence field, and this is probably not one of the better ones. It takes an extremely broad view of the threat, including rather surprising pathogens not normally discussed in this kind of arena, such as Campylobacter. So if the reader is interested in delving beyond the CDC Category A list, this book can provide examples of B and even C Category organisms. Where the book becomes more interesting is where it moves beyond the standard BW threat chapters into related issues such as psychosocial consequences of an attack. The chapters relating to preparedness, control and policy are all only really relevant to the US, with no reference to procedures adopted anywhere else in the world. This reflects the fact that of 41 contributors, 39 are from the USA and 2 from Canada, and it is disappointing that the chapters are frequently not written by leaders in the field.