On first glance, this would seem to be a book on typical food-borne pathogens and their physiology, virulence and characterization. However, it is different in that it describes the influence that food micro-organisms can exert on the ecology of associated ecosystems, like the oral cavity, gut and water environments. It then looks at microbial interactions (biofilms, quorum sensing), antibiotic resistance, emerging organisms and new detection tools. It is a refreshing approach that should interest readers from a more varied range of disciplines than is usual in the food microbiology area. The authors are well regarded in their fields and the presentation style is of high quality. There is good, but sparse, use of graphics and tables. The editors should be congratulated on their approach and the finished work. It maintains the high quality that is usually expected from ASM books. It will interest graduate students as well as microbial ecology researchers.