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The sole purpose of this book is to capture the cold, hard, logical nature of edged-weapon encounters as experienced by the author and more than 90 other people. This analysis of more than 250 knife fights is told from the perspective of the attackers, eyewitnesses and victims and is broken down by weapon type and use patterns. The circumstances, motivations and mechanics of real-world blade and shank encounters are illuminated through the use of gripping (and sometimes comical) first-person accounts, photographs and hard stats. LaFond also examines the psychology, injury patterns and legal ramifications of knife fighting, as well as providing invaluable tips on preventing clinches and ground fighting from escalating into a knife fight, surviving unarmedagainst a blade-armed assailant, spotting a knifer and predicting his behavior, and assessing when it’s in your best interest to just run for your life. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, softcover, photos, 248 pp.