BARE KNUCKLE NEGOTIATION: Savvy Tips and True Stories from the Master of Give and Take

In the world of successful negotiation, flexibility and reasonability rule the roost. So says divorce lawyer Felder, whose advice is as straightforward and forceful as it is colorful and entertaining. The keys to coming out on top—never wanting too much and knowing when to walk away from the table—are not as easily mastered as would-be negotiators might think. (Calling off talks and storming out of the room can work as a bargaining tool—provided that those leaving remember to gather their belongings before exiting, explains Felder in one particularly humorous recollection). To hear it from him, effective negotiation is as logistics-driven and nuanced as a warrior's preparation for battle. Throughout this part-celebrity tell-all and part-no-nonsense-how-to, Felder drops the names of everyone from Rudy Giuliani, Jay Leno and Mick Jagger to Anthony Quinn, Johnny Carson and Mike Tyson. While the negotiating advice is useful and on-point, rocket science this isn't; it is Felder's anecdotes that ultimately deliver on the book's promises. It's hard to know whether to admire, fear or even loathe Felder as he unapologetically describes his win-at-all-costs tactics, which include purposely withholding insulin from a diabetic opponent, extending negotiations beyond the onset of religious holidays, taking advantage of the physical condition of older lawyers and hiding food from hungry lawyers and clients. (Jan.)