SHARK! Nature’s Masterpiece by R.D. Lawrence,...

SHARK! Nature’s Masterpiece by R.D. Lawrence, illustrated by Gary Low (Chapters: $12.95; 177 pp.). Sharks fascinate Lawrence, a well-known nature writer: Splendidly adapted to life in the sea, they’ve changed little over hundreds of millions of years. They don’t get cancer and possess senses humans lack that detect microscopic electrical currents and chemical changes in water. Lawrence dismisses the media image of bloodthirsty killers, using his personal research to strengthen his argument that sharks are merely highly efficient carnivores. However, his descriptions of remaining underwater in a steel cage while trying to provoke a feeding frenzy may strike the casual reader as more foolhardy than scientific.