Capital Punishment provides an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to begin research on the death penalty. The book is divided into four sections: "History"; "Facts, Figures, and Methods of Execution"; "The United States Constitution and Capital Punishment"; "Arguments for and against the Death Penalty." Each section provides a coherent overview of the topic. In addition, footnotes are found at the end of each section rather than at the end of the book, which expedites the search for sources. The book concludes with three extremely useful appendixes: an annotated list of cases with the question that the case tried to answer; a capital punishment time line from 621 BCE to 2011; and a bibliography to guide further research. The book is well written and the information concise. In general, Melusky (St. Francis Univ.) and Pesto (US Magistrate Judge, Johnstown Division, US District Court for Western District Pennsylvania) accomplish their goal, namely, "to provide a balanced and evenhanded analysis of the issues." The targeted audience is, as they suggest, "public, high school, college, and university libraries." Highly recommended for these groups of readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and undergraduate students. M. A. Foley Marywood University