Last year I bought 3 books on plank grilling as I really wanted to try this method of cooking. It is really kinda of a neat cooking method, actually. And the food does acquire the smoky flavor, the fragrant characteristic of the wood used, and does typically turn out more juicy/moist etc.... so I am sold on the method.
So now for a few words about the book(s): I just left 2 fairly negative reviews for the other 2 books for various reasons, primarily the recipes. This book, I have to say, is different. The recipes are actually pretty good! I have tried about half a dozen to a dozen of the recipes and the results were almost uniformily good (to great!). The flavors meld well together, there are no outrageous/incongruous ingredient combinations as in one of the other books, and recipe themes are respected (i.e. an Asian themed recipe will have the recquisite Asian themed ingredients and not try to "out-do" itself by an addition of something out of left field). One reason is that Mr. Shewchuk carefully adapts many of the recipes from well established chefs who, in turn, concentrate on the cooking and not on cookbook writing for a commercial return.
All in all, I like this book. The only reason I didn't give it a perfect 5 stars is because, alas, Mr. Shewchuk's folksy, apron/cowboy hat demeanor is sometimes irritating. A little bit of decorum and seriousness for the task at hand would have been better. Cooking should be fun, not silly.