SELECT COUNT(*) bug

Question

I have a table named comments, with a column labeled book_id. In this column I have non-unique integer values (we'll say 2 rows contain the number 9)
import flash.events.*;
import flash.data.*
import fl.controls.ComboBox;
import flash.filesystem.File
//Open database-------------------------------------------------------------
var conn:SQLConnection = new SQLConnection();
conn.addEventListener(SQLEvent.OPEN, openHandler);
var dbFile:File = File.desktopDirectory.resolvePath("tarot.db");
conn.openAsync(dbFile);
//authorsCB.addEventListener(Event.CHANGE, loadBooks);
function openHandler(event:SQLEvent):void
var selectStmt:SQLStatement = new SQLStatement();
selectStmt.sqlConnection = conn;
// define the SQL text
selectStmt.text = "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM comments2 WHERE book_id = 9";
// register listeners for the result and failure (status) events
selectStmt.addEventListener(SQLEvent.RESULT, readResultHandler);
// execute the statement
selectStmt.execute();
// collect author data: author name and author ID. Populate authorCB with author name. authorID is used to match publications for the booksCB in the loadBooks() function
function readResultHandler(event:SQLEvent):void
var result:SQLResult = event.target.getResult();
var numResults:int = result.data.length;
for (var i:int = 0; i < numResults; i++)
var row:Object = result.data[i];
var bookID:uint = row.book_id;
var book:String = row.book;
var authorID:uint = row.author_id;
//combo box named authorsCB
authorsCB.addItem({label:bookID}); //assign table data to list box
addChild(authorsCB);
This code returns '0' even though my table contains two matching rows.
If I change my select statement to "SELECT * FROM comments WHERE book_id = 9", that works.
I'm trying to implement a query that will tell me if a particular value appears in this column. If that value appears in the table, then I want to run another query to extract the associated data.
Ultimately I'm loading combo box 1 with author names, and combo box 2 with book titles. I then want to run a 3rd query against my comments table. My comments table contains notes about the various books, but I don't have notes about every title, so I need to test if there are comments in the table before I try to extract those comments in order to avoid throwing an error.

Answer 1

Okay, I got it.
It's very difficult to find documentation on precisely HOW Adobe AIR implements some of the more obscure functions in SQLite. Even though SELECT COUNT(*) works in the Firefox SQLite Manager, it doesn't work the same way in AIR.
Through reviewing  the COUNT(*) function in "Learning SQL" by O'Reilly, there was an example utilized in which you point to the column you want counted BEFORE the COUNT(*) function.
So, it becomes:
SELECT columnName, COUNT(*)  someColumnName (optional) FROM someTable etc, etc.
After the FROM clause you could use a WHERE, or a GROUP BY.
Keep in mind that a GROUP clause runs after a WHERE clause.