My Book Reviews

I believe this book will become the standard book about this period in history. It is so detailed and thorough that it really amazed me.  My knowledge before reading this book about the Russian revolution and civil war was no more than what I had seen in documentaries about it, yet this is very sketchy and does not go beyond the February and October Revolutions and the remark "the following civil war ended in 1921". And I had seen the movie "Doctor Zhivago", so knew a bit about cruelties and chaos of these days. This book filled all the gaps I had in my knowledge. I can recommend it, although it is not light-hearted reading. The lunacy, the cruelty and the killing. 12 million people died. Of them 938 were British. The UK was heavily involved, provided a lot of weapons and even fought along, although this was considered to stay unknown. So a bit more than a century later the British are heavily involved again in a war in the same region. Another thing that caught my ...

 One of the weirdest books I ever read. It's not for the faint hearted. The humour is black, cynical and sadistic at times. Sometimes stories start quite normal, but suddenly derail and end in a blood thirsty ending. All in all it was quite a new experience to me, I don't expect to see anything like it soon.

A charming and amusing read. I can sense the love for the Norfolk Broads and admire the knowledge about sailing. The characters never came to life to me, maybe one - described as a bimbo - I do have a sort of image of a person like that. The plot was well made, red herrings and all, like the genre requires. I'm a bit of a puritan, I always try to use one point of view in what I write, in this book it's mainly DI Tanner's view, but a view times it jumps to another person. It probably will not bother other readers. Described police procedures are not always like they are in real life, but again it probably will not bother other readers who read this. This will not win the Booker Prize, but it is a nice book to read on the beach or such.

  I did like to read this book, never saw the TV series about Jackson Brodie. It took me some time to get used to all the different characters, there are quite a lot. The point of view changes all the time. Jackson Brodie is said to be the main character, but I see him more as a catalyst. I loved the chilled humour, the cynism and the self-mockery most of these character are doing. The plot, or rather plots, was well constructed. All in all a good relaxing read in the sunshine, next to a swimming pool or on the beach. Four stars well deserved.

  A very clever written book indeed. I can see why it was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. I don't want to spoil anything for future readers. There are a few themes in the stories: There are people who profit from other people and there are people who are the victim of exploitation. A lot of the problems in the world and between people is because people don't talk enough about what really matters. Coming from different cultures does not have to cause problems, it's all about listening, talking and trying to understand. The book really moved me. I can certainly recommend it. The 5 stars are very deserved.

I think this one is one of the best Jo Nesbo has written. It's far better than any of the Harry Hole episodes. I do have the feeling the book could have been a bit shorter than the 647 pages it is now. Maybe it is good for some people to have things double explained, for me the book could have been speeded up a bit. For the rest I can only admire Jo Nesbo for the excellend way he constructed this novel. It is tempting to tell a bit about the story, but I don't want to risk spoiling it for future readers. It certainly is good value for your money and a joy to read. I gave it 4 stars.

  Just like the other book about Chief Inspector Gorski, The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau. I loved it. Macrae Burnet has a clever way of writing. He proves that you don't need long constructed sentences to describe people, things and places. The way he describes the thoughts and feelings of one of the main characters, Raymond Barthelme, is amazing. I think the mind of a teenage boy does work like that. The novel is packed as a novel into another story. It is puzzling and it does make you want to explore facts yourself. For the main story, the novel, it's not really needed but it does give it a special ring. All in all a book I certainly can recommend.