Fairstein - Death Dance - 11/02/07 - 24/02/07

Linda Fairstein's books featuring her Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper are a guilty pleasure. They are neither original nor particularly well-written; but nevertheless are an enjoyable way to spend some free time. They make, as Dan Brown or Colin Forbes books do, good holiday reads as long as you can get over the slightly odd turns of phrase or sections of description or conversation which make you laugh out loud (even though it's not a comedy). Cooper, although likeable, is too perfect. She spends her time prosecuting sex-offenders, although the books are normally about murders. She is, for some reason, allowed to take on these cases by her boss, and yet her other work never seems to suffer. Despite her long working hours and tireless work to solve cases, she is also an accomplished dancer - this book revolves around the world of ballet and Broadway. It's a decent read, and the writing is much better in this book than some of her other previous offerings - let's hope she continues to improve!

Wincott - Invergordon Mutineer - 03/02/07 - 11/02/07

Sorry! No picture for this one.

This is an eye-witness account of the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931 where Royal Navy seamen 'mutineed' over new pay conditions. Like any historical account one must bear in mind that the discription of events will inevitably reflect the personal interests of the author. Nevertheless this book provides a really interesting account of Len Wincott's training and life in the Navy pre-mutiny and a fascinating account of the mutiny itself. In particular, Wincott explains the unique nature of this 'strike'. The last few chapters which deal with Wincott's life after the strike are sketchy and of little interest, I would have liked to see greater detail.

Armstrong - Dime Store Magic - 23/01/07 - 03/02/07

I really enjoyed this book, although there was less action than in the books by Kim Harrison which, in many ways, are very similar. The book is also one of a series (not the first one) and as is the case with many series it would probably benefit from being read in sequence. The characters are not very well defined and knowing something of their history as written in the other books would be helpful. Having said that, this was an enjoyable read.