This is one of the best detective series I’ve read since Bosch.
There is something about Detective Sean Duffy that I find utterly fascinating. He has a personal sense of justice (like Bosch), and he has an intense desire to see it applied no matter the cost. And as a Catholic policeman in a Protestant system, the tension of being this one-man island is heavy.
The entire series is set during "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, which makes for an exciting backdrop. I always like books that mix in history like this. I had fun jumping into Wikipedia as I encountered unfamiliar historical events.
The writing is fantastic, and I blew through all seven books in the series in just two weeks.
Fast-paced, evocative, and brutal, The Cold Cold Ground is a brilliant depiction of Belfast at the height of the Troubles -- and of a cop treading a thin, thin line.
Northern Ireland, spring 1981. Hunger strikes, riots, power cuts, a homophobic serial killer with a penchant for opera, and a young woman’s suicide that may yet turn out to be murder: on the surface, the events are unconnected, but then things -- and people -- aren’t always what they seem. Detective Sergeant Duffy is the man tasked with trying to get to the bottom of it all. It’s no easy…
Have you ever had a book that felt so real that you couldn't quite remember if you were reading the news or a book in the days after finishing it?
That is how Aggressor felt.
I kept forgetting if the Chinese blockade of Tawain was real or not. Luckily, it was a book, and I hope it stays purely as a book. I do not want the world to experience World War 3, as the author paints a terrifying picture of the future of warfare.
F.X. Holden is a true heir to Tom Clancy. The picture he paints of of drone warfare, AI, robotics, and the speed of war in 2038 is insane. It feels so real, and it is incredible to see how he sees some of these emerging technologies play out.
A quick shout out to Bunny, my favorite character who weaves her way through all five books.
It is April 1 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced, it can disrupt the balance of power in the region.
But what pilot would be crazy enough to run the Chinese blockade to deliver it?
AGGRESSOR is the first novel in a new series that looks at the conflict that could spark the next World War, through the eyes of soldiers, sailors, civilians and aviators on all sides. Featuring technologies that are on the drawing board today and could be…
This book is not something you can read and forget.
Leon and his small team travel down the entire Tigris River. They start in Turkey, go through all of Iraq, and end in the marshes. I picked it up, thinking it would be an interesting adventure with a heavy dose of history.Instead, I got an utterly fascinating account of the river, its ecosystem, the heavy impact of pollution and water management, and the cultural impact of all these changes on the people who live alongside it.
Leon weaves individual stories against the backdrop of this river in an incredible way. There are beautiful moments as well as stories that will haunt you. Different stories about the barbarity of ISIS and the disgusting raw pollution being dumped into a river are something I will always think about.
It is hard to imagine this region in 50 years as climate change and bad governance wear it down even further. One estimate is that water flow might be reduced by 30% to 50% by 2100. I can't imagine that the people who rely on this river would be able to survive that. The optimistic part of me hopes that water management, diplomatic negotiation, and pollution clean-up will win the day. I wonder if I will be alive to find out.
A fascinating journey down the Tigris River—the lifeblood of human civilization—in search of history and hope.
Starting at the source of this storied river, where ancient Mesopotamians and Assyrian kings had their images carved into stone, explorer Leon McCarron and his small team will journey through the Turkish mountains, across north-east Syria and into the heart of Iraq.
Along the way, they will pass through historic cities like Diyarbakir, Mosul, and Baghdad. We will meet fishermen and farmers, along with artists, activists, and archaeologists, who rely on the flow of the river. Occasionally harassed by militias, often helped by soldiers,…
