Analysis
"Forensics" by Val McDermid - Book Club Discussion. Content Warning.
Val McDermid is one of the finest crime writers we have, whose novels have captivated millions of readers worldwide with their riveting narratives of characters who solve complex crimes and confront unimaginable evil. In the course of researching her bestselling novels McDermid has become familiar with every branch of forensics, and now she uncovers the history of this science, real-world murders and the people who must solve them. The dead talk--to the right listener. They can tell us all about themselves: where they came from, how they lived, how they died, and, of course, who killed them. Forensic scientists can unlock the mysteries of the past and help serve justice using the messages left by a corpse, a crime scene, or the faintest of human traces. Forensics draws on interviews with some of these top-level professionals, ground-breaking research, and McDermid's own original interviews and firsthand experience on scene with top forensic scientists. Along the way, McDermid discovers how maggots collected from a corpse can help determine one's time of death; how a DNA trace a millionth the size of a grain of salt can be used to convict a killer; and how a team of young Argentine scientists led by a maverick American anthropologist were able to uncover the victims of a genocide. It's a journey that will take McDermid to war zones, fire scenes, and autopsy suites, and bring her into contact with both extraordinary bravery and wickedness, as she traces the history of forensics from its earliest beginnings to the cutting-edge science of the modern day.
By Kristen Barenthaler2 years ago in BookClub
"Say Nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe - Book Club Discussion. Content Warning.
A stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions "Masked intruders dragged Jean McConville, a 38-year-old widow and mother of 10, from her Belfast home in 1972. In this meticulously reported book--as finely paced as a novel--Keefe uses McConville's murder as a prism to tell the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Interviewing people on both sides of the conflict, he transforms the tragic damage and waste of the era into a searing, utterly gripping saga." -- New York Times Book Review Jean McConville's abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville's children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress--with so many kids, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes. Patrick Radden Keefe's mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders. From radical and impetuous I.R.A. terrorists such as Dolours Price, who, when she was barely out of her teens, was already planting bombs in London and targeting informers for execution, to the ferocious I.R.A. mastermind known as The Dark, to the spy games and dirty schemes of the British Army, to Gerry Adams, who negotiated the peace but betrayed his hardcore comrades by denying his I.R.A. past-- Say Nothing conjures a world of passion, betrayal, vengeance, and anguish.
By Kristen Barenthaler2 years ago in BookClub
Rachel Reviews: Dear Mrs Bird by A. J. Pearce
Dear Mrs Bird is one of those novels that you can read quickly and easily, and which leaves you with a nice warm feeling: loose ends pretty much tied up, conflicts resolved or on their way to being sorted, happiness arrived at or on the horizon.
By Rachel Deeming2 years ago in BookClub
THE PHILOSOPHICAL BEEF BETWEEN AYN RAND AND ?
While it is publicly known that Flannery O'Connor disparaged the writing of Ayn Rand in a letter to a friend in 1960, the identity of the unnamed author Ayn Rand mentioned in her (1973) essay entitled "Selfishness Without a Self" appears to still be a forgotten, underrated mystery.
By ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR2 years ago in BookClub
I Read 40 books this Year - These are my Top Five
Ahh welcome! Enter, enter–the fire is warm, and the rest of the bumbling council will not bother us as we chat. It is good to see you again, friends, and I hope you have enjoyed this most recent circling of the sun.
By Matthew J. Fromm2 years ago in BookClub
A Morning Immersed In the Magical World of Harry Potter
During this recovery period books are my best friends, so sitting on the couch with a steaming mug of freshly blended tea and a book in hand I was set for the morning atleast. The book was 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', the debut novel in the seven-part Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I loved it since childhood and still continue to do so, there are very few stories that are timeless and still interesting. No matter how many times I went through it, it never gets old.
By Staringale2 years ago in BookClub
Rachel Reviews: Death in the Tallgrass by Donald Willerton
I really enjoyed Death in the Tallgrass. Firstly, it is best that you know that I love any book which is set in the Wild West: in the days of the pioneers and settlers and their encounters with Native American tribes; with the stories of the less reputable white folk who find themselves down on their luck and trying to find a way to survive; where people looking for a new life or travelling to a better one were exposed on the plains and carried guns for protection and to use for hunting for sustenance. It is the perfect setting and environment for a tense tale of adventure. And that is what Willerton has created here.
By Rachel Deeming2 years ago in BookClub
Rachel Reviews: The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
I am so glad I discovered Katherine Rundell. This has been one of the best things that I can take away from 2023 - The Golden Mole was a revelation and, when I discovered that she also wrote fiction, it was only a matter of time until I sought her out.
By Rachel Deeming2 years ago in BookClub
The Power of Silence: Managing Anger through the Art of Stillness
In our fast-paced and often chaotic lives, moments of anger can be all too common. However, the ancient wisdom of harnessing the power of silence during times of anger has proven to be a transformative and effective approach. This article explores the profound impact of choosing silence as a response to anger, delving into its benefits and the art of mastering this practice.
By Nada soliman2 years ago in BookClub
