Pavb2's Reading Log

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The Dead Secret - Wilkie Collins 8/10

Not as good as The Woman in White and The Moonstone by WC but better than The Haunted Hotel. The plot of The Dead Secret is a bit predictable but I still found it difficult to put down. The strength of the book lies in the characters

I felt sad for Susan though her two uncles were both funny in their own different ways.

Uncle Treverton wanting to leave his money to someone who didn't want it and eventually Finding someone who didn't care for it, Rosamund was too neat.

Likewise Rosamund needing a nurse and her mother who just happened to be in the village was a bit of a stretch

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Tai - Pan - James Clavell 7-10

This book chronicles the start of Hong Kong through the conflict between Dirk Struan of the Noble House Trading Company and his adversary Tyler Brock. Not a bad read if a bit repetitive and some of the supporting characters of which there are many could have been developed as they had interesting stories.

The relationship between the two main protagonists was a bit hard to believe as at one point they are trying to kill each other and the next having a drink together

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The Plague Dogs - Richard Adams 9 - 10

This was an enjoyable and thought provoking read from the author of Watership Down. The story is about two dogs who escape from an animal testing laboratory ARSE (an acronym for Animal Research, Scientific and Experimental) in the lake district.

The story chronicles their battle to survive and RA successfully manages to create animals that have human personalities. The book could have done with a map for those of us unfamiliar with the area.

The ending was a bit weird as RA introduces David Attenborough and uses it to give what I felt was an unnecessary lecture on the wrongs of animal testing.

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Untouchables: Dirty cops, bent justice and racism In Scotland Yard 8/10

I got this on the back of the Daniel Morgan podcasts and to say it was an eye opener is an understatement. It basically deals with corruption in The Met from the eighties through to 2010 or thereabouts. High profile cases such as the Stephen Lawrence murder, Daniel Morgan murder and Brinks Mat robbbies are discussed.

One philosophy the police had was the noble cause principle, the principle was such that if the police considered that someone was guilty then the police could use whatever methods they chose to secure a conviction. Firearms, drugs etc could be planted, evidence and witness statements fabricated and a blind eye turned by all concerned. In reading the book these weren't isolated incidents but more like police policy.

An interesting if tough read but far too many names to remember.

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Started Terry Pratchett’s discworld series I’m on book 3 now Equal Rites. I’m getting the books for about 5 euro on the kindle but after reading the first two books I wouldn’t pay much more than that.

Also reading A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin which is different and holds the interest much better than the film.