Tag: book review

Fatale by Jean-Patrick Manchette

A short read but a book with so much to unpack. Follows Aimée a killer and master manipulator who arrives in a new town and integrates into the local upper classes and plays them off each other resulting in a deadly showdown of blackmail and revenge.

I enjoyed the book and the plot moved a long nicely, the first half was great at setting the scene but then the book just came to a crescendo too quickly. It would have been nice to flesh out some of the backstory of the locals and of Aimée too. Everything just happened too fast once the shit hit the fan regarding the corruption and poisonings. This book would have benefited from an extra 50 pages.

A good noir novel though, and I am curious if there are any adaptations of it.

Last Testament In Bologna by Tom Benjamin

I originally started this book when it first came out in 2023 but other books (I guess The World by Simon Sebag Montefiore) sidetracked me and I noticed a new book in the series came out recently and it reminded me to revisit this one. It is a series I enjoy an English ex-pat (always ex-pats if they are British, yet Immigrants if they are foreign to us lol) working for the family investigative business in Italy.

This installment focuses on an old feud and the world of fast cars and Formula 1, there is quite a lot going on with several threads and it all comes together quite nicely in the end. I am curious where the series goes next, and how it tackles the patriarchs health and the ever changing family structure like new members and the father/daughter dynamics.

Listening to parts on the audiobook I did notice the narrators voice seemed to change dramatically towards the end of the book. I assume it is the same narrator but he didn’t half sound different.

Japan in 100 Words: From Anime to Zen by Ornella Civardi

A fun and enjoyable read explaining many elements of Japanese culture from A to Z. Lots of interesting popular concepts explained from folklore, pop culture and the arts of Japan. I think it is a book that would encourage further studies.

Being a collector of Fountain pens the section on Maki-e and Urushi interested me as an owner of Japanese pens made from those crafts.

The book is beautifully illustrated.

The Day of The Owl by Leonardo Sciascia

At long last I have read a book by Leonardo Sciascia. This book has long been on my TBR pile and lost amongst the shuffle.

I loved the book from start to finish and it is interesting to see the case built up and the tactics and thought process of the Captain. And how with the politics and influence of people associated with the Mafia a rock solid case melted away like a chocolate teacup. A frustrating and very real occurrence of the past and present.

I own many more books by Sciascia, and a recent biography too, and I am looking forward to getting into those too. This book has helped me break a reading slump.