What Abigail Did That Summer (Ben Aaronovitch)
Enjoyable return to the Rivers of London setting. The novella covers an investigation that Abigail, Peter’s cousin, carried out that he knows nothing of and Nightingale is fully aware of. It’s written from her perspective and has amusing footnotes to translate for our US cousins, and the Olds.
Fireheart Tiger (Aliette de Bodard)
Another short from Aliette de Bodard, beautifully constructed and telling the story of a young princess trying to protect her country from a larger empire where she spent time as a hostage. Old loves are drawn in as she struggles to find a path through. The world-building is lovely and the tale delightful.
Deep State (Chris Hauty)
I enjoyed the experience of reading this a lot (and found it hard to put down once I started it). However, the more I think about this, the more that it starts to annoy me. This is a decent thriller, which accelerates nicely; there a few coincidences that are a bit far-fetched, but they work okay and don't really suspect belief. However, part of the ending really undermines my enjoyment of the book in reflection. It would work really well as a screenplay (and the author is an experienced screenwriter) but in a book it is frustrating.
I picked this up as a whim (as it appeared on Amazon when I bought another thriller) and really enjoyed it. The novel tells the story of a British Crime Novelist, Latimer, as he becomes drawn into the story of Dimitrios, a criminal whose body was found in Istanbul. Latimer views the body with a local chief police who's a fan of his books, and decides to explore the back story of this master criminal that he has never heard of. Complications ensue as Latimer travels across Europe. I enjoyed this. The pace was more gentle than some other thrillers but it was a compelling story. Considering when it was written, there were many observations that are still pertinent today.
Turn the Ship Around! (L David Marquet)
Really useful and interesting leadership book that focuses on turning followers into leaders and driving engagement.
Enjoyable near future SF graphic novel with a cyberpunk feel from the Director of Moon and Sourcecode. There's an interesting mix of artists, some more successful than others.
13 May 2021
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