Writing The Blurb

Mallard: How The 'Blue Streak' Broke The World Speed Record

Author: Don Hale
Paperback: 166 pages
ISBN: 9781845133450
Recommendation: would read again

On the afternoon of the 3rd of July 1938 the streamlined A4 Pacific locomotive LNER 4468, better known as Mallard, was recorded travelling at 126mph; the fastest a steam engine had ever travelled before. Amazingly that world record still stands. In this fascinating book author Don Hale takes us through the full story of the development of Mallard and the record attempt itself.

The Gutenberg Revolution

Author: John Man
Paperback: 289 pages
ISBN: 9780553819663
Recommendation: would read again

No one can argue against the fact that the printing press revolutionized the world. In 1450 the small number of books to be found in Europe were all written out by hand. Just 50 years later they were printed and there were millions of them. This explosion in the written word had huge consequences as ideas, previously confined to a small area or a small number of people were set free. This book documents Johann Gutenberg's invention of printing and the revolution it caused.

Dave Gorman vs. The Rest Of The World

Author: Dave Gorman
Paperback: 343 pages
ISBN: 9780091928483
Recommendation: would read again

Dave Gorman fancied playing a board game; unfortunately he didn't have anyone to play against. Of course being Dave Gorman he turned this into an adventure, criss-crossing the country, visiting total strangers, playing games he had never even heard of. If you like Dave's humour or are interested in the weird variety of British games then you will enjoy reading this.

Java Performance

Author: Charlie Hunt and Binu John
Paperback: 693 pages
ISBN: 9780137142521
Recommendation: would read again

While modern Java virtual machines are much faster than they used to be, when writing software where performance matters it is important to understand how to optimize your code and how to configure the JVM to get the most out of your hardware. Whilst highly technical this book is easy to work through and provides a whole host of invaluable performance tips. A must for any serious Java developer

The Duchesses

Author: Andrew Roden
Paperback: 237 pages
ISBN: 9781845135997
Recommendation: would read again

The Duchesses (officially the Coronation Class) were the most powerful passenger steam locomotives ever to work the British railway network. In this absorbing book Andrew Roden takes us through the history of these magnificent machines, from their inception through the record breaking trains the hauled across the country and right up to date with details of the three examples that survived into preservation. If you find steam engines fascinating then you will find this book just as fascinating.

The Disappearing Spoon

Author: Sam Kean
Paperback: 346 pages
ISBN: 9780552777506
Recommendation: would read again

The history, discovery and use of many of the elements that make up our planer are vividly brought to life in this fascinating book by Sam Kean. From Gandhi to gold rush via the disappearing spoon of the title, this is no dusty science book but a collection of highly engrossing stories. Well worth a read even if you aren't usually interested in science.

The Serpent Pool

Author: Martin Edwards
Series: Lake District Mystery, Book 3
Paperback: 347 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7490-0879-6
Recommendation: would read again

When DCI Hannah Scarlett moves house she starts to investigate an apparent suicide in the local tarn, the Serpent Pool. As Bethany was afraid of water, Hannah refuses to believe she would have committed suicide by drowning herself. When she discovers that her partner Marc Amos had kept quite about knowing Bethany, Hannah no longer knows who to trust, and turns to historian Daniel Kind for help solving the mystery. Before long they find themselves in real danger as they get closer to the truth than is comfortable for those with a secret to protect.

The Arsenic Labyrinth

Author: Martin Edwards
Series: Lake District Mystery, Book 3
Paperback: 409 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7490-8004-4
Recommendation: would read again

Years ago Emma Bestwick walked out of her cottage towards the fells never to be seen again. Did Emma simply run away, have an accident, or was she murdered. After the local newspaper receives a number of anonymous tips about her disappearance it isn't long before DCI Hannah Scarlett re-opens the cold case.

The Cipher Garden

Author: Martin Edwards
Series: Lake District Mystery, Book 2
Paperback: 343 pages
ISBN: 978-07490-8135-5
Recommendation: would read again

Historian Daniel Kind gets involved in solving another cold case when an anonymous tip-off to the lake District's Cold Case Review Team brings DCI Hannah Scarlett back into his life. Who would have wanted to kill gardener Warren Howe with his own scythe, and what secrets are hiding in the idyllic village of Old Sawrey.

Mr Briggs' Hat

Author: Kate Colquhoun
Hardback: 282 pages
ISBN: 9781847443694
Recommendation: would read again

Just before 10am on the 9th of July 1864 two bank clerks entered a first class train carriage only to find it spattered with blood. The carriage was empty apart from an ivory topped walking stick, and empty leather bag and a hat. Later that evening an unconscious and badly injured body was found on the railway line and although a doctor was called Thomas Briggs died and became the first person to be murdered in a railway carriage. The only clue to the identity of his killer was the hat, as it didn't belong to the victim.

The Other

Author: David Guterson
Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN: 9780747596202
Recommendation: enjoyed

In 1972 Neil Countryman and John William Barry, two teenage boys from from different backgrounds, meet and start a life long friendship. As they get older Neil follows the American dream while John William drops out of society and makes a new life for himself deep in the woods. Only Neil knows where his friend has retreated to but will he keep the secret come what may?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Author: Mark Haddon
Paperback: 280 pages
ISBN: 978-0099450252
Recommendation: wouldn't recommend

Christoper is autistic, which affects his view of the world around him in ways that even he admits can seem strange. When his neighbour's dog is killed he sets out on a journey to discover the perpetrator. Having been told to leave it alone by his father and the police he decides to stop at nothing to solve the crime, even leaving the safety of his own street on his own for the first time.

Wild Fire

Author: Nelson DeMille
Series: John Corey, Book 4
Paperback: 659 pages
ISBN: 9780751538274
Recommendation: have read before

The Custer Hill Club looks, from the outside, like any other private members club for the rich and powerful. It isn't until an federal agent, tasked to do routine surveillance on the club, disappears that John Corey and his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, decide to take a closer look. Of course John's smart mouth gets them into trouble, but not as much trouble as the world will face if they don't stop the Custer Hill Club from initiating project WILD FIRE.

Manhunt

Author: James Barrington
Series: Paul Richter, Book 1
Paperback: 486 pages
ISBN: 9780330462709
Recommendation: would read again

After 20 years in the Navy Paul Richter is looking for a job, but he hadn't planned on getting mixed up with a deniable branch of the British security establishment. Unfortunately he needed the money and the job seemed straightforward. Unfortunately it isn't long before Richter realizes his new job doesn't have long term prospects as in reality he is the expendable bait in a complex trap involving British and Russian security services. Can Richter outsmart both sides and survive?

Shroom

Author: Andy Letcher
Paperback: 348 pages
ISBN: 0571227708
Recommendation: enjoyed

Until the law was changed, in July 2005, it was perfectly legal to buy and sell magic mushrooms in England. Overnight this naturally occuring hallucinogen had gone from a recreational drug like alcohol to a mushroom the possession of which could get you arrested. This fascinating book takes us on a magical mystery tour from the use of magic mushrooms in indigenous ceremonies to more modern abuses. From the science behind the main active ingredient psilocybe to well documented historical intoxication. If you want to know about the history of magic mushrooms then this is the book to read.

Payback

Author: James Barrington
Series: Paul Richter, Book 6
Paperback: 463 pages
ISBN: 9780330462693
Recommendation: would read again

Paul Richter was quietly enjoying being on an exercise with the SAS when he is called back to work in order to investigate a man who appears to be able to predict terrorist attacks. What should have been a quick trip to Dubai to expose a hoax turns into a race against time to uncover a terrifying plot to destabilize the Arab world.

Did I Like That Book?

When I first started this blog I made the decision not to give a star rating or any other classification to the books. It's not that I was being lazy but rather that rating a book in such a way is such a subjective task and I wasn't sure how relevant my ratings would be to anyone else. My hope was that my enthusiasm (or lack of) for a book would come through in the wording of the blurb I wrote. This probably works reasonably well for non-fiction, but it's harder to do when writing a blurb for a novel.

From now on I'm going to rate each book I write about, however, I'm still not going to use a star rating. Books will now be categorized as either; wouldn't recommend, enjoyed, would read again, or have read before. Hopefully these broader categories will be more transferable to other people than a star rating system, especially as it will be easy for me to decided which category a book should fall into. Hopefully this will please those readers who want to know more about what I felt about a book, but if you think I should use different categories or have any other suggestions then please do leave a comment.

Jack The Ripper: Letters From Hell

Authors: Stewart P. Evans and Keith Skinner
Paperback: 300 pages
ISBN: 075093770X

Between August and November of 1888 six prostitutes were murdered and mutilated in London's East End. Whilst Jack The Ripper was never caught a large number of letters purporting to be from the killer were sent to newspapers and the police. For the first time this book collects together all of the Ripper letters along with expert commentary. A fascinating look at one of the worlds most famous unsolved cases.

Timebomb

Author: James Barrington
Series: Paul Richter, Book 5
Paperback: 444 pages
ISBN: 9780230014749

After two operations to arrest terrorists in Geneva and Stuttgart go badly agent Paul Richter discovers that the terrorists are being tipped off. Unfortunately after the incident in Stuttgart Richter finds himself on the run from a murder charge. Can he discover what links these apparently separate terrorist cells before any other operations are compromised, or worse the terrorists succeed in their plans.

Fallen

Author: Karin Slaughter
Series: Georgia Stories, Book 11
Hardback: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-1846057946

Special Agent Faith Mitchell, of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, has left her baby daughter Emma with her mother, Ex-Atlanta Police chief Evelyn Mitchell, while she attends a training course. Faith arrives back at the house to find it has been ransacked. There is plenty of blood but no sign of her mother, while Emma has been locked in the outside shed. Can Faith and her partner Will Trent unravel Evelyn's past to find her before it is too late?