Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews

The Perilous Question, by Antonia Fraser.

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Tim Vicary

The Perilous Question is is the perfect antidote to people who think politics is boring. As a student of history I had heard about the 1832 Reform Act, but I had no idea what dramatic stories surround it. To some … Continue reading →

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The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Tim Vicary

T.S. Eliot described The Moonstone as ‘the first, the best, and the longest of all detective novels’ and it is hard to disagree with any of that. I read this book many years ago, but was able to enjoy it … Continue reading →

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Telling Stories, by Beverley Jones

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Tim Vicary

This is an excellent debut novel. Bev Jones has worked as a journalist in the South Wales area and she uses the background and her experience to full effect. The story starts with a group of young students at Cardiff … Continue reading →

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Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Tim Vicary

This is a great book. If you ever wanted to know how Muslims see the world, and how their idea of world history differs from that commonly taught in the west, then this book has the answer. Not only that, … Continue reading →

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Dark Horse, by John Bartlett

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Tim Vicary

When I first read Chequered Justice I had not heard of John Bartlett and I had no interest in motor racing. But to my surprise I found he had written a marvellous, horrifying book which was impossible to put down. … Continue reading →

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Marching with Caesar; Conquest of Gaul, by R.W.Peake.

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Tim Vicary

This is probably a man’s book. It is immensely long and most of it is about fighting. The author has certainly done his research; he has studied Roman history, even to the extent, he tells us, of kitting himself out … Continue reading →

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Law and Disorder: Confessions of a Pupil Barrister, by Tim Kevan

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Tim Vicary

This is a lively, amusing, funny, cynical, compelling fiction about the life of a pupil barrister – Babybarista – in a set of chambers in London. It’s also, in its way, quite horrifying: if only half of the stories in … Continue reading →

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The Homicide Chronicle: Defending the Citizen Accused, by Ralph Shamas

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Tim Vicary

Ralph Shamas is a lawyer who has practised for 35 years in Arizona, and is now a judge. This book, The Homicide Chronicle, is a fictionalized account of a major murder trial in which he was the defense attorney. The names … Continue reading →

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Domingo’s Angel – Jenny Twist

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Tim Vicary

This is a beautiful book. It tells the story of an English girl, Angela, who comes to live in a remote Spanish village some years after the war. But it is not just her story, it is the story of … Continue reading →

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Injustice – Clive Stafford Smith

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Tim Vicary

This is a wonderful, shocking, compelling book. I have read many legal thrillers, including those by John Grisham (who endorses this book) but it is one thing to read about injustice, legal corruption and police incompetence in a fictional setting, … Continue reading →

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