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.Homicide:
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: David Simon

September 04, 2008
How do you fill the void left after watching the final episode of one of the greatest tv shows of all time ? Go back to the source and that's what this is without this book there is no The Wire. It's a remarkable book and one that hasn't really dated unlike the TV series of the same name.
The premise is well described David Simon writes about a year in the life of the homicide department of Baltimore what suprised me was that it isn't written for the journalist point of view so instead we get informed what the detectives are thinking. It's hard to explain that for the veteran detectives we see that there is no personal crusade to solve the crimes it's a job and not a highly paid one so if it's not the money what compels these individuals ... Read More:
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.The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House: Or the Murder at Road Hill House
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: Kate Summerscale

July 26, 2008
This is a retelling of the Road House murder of 1860. The Kents - an outwardly conventional and respectable middle class family - are horrified to discover that three year old Saville has disappeared from his cot. He is soon found gruesomely murdered and his body dumped in the outside privy. The local police arrive and begin a somewhat haphazard investigation. They decline to ask any questions of the family in the belief that people of their class would be too genteel to be involved in murder. Later Detective Inspector Jonathan Whicher arrives from London. He soon suspects one of the Kent daughters but she is released by the court and Whicher generally castigated by all for his error.

Kate Summerscale has succeeded in writing ... Read More:
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.Seven Troop
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: Andy McNab

September 12, 2008
A sad but very much needed work on the nasty realities of soldiering, this book recounts the very moving descent into unhappiness and despair some of McNab's best mates endured in the aftermath of service.

From this book it seems clear that the Regiment is an unnatural substitute for normal family life for young men, i.e., wife and kids are replaced by comradeship, which perhaps becomes foundational for a subsequent dysfunctional life for some of the guys. It means that when they leave there is a sense that they've lost the focus or foundation of their daily existence. And of course, the exposure to the cutting edge of modern military adventurism is the other key factor destabilising the mental health of special forces soldiers, with ... Read More:
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.Apache
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: Ed Macy

September 01, 2008
What an incredible true story Ed Macy delivers in "Apache".Detailing the the harsh brutal realities of war in Afganistan and the incredible devotion and bravery our troops display daily.This book is a great read for those not interested in military matters as much as for those that are.Utterly compelling and the "Jugroom Fort" chapters are so engaging you'll not want to put the book down before you finish them.

Absolutely recommended.
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.Resistance: Memoirs of Occupied France
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: Agnes Humbert

September 01, 2008

When the German army invaded Paris in 1940, Agnes Humbert a strong minded, politically aware art historian, immediately knew that she had to 'do something', the thought of accepting the invasion was anathema to her and she helped to form one of the first organised groups of the French Resistance. The speed with which this was set up and began to operate was staggering. She had excellent contacts and friends in literary and journalistic circles and an underground newspaper, combating the German propaganda machine, was printed and circulated around Paris. It was simply amazing that they managed to keep this going and out of the hands of the authorities for nearly a year before they were betrayed and she was arrested and thrown into prison. Seven ... Read More:
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.Nella Last's Peace: The Post-war Diaries of Housewife 49
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
from: Profile Books Ltd

October 02, 2008
If you enjoyed the original 'Nella Last's War' then you will enjoy this second volume just the same. The end of hostilities doesn't mean the end of either Nella's writing, or her talent with words and observation. It also certainly does not mean the end of hardship and difficulty. I drove to Barrow on the strength of the first diary and was very fortunate to meet the present owners of Nella's old house - they actually bought it off the Last family forty years ago. Just sitting in her old living room, where all those words had poured onto the page, brought Nella and her time tangibly closer. I heartily recommend this book.
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.Kitchener's Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, Britain's Oldest Man and the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: Henry Allingham

October 02, 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!

Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.

The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.

The whole book is delightful - a personal ... Read More:
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.Gangs II
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: Ross Kemp

September 25, 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!

Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.

The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.

The whole book is delightful - a personal ... Read More:
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.Perverting the Course of Justice: The Hilarious and Shocking Inside Story of British Policing
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: Inspector Gadget

September 02, 2008
I have never picked up a book written about the police force or written by a policeman. Not a subject I was particularly interested in, till I came across `Perverting the Course of Justice'.
I couldn't put it down. It is the most interesting - and disturbing - book I have ever read. If what IG (Inspector Gadget), says is true - and I have no reason to doubt his words - then the UK's criminal classes have never had it so good. There are guidelines and laws the police have to follow which are dreamt up by government officials and agreed by the powers that be, that are ridiculous. I can't think of a better word to use? There are targets - government targets/figures - to meet which means that one crime is worth more than one which might not be easy to solve.
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.Gomorrah: Italy's Other Mafia
City Travel Guides > Books > True Accounts
by: Roberto Saviano

October 03, 2008
I have never picked up a book written about the police force or written by a policeman. Not a subject I was particularly interested in, till I came across `Perverting the Course of Justice'.
I couldn't put it down. It is the most interesting - and disturbing - book I have ever read. If what IG (Inspector Gadget), says is true - and I have no reason to doubt his words - then the UK's criminal classes have never had it so good. There are guidelines and laws the police have to follow which are dreamt up by government officials and agreed by the powers that be, that are ridiculous. I can't think of a better word to use? There are targets - government targets/figures - to meet which means that one crime is worth more than one which might not be easy to solve.
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