Linda Barker

Advantages: An interesting read
Disadvantages: A little bit gory in places

...The Bone Vault written by Linda Fairstein is the latest book that I have just read. I have not read any of this Author's previous works although I was aware that the predecessor to this novel, the Deadhouse, was an International best seller. This book fits neatly into the category of crime fiction but the authenticity of how Met Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper handles the crimes in this gripping story is what sets this book apart from many books on a similar theme that I have read. This may have something to do with the fact that the Author of this work, Linda Fairstein is America's foremost prosecutor of crimes, specialising in the area of sexual assault and domestic violence. Linda Fairstein has run the Sex Crimes Unit of the District Attorney's Office in Manhattan for more than 20 years, and it is without a doubt that in this book... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Slick use of gruesome material
Disadvantages: Some plotlines unresolved

...One thing is always true about Clive Barker’s novels: He will disturb you. “The Damnation Game” was my first experience with Barker, and is the first I’ve decided to read again. The surreal horrors conjured within these pages leaves me breathless. This novel delivers all the terror and stomach-turning prose that made Clive famous. The usual glurge from Stephen King about Barker being “the future of horror” adorns the cover, and King is right on the mark. However, be warned that Barker is NOT the future Stephen King; Barker is too unique to be sold as a contemporary author. This novel features four key characters, and a wide assortment of supporting cast members. We have Mamoulian, also known as the Last European, the central antagonist of this tale. Also enter Joseph Whitehead, the thief, whom we... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A first hand insight into deep depression
Disadvantages: A Disturbing Read

...“Out of the Dark” is an auto-biographical account of abuse by Linda Caine and co written by her psychotherapist and now friend Robin Royston. On the face of it, Linda Caine appears to have an idyllic lifestyle and have plenty of blessings that many people would pray for. Yet she is also suffering from a terrible depression that is causing her to consider taking her life on several occasions. This book is an account of how she overcame that depression and is set roughly between 1988 and 1991. She married her loving husband Chris in 1974, having met at school in Africa – where they were both raised. The years of Linda’s life covered by this book are in fact set in Canterbury, Kent, where the family have lived more or less from the day they married. Chris is a successful barrister and his legal practice has the Archbishop... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful