Pleading Guilty - Scott Turow

Advantages: Superb characterisation
Disadvantages: The plot isn't stunningly original

...This is the first Turow book I've read and I have to say that it is considerably better than the latest of Grishams attempts. The characters are engaging, the story intriguing and the combination leads to a thoroughly enjoyable read. The book is written in first-person and told through the eyes of a lawyer, George Mason, who is defending the main character in the novel, Robbie Feaver, who is also a lawyer. After a bank account that his firm uses to bribe judges is discovered he is 'persuaded' by the FBI to help them build a case against Bredan Tuohey, the judge at the centre of the corruption. The story follows Feaver, his partner, several FBI agents, Feavers dying wife through the garnering of evidence by wire taps and cameras. Whilst the story never falls into predictability it is not highly original, what makes this book... Read review

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Advantages: Continues the story, strong character interaction, funny
Disadvantages: More wordy than previous, not as strong a plot

...: a little OTT I think); and also the Michael/Charity problems. This however, isn't a major disadvantage, and I'm sure the only negative effect of this is that Proven Guilty won't be your favourite in the series. I am slightly biased though. I think if Butcher was too write his name on a paper bag I would score it highly as I love his work so much, but I think that though this book is more wordy, and relationship-orientated, it is because Butcher is gearing up for something big in the next book. Important points are made and discussed which seem imperative now, and will probably be more so in the future books. Therefore, Proven Guilty is a good novel, but I think its more filler than anything else, and is important for the future as major points are discussed for the first time, and a new major character too. So read. You may not be amazed... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Superb nugget sized tips, fits the camera bag nicely
Disadvantages: None

...There are lots of big shiny books out there that tell you all about digital photography and while many of these are great books, they can be a little intimidating too. Scott Kelby, author of many of the better photography boooks out there has now come up with the antidote. The Digital Photography Book is a mere 200 odd pages and is just slightly bigger than A5 in size yet contains a whole lot of useful information that will almost certainly improve anyone's photography. I was initially wondering quite what Scott Kelby had been smoking as the first few pages were somewhat surreal. Even the author noted they included lame (his word, not mine) humour. After that somewhat shaky start the book morphed in to something far better. Each page is a self-contained tip or concept, often with an inspiring image for illustration. The text... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful