The Reticent Executioner

The Reticent Executioner: A dystopian world deserves a dystopian detective, and London just got hers by John Fullerton

I was enjoying this book until I reached a point just over one-third of the way through when I came upon the hero being described as “tatterdemalion” at which point I began to thoroughly enjoy it.

A well-written story with excellent plot and characters, offering a sliver of hope against the rising tide of neo-nazi bigotry that seems to be set to overtake our civilisation.

A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear

A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling

Obviously well researched and told in a quirky and kaleidoscopic style. This book is an intriguing look at how the dream of a certain subset of Americans fares in real life.

“-it turns out that all mammalian brains, including the ones nestled inside human skulls, use dopamine to control what social scientists call ‘motivational salience.’ It’s the all-important cognitive process that motivates us to move toward desirable and pleasurable outcomes, like hugs and cheesecake, and to move away from dangers, like gunfire and Reddit forums.”

In an interesting blend of Noir Detective and Science Fiction, author Ben H. Winters tells the tale of a young police detective’s investigations during the pre-apocalyptic days before a deadly asteroid collides with Earth.

Right up there with Le Carre or Len Deighton, John Fullerton’s trilogy tells of the sometimes exciting, but often dull, life of a spy during the Cold War. The author worked during this time as a “contract labourer” for Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service while employed as a newspaperman, freelance journalist and then Reuters correspondent. He obviously knows his stuff.

Book covers of the Brodick Cold War Thriller  trilogy