Recent Reads
Dec 13th, 2007 by nick
Here are mini-reviews of a couple of books I’ve read recently.
The Burden of Proof by Scott Turow
I think this is the third Scott Turow book I’ve read, and I still can’t decide whether or not I like them. Although sometimes billed as legal thrillers, they’re generally more about the characters, with plots centering around aspects other than the trial or legal issue at hand. For example, in The Burden of Proof, very few of the 500 pages actually focus on legal aspects. Instead, the book is really about the protagonist, Alejandro Stern and his family relationships.
The Shapeshifter by Tony Hillerman
I’ve read most of Hillerman’s books, and thought this one was slightly better than some others I’ve read recently. Perhaps not coincidentally, I felt that Hillerman worked in a few more political points than usual, commenting on the Long Walk (or death march) of the Navajos, as well as US foreign policy in Vietnam. My only complaint about the book is that the motives of the antagonist were never satisfactorily explained.