Review: Gone Girl

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lovely thriller with a totally different premise altogether. There is a supposed murder but it is not, there is a slighted wife but she is not and there is an an almost philandering husband. This plot makes interesting read and I loved the way the author's narration in first person account of both husband and wife alternating it every 3-4 pages. Slowly as the reader progresses,he or she delves into the devious personalities of the scheming couple and you are stunned by the climax.

Actually this would be a better read for people who went in blind, not watching the brilliant movie written by the same author. Since I had seen the movie before, I thought it was better than the book. But then the movie took 2 hours and the book took me 2 weeks so it will be unfair on my part to rate the book based on the movie. Director David Finch has done a wonderful job with its tight editing the move comes out a winner all the way through. The only reason it cost a star was there was something very jarring about the prose which I couldn't quite get over. Otherwise it was a brilliant book.

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Review: The Railway Man

The Railway Man by Eric Lomax
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Moonlight Mile

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A splendid and a fabulous account of the demise of a much-touted tech start-up and its larger-than-life persona of its CEO. The book reads like a thriller and there is never a dull moment when you feel like putting away the book for a couple of days. The story is about the rise and fall of Theranos, the rising unicorn in Silicon Valley.

The author, a Wall Street Journal investigative reporter had first published the story in the reputed newpaper. He has meticulously collated the details and put together a very detailed account of how the CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her COO Sunny Balwani lied their way to the top, misleading their investors, customers, patients and the regulatory authorities to set up a multi-billion dollar enterprise which eventually collapsed like a pack of cards. At the end of this saga, I felt that Elizabeth Holmes was never lured by money but the thought of succeeding in a man's world to the extent that she disregarded to her moral conscience in pursuit of fame and success.

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Review: Separation of Power

Separation of Power by Vince Flynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Fifth Woman

The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My first Henning Mankell and I am not impressed. Whether I would read another Mankell ? Yes I would. Kurt Wallander is interesting considering that it is one the most popular Nordic detective around. The series shows some promise.

This book is set in cold and wet Sweden, as I am given to understand most of Mankell's books are. The hunt is on for a serial killer who is on a killing spree of old gentlemen. There were some characters or instances placed in the book which did not seem to have any connection to the ongoing plot and neither could I comprehend their role. The book started off smoothly with the tension building up, plots thicken leading to the elusive killer and finally the climax is sort of a slight letdown.

I took a long time to finish off this. But did I enjoy the book ? Yes. I will try one more Mankell given the choice.

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Review: Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS

Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The moment I saw this book on GR, I put it on my list. I was always intrigued by the growth of this terrorist organisation and its origins. This is a definitive and exhaustive account of the origins and rise of ISIS and its most famous leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and some background on his successor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The book also delves on the political scenario in the Middle East especially Jordan and its neighbouring countries, Syria and Iraq and how the ISIS laid its foundation in these countries exploiting the strife of the Shia-Sunni sects. Fantastically written and thoroughly engrossing.

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