Book Log 2012 #17: Dying Light by Stuart Macbride
The second book in the series featuring Logan "Lazarus" McRae, we find our detective transferred to the squad of misfits led by the similarly inept DI Steel thanks to a botched raid that's left a fellow officer in a coma. Stuck trying to rehab his reputation surrounded by losers, he finds himself on two investigations - one the slaying of prostitutes, the other a string of deadly arsons - though only one belongs to his squad. McRae sees solving the prostitute case as his way out - but so doesn't DI Steel, who takes every opportunity to claim credit.
Very much a worthy successor to Cold Granite, with the added office politics a nice counterweight to the crimes. There's also further developments in the relationship between McRae, his newspaper contact and the medical examiner who's dated them both, which adds an interesting (if a bit uncomfortable) personal note. Looking forward to reading the third book.
17 September 2012
Book Log 2012 #16: DNA USA by Bryan Sykes
Sykes is a geneticist who has used studies of mitochondrial DNA to trace our roots back to a small number of common female ancestors, as recounted in an earlier book The Seven Daughters of Eve. And if you've not heard of that book, you will run across mentions of it three or four dozen times in DNA USA, which the publisher says gives a "groundbreaking examination" of the country based on its citizens' genetic code.
Except that most of the book is not about that at all. The first part (or "movement," ugh) talks about how scientists have used genetics to get a clearer view of human development and migration. This is where you'll hear the most about Sykes' previous books, generally to explain why he's not going into detail over a given subject or finding. It makes sense in context, at least to start, but it happens enough to feel a little off-putting.
The second part follows Sykes as he takes a cross-country road/train/plane trip, collecting saliva samples and stories from Americans to see what their genes say about them. There is some interesting stuff here - there's apparently a real issue with Native Americans and this sort of testing, which I'd never heard before - but there's also a fair amount of personal reflection on traveling with his son (and then his wife) which I didn't really care about.
The final, short section actually goes into the results, which are limited as only about 25 people were tested. This pretty much debunks the idea that this is some sort of "groundbreaking examination," though it gives Sykes material to make some sweeping yet unproven generalizations.
It's not written badly, and the first part is interesting enough. I get the feeling there's a better book about genetics and genealogy that could have come from this, though.
Sykes is a geneticist who has used studies of mitochondrial DNA to trace our roots back to a small number of common female ancestors, as recounted in an earlier book The Seven Daughters of Eve. And if you've not heard of that book, you will run across mentions of it three or four dozen times in DNA USA, which the publisher says gives a "groundbreaking examination" of the country based on its citizens' genetic code.
Except that most of the book is not about that at all. The first part (or "movement," ugh) talks about how scientists have used genetics to get a clearer view of human development and migration. This is where you'll hear the most about Sykes' previous books, generally to explain why he's not going into detail over a given subject or finding. It makes sense in context, at least to start, but it happens enough to feel a little off-putting.
The second part follows Sykes as he takes a cross-country road/train/plane trip, collecting saliva samples and stories from Americans to see what their genes say about them. There is some interesting stuff here - there's apparently a real issue with Native Americans and this sort of testing, which I'd never heard before - but there's also a fair amount of personal reflection on traveling with his son (and then his wife) which I didn't really care about.
The final, short section actually goes into the results, which are limited as only about 25 people were tested. This pretty much debunks the idea that this is some sort of "groundbreaking examination," though it gives Sykes material to make some sweeping yet unproven generalizations.
It's not written badly, and the first part is interesting enough. I get the feeling there's a better book about genetics and genealogy that could have come from this, though.
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