Book Log 2018 #47: A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black

A newspaper tycoon dies from a shotgun blast, and it's up to Dublin police inspector Hackett - along with medical examiner Quirke - to figure out if it's suicide or murder, and if the latter, who pulled the trigger. Along the way they untangle the deceased's tangled web of personal and professional dealings, while Quirke also has to consider his assistant's relationship with the sister of the victim, both in light of the case and the assistant's burgeoning romance with Quirke's daughter.

I've always been a little on the fence about this series, and that feeling continued after reading this installment. The core mystery was OK if a little dull, and I still have no idea what women see in Quirke. But I'm into it enough to keep going.

 Book Log 2018 #46: Origin by Dan Brown

Everyone's favorite symbologist is at it again, as Robert Langdon goes to an event at the Guggenheim in Bilbao for a presentation that is said will change science forever... only to have it end in chaos. Langdon goes on the run with the museum's director, and the pair have to figure out a way to save this discovery from the forces allayed against them. Sound familiar?

Also familiar is the big reveal at the end, which (spoiler alert) claims to disprove that religion is a thing but isn't particularly convincing. I was able to come up with a reasonable counter-argument in about three minutes, and I am not a philosopher or theologian. Or a symbologist, for that matter. 

Probably fine for an airplane/beach/commute read where you want something that moves reasonably quickly, doesn't require a lot of thinking, and don't have any better options.

 Book Log 2018 #45: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

Elizabeth Holmes, a Stanford dropout with an interest in life sciences, founded a company called Theranos that claimed it could run dozens of lab tests and get accurate results from a single drop of blood. Hailed as a genius and a revolutionary, she attracted high-profile investors and grew the company to a valuation in the billions. 

Only problem was that the technology didn't work.

Carreyrou, who wrote on science and health for the Wall Street Journal, wrote a series of articles that questioned Holmes' claims. This would later grow into this book, which gives a comprehensive picture as to how Holmes and others at Theranos - most notably her business and romantic partner Sunny Balwani - were able to keep the secret about their technology while raising millions. Spoiler alert: it involves a lot of threats against lower-level employees.

Most notable for me in this was the way that former US Secretary of State George Schultz became so wrapped up in the company - and in personal regard for Holmes - that he ignored the warnings of his grandson, a biologist who worked at Theranos and knew first-hand that the company wasn't what it seemed.

I found this book fascinating, both for the main story about the company and all of the personal stories that intertwine with it. Holmes herself is maybe most fascinating in the "what exactly is her psychopathology" sort of way.

There's also a documentary, which I also recommend.

 Book Log 2018 #44: Potsdam Station by David Downing

Journalist turned spy John Russell is still out of harm's way, but fears for his son and girlfriend, both of whom are still in harm's way (on the Eastern Front and in an increasingly perilous Berlin, respectively). Russell tries to find a way to get back into Germany, but his plan has some unintended consequences. Which is kind of par for the course, given the number of scrapes Russell has been in while playing the Germans, Soviets, and British off of each other.

I've read a couple of reviews of the book, and tend to agree with them that the depiction of Berlin on the precipice of falling to the Soviets is much better than the actual plot lines. One of the reviews faulted the series for not depicting the main characters more richly (which holds some water, but I don't find them as one-dimensional as the reviewer did), while both found fault with Russell's ability to navigate Berlin once he returns (which I agree with in retrospect).

For all that, I do still like the series and am interested to see how the war ends for everyone.

 Book Log 2018 #43: War of the Wolf  by Bernard Cornwell

Uhtred of Bebbanberg has finally recaptured his ancestral home, But as you might expect, trouble continues to lurk, from both expected and new places.

This is the 11th book in the Saxon Tales series, and by this point you're either all in or have given up. If you're still somewhere in between, the series will apparently end with the thirteenth book, so you might as well finish.

 Book Log 2018 #42: Skyfaring by Mark Vanhoenacker

I heard about this book on Rick Steves' radio show/podcast, and was interested to read an account about flying written by a commercial pilot. I didn't expect it to be fully a tell-all/behind the scenes account, but I wasn't expecting something that was so reflective and philosophical. This actually wound up being more of a problem than you might expect, as I had a really hard time connecting with the book. Whether that was due to my expectations or that I don't have the sort of flying experience to fully appreciate the author's reflections I don't know.

Admittedly, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about flying, even when I am flying. I tend to think more about plummeting (or the continued lack thereof). I'm not a nervous flyer, but can't really sleep on planes and my brain likes to go places when it's not otherwise engaged.

In any event, I think this is probably worth checking out if you spend a lot of time in the friendly skies, either as a passenger or crew member.

 Book Log 2018 #41: I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

This is one of those rare (to almost being non-existent) cases where a book becomes its own story. McNamara, a journalist/blogger with a focus on true crime, became interest in a series of crimes from the 1970s and '80s that spanned California. She came up with the name Golden State Killer to emphasize the statewide nature of the crimes and focus the investigation into one perpetrator. She wrote and researched the cases, even getting the help of law enforcement after proving she could be trusted with sensitive information, and signed the deal to produce this book.

And then, in the middle of writing the book, she passed away unexpectedly.

This left her staff and her husband (the actor/comedian Patton Oswald) to organize her material and finish the book. In doing so they all pulled off the unexpected feat of both helping to uncover the identity of the killer and putting together a highly readable and engrossing work while mourning the loss of a friend and partner.

I don't read a lot of true crime, but liked this book a great deal and would certainly recommend it.