ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror
Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan (Simon & Schuster)
****
Book buff
A US journalist and a Middle East analyst join forces to produce this rigorous account of how the world’s most organised terrorist army rose to power from its beginnings as “al-Qaeda in Iraq”. We meet the key players, their efficient modus operandi: the slick snuff videos, recruitment via Skype and Twitter, and the divide-and-rule conquest strategy. Weiss and Hassan discuss the group’s success in managing the functions of a state, the mistakes the US has made in handling Islamic State, and why we should all be worried. Most revelatory are the comments by various interviewees, from jihadis to former US military officials. – Catriona Ross @CatrionaWriter
Mr Smiley: My Last Pill And Testament
Howard Marks (Pan Macmillan)
*** (3 stars)
Drug kingpin Howard Marks gets out of jail at the beginning of this book and then behaves in a way that seems guaranteed to put him back inside. He is supposed to be charmingly rakish, but comes across as foolishly egotistic. He’s a good raconteur, though, and Mr Smiley paints a picture of what is involved in being a drug smuggler – most of which entails being paranoid. Marks’s search for a legendary stash of ecstasy is the central narrative of the book, but while that focus is diverting, its outcome is unsatisfactory. Ultimately, what your mother told you still makes sense: the man offering you strange pills is not trustworthy. Smile and back away slowly. – Bruce Dennill @BroosDennill
Night Music: Nocturnes, Volume 2
John Connolly (Hodder & Stoughton)
*** (3 stars)
With his delicate and slightly chilling prose, Connolly is a writer of distinction, best known for his Charlie Parker series. That Connolly is also a dab hand at the short story is proved by this, his second volume of tales that are magical, unsettling, supernatural and funny. Take the Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository where famous literary characters go when their original creator dies – imagine what happens when the resurrected Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty meet? Superb. – Aubrey Paton
Book details
- ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror by Michael Weiss, Hassan Hassan
EAN: 9781941393574
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- Mr Smiley: My Last Pill and Testament by Howards Marks
EAN: 9781509809677
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- Night Music: Nocturnes: Volume 2 by John Connelly
EAN: 9781473619722
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