Wulf's Book Reviews

A Grave in the Woods by Martin Walker My rating: 2 of 5 stars Martin Walker certainly knows his history and it shows in “ A Grave in the Woods ”. Bruno, beloved rural policeman in France’s Dordogne region , still in convalescence from his injury from the previous novel, is charged by his mayor with investigating a grave dating back to World War II. Added to the mix is Abby, an American archaeologist who retreats to Saint-Denis to evade her “crazy” crypto-currency ex-billionaire ex-husband turned hacker. (Yes, I kid you not.) There’s also major flooding, which Bruno must manage and try to prevent further damage from. While the broad historical excursions are certainly interesting, anything “mysterious” doesn’t take up much space here. We never get to the bottom of the mystery around Abby and her ex-husband or his shady international dealings. We never get to actually know why he tried to hack Bruno and the police. We also never learn what happened to those bodies in the concealed gra...

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein My rating: 1 of 5 stars A children’s tale glorifying an abusive relationship with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer Shel Silverstein's “ The Giving Tree ” is often celebrated as a classic of children’s literature, yet, reading it now, I struggle to see the appeal. Where contemporaries in the genre – such as Maurice Sendak's “ Where the Wild Things Are ” – bring subtext, wit, and magic, Silverstein’s approach here is relentlessly didactic. The narrative, centring on a boy’s lifelong (abusive) relationship with a perpetually self-sacrificing tree, bludgeons the reader with its message of unconditional giving to the point of tedium. “The Giving Tree” has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The story’s moral simplicity feels not only outdated but, frankly, rather joyless. One leaves the tale with a sense of manipulation, not enlightenment. This might suffice for those in search of finger-wagging parables, but for those yearning for depth or n...

Husband Missing by Lisa Regan My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’m a fan of the entire Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan . Sadly, “ Husband Missing ” left me disappointed on several levels. It started out well: Josie is summoned to the crime scene of a mysterious murder. On her return home, she finds everything in disarray and, worst of all, her husband, Noah, is missing and there’s blood… Of course, Josie wants to investigate, but is quickly sidelined because both cases seem to be linked. Josie, hardly able to keep a coherent thought, goes on a wild goose chase that leads her to her own past — including the late Lila Jensen. We get lots of “big emotions” from Josie, but not much of the police procedural that I expected. Turner and Gretchen from her team make some appearances, but for most of the novel, we’re solely following Josie and her stumbling attempts to make sense of the whole convoluted drama that ensues. And, honestly, much of it doesn’t make much sense. Least of all does the all-to...

First Blood by Angela Marsons My rating: 4 of 5 stars Every legend starts somewhere — and Kim Stone’s begins in blood. After finishing all “regular” entries of Angela Marsons' Kim Stone series , I remembered reading about a prequel. “ First Blood ” was quickly discovered and read with glee. It’s the story of how Kim meets her new team for the first time and gets thrown quickly into a gruesome murder. As can be expected from a Kim Stone novel, the mystery was engaging, relevant, and full of suspense. We also get a closer look at all of the team members much earlier in their careers: Stacey has just moved to CID and is rather insecure but quickly discovering her most important skills. She is far from the self-confident, married woman she becomes but already very likeable. » Stacey was proud of her Nigerian heritage even though she had never stepped foot outside England and was equally proud to be British. « Dawson, at this point, is an insufferable arse: he prefers sleeping in his ...

Adolf Hitler: Die Jahre des Untergangs 1939-1945 Biographie (Adolf Hitler. Biographie 2) by Volker Ullrich Meine Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen Präzision, Quellenfülle und historische Tiefe – Ullrichs Blick auf den Diktator im Untergang hilft. Geschichte verstehen, Gegenwart erkennen, Zukunft sichern. Meinen Worten aus meiner Rezension des ersten Bandes dieser herausragenden Hitler-Biographie von Volker Ullrich ist eigentlich nicht mehr viel hinzuzufügen. Die gleiche klare, präzise und ausnahmslos zielsichere Sprache kommt der inhaltlichen Darstellung zugute. Über 3000 Einzelbelege, die in den Anhängen dokumentiert sind, unterstreichen die Aussagen und Interpretationen Ullrichs. Nach einer kurzen Einleitung schildert der Autor Kapitel-intrinsisch und insbesondere in späteren Kapiteln auch übergreifend chronologisch von der weiteren Entwicklung Hitlers nach den “Jahren des Aufstiegs”. Dabei beleuchtet Ullrich insbesondere die von ihm als besonders prägend dargestellten Abschnitte: 1 Die...