Tumbleweed

by Janwillem van de Wetering

The second in the Amsterdam detective series and probably better than the first as the characters of the detectives develop alongside the plot. These books maybe 30 years old but I still think they are a great train read. 8/10

Abbé Mouret's Transgression

The fifth book in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series.
I found this book different from the previous four. It was not so peopled and had a very dream-like feel to the key central part of the book. The garden descriptions were fantastic and when I get around to putting this book on the website I will try and include a page on the flowers of the paradou.
Am I alone in hating the hero by the end? 7/10

Link: www.emilezola.info

Three books

Body Double by Tess Gerritsen
Very easy read and a good thriller that I read in a short space of time. 7/10

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
A classic American novel I guess. I read this right around the time I visited New York (it has definitely changed) which made it more interesting. These characters are all pretty horrible and you will certainly not believe a word you read in the press after this. I did not rate the ending that highly but the rest was great. 7/10

Outsider in Amsterdam by Jan willem van de Wetering
A crime thriller based in Amsterdam and the first in a series. This was off the wall and amusing in parts as well as a conventional who dunnit. I really enjoyed it and will read more in the series. 8/10