The Suspect - Michael Robotham

I was given this book by my colleague at work who knew I had an interest in psychology so naturally I had to give it a try. The beginning of the book is enthralling and I was hooked instantly. The story follows a murder case and we follow the persona of Joseph O'Loughlin who is a psychologist assisting the police with their enquires. At first you don't learn much about him even though we have a first person view. There are secrets which kept me reading wishing to know more. As the book continues, you meet many characters and learn more as the book progresses but as you learn more there is still more you do not know. The characters are developed slowly and therefore provides a richer knowledge of each character which makes it harder when you discover who was the murderer.

I did find that the chapters were a little disjointed in the beginning as Robotham introduces new characters. Even though this is somewhat frustrating you do find that as you get pulled into different directions you as the reader are investigating each character. I found myself assessing which characters could have committed the murder and which ones I could discount. Joseph O'Loughlin does make his mind up pretty quickly and I felt as though this happened too fast, making the book slightly uncomfortable in a way in which I felt as though things are going to go wrong. However, I was desperate to know who had committed the crime but equally desperate for it to be a character I had not met yet.

There were parts of the book where I felt it were dragging slightly making me slightly frustrated and wanting to know who had committed the murder. I'm not the most patient person so that may just have been me. However, once you know who the murderer is you are desperate for that person to get caught. There are a few twists which you can spot coming but yet when they do you are still shocked which makes this book very hard to put down. The ending is fantastic and is as enthralling as the beginning of the book with a twist you do not expect making the ending unique. The book ends as it begins and left me wanting so much more. I was left with a disappointment that the book was finished as it was fantastic and I immediately looked up other books by the same author.

In conclusion, although Robatham's style is a little disjointed, I found this book absolutely fantastic and I couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes their crime thrillers or anyone who likes a good book. I feel like it appeals to a variety of audiences and provides something for everyone.

What are your thoughts?

Thank you for reading my review.

Next book review: "The Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens"

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

With my interest in Psychology, it would be a crime if I did not read the most famous self help book in the business. I have to be honest here ... I picked up this book over a year ago and have only just finished reading it. It is a book that you can dip in and out of but I found that most of the "principles" were common sense. However, it is always nice to have a reminder of the ways in which you can deal with different personalities. 

I guess the main reason that I stopped reading it for a while was because of the other fantastic books I had on my shelf to read which grabbed my attention more than this book. Initially, you are told how to get the most out of the book which is great but they are a little outdated in our modern world and if you follow them it makes the book feel like a chore and, therefore, hard to enjoy. However, this does not mean that the principles are not important or that they cannot be used today. In fact as I was reading them, I could already see times that they could be used and when I had used them previously. 

However, the biggest flaw in the book is that the principles are basic common sense and I felt like I wasn't learning anything new which is what most people look for in a self-help book. It must be taken into consideration the fact that the book was written in 1953 and was probably revolutionary at that time. Nowadays, I believe these are things we have incorporated into our society which renders the book outdated. 

The anecdotes used by Dale Carnegie are an excellent way of captivating the reader and provide examples of the principles in action. The way they are written makes you feel like you were there listening in. Unfortunately, Carnegie uses a lot of references to the American Presidents which can get annoying and makes it feel like he did not have any other examples to hand. 

Overall, the book provides some good principles which you can use in everyday life when mixing with different people. However, it may take some time to get through the book as the principles are common sense and that makes it harder to read continuously. 

What are you thoughts?
Thank you for reading my review.

Next review: "The Suspect - Michael Robotham"