A review by thelaurasaurus
The Information Officer by Mark Mills
4.0
Set in Malta during WWII, this book covers the British occupation (if that's the correct word, I think Malta was part of the Commonwealth then) and the Maltese reaction to it. Although, it's really more about Max, an army officer who is investigating the murders of some local girls which seem to have been committed by another Brit. Golly.
The level of historical detail included was fascinating, I knew nothing about Malta's part in the war and was interested to learn what an important role it played.
Despite appearing quite readable, I did struggle to get through this book. The chapters are insanely long which makes sitting down to read a little feel like a big commitment. I also found the characters a little stale for my liking. I didn't have any issues with them individually but I felt like I knew the murderer best of all (he got his own chapters, offering an insight into his damaged mind). They were all a bit jolly hockey sticks/stiff upper lip/'insert other wartime British stereotype here' for my liking.
I preferred this book to The Savage Garden, Mills' previous work, which I seem to remember had the same character issues for me. I will certainly read his other books at some point because the good stories and interesting writing outweigh my complaints.
Oh, another thing. On the cover picture there is a fallen column on the bottom left - does anyone else think this looks like a seal? It's very distracting!
The level of historical detail included was fascinating, I knew nothing about Malta's part in the war and was interested to learn what an important role it played.
Despite appearing quite readable, I did struggle to get through this book. The chapters are insanely long which makes sitting down to read a little feel like a big commitment. I also found the characters a little stale for my liking. I didn't have any issues with them individually but I felt like I knew the murderer best of all (he got his own chapters, offering an insight into his damaged mind). They were all a bit jolly hockey sticks/stiff upper lip/'insert other wartime British stereotype here' for my liking.
I preferred this book to The Savage Garden, Mills' previous work, which I seem to remember had the same character issues for me. I will certainly read his other books at some point because the good stories and interesting writing outweigh my complaints.
Oh, another thing. On the cover picture there is a fallen column on the bottom left - does anyone else think this looks like a seal? It's very distracting!