Snowdrops

I actually bought this book several months ago; a handful of good reviews combined with the setting, Moscow (I've been fascinated with Russia since my teens, and wrote my university dissertation on the Russian presidency) piqued my interest, but somehow I never got around to reading it. I only remem......more

The Booker nomination for this novel is a surprise; essentially, it is a rather unsurprising and mostly mediocre thriller with bits of good prose, few surprises and ultimately little payoff. Why was it chosen by the Booker committee as important enough to be included in the shortlist? The structure......more

A British lawyer, Nicholas Platt, is working in Moscow in the hectic, free-for-all, Wild East days of the new Russia. By day he helps negotiate huge bank loans to facilitate Russia's economic development. These deals involve a number of shady characters and questionable assumptions, but Nick is caug......more

I first heard about this novel on The Review Show on BBC2 and was intrigued enough by the discussion to break my resolution about not buying any more books until (a) they were available for Sony eReader; and (b) I was ready to read them. But right from the exquisite jacket design, I was so gripped wi......more