Barbara S

I loved this book; it's a great adventure story with lots of surprising twists in the plot. The author, Hanna Tinti, has a vivid imagination and a wonderful sense of humor. Readers will be cheering for Ren, the tough little orphan who is missing one of his hands; he's spunky, smart, and loyal. I highly recommend this book.

Linda Fairstein is a former Sex Crimes Prosecutor from New York City, and her knowledge of the law makes this book both educational and entertaining. She tackles two different cases in this novel.

Alex, Cooper, the main character in Fairstein's novels,retries a case using new DNA evidence in a rape trial which resulted in a hung jury 30 years previously. Fairstein does a great job in describing the emotional scars which linger for the victim after so many years.

The second thread in the novel revolves around a present day serial killer who brutally rapes and murders his victims. Fairstein does a great job of solving the crime in a way that keeps the reader guessing until the end.

This is historical fiction at it's best; I knew very little about the Bangladesh war for independence before reading it. This is Tahmima Anam's first novel, but hopefully not her last. She writes beautifully with vivid, poetic descriptions. All mothers who read this book will understand the courage, faith, and love for her children shown by the main character, Rehana.

Since Pakistan is in the news so much, this book really sharpens the reader's understanding of the complex religious and political problems in that region of the world. I could not put it down; I stayed up until 2AM reading it, and finished it the next morning.