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This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
Much loved and much reviewed already on this thread. I thought it was brilliant and can't believe it's been lurking unread on my bookshelves for so long. However being stuck at home was an excellent opportunity to become immersed in Fitzroy's adventures in the southern oceans.
I'd forgotten how much I enjoy a seafaring tale. Sacred Hunger, Nostromo, The Star of the Sea and The North Water were all excellent. I must hunt out some more books like these.
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Disgrace by Jussi Adler-Olsen
A crime novel with a good central idea: a group of boarding school pupils carry out a series of increasingly violent attacks and later, once they have become successful, rich and well-known members of Denmark's elite, are threatened by one of their friends who has dropped out of society and turned against them.
Another example of a decent plot badly let down by a clunky translation. On almost every page there's a piece of dialogue that bears no relation to what someone would actually say:
"I'm here because I've heard that this establishment is the epitome of good manners". What policeman talks like that?
Or: "He sounds slow, but that's probably just emotions blocking the free word"
Or; "She laid her hand on her breast, which was meant to indicate that either he left or she'd leave her senses"
I could do better myself and I don't even speak Danish. I persevered to the unlikely end but shouldn't have bothered. Not recommended.