I am a big fan of Stuart MacBride and have enjoyed the other books in this series. I enjoyed the story and yes, the over the top characters too. For the first time in this series I found myself plodding along to get through a book. My foremost thought when I finished the book was, did he really need 528 pages to tell this story.
This 50 year old book provided a very nice pictorial history of ocean transportation.
This 50 year old book provided a very nice pictorial history of ocean transportation.
This book is a detailed account of the Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island 2003. It includes the events leading up to the fire and the years of legal wrangling that followed. The author introduces us to many of the victims in the chapters leading up to the actual fire. This made reading the second by second breakdown of the fires' first few moments hard because you had some idea of who these victims were. Greed and incompetence appear to be the two underlying factors that helped cause this tragedy. We are given a glimpse of the pain and suffering of the survivors and their families without the author overdoing it.
The last part of the book shows us how difficult it became to hold people responsible for causing the deaths of 100 people. The legal struggle to compensate the survivors and the deceased's families makes up the last section of the book.
The author was a plaintiffs attorney in the lawsuits that followed the fire. He had access to all of the investigative research done regarding this fire and presents it in an orderly understandable way. I enjoy reading this type of non-fiction but this book was harder to read because of the subject matter, 96 people perishing by fire in minutes, with 4 more passing away later from their injuries.
The last part of the book shows us how difficult it became to hold people responsible for causing the deaths of 100 people. The legal struggle to compensate the survivors and the deceased's families makes up the last section of the book.
The author was a plaintiffs attorney in the lawsuits that followed the fire. He had access to all of the investigative research done regarding this fire and presents it in an orderly understandable way. I enjoy reading this type of non-fiction but this book was harder to read because of the subject matter, 96 people perishing by fire in minutes, with 4 more passing away later from their injuries.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Being the same age as the author and growing up in the same area (Detroit MI) I have wondered what life was like on freighters plying the Great Lakes. This book answers these questions by following the authors summer employment on eight different ships. I came away with a good understanding of life on the lakes ships. The glamour I had always associated with these ships was slowly stripped away as the author describes the daily life of the crew on board. I enjoyed this glimpse into the life of a lakes seaman and came away with a better understanding of how this industry and its ships work. I think most people with even a passing interest in lakes shipping would enjoy this read.
Seized: A Sea Captain's Adventures Battling Scoundrels and Pirates While Recovering Stolen Ships in the World's Most Troubled Waters by Max Hardberger
Seized is a work of non-fiction about the maritime industry. Sound dry ? , not for a second. Each chapter in this book reads like a thriller. Captain Max Hardberger is a repo man that deals in ocean freighters. His adventures take him to ports all around the world. This book was as educational as it enjoyable. I had no idea that this sort of business even existed.
One of the worst books I have ever read.
Quick read,fast paced thriller. Was not sure where the ending was going but liked the way the author wrapped the story up. Familiarity with the geography of the area increased my enjoyment.
