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September 19, 2008 11:05 AM

BOOK REVIEW: The Bad News Bible by Anna Blundy

I loved the first Anna Blundy book I read, Neat Vodka, and was extremely excited when I got to the end and found it was part of a series... and then a little disappointed when I realised it was actually the third in the series and I hadn't read the first two.

The Bad News Bible is the first book in the Faith Zanetti series and it's every bit as brilliant as Neat Vodka. In this book, journalist and foreign correspondent Faith has been sent to Jerusalem to cover, well, whatever horrendous events she comes across. And, as I'm sure you can imagine, she comes across plenty. 

Faith is supposed to be working on a story about a mole in the Israeli army, but then her best friend and fellow journalist kills herself and Faith finds herself working on that story too. Then the mother of a missing child comes to see Faith to ask if she has heard anything about child trafficking...

I know, it doesn't sound much like chick lit, does it? As I said in my review of Neat Vodka, if chick lit means written in the first person, featuring a single woman with a humorous voice, then Anna Blundy writes chick lit. If chick lit means shoes and cocktails, then it's not (although there are many cocktails imbibed in this book).

And The Bad News Bible, while frequently darkly funny, is also harrowing. It's an easy read in that it is so lightly and entertainingly written (like watching a film), but the subject matter isn't easy at all. It's fascinating, though, and I learned a lot about Israel. (As with the descriptions of Russia in Neat Vodka, Israel is conveyed brilliantly.)

I'm not sure whether to say don't be put off by the plot, because some people I'm sure would find it too upsetting, but at the same time, it would be a shame to miss such a brilliant series.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Neat Vodka by Anna Blundy

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Posted by Keris on September 19, 2008 in British Authors, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink

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