Expert – DaneCobain.com

Tom Nichols – The Death of Expertise | Review

Title: The Death of Expertise

Author: Tom Nichols

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 254

Rating: 4.5/5

This is easily one of the best non-fiction books that I’ve picked up this year and so I was a very happy bunny. It’s also pretty cool because it was recommended to me by one of my clients, to the point at which he paid for me to purchase a copy of it.

It’s basically all about the way in which everyone thinks they’re an expert today. We overrule doctors because we can Google our symptoms, but we also overrule experts in their different fields instead of taking their hard earned advice.

This is a huge problem, of course, but it’s even more of a problem in the midst of a global pandemic when people are convincing themselves that there’s some sort of secret conspiracy to deprive us all of our liberty by getting us to wear masks in shops. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I found this book more enjoyable than I normally would have because of the time in which I read it.

Arguably my favourite example in the whole book was that of American attitudes towards military action in Ukraine. It turns out that the less people knew about the Ukraine, the more likely they were to demand military action. Those who thought it was in Australia or South America were those who were most likely to support military involvement. What a world, man.

Learn more about The Death of Expertise.

Peter May – Cast Iron | Review

Title: Cast Iron

Author: Peter May

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 408

Rating: 7/10

Peter May – Cast Iron

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.

There’s a pretty interesting concept behind Cast Iron, and I liked the way that the book’s title refers to a type of alibi. This book is part of a series following Scottish forensic expert Enzo Macleod as he researches a number of cold cases as the result of a bet that he made. It’s a bit like what would happen if Dave Gorman was on CSI, and I thought that it was an interesting quirk. It’s also worth noting that despite being the sixth (I think!) book in the series, it works just as well as a standalone – this is actually the first Peter May book that I’ve read, although I’ve heard of him before.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think that there was much more than that to make this book stand out in a competitive market. It was a strongly written whodunnit and it was a pleasant enough read, but while I would say that it’s worth reading, there isn’t anything in particular that makes me want to suggest you should go out of your way for it.

That’s not to say that I wouldn’t consider reading the rest of the series. After all, it’s a professional quality release from a man who’s sold over a million copies of his books, and so you know that it’s going to be competent. If you’re happy with competent then it could be the book for you, especially if you’re a Francophile and want to be immersed in the country’s culture in a murder mystery that will keep you turning through the pages.

Peter May

I suppose it’s just that there are so many crime novels out there on the market that I think I’d rather spend my time reading through Agatha Christie’s work or introducing myself to as many different crime writers as possible. Now that I’ve read this one, I’m curious about the rest of the series, but I don’t find myself compelled to read it, as I sometimes do with other authors.

So overall, it’s a book with a few things going for it, but it’s not going to blow your mind. It might hook your attention and keep you rolling until the end, but it won’t necessarily make you think. It’s your call!