Despite January’s reading success, I couldn’t get it together in February. January ended in a rather upsetting fashion for my other half and his family so settling down to read a book when my mind was going at 100mph wasn’t easy. I would manage around 10 pages before throwing the book I was reading down in frustration. Due to that, 2 books were completed in February and I’m slightly mad at that fact.
The first book I finished was I’m Travelling Alone by Samuel Bjork. The title of this intrigued me and I’m rather pleased with myself for picking it up as it’s one of the few books I’ve read recently that has kept me guessing until the end.
I’m Travelling Alone opens with a 6-year-old girl found hanging from a tree with a sign saying “I’m travelling alone” around her neck. The story is then handed over to Mia; a former cop who is getting ready to commit suicide. Mia and the investigation into the 6-year-old girl become intertwined and while their story is being told, another one in the form of a religious cult begins to sneak its way into the book. A significant amount of characters are needed for this whole plot to come together so admittedly, I felt myself getting a little lost at times but I’m Travelling Alone kept my attention.
I didn’t actually guess how the ending was going to play out until around 10 pages from one of the big reveals. The entire book was cleverly written and the short chapters really helped maintain the pace of the story and also add a sense of urgency. If you’re a fan of Scandinavian crime books, I’m Travelling Alone is a fantastic read.
The Professor of Truth by James Robertson was the second book I read in February. I’ve seen this book sitting in my parents’ house for a while now and I’ve always wondered about it. The Professor of Truth is based on the Lockerbie bombing and the idea that the wrong person was convicted. It weaves fact with fiction and actually borrows the story of Dr Jim Swire, a man who lost his daughter in the bombing.
Alan Tealing, the main character, has lost both his wife and young daughter in the bombing and is adamant that the evidence in the trial was false. An ex-CIA agent dying of cancer comes to visit Alan Tealing to inform him in the most round-about way possible that his suspicions are correct and that leads to Alan going to Australia for answers.
I found this book extremely difficult to get into at first as it was just so dull. The fact it’s based on a true story usually makes things interesting for me but it just wasn’t working for The Professor of Truth. It wasn’t until I very slowly reached page 110 that I started to really pay attention. The plot came into its own in the last 100 pages and, while I found the ending to be odd, I don’t think it could have ended in any other way.
While I wouldn’t recommend The Professor of Truth to everyone, I would urge anyone with any degree of interest in the Lockerbie bombing or terrorist activity in general to read this. It’s not the most captivating of stories but it makes you think about whether the conspiracy is the actual truth or not.
Despite my disappointment with my efforts in February, I’m happy with my choice of books and now I can finally stop wondering what The Professor of Truth is all about. Hopefully, March will be a more productive month for reading otherwise I’ll never reach my reading goal.
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