Review: Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire

Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire by Barry S. Strauss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Over the span of two centuries, the Jews revolted against Roman rule again and again and again, eventually leading to the Jewish expulsion. Strauss’s book explores the history of how Rome came to rule over ancient Judea, what led to the revolts, what was involved in the revolts, and what the consequences were. He focuses on key individuals and important battles. He shows how the struggle between Rome and Parthia (Persia) made Judea such a spark point: in ways evoking how modern-day Cold War and post-Cold War conflicts put modern Israel on various fault lines.

It is a fascinating look at how Rome operated in its provinces, how it interacted with its neighbors, and its subject nations and peoples (in particular, of course, the Jews). It also interesting to see the ways the Jews in ancient Judea saw the Romans, the Parthians, and themselves. The extent of Jewish presence throughout the Roman empire: both in terms of the diaspora as well as in the ranks of the army and bureaucracy was new to me.

It is worthwhile historical study: highly approachable, engaging, and well-documented. The one knock is that I didn’t love the narrator on the audio version; he had a slight accent that at first distracted me. I eventually got used to it.



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Review: A Deadly Act

A Deadly Act by Jonathan Dunsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the fifth novel in the wonderful series that follows an Israeli hard-boiled detective in Tel Aviv. This one is set in 1951 and focuses on a murder of an actress. The case turns out to be much more complicated than Lapid expected. I thought I had it figured it out, but it was well-down red herring. There is an interesting backdrop of the Israeli elections and different factions/parties.

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Review: The Poet

The Poet by Michael Connelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jack McEvoy and Rachel Walling both show up in later novels, so, being the completist that I am, I had to come back and read this. It is gripping and horrifying: pedophiles and serial killers are the stuff of nightmares. It is not as good as the best Bosch novels, but as good as the better ones. McEvoy has some of the briskness and impatience of Bosch, but otherwise he is more introspective and emotional. His motives, being torn between the story and hunting the killer, also give the story a different tenor than Bosch novels.

One of the more fascinating elements of going back to this book is how much technology has changed. Fax machines, pay phones, dial-up internet, flip phones. It's kind of crazy; and how much these changes affect the way mysteries/thrillers are told: the investigation here would be so different in today's world. It would be all encrypted cell phones, dark web, and bitcoin. Not pay phones, bulletin boards, and wire transfers.

I think given how this book ends up fitting into the Bosch universe, the red herring and twist is less surprising. Yet, Connelly is so good at creating tension and suspense, even knowing what is going to unfold, it is still heart pounding.


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