Rating: 
Summary: War's Hardship Clearly Portrayed
Review: John Fullerton's excellent book "The Monkey House" clearly describes civilian hardship in Sarajevo during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War. The author paints his story in shades of grey -- there are no highlights for civilians during wartime. Finding food and shelter while battling constant fear is exhausting. Decency is subordinated to staying alive, and patriotism is a luxury. Wartime permanently mars survivors. The attitudes survivors learn remain with them, and these attitudes affect survivors for the rest of their lives.This book describes police superintendent Rosso's investigation of a murder. The murder was ordered by a successful gangster, drug smuggler, and profiteer whose gang acts as wartorn Sarajevo's civilian militia. A subplot describes an American reporter's experiences in Sarajevo, and contrasts the reporter's affluent lifestyle with the lives of those around him. The Bosnian settling is relevant today because UN peacekeeping efforts continue in Bosnia today. John Fullerton has portrayed war's long-lasting hardship within a clearly written and interesting novel, an impressive accomplishment.
Rating: 
Summary: the desperation of life in the war zone
Review: Rosso, an honest cop in wartorn Sarajevo, tries to solve the murder of a police informant. Meanwhile, the Serbs are attacking the city, his detectives are mostly corrupt or stoned, his wife is drinking anything she can get her hands on & his sort-of-adopted daughter is cavorting with a Croat strongman. Fullerton was a foreign correspondent & covered the war in Bosnia. He vividly portrays the desperation of life in the war zone and the near lawlessness of Sarajevo adds additional tension to a fairly straightforward mystery. GRADE: B-
Rating:
Summary: the desperation of life in the war zone
Review: Rosso, an honest cop in wartorn Sarajevo, tries to solve the murder of a police informant. Meanwhile, the Serbs are attacking the city, his detectives are mostly corrupt or stoned, his wife is drinking anything she can get her hands on & his sort-of-adopted daughter is cavorting with a Croat strongman. Fullerton was a foreign correspondent & covered the war in Bosnia. He vividly portrays the desperation of life in the war zone and the near lawlessness of Sarajevo adds additional tension to a fairly straightforward mystery. GRADE: B-
Rating: 
Summary: Good description of life during the siege on Sarajevo
Review: The plot is OK, but this book gives you a great idea of what it was like to live through the harsh Sarajevo winters when the city was under siege and the western world didn't really care yet. I was posted in Sarajevo with SFOR for several months (after the siege-in 1997) and found the descriptions of the city very realistic
Rating:
Summary: A good war report, but the thriller?
Review: This book is written with great style and capability. You
will live three days of life of Sarajevo, as if you were
there. Unfortunately, the "thriller" part of it is not
intriguating, even if the author had some good ideas. Too
much real life (remember that Fullerton is a war-journalist)
and not enough excitement.
Rating:
Summary: A good war report, but the thriller?
Review: This book is written with great style and capability. Youwill live three days of life of Sarajevo, as if you werethere. Unfortunately, the "thriller" part of it is not intriguating, even if the author had some good ideas. Too much real life (remember that Fullerton is a war-journalist) and not enough excitement.
Rating:
Summary: a review of an excellent book (by charlotte)
Review: Well all i can say is that this book is the by far the best book i have read this year. It is stunningly gripping written with obvious style and talent. It is not a book to be missed.
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