Reviews

Turning Point: The Vietnam War, NetflixThe new five-part documentary series on the Vietnam war, now available on Netflix, charts the course of the war and skilfully explores how the Vietnam debacle has weakened American democracy and continues to do so. It may lack the subtlety and incredible show-d

It is a curious fact, strange but true, that the best books on Spain are written by foreigners. It is impossible to think of Andalucía without Irish writer Gerald Brenan springing to mind. The lives and careers of the poet Lorca and film-maker Buñuel are likewise synonymous with anothe

With this book Dr Kennedy, a lecturer in Scottish history at the University of Dundee, provides a substantial analysis of crime in late seventeenth-century Scotland. The limitation is ‘serious’ crime, which is to say that prosecuted in the Justiciary Court, the central court with crimina

The bland generalities, often of pure hatred, in a war of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ take on a different perspective when faced directly with one of the enemy. A live prisoner of war may attract sheer animosity, or worse, but the remains of a dead combatant, by definition not exuding

Professor Richard Susskind, as is probably well-known, graduated in law from the University of Glasgow, and then obtained a doctorate on computers and law at the University of Oxford, where he is a visiting professor. His publication list is now commendable. This new book, How to Think about AI: A G

The slightly weary thought on seeing another new book on Mary Queen of Scots has already been suggested in Scottish Legal News. Deciding whether there are too many books on this particular Queen must depend of course on what the latest author has to say, given the very many others in or out of print

Society’s problems arising from the growing number of those who live with Alzheimer's disease are projected to develop into an even greater crisis within a few decades.

George Craig (1783-1843) made his living as a lawyer, banker and land agent, through judging the character and credit of others, and he was immersed in the local community. He had a social conscience through his dealings with the parish poor, and he was also the treasurer of the Galashiels Savings B

Brian Jenkins is the latest writer to consider Madeleine Smith, who, he opines, was in many respects a less than appealing figure, although she has never wanted for biographers. A brief glance at a few bibliographies suggests that this is the 23rd book on the case, as well as many dedicated chapters

From the Second World War the dynamics of the vast overseas empire of the United Kingdom began to change, although certain former colonies had gained significant powers before then. The end of the empire, in the sense of complete political and legal independence, came about very quickly in the late

Dorothy Parker was celebrated in her time as a poet, a critic and a writer. Above all, she is cherished today for her acerbic wit. But she is less well-known for her Hollywood screenwriting career which spanned three tumultuous decades. Parker detested Hollywood from the very start – despising

Autocracy, Inc is a small book, with a dark paper cover, that sets out in disturbing detail the attacks, overt and covert, by autocrats everywhere on liberal democracies and open societies. The concept of autocracy is where one person governs with all the power, and that is defined by the author as

Many of the earlier books on famous crimes may require to be revisited, and this comprehensive new book by Halle Rubenhold demonstrates why. A standard description of the events of and around Dr Crippen’s activities constituted "one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century".

‘County lines’ is a sub-genre, but not a lesser one, of the lucrative business involving controlled drugs. It is constituted by goods being moved from across police and other domestic boundaries. The transportation is sometimes (although not always) by children, vulnerable people or othe

A new book aiming to restore India's place in the ancient world is a treasure trove of insight and anecdote, writes Kapil Summan. On 1 September 1783, the 24-gun man o' war HMS Crocodile arrived in Madras. A Porcupine-class warship late of the British defeat in America, its most precious asset was t