Pro votes cited the timeliness and relevance of the subject matter. Some said it was thought provoking, realistic and terrifyingly plausible. Many admired the protagonist, Kate Lockhart.
Con votes cited the novel as being over long, tedious and boring. Negative comments were made about the myriad characters and the complicated plot.
The novel was published in the United Kingdom under the title "The Bell Ringers". Most Whodunit members favoured the UK title over the American one. Not a mystery, but a political thriller - and one of the lengthier novels read by the Whodunit Club, it was bound to provoke lively discussion and it did!
Members spoke of their own experiences with personal security, relaying travel anecdotes and general observations of how technology has impinged on our personal freedoms.
In "The dying light" Henry Porter made a near-future Britain sound like a totalitarian state. "Many of the details of Porter's vision are naturally invented, but the threat posed by the state is all too real". The subject matter is dear to his heart. After a two-year campaign to protect British freedoms, Henry Porter was called to give evidence to a panel of peers and MPs assessing whether a Bill of Rights is necessary for Britain today. Click here to read his impassioned submission.
The June book giveaway winners:
1. Carmella
2. Margaret
3. Lynne
4. Marlene
5. Brian
Whodunit will NOT be meeting in July!
The club will reconvene on August 27th when we will discuss the novel "Close your eyes" by Amanda Eyre Ward.
Also, Whodunit members are encouraged to bring reading suggestions to the August meeting. Here is your chance to recommend a favourite author or title.
