But although the ethics of war reporting has been done before, The Shot takes a new, unambiguously cold angle, presenting undeniably talented but shattered people doing their best to show a world they can’t understand. I assure you this opening is in no way gratuitous or prurient; it signals that we’re in for a wild ride, informing us that only “…three men at McAlester State Penitentiary had larger penises than Lamar Pye….

The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal. Westlake delivers a masterpiece with this brilliant, laser-sharp tale of the deadly consequences of corporate downsizing.

Everyone involved, whether a protagonist or a civilian caught up in events, has a different relationship with the conflict.

This book will lead you to question how well we can ever really know someone, while also teaching you much about Britain’s involvement in the Cold War and the history of the post-war world. Not because I don't think they're good people (although some of them are not: which is irrelevant to the art itself), but because I am not excited about their writing and I am not excited for other people to read it.

Warriors explored the claustrophobic nature of military life, and emphasised the inner battles experienced by each soldier. While The Living Weapon is a story of rage, death and revenge, which bubbles out onto the page in big action sequences. Focusing on blue-collar workers around the Midwest, Hoffman is able to parlay the individual difficulties and insecurities that face the working man in a changing world.