Rating: 
Summary: Surprising
Review: I'm not a particular fan of espionage, and I picked this book up without any great expectations. However I was pleasantly surprised. This is not genre writing as such, rather a good honest memoir. It is well written, has strong, well drawn characterizatons of Bannon's acquaintances, and he has the knack of relating totally engrossing scenes. The setting is interesting, and I was very impressed with the historical detail, and the knowledgeable interpretation of complex events. Perhaps best of all, however, was the way the book captured the alienation of individuals exiled from their own countries, drawn into a web of espionage in order to fight international crime. No simple judgements here, just a fine slice of realistic writing. I shall be reading anything by David Bannon I can lay my hands on, and recommending him to anyone who will listen!
Rating:
Summary: the hype is not hype about this one
Review: I read many, many books, but I have yet to find a book I could recommend to all of my friends. However, I could recommend 'Race Against Evil' to any one of them. Such a rare thing. The book helps remind us that we are all somewhere on the sliding scale of normality and yet humans are capable of the most evil acts. Bannon is no hero, but he's no villain, either. He's somewhere in-between just like the rest of us. 'Race Against Evil' took me two days to read and prompted me to write my first book review. Make of that what you will.
Rating:
Summary: Harrowing yet compelling
Review: In a world that seems to have no regard for personal and private accountability, let alone public accountability, this book sticks out like a sore thumb. David Bannon is one of the most human and humane writers around. 'Race Against Evil' stands up like an Old Testament prophet and is not afraid to point the finger and speak the truth. Bannon was on the ground fighting child sex rings, and he does not flinch from writing about what he has seen, what is etched indelibly into his mind and soul. It is not pleasant reading, but it is abook that we should all read, if only so that we can then lobby the Government to ask why justice has not been done.
Rating:
Summary: Reflections on a life
Review: If you want to read about the most brutal crime since the Holocaust, then this is the book for you. The introduction, consisting of a precis of Interpol history leading up to the present, is the best such guide that I have read, and I doubt that it will ever be bettered. After this the book describes the journey that Bannon, and his colleagues, took into the heart of the horror in the 1980s. I have worked on child abductions for a little while now, and I have seen a little of that horror myself. But Bannon's descriptions of the experiences of the survivors (and of the far more numerous dead) made me feel that I was hearing the stories for the first time. We all become a little jaded from time to time, and a degree of mental toughness is good in life, but occasionally we need to be reminded of the extent of loss that events like this involve. Not simply the loss of life, but the loss of trust, the loss of hope and the loss of "humanity" as a component of people's characters. "RACE AGAINST EVIL" reminds us of that with evident anger, compassion and shame.
Rating:
Summary: Harrowing yet compelling
Review: In a world that seems to have no regard for personal and private accountability, let alone public accountability this book sticks out like a sore thumb.
David Bannon is one of the most human and humane writers around. 'Race Against Evil' stands up like an Old Testament prophet and is not afraid to point the finger and speak the truth.
Bannon was on the ground fighting child sex rings, and he does not flinch from writing about what he has seen, what is etched indelibly into his mind and soul. It is not pleasant reading, but it is abook that we should all read, if only so that we can then lobby the Government to ask why justice has not been done.
Rating:
Summary: A book for the hard to offend
Review: This book was the first I have read by David Bannon and to be honest it was so good it could be a Hollywood movie. Incredible feelings and gruesome storyline together with a romance side story. I LOVED IT! This book sits well with casual reader. Its just so entertaining, just like a good movie. The descriptions of the crimes against innocent kids are very delicately handled, leaving much to the imagination, but even that could turn a weak stomach. God only knows how the author lived through this stuff. Quite frankly I'd rather not know. I would definitely recommend this book, I don't think anyone would regret reading this autobiography.
Rating:
Summary: Appealing
Review: A really wonderful book, highly recommended. Suspense with romance and quirky humor. The atmosphere is perfectly set. Also a very appealing and sympathetic first-person memoir. The book has it's own distinctive and appealing voice. I can't wait for more!
Rating:
Summary: A damn fine read
Review: This is a book whose ambiguously heroic heroes share a ruthlessness with its villains and yet which never ceases to draw a clear line between the merely wrong and the profoundly wicked. Along the way, both the nature of the underlying crimes and the smart moves needed to track them down are recreated with remorseless ingenuity. Bannon has the skill to recreate methods of criminals who are at once insane and terrifyingly real. From start to finish it keeps you gripped with a different take on true crime autobiography. Twist and turns that will leave you gasping.
Rating:
Summary: How does a civilized society deal with an uncivilized enemy?
Review: This is an excellent book. I particularly liked the way that Bannon took the time at the beginning of the book to explain the recent history of Interpol, and how Bannon adapted in such an incredibly violent background. It put everything into perspective for me as I read further into the book. Bannon touches on several sensitive areas in the book. For example, the premise that came to mean death for child trafficking smugglers - that a civilized society cannot allow such men to live. This meant that the governments co-operated closely to ensure that Interpol agents could complete their work. It also meant that countries had to bend several laws, so that cops could help. Bannon had to live with himself, though. And this is what the book uses to keep you on the edge of your seat. You get a very real impression of just how powerful, resourceful and cruel Interpol was. And you also get a real feeling for how hopeless the situation of Bannon was - with child smugglers one step ahead of them all along. There's even twists of sorts - as Bannon explains the quirk of fortune that allows his own capture by enemies. Superb book - well researched in areas that were not in Bannon's personal experience and well constructed to maintain the suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Troubling, dark, compelling
Review: You might wonder how anyone could write publicly about such brutal murders. However, this memoir is an excellent explanation of why Bannon was compelled to delve further and further into his own history and attempt to tell about Interpol and child porno rings. He is refreshingly candid about his own failings, motives, and desires. Somehow he manages to maintain his very high standard of writing despite the upsetting material. I found the book gripping and throughly absorbing.
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