A review by vraper
The Colour of Blood by Brian Moore

5.0

The best book I've ever read. It's a thriller, but light years above a beach read. A tour-de-force of spare writing that poses fascinating ethical questions about the relationship between church and state in a communist society. The writing is elegant and spare, menacing and atmospheric. The character of Stephen Bem is fleshed-out and non-cliched. He's a flawed man faced by meaningful personal dilemmas. Moreover, it's a novel of violence with rare gunplay or physical brutality. Instead there's a brooding sense of 'polite menace'. When shots are fired, they mean something. The world has changed - emotionally and politically forever... A wonderful, brilliant book that truly values human life and decision-making.