Posted by Brian on Sunday, Feb 10, 2013
I love true crime. “The Imposter,” a documentary by Bart Layton, is a true crime story that’s hard to believe. It’s about the disappearance of Nicholas Barclay, a 13-year-old boy from San Antonio, in 1994. He's found alive in Spain three and a half years later. His sister jumps on a plane to bring him home, but is this boy really Nicholas?
We, the audience, know that it’s not Nicholas. The man impersonating him looks vaguely like Nicholas, but how are the boy’s family members being fooled? There’s a palpable tension as to why the family doesn’t notice that there’s now a stranger living in their home. Soon a private investigator takes interest and this hard to swallow story takes a chilling turn... I recommend “The Imposter” to anyone who enjoys true crime or a good documentary.
About the Author
Brian works as the Senior Adult Services Librarian at the Iowa City Public Library.
To me, The Collapsing Empire felt like a modern Dune with it's sprawling universe and political machinations. It also reminded me of Game of Thrones because of its multiple point of view characters. The author, John Scalzi, is very...I don't know, SCALZI-ish? He's definitely an author where you're either going to like him and his style or you're going to go somewhere else for your spaceship fix. I loved the book and am eagerly awaiting the next installment. -Brian