FROM EINSTEIN TO IRELAND

I have just finished reading The Einstein Girl by Philip Sington [to be reviewed on Euro Crime] and started The Rule Book by Rob Kitchin.

Rob Kitchin works at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, where he is a Professor of Human Geography and Director of the National Institute of Regional and Spatial Analysis. He has written sixteen non fiction books and The Rule Book is his first venture into crime fiction.

At the start of The Rule Book I like the way Rob breaks the considerable tension of this police procedural with a humorous but very accurate social comment.

"Myself and Peter go way back," McEvoy explained. "John's our bright young thing. Has a doctorate from Trinity in sociology, which sharpened the mind but didn't exactly provide a career path, if you know what I mean."

I do know what he means especially as my daughter has a first in sociology from University of Sussex, and is unemployed.

One of my son's friends recent decided to train as an infant teacher. He told us that one morning he was instructed on how to laminate the children's course work, and he thought that was far more useful to his future career prospects than his three year philosophy degree.