This was a well-written book that has clearly been brilliantly researched. However, the first look was difficult to read - not from a writing style point of view but because of the amount of violence and graphic descriptions. I understand the author wanted to make a point about how terribly prisoners were treated but it was fairly horrific to read. Some people enjoy reading books with this amount of gore in them, I don't. At least not without having some more context and there being more that has happened in the book before you are launched into a blood, gore, pain and suffering section.