I'm Ruben — an IT professional based in Belgium with a long-standing obsession with crime fiction. I've been reading murder mysteries since I first picked up Agatha Christie as a teenager, and I haven't stopped since.
Dead.Page is where I write about the books I read. Not summaries, not star ratings slapped on a cover image — actual opinions. What worked, what didn't, whether the twist earned it, and who I'd recommend it to. I cover everything from Golden Age whodunits to Nordic noir, hardboiled American classics to contemporary psychological thrillers.
I read widely but not indiscriminately. I care about prose, about character, about whether the mystery is constructed with genuine craft or just gesture at one. I'm not interested in reviewing books I can't say something honest about.
What I read
No subgenre loyalty — I follow quality wherever it leads:
Review policy
I buy or borrow most books I review. I occasionally accept review copies from publishers or authors — if I did, I say so at the top of the review. A free copy never changes my opinion. I won't publish a review I don't mean. If a book isn't working for me I either abandon it or write honestly about why.
Affiliate links: where I link to Amazon, I use an affiliate link. If you buy through it, I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only link to books I've reviewed and would genuinely recommend. Full details on the disclosure page.
Want to get in touch?
Review requests, recommendations, corrections — all welcome.