In Extremis has earned its place on my favourites shelf. An interview with Lindsey Hilsum on The High Low placed this book high on my to-read list, and I'm so thrilled that I have read this excellent biography of Marie Colvin.

For those who don't know, Colvin was a foreign correspondent latterly for The Sunday Times and reported from across the Middle East, Chechnya, East Timor and Sri Lanka where she lost her sight when she was shot by the army. She was killed by government forces in a Syrian airstrike in 2012 at the age of 56.  Pulled together from interviews and Colvin's numerous personal diaries, Hilsum draws an excellent portrait of a formidable woman whose life was one of contradictions - living between the dangers of a war zone and a desire to find stereotypical romantic happiness at home.

Her achievements in East Timor and Chechnya were unknown to me, and I feel grateful for her bravery in forcing people to see what they did not want to see. In an era where journalists are constantly dogged with accusations of bias it is inspiring to read of someone who had 'the faith in humanity to believe that someone will care' about her work. I really, really recommend this.