![Death of an Assassin: The True Story of the German Murderer Who Died Defending Robert E. Lee](/uploads/profile_image/f62/4034b9ce-d27e-4483-9977-63a4b3874f62.jpg?m=1522851295)
Death of an Assassin: The True Story of the German Murderer Who Died Defending Robert E. Lee
Book
From the depths of German and American archives comes a story one soldier never wanted told. The...
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Adam McKay recommended Hustlers (2019) in Movies (curated)
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Lindsay (1706 KP) rated The Scarlet Pen (True Color #12) in Books
Jul 10, 2021
We meet a young woman and her sweet talk lover Stephen. But will they end up getting married, or will Emma finally see what is going on with their beloved and find true love? We seem to follow Stephen's journey from his marriage proposal to a young woman to his eventful capture.
There a young man on horseback comes to visit and do some business. As the twist and turns show up. Something happens to make Stephen and his friend jump town; Stephen tries to keep Emma at bay and in the dark. Clay seems to want to help and protect her. Emma seems to want to defend Stephen. Why is that?
There seems to be a trail of banknotes that keep leading back to Stephen and connecting to Emma. Will Emma confront a man that may harm her and possibly kill her. Or will someone come and save her.
Who is this serial killer? Why is he doing it? Clay seems to get hints and information and then loses Richards while he is on the run. Will they all make it out safe? Will Stephen get caught, or will he run free. I felt terrible for the family that brings Clay to face the past that happened to him and his family.
The True Color series is a favorite of mine. The books are set in history and tell about true American crimes and have some fiction. These books are great for historical fiction fans and crime fans as well. This one has quite a few killings but not too much detail of the gruesome deaths. Enough to know how it happened. The stories transpire based on actual crimes in American history, but there is some friction that the author brings up in the book.
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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Making A Murderer - Season 1 in TV
Mar 3, 2020
What does make us want to know, and solve, and understand the worst criminal minds of the last century? Do we place ourselves as amateur sleuths and psychologists, so we can have our own opinions on a difficult subject, or do we just want to see the very worst of humanity to satisfy a need to be shocked? One thing for sure is that there is no end to this kind of docu-drama available, especially on Netflix, if we choose to stomach it.
I watched three recently in quick succession, and do feel like I have something to say about it…
First, was the extension of the Making A Murderer case of Steven Avery, which can be credited for re-imagining the scope of this kind of “reality” show on Netflix in late 2015. Without a doubt, the draw of the first series was in showing how corrupt, ambiguous and vague the American criminal system can be. We know this from circus shows such as the OJ Simpson case, that capture a curiosity in the public that must be explored and documented. There is no point in saying, no don’t do it, because eventually we have to know, and current forensic science and film techniques allow us to approach it. Carefully. Oh, so carefully!
In this case, the much criticised production extracts further detail from an undeniably fascinating case of criminal negligence and injustice, without ever providing a new revelation enough to definitively say we now know enough to put it to bed. It focuses largely on the power of Kathleen Zellner as a lawyer of impeccable motives and results to prove the innocence of convicted men.
What we then get is 10 episodes of contrivance that increasingly try to convince us further that this is a miscarriage of justice that must be addressed. The continual message is that there is a conspiracy here, which makes for good TV. Someone doesn’t want this show to have an influence. Who is covering up what? And why is the justice system adamant in disallowing the revelations this show throws up so regularly? In the end it becomes less about the victim and the crime, as an indictment of a process that does not want to be examined. The power of this show has always been that something is rotten in Denmark. But what exactly?
There is no doubt at all that once involved you have to keep watching. It is exceptionally presented, and therefore successful as an entertainment because of that. The complexity of the argument comes not in the real recordings of conversations and evidence, but in the form of presentation as a TV show. A question, I am certain, the film-makers themselves constantly ask. It is about finding “truth” for the families of the victims; a crusade that may or may not include individuals wrongly accused of a crime.
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JT (287 KP) rated The Highwaymen (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
That ambush was orchestrated by former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson), who were coaxed out of retirement by Texas Governor Miriam ‘Ma’ Ferguson (Kathy Bates) as the only ones capable of taking down the two outlaws.
The onscreen chemistry between Costner and Harrelson is great and the grumpy old men regail each other with tales of the past and how things have changed – not always for the better. It is this chemistry which holds the film together.
Their road trip takes them through quiet and sometimes picturesque Southern American landscapes and towns, as they retrace the bloodshed that Bonnie and Clyde leave behind. Bonnie (Emily Brobst) and Clyde (Edward Bossert) are seen but never heard and only glimpsed now and again, this subtle approach leaves the light to shine firmly on the long arm of the law.
The project itself was earmarked for a Paul Newman and Robert Redford pairing, something that I would have love to have seen given their previous work. As it was it fell to the hands of Costner and Harrelson who both do an admirable job.
![Brazil: The troubled rise of a global power](/uploads/profile_image/757/3f132bf1-4b3f-4569-b831-74b5fc882757.jpg?m=1522359666)
Brazil: The troubled rise of a global power
Book
A knowledgeable appreciation of a complex, vital South American giant, destined to be one of the...
![Walking to Camelot: A Pilgrimage Along the Macmillan Way Through the Heart of Rural England](/uploads/profile_image/926/6e57ec1f-5feb-46f1-b86b-42aebccd8926.jpg?m=1522338423)
Walking to Camelot: A Pilgrimage Along the Macmillan Way Through the Heart of Rural England
Book
John Cherrington and his 74-year-old walking companion set out one fine morning in May to traverse...
![Katori Hall Plays One: Hoodoo Love; Saturday Night/Sunday Morning; The Mountaintop; Hurt Village](/uploads/profile_image/6fc/bad1848c-1f45-4216-897d-3dd15a7526fc.jpg?m=1522329370)
Katori Hall Plays One: Hoodoo Love; Saturday Night/Sunday Morning; The Mountaintop; Hurt Village
Book
An important new voice for African-American theatre, Katori Hall explores the lives of black and...
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Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas
Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker
Book
Like the bestselling Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas, this book is a brilliant reinvention of...
![The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories](/uploads/profile_image/844/137a06ab-2b66-4fd9-84c9-6c2013999844.jpg?m=1522355906)
The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories
Book
The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories, edited by novelist and critic Malcolm Bradbury, is...