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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2623 KP) rated Watching the Detectives in Books
Sep 12, 2025
Decorating with a Dead Body Is Not Recommended
When this book opens, it’s been four days. Only four days since Ellison Russell was chased by a killer clown. Ellison has decided it is time to redecorate her husband’s study, and she’s brought in Khaki White, one of her potential boyfriend’s ex-wives. But Khaki is the go-to decorator among the country club set, so Ellison is getting a quote. That is until her housekeeper calls with car trouble, and Ellison runs out to get her. The two women return to find Mrs. White dead in the study, shot by a revolver. Can Ellison navigate the latest dead body in her life?
It has been too long since I read the previous book, but I was quickly back in Ellison’s world. I enjoyed seeing what was going on with the characters, and I’m hopeful the love triangle has been put to rest. Her mother wasn’t quite as overbearing in this book, which was appreciated. The 70’s are brought to life with plenty of great details, and some of the politics of the day. Fortunately, the content the series has had that keeps it just outside of cozy for me was toned down in this book. The mystery gets a little sidetracked, and the ending is weaker than I like, but it still kept me going. Ellison’s dry wit narration is a delight and keeps me smiling if not laughing. Hopefully, it won’t be so long before I revisit the characters.
It has been too long since I read the previous book, but I was quickly back in Ellison’s world. I enjoyed seeing what was going on with the characters, and I’m hopeful the love triangle has been put to rest. Her mother wasn’t quite as overbearing in this book, which was appreciated. The 70’s are brought to life with plenty of great details, and some of the politics of the day. Fortunately, the content the series has had that keeps it just outside of cozy for me was toned down in this book. The mystery gets a little sidetracked, and the ending is weaker than I like, but it still kept me going. Ellison’s dry wit narration is a delight and keeps me smiling if not laughing. Hopefully, it won’t be so long before I revisit the characters.
Appointment in Paris
9.0
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Following an acclaimed debut outing, Harry Fox, an MI5 Watcher, now suspended, and his associate...
Spies WW2
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Girl in the Ice (Erika Foster book 1) in Books
Mar 5, 2023
26 of 235
Book
The Girl in the Ice ( Detective Erica Foster # 1)
By Robert Bryndza
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice…She is not the only one.
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.
The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.
What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?
As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.
The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong… resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?
I really enjoyed this! I was still guessing right up till the end it was fast paced and a really good read! I think Erica Foster is a character that has to grow on you but she did about half way through! Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Book
The Girl in the Ice ( Detective Erica Foster # 1)
By Robert Bryndza
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice…She is not the only one.
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.
The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.
What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?
As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.
The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong… resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?
I really enjoyed this! I was still guessing right up till the end it was fast paced and a really good read! I think Erica Foster is a character that has to grow on you but she did about half way through! Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2623 KP) rated Dead Man's Hand in Books
Nov 29, 2023 (Updated Nov 29, 2023)
The Chip in the Dead Man’s Hand
The cold, snowy weather that Flat Skunk, California is having this January doesn’t hide a dead body, especially since the body is found hanging in front of one of the stores in town. While it would be easy to rule it an obvious suicide, the sheriff finds evidence that leads him to believe it is murder. Naturally, Connor Westphal sees the chance to get a big news story for her paper, but she can’t get a handle on the story. What is the meaning of the chip from the nearby Indian casino found in the victim’s hand? Or does the victim’s drug dealing have anything to do with his death?
This book didn't have quite the feel of the other books in the series, and some of the regulars were absent or weren't around much. Having said that, I did still enjoy seeing Connor one last time. She makes an interesting and strong main character. I also enjoyed getting to see more of her service dog. The plot was strong and I didn't see the ending coming at all. I enjoyed seeing how things had changed for deaf people even in the short time between when the series started and this book, which came out in 2007. There is much more foul language than is typical for a cozy. This is the final book in the series, and I really liked where Connor wound up. I'm sure that other fans of the series will be happy as well.
This book didn't have quite the feel of the other books in the series, and some of the regulars were absent or weren't around much. Having said that, I did still enjoy seeing Connor one last time. She makes an interesting and strong main character. I also enjoyed getting to see more of her service dog. The plot was strong and I didn't see the ending coming at all. I enjoyed seeing how things had changed for deaf people even in the short time between when the series started and this book, which came out in 2007. There is much more foul language than is typical for a cozy. This is the final book in the series, and I really liked where Connor wound up. I'm sure that other fans of the series will be happy as well.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Titane (2021) in Movies
Mar 22, 2022
Titane is a truly mind bending experience, with several layers to work through to get to its core. It's been marketed as a sex fuelled body horror, which it certainly is to a degree, but beyond that, it's a fascinating character drama between two people who are coasting through life with their own separate issues. It's a love story that explores grief to an uneasy level, and dives headfirst into gender fluidity in the modern world. It's a bold vision that uses horror to great effect. To delve into the details any further would defeat the whole point of how the narrative unfolds - definitely recommend going in as blind as possible.
Agathe Rousselle is a revelation in the lead roll, an actor who certianly comes across as steadfast and fearless in her first feature length project. I'm excited to see what she brings to the table in the future. Vincent Lindon by comparison is a veteran of the industry, and the two of them share a chemistry that is equally electric as it is uncomfortable.
It's wonderfully directed by Julia Ducournau, who has crafted a visually striking and vibrant piece that will worm it's way into your brain and stay there for a while. Between this and her last film Raw, she surely has a big part to play in the future of the genre.
Titane isn't an easy watch, and is sometimes challenging, but is ultimately rewarding, and certainly unique. A modern body horror that gets under the skin in more ways than one.
Agathe Rousselle is a revelation in the lead roll, an actor who certianly comes across as steadfast and fearless in her first feature length project. I'm excited to see what she brings to the table in the future. Vincent Lindon by comparison is a veteran of the industry, and the two of them share a chemistry that is equally electric as it is uncomfortable.
It's wonderfully directed by Julia Ducournau, who has crafted a visually striking and vibrant piece that will worm it's way into your brain and stay there for a while. Between this and her last film Raw, she surely has a big part to play in the future of the genre.
Titane isn't an easy watch, and is sometimes challenging, but is ultimately rewarding, and certainly unique. A modern body horror that gets under the skin in more ways than one.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2623 KP) rated Live, Local, and Dead in Books
Oct 15, 2022
Politics Makes for a Bad Cozy Mystery
Jaye Jordan is making a go of it at the local Vermont radio station she has bought. However, some of the changes she has made haven’t been hits with all her neighbors. When she finally has enough with two of them protesting outside her station, she takes their gun and fires it into a snowman. Unfortunately, the snowman was hiding the dead body of Edwin Anger, a conservative talk show host whose syndicated show Jaye had just taken off her station. How did he get there?
A body in a snowman is an intriguing premise, so I went into this book with high hopes. Sadly, it was obvious fairly early on the book wasn’t going to deliver on them. The problem starts with the characters. While Jaye and the rest of the obvious series regulars are fun characters, the cast is filled with conservative stereotypes that are the worst examples of liberal views of conservatives. Meanwhile the main characters said some things that made me roll my eyes. The plot was a series of events with hardly any investigation at all. More specific complaints would get into spoiler territory. There was quite a bit of (mostly mild) foul language as well. While the book does have some genuinely funny moments, they felt at odds with some of the things that were going on in the story. I kept reading, hoping the author had something up her sleeve that would redeem the book, but it never happened. I recommend you avoid this book.
A body in a snowman is an intriguing premise, so I went into this book with high hopes. Sadly, it was obvious fairly early on the book wasn’t going to deliver on them. The problem starts with the characters. While Jaye and the rest of the obvious series regulars are fun characters, the cast is filled with conservative stereotypes that are the worst examples of liberal views of conservatives. Meanwhile the main characters said some things that made me roll my eyes. The plot was a series of events with hardly any investigation at all. More specific complaints would get into spoiler territory. There was quite a bit of (mostly mild) foul language as well. While the book does have some genuinely funny moments, they felt at odds with some of the things that were going on in the story. I kept reading, hoping the author had something up her sleeve that would redeem the book, but it never happened. I recommend you avoid this book.
Garbage (The SPARK Files, #1)
10.0
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Evan isn’t brave. But when he hears a group of Human Firsters attacking a garbage collection...
MM Science Fiction Romance Hurt/Comfort
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated The Body Electric in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[Beth Revis] does it again with [The Body Electric]. In this futuristic world things are not always what they may seem. Ella is miserable due to the death of her father and the impending death of her mother. She just wants to be happy and make her mother happy. Unfortunately there are dark secrets hidden that will turn her world upside down.
If you have been wise enough to read the [Across the Universe] trilogy (and if you haven't you should, NOW) you will recognize the wonderful writing style and storytelling as well as references to Godspeed. [Revis] imagines a dark yet hopeful future. She does a magnificent job of showing both the good and evil of the human spirit.
If you have been wise enough to read the [Across the Universe] trilogy (and if you haven't you should, NOW) you will recognize the wonderful writing style and storytelling as well as references to Godspeed. [Revis] imagines a dark yet hopeful future. She does a magnificent job of showing both the good and evil of the human spirit.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Art of Racing in the Rain in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Wow! The best thing I can say about this book is READ IT! I adored it.
Anyone that has ever loved a dog will love this book. It is written with so much heart & love poured in to it. I cried my way through it & didn't want it to end at all. But thankfully the ending was very well written & provided good closure. Enzo didn't need his soul to leave his body to come back as a man, he was very much a human even though he was a dog. This story really got to me as I often refer to my dog as a person. He has so many expressions, it's hard to think of him in any other light.
Anyone that has ever loved a dog will love this book. It is written with so much heart & love poured in to it. I cried my way through it & didn't want it to end at all. But thankfully the ending was very well written & provided good closure. Enzo didn't need his soul to leave his body to come back as a man, he was very much a human even though he was a dog. This story really got to me as I often refer to my dog as a person. He has so many expressions, it's hard to think of him in any other light.