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Beyond Cold Blood: The KBI from Ma Barker to BTK
Book
Ma Barker and Pretty Boy Floyd once shot their way across the state, and Bonnie and Clyde were known...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2080 KP) rated Something’s Knot Kosher in Books
Apr 29, 2021
Bank Robbery or Murder?
Martha Rose is shocked when she learns that her good friend Birdie Watson’s husband, Russell, was killed in a robbery at the bank he managed. Even more surprising are the questions the FBI and local police are asking Birdie. They are making it sound like Russell was a target. Martha and her friend Lucy are concerned that, if Russell was a target, someone might go after Birdie next, so when Birdie announces that she intends to take Russell’s body to his home in Oregon to be buried, they are happy to think she will be out of town. Being the supportive friends they are, they plan to go along. Martha can’t help but start nosing around, and what she learns about Birdie and Russell surprises her. But are the authorities right? Was Russell a target and not an innocent bystander?
Since Birdie is one of the main characters in the series, we’ve met Russell before, but he’s never spent much time on the page. Here, he’s dead on page one. Still, over the course of the book, we learn quite a bit about him, and he becomes much more fleshed out than he has been before. The main characters are also strong. Some of the supporting players are stereotypes, but some of those characters also provided some comic relief, so it’s hard to complain too much. The mystery itself is solid. The pacing lags a bit when the characters are on the road, but I still appreciated how the author was able to pull off a mystery with two different main settings without the book feeling too disjointed. There’s just enough talk of quilting to whet my appetite, and we get some tips for caring for a quilt at the end of the book. I continue to be glad I gave this series a chance, and I look forward to my next visit with the characters.
Since Birdie is one of the main characters in the series, we’ve met Russell before, but he’s never spent much time on the page. Here, he’s dead on page one. Still, over the course of the book, we learn quite a bit about him, and he becomes much more fleshed out than he has been before. The main characters are also strong. Some of the supporting players are stereotypes, but some of those characters also provided some comic relief, so it’s hard to complain too much. The mystery itself is solid. The pacing lags a bit when the characters are on the road, but I still appreciated how the author was able to pull off a mystery with two different main settings without the book feeling too disjointed. There’s just enough talk of quilting to whet my appetite, and we get some tips for caring for a quilt at the end of the book. I continue to be glad I gave this series a chance, and I look forward to my next visit with the characters.
Ross (3282 KP) rated Evil Genius in TV
Jun 4, 2018
For fans of Making a Murderer
This 4-part series tells the story of the "pizza bomber", where a pizza delivery man walked into a bank with a bomb around his neck, walks off with a small amount of money, is cornered by police and eventually the bomb goes off, killing him.
This is told in great depth during the first episode, showing that "the victim" (?) appears to have been on a scavenger hunt that ended badly for him. The rest of the series then explores the people that the police and FBI linked to the crime and the evidence stacking up in the 10year case.
The series is as gripping as Making a Murderer, with as many oddball characters and unusual actions and events combining to form a very hard to solve case.
I quickly became angry that the authorities were more concerned with solving the bank robbery aspect than the murder, thereby assuming that what seemed to be a simple, mild-mannered man was involved in the crime.
A number of avenues and leads are introduced along the way (not to the same extent as Making a Murderer) and not all of these are closed off, leading to something of an anti-climax.
This is told in great depth during the first episode, showing that "the victim" (?) appears to have been on a scavenger hunt that ended badly for him. The rest of the series then explores the people that the police and FBI linked to the crime and the evidence stacking up in the 10year case.
The series is as gripping as Making a Murderer, with as many oddball characters and unusual actions and events combining to form a very hard to solve case.
I quickly became angry that the authorities were more concerned with solving the bank robbery aspect than the murder, thereby assuming that what seemed to be a simple, mild-mannered man was involved in the crime.
A number of avenues and leads are introduced along the way (not to the same extent as Making a Murderer) and not all of these are closed off, leading to something of an anti-climax.
The Goon Show: Four Episodes of the Classic BBC Radio Comedy: Volume 32
Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Eric Sykes
Book
Four more hilarious episodes of the groundbreaking BBC radio comedy starring Spike Milligan, Peter...
Darren (1599 KP) rated Marauders (2016) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Marauders starts when a bank robbery which leaves the bank manager executed, the president of the bank Hubert (Willis) has an excellent reputation and with the FBI investigating the robbery, Montgomery (Meloni) and his team Stockwell (Bautista) and newbie Wells (Grenier) try to put the clues together.
When the second heist happens, the fingers start pointing back at Hubert and a bigger conspiracy comes to the top with connection to a previous incident.
Thoughts on Marauders
Characters – Hubert is the bank president, he has always kept the face that the bank puts their customers first, but when his banks start getting robbed, he must deal with the fingers pointing back at him. Montgomery is the lead investigating from the FBI trying to get to the bottom of the heists, he has his own demons which haunt him everyday after the death of his wife and will not stop until he learns the truth. Stockwell is Montgomery’s trusted second, he is the tired cop figure, he is good at his job and hates people getting in his way. Wells is the rookie agent, with the qualifications to make him the best, he gets the jobs the others don’t want to do, while noticing things they miss.
Performances – The performances in the movie are mixed, we know that Bruce Willis is mostly mailing it in and it is a strange role for him. Christopher Meloni is the star of this movie, the determination and broken side of his character makes him stand out. Dave Bautista does get the funniest lines, some hit or than others, while Adrian Grenier starts strong but fades away in the biggest scenes of the middle of the movie.
Story – The story follows the effects of a brutal heist, the FBI must investigate the heist which brings us into the new web of conspiracies which could bring down a political powerhouse. This a story which does keep us guessing from start to finish, which is something I was surprised to see, as I thought this would be a lot messier. The positive of keeping us guessing, does leave the bigger question about just why the heists needed to be as brutal as they were because of certain injuries or deaths not needing to happen for the cause.
Action/Crime/Mystery – The action is brutal and often in your face when it comes to the gun sequences, the crime side of the film comes from the heists and just what they are aiming to achieve from the heists. The mystery is what draws us in because we don’t know what is happening which keeps us invested throughout.
Settings – The film is set in the city which shows how the panic of the robberies starts flying around we see how things get out of hand.
Scene of the Movie – The heists do feel very intense, which I did like.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The last sequence.
Final Thoughts – This was a surprisingly entertaining film, having no expectations going in, this did become intense and kept you guessing even if things unravel in the final scene.
Overall: Enjoyable crime thriller.
When the second heist happens, the fingers start pointing back at Hubert and a bigger conspiracy comes to the top with connection to a previous incident.
Thoughts on Marauders
Characters – Hubert is the bank president, he has always kept the face that the bank puts their customers first, but when his banks start getting robbed, he must deal with the fingers pointing back at him. Montgomery is the lead investigating from the FBI trying to get to the bottom of the heists, he has his own demons which haunt him everyday after the death of his wife and will not stop until he learns the truth. Stockwell is Montgomery’s trusted second, he is the tired cop figure, he is good at his job and hates people getting in his way. Wells is the rookie agent, with the qualifications to make him the best, he gets the jobs the others don’t want to do, while noticing things they miss.
Performances – The performances in the movie are mixed, we know that Bruce Willis is mostly mailing it in and it is a strange role for him. Christopher Meloni is the star of this movie, the determination and broken side of his character makes him stand out. Dave Bautista does get the funniest lines, some hit or than others, while Adrian Grenier starts strong but fades away in the biggest scenes of the middle of the movie.
Story – The story follows the effects of a brutal heist, the FBI must investigate the heist which brings us into the new web of conspiracies which could bring down a political powerhouse. This a story which does keep us guessing from start to finish, which is something I was surprised to see, as I thought this would be a lot messier. The positive of keeping us guessing, does leave the bigger question about just why the heists needed to be as brutal as they were because of certain injuries or deaths not needing to happen for the cause.
Action/Crime/Mystery – The action is brutal and often in your face when it comes to the gun sequences, the crime side of the film comes from the heists and just what they are aiming to achieve from the heists. The mystery is what draws us in because we don’t know what is happening which keeps us invested throughout.
Settings – The film is set in the city which shows how the panic of the robberies starts flying around we see how things get out of hand.
Scene of the Movie – The heists do feel very intense, which I did like.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The last sequence.
Final Thoughts – This was a surprisingly entertaining film, having no expectations going in, this did become intense and kept you guessing even if things unravel in the final scene.
Overall: Enjoyable crime thriller.
VH1's My True Crime Story
TV Show
Narrated by Remy Ma, MY TRUE CRIME STORY is a one-hour true-crime docuseries that features...
Glasgow: The Real Mean City: True Crime and Punishment in the Second City of Empire
Book
There cannot be many cities where crime could mean anything from stealing a ship to singing a...
Zeroes (Zeroes, #1)
9.0
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Book
Don’t call them heroes. But these six Californian teens have powers that set them apart. They...
Script for Scandal
10.0
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Book
Sleuthing duo Lillian Frost and Edith Head investigate a behind-the-scenes scandal in this...
Merissa (11721 KP) rated Tattoo (Take It Off #7) in Books
Apr 10, 2023
This book starts with a bang... or rather a gunshot as there is a robbery in process at a bank. Throughout the introduction, you find out who Brody is, who he was acting as, what Taylor does in a time of crisis and how she can keep a cool head when needed. All of this is within the first few pages.
I found the concept of Brody's tattoo being the catalyst for the events that followed absolutely brilliant. Although this book moves at a very fast pace (and indeed seems to finish WAAAY too quickly) nothing seems rushed and our two main characters have the time and opportunity to explore their situation and their mutual attraction.
A perfect book to read to while away a few hours - because, believe me, once you start reading this, you won't put it down until you've finished.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
September 11, 2016
I found the concept of Brody's tattoo being the catalyst for the events that followed absolutely brilliant. Although this book moves at a very fast pace (and indeed seems to finish WAAAY too quickly) nothing seems rushed and our two main characters have the time and opportunity to explore their situation and their mutual attraction.
A perfect book to read to while away a few hours - because, believe me, once you start reading this, you won't put it down until you've finished.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
September 11, 2016