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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Black Rain (1989) in Movies
Apr 17, 2021 (Updated Apr 17, 2021)
Cold Case
Black Rain- is a good action film. Micheal Douglas was good in it. Ridley Scott directed it.
The plot: New York City policemen Nick (Michael Douglas) and Charlie (Andy Garcia) witness a murder in a bar and quickly apprehend the assailant. The killer, named Sato (Yusaku Matsuda), is a member of Japan's infamous Yakuza mob, and Nick and Charlie must transport the gangster back to Osaka for his murder trial. There, Sato's fellow gangsters free him from police custody, forcing Nick and Charlie to scour Japan's dangerous underworld of organized crime in search of their fugitive.
Watch it if you want to.
The plot: New York City policemen Nick (Michael Douglas) and Charlie (Andy Garcia) witness a murder in a bar and quickly apprehend the assailant. The killer, named Sato (Yusaku Matsuda), is a member of Japan's infamous Yakuza mob, and Nick and Charlie must transport the gangster back to Osaka for his murder trial. There, Sato's fellow gangsters free him from police custody, forcing Nick and Charlie to scour Japan's dangerous underworld of organized crime in search of their fugitive.
Watch it if you want to.
2 very good lead actors (1 more)
Great shots of Scotland and the Submarine
Great Drama
A very good enjoyable drama. Largely set on a nuclear submarine after a death is reported on board. Is the start of something much bigger and sinister?
Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie really shine in this. As two detectives working a case that gets more alarming the deeper they delve. With Suranne's character on board the Submarine and Rose investigating on land. There are many twists, cold War tactics and government cover ups to be unravelled in the 6 episodes. It will have you on the edge of your seat!
Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie really shine in this. As two detectives working a case that gets more alarming the deeper they delve. With Suranne's character on board the Submarine and Rose investigating on land. There are many twists, cold War tactics and government cover ups to be unravelled in the 6 episodes. It will have you on the edge of your seat!
Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots
9.0
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Christmas past meets Christmas present in this holiday whodunit set in Tinker’s Cove, Maine,...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated A Cold Day in Hell in Books
Jan 29, 2018
Engaging characters (2 more)
Great courtroom scene
Strong female lead
Engaging debut mystery
Lauren Riley is a thirty-eight-year-old twice-divorced mother of two college age daughters, working cold case homicides. She has a great, younger cold case partner, Reese, and carries a torch for her ex-husband, Mark. Meanwhile, her ex, Joe Wheeler, is a Garden Valley homicide detective and a total (excuse my language) a-hole, who brazenly punches Lauren in the mouth after learning she's working against him on a case. Lauren's working two jobs -- her daytime gig on cold cases and also as a certified Private Investigator (PI). Lauren is hired by her nemesis, attorney Frank Violanti, to work the high-profile case of David, who is accused of murdering Katherine Vine, the beautiful, younger wife of Anthony Vine, who runs a successful chain of gyms. Lauren knows taking the case could stir up some issues in her department, with the DA, and with Reese. But in her gut, she feels that David is innocent. Can she and Frank make peace and prove it?
I read a lot of mysteries and while there are thankfully more strong female detectives coming on the scene (see Kristen Lepionka's Roxanne Weary and Emily Littlejohn's Gemma Monroe, for instance), they are still few and far between. While Lauren Riley may still be finding herself (there's a lot of side coverage of emotional entanglements and relationships here), I still love finding and championing a complicated, real, strong female detective.
Lauren's PI case is really the star of the show, and it's interesting and engaging throughout the entire novel. It keeps you guessing throughout, questioning whether David did it or not, and who else played a key role in Katherine and Anthony Vine lives. Nothing is cut or dried.
Also fascinating is Lauren's main cold case. While you could argue some of it ties up neatly, it doesn't go as expected, per se, if that makes sense, and the characters involved are intriguing and different. All the cases kept me interested as I read. A lot certainly happens in this novel, between Lauren's work and personal life. Nothing is boring, and there's never really a dull moment, especially once you get into the swing of things and realize that the book covers both her personal life and her work life in-depth. It also tells the story from more than Lauren's POV, even if she's the main focus, which works surprisingly well.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the book culminates in a trial related to Lauren's PI case, and it's a great, suspenseful, incredibly well-written piece of work. The courtroom scenes were so well-done and really had me on the edge of my seat. One of the things I loved about this novel was how I could so easily picture each of these characters-- each is well-described and fleshed out. Redmond writes darn good trial scenes (and a darn good book), and I was frantically flipping the pages to see how things would turn out.
It wasn't until I finished the book that I learned the author is a retired homicide detective, but it definitely shows as you read. The novel is written expertly in terms of police and courtroom procedure, but still enjoyable in terms of the characters. There is a lot of personal "stuff" in terms of Lauren; this will be a little different if you are used to the Bosch type of detective (the love of my life and my hero). Still, it's completely refreshing to see a complicated female lead detective, and, as mentioned, so nice to be reading more of these stories. I grew to really love Lauren.
The courtroom scenes are great, and a lot will keep you guessing. Sure, some of the cold cases wrap up what seem a little easily, but even Lauren addresses that as she works. I read some reviews that Joe Wheeler is a cliche character, and I guess I could see where people get that, but for me, society as of late seems to be showing us everyday that these sort of angry, abusive men truly exist. Everywhere. To me, Joe was a sadly realistic portrayal of a horrible man, and his slow, boiling anger only added to the tension of the entire novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It looks like it's going to be a series, and it ends with some unfinished issues that make me even more eager for book two.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
I read a lot of mysteries and while there are thankfully more strong female detectives coming on the scene (see Kristen Lepionka's Roxanne Weary and Emily Littlejohn's Gemma Monroe, for instance), they are still few and far between. While Lauren Riley may still be finding herself (there's a lot of side coverage of emotional entanglements and relationships here), I still love finding and championing a complicated, real, strong female detective.
Lauren's PI case is really the star of the show, and it's interesting and engaging throughout the entire novel. It keeps you guessing throughout, questioning whether David did it or not, and who else played a key role in Katherine and Anthony Vine lives. Nothing is cut or dried.
Also fascinating is Lauren's main cold case. While you could argue some of it ties up neatly, it doesn't go as expected, per se, if that makes sense, and the characters involved are intriguing and different. All the cases kept me interested as I read. A lot certainly happens in this novel, between Lauren's work and personal life. Nothing is boring, and there's never really a dull moment, especially once you get into the swing of things and realize that the book covers both her personal life and her work life in-depth. It also tells the story from more than Lauren's POV, even if she's the main focus, which works surprisingly well.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the book culminates in a trial related to Lauren's PI case, and it's a great, suspenseful, incredibly well-written piece of work. The courtroom scenes were so well-done and really had me on the edge of my seat. One of the things I loved about this novel was how I could so easily picture each of these characters-- each is well-described and fleshed out. Redmond writes darn good trial scenes (and a darn good book), and I was frantically flipping the pages to see how things would turn out.
It wasn't until I finished the book that I learned the author is a retired homicide detective, but it definitely shows as you read. The novel is written expertly in terms of police and courtroom procedure, but still enjoyable in terms of the characters. There is a lot of personal "stuff" in terms of Lauren; this will be a little different if you are used to the Bosch type of detective (the love of my life and my hero). Still, it's completely refreshing to see a complicated female lead detective, and, as mentioned, so nice to be reading more of these stories. I grew to really love Lauren.
The courtroom scenes are great, and a lot will keep you guessing. Sure, some of the cold cases wrap up what seem a little easily, but even Lauren addresses that as she works. I read some reviews that Joe Wheeler is a cliche character, and I guess I could see where people get that, but for me, society as of late seems to be showing us everyday that these sort of angry, abusive men truly exist. Everywhere. To me, Joe was a sadly realistic portrayal of a horrible man, and his slow, boiling anger only added to the tension of the entire novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It looks like it's going to be a series, and it ends with some unfinished issues that make me even more eager for book two.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
To Catch a Killer (Erin Blake #1)
10.0
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Erin Blake has one of those names. A name that, like Natalee Holloway or Elizabeth Smart, is...
The Distant Echo (Inspector Karen Pirie, #1)
8.5
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It was a winter morning in 1978, that the body of a young barmaid was discovered in the snow banks...
Jack The Ripper: Live and UnCut
9.5
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Jack The Ripper. The most coveted murderer in history as well as the most elusive. For over a...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2318 KP) rated Q is for Quarry (Kinsey Millhone, #17) in Books
Jul 21, 2020
“Q” is for Quality
Private investigator Kinsey Millhone is feeling a bit restless when Lieutenant Conrad Dolan walks into her new office. Eighteen years ago, in 1969, he and his friend, Stacey Oliphant, found the body of a young woman. Both men have pursued the case over their careers with the police, but they haven’t figure out who she was. They want to take one more look at it, and they want to hire Kinsey to help them with the leg work. Will the three of them find any new leads in this cold case?
I’m sure it’s no surprise to say they do indeed begin to make some headway as they go back over the case. I enjoyed being along for the unpredictable ride. I thought I had things figured out a few times before we reached the real climax. The characters are as strong as ever. I loved seeing the growth in Kinsey, especially with a recurring sub-plot popping back up. There are a couple of other fun sub-plots with the regulars. Dolan and Oliphant could be a bit annoying at times, but that never lasted for very long. This book is based on a real-life Jane Doe, and there is information in the back on how Sue Grafton became interested in that case, which is still unsolved best I can tell. It’s always a pleasure to see a long running series that is still this strong and entertaining after so many volumes.
I’m sure it’s no surprise to say they do indeed begin to make some headway as they go back over the case. I enjoyed being along for the unpredictable ride. I thought I had things figured out a few times before we reached the real climax. The characters are as strong as ever. I loved seeing the growth in Kinsey, especially with a recurring sub-plot popping back up. There are a couple of other fun sub-plots with the regulars. Dolan and Oliphant could be a bit annoying at times, but that never lasted for very long. This book is based on a real-life Jane Doe, and there is information in the back on how Sue Grafton became interested in that case, which is still unsolved best I can tell. It’s always a pleasure to see a long running series that is still this strong and entertaining after so many volumes.
Cold Justice
7.0
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GRIPPING AND FAST-PACED CRIME FICTION FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FROZEN GRAVE AND COLD KILLERS....