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Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Botanist in Books

May 22, 2019  
The Botanist
The Botanist
L.K. Hill | 2015
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In the heat of the desert, Detective Cody Oliver inadvertently stumbles upon a strange garden adorned with exotic flowers. Upon closer inspection, he finds the garden is but a cover for the scores of bodies buried below. Soon, the small town of Mt. Dessicate plunges into chaos as journalists, reporters, and cameramen from across the nation descend upon the tiny, desert town to get a piece of the murder mystery.
Along with the media, a mysterious woman appears. She may be the only person who has come face to face with the killer, dubbed the Botanist, and lived to tell the tale. If Cody can't piece together a timeline of the land the crime scene is located on, decipher how the woman's mysterious past is connected to the killer, and bring the Botanist to justice, he may finding himself standing alone in the midst of a desolate, desert graveyard...

Wow. This is an excellent read! Very creepy, and interesting, and with a buildup to the finale that was riveting.
 The suspense and action was thrilling. The story line is good, it is well written and well plotted.
This is more than just a crime fiction book; it has mystery and thriller thrown in the mix too. The creepiness from the beginning doesn’t let up and continues throughout the entire book.
 Characters really well developed.
The main characters, Cody & Alex, were realistic & sympathetic. The ending was brilliant.
This is a crime novel. It's detailed and not for the faint of heart. I leave hoping this detective will continue on into a few more books solving crimes; in other words please let there be more!!!!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Zulu (2013) in Movies

Aug 5, 2019  
Zulu (2013)
Zulu (2013)
2013 |
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: Zulu starts when a young woman is murdered, police officer Ali Sokhela (Forest) and his team that includes the washed up Brian Epkeen (Bloom) and rookie Dan Fletcher (Kemp) must start to investigate the case.

As the investigation deepens Brian must hold himself together while Ali must face his demons from his past which becomes deadly as they fall into an illegal drug dealing ring with a new devasting drug on the market.

 

Thoughts on Zulu

 

Characters – Brian Epkeen is a washed-up police officer, he is great at solving crimes, he tends to have a different woman every night, which has made him distant from his son. He never looks professional but will always do the right thing for his team. Ali Sokhela is scared by his childhood in the racial torn country, now he is a captain in the police force which sees him needing to forgive the men his father fought against to work in the same team, he does have connections which helps him through the city, with his own demons he must locate the killer. Dan is a rookie officer that is part of the team, his innocence isn’t ready to be in the field with the seasoned vets. Ruby is Brian’s ex-wife that hates him and that Brian hassle when he feels like it.

Performances – Orlando Bloom does show us that he can still be a leading man, an edgy side to his character is a big plus too, we could happily watch more of his work here. Forest Whitaker is great too, he has the darker backstory which pushes him into his decisions and hits the accent. The rest of the cast don’t get as much screen time as he does, but you do feel like they hired a lot of local talent which helps make the film feel authentic.

Story – The story follows two cops, one with a dark past because of his skin colour as a child, the other lives in darkness because of his addiction that must use their skills to solve a crime which starts simple enough until things get out of hand to a much bigger problem running through the city. This does feel gritty with how we investigate things, it doesn’t hold back with what happens to the characters and shows us just how far the criminal underworld will go to keep a secret. While this doesn’t rely on twists to get the final outcome, it does show us just how far these two would go to solve a crime and bring the criminals to justice.

Crime – The crime world we enter here shows us just how both sides in a drug war are waging against each other, we get bodies piling up that will only increase the battle with a racial tension that just increases the tension between the twos.

Settings – The film is set in South Africa, we get to see how difficult the drug war is with the racial tension still between the people in the city.


Scene of the Movie – Brian’s escape plan.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The scene where the head turns up, there is such a pointless line here.

Final Thoughts – This is a gritty crime drama that shows us the harsh reality of the drug world, the two cops must overcome demons that will put them through a major test to get to the bottom of a crime.

 

Overall: Crime fans surprise.