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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2480 KP) rated Murder at a London Finishing School in Books

Jul 26, 2023 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)

Returning to Their Alma Mater Means Murder

Brit Edwina Davenport and American Beryl Helliwell first met at Miss DuPont’s Finishing School for Young Ladies and forged their decades long friendship there. But now they’ve been hired by Miss DuPont to find out what is going on at the school that is driving down enrollment. The duo aren’t getting far with their investigation when they stumble on a dead body. Have the pranks escalated to murder?

If you look for the dead body to drop early, you might be disappointed with this book. I wasn’t. Between the early investigation and meeting the new characters, there was plenty to keep me engaged. Of course, things kick up a notch when murder enters the story. The ending, while logical, did feel a little rushed, but that was a minor complaint. We don’t see much of the series regulars, although a couple do make cameos. The new characters more than make up for it, and I appreciate how complex they were by the end. Beryl and Edwina grow as a result of visiting some place from their past. The story is set in the 1920’s, and things going on in society infuse the book. If you enjoy historical mysteries or mysteries set in England, you’ll be glad you picked this up.

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Darren (1599 KP) rated Already Dead (2008) in Movies

Jun 20, 2019

Already Dead (2008)

2008 | Action, Drama, Mystery

4.0

(1 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Story: Already Dead starts as we see Thomas Archer (Eldard) having to follow instructions by mobile as he is looking to get his son back from a kidnapper. We continue to watch Thomas take instructions as he runs the events of the night when his son was taken through his mind.

As the night continues he gets put through tests by the man on the phone including being able to get revenge on the man that killed his son, but are these just tests where they criminal is getting this man to do his dirty work. We watch how the twists are laid into plan for this film as they come thick and fast.

Already Dead gives us a story which asks you the question just how far would you go to get revenge on the person who took and killed your son, but it also throws a twist in their where we have to deal with the idea the cops have created a game to rid the streets of criminals of people they don’t want or can’t deal with through legal reasons. I would question certain character decisions because after what happens would these two men be friends, I think not.

Onto the acting and what can I say, this doesn’t have the best acting from any of the people involved with the lead struggling to make any sort of impact in the screen and most of the supporting cast barely doing anything of merit.

Overall: Thriller that lacks all the punches it needs to truly stand out.

https://moviesreview101.com/2017/01/27/already-dead-2007/

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Sengled Boost

Lifestyle

(0 Ratings) Rate It

App

Sengled Boost: LED + Wi-Fi Repeater Say goodbye to internet black zones in your home with the...

Questy Quest

Games, Entertainment and Stickers

(0 Ratings) Rate It

App

Time your taps to attack silly monsters! Unlock custom gear, then upgrade it to make your hero...

Blood on the Clocktower

10.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Tabletop Game

Blood on the Clocktower is a social deduction game for 5 to 20 players on good vs. evil teams,...

The Breakdown

B.A. Paris

9.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

'A psychological page-turner' - Good Housekeeping If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust? It...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2480 KP) rated That Touch of Ink in Books

Jul 24, 2018

That Touch of Ink

Diane Vallere | 2014 | Mystery

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

More Than a Touch of Fun

When decorator Madison Night receives a five thousand dollar bill in the mail, she realizes this rare denomination is a message from her past. Sure enough, her ex-boyfriend Brad is soon back in her life trying to reconcile even after he lied to her to get her out of her life. But Madison has other things to worry about, like the dead body she stumbled upon. What has Brad gotten her involved in?

Warning: allow plenty of time when you pick up this book because you will not be able to put it down. The story is filled with twists and turns that will keep you engaged from start to finish. The plot is a bit more teen sleuth than usual cozy murder mystery, but that’s not an issue at all, and everything makes sense by the end. This is combined with fantastic characters, led by Madison who gets some real growth here. Fans of Doris Day will spot a couple of winks to the movie That Touch of Mink here, but if you haven’t seen the movie, you are still in for a delightful read.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2480 KP) rated The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce, #6) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Flavia’s mother has been found and her body is being returned to Bishop’s Lacey. Flavia is waiting with the rest of her family on the train station when the body arrives when a stranger comes up to her and gives her a cryptic message. Minutes later, he’s dead. What did his message mean? What does this have to do with Flavia’s mother?

As often in this series, the mystery takes a back seat to Flavia and her family. Still, the plot does answer some questions about the de Luce family and appears to wrap up a few long running plot threads. Fans will absolutely love this book however, because of the character study it gives us in grief. While the mystery is weak, it is a very strong book, especially if you know the characters.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-dead-in-their-vaulted.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.