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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The 20th Victim in Books

Jun 17, 2020  
The 20th Victim
The 20th Victim
James Patterson, Maxine Paetro | 2020 | Contemporary, Crime, Fiction & Poetry
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rehearsal for Assassination?
Getting fast food turns out to be fatal for one man who is taken out by a sniper as he is leaving the drive through on morning. His wife in the seat next to him is left physically unharmed. It’s a perfect sniper shot. While Lindsay gets the case as part of her job as a San Francisco homicide detective, reporter Cindy gets a key clue. Someone wrote “Rehearsal” in the dust of the car’s back window. The question is, rehearsal for what? Meanwhile, Claire has some scary news of her own to deal with, and Yuki has to prosecute the case of a teenage getaway driver who won’t flip on the real criminals. Even Lindsay’s husband, Joe, has a case of his own when his college roommate thinks his father was murdered.

The book has one plot too many (and a repetitive one at that), and it would have been better served to eliminate that plot since the climax was rushed on all the stories but especially the main one. Still, the multiple stories kept thing moving as always, and I had a hard time putting the book down when I sat down to read. The characters are just developed enough for us to care, but could use more depth. This is a common issue with the series, and those who have kept up with the books know the characters well enough to care for them. In other words, this is a typical James Patterson thriller. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this one, too.
  
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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated The Trials of Gabriel Fernández in TV

Apr 8, 2021  
The Trials of Gabriel Fernández
The Trials of Gabriel Fernández
2020 | Crime, Documentary
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
This incredibly powerful six part mini series from last February is almost impossible to watch, but once started it feels important that you do see it through to the end. It details a case of child cruelty, abuse and torture leading to eventual death that the entire childcare support system first ignored and then failed to prevent. It shows the exact ways that the support system and then the legal system let down a young boy that may have been saved were it not for a series of shocking professional negligence. The recounting of the story and visual details of the abuse are sickening and beyond any reasonable estimation of tragic. If attempting to watch this, be sure of the reasons you are doing so and approach it with extreme caution.

There is so much natural outrage and actual anger towards the parents who were responsible for these crimes when we see them in court, but also towards the social and justice systems themselves for showcasing their many failings so graphically. The lessons learned are vital in preventing this kind of thing happening elsewhere, and so the drive of watching this is to seek the scraps of hope that emerge by understanding what went wrong and how the law might address the issue to prevent it happening again. Watching this one has an entirely different and sober feel for me. This was in no way entertainment, but it was educational, so I don’t regret going through it, as I feel entirely better informed than I was before.
  
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Russ Troutt (291 KP) rated Midsommar (2019) in Movies

Jul 14, 2019  
Midsommar (2019)
Midsommar (2019)
2019 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
7
6.8 (43 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Just saw Midsommar. This is a very artsy horror movie, as is expected from A24 and Ari Aster. The cinematography for this movie was unreal. I really felt like I was sinking into a trip and almost felt nauseated a few times. So, bravo on the camera work. It's a visually stunning film, very beautifully shot. Aside from the opening scene, which gives a disturbing surprise start to things that I didn't see coming, the rest of the film becomes fairly predictable as the festival gets in motion. I'm not saying that as a bad thing though, this isn't really one of those trying to surprise and scare you type of movies. It's a, how can I put it, let's go on this trip and really horrific experience together type of movie. After the movie several of us, not knowing each other, that had just watched Midsommar together gathered out in the bright lights of the theater hallway and we immediately felt like family. We stared at each other for a moment, was half expecting to hug, and we were all like what just happened? I broke the ice and said I feel like we all just tripped really hard together. We kinda laughed and agreed and pretty much everyone was just stating in their own words that they were trying process what a weirdly, disturbing, trip of a movie that was. Then we all parted ways and danced back into the real world. I've never been happier to see the sunset on my drive back home.
  
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