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Erika (17788 KP) rated This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist in TV

May 1, 2021 (Updated May 1, 2021)  
This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist
This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist
2021 | Documentary
My review of this documentary may be slightly bias because I've read several books on the Gardner Heist, including the FBI Agent's memoir who nearly tracked down the missing paintings, but got stuck in a pissing contest between agencies.
First, I felt like they should have had this FBI Agent contribute more to the documentary, rather than presenting some other theories as to where the paintings ended up. I actually thought they were going to have him appear in the last ep, but he didn't. This would have bumped up the rating for me, honestly.
Second, so many conspiracy theories with the Italian mob. I just shook my head at this. Way too much focus. The police department's focus seemed half-ass, and like they took the easy way out by blaming the mob, then didn't interview actual witnesses again.
The BEST PART of this documentary series was when they interviewed a guy that is a member of the IRA. There was a theory that the IRA had lifted them. The guy basically told everyone to F-off, because the IRA wasn't involved. I cackled because it was completely hilarious.
Overall, this was just ok. It would probably be really interesting for people that don't know anything, or very little, about the Heist. Sure, this heist is interesting, but not 'The World's Greatest Heist'.
  
Mindhunters (2005)
Mindhunters (2005)
2005 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Great cast (2 more)
Remote location
A mix of Thriller, Whodunit & Horror
Great cat & mouse Thriller
I really enjoyed this despite the fact it seemed to go straight to DVD. It has a well known cast including LL Cool J, Val Kilmer and Christian Slater. It has good production values as well.
A team of Fbi profilers are at a remote location under going a training selection when they start getting bumped off one by one. It has ideas from And then there were none and even some death traps like the Saw films. Well worth checking out if any of that appeals. Similar to @D-Tox (Eye See You) (2002) as well.
  
The Pursuit
The Pursuit
Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Picking up moments after the last book ended, we learn who kidnapped conman Nick Fox and why. Can FBI agent Kate O’Hare track him down? Will this reveal their secret partnership? And what scheme can they stop next?

Yes, I’m being especially vague on the plot, but most of the fun of this book is seeing how things unfold as the book progresses. The story moves quickly and keep the pages turning. As always, the characters could be a tad sharper, but some of the supporting characters are a hoot.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-pursuit-by-janet-evanovich.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Remember Me
Remember Me
Noelle Winters | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Mystery, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Noelle Winters does a good job creating a sense of suspense in [Remember Me]. The plot centers around Katy who's daughter was kidnapped three years ago. Suddenly the case is refreshed by a picture of her daughter being sent to her. The FBI sends Alex to liason with local law enforcement and the family on this case that her father originally worked. These two broken women find friendship and hope within each other.

The plot of this takes some unexpected twists. The romance is there but not the main focus. It was a really quick read with developed characters and a very steady pace.
  
American Hustle (2013)
American Hustle (2013)
2013 | Drama
That comb-over!
Great cast does a great job with this interesting story of two decent con artists recruited by the FBI to take down even bigger corrupt individuals and the mob.

The script and acting are both excellent and really engage you in the story and get quickly invested in their lives. The 70s fashion and music are also two more interesting characters in the film.

When you look at Christian Bale (who gained 40 pounds for this role), it's hard to believe he's the same actor who played Batman and was in The Machinist where he was skin and bones.

Highly recommended.

  
The Last Mile (Amos Decker #2)
The Last Mile (Amos Decker #2)
David Baldacci | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a sequel to ‘Memory Man’ but I do think readers could pick up the background easily. The story follows an FBI task force investigator, Amos Decker, a man who can forget nothing due to an injury as an American Football player. Melvin Mars is a man on death row who needs to dig deep into his past to find out the truth behind his incarceration. It’s a very American thriller with some very staged dialogue, lots of guns and criminology but I really enjoyed the idea of a man blessed and cursed with perfect recall. A tale of twists and turns that kept me reading.
  
Saw VI (2009)
Saw VI (2009)
2009 | Horror, Mystery
7
6.2 (15 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The Greater Good
Saw VI- im sad that im almost done with the frachise, i would want to rewatch it again sometime soon in the near future. Like i said in prevous reviews- i love the story line, the twist and turns throughtout the story line, the charcters and the endings.

The Plot: With Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) still directing events from beyond the grave, Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) emerges as the heir to the killer's twisted legacy. But as the FBI closes in, Hoffman sets in motion a game that is designed to reveal Jigsaw's grand scheme.

A must watch franchise, if you havent seen it yet.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Girls Like Us in Books

Jul 12, 2019  
Girls Like Us
Girls Like Us
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nell Flynn has reluctantly returned home to Long Island after the death of her father, Martin Flynn, a homicide detective. Nell hasn't seen her father in years, but must settle his estate after his motorcycle skidded off Montauk Highway in the early morning. She assumes her dad was drunk, per usual, when the incident occurred. Nell's mom was murdered when she was a child, and there's nothing about being home that makes her happy. But when Lee, a young homicide detective and her dad's latest partner, asks her to informally help with a case, Nell's curiosity is piqued. She is, after all, on paid medical leave from the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI. Lee and team have found the body of a girl, murdered, near the dunes. It's similar to a case her father worked a year ago. Nell gets caught up in the investigation and the more she digs, the more she can't help but wonder if her father was involved in the killings.


"Dad had his own code. I learned early not to second guess it. At least, not out loud."


This was a great thriller--it features an interesting plot, a strong, complicated female heroine, and it's so easy to get caught up in it from the start. I had a great time unraveling the puzzle of the two murders, figuring things out alongside Nell. She's a really engaging character--smart, funny yet not without her own problems.


"The bureau thinks my head should be on straight, too. It isn't yet. Maybe it never was to begin with."


I really enjoyed the way this story is told--via Nell, but since she's not formally FBI or police, we get the pieces of the puzzle and story along with her. It's a twisted web that she uncovers: a dark, gritty story that feels timely and real. It's a fast read that kept me flipping the pages, desperately wanting to know what was happening next.

It's clear that Alger knows her stuff--police/FBI procedures, investigative techniques, and more. There are no tricks or unreliable narrators: just a strong, well-told story. And there's certainly series potential with Nell. I would love to see her again! 4+ stars.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Nov 14, 2020  
Today on my blog, I have an interview with author Rob Witherspoon. Check out his satirical humor fiction novel THE SQUARE ROOT OF TEXAS: THE FIRST CALAMITY OF QED MORNINGWOOD, and enter the GIVEAWAY to win a signed copy of this book as well as the second book in the series - three winners total.

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/11/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-square-root.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
QED Morningwood is a liar, braggart and teller of tall tales. When he shows up at the domino parlor with a mysterious Russian crate in the back of his pick-up truck, he confides to the players he is a ‘Shadow’ member of the NRA, not on their official membership roll, and has a load of rocket propelled grenades – all lies. The news spreads to the real Shadow NRA, the FBI and Homeland Security. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Cultural Preservation sends an agent to retrieve the crate, the actual contents known only to the Russians.

The Russian agent, an FBI team, a DHS undercover agent and a Shadow NRA hit team arrive in Heelstring, Texas looking for QED and his crate. Their convergence is followed by interrogations, seduction, lies, arrests, jailbreak, kidnapping and rescue – along with car chases and explosions. If not for Cotton Widdershins, an ancient black man with secrets of his own, who acts as QED’s mentor and savior, the Morningwood line would be doomed to end, or at best spend life in a federal penitentiary.
     
The Jackal (1997)
The Jackal (1997)
1997 | Action, Drama, Mystery
7
6.4 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Finally got round to seeing this, been meaning to for years! This is a very enjoyable action/thriller centered around a hunt for an elusive hitman. The emphasis is definitely on the action, seeing Willis go through about 10 different looks as a master of disguise was fun. The tension builds as the day of the hit gets closer, will the FBI and Russian agents be able to stop him? This has a great cast including Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier and even Jack Black makes an early film appearance. The whole Manhunt, assassin films have been done bigger and better since this was made. However this is still a classy enjoyable film.