Search
Search results
Rivers and Creaks
5.0
Rate It
Book
A grumpy innkeeper. A dead guest. Can he solve the locked-room mystery before his business crumbles...
The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper
8.0
Rate It
Book
It’s been years since Sandy Fairfax was a teen idol and starred in his hit ‘70s television...
Something Whiskered
5.0
Rate It
Book
A dead baron, an Irish castle, and an unexpected ghost . . . Charlie Harris, Helen Louise Brady, and...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2508 KP) rated Night of the Living Bread in Books
May 28, 2025
Can Sugar Rise to the Occasion and Find Another Killer?
Sugar Calloway and Dixie Spicer are working on a new project for the Jameson County Historical Society. It’s a cook book focused on various breads. It may sound a little narrow, but they already have several ideas for subcategories, and the pair are excited about it. Their contact for the project is Marla Mercer. But Sugar’s appointment one morning never happens since she finds Marla dead on the office floor, a bread knife in her back. Everyone seems shocked by the murder, insisting that Marla was well loved. So who would want to kill her?
It’s been a few years (and a publisher change) since we got the previous book in this series. I was glad to see it back and was easily able to slip back into Sugar and Dixie’s world. It was great to reconnect with the characters, and spending time with them made me smile. The suspects seemed nice as well, at least at first. I did figure parts of the mystery out early, but I didn’t have it all put together until the climax. There are a couple of subplots that helped kept me engaged. We also get five recipes at the end of the book. Fans will be just as happy as I am to revisit these characters.
It’s been a few years (and a publisher change) since we got the previous book in this series. I was glad to see it back and was easily able to slip back into Sugar and Dixie’s world. It was great to reconnect with the characters, and spending time with them made me smile. The suspects seemed nice as well, at least at first. I did figure parts of the mystery out early, but I didn’t have it all put together until the climax. There are a couple of subplots that helped kept me engaged. We also get five recipes at the end of the book. Fans will be just as happy as I am to revisit these characters.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2508 KP) rated Two Kinds of Truth (Harry Bosch #20) in Books
May 29, 2025
Two Kinds of Cases
When two pharmacists are killed in San Fernando, it’s all hands on deck, including reserve officer Harry Bosch. It quickly looks like the motive might not be robbery but something to do with the drug trade. But Bosch’s attention is being split since an almost 30-year-old case is being questioned thanks to fresh DNA evidence. If these new test results are right, it looks like Bosch sent the wrong man to prison back then. Can he figure out what is happening to keep a killer behind bars?
Bosch having two cases he is juggling has become a staple of the series, and there’s usually one I care about more than the others. This time, I found the modern story just okay. It was too straightforward and felt written to bring in real life topics for 2017. The old case, however, was compelling, and when that was the focus, I had a hard time putting the book down. We see some Lincoln Lawyer characters and a few faces from Bosch’s past, which is great, and all the characters were engaging. As usual, these books incorporate a little more of the real world into the stories, but as long as you know going in, you will be fine. Overall, I did enjoy book twenty in this long running series.
Bosch having two cases he is juggling has become a staple of the series, and there’s usually one I care about more than the others. This time, I found the modern story just okay. It was too straightforward and felt written to bring in real life topics for 2017. The old case, however, was compelling, and when that was the focus, I had a hard time putting the book down. We see some Lincoln Lawyer characters and a few faces from Bosch’s past, which is great, and all the characters were engaging. As usual, these books incorporate a little more of the real world into the stories, but as long as you know going in, you will be fine. Overall, I did enjoy book twenty in this long running series.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2508 KP) rated Whiskey Business in Books
Sep 4, 2025
Reece Finds Murder In His New Business
Reece Parker has opened Subplot, a literary themed cocktail lounge, in his hometown. He’s trying to build his clientele, so he’s thrilled when a whiskey club wants to use the space for their monthly meetings. But the first night goes wrong when one new member seems to want to go out of his way to irritate everyone. After the meeting, Reece finds that member dead in the alley behind his lounge. Fearing the hit this might do to his business, he starts investigating. Can he find the killer?
I met the author this spring, so I’ve been looking forward to this book since then. And I really enjoyed it. It captures the cozy vibes well with the setting and the characters. I’d be interested in visiting, between murders, of course. I could really feel the love the characters have for each other. The mystery starts well, and doesn’t waiver on the way to the logical climax. I might have a niggle or two with it, but I’m being nitpicky here. Reece has recently come out to himself, and I appreciated how that subplot was handled as well. If you are looking for a new cozy series, you won’t go wrong picking this one up. Me? I’m waiting for the sequel.
I met the author this spring, so I’ve been looking forward to this book since then. And I really enjoyed it. It captures the cozy vibes well with the setting and the characters. I’d be interested in visiting, between murders, of course. I could really feel the love the characters have for each other. The mystery starts well, and doesn’t waiver on the way to the logical climax. I might have a niggle or two with it, but I’m being nitpicky here. Reece has recently come out to himself, and I appreciated how that subplot was handled as well. If you are looking for a new cozy series, you won’t go wrong picking this one up. Me? I’m waiting for the sequel.
Birth of the Black Orchids
5.0
Rate It
Book
When the Christmas grand opening to his small-town enterprise is crashed by a killer, will this...
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Mindhunter - Season 1 in TV
Oct 24, 2017 (Updated Oct 24, 2017)
Fantastic Performances (3 more)
Brilliant Script
Good Direction
Great Soundtrack
A Method In The Madness?
Mindhunter is a Netflix series set in the late 70's, that follows two FBI detectives as they embark to learn more about serial killers and why they do the things that they do. One of the detectives, Bill Tench, actually coins the phrase, 'serial killer,' at one point and the team do seem to be making progressive steps into understanding a disturbed psyche, even if some of the methods they use along the way are fairly questionable.
The series is produced by David Fincher, who also directs 4 episodes of this first season. If you are a fan of Fincher's other work, then this will be right up your street. It shares a lot of similarities with Se7en, The Social Network, Gone Girl, Panic Room and definitely Zodiac. The two main series stars, Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany are brilliant in their roles. You may recognise McCallany from Fight Club and Groff from Glee, but this show couldn't be a further departure from Glee if it tried, which makes Groff's already electric performance, even better.
McCallany plays Bill Tench, an older FBI agent who has a good few years of experience under his belt. Groff plays Holden Ford, a young maverick, who barges his way towards progress, regardless of who gets caught up in the collateral damage. The two work fantastically together and the chemistry between the two actors is one of the best things about this show. The supporting cast are also solid, with Hannah Gross standing out as Holden's girlfriend, as well as Anna Torv, who plays a doctor of psychology helping the two detectives analyse the data that they collect from interviews held with various serial killers. The serial killers featured throughout the show are also memorable, especially Jerry Brudos and Ed Kemper. Cameron Britton, who plays Kemper, gives a subtly terrifying performance and is exponentially engaging for every minute that he is onscreen.
The performances are helped with a brilliant script. The dialogue is snappy and effective, causing as many existential questions as it does unorthodox observations. Fincher's direction, is of course, fantastic and the other directors who work on this show also do a good job. The soundtrack to the show is sometimes antithetic to what is going on in the storyline, but it is always effective and never distracting. The shot composition and cinematography was also on point in each episode, with some really effective imagery being implemented throughout.
Overall, this is a brilliantly made, psychological drama. The writing is of a very high standard and the performances are excellent all around. If you are a fan of serial killer stories or anything David Fincher has worked on before, this will be for you. The characters are all interesting and deep and although they may do some questionable things, I can't wait to see where this endeavour takes them next.
The series is produced by David Fincher, who also directs 4 episodes of this first season. If you are a fan of Fincher's other work, then this will be right up your street. It shares a lot of similarities with Se7en, The Social Network, Gone Girl, Panic Room and definitely Zodiac. The two main series stars, Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany are brilliant in their roles. You may recognise McCallany from Fight Club and Groff from Glee, but this show couldn't be a further departure from Glee if it tried, which makes Groff's already electric performance, even better.
McCallany plays Bill Tench, an older FBI agent who has a good few years of experience under his belt. Groff plays Holden Ford, a young maverick, who barges his way towards progress, regardless of who gets caught up in the collateral damage. The two work fantastically together and the chemistry between the two actors is one of the best things about this show. The supporting cast are also solid, with Hannah Gross standing out as Holden's girlfriend, as well as Anna Torv, who plays a doctor of psychology helping the two detectives analyse the data that they collect from interviews held with various serial killers. The serial killers featured throughout the show are also memorable, especially Jerry Brudos and Ed Kemper. Cameron Britton, who plays Kemper, gives a subtly terrifying performance and is exponentially engaging for every minute that he is onscreen.
The performances are helped with a brilliant script. The dialogue is snappy and effective, causing as many existential questions as it does unorthodox observations. Fincher's direction, is of course, fantastic and the other directors who work on this show also do a good job. The soundtrack to the show is sometimes antithetic to what is going on in the storyline, but it is always effective and never distracting. The shot composition and cinematography was also on point in each episode, with some really effective imagery being implemented throughout.
Overall, this is a brilliantly made, psychological drama. The writing is of a very high standard and the performances are excellent all around. If you are a fan of serial killer stories or anything David Fincher has worked on before, this will be for you. The characters are all interesting and deep and although they may do some questionable things, I can't wait to see where this endeavour takes them next.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Mr Mercedes in Books
May 16, 2018
I've been a Stephen King fan since sixth grade, when my father let me borrow his copy of Salem's Lot. The most recent book of his I read was the final book in The Dark Tower, and I was less than impressed with it: The Dark Tower felt largely forced to me, and was such a dragging bore that it took me several months to finally get through it -- which I found to be extremely disappointing. That said, Mr. Mercedes was a nice reminder as to why I love King as a writer: his passion for his craft bleeds through the pages of this book.
Mr. Mercedes is the first book in Stephen King's Bill Hodges Trilogy, and it is by far among the best books that I've read as of late. Set in the Midwest, which was a nice change for King's books, Mr. Mercedes begins with a crime against the poor. A group of unemployed jobseekers lined up outside in hopes of landing employment are mowed down by a deranged man behind the wheel of a Mercedes. In the aftermath, he escapes, leaving behind eight dead and several more wounded. Among the dead are a mother and her infant child. Detective Bill Hodges later retires, with no success at discovering who was responsible for the murder. The killer, dubbed Mr. Mercedes, isn't done though; and so, King takes readers on a wild race against time in a desperate attempt to keep the killer from completing his next act of domestic terrorism.
King has a penchant for creating characters that range from the truly good to the entirely depraved, and he has a knack for writing them in a manner so thorough as to leave the reader disgusted. In Mr. Mercedes, I was thrilled to find myself once again encountering a character whose point of view was utterly revolting. Brady Hartsfield is a character I loved to hate, and King does an excellent job of writing from his point-of-view. In complete contrast, Bill Hodges and his team of unqualified partners are good, upstanding (for the most part) citizens that sate the need for a "hero" with little to be left for wanting.
One of the things King does well in his books is foreshadowing, and Mr. Mercedes is no exception. When something bad is going to happen, King says so: only things don't happen the way you expect them to. In Mr. Mercedes, this creates a constant feeling of dread, a constant expectation that certain things will, undoubtedly, happen, and that it is only a matter of when and how. Every page is filled with anticipation of the next big event, some of which bring utter horror while others brought with them tears.
Needless to say, I don't really have any complaints about this read; it was worth the wait. Now, I just have to wait for my turn with Finders Keepers. I'm excited to see how this trilogy continues!
Mr. Mercedes is the first book in Stephen King's Bill Hodges Trilogy, and it is by far among the best books that I've read as of late. Set in the Midwest, which was a nice change for King's books, Mr. Mercedes begins with a crime against the poor. A group of unemployed jobseekers lined up outside in hopes of landing employment are mowed down by a deranged man behind the wheel of a Mercedes. In the aftermath, he escapes, leaving behind eight dead and several more wounded. Among the dead are a mother and her infant child. Detective Bill Hodges later retires, with no success at discovering who was responsible for the murder. The killer, dubbed Mr. Mercedes, isn't done though; and so, King takes readers on a wild race against time in a desperate attempt to keep the killer from completing his next act of domestic terrorism.
King has a penchant for creating characters that range from the truly good to the entirely depraved, and he has a knack for writing them in a manner so thorough as to leave the reader disgusted. In Mr. Mercedes, I was thrilled to find myself once again encountering a character whose point of view was utterly revolting. Brady Hartsfield is a character I loved to hate, and King does an excellent job of writing from his point-of-view. In complete contrast, Bill Hodges and his team of unqualified partners are good, upstanding (for the most part) citizens that sate the need for a "hero" with little to be left for wanting.
One of the things King does well in his books is foreshadowing, and Mr. Mercedes is no exception. When something bad is going to happen, King says so: only things don't happen the way you expect them to. In Mr. Mercedes, this creates a constant feeling of dread, a constant expectation that certain things will, undoubtedly, happen, and that it is only a matter of when and how. Every page is filled with anticipation of the next big event, some of which bring utter horror while others brought with them tears.
Needless to say, I don't really have any complaints about this read; it was worth the wait. Now, I just have to wait for my turn with Finders Keepers. I'm excited to see how this trilogy continues!