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Darren (1599 KP) rated Manhattan Night (Manhattan Nocturne) (2016) in Movies

Nov 7, 2019

Characters – Porter Wren is a well-respected journalist in New York, he has a comfortable job in his paper because of his reputation for telling people’s stories. His latest case however will get him looking into the murder mystery that will push himself to the limits when he gets involved with the victim’s wife. He narrates a lot of this which is the films way of trying to have a dig a modern society. Caroline is the wife whose husband has been killed, she seduces Porter, which plays her out to be a siren, only she soon feels like a victim with this character get caught in the middle we never know which side she is meant to be, one that gets what she wants or just a victims. Simon is the husband that has been murdered meaning we only see him in flashback of how the two were married. Lisa is the wife of Porter, she is doctor and from how Porter tells the story they don’t get along as they once did.

Performances – Adrien Brody does well in the leading role in the film even if he doesn’t make his character feel much different than any others from the similar genre. Yvonne Strahovski fits the seductive side to her character, though without being the strongest in the serious side of the story. Campbell Scott and Jennifer Beals just don’t get enough time to show their skills off in this film.

Story – The story here follows an investigation into an unsolved murder which brings the investigative reporter into a series of cover ups and conspiracy in true noir style. Using the noir style is clear here, the execution of the noir style doesn’t quite come off though because the siren doesn’t feel like a siren and by the end you will be left wondering just why the investigation wasn’t solved by the police in the first place, let alone why the reporter is even asked to investigate it. Nothing really comes out of solving the case which is the biggest disappointment from everything we are getting invested in.

Crime/Mystery – The crime side of this mystery does involve a murder that hasn’t been solved, it does have other crime elements involved too which just confuse the simply plot.

Settings – The film is set in New York and uses a secret house to show a place of peace in this busy city and how people can meet and connect through life.

Scene of the Movie – The truth.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The case felt pointless to solve.

Final Thoughts – This is a noir styled crime mystery that gives us a case that almost doesn’t need to be solved in the end.

Overall: Mystery that didn’t need solving.

Kudos

When the Stars Fall (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 2)

Becki Willis

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Book

Madison Reynolds is rebuilding her life, one obstacle at a time. But the building blocks aren’t...

romance adult mystery cozy mystery fiction series

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2332 KP) rated Mulch Ado About Murder (Local Foods Mystery, #5) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Cam Flaherty is helping new hydroponics farmer, Nicole, by starting a few plants for her. She’s dropping off a few of those plants when she finds Nicole dead in her greenhouse. The police question those protesting Nicole’s hydroponic methods, including Cam’s visiting mother, Deb. Deb is clearly hiding something from the police. Will it get her arrested for murder?

I hadn’t realized how much I had come to love these characters until I was visiting them again. They are wonderful, and I enjoyed getting to catch up on their lives. We’ve gotten to see a lot of growth in Cam over the course of the series, and watching her interact with her parents provides an opportunity for more. And the mystery? It starts quickly and moves along at a brisk pace with plenty of secrets and suspects before we reach the climax.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-mulch-ado-about-murder-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2332 KP) rated Murder on Gramercy Park (Gaslight Mystery, #3) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy arrives at the scene of Dr. Edmund Blackwell’s death thinking it is a suicide. However, as soon as he views it, he realizes it was murder. By that point, he’s already involved midwife Sarah Brandt as she is attending the dead man’s wife, who has gone into labor from the shock. Dr. Blackwell was a magnetic healer, bring relief to people suffering from pain. Who would want to kill a man like that?

And just like that, we are once again traveling back in time to 1890’s New York City. The book really does a great job of bringing the time and place to life. Frank and Sarah are fantastic main characters who share the sleuthing and page time as our third person point of view characters. The mystery is sharp with plenty of secrets to be uncovered. I thought I had it figured out early, but I was missing a big piece of the puzzle.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-murder-on-gramercy-park-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.