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Lindsay (1717 KP) rated Real Murder in Books

Sep 26, 2019  
Real Murder
Real Murder
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There a murder or murders that no one want to unsolved. It seem that their a killer that has yet to be answered. It all starts with the discovery of the missing sheriff deputy Mike Gardner and his cruiser in the lake.

There are more mysteries to solve and it all get started once Joshua and Cameron some what gets involved. Joshua on the case with his case and Cameron deals with a case that involes a sweet old lady that is her neighbor and named Dolly. Cameron wants to find closer or answers for a mother that lost her son.

Who killed Ava Tucker and her young man? Are they all connected or not? Why was Mike looking into a local hooker murder and is it a family secret that got him killed? Hunter seem like he want to find his fathers killer. You will be surprised at how it ends.

Laura does a remarkable job of bring her characters to life. You feel the their love for each other. Tracey seem to have found her love in Hunter Gardner. Will they marry and have a happy life together. We see how Cameron and Joshua deals with their marriage issues and their love for each other as well. They seem to work well together.

If you are a mystery fan or murder fan. Then you are missing out on these author books. Lauren Carr books are must read books. She will have you leave satisfied but hungry for more. This book was no different. I love how they are all intertwined.
  
The Question Is Murder
The Question Is Murder
Mark Willen | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Should a journalist be impartial or should they do the right thing, even if it means compromising their source?
Should a journalist be impartial and just tell the story, or should they do the right thing, even if it means compromising their source? This is the question posed by columnist/ college lecturer Sam Turner when he receives an email that could lead to murder.

When a young woman is being stalked by an untouchable powerful man, she considers that killing him may be her only way out. However when he turns up dead, it may be that she is not the only person who wanted him gone. This is a wonderfully suspenseful mystery told from the perspectives of three different main characters that offer interesting insight into mindset of murder. It is set against a political backdrop that is pulled from the headlines but not at all cliche.

Though the murder needs solving, and Sam Turner, an ethics advice columnist and throw back to traditional journalist, does a fantastic job of chasing down the story and the facts, it is simply the vehicle to get inside Sam’s life which is where the true meat of the story lies. His struggle with ethics of his decisions and the changing circumstances of both his career and personal life made for great reading. I would very much enjoy seeing more books about Sam and people he is close to.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
  
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
2023 | Crime, Mystery
7
6.0 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Well Crafted
Famed Agatha Christie Belgian Sleuth Hercule Poirot is a familiar figure on the screen - both large and small. He has been played numerous times by numerous performers, each one riffing on the famed mustached Detective and his “little grey cells” and and any performer who takes on this character must bear the weight of those who played the role before him.

In A HAUNTING IN VENICE, Kenneth Branagh’s 3rd go around as Poirot, Branagh has finally shaken off the Ghosts of Poirot’s Past and has made the part his own.

Based on the 1969 novel by Agatha Christie, HALLOWE’EN PARTY, Branagh (who also directed the film) imbues horror elements and the macabre to the whoddunit detective genre - largely to positive results.

As stated above, Branagh has finally made this version of Hercule Poirot his own, giving the detective (who, at the beginning of this film/novel, is in self-imposed retirement) some self-doubt and self-retrospection which helps drive the story, plot and intrigue of the story.

Branagh has populated this murder-mystery with strong performers from recent Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh (EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE) to Jamie Dornan (Branagh’s BELFAST) to YELLOWSTONE’s Kelly Reilly. Each brings mystery and star power to their roles.

Special notice needs to be made of Comedienne Tina Fey who is tackling her first non-comedic role and largely sticks the landing. As a friend of the Detective from NYC, Fey more than holds her own in the many, many scenes she shares with Branagh. As is often the case with comediennes, there is more to be mined in Fey’s acting chops and here’s hoping she dives deeper into more serious roles.

Director Branagh smartly uses the setting and mood of this piece to craft a film experience that is eerie, spooky and claustrophobic. While it is being billed as a HORROR film, it is not. It is a tense, taught, macabre film, filled with fish-eye lens and blurred-focus shots, which makes the set design and cinematography complimentary to the story.

Which is important for this is, in the end, a drawing room murder-mystery and the audience’s enjoyment of this film will be in direct alignment with how the mystery plays out…and this mystery plays out well (enough). What it lacks in surprises, it more than makes up for in mood, atmosphere and character

And that makes for a very entertaining time at the Cinema.

Letter Grade: B+

7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis).
  
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Hazycoot (15 KP) rated Mysterium in Tabletop Games

Mar 31, 2019 (Updated Apr 26, 2019)  
Mysterium
Mysterium
2015 | Deduction, Murder & Mystery, Party Game
Great game that forces you to try and think like the person playing as the ghost (0 more)
Visions can be extremely difficult to choose (0 more)
Much like clue this is a murder mystery game, though there is a twist, the ghost of the victim gives you clues in the form of visions. The ghost is not allowed to talk to the other players except to tell them whether they are right or not. It is on the longer side and can be quite frustrating depending on the visions the ghost gives out. Each other player follows the path of a specific suspect to find what room they were in and what weapon they had access to, the game encourages cooperation between players but does not require it