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ClareR (5879 KP) rated Crow Court in Books

Feb 20, 2021

Crow Court

Andy Charman | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Crow Court is a wonderful book set in the nineteenth century, and draws on authors of this time, such as Dickens, as inspiration. There are a few descriptions of places that sound just like something Dickens would write - both beautiful and immersive.
The book itself is written as a series of interconnecting short stories, telling us something about the characters connected with the central theme of the book: the Choirmasters treatment of the choirboys, a suicide and a murder. There are one or two stories that cut away from this theme, for example, the troupe of actors from London, who come to a local wedding in order to entertain the wedding guests with Midsummer Night’s Dream. I liked this particularly - the dynamics between the characters were fascinating - and what a way of life!
An immense amount of research went in to this book, and I really enjoyed reading the extra information that the author provided on the Pigeonhole: the historical and geographical background, and the hours and hours that must have gone in to writing in Dorset dialect (best read out loud to get the full effect, I found. Although a person from Surrey trying to read Dorset dialect must be quite something to behold!).
This is another one of those books that was a lovely surprise. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. It’s a truly wonderful read.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to Andy Charman for reading along and adding so much to the experience.

Kudos

Mutant Chronicles (2008)

7.0 (4 Ratings) Rate It

Movie

At the end of the Ice Age, The Machine came from outer space with the purpose to change men into...

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021) in Movies

Jul 3, 2021

From it's very Scream-esque cold open, to it's Intruder style finale, Fear Street: 1994 is an unabashed love letter to the slasher genre that benefits from a cast of likable characters, and doesn't shy away from the gory stuff.
The group of friends that the narrative revolves around share some decent chemistry. The vibe that surrounds them isn't to dissimilar to the characters in Scary Stories or even Stranger Things. They're written to be rooted for, which makes all the more impact when the final third comes knocking and the body count piles up. The various killers on the loose are clearly inspired by other slasher icons, but the multiple-killer aspect makes them interesting enough, even if it's just surface level, and the overarching narrative to do with witchcraft is intriguing.
Unfortunately, the pacing is a bit off. 1994 really takes it's time to get to where it wants to be, and the first half drags in places. It also falls into the Suicide Squad trap of spaffing out well known songs, one after another, without any reprieve. One of my absolute pet peeves in modern movies by the way, but thankfully, this doesn't last for the whole runtime.

Overall, 1994 is a fun, if flawed horror ride, with some solid gore to boot, that will surely offer something for any slasher fans out there. Genuinely looking forward to the next two installments over the coming weeks, and it's always a bonus when horror in general gets a big push from the likes of Netflix.

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Christine A. (965 KP) rated Flesh and Blood (DI Amy Winter #4) in Books

May 5, 2021

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Not until reading the 4th book in Caroline Mitchell's DI Amy Winter series did I figure out how to read the series without losing sleep. I started reading it first thing in the morning. Her novels are brilliantly written police procedurals, full of exciting characters and backstories, that are hard to put down.

As with the prior three installments, Flesh and Blood, focuses on Amy Winter's professional life and personal life. This time her team is tasked with investigating a wave of apparent suicides at several seaside resorts. The main reason her team travels to Clacton is it is Winter's boss’s, DCI Donovan, a prior partner who is the latest apparent suicide victim.

After the team's last case and ensuing news coverage, their profile has gone up, and they are under the microscope by the press, public, and their higherups. Their presence and help are not welcomed in Clacton, but Amy, as usual, plows on and is determined to find the truth...no matter where or who they need to investigate.

Mitchell has established a well-formed world around DI WInter's childhood, biological and adoptive parents, work, and personal life. It would be remiss to not read the series from the beginning.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.