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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2516 KP) rated Against the Claw in Books
Aug 23, 2018
Who Killed the Girl with the Pitchfork Tattoo?
It’s the week of the Fourth of July, and Allie and her aunt Gully are getting ready for the onslaught of customers the holiday weekend will bring to their town of Mystic Bay, Connecticut and the lobster shack that Aunt Gully has started. However, the holiday weekend takes a sad turn when Allie finds a dead body in the bay. No one seems to know who she was. But if no one recognizes her, who would want her dead?
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and it was a delight to return again. The characters are lots of fun, and it was great to see them again. The new characters fit right in; they were so nice, it was hard to believe there was a killer hiding among them. I did think the plot wandered a bit in the first half, but it picked up in the second half. When we reached the climax, I discovered there were some clues I hadn’t even realized where hiding in the book. The location is charming; the perfect summer resort town. So if you are looking for a book to hold on to summer, pick this one up.
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and it was a delight to return again. The characters are lots of fun, and it was great to see them again. The new characters fit right in; they were so nice, it was hard to believe there was a killer hiding among them. I did think the plot wandered a bit in the first half, but it picked up in the second half. When we reached the climax, I discovered there were some clues I hadn’t even realized where hiding in the book. The location is charming; the perfect summer resort town. So if you are looking for a book to hold on to summer, pick this one up.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Hardcore Henry (2016) in Movies
Sep 5, 2018 (Updated Sep 5, 2018)
Action and Free-Running bonanza (1 more)
Frenetic Pace
Lack of narrative depth (1 more)
Some people won't enjoy the shaky-cam, first person style
Horrid Henry? Far from it!
Contains spoilers, click to show
If you want action of the most octane, Hardcore Henry is the film you want.
The plot and stylings are pure first person shooter, with an anime bad guy, a re-respawning side character played by the indomitable Sharlto Copley and a mute protagonist who acts as your vehicle for some of the most insane stuntwork, free running and combat ever seen on the big screen.
Yes the movie favours style over substance, yes the plot if ridiculously derivative and 2-dimensional, but this film delivers exactly what it promises, which is a hardcore action experience through a gamer's lens.
There are in jokes a plenty too, from the wilhelm scream kill in the stairwell, to the character "wiping blood from his (our) eyes" and the soundtrack which ranges from high tempo dance to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now", all of which adds to the light-hearted frame that surrounds the brutal violence.
Some wont like the shaky cam style, but for me it adds to the hyperactive nature of the whole film, and I enjoyed every minute, even the odd bit of body horror they threw in!
The plot and stylings are pure first person shooter, with an anime bad guy, a re-respawning side character played by the indomitable Sharlto Copley and a mute protagonist who acts as your vehicle for some of the most insane stuntwork, free running and combat ever seen on the big screen.
Yes the movie favours style over substance, yes the plot if ridiculously derivative and 2-dimensional, but this film delivers exactly what it promises, which is a hardcore action experience through a gamer's lens.
There are in jokes a plenty too, from the wilhelm scream kill in the stairwell, to the character "wiping blood from his (our) eyes" and the soundtrack which ranges from high tempo dance to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now", all of which adds to the light-hearted frame that surrounds the brutal violence.
Some wont like the shaky cam style, but for me it adds to the hyperactive nature of the whole film, and I enjoyed every minute, even the odd bit of body horror they threw in!
Hollywood Catwalk: Exploring Costume and Transformation in American Film
Book
The High School outsider takes off her glasses, puts on a dress, and becomes the Prom Queen; the...
Performing Authorship: Self-inscription and Corporeality in the Cinema
Book
The figure of the auteur continues to haunt the study of film, resisting both the poststructuralist...
AT
Assessing the Effectiveness of International Courts
Book
Are international courts effective tools for international governance? Do they fulfill the...
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide To Getting The Right Things Done
Book
The measure of the executive, Peter Drucker reminds us, is the ability to 'get the right things...
Devil in the Detail
8.0
Rate It
Book
For fans of Ian Rankin, Ed McBain and Christopher Brookmyre, Devil in the Detail is the second novel...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2516 KP) rated A Sprinkle in Time in Books
May 28, 2022 (Updated May 28, 2022)
The Corpse in the Trunk. Maybe.
Trinidad Jones is focused on the Alpenfest that is in town for the new two weekends, hoping that the tourists will provide a nice bump to her Shimmy and Shake Shop before business slows for the winter. Her life gets complicated, however, when her grandfather finds a corpse in the trunk of his classic car. When the police show up, the body is gone, only to turn up floating in the lake. What is going on?
I enjoyed the first in the series, but this one was even better. I was pulled in right away, and the plot never lagged. Because of how it impacted some of the characters we got to know in the first book, I found it compelling. I had part of the solution figured out, but there was a lot I hadn’t pieced together. The characters are strong again. I laughed at parts, but because of how things were impacting everyone, I also got chocked up a time or two. There are two recipes at the end to help with your cravings for ice cream and sweets in general. I’m already looking forward to visiting the gang again soon.
I enjoyed the first in the series, but this one was even better. I was pulled in right away, and the plot never lagged. Because of how it impacted some of the characters we got to know in the first book, I found it compelling. I had part of the solution figured out, but there was a lot I hadn’t pieced together. The characters are strong again. I laughed at parts, but because of how things were impacting everyone, I also got chocked up a time or two. There are two recipes at the end to help with your cravings for ice cream and sweets in general. I’m already looking forward to visiting the gang again soon.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2516 KP) rated Secrets of a Scottish Isle in Books
Mar 28, 2024 (Updated Mar 28, 2024)
Undercover in the Occult
Jane Wunderly is on the Isle of Iona off the coast of Scottland. She’s joined the Golden Dawn, going under cover in an attempt to learn if their leader would be a good asset for the organization she and her fiancé, Redvers, works for. But Jane has just barely joined the group when she finds the body of another female member on the moors. Jane is driven to get justice for the victim. But what exactly happened to her? And what about Jane’s official investigation?
As a fan of the series, I was delighted to spend time with Jane and Redvers again. They are a great pair. We get plenty of new characters, and they are well developed, too. Sadly, the plot was uneven, with Jane spending lots of time contemplating what was happening in between the twists. This led to an abrupt but logical climax. The writing brought Iona in March to life, and it made me shiver as I read. It’s fun to see a poet from 1927 show up in the book, and be sure to read the author’s notes at the end to see where she got the inspiration for the tale. Fans of the series will enjoy Jane’s latest adventure.
As a fan of the series, I was delighted to spend time with Jane and Redvers again. They are a great pair. We get plenty of new characters, and they are well developed, too. Sadly, the plot was uneven, with Jane spending lots of time contemplating what was happening in between the twists. This led to an abrupt but logical climax. The writing brought Iona in March to life, and it made me shiver as I read. It’s fun to see a poet from 1927 show up in the book, and be sure to read the author’s notes at the end to see where she got the inspiration for the tale. Fans of the series will enjoy Jane’s latest adventure.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Murder in Court Three (Flick Fortune and Baggo Chandavarkar, #3) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
***NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley***
The body of Farquhar Knox, QC, has been found in courtroom number three, pierced through the heart with an arrow. It's up to DI Flick Fortune and her team to find the killer. Things are made all the more difficult when a Chief Superintendent shows up on their suspect list, and the local paper implies that the very pregnant Flick and her department may not be up to the task at hand.
This was a very enjoyable read. It's the third in a series of traditional police procedurals from author Ian Simpson, but the first one that I had read. I was worried after seeing the long list of characters included at the beginning of the book that I might feel lost or have trouble keeping everyone straight, not having read the two previous books. This was not the case, however, and Simpson does a good job of making his characters distinct and recognizable. A very well-written mystery with several sub-plots and lots of red herrings, I would recommend Murder in Court Three to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
The body of Farquhar Knox, QC, has been found in courtroom number three, pierced through the heart with an arrow. It's up to DI Flick Fortune and her team to find the killer. Things are made all the more difficult when a Chief Superintendent shows up on their suspect list, and the local paper implies that the very pregnant Flick and her department may not be up to the task at hand.
This was a very enjoyable read. It's the third in a series of traditional police procedurals from author Ian Simpson, but the first one that I had read. I was worried after seeing the long list of characters included at the beginning of the book that I might feel lost or have trouble keeping everyone straight, not having read the two previous books. This was not the case, however, and Simpson does a good job of making his characters distinct and recognizable. A very well-written mystery with several sub-plots and lots of red herrings, I would recommend Murder in Court Three to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.