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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated No Way Home in Books

Mar 6, 2021

No Way Home

Annette Dashofy | 2017 | Mystery

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Slow Start Due to Set Up

A rare warm Sunday in November sends Zoe to the stable for a trail ride through her area of Pennsylvania. However, that trail ride ends early with the discovery of County Commissioner Dale Springfield’s body. It appears he fell off his horse in a tragic accident, but Zoe doesn’t think that explanation quite makes sense.

However, her hopes of being involved in the investigation get sidelined when her best friend, Rose, demands Zoe’s help. Rose’s son has disappeared in the New Mexico desert, and the police think he is a person of interest in a murder. So Zoe joins Rose in New Mexico. Can she help find Logan and figure out what really happened?

Since this series really has two main characters, Zoe and police chief Pete Adams, we are able to follow the progress on both cases even though Zoe is a thousand miles from home. However, that makes the beginning of the book slow since, just as one story is picking up the pace, we have to slow down for the other to be set up. My patience was rewarded with a satisfying resolution and several tense scenes. The divided focus keep some of the supporting players a bit thinner than they might otherwise be, although Zoe and Pete are still as sharp as ever. Since Zoe is a paramedic and deputy coroner, this series is a bit darker than my usual choices. As long as you expect a more traditional mystery when you pick it up, you’ll be fine. This is not the book to jump into the series with, but fans will certainly be glad they read it.

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated High and Low (1963) in Movies

Jan 28, 2021

High and Low (1963)

1963 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

This movie is often touted as one of the finest non-American crime thrillers out there. It appears on many top 10 lists from renowned directors, and stands untouchable in the pantheon of post WWII Japanese cinema dealing with 20th century issues rather than samurai or traditional religious concepts. Kurasawa is known for masterpieces in both genres, and in this sphere is very much the Hitchcock of the East. The story sees self made entrepreneur Kingo Gondo, played by the ubiquitous Toshirô Mifune, being blackmailed by a kidnapper who believes he has his son, but has taken his chauffeur’s son by mistake. Cue huge moral intrigue and dilemma, leading to a chase and an unexpectedly symbolical climax and resolution.

It plays like two films for the price of one, the first a claustrophobic mood piece with a staged feel, reminding me of Hitchcock’s Rope, and the second a frantic chase movie where the forensic evidence is picked apart in intricate detail, like a less graphic Seven. The print on BFI is not great, so it actually feels older than it is. It is also pretty long at 143 minutes, and feels like it takes an age to get going. Therefore, although some moments and key images have stayed with me, I can’t honestly say I felt gripped or tense in any way. The stakes didn’t feel as high as I would have hoped for, and tonally it is a little uneven. In conclusion, it has much to offer and details in isolation are very impressive, but for me it was something of a let down.