Smashbomb

"Rossellini is a big master for me. Normally, he’s put in the box of neorealism, but I don’t think he can stay in a box. Even though his movies had incredible scripts and very incredible actors, they were so alive and happening. You always have the feeling that there is something surprising the director, like you can feel him opening up toward life. Stromboli has always been an important film for me because of how it investigates the relationship between man and nature. There is a very tight, traditional structure, but at the same time there are gaps and openings that allow the mystery to come in."

Source

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2544 KP) rated The Tuscan Child in Books

Mar 16, 2018

The Tuscan Child

Rhys Bowen | 2018 | Mystery

8.7

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Can Joanna Solve the Mystery of Her Father’s Past?

When Hugo Langley dies, his daughter Joanna finds a letter in his possession addressed to someone named Sofia in Italy. It references “our beautiful boy.” Joanna knows her father was shot down in the Tuscany region during World War II, but does this letter mean she has a half-brother? Intrigued, Joanna sets out to learn about that time in her father’s life. What will she learn?

This book switches back and forth from Hugo’s story in 1944 and Joanna’s journey in 1973. The chapters are clearly labeled, so it is never hard to follow which time period we are in. While this is not a traditional mystery by any means, we do learn what happened back then and how it plays out in the more “modern” setting. This book is just as much about Joanna’s growth, and she lead a cast of very strong characters I quickly fell in love with as I read.

Kudos

Marple: Twelve New Stories

Val McDermid, Leigh Bardugo, Kate Mosse, Alyssa Cole, Ruth Ware, Dreda Say Mitchell, Natalie Haynes, Elly Griffiths, Naomi Alderman, Lucy Foley, Jean Kwok and Karen M McManus

7.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

This collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the...

Short Stories Anthologies Historical Fiction Cosy Mystery

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2544 KP) rated Sowing Malice in Books

Jul 15, 2020

Sowing Malice

Wendy Tyson | 2020 | Mystery

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Reaping Another Great Mystery

When the von Tresslers moved to town, they didn’t make the residents of Winsome, Pennsylvania, very happy. They’ve mostly kept to themselves except when they were pushing to do things their way. Now, David von Tressler has died, and most of the mourners are from out of town. That includes three women that Megan Sawyer runs into at the local nursery. Shortly after Megan meets them, one of the women disappears. Then a body turns up at Megan’s farm. What is going on?

I was thrilled to see another entry in this great series, and I wasn’t disappointed. The mystery is strong. It starts quickly and there are plenty of twists and turns before we reach the end. The characters continue to be wonderful. We got updates on the series regulars and the new characters were well developed. There’s nothing here that spoils previous books in the series, so you could jump in here, but to fully appreciate the character growth, I do recommend reading the series in order. This series is more of a traditional mystery than a lighter cozy, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. I definitely recommend this book and the entire series.

Kudos

David McK (3773 KP) rated Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason in Books

Apr 12, 2020

At first, I must admit, I wondered what a Sherlock Holmes story that had not been written by Arthur Conan Doyle would be like.

And then I listened to this.

Set in the 'traditional' Sherlock Holmes setting of late in Queen Victoria's reign (in this case, after Reichenbach Falls) - instead of the more contemporary setting popularised by TVs Sherlock - this did take me a bit to get into.

However, it is impeccably produced and acted - even if it relies quite heavily on flashbacks - taking in such key characters as Sherlock himself, Dr Watson, Sherlock's brother Mycroft and Professor Moriarty, in a mystery around the kidnapping of the Queen!
(I was never taught that in school …)