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Midge (525 KP) rated The Playing Card Killer in Books
Feb 19, 2019
I loved that, straight-away, Russell James introduces Brian Sheridan, who is currently on medication for anxiety-related problems. Brian decides to stop taking his medication as he thinks that he is living life through fog and haze which he hates. As a result, he is tormented by dreams of women being strangled, then left with a playing card tucked in their corpse. When he sees an apparent victim on the news, dead, Brian fears he may be the unwitting killer. Detective Eric Weissbard thinks the same thing and starts to build a case to get Brian convicted. But there's so much more to these murders…
Brian discovers that he has a brother, Tyler, with a penchant for murder. Tyler is willing to frame Brian for the crimes unless Brian wants to join Team Playing Card Killer.
Russell James’ sympathetic portrayal of the immensely likeable Brian was wonderful to read as his neuroses and delusions were laid bare and there was no hidden side to him. Brian is a troubled young man with an adoptive family with whom he barely has any sort of relationship. His girlfriend, Daniela, by contrast, is confident, and self -assured and she delivers Brian an ultimatum - either he continues with his medication or she will leave him.
I also liked Russell James’ fantastic character portrayal of Detective Weissbard who is talented, analytical and operates mostly and very successfully on gut instinct. However, he is disrespected by his colleagues and is assigned to chasing all the non-eventful leads and red herrings. That is until a jittery young guy arrives at the station, claiming to have detailed knowledge of the investigation that hasn’t been revealed.
For me, THE PLAYING CARD KILLER explores some freaky imaginings and is full of creepy vibes. It's a fantastic thriller that surprised me with a mystery that borders on a grim horror novel. I was never quite sure exactly how far off the rails Brian had gone or where the author was going next with this disturbing but exciting story. The suspense was so great that I was on the edge of my seat because I was so absorbed with Brian and Detective Weissbard.
THE PLAYING CARD KILLER held my interest from start to finish and the way in which Russell James brought everything to a conclusion was just fabulous. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author. I would recommend THE PLAYING CARD KILLER to anyone who likes this genre.
[Thank you to NetGalley, Flame Tree Press and Russell James for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.]
Darren (1599 KP) rated Sexy Beast (2000) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Reluctantly taking the job, Gal returns to London and as most heist style movies, things don’t go to plan.
Thoughts on Sexy Beast
Characters – Gal was once the go to safecracker, now he is in retirement in Spain loving his life in the sun with his pool and friends, he has zero interest in returning to the game even after Don Logan pushes him. He stays relaxed through each scene because he knows his answer will always be no. he does reluctantly return for this last job mostly to get rid of Don. Don Logan is the brutal gangster, he knows who he wants for the jobs and this time it is Gal, he will not take ‘No’ as an answer, he will get violent and his outbursts will be the things you remember the most. Teddy is the man that the job is for, a fellow gangster that wants the best men for the job. DeeDee is the wife of Gal, she will stand by Gal in every decision even after the endless insults thrown their way.
Performances – Ray Winstone is great in this leading role, he is the perfect choice for a cockney criminal who knows there is a better life out there away from London. Ben Kingsley clearly steals every single scene in this movie with his performance that is filed with so much anger and aggression, you won’t be able to take your eyes off him. Ian McShane is great too where he brings us a calmer gangster who is also filled with anger. These three take most of the spotlight away from any other performers in the film.
Story – The story follows a retired criminal that gets forced to return to the game for one final job by an aggressive gangster, where this film does stand out from the other films in this genre, is that our hero Gal is 100% not interested in returning as most film give us the idea of ‘ok, I will do it’ on an easier formula. The story does have a nice twist on how things go and gives us the characters we could believe are from this world. if you are looking for a heist storyline, you will be disappointed though as this film focuses on the idea of getting the man to do the job.
Crime/Thriller – The crime world we enter giving us gangsters which will not take no for an answer, we don’t learn enough of their previous lives in the world though, only going on reputations.
Settings – The film uses Spain for the setting which gives us the retirement feel for a Brit to take, the sun increases the idea of the heat in the scenes.
Scene of the Movie – The heated argument.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The lack of heist action.
Final Thoughts – This is a true British crime film, it has great characters and a stunning performance from Ben Kingsley.
Overall: British Crime 101