The Hanging Club
8.0
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"Tony Parsons puts you right there in every scene he writes. I love that kind of storytelling and...
Ross (3284 KP) rated Perfect Kill in Books
Feb 7, 2020
This, the 6th of Fields' Edinburgh crime thrillers has a different feel to it. These books had started to feel a little formulaic, with one major investigation, one minor one and personal issues lurking in the background. Here the story is for once fully focused on (what turns out to be) one large-scale linked crime.
Luc Callanach, who has taken something of a back seat in the recent books, is back in his native Paris, as Scottish liaison to Interpol. He is working to uncover a suspected organ theft operation with potential Scottish victims. Meanwhile back in Edinburgh, Ava Turner is embroiled in missing persons cases, apparently unconnected murders and a few bone fragments left by pigs, trying to piece it all together.
The underlying story is strong as usual, with clear and believable twists and discoveries. The new characters introduced are all well-formed and distinct, and the dialogue much stronger than in previous books (I have at times had issues with the form of swearing in the books - living in Edinburgh and taking public transport I hear a fair amount of it!).
I absolutely rattled through this book in under 4 days - pretty much unheard of for me - partly due to being away on business and with no English TV channels in my hotel room, but also due to the superb rolling storyline which makes you want to read one more chapter.
A superbly told and imagined crime thriller.
The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman
7.0
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'No one keeps more secrets. No one is better at hiding them. SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH...
Crime Thriller
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Avengers in TV
Mar 4, 2018 (Updated Mar 4, 2018)
Many of the early episodes are quite hard work now, but the two seasons where Macnee is paired with Diana Rigg are classic TV, and the sometimes-maligned final season with Linda Thorson also contains many neglected gems (the episode with the murderous clowns, for instance). Even when the show is not quite firing on all cylinders, there is always Patrick Macnee's inimitable performance as Steed to enjoy.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Snowman (2017) in Movies
Feb 11, 2018 (Updated Feb 11, 2018)
The film's plot is really lacking in focus and it engages in the usual casual misogyny that seems to be perfectly acceptable on-screen; a baffling subplot featuring flashbacks with Val Kilmer is arguably a mistake (then again, this film is not exactly short of mis-steps). The film's pretensions to be a serious drama are not much helped by the extent to which the Magic Wand of Improbable Coincidences has been waved over the script. It is all a bit grim and muddled.
Light It Up: A Peter Ash Novel
10.0
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Combat veteran Peter Ash leaves a simple life rebuilding hiking trails in Oregon to help his good...
crime thriller
Shadow Man
Book
A gripping Scottish crime thriller from the winner of the Good Housekeeping Novel Writing...
The Chemistry of Death
7.0
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Finding refuge in a quiet rural backwater, Dr David Hunter hoped he might at last have put the past...
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Avengers - Season 3 in TV
Jul 15, 2020
It's still a slightly mixed bag but the two stars are endlessly watchable and the chemistry between them is great. The best episodes bear comparison to ones from the better-known filmed seasons that made up the rest of the series' run. Maybe not quite up to the standard of those later shows, but this is the foundation they were built on, and entertaining in its own right.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Wild Card (2015) in Movies
Jul 30, 2020
That said, the script is sympathetically written (Statham doesn't have to cry or emote too much) and he's well-supported by a bunch of other people. There aren't as many action sequences as usual, but when they do come along they are top bracket. In the end it's an interesting combination of character study and violent thriller; my fondness for J-Stat may factor into why I found it fairly agreeable, though. An interesting change of pace for Mr S if nothing else.