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Ross (3284 KP) rated Perfect Remains: A Gripping Thriller That Will Leave You Breathless in Books

Aug 30, 2018 (Updated Aug 30, 2018)

Very good, gripping crime novel based in Edinburgh. Recently arrived French detective Luc Callanach finds himself at the wheel of the force's biggest crime, while still trying to find his feet in his new city.
As the reader is made aware of the "murderer"'s identity from very early on, this feels more like an early Mark Billingham book than an Ian Rankin or Ed James. Not a true whodunit, more of a case of watching the story unfold, which is thrilling and you get to see the criminal and the detective's view of the events, but may put others off.
While the story is very well crafted, the pacing is top notch and the action exciting, a few aspects irritated me at times. Luc Callanach seems to have coped very well with his change in circumstances, and at times it is almost like he (or the author) has forgotten he is French completely! And also the attitude and conclusions of what was supposed to be a very experienced psychological profiler just didn't feel plausible. And finally, as so often happens with "detective x crime series" books - if the main character didn't see it, it didn't happen. This means that Callanach has to abandon his massive case and oddly decide to go off with another detective in order to discuss something, purely as a plot device - i.e. he has to be involved in it for it to be an important part of the story. In places this worked, and got to the point, but at other times his actions just seemed so unusual as to be ludicrous, just to meet a plot point. Why the lesser characters can't have a PoV chapter is beyond me. It works perfectly well in fantasy fiction, why not in crime?!
However these were minor quibbles, an otherwise great book.

Kudos

Closed Casket: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery

Agatha Christie and Sophie Hannah

7.5 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Hercule Poirot returns in another brilliant murder mystery that can only be solved by the eponymous...

On the Count of Three (Brandon Fisher FBI #7)

Carolyn Arnold

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

And they thought prison was hell… When a woman’s disappearance ticks off all the same boxes...

Crime Mystery Thriller

Marqees (17 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Batman: Return to Arkham in Video Games

Feb 14, 2018

Batman: Return to Arkham

2017 | Action/Adventure

8.7

(14 Ratings)

Video Game Rating

Quality Voice acting, Great story, fluid combat system, open world (0 more)

repetitive NPC speak, overuse of detective mode (0 more)

If you are a fan of Batman and have not played Arkham Asylum and Arkham City stop what you are doing right now, currently reading my review of these games, and go play them for yourself. This game is heavily inspired by the Batman: The Animated Series lore so much so that writer Paul Dini, who help create the show, help pen the story. Reprising the role of the Dark Knight is Kevin Conroy who is the definitive Batman alongside him is his arch-nemesis the Joker voice by the legendary Mark Hamill. The plot of both games is very simple you as Batman must stop the overall plot of the Joker while fending off threats from various other Batman villains. The story is compelling, the combat fluid, and with the updated graphics very pretty to look at. On the downside, the game relies highly on Batman's Detective Mode to do all of the sleuthing and the Riddler puzzles can be tedious but overall these games are great.

Kudos

JT (287 KP) rated Someone to Watch over Me (1987) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020

Someone to Watch over Me (1987)

1987 | Action, Drama, Mystery

6.5

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

I doubt that many people would realise that this is one of Ridley Scott’s earlier films. From the opening scene you will notice a distinct Ridley Scott feel to it. The sweeping shot of New York’s Chrysler building could mirror a scene from the sci-fi classic Blade Runner.

Someone to Watch Over Me is a thriller in which a woman who witnesses a murder is sent to protective custody, there she falls for her bodyguard detective. It’s a fairly clichéd film in that it takes portions film noir as well as a classic love affair.

Tom Berenger plays the recently promoted detective who must control his desires for the women he is protecting. Claire Gregory played by Mimi Rogers is an innocent, sexy high class aristocrat who wants what she knows she cannot have.

It dips from thriller to love story and has interludes of high tension thrown in as an afterthought. The backdrop of a self obsessed 1980s America works very well and Scott’s direction is astute as it is clinical with great locations and camera shots. An average thriller but enjoyable nonetheless