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A Crafter Hooks a Killer
8.5
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Sure to delight fans of Betty Hechtman and Maggie Sefton, A Crafter Hooks a Killer is the second...
Fiction Mystery Thriller Cozy Mystery
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Heron's Cry in Books
Sep 16, 2021
An excellent, complex character-driven mystery
Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a farm/artist retreat where Dr. Nigel Yeo has been killed. He's found dead in his own daughter's glassblower studio, stabbed with a shard of one of her vases. Dr. Yeo seems like a nice man: adored by his daughter and a public servant, working to help bring understanding between the public trusts. When a second body is found--killed in a similar way--Matthew realizes that he must dig deep into the secrets and lies of his community to find a killer.
I adore this series and the fact that Detective Matthew Venn, our lead, is a gay man. As with all of Cleeves' books, this is an excellent, solid mystery, with an interesting plot and a team whom you can easily become invested in. Each of her characters is well-written, strong, and original. It's so refreshing, honestly, to read a tale without a crazy unreliable narrator but instead one that simply relies on a strong story and excellent characters. There is a slate of people who could be potential suspects, and we also get backstories for our various detectives: Matthew, Ross, and Jen. Everyone is entwined in this small town (and honestly, if I were them, I'd be a bit worried how many people seem to die there! Cabot Cove, anyone?).
This book kept me guessing the entire time, which I love. I was constantly second guessing myself and wondering who killed whom. It was filled with twists, but nothing wild or unbelievable. This is easily becoming one of my new favorite series. 4+ stars.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
I adore this series and the fact that Detective Matthew Venn, our lead, is a gay man. As with all of Cleeves' books, this is an excellent, solid mystery, with an interesting plot and a team whom you can easily become invested in. Each of her characters is well-written, strong, and original. It's so refreshing, honestly, to read a tale without a crazy unreliable narrator but instead one that simply relies on a strong story and excellent characters. There is a slate of people who could be potential suspects, and we also get backstories for our various detectives: Matthew, Ross, and Jen. Everyone is entwined in this small town (and honestly, if I were them, I'd be a bit worried how many people seem to die there! Cabot Cove, anyone?).
This book kept me guessing the entire time, which I love. I was constantly second guessing myself and wondering who killed whom. It was filled with twists, but nothing wild or unbelievable. This is easily becoming one of my new favorite series. 4+ stars.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Did I Give You Permission To Run?: The Neon Funeral
10.0
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Detective Amanda Glass of Sourville, North Carolina has seen quite a few things on the job, Bun...
horror thriller bookbuzz
It's Murder, My Son (Mac Faraday Mystery #1)
10.0
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“An exciting mystery with plenty of intriguing and enigmatic characters, It's Murder, My Son...
Murder Audiobook Ebook Kindle Murder Mystery Mystery
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Blade Runner 2049 (2017) in Movies
Oct 16, 2017
Visually impressive
Trying to follow the original Blade Runner is a difficult task, but Denis Villeneuve has done a fantastic job. This is one of the most visually impressive films I've seen all year, and it has the music and score to match. It's not an all out sci-fi as expected, but more a slow burning detective story.
Ryan Gosling is surprisingly good in the lead role, I've never been much of a fan of his until now but he does well. Harrison Ford is perhaps a little underused, and I wasnt a huge fan of Jared Leto and his character.
My only criticism would be it felt a little too long. I'm sure they could've cut a few of the scenes down to a slightly more acceptable length to avoid the nearly 3 hour runtime.
Ryan Gosling is surprisingly good in the lead role, I've never been much of a fan of his until now but he does well. Harrison Ford is perhaps a little underused, and I wasnt a huge fan of Jared Leto and his character.
My only criticism would be it felt a little too long. I'm sure they could've cut a few of the scenes down to a slightly more acceptable length to avoid the nearly 3 hour runtime.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Nov 14, 2017 (Updated Nov 14, 2017)
A Serviceable Retelling
I'm not going to tell you that this is one of the greatest detective movies ever made, but it is a lot better than a lot of reviews are making it out to be and I had fun with it. Branagh does a good job with directing the all star cast and they each get a moment to shine. He is also brilliant as Poirot, working as the staple that holds the whole movie together. The lighting and the cinematography in the film is stunning. It does have it's cheesy moments and certain actors could be mistaken for being in a pantomime, but that comes with the territory with a period murder mystery story. I'm not saying it's brilliant, but it is good fun and as remakes go, it could have been a lot worse.
Gisell Middleton (189 KP) rated The Raven Tower in Books
May 22, 2019
Reading, or listening (which I did), to this novel is like hearing an anecdote from an elderly relative who often goes off on tangents and digresses only to finally reach the point much later and seemingly at random. This story was a “detective mystery” that really, really wanted to incorporate gods somehow. The plot did not really come together until the very end and the rest of the novel was not compelling enough to really keep you interested throughout. The back and forth through time and different narrations, first and second person from the same narrator, was perplexing enough to be muddled and confusing for the majority of this seemingly endless novel. The more interesting details were never really addressed or explained and the richest characters remained as background noise. I wish this book had been better.
Valerio (15 KP) rated Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Pokémons were made brilliantly (2 more)
Ryan Reynolds.
Shower of feels
Above my expectations
I am a big fan of the Pokémon franchise. I've played the TCG back when I was a kid. Still playing now and then the videogames. I went to the cinema and I was surprised. Detective Pikachu is a solid movie if you are a Pokémon fan. The visual effects are stunning, the pokémons are made really well and Pikachu is just adorable. The chess mate was made by the quite brave choice of getting Ryan Reynolds to give his voice for Pikachu. I really enjoyed his acting and the voice (and jokes) coming from the little yellow Pokémon were simply amazing. If you are a Pokémon fan or you just want to enjoy a fun movie with your kids I highly recommend this movie.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated What You See (Jane Ryland, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Reporter Jane Ryland is hoping that a freelance assignment she’s been given might be her ticket to a new job. She’s covering a stabbing in mid-day in a Boston park. However, she’s barely arrived on the scene when her sister calls with news that could lead to a family crisis. Can Jane balance the two?
Really, this book deftly blends two different plots into one compelling book. I did find it a little slow at first as it the stories build and the new characters are introduced, but once it gets going, I couldn’t put it down. Jane and her boyfriend, detective Jake Brogan, are fantastic lead characters, and it’s always great to see them back in action.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-what-you-see-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Really, this book deftly blends two different plots into one compelling book. I did find it a little slow at first as it the stories build and the new characters are introduced, but once it gets going, I couldn’t put it down. Jane and her boyfriend, detective Jake Brogan, are fantastic lead characters, and it’s always great to see them back in action.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-what-you-see-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated Nate the Great Goes Undercover (Nate the Great) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The pint sized detective is back for his second case, this time trying to figure out for his neighbor Oliver who is breaking into Oliver’s trashcans every night. Nate’s excited for his first night time case, but can he catch the culprit?
This is the second picture book to feature Nate the Great, and it is a lot of fun. We are introduced to Oliver and Nate’s dog Sludge, who would become main characters in the series, here. The mystery is good with Nate hitting a couple of dead ends before he reaches the conclusion. The pictures might be a little dated, this is from the mid-70’s after all, but that’s my only issue, and it’s a very minor one.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-nate-great-goes-undercover.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is the second picture book to feature Nate the Great, and it is a lot of fun. We are introduced to Oliver and Nate’s dog Sludge, who would become main characters in the series, here. The mystery is good with Nate hitting a couple of dead ends before he reaches the conclusion. The pictures might be a little dated, this is from the mid-70’s after all, but that’s my only issue, and it’s a very minor one.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-nate-great-goes-undercover.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.