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Dean (6927 KP) rated Reminiscence (2021) in Movies

Sep 2, 2021 (Updated Sep 2, 2021)  
Reminiscence (2021)
Reminiscence (2021)
2021 | Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi
6
5.9 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Rebecca Ferguson (1 more)
The score
Misses the mark in a few areas (0 more)
You are going on a journey...
A strange film in many ways. I haven't seen much publicity for it, yet the trailer I saw last week gave me high hopes.
A noir style film set in the near future of a world that's largely flooded, including the location of Miami. Where the rich have built huge dams to keep their area dry while the poor are in flooded areas. So people pay to relive their memories of happier times to experience again with the technology available. The owner of this technology then tries to track down a mysterious woman who has gone missing.
Huge potential which in the main part is not explored at all. Some nice Sfx in places and sets of the flooded Miami but even the setting could have been used more.
The script is basic and what starts as quite an intricate plot becomes rather simple before the ending. The cast is pretty good, although Cliff Curtis is miscast as a tough guy, villian. It's stylish in places and fans of noir, detective films will enjoy it more but others may find it very slow going especially at the start.
A missed opportunity overall, one that might be more popular once available on the small screen. Although not a film many will reminisce about.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2593 KP) rated A Scaly Tail of Murder in Books

Feb 15, 2024 (Updated Feb 15, 2024)  
A Scaly Tail of Murder
A Scaly Tail of Murder
Jacqueline Vick | 2021 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Iguana Solve a Murder?
Just as Frankie Chandler is trying to adjust to being engaged to Detective Martin Bowers, her ex, Jeff, comes to town. Rather surprising since she hasn’t seen him since she moved to Arizona from Wisconsin. He came to town following Charity, a woman he’s just met. The problem? Charity turns Jeff down, but she has his keys. So Frankie agrees to go to the spa where Charity works to retrieve them. When she arrives, she finds Charity dead with Charity’s pet iguana the only witness. Can Frankie figure out what is going on?

Yes, this is one of the rare paranormal series I read since Frankie has discovered she really can communicate with animals. Since the last couple of books have found Frankie out of town, I enjoyed seeing all the regular haunts this time around. The characters are also fun, although I did have some issues with how Frankie treated Jeff in this book. Likewise, a couple of times, Frankie seemed to know something we hadn’t seen her learn. But both are minor overall. The plot had plenty of viable suspects and some nice surprises before we reached the logical end. Meanwhile, the characters provided plenty of smiles and laughs. If you are looking for a light paranormal cozy, you’ll be glad you picked this book up.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2593 KP) rated Ashes Never Lie in Books

Nov 29, 2024 (Updated Nov 29, 2024)  
Ashes Never Lie
Ashes Never Lie
Lee Goldberg | 2024 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Team Ups are Hot
When a new house burns down before the new owners can move in, the fire department is ready to chalk it up to faulty wiring. But arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker think something else is going on. Before they can fully investigate that case, they are pulled to another arson, but the evidence just points to a bigger mystery. Teaming up with homicide detective Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone, can the four figure out either case?

As a fan of Lee’s other books, I really enjoyed seeing Eve and Duncan pop up in this book. If you haven’t met them before, no need to worry, you’ll easily follow their characters here. Meanwhile, it was nice to get to know Sharpe and Walker more in their second case, this time told from Walker’s third person point of view. Something about the set up didn’t quite work for me, but once the book got rolling, I was hooked all the way to the over the top but still fun climax. We get a little bit of language and crude humor here, but it is kept to a minimum. On the other hand, there are lots of jokes and teasing that I did enjoy. Overall, this is another winner you’ll have a hard time putting down.
  
The Devil Comes Calling
The Devil Comes Calling
Annette Dashofy | 2025 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Matthias and Emma Hunt the Devil
Detective Matthias Honeywell is called to the scene of a double homicide. The victims were found in a home being renovated and were shot execution style. One of them was Emma Anderson’s predecessor as a crime beat photographer for ErieLIVE. While Honeywell conducts his investigation, Emma begins to wonder if a co-worker is involved. But with a complication from Honeywell’s past in town, will that distract him from the case?

While it’s been two years for us since the previous book, it’s only been a few weeks for the characters. I recommend you read the previous book because this one picks up a storyline from that book; I wish I’d had time to reread it myself. Also, keep in mind this is a police procedural, not one of the cozies I often read and you’ll be fine. As always, this book started strongly and kept getting better. I was hooked long before I reached the logical yet surprising climax. Honeywell gets some very nice backstory here, and Emma continues to be a strong second viewpoint characters. The switches between the two are always easy to follow. The suspects are strong, and I’m happy to see the supporting characters continue to grow. This book was worth the wait. Dive into this series today.