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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2206 KP) rated A Killer Carol in Books

Sep 25, 2019

A Killer Carol

Laura Bradford | 2019 | Mystery

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A Killing at Christmas is Anything but Heavenly for Claire

Christmas is approaching in Heavenly, Pennsylvania, and Claire Weatherly has her hands full. Not only does she have the normal tourists coming into her shop, Heavenly Treasures, but she is organizing the first annual One Heavenly Night event designed as a chance for residence and tourists to enjoy the town at Christmas. However, murder rears its ugly head once again one night. Annie, the Amish teen who works for Claire, is out Christmas caroling with some friends, and when they stop at the Esch’s farm, they find both of the them dead. Detective Jakob Fisher is quick to realize it was murder. Unfortunately, the last people to visit the victims were Claire’s Amish friend Ruth and her new husband Samuel. Even worse, the couple appear to have a motive for committing the crime. Claire doesn’t believe they could have done it, but Jakob has to follow the evidence wherever it leads, even if it ruins the unofficial inroads he has made in building relationships with the people who used to be his family before he left the Amish community. Can Claire help him solve the case before that happens?

This series works best when the characters are driving a strong mystery, and that’s definitely the case here. I’ve felt like I knew the series regulars from their first appearances in the series, so it was fantastic to spend time with them again. They are still just as strong as ever, and the new character are just as compelling. Since Heavenly sits on the edge of an Amish community, life is a bit slower, and that is reflected in the plot. This isn’t a twist a page type of book, but that faster pace wouldn’t feel right. Don’t get me wrong, we do have twists and surprises, but the impact on the characters is just as important, and the two combined keep me glued to the book. I had to fight to keep from peaking ahead and making sure everyone was going to be okay. Honestly, just reading about Heavenly refreshes my soul, so picking up this book was great. The Christmas setting was an added bonus since I love that season so much. There are a couple of niggles with the book, but they are minor. This is a fantastic addition to a favorite series.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Baby Driver (2017) in Movies

Jul 11, 2019

Baby Driver (2017)

2017 | Action, Comedy

8.2

(159 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

After falling into debt with a crime boss, Baby (Ansel Elgort), must pay back what he owes by being the getaway driver for brazen daytime heists. The crime boss, Doc (Kevin Spacey), promises Baby that once the next job is done he will be debt free. Baby does the job and heads home feeling finally free and ready to start doing good things with his life. He meets a beautiful waitress, Debora (Lily James), and plans to drive across the country with her. It may be too good to be true. He soon learns that being debt free may not mean that he gets to walk away from the life of crime. Being an exceptional driver has made him indispensable to Doc. Now Baby has a choice between walking away, which Doc has promised to hurt him and those he cares about if he does, or do one more job, and hope he find a way out of the criminal world and onto the road with Debora.

Writer/Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) does a masterful job of drawing the audience into the story with the soundtrack in a really fun and original way. From the chase scenes to the mundane task of getting coffee, the music immerses the viewer into Baby’s world. The film starts out with an exciting car chase sequence and keeps moving all the way to the end. All of the chase/driving scenes are really well done, which was expected for a movie with driver in the name, but impressive none the less. The pace of the film was consistent and it flowed all the way to the end. Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, John Hamm, Eliza Gonzalez and the rest of the supporting cast did really well and all brought interesting characters to the film.

I loved the originality of the story and how it was executed. This is definitely a soundtrack I will have to listen to again. There were couple loose ends with some of the characters that didn’t get tied up but that was minimal. It is a fun ride and has a little bit of something for everyone. There is a love story, action, a compelling story, and a mixed in comedy that lightens the mood.