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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated The Trials of Gabriel Fernández in TV

Apr 8, 2021  
The Trials of Gabriel Fernández
The Trials of Gabriel Fernández
2020 | Crime, Documentary
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
This incredibly powerful six part mini series from last February is almost impossible to watch, but once started it feels important that you do see it through to the end. It details a case of child cruelty, abuse and torture leading to eventual death that the entire childcare support system first ignored and then failed to prevent. It shows the exact ways that the support system and then the legal system let down a young boy that may have been saved were it not for a series of shocking professional negligence. The recounting of the story and visual details of the abuse are sickening and beyond any reasonable estimation of tragic. If attempting to watch this, be sure of the reasons you are doing so and approach it with extreme caution.

There is so much natural outrage and actual anger towards the parents who were responsible for these crimes when we see them in court, but also towards the social and justice systems themselves for showcasing their many failings so graphically. The lessons learned are vital in preventing this kind of thing happening elsewhere, and so the drive of watching this is to seek the scraps of hope that emerge by understanding what went wrong and how the law might address the issue to prevent it happening again. Watching this one has an entirely different and sober feel for me. This was in no way entertainment, but it was educational, so I don’t regret going through it, as I feel entirely better informed than I was before.
  
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Sign of the Cross (Cal Donovan, #1) in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
Sign of the Cross (Cal Donovan, #1)
Sign of the Cross (Cal Donovan, #1)
Glenn Cooper | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, Mind, Body & Spiritual, Religion
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is told from multiple perspectives and it has a very wide variety of characters to choose from. I really liked Cal (kind of the main character of this book), he is a very charming, intelligent and likeable character. Sometimes I used to get lost between who is who, due to a huge amount of different characters, whose names were not the easiest to pronounce. I am not very religious, but I really liked the way history and religion were combined in this novel, it was truly amusing.

This novel is very well researched, and it was visible, that the author loves history and knows how to present it to the reader in a fun manner. The narrative always keeps changing between different locations and different times. I really liked this constant change, it made the book lively and it kept me entertained. It is quite a short book, so every chapter brings something new and unexpected.

This novel has a lot of facts and information and wasn’t the easiest read, it requires quite a bit of concentration. The chapters have decent length and didn’t drag to me. The ending was interesting and rounded up the story nicely. So, to conclude, it is a fast-paced and educational novel, filled with adventure, amusing characters and always changing plot. If you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code or similar books, I think you would enjoy it as well. Give this book a try, and I hope you will like it as much as I did. 🙂
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Des in TV

Sep 20, 2020  
Des
Des
2020 | Crime, Drama
9
8.8 (8 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Gripping and creepy
I will start off by saying I might be biased when it comes to dramas like this. I love true crime, especially ones based here in the UK. It may be because of where I work or my educational background, or just because true crime is a fascinating subject. Whatever the reason, I've heard about Dennis Nilsen before and this short series is a truly excellent depiction of him and his crimes.

Right from the start this is a gripping and chilling watch. It has a slow pace but fortunately not enough that it ever drags too much. The soundtrack in this is often haunting and really enhances the tension and suspense, as well as giving you the creeps. And speaking of giving you the creeps, whilst the rest of the cast are very good, the standout is by far David Tennant as the ridiculously creepy Nilsen. He really gives you the chills and watching this you're almost in disbelief that Nilsen was this nonchalant and manipulative. But if you'd watched the "Real Des" documentary shown after this series finished, you'd see that this was actually have Nilsen was. And not only that, but Tennant embodies him perfectly - in looks, accent and general manner and behaviours. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing him so well.

This might not be a pleasant watch for many as whilst it's still a dramatisation, it does go into some gruesome and rather horrific detail on Nilsen's crimes. But it's worth watching for Tennant's stellar performance if nothing else.