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Leah (3 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies

Dec 31, 2017 (Updated Dec 31, 2017)

Humor (2 more)

Very beautiful

Loveably quirky lead character

Very monotonous and slow-moving (0 more)

More like "Murder on the BORE-ient Express" am I right?

I'm about to be THAT girl and tell you that the book is better. I mean, no contest there. But for those of you who don't give a ? about that, the movie does have some redeeming qualities.

Not a total snooze-fest. More like a yawn-fest. While it is beautifully shot, it had a very monotonous, dragging-on sort of cadence to it. Nothing happened, besides all the things that happened... But just nothing to pique your interest throughout the whole thing.

The lead character's personality and charm is to die for in this adaptation, compared to the book. He's just so wonderful and I love the play-up of his quirks. Some of the other characters shine as well. Daisy Ridley is brilliant. Surprisingly, Willem Dafoe does an awesome job and a very convincing German accent, despite his small part. Michelle Pfeiffer on the other hand, her "ok, THIS is why everyone loves her" moment never happened... until the end. Oh, that ending! So much more dramatic and enticing than what the book delivers. The "whodunit" part of the book was so nonchalant and not the climatic ending I had wanted. So be happy the movie pulled through in that department.

Overall, still entertaining, just don't expect a ton of action or fast-paced dialogue to keep your attention. Maybe skip the late-night showing and go to a matinee after getting some coffee ?

Kudos (1)

Christine A. (965 KP) rated The October Man (Rivers of London #7.5) in Books

Jul 16, 2019

The October Man (Rivers of London #7.5)

Ben Aaronovitch | 2019 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller

7.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

New location. New characters. (0 more)

Does not include Peter Grant as a main character. (0 more)

Novella set in Germany. Book 7.5 of the Rivers of London series.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch is the "#7.5" book in his Rivers of London series. I read the first book, Rivers of London for book club last year and has marked the 2nd book, Moon over Soho, to be read on Goodreads. When the opportunity arose to read this novella, I jumped at the chance. To give a fair review, I read books 2 - 7, not including the novellas, before reading this.

Peter Grant is mentioned in the novella but his German equivalent, Tobias Winter, leads this investigation set in Trier, Germany's oldest city.

While Aaronovitch's writing style and humor show through, I missed the characters I have been fortunate enough to meet in the books set in London. The backdrop of London has become as important as any of the characters.

Setting the novella in Germany was interesting because it allowed us to see the difference between how the German's investigate and the Folly. It brought the magical world into a different point of view as when FBI agent Kimberley Reynolds was around. I would have enjoyed this more if Peter Grant had helped with Tobias Winter's investigation.

I already marked book 8, False Value, to be read.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/15/19.