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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Dead Man's Grave (DS Max Craigie #1) in Books
Jul 16, 2021
One of the best books I have read this year and one of the best in this genre I have read for a very long time!
I have never read anything by Neil Lancaster before but the blurb sounded right up my street so gave it a punt and I'm so glad I did because what a brilliant start to a series.
Max is a very interesting character with a strong back story which most definitely adds to the story as a whole. There are some dark moments interspersed with lighter times and I particularly like the relationship Max has with his boss, Ross, and colleague, Janie, which felt authentic.
What can I say ... brilliant characters, gripping story line, excellent pace, full of tension and action featuring historical feuds, revenge, dirty coppers, gangsters and all set in beautiful Scotland ... just a fantastic book all round really and I can't wait for the next instalment.
Thank you HQ Digital and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
I have never read anything by Neil Lancaster before but the blurb sounded right up my street so gave it a punt and I'm so glad I did because what a brilliant start to a series.
Max is a very interesting character with a strong back story which most definitely adds to the story as a whole. There are some dark moments interspersed with lighter times and I particularly like the relationship Max has with his boss, Ross, and colleague, Janie, which felt authentic.
What can I say ... brilliant characters, gripping story line, excellent pace, full of tension and action featuring historical feuds, revenge, dirty coppers, gangsters and all set in beautiful Scotland ... just a fantastic book all round really and I can't wait for the next instalment.
Thank you HQ Digital and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Searching (2018) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
The movie is in the same format as the unfriended movies, it takes place entirely through social media.
At the beginning we see a montage of clips and photos from the Kim family's life where we learn that the mum (pam) passes away from cancer. Fast forward a few years later and Margot - pam and David's daughter- is all grown up and everything seems to be going fine, that is until Margot goes missing.
David starts frantically searching on social media only to discover he didn't know Margot as much as he thought he did, and finds out some unusual information about her.
For a one time watch I did enjoy this movie, it shows how things can develop online from parent blaming to people pretending to be the missing persons friend, and writing 'heartfelt' messages. It also shows the hidden dangers of the online community such as how easy it is to obtain information. It was very gripping and kept me glued right to the twist at the end which I was not at expecting.
At the beginning we see a montage of clips and photos from the Kim family's life where we learn that the mum (pam) passes away from cancer. Fast forward a few years later and Margot - pam and David's daughter- is all grown up and everything seems to be going fine, that is until Margot goes missing.
David starts frantically searching on social media only to discover he didn't know Margot as much as he thought he did, and finds out some unusual information about her.
For a one time watch I did enjoy this movie, it shows how things can develop online from parent blaming to people pretending to be the missing persons friend, and writing 'heartfelt' messages. It also shows the hidden dangers of the online community such as how easy it is to obtain information. It was very gripping and kept me glued right to the twist at the end which I was not at expecting.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Kill A Stranger in Books
Nov 29, 2020
I have no shame in saying that I am a huge fan of Simon Kernick's work so was absolutely chomping at the bit to read this latest outing and I wasn't disappointed.
What we have here is a gripping and twisty plot of secrets and lies which is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing to the very end. Written at a strong pace, this book will have you turning the pages and your head spinning trying to work out just what the heck is going on ... in the way good thrillers do!
The cast of characters aren't particularly likeable, to the point where you don't really care what happens to any of them and actually look forward to them getting their comeuppance, but they are interesting and well developed and perfect for the story line.
Highly recommended for Simon Kernick fans and lovers of action packed thrillers that make you use your brain.
Thanks must go to Headline and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
What we have here is a gripping and twisty plot of secrets and lies which is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing to the very end. Written at a strong pace, this book will have you turning the pages and your head spinning trying to work out just what the heck is going on ... in the way good thrillers do!
The cast of characters aren't particularly likeable, to the point where you don't really care what happens to any of them and actually look forward to them getting their comeuppance, but they are interesting and well developed and perfect for the story line.
Highly recommended for Simon Kernick fans and lovers of action packed thrillers that make you use your brain.
Thanks must go to Headline and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Love and Decay, Episode One (Love and Decay, #1) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
For such a short book, this was really, really, good. It had humour, a bit of romance and zombies.
I loved Reagan and Haley's attitude considering it's the end of the world and they are two of the few remaining humans in a world overrunning with zombies. They're always joking and having a laugh with each other.
As for the brothers. I think I loved Hendrix from the moment he was tending to Reagan's wounds and trying not to laugh at her reaction to him seeing her hairy legs (still makes me laugh just thinking about it :P). The other's we haven't really gotten to know yet but they all seem like nice guys.
There are a few wording errors but they're easy to overlook because the story is so gripping.
After being half way through I had to go and hunt out the other 11 episodes on Amazon and saw that the omnibus/boxset of books 1-6 was free as well so I quickly downloaded it and am now eagerly awaiting a time when I can find out what happens next!
I loved Reagan and Haley's attitude considering it's the end of the world and they are two of the few remaining humans in a world overrunning with zombies. They're always joking and having a laugh with each other.
As for the brothers. I think I loved Hendrix from the moment he was tending to Reagan's wounds and trying not to laugh at her reaction to him seeing her hairy legs (still makes me laugh just thinking about it :P). The other's we haven't really gotten to know yet but they all seem like nice guys.
There are a few wording errors but they're easy to overlook because the story is so gripping.
After being half way through I had to go and hunt out the other 11 episodes on Amazon and saw that the omnibus/boxset of books 1-6 was free as well so I quickly downloaded it and am now eagerly awaiting a time when I can find out what happens next!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Downton Abbey (2019) in Movies
Sep 28, 2019 (Updated Sep 28, 2019)
Big-screen version of the popular costume soap feels like a long episode of a TV costume soap that's ended up in a movie theatre by accident (there's a shock). Daily life at Downton is thrown into uproar by the royal visit; this is mainly just a pretext to hang various low-stakes storylines onto, none of which are especially gripping.
The heritage view of the country is pervasive and unquestioned; the plot mostly concerns a bunch of people utterly determined to be as servile and deferent as they can, no matter the obstacles in their way. You either accept this is normal behaviour and buy into the film's picture-book idea of English life, or you don't, in which case this is not the film for you. Fine performers get very little to do; not much happens overall, to be honest. But if you watched the TV show and have affection for these characters I expect there will be much here you will enjoy. To me it just seemed like a load of under-powered smug monarchist piffle.
The heritage view of the country is pervasive and unquestioned; the plot mostly concerns a bunch of people utterly determined to be as servile and deferent as they can, no matter the obstacles in their way. You either accept this is normal behaviour and buy into the film's picture-book idea of English life, or you don't, in which case this is not the film for you. Fine performers get very little to do; not much happens overall, to be honest. But if you watched the TV show and have affection for these characters I expect there will be much here you will enjoy. To me it just seemed like a load of under-powered smug monarchist piffle.
Looking for the Goshawk
Book
The book traces Conor Jameson's travels in search of the Goshawk, a magnificent yet rarely seen (in...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Into the Night in TV
May 31, 2020
The cheap gag about Into the Night would be to declare it the best Belgian apocalyptic SF disaster thriller mini-series ever made, but it deserves better than that. Not entirely unlike Lost, but without the plane actually crashing: passengers and crew of a commercial jet find themselves desperately travelling west, perpetually, as the sun's rays have suddenly become lethal. Characters come into sharper focus, tensions within the group build, there are many incidental crises and problems.
It's done with a slightly broad brush and occasionally becomes a little contrived, but there are great performances from the ensemble cast and it soon becomes genuinely gripping and tense, though not without the odd moment of black humour ('I'm going to die in Scotland... with Belgians!' despairs one character in the first episode). Not sure what they're going to do if it gets a second series, but this is a fine piece of entertainment. (Right-thinking people will surely watch the original version, with subtitles if necessary: the English dubbing is not great.)
It's done with a slightly broad brush and occasionally becomes a little contrived, but there are great performances from the ensemble cast and it soon becomes genuinely gripping and tense, though not without the odd moment of black humour ('I'm going to die in Scotland... with Belgians!' despairs one character in the first episode). Not sure what they're going to do if it gets a second series, but this is a fine piece of entertainment. (Right-thinking people will surely watch the original version, with subtitles if necessary: the English dubbing is not great.)
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pas
7.5
Rate It
Book
In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously...
Dyatlov Pass hiking non-fiction Ural Mountains Russia
The Girlfriend
7.2
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Book
A girl. A boy. His mother. And the lie she'll wish she'd never told. The Girlfriend by Michelle...
Fiction crime
The Encounter: Amazon Beaming
Book
1969: Loren McIntyre makes contact with the elusive Mayoruna 'cat people' of the Amazon's Javari...
Travel