Dead of Night
6.0
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BERLIN. JANUARY 1940. After Germany's invasion of Poland, the world is holding its breath and...
Grave Expectations
6.0
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Claire and Sophie aren't your typical murder investigators . . . Claire Hendricks is a hapless...
David McK (3576 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Apr 21, 2022
I also watched this after recently watching the semi-sequel 'Death in the Nile' on Disney+, thinking then that - as that was a sequel of sorts - I might as well go back and watch the original.
The problem, of course, as with all murder mysteries is that once they are solved (in either print or on screen), then they lose nearly all sense of drama or suspense. That, I think, is a fault of the genre as a whole and is perhaps the reason why it is generally not my favourite type of story: I prefer works that you can rewatch or re-read and discover something new each time through.
Anyway, the fact that I already knew the ending might have spoiled my enjoyment of this movie, even if I'm aware it takes liberties with the source material. Not obvious liberties, though! (Or, at least I didn't think they were).
Cheddar Off Dead
8.0
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In Korina Moss's cozy series debut, Cheddar Off Dead, cheesemonger Willa Bauer discovers that her...
Teacher’s Threat
8.0
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A professor murdered during office hours. A decorator enrolled in his course. Can she outsmart the...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2379 KP) rated Only the Good Die Young in Books
May 7, 2024
I found Frances’s horror at getting caught up in the case to be funny. I also liked the fact that we got to know her better, something I definitely needed. The rest of the characters aren’t super well developed. Likewise, the mystery is a bit simple, but it kept my interest and reached a great climax. The thing to keep in mind is that this is a novella, and I read it in about an hour. As long as they remember the length, fans of the series will be happy with this story.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2379 KP) rated Murder in the Air in Books
Jun 6, 2024
As always with these collections, the author lineup has changed slightly. For the authors who are returning, I look forward to catching up with their sleuths whether I’ve read books with these characters or not. I do have to remind myself these are short stories, so the stories aren’t quite as complex. They’re still fun, overall (one ended abruptly), and I’m glad I took the time to read them. These eight stories combine for the equivalent of a full novel, so you are getting your money’s worth. Pack this for your next vacation, but maybe read it when you are on the ground.
A Rogue’s Company
5.0
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In Allison Montclair's A Rogue's Company, business becomes personal for the Right Sort Marriage...
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
3.0
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All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off...
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Walker (2007) in Movies
Sep 26, 2019
Performances – Woody Harrelson is the highlight of the film with his engaging performance in an otherwise forgettable story. Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Ned Beatty bring their big name presence to the film without making the impact to make you care about their characters.
Story – The story takes us into the high society world where the rich believe they can get away with anything, we follow a walker that mingles with the ladies to keep the business with gossip etc, when a murder is committed, he becomes the prime suspect and must figure out how to clear his name before his reputation is ruined. This story is just like you would imagine, it is a series of conversations from people that are always looking down on people who just want to take each other of their high horses through the eyes of a man desperately trying to stay within the circle. This story could have been extended to give more development to the characters through a television series, which would have been a lot more interesting to watch.
Crime/Mystery – The crime side of the film follows the aftermath of the murder which adds to the mystery as to who committed it and why, we do get plenty of suspects, but most people we meet seem to have a shady reason to be in the position they are in.
Settings – The film is set in the Washington high society world, with flashy parties, massive apartments, everything you don’t see people in natural life.
Scene of the Movie – Reporting the murder.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not enough time to address the real issues touched on within the story.
Final Thoughts – This is a story that had potential to be much bigger and more interesting only for it to become mostly forgettable with the slow pacing and weak character development.
Overall: Slow and disappointing.