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ClareR (5884 KP) rated The Outsider in Books
Jun 6, 2018
Another great, suspenseful novel from Stephen King!
I always get excited when a new Stephen King novel comes out, and this was no exception.
A boy is horribly murdered, mutilated and sexually assaulted, and a man is very publicly arrested - it's obvious to the police that he is the perpetrator. Lots of people saw him: from picking up the boy, to being seen after the act, covered in blood. Of course, this is Stephen King, so it's not that simple.
The characters are fantastic - easy to relate to, and Detective Ralph Anderson is especially good (in my opinion). I do like a man who can admit they're wrong and then actually DO something to rectify their mistakes.
What I like about King, is how he can make the supernatural seem so, well, natural. It all seems perfectly plausible, which makes it all the more terrifying.
Another fantastic novel from King, and I would highly recommend it!
A boy is horribly murdered, mutilated and sexually assaulted, and a man is very publicly arrested - it's obvious to the police that he is the perpetrator. Lots of people saw him: from picking up the boy, to being seen after the act, covered in blood. Of course, this is Stephen King, so it's not that simple.
The characters are fantastic - easy to relate to, and Detective Ralph Anderson is especially good (in my opinion). I do like a man who can admit they're wrong and then actually DO something to rectify their mistakes.
What I like about King, is how he can make the supernatural seem so, well, natural. It all seems perfectly plausible, which makes it all the more terrifying.
Another fantastic novel from King, and I would highly recommend it!

ClareR (5884 KP) rated The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah: The Autobiography in Books
May 26, 2018
Lyricist. Writer. Activist.
What a life this man has had! He had a hard start, living in one of the least affluent areas of Birmingham (UK), and running away with his mother to escape a violent father. The 1980s saw race riots, miners strikes and demonstrations against police brutality. Zephaniah and his dub poetry were at the forefront. By the 1990s he was a household name, and not just at home in the UK - he travelled and performed around the world.
I really admire this man. He hasn't had an easy life: he was in borstal as a teen, lived a life of crime for a while and decided for himself that he didn't want to live his life as a criminal where he would most certainly end up dead. HE turned his life around. He stands by his beliefs as well. A brilliant, self taught man, who sets a sterling example for all.
I really admire this man. He hasn't had an easy life: he was in borstal as a teen, lived a life of crime for a while and decided for himself that he didn't want to live his life as a criminal where he would most certainly end up dead. HE turned his life around. He stands by his beliefs as well. A brilliant, self taught man, who sets a sterling example for all.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated “K” is for Killer in Books
Jun 26, 2018
Kinsey Faces a Daunting Case
PI Kinsey Millhone’s latest case is a cold one. Lorna Kepler has been dead for 10 months, and when she died she had been dead for two weeks before she was found, so the police couldn’t even determine the cause of death. As Kinsey begins to investigate, she realizes that Lorna had a completely secret life, and the investigation causes Kinsey to become a night owl like Lorna was. Will following her footsteps lead to her killer?
This is another great mystery. The cold case quality leads to some interesting complications to the investigation. Lorna’s life included some things that don’t normally pop up in my cozies, but we didn’t get gratuitous detail, which I appreciated. The ending was a bit rushed, but that’s a minor complaint. We don’t see much of the other series characters, but Kinsey is fantastic as always, and the book is populated with real people that draw us into the story.
This is another great mystery. The cold case quality leads to some interesting complications to the investigation. Lorna’s life included some things that don’t normally pop up in my cozies, but we didn’t get gratuitous detail, which I appreciated. The ending was a bit rushed, but that’s a minor complaint. We don’t see much of the other series characters, but Kinsey is fantastic as always, and the book is populated with real people that draw us into the story.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated Purrder She Wrote in Books
Aug 3, 2018
Purrfectly Fun Return Visit
It’s opening day for Maddie James’ new cat café on Daybreak Island. However, the day has hardly started when Adele, one of her volunteers, gets into a shouting match with socialite Holly over one of the cats. When Holly turns up dead, naturally Adele becomes a suspect. Maddie is sure the police are missing something. Can she figure out what it is?
I love the setting of this series. Daybreak Island is a place I’d love to visit – between the murders, of course. The mystery gets a bit sidetracked early on here due to some strong sub-plots, but I was enjoying those sub-plots as well, and things get back on track before too long with a surprising ending. The suspects are all strong, but it’s the main characters who made me excited to return to this series. They are all fantastic, and spending time with them was as enjoyable as spending time in the setting.
I love the setting of this series. Daybreak Island is a place I’d love to visit – between the murders, of course. The mystery gets a bit sidetracked early on here due to some strong sub-plots, but I was enjoying those sub-plots as well, and things get back on track before too long with a surprising ending. The suspects are all strong, but it’s the main characters who made me excited to return to this series. They are all fantastic, and spending time with them was as enjoyable as spending time in the setting.

Vegas (725 KP) rated Murder, She Wrote in TV
Sep 10, 2018
Easy going (1 more)
Fun
Formulaic (1 more)
Occasional fetched plots
A TV classic
America's answer to Miss Marple...
In the little village of Cabot Cove, Maine lives retired school teacher, writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, who uses her skills and annoying persistence to get to the bottom of the murders that follow her around - from Cabot Cove to the big cities she travels to and resides in from time to time.
She appears to know or get in the confidence of police chiefs, detectives and other high ranking officials worldwide who for some reason let her get involved in their investigations..
The easy going 'cozy' mysteries are a nice casual watch, that isn't too taxing on the brain, but they do follow a very set formula most of the time which can make them a little predictable.
Created by the duo of Levinson and Link who created classic television detective series such as Columbo, Ellery Queen and Scene of the Crime along with Peter S. Fischer...
In the little village of Cabot Cove, Maine lives retired school teacher, writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, who uses her skills and annoying persistence to get to the bottom of the murders that follow her around - from Cabot Cove to the big cities she travels to and resides in from time to time.
She appears to know or get in the confidence of police chiefs, detectives and other high ranking officials worldwide who for some reason let her get involved in their investigations..
The easy going 'cozy' mysteries are a nice casual watch, that isn't too taxing on the brain, but they do follow a very set formula most of the time which can make them a little predictable.
Created by the duo of Levinson and Link who created classic television detective series such as Columbo, Ellery Queen and Scene of the Crime along with Peter S. Fischer...

Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Chosen Ones in Books
Oct 20, 2018
I have never read anything by Howard Linskey before but if this book is anything to go by, I won't be making that mistake again ... what a great read and even though this is book number 4 in the series, I don't think it's totally necessary to have read the previous ones. Yes you may miss out on some of the back story and relationship building that has gone on before but I think there is enough provided to give you a good idea but not so much that it becomes tedious.
The writing flows well making it easy to read and with great characters, creepy and disturbing storyline and a great ending, I have no hesitation in recommending this to those who enjoy a good police procedural with a psychologically thrilling edge.
Thanks go to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and for introducing me to another fantastic British author.
The writing flows well making it easy to read and with great characters, creepy and disturbing storyline and a great ending, I have no hesitation in recommending this to those who enjoy a good police procedural with a psychologically thrilling edge.
Thanks go to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and for introducing me to another fantastic British author.

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Sacred Art of Stealing in Books
Nov 25, 2019
A daring bank robbery in broad daylight puts detective Angelique De Xavier on the trail of a highly intelligent, highly motivated and highly unusual thief. The closer she gets the more she both admires him and wonders at his real motives.
This is classic Brookmyre; plenty of Scottish patois and references, clever and imaginative situations and well drawn characters. Nobody in a Brookmyre novel is black or white, everyone has shades of grey, sometimes more than one shade and this book is no exception.
As would be expected this is a thriller with a wry twist of humour running through it; the bank robbery itself is both tense and a hoot to read as the police are completely outmaneouvred. As the real pursuit by De Xavier continues through the rest of the book the reader is drawn in and exposed to every twist as she experiences it.
A thoroughly good read and highly recommended.
This is classic Brookmyre; plenty of Scottish patois and references, clever and imaginative situations and well drawn characters. Nobody in a Brookmyre novel is black or white, everyone has shades of grey, sometimes more than one shade and this book is no exception.
As would be expected this is a thriller with a wry twist of humour running through it; the bank robbery itself is both tense and a hoot to read as the police are completely outmaneouvred. As the real pursuit by De Xavier continues through the rest of the book the reader is drawn in and exposed to every twist as she experiences it.
A thoroughly good read and highly recommended.

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Friday the 13th (2009) in Movies
Dec 13, 2019
Sleepaway Camp 2009
Since its Friday the 13th today, im going to review the remake/reboot of Friday the 13th film. The one that was actually pretty good. The one that was the 12th one. This one continued teenagers being teenagers. The one with Jason as the villian.
The Plot: Against the advice of locals and police, Clay (Jared Padalecki) scours the eerie woods surrounding Crystal Lake for his missing sister. But the rotting cabins of an abandoned summer camp are not the only things he finds. Hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees lies in wait for a chance to use his razor-sharp machete on Clay and the group of college students who have come to the forest to party.
platinum dunes produce this one, and i actually like their horror remakes, and i think their really underrated.
This one continues to be scary, horrorfying, terrorfying and overall a good friday the 13th film.
The Plot: Against the advice of locals and police, Clay (Jared Padalecki) scours the eerie woods surrounding Crystal Lake for his missing sister. But the rotting cabins of an abandoned summer camp are not the only things he finds. Hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees lies in wait for a chance to use his razor-sharp machete on Clay and the group of college students who have come to the forest to party.
platinum dunes produce this one, and i actually like their horror remakes, and i think their really underrated.
This one continues to be scary, horrorfying, terrorfying and overall a good friday the 13th film.

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Bad Samaritan (2018) in Movies
Feb 6, 2020
Samaritan
I wish this movie was better, it had potential with a intresting plot, and David Tennant as a creepy psychopath villian but the two main charcters i didnt like at all. Their were boring, annoying and overall annoying and i could care less about. If it wasnt for those annoying main charcters than this movie would of been better. The psychological espect of this movie was good, but it could of done so much better, like it was setting up something but it didnt achieve what it was setting up. So overall this movie was disappointing.
The Plot: A young valet breaks into a man's home and discovers a terrified woman who's chained and gagged. After notifying the police, he soon becomes the target of the psychopath's wrath as he tries to rescue the victim that he left behind.
This movie had potential but it failed to live up its expectations. Overall a disappointing movie.
The Plot: A young valet breaks into a man's home and discovers a terrified woman who's chained and gagged. After notifying the police, he soon becomes the target of the psychopath's wrath as he tries to rescue the victim that he left behind.
This movie had potential but it failed to live up its expectations. Overall a disappointing movie.

Jackjack (877 KP) rated Practical Magic (1998) in Movies
Mar 16, 2020 (Updated Mar 16, 2020)
Amazing!
Couldn't be more engrossed every time I watch this film!! I grew up watching this with my sister's and it's the right amount of comedy witchy romantic horror.
Story about two girls that loose there father to a curse and there mother from heart break, they move in with there aunts who are witches like them they grow up learning spells and then part ways one goes off to explore the world one stays home, they both fall in love one has two witchy girls and the other..........turns out she loved a psychopath working together the two sisters 'get rid of him' with the police investigating them and the ex boyfriend coming back to haunt them this witchy comedy soon turns to a darker setting and it's a race in time to get rid once again.
Incredible film if you have not watched the two brilliant actresses sandra bullock and Nicole Kidman together in this film, you need to!
Story about two girls that loose there father to a curse and there mother from heart break, they move in with there aunts who are witches like them they grow up learning spells and then part ways one goes off to explore the world one stays home, they both fall in love one has two witchy girls and the other..........turns out she loved a psychopath working together the two sisters 'get rid of him' with the police investigating them and the ex boyfriend coming back to haunt them this witchy comedy soon turns to a darker setting and it's a race in time to get rid once again.
Incredible film if you have not watched the two brilliant actresses sandra bullock and Nicole Kidman together in this film, you need to!