Deborah (162 KP) rated The Ides of April (Flavia Albia Mystery, #1) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
If you liked the Falco novels, you'll like this, but if you haven't read any then you will be able to pick this up without any confusion about the back story. We've moved on from the somewhat benign Vespasian through the short lived Titus and on to mad, bad and dangerous to know Domitian. Falco and Helena are cautiously keeping their heads down!
Davis always has a knack from bringing ancient Rome to life so you get a bit of an history lesson without even realising it.
I was quite pleased with myself for picking out the culprit about halfway in. To start with, they seem to be random, senseless killings, but all is explained by the time you turn the final page - which seems to come all too soon. There were still some surprises in there that I didn't see coming too!
My favourite bit? A throwaway remark from Albia that her dad has seem some things so secret that he probably won't be able to publish his memoirs for a couple of thousand years.... Great stuff; bring on the next instalment!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Escape Room in Books
Jul 2, 2019
Truth be told, you can only feel so sorry for them to be trapped in this elevator in the dark, at the mercy of a screen doling out clues. Once in the dark, they turn violent at times: empowered against their boss, Vincent. You realize that they've sacrificed so much for their company that they basically have nothing left on the personal front.
It's a fascinating, gripping tale of what people will do to succeed, for revenge, and what they'll do when pushed to the brink. It's a really fast read. Is it a plausible story? Probably not. Is it fun, enjoyable, and full of twists and turns? Oh yeah. I could see this one as a movie, for sure. Definitely just a thrilling read to get lost in a for a couple of hours, especially if you enjoy the dark and twisted world of finance. 4+ stars!
JT (287 KP) rated The Oxford Murders (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
John Hurt plays Arthur Seldom a university professor whose life revolves around mathematical equations and whether or not we can prove truth and probability. Martin (Elijah Wood) is a graduate over from America looking at using Seldom to help him with his thesis.
The pair get mixed up in an altogether different set of circumstances when they must work together to solve a series of murders based around mathematical symbols. The Oxford Murders falls some way short of delivering on any tension or drama, which is a real shame. The script is over complicated and there is no real time to develop the characters before we are thrown head first into the first murder.
All in all it seemed rushed together. More strangely was the choice of director; Spanish born Álex de la Iglesia who also wrote the screenplay. A background largely based around foreign film I find it odd that he should have any idea about the true reflections of historic Oxford. Maybe that is where amongst other things The Oxford Murders falls down. In the hands of a more traditional English director we may have had a better outcome.
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