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Mayhawke (97 KP) rated Elevator Pitch in Books

Jun 28, 2019  
Elevator Pitch
Elevator Pitch
Linwood Barclay | 2019 | Crime
7
7.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Plot, writing style (0 more)
The reveal wasn't the biggest surprise, the characters aren't the most in-depth (0 more)
A nice return to U.S. crime fiction
Crime fiction is my thing. It's what I read most of, most of the time.

Over a decade ago I stopped reading crime fiction from the U.S. because I found what seemed to be a an unpleasant dwelling on the suffering of victims; a voyeurism which I found uncomfortable, and highly unpleasant. It was as though American crime writers were incapable of exploring the darkness of humanity, or giving clarity to events without relishing the pain and terror that must have been experienced by those on the receiving end of them.

Of course this was never true of all U.S. crime fiction, but I couldn't be asked to keep searching for the other kind. It was easier to just stay away from it all.

So, this is the first American crime novel I have read in nearly fifteen years.

What a joy it was. Barclay sets out a gripping thriller, an excellently plotted story which will educate you just a bit more than is comfortable on the ease of hacking lift controls in the technical age, whilst carefully leading you up and down the garden path a couple of times. The reading style is comfortable, the exposition is well paced. Eventually you arrive at a satisfying, and prompt conclusion. Barclay avoids the temptation to draw out the end like a cheerleader pulling gum, something that only works in Golden Era crime, and I always feel is out of place in otherwise fast-paced books of a more recent age.

Against this the characters have a slightly superficial feel, as though they have only been given the complexity they need for the book, and the denouement was not a huge surprise, though it was batted back and forth between two potential subjects nicely. But these really are minor complaints I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be going back and reading some more of Linwood's books on the basis of this one.
  
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Erika (17788 KP) rated Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) in Movies

May 11, 2019  
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
2019 | Biography, Crime, Thriller
6
7.0 (45 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Ok is the perfect word to describe this movie. I'm a HUGE true crime buff, and I'm very familiar with the Bundy cases. The film was largely focused on Liz, his long-time girlfriend, and, to be completely frank, Liz was completely boring. She didn't just report Ted's name once, she talked to the cops at least 1 more time, but, whatever.
Zac Efron did his homework, and definitely watched any and all footage of Bundy available. His performance was probably the best part of the movie. If you really want to know about the Bundy cases, just read Ann Rule's book.
  
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Jess Palin (52 KP) rated Last Podcast On The Left in Podcasts

Feb 5, 2020  
Last Podcast On The Left
Last Podcast On The Left
Comedy
9
8.6 (16 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
Well-researched (3 more)
Entertaining
Informative
Thought-provoking
Thoroughly enjoyable podcast that covers all of my favourite subjects, i.e. true crime, cults, cryptids, UFOs, ghosts... I've listened for years and still look forward to each new release. Marcus is a master when it comes to compiling each show and provides strong, clear narrative throughout. Most of the time they successfully strike the right balance between serious and fun. The only downside for me is Henry going off at too much of a tangent sometimes! Finally the hosts are all loving dog-dads, and mental health advocates, which just makes me like them even more.