Book Review: Keep Turning the Page! (The Long Call by Ann Cleeves)

"The Long Call" by Ann Cleeves is an mystery story that kept me turning pages until a satisfying ending. As a big fan of a good cozy mystery book, I was pleased at the change of pace this more serious story. It kept me engaged throughout and at the last, unable to put it down until the murder was solved.

There are many characters that Ms. Cleeves draws upon to make up the tapestry of the story, the place was one of those characters. It is both beautiful and desolate on the beach England where a stranger has been murdered. The search for a killer introduces us to the strange mix of people that you would find in any community anywhere. There are artists, retirees, religious zealots, those of privilege, and those who work hard or live on the fringes of the norm. Somehow, all of these people are connected by a man they don't even know, by his life and his death.

There are many twists and turns on they way to discovery of the killer. With characters that you don't normally encounter in a mystery tale their intersections are curious and interesting. I have to disclose that the people and place in the story are not often happy with their lot, everyone has something going on under cover just as happens in real life. Still, the book gives some sense of hope and surprise.

I recommend this read. It's especially fitting for a snowy day in front of the fire.

(Book received as a preview copy courtesy of Net Galley (netgalley.com))

Book Review: It's an Ambush! (At The Wedding by Matt Dunn)

"At The Wedding" by Matt Dunn is an interesting 48-hour romp on Barcelona, with friends and family gathering for the ambush wedding of an unsuspecting groom and father-to-be.

The story delves not only into the relationship of the bride and her long-time boyfriend, but the guests who were sworn to secrecy and converge on Barcelona with their own personal baggage on display.  Each of the guests, whether they be friend, family, or plus-one are at a differing stage of emotional life when it comes to marriage. One is done, maybe for good; another despaired of ever reaching that pinnacle, and another grasping on to new hope.

I enjoyed each of these stories and how they were interwoven through this strange set-piece of an ambush wedding. I was ultimately surprised at the central ending for our couple, especially in light of its author being a man himself. The emotional journey was not one I expected for our groom. I found myself sympathizing with his personal demons, but surprised in how he came out with them. I'm still wondering if I should feel a bit sorry for him or believe he's got life sorted out. Such is where the end of this event leaves the reader, but that's not a bad place to be - still wondering.

Book Review: The Bookseller: A Well-Executed "What If"

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
My Rating: 4 of 5

Thank goodness for Kindle Unlimited! It's one service I subscribe to from Amazon I definitely get my money's worth, both in the volume of books read and the quality of those books. Books I might not have otherwise picked up. The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson falls into the quality category. I don't want to give too much away, but it's obvious from the description and beginning that  Ms. Swanson is attempting the alternate reality plot device. She does it so well I could barely put the book down. Actually, my Kindle Paperwhite. 

I was moved to read this book because it was compared to Sliding Doors, the most entertaining movie about how one small change could lead us on different life paths. It's certainly something that I wonder about in my own life. There have been other attempts in the arts to depict this butterfly effect, such as the play If/Then, and like some critics of the play claimed, it can become a confusing mess. The Bookseller avoids these traps.

The realities in The Bookseller are each rich in detail and provide a path to deep empathy for the main characters. This makes for a rich and deep story with characters that you wish you could read about again.  I was left feeling fulfilled as a reader, and wishing to read the before and after of what happened.

I've now found a new author to enjoy and I look forward to reading Ms. Swanson's The Glass Forest. I also look forward to seeing Julia Roberts in the film version of The Bookseller. If pulled off right, it's going to be a treat!
 

Which Was the Worst "Without a Trace" Story?

This is a tough question that has been plaguing me lately as I've read some fabulous fanfiction in the hope of enjoying what the writers wasted. Which was the worst story or non-story on Without a Trace?

A. No Addiction Follow-Up for Martin
B. Bloated Jack and Sam Redux
C. Martin and the Con Woman
D. Martin and Anyone but Samantha
E. Spade Killed With A Shovel

What's your vote? I think I pick, F, All of the Above. And maybe throw in the unnecessary addition of Elena to steal screen time from Martin and Danny and Vivian.

Did Criminal Minds Have to do That?

I haven't been a long time watcher of Criminal Minds, but having caught the repeats on cable (before I cut the cord)I became a fan. It's an obvious selection for me given my personal interest in criminal profiling, which if I knew existed when I was in HS I would have chosen to pursue as a career. I also enjoyed the stories and the characters. As a newer viewer, I have seen most of the episodes in a relatively short amount of time as compared to long-time viewers. I think this gives me a sharper view of the changes the show has undergone. Unfortunately, I don't think the changes have been for the better.

The elements are there to be a great show - profiling, interesting crimes, decent actors, and characters with deep back story and original personalities and quirks. It seems, however, that other forces undermine the goodness. Chiefly among those seems to be a commitment to constant cost-cutting by the proverbial "powers that be."

First it was the mass firing of the two female actresses from the show. The exit stories were interesting, to say the least, but it left a big hole in the show. One that TPTB and/or the writers didn't seem to want to fill with the existing characters. So they brought them back. Their re-entry stories were handled with far less interestingly. In fact, they were pretty glossed over from a character perspective.

One character was brought back and actually made less more interesting than she had ever been despite the big change in her career. She recites knowledge of criminal psychology, but has no passion about it. There seems to be no emotion tied to her responses to the horrors she's now more involved with. She used to display those emotions as the spokesperson who had to interact with the media and families and not contribute directly to crime-solving. Her emotional connections to the team also seem to have decline in strength. And where's Will? He's an interesting character and her relationship with him is intriguing. I think the answer lies, once again, in finances.

The other actress chose to leave again, leaving another hole in the team because her character added intensity to the otherwise placid team.

The replacement actress has fortunately not been forced on us. She is casually integrating with the team and we are getting to know her personality bit by bit, which is a good thing. Less good, however, is that we hardly know anything about her. She's just as passive as the rest of the characters, except for Rossi who we hardly see. I think I actually like her, especially her interactions with Spencer. But it's not enough.

The other legacy characters are left to languish in....well, I don't know where.

Hotch, a favorite of mine is not given much to do - emotionally or action-wise. He is being wasted. Criminally.

Baby Girl, well, I've never been a particular fan because she seems like a not-quote Abby from NCIS, but I am curious to know what's going in with her since she broke up with Kevin. It was a big focus last season, and then suddenly nothing.

Morgan, while pretty has never been particularly interesting to me either, but part of that is that we don't know much of what goes on in his life either. Just a hint. It doesn't have to be an entire episode. Other procedural shows handle this balance well so we know it can be done.

Spencer. Well, he is why I'm motivated to write this post. They did not have to kill off his girlfriend. He finally gets some character development and BAM. Over. In a cruel way. Again, it seems to be a matter of finances and not wanting to pay the actress for more episodes. This was the best episode of the season and the best episode we've had in years. The next one, back again to lack of intensity and personal dynamics.

I wish CI would consider creativity more important than dollars. More dollars aren't even more necessary, unless they really are using computer programs to generate the scrips. Since I cut the cord I have to make a real effort to watch CBS shows since they don't show them on Hulu or included in Amazon Prime. I have to watch at cbs.com on my computer. I'm not sure CI is worth the effort anymore.

Book Review: From Notting Hill With Love (Spoilers)

From Notting Hill with Love... Actually by Ali McNamara
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a cute chick-lit with a nice gimmick of using rom-com's as plot devices - mostly Hugh Grant movies. It was an easy read and provoked a few laughs. Fun adventure. Recommend as a library book or discounted book.

The negatives of the book could be worked out with some good editing and another draft. Specifically:

- the few side characters are not used in a balanced manner and are not really given a sufficient enough story of their own even though they were all far more interesting and better developed than the main characters

- you have to suspend belief a little to frequently - that being that the internet and private investigators apparently do not exist. Thankfully, the adventure is fun enough to keep doing that, but it is distracting

- (SPOILER) the obvious romantic lead is not developed very well as a character. He is very one-dimensional. This is obviously so that the "twist" towards the end works. However, except for his use as a rom-com figure you never really get to know or like him

- (SPOILER) the fiance is written as the "bad guy" right from the beginning. He is not given any depth or any reason for us to understand why she is being drawn to him, except for a rather unfair, unsavory one. The twist towards the end is weak because of it

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