The Final Detail is a reliable and interesting mystery novel by prolific author, Harlan Coben, which features a sleuthing sports agent, Myron Bolitar.
Bolitar has been hanging out with a new lady friend on a Caribbean island when his best friend, Windsor Horne Lockwood III, tracks him down and informs him that his business partner has been arrested for the murder of a client. A baseball player who was attempting a comeback has been shot, and Myron’s other best friend is on the hook. Bolitar already has some practice with solving troubling crimes. Win, his wealthy and somewhat psychotic sidekick, is willing to assist as well with his usually morally questionable methods. Myron has to explore the past and figure out how a vanished daughter of the owner of the victim’s baseball team factors in.
I have read a few of Coben’s novels, but I had yet to meet Myron. I enjoyed this one. The plot was interesting, and there were a few effective twists. I thought Win was a bit of a scene stealer, but who doesn’t love a psychotic best friend who will break the rules that the hero won’t?
I thought Bolitar was pretty intriguing.as well. He surrounds himself with some eccentric cohorts. He is rather unlucky in love, but he does seem to be a decent guy with a nose for trouble.
This was a pretty enjoyable read, and I doubt that it will be very long before I am immersed in another Coben novel.
Time to welcome the Christmas season with a certain Belgian detective. Sophie Hannah has resurrected Agatha Christie’s most famous sleuth, and another murder needs to be addressed in Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night.
Heretic is a pretty fascinating psychological horror film written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The main cast includes Hugh Grant, Chloe East, and Sophie Thatcher.
Two young missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrive at the home of peculiar Englishman who claims to be married. As they begin their discussion of their faith, the two young women recognize that Mr. Reed is quite surprisingly well-versed in their texts and beliefs. Reed also throws out some interesting challenges to their beliefs. When the two women have the opportunity to leave, they find the front has been locked, and the house has some very unusual security features. The visit turns into something more sinister when Reed offers a puzzling choice in order for them to leave. The women have been ensnared into both a religious debate and a fight for their lives as they try to stay true to their beliefs.
First of all, the performances were quite compelling. Grant manages to maintain his familiar bumbling charm and still exude a god bit of menace. Both East and Thatcher were quite good. The actual religious debate was well written, and the character Thatcher plays, Sister Barnes, ends up holding her own challenging the views that Reed espouses. Reed believes that the major religions are built on iterations of the same core beliefs and are distortions of what he believes the is the one true religion.
As the film plays out, things get a bit more gruesome as Reed’s psychopathy becomes more apparent.
The construction of this house is a bit mind-boggling which is a little distracting when one tries to imagine how Reed accomplished this peculiar trap. There are some loose ends when it comes to the background that are not really satisfactorily explained, and there is an ambiguity to the ending that is a little frustrating as well.
Overall, the writers were still pretty good. There was some decent suspense as the story progressed. The plot twists were pretty creative, and I was not able to predict every step of the cinematic journey.
Even though some aspects left me a little frustrated, that feeling was pretty mild. I ended up appreciating talent of the actors and the mental stimulation provided by some of the intellectual jousting. It was great to see Grant show a bit more range than usual. East and Thatcher held their own alongside a seasoned actor like Grant.
It’s a film with some flaws, but it ended up holding my interest much better than many of the recent offerings from Tinseltown.
The Stuff of Legend is a Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions and is a decent, yet unremarkable episode, in spite of the reemergence of two of the Doctor’s most popular adversaries. Robert Valentine wrote the script, which was directed by Barnaby Edwards, who also has a couple of roles. Paul McGann and India Fisher return to their respective roles as the Eighth Doctor and Charlotte Pollard. Nicholas Briggs fires up the voice modulator as he screeches out the Daleks’ dialogue. Alex MacQueen returns to mic as his version of the Master, what I have appreciated more over the years. Annette Badland, Jason Forbes, Nisha Nayar, and George Naylor round out the guest cast.
The Doctor and Charley arrive in a Cornish village in 1963. They hear of dead men working in the mines. Many others have disappeared. An expert of Cornish folklore has appeared to look for a professor who has gone missing. It doesn’t take long for the Doctor to realize that the Daleks are also there and have some scheme afoot. Also, the Master has been revived, and another extraterrestrial feud is about to come to a head.
The story is not without some interesting points. The performances are predictably solid. McGann and Fisher have lost none of their chemistry in this one. The story is told in the perspective of another character, Emily Barnfather, who got swept up in the adventure and aids the Doctor in his investigation.
It’s a fun addition to the catalogue, but there is not much that struck me as extraordinary, at least on the first run.
Dominant Species is the latest Doctor Who audio boxset from Big Finish Productions and features Tom Baker returning as the Fourth Doctor in a pair of pretty good episodes. Christopher Naylor reprises the role of Harry Sullivan with Eleanor Crooks continuing her portrayal of Naomi Cross. Harry Sullivan was originally played by the late Ian Marter in the television series, but Naylor does a decent job breathing new life into the character. Crooks continues to be a welcome addition to the cast as Naomi Cross, who is created for the Big Finish episodes.
First of all, there is The Face in the Storm, written by Sarah Grochala, a two-part story which places the TARDIS crew on board a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean transporting soldiers to fight in the First World War. The guest cast is comprised of Christopher Weeks, Kayi Ushe, and Reece Pantry. Jamie Anderson serves as director.
A ship known as the SS Maycrest is contending with a blizzard, but a strange crate held an alien entity which has gotten loose and is waiting in the storm. Naomi also gets a closer look at her own family history, which is threatened by the storm and the creature within.
The story references the contribution of Jamaican soldiers during the major wars. Naomi gets another story where she is spotlighted. Crooks puts in a compelling performance yet again. Tom Baker’s performance is consistently engaging, but he continues to delivery his witticisms with ease.
On the whole, the episode is pretty interesting, but the adversary is not very memorable. I still appreciate the effort to present the Doctor with a new adversary. I also enjoy the novelty of this particular Doctor having to deal with whatever emotional impact the adventure is having on his companions.
As usual, the episode has some interesting points and great performances, but not much really stands out.
Dominant Species by John Dorney sees the return of a ruthless race seen only once on television during the Patrick Troughton era. For some reason, the Dominators alongside their robotic servants, the Quarks, have shown back up to menace out favorite Time Lord. Nicholas Briggs once again returns to the director’s chair and is joined by a guest cast which includes Clive Wood, Clive Hayward, Polly Kemp, Rosalyn Landor, Joseph Kloska, Emily Woodward, and Helen Goldwyn.
The Doctor keeps promising a vacation to his two companions but can’t quite follow through. This time, they find that the planet Taleeria has been invaded by the Dominators with the aid of their robotic henchmen, the Quarks. The Doctor gets separated from Harry and Naomi, ending up being enslaved by the Dominators. Of course, the Doctor uses his proximity to the galactic conquerors to sabotage their plans. Meanwhile, Harry and Naomi have their own challenges lending their talents and experience to the resistance effort, not sure if their Gallifreyan friend is still alive.
The Dominators is not the most highly regarded television serial from the Troughton era among the fans, but Dorney actually manages to make them more interesting in spite of their stupid name. Clive Wood, in particular, was great casting as Director Draga. The Doctor displays a little more despair about his predicament than he normally would, but it does not make him unrecognizable. Baker continues to remain as compelling and enthusiastic as ever in his performance. The Quarks are not as menacing as I believe the original writers had hoped, but the effects are well used.
I think this story is the stronger one out of the two presented here, but yet again both are still worth the time.
It’s a pretty good release, and Dorney actually accomplishes something of a creative feat by making the Dominators more compelling than in their introductory story.
Holy Ghost is a pretty solid mystery novel by the prolific John Sandford and features his Minnesota state investigator, Virgil Flowers.
The small, dying town of Wheatfield, Minnesota is the beneficiary of an economic boon when images of the Virgin Mary are seen at the local church. Visitors from all over start to galvanize the town’s economy. Then, the shootings start. Virgil Flowers is sent by the state’s investigation bureau to get to the bottom of the violence. At first, people were just seriously wounded, and Flowers becomes even more desperate when a woman is murdered, and a local hunter is found dead in his house. Flowers is not sure if this is the work of an unhinged psychopath or if there is more of a purpose to the terror unleashed on Wheatfield.
Sandford has been around for a long time, and his popularity is well deserved. Flowers is an interesting, proficient protagonist. There is something very stable and reassuring when Flowers is on the scene. Also, Sandford knows how to write some pretty amusing banter between Flowers and his colleagues who come in to assist.
There are some pretty interesting twists and turns as Flowers narrows down a motive. Most of the characters are pretty interesting. There is a peculiar young man named Skinner who seems savvier than his fellow townsfolk. He has an interesting friendship with the mayor in that they open a shop together once the money from the tourists starts coming in.
It’s a pretty quick read, and Sandford is a competent and engaging writer. He does a good job with keeping a reader engaged, and he does gallows humor quite effectively.
The novel is interesting and does the job of keeping the reader entertained and interested in the outcome of the mystery. Sandford has certainly had a lot of practice with that, and I expect it will not be too much longer before I dive into another of his works.
Next up, I will be staying in the mystery genre with my next read, which is The Final Detail by Harlan Coben.
Absolution is a slow-moving, yet interesting crime thriller directed by Hans Petter Moland and written by Tony Gayton. Liam Neeson is in the lead role and is joined by a cast which includes Yolanda Ross, Ron Perlman, and Daniel Diemer.
Neeson plays an aging gangster who learns that he is afflicted with a degenerative brain disease and is motivated to reconnect with his daughter and her son. He also has to dodge other gangsters who want to kill him. He also wants to make some amends for his violent past before he totally loses his mind.
It’s not a terrible film, but I would not call this one of the better additions to Neeson’s credits. It’s kind of slow, but it picks up in the second half when the bodies start piling up. Neeson is compelling enough to make this a little better than watchable. There is a repeated dream sequence with Neeson’s character talking to his deceased father on a boat, which seemed an awkward fit.
Also, this was one of those films where some of the lead characters apparently didn’t have proper names. Yolanda Ross plays someone just credited as Woman. Neeson’s character isn’t named either. I just find that a little distracting and frustrating.
This may be a film I need to watch again in order to appreciate it better. It was just interesting and unique enough for me to revisit eventually, but I suspect there are plenty of legitimate criticisms as well.
The Carnivale of Curiosities is a pretty decent debut novel by Aimee Gibbs that takes place in the always fascinating world of Victorian London
Ashe and Pretorius’s Carnivale of Curiosities arrive in London with a headline show that features a fellow who can manifest fire from his hands and a number of impressive people with startling abilities. The sideshow has become the place to be for bizarre entertainment. One of the proprietors is a magician who can make any wish come true for the right price. A troubling attraction between the main star and a new addition to the group adds to the mix as dangerous gangsters threatens to expose secrets and bring the show to a tragic end.
First of all, Gibbs does display some impressive prose style. Her efforts to capture the feel of the Victorian era in London are well executed.
I had some trouble really getting into the story or finding the characters all that interesting. That may have been more due to some of my natural reservations about new authors and genres that I don’t typically read more than any deficiency in the writer’s abilities.
Anyway, I am sure that other readers will find this more enjoyable, and they would not be wrong. It may be that I just need to give this one another go in a few years when I am in a different frame of mind. Still, Gibbs should continue her writing, and I will likely be on the lookout for a follow-up to this novel.’
Next up, I return to a genre where I am most familiar. Virgil Flowers heads to a small town in Minnesota to unravel a mystery involving shootings, religious visions, and of course, murder in Holy Ghost by John Sandford.
Venom: The Last Dance continues a string of mediocrity in the latest comic book films from Marvel. Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock/Venom in what is promised to be the final entry into a trilogy. Kelly Marcel wrote the screenplay and serves as director. The cast includes Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rhys Ifan, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, and Andy Serkis.
Basically, some imprisoned tyrant from Venom’s home planet has sent some strange, demonic creatures through these space/time portals to find something called a Codex. They find Earth where Venom has to elude these creatures and the government because he is wanted for murder due to some events in the previous film. There are battles across the country and mountains. Venom and Eddie are bonded, but that connection seems to be the catalyst for impending destruction of Earth.
Hardy is talented and interesting enough to make this at least watchable. The story is not that interesting, probably due to the main villain, a guy named Knull, not being able to move. The special effects were well done, and there were some cool fight scenes. I just don’t find Venom as witty or amusing as the writers intend for him to be. Venom has a hunger for brains but will only eat those of the most despicable of people. All kinds of symbiotes are introduced. Of course, this is what Venom is. He is an alien symbiote who bonds with a host and gives them superpowers. In the comics, Venom was bonded to Peter Parker and had abilities similar to those of Spider-Man. The initial introduction has been ignored in these films.
My reaction to the film was mildly amused, but this was not one of the better of the Marvel output. Comic book films require a lot of grace in order to find some enjoyment, but this one almost stretched my willingness to give that beyond endurance.
It’s not the worst film in the franchise, but I can understand why the enthusiasm and the box office returns have been somewhat lackluster.
The Quintessence is an excellent Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions and features the Third Doctor and Jo Jones. Nicholas Briggs directs this episode which is written by Stewart Pringle and Lauren Mooney. Nicholas Briggs provides the voice as the Cybermen, as usual. The rest of the guest cast is comprised of Chris Larkin, Felicity Cant, Emily Joyce, and Gary Turner.
Tim Treloar resumes his role of the Third Doctor with his steadily improving impression of the late Jon Pertwee’s performance. Katy Manning plays a much older Jo Grant, who is now Jo Jones, and has rejoined the Doctor in the TARDIS.
The story begins with a strange dream that Jo is having about a young girl in an isolated manor. She receives a set of coordinates and convinces the Doctor to check it out. They find the estate in the midst of a storm raging across a desolate planet known as Nethara Reach. They find that it is occupied by a couple with a sickly daughter who believe they have been communicating with angels. It doesn’t take long for the Doctor to recognize these supposed angels as one his most ruthless adversaries. The Cybermen have targeted the daughter for a horrifying purpose. The Doctor and Jo will have to embark on a rescue mission to save a family from a terrifying transformation.
The Daleks are apparently the most popular villains in the franchise, but my heart still goes with the Cybermen as the more chilling of the Doctor’s foes. The relentless of survival by converting anyone and anything into one of their numbers is effectively chilling…especially without all of the maniacal shrieking the Daleks like to cut loose.
The plot is actually pretty creative even if some old adversaries are brought out of the mothballs. Katy Manning gives one of her stronger performances. She is always good and obviously slips into the role with ease. Treloar is good. I also have to note that Chris Larkin as Arthur Pepperdine undergoes a compelling and convincing character transformation, which was quite wonderfully performed.
This is a six-part story, which has a tendency to drag, however the writers for this serial kept this one pretty interesting throughout. Nicholas Briggs handles the directing with his usual precision and skill as he voices the emotionless, unrelenting Cybermen.
Big Finish is reliably solid when it comes to casting and story ideas, however this particular release ended up surprising me with stronger than usual performances and a pretty fascinating use of common scenes and soundscapes. This story would be an unusual fit for the Pertwee era, however it’s a welcome departure and stretch of creative muscles.
The Quintessence is probably one of the top releases for the year, which is saying something since Big Finish is so consistent with the care and attention they put into these releases.
Smile 2 is an adequate but forgettable horror film that is a sequel to a Smile which was released in 2022. Parker Finn is the writer and director with Naomi Scott in the lead as a troubled pop star named Skye Riley. The cast includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Ray Nicholson, and Dylan Gelula.
The film picks up about six days after the previous entry ended. A police officer is attempting to pass off the curse of the Smile Entity to a couple of notorious drug dealers, but that goes awry when one of their hapless customers gets the brunt. The police officer is killed, and the drug user passes the curse onto pop star, Skye Riley. Skye has a tragic past which involves drug addiction and the horrific death of a boyfriend when they were both in a car accident. Skye’s sanity starts to unravel when she notices the people around her approaching her with the unnerving, fixed smiles that is familiar to those who have seen the previous film.
I will start off and say this film is not that bad for another sequel in the horror genre. There were some genuinely creepy moments. It’s not that great, and we learn nothing all that new about this admittedly interesting entity. I will try not to give too much away, but the conclusion seemed rather pointless and predictable to some extent.
The performances were fairly compelling. The problem, as usual, is in the writing. There were not many characters I cared about ultimately. I didn’t find the main character to be all that sympathetic because a lot of her troubles she brings upon herself. No one seems to have a real chance to defeat this creature. Some of the scenes were just gross in a ridiculous way.
In spite of the numerous flaws, there was still a real effort to create a fairly unique menace. The film was not without some points of interest, but not enough to really warrant much enthusiasm from this viewer.
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