Charlesgate Confidential is a crime novel by Scott Von Doviak and was released by Hard Case Crime. So this took me a little bit of patience to start to enjoy, but ultimately I ended up being pretty impressed. The story covers three different eras and centers on the Charlesgate Hotel in Boston. It also draws upon an actual art heist that occurred as inspiration. Keep in mind that the author has taken quite a bit of liberties here with the actual crime.

In 1946, a poker game is held up which leads to the planning of a major heist from an art museum. Although the paintings are actually stolen, not much else goes to plan.

Forty years later, a journalism student encounters a parolee who leads him on a search for the still missing artwork.

Then in 2014, a seemingly random murder at the Charlesgate has a Boston police detective wrapped in the legacy of the initial robbery which puts his career in jepoardy.

The chapters alternate between the three time periods, so it could be a little difficult to keep in mind where a certain group of characters were left off. The chapters were fairly short so it was not that difficult to follow the story.

The actual art robbery from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum occurred in 1990. The Charlesgate various incarnations from stylish hotel, college dorms, and now a condo actually occurred. Of course, Boston, Massachusetts is a real place, but I think everyone knows that.

Von Duviak is generally a pretty straight-forward writer, but he does show a rather fertile imagination in the relating of this tale. He of course offers an afterward that explains some of the actual history of this crime, which is nice to have.

I believe that this is Von Duviak’s first novel. I am hesitant to say that he hit it out of the park, however he does score a significant hit. My enjoyment had to increase gradually, but I got there in time to want to finish it. So yeah, I would encourage any fellow crime fiction aficionados to check this novel out.

Next up on the totally improvised and endless literary journey, I will be reading a classic suspense by Patricia Highsmith and learn why I should be wary of Strangers On A Train.

Dalek Universe: The Dalek Protocol is a Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions that is both written and directed by Nicholas Briggs. Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, and John Leeson return as the Doctor, Leela, and K9. John Sims plays an android spy named Mark Seven. Jane Slavin returns as Anya Kingdom. The rest of the guest cast is comprised of Anna Mitcham, Jez Fields. and Nicholas Briggs. Briggs is a busy guy in this one. He is voicing the Daleks and playing two other characters, including an old friend from the classic story Death to the Daleks.

Accepting a challenge from his two companions that he can steer the TARDIS competently, the Doctor takes them to Exxilon, where he has visited before in the aforementioned classic serial which starred Jon Pertwee at that time. The Doctor finds a familiar threat has returned. There is someone else nearby who the Doctor has met before, but not yet.

I wasn’t all that impressed with the story at first. It felt like it was dragging. however Briggs rallied toward the end when he started pulling on the threads of some complex relationships between the Doctor and a couple of the main guest characters. The performances were as good as I expect from these releases. Tom Baker still sounds pretty good, although when the Doctor is tortured or something, his cries of anguish sound a bit forced. Forced in a way that does not sounds quite genuine, I mean. I guess Tom Baker isn’t all that great on faking agony when he is just on audio. Other than that, he still sounds great for a dude in his mid-eighties for the rest of it. Overall, I found my patience being tested for quite a bit while listening to this, but I found there is a pretty intriguing payoff toward the end. The story also sets up a pretty expansive saga that will be starring David Tennant a bit later.

Day of the Cockroach is a Doctor Who audiobook released by the BBC. Steve Lyons is the writer with Arthur Darville presenting the text.

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory emerge from the TARDIS into a tunnel where they soon find a dead body. They quickly learn that they are in a British nuclear bunker where some soldiers are sheltering from an atomic war. They then learn that it is 1982, which causes some confusion since there was no atomic war in that year. Why is there cockroaches and bug spray mentioned in this title and blog. Well, that’s because there are giant cockroaches lurking the shadows to further complicate matters.

Steve Lyons is usually an interesting contributor to Doctor Who, however this was not his best efforts. The story was not really bad, and Darville is engaging enough as a narrator. If this was a television episode, it would be in the era where Matt Smith was in the lead. Darville does well enough capturing the essence of his performance. The story was competently written, but there was not much more than that.

The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 10 Volume 2 is a small collection of Doctor Who audio plays starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson as the Doctor and Leela, respectively. They are released by Big Finish Productions with both adventures directed by Nicholas Briggs.

The first story in the dock is Andrew Smith’s The Tribulations of Thadeus Nook. Brendan Murphy plays the title character, who is roguish sort who has gotten hold of his own time machine and decides to start a time touring business. The guest cast is comprised of Laura Riseborough, Keieren Bew, Georgina Hellier, Arthur Hughes, Tim Bentnick, and Christopher Naylor.

It’s not the most spectacular of episodes, however there is quite a bit of amusement to be found. The Doctor comes across someone who shares some of his more reckless tendencies and handles it with his usual charming hypocrisy. Jameson is fantastic in this one as well. Once again, the performances really make what could have been a somewhat mediocre story into something significantly more enjoyable. Smith actually is an interesting writer who has been contributing to Doctor Who since the classic television era. I am not sure this is one of his better ones, however it is still far from anyone’s worst. It’s a fun rump that is a little reminiscent of the late Douglas Adams. It’s a solidly entertaining adventure but likely not one to stand out. With as much Doctor Who as there is out there, coming up with something reasonably enjoyable is still a pretty decent accomplishment. Hopefully, it is not too long before Andrew Smith takes another run at it.

The Primeval Design by Helen Goldwyn has the Doctor and Leela meeting a rather interesting historical character known as Mary Anning in Dorset, 1830. Mary Anning was one of a very few of female paleontologists of that time. Since she is encountering the Doctor, Mary gets a little more danger than expected in her latest studies. Gigantic crocodiles are roaming the countryside and someone seems to have been engaged in some lethal experiments. Lucy Briggs-Owens, Ian Conningham, Alan David, Charlotte Bate, and Joe Sims join Tom Baker and Louise Jameson as the guest cast for this particular adventure.

Although it is pretty fun to encounter a little-known historical figure, I think I like the first story just a bit more. Sometimes, the actions were hard to visualize. The performances were solid. Once again, Big Finish demonstrates their ability to find the right people to voice these characters. Leela and the Doctor are split up which helps break any potential monotony. Leela has been written with more depth than what was seen on television, and I like that. Baker and Jameson continue to excel in their chemistry and on their own during the times when the two TARDIS occupants are separated.

Neither story is really bad, but they also are not terribly memorable. Once again, it proves that more Tom Baker and Louise Jameson are still crucial to better enjoyment of the stories.

The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race And Identity is a rather in depth analysis of the nature of today’s political and social discourse by Douglas Murray.

Murray presents the view that the identity of those who make a particular argument has become more important than the actual point. He breaks down the debates surrounding race, gay, and transgender matters. It has been argued that it is too easy for people of differing opinions end up talking past each other instead of to each other, and Murray expresses some well documented reasons to why the current nature of political discussion has grown more toxic and unproductive.

The book discusses recent controversies that involve Kanye West expressing some support for Candace Owens, the Harvey Weinstein trial, and so much more. In fact, there is a lot more that is handled more deftly and eloquently than yours truly could manage at this time.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is a supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves. The screenplay was written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, the happily married exorcists and ghost hunters. Ruiari O’Conner plays the young Arne Johnson who offered himself to a demon to save his fiancee’s kid brother. Apparently Arne Johnson was one of the first defendants to seriously offer demon possession as a legal defense for murder. John Noble and Sarah Catherine Hook are also included in the cast.

Ed and Lorraine are actual figures who apparently made a name for themselves in the world of the supernatural. The film starts off as they try to exorcise a demon from a young boy. Ed suffers a heart attack, but they believe ceremony to have gone reasonably well in spite of that. The demon takes over Arne who compels him to kiss his landlord; The Warrens figure out that someone else has summoned this creature and start an investigation into the past of the town. Anyway, the investigate an older murder with similar circumstances and discover the root of the hatred that would lead to the summoning of the demon.

Although this is not the worst movie of the horror genre, it a bit of a weak link in The Conjuring franchise. I still rather like the Warrens as characters, but the script still seemed to rely on too many familiar tropes in these possession storylines. The people possessed still shrieked and snarled and were able to contort their bodies in all sorts of impossible figures just like what has been seen in countless films of this sort. There was even a scene of a priest in a hat staring at the afflicted house that was lifted directly from The Exorcist. The performances were solid enough though, but the film suffers from a lack of originality. Once again, this is another cinematic offering that fails to stand out in either direction.

The First Doctor Adventures Volume One is a collection of Doctor Who audio adventures from Big Finish Productions with a recasting of the original TARDIS crew. There are two stories in this set written by Matt Fitton and Guy Adams. The set was directed by Nicholas Briggs. David Bradley takes on the version of the Doctor originated by the late William Hartnell. Jamie Glover plays Ian Chesterton, originally portrayed by William Russell. Claudia Grant steps in as Susan, originally played by Carole Ann Ford. Finally, Jemma Powell, of course, does a decent job as Barbara Wright, originally played by Jacqueline Hill. This cast played the original actors in the BBC film An Adventure In Space and Time, which was the dramatization of the creation of Doctor Who. I was not sure I would like such a widespread substitution, but hey….it works. Two stories means two quick thoughts or reviews.

The Destination Wars is written by Matt Fitton. James Dreyfus joins the guest cast and plays a very old enemy of the Doctor’s in a newer yet earlier incarnation. Raymond Coulthard, Sian Reeves, and Deli Segal round out the guest cast. The TARDIS takes the Doctor and his companions to a human colony far from Earth known as Destination. The people rely on the wisdom of someone known as the Inventor. However the Doctor and his granddaughter know him by another name. This turned out to be a pretty good story even if it’s a little on the gimmicky side. Dreyfus makes a pretty compelling version of the aforementioned old adversary. The new main cast does seem to have pretty good chemistry, and I rather enjoyed Bradley’s version of the First Doctor. It’s a promising start to a range of stories that are faithful to the original early days of the series and yet offer enough creativity to keep me engaged.

Then Guy Adams brings listeners to The Great White Hurricane, which takes place in 1888 New York when the city was in the grip of a horrendous blizzard. The guest cast is comprised of Jackson Milner, Cory English, Carolina Valdes, Ronan Summers, and Christopher Naylor. In the midst of the winter catastrophe bearing down on them, the TARDIS crew get themselves swept up in a gang war in which Susan gets kidnapped. I liked the idea of this team being caught up in an American historical event. Overall, this one was not quite as compelling as the first one, however it was not without some merit.

As usual, the performances are solid and engaging. The post production work continues to impress as well. It is an interesting idea to reunite the cast from An Adventure In Space and Time and have them perform as the original TARDIS crew. The two stories in this set are both good, however the first one just engaged a bit more thoroughly. David Bradley doesn’t bother with a Hartnell impersonation but still manages to come up with a pretty good version of the First Doctor. There are quite a few sets that have been released already, so I plan to catch up fairly quickly with this particular range.

A Divided Loyalty is a recent addition to the series of mystery novels featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge written by Charles Todd.

Inspector Rutledge has been working cases for the Yard since he returned from fighting in the trenches during the First World War. He returned from battle with a voice in his head belonging to a comrade he had executed for disobeying orders. He has managed to solve several murder cases in spite of his condition. The voice of Hamish MacLeod has at times managed to provide some insight or bring out something from Rutledge’s subconscious that keeps him nearing to a solution.

In this particular entry, Rutledge has been given the task of following up on a murder investigation that was begun by a colleague. A mysterious young woman has been found dead near a stone circle. Rutledge has some trouble finding the identity of the victim, but when he does, the clues keep him coming back to his home base.

Some of Rutledge’s colleagues have become aware of his psychological situation, which does add further tension to his already precarious situation. Rutledge continues to remain one of crime fiction’s more intriguing and admirable protagonists.

This novel actually turns out to be one of the better ones in the series. There is a pretty good head fake in the solution to this particular crime. Todd once again does a capable job capturing the likely mood of Britain in the aftermath of World War I. I tend to look forward to each novel in this series, and I found this one to be particularly intriguing. When I say this is one of the better ones, that is not to mean the others are bad.

So I still recommend this particular series, and this novel is not one of to be overlooked.

Next up, I will make an uncommon foray into the world of non-fiction with a book I have been wanting to read for some time. Douglas Murray has quite a bit to say about The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race, and Identity, and I want to read it.

Savage Run is the second novel by C.J. Box to feature Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett. It was first published in 2003. The caper starts off with a notorious environmentalist and his wife getting killed when a cow bomb is detonated. Yeah, a bomb tied to a cow is the means of murder. So that bit does seem rather ridiculous. however the overall novel is better than it sounds. Pickett has become a rather unusual protagonist in crime fiction because he does not seem to have any serious vices and has a stable family life. The environmentalist seems to have a past that intersects with Mrs. Pickett, so that is rather interesting.

There is a rather harrowing chase through the wilderness that takes up a good deal of the story. There are some pretty dastardly lawyers and politicians in the background as well, and they help keep Pickett rather busy as well.

This isn’t really a stand-out novel that should be lauded for its brilliance, but the setting is captured well, and Pickett remains a likeable enough hero, although not the most memorable, I suppose.

Even if Box falls short in stoking any major enthusiasm for his works, he does have my respect and just enough of my interest to have me wander back from time to time.

Next up, I am currently reading another murder mystery by Charles Todd. Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge learns the folly of A Divided Loyalty.

The Doomsday Contract is a Doctor Who audio play and is the latest episode from the range known as The Lost Stories. It was first conceived by John Lloyd and has been adapted for Big Finish Productions by Nev Fountain. Tom Baker returns as the Doctor and is accompanied by Lalla Ward as Romana and John Leeson as K9. Nicholas Briggs serves as director and as one of the guest cast which also includes Christopher Naylor, Julian Wadham, Paul Panting, Richard Laing, Jeany Spark, and Spencer Banks.

The Doctor is subpoenaed to testify as to whether or not Earth has intelligent life. Of course, the Doctor is both pleased to offer his expert knowledge and wary of the bureaucracy of such proceedings. The matter gets a bit more complicated when the Doctor is the target of an assassination and most be secured in another universe for his safety. There he meets the Lost Jury and face other challenges.

So this particular episode is presented in a style similar to what the late Douglas Adams would write. It has a bit more slapstick humor than usual. Tom Baker appears to be enjoying himself immensely. The villains are pixie-like killers who are quite persistent in their rather affectionate and lethal in their methods of elimination.

This story works pretty well and represents the era pretty well. Nev Fountain is a talented writer and does well bringing life to Lloyd’s original idea. As expected, the sound effects are quite good. Although the actors are likely recording in isolation, the post-productions work make that hard to tell. The humor works well, and Tom Baker’s performance is quite good.

I did not know anything about this particular episode before its announced release, but I am glad I did not overlook it.